through the southeast mountain. At the southeast base of the latter chain the river once more assumes a south east course after having meandered through the Kittatinny valley about thirty miles.

At Trenton, thirty-five miles below the southeast mountain, the river passes the primitive ledge, and meets the tide; and five miles below, near Bristol and Bordentown, again turns to southwest. Passing along or near the primitive rock, it receives near Philadelphia the Schuylkill from the northwest. Forming its last great bend five or six miles below Newcastle, the bay of Delaware opens into the Atlantic ocean in a southeast direction.

The entire length of the Delaware is by comparative courses from the Catsbergs to the Atlantic ocean, three hundred and ten miles, not quite one-half being tide water. Though rolling over numerous rapids, no cataracts interrupt the navigation, which at times of moderately high water, reaches by both constituent branches into NewYork. The general course is, with a trifling deviation to the west, south, and north. When viewed on a map, the various sections of this river have the appearance of artificial arrangement; the two lower bends strongly prove the geological influence of the mountain system. Though but little elevated above the ordinary surface of the country through which it passes, the great primitive ledge pursues a direction remarkably similar to that of the Appalachian chains. From Bristol to its lowest bend below Newcastle, it flows down the southeast margin of the primitive; separating the sandy shores of New Jersey from the micaceous soil of Pennsylvania and Delaware.

Like the Susquehanna and the Potomac, the Delaware receives nearly all its large tributary streams from the west. Of these, only two, the Lehigh and Schuylkill are of considerable magnitude.

From the position of their valleys as channels of inter

communication and from the mineral treasures found along their mountain sources, the Schuylkill and Lehigh have become of great importance. The Lehigh rises by various mountain branches in Northampton, Pike, Wayne and Luzerne counties; uniting below Stoddartsville, and forming a small, but precipitous river current, pouring first to the southwest, it gradually turns south and southeast, passes Mauch Chunk village, and winding between mountain masses, finally breaks through the Kittatinny, and continuing to the southeast meets the northwest base of the Blue ridge at Allentown. Here it turns to the northeast along the base of the latter chain, and passing Bethlehem, joins the Delaware at Easton. The Lehigh is truly a mountain torrent; there is no other stream of equal length in the United States which presents greater difference of level, between the points of source and discharge.

In a comparative course, it is about twenty-five miles from Stoddartsville to Mauch Chunk, and the fall in the intermediate distance 845 feet; ten miles in a direct line below Mauch Chunk, it passes the Kittatinny, and falls 245 feet in that short space. From the Lehigh Water Gap, or passage through the Kittatinny to its junction with the Delaware, it falls 205 feet in a comparative course of thirty-five miles. The entire fall from Stoddartsville to Easton, 1210 feet; comparative course seventy miles. From the junction of its constituent branches below Stoddartsville to its extreme source is about fifteen or twenty miles, giving an entire length of near 100 miles. The fall above Stoddartsville, probably amounts to 500 feet; and if so, this rapid river falls upwards of 1700 feet in 100 miles; and what may be considered in a peculiar manner remarkable, no actual cataract worthy of notice exists in all its course. Above the water Gap, the bed of the Lehigh lies at the base of steep or precipitous mountains, rising in

most places from the margin of the stream. The Scenery is in a peculiar manner wild, bold, picturesque and romantic. Below the Kittatinny, the features of nature are less grand along the banks; but still follow in a rich succescession of strongly contrasted and elegant landscape. The varied character of its shores is preserved to its final egress into its recipient at Easton.

The Lehigh is now rendered navigable by dams and pools and connecting canals, for some distance above Mauch Chunk.

The Schuylkill rises in, and drains about five-eights of Schuylkill county: formed by two branches; which unite immediately above, and pass through the Kittatinny mountain, seven miles southeast from Orwigsburg. Below the mountain it turns to nearly south, in which direction it continues through the Blue Ridge at Reading, after having received Maiden creek from the northeast, and the Tulpehocken above that town from the southwest. Below the Blue Ridge, the river again winds to southeast, passes the southeast mountain above Pottstown, and receiving the Perkiomen, and some lesser creeks from the north, crosses the primitive ledges above, and joins the Delaware below Philadelphia. Its entire length, by comparative courses, is about one hundred miles, twenty above and eighty below the Kittatinny mountains.

A strong resemblance is perceivable between the Schuylkill and the Lehigh, though the scenery along the former, is less rugged than that which skirts the latter stream.

The Schuylkill is now navigable by canals and locks to Port Carbon. The Union canal company have completed a connection between the Susquehanna and Schuylkill by the Swatara and Tulpehocken valleys.

The Susquehanna enters Pennsylvania by two great branches, the Susquehanna proper, and the Chemung or

Tioga. Below their junction at Tioga point, the united streams flow a little south of east, fifteen miles to the foot of the Appalachian system, south of Towanda. Leaving secondary, and entering on the transition formation, it turns southeast and following that general course fifty miles, breaks through several chains and finally, at the mouth of the Lackawannock, nine miles above Wilkesbarre, enters the Wyoming valley and turns to southwest; continuing the latter course near seventy miles down the mountain valleys to Northumberland and Sunbury, and to the mouth of the West Branch. In the entire distance from Tioga Point to Sunbury, the Susquehanna receives no tributary stream of forty miles direct length; the Towanda, Wyalusing, Tunkhannock, Lackawannock, Fishing Creek, and some lesser branches, are mere mountain creeks, rapid, but not more than from twenty-five to fifty-five miles in general course.

Including all its higher northeast branches, the Susquehanna is peculiar in the structure of its valleys.

As a navigable stream, the Susquehanna is much less interrupted by rapids or dangerous shoals, than from the tortuous course it pursues through an extensive mountain system, could be expected. It is also remarkable, that where the various branches of this river pass the respective chains, rapids seldom, and perpendicular falls no where exist. The Western branch is in all its extent, a river of Pennsylvania. Rising far within the secondary formation, its extreme western source in Indianna county reaches within less than thirty-five miles of the Allegheny river at Kittanning. Flowing northeast about seventy miles across Clearfield, it receives the Sinnemahoning from the northwest in the southwest angle of Lycoming. Below its junction with the Sinnemahoning it continues northeast fifteen miles, and thence southeast twenty miles to the mouth of Bald Eagle creek, in Centre County. Be

low the Bald Eagle, the course is a little north of east, thirty-five miles to Pennsborough or Muncy, receiving in the intermediate distance from the north, Pine creek, Lycoming, and Loyalsock. From Pennsborough the course is nearly south, twenty-five miles to the mouth of the North east branch and thirty-five from thence to that of the Juniata. About eight miles below the entrance of Juniata, the Susquehanna, having again assumed a southeastern course, passes the Kittatinny mountains; and ten miles below that chain, the Blue Ridge. Maintaining the latter course sixty miles below the Ridge, this great river is lost in the tides of the Chesapeake bay.

Juniata, the southwest branch of Susquehanna rises in, and drains the northern part of Bedford county. The sources of this stream are in the eastern slopes of the Allegheny chain, and flowing nearly twenty miles east, it passes Bedford, and breaking through several mountain chains, turns abruptly to a course a little east of north, forty miles, and receives the Frankstown branch below and near the borough of Huntingdon county. The general course of Frankstown branch is from northwest to southeast, and below their junction, the united streams follow that course fifteen miles breaking through Jack's mountain. Again inflected to northeast, the Juniata leaves Huntingdon and enters Mifflin county, and pursuing that direction near thirty miles, passes Lewistown, and again winding south and southeast, breaks through Shade mountain into Tuscarora valley. Crossing that valley, in a course of ten miles, it reaches the northwest base of Tuscarora mountain down which it flows ten miles, where, near Millerstown, it pierces the latter in Perry county, over which it flows fifteen miles to the Susquehanna river.

Like other branches of the Susquehanna, the Juniata, is as remarkable for its rapid course as for its exemption