LETTER IX.

State of New-York-Its Boundaries--Mountains-Rivers and agriculture-Iron ore and Marble-Gypsum--Inhabitants, whence derived-New-England settlerstheir character-Irish, German, and Scotch Colonists-French Protestants.

Dear Sir,

THE State of New-York including its Uplands, is situated between 39° 45′ and 45° North latitude and between 71° 50′ 45′′ and 79° 47′ 45′′ West longitude from Greenwich. Its greatest length, which is on the parallel of 42° is 316 miles; its greatest breadth is 304. In these measures Long Island, and Staten-Island are not included. It is bounded on the East, by the Western limit of New-England, formerly described, on the North by the 45th degree of latitude, from Lake Champlain to the river St. Lawrence; thence on the North-West, and West by a line passing up the middle of that river, and through the middle of Lake Ontario, to the mouth of the river Niagara; thence up the middle of that river to Lake Erie, thence through the middle of Lake Erie to a line which is the continuance of the Eastern limit of that part of Pennsylvania, which borders upon Lake Erie ; thence by this limit till it crosses the 42nd degree of North latitude; thence on the South by this degree, which is the Northern boundary of Pennsylvania, until it strikes the river Delaware; thence by this river till it reaches the North-Western corner of New-Jersey at the great Eastern bend of the Delaware; and thence by a South-Eastern line, which separates New-Jersey from the counties of Orange, and Rockland, to the Hudson.

The State of New-York, including one half of Lake Champlain and the St. Lawrence, and the waters of Lakes Ontario and Erie, which belong to it, forms an area of 46,086 square miles, or 29,495,040 acres.

The principal mountains in this State are 1st. The Highlands; a continuation of the Shawangunk, themselves a continuation of the Blue Ridge of Pennsylvania. These cross the State in a North-East direction and unite with the Taghkannuc range. 2d.

The Kaatskill mountains, which, ascending from the South-West, approach, in the Counties of Ulster, and Greene, within about ten miles of the Hudson, and then bend in the form of a Crescent to the North-West towards the Mohawk. 3dly. West of these is a collection of rude eminences, already described, spreading from the North boundary of Philadelphia, twenty, thirty, and sometimes perhaps forty, miles into New-York. These are the NorthEastern terminations of the Alleghany range, and of those parallel ranges which run through a considerable part of the United States, Eastward of this principal one; and subside into a plain country about the middle of the breadth of New-York, between Pennsylvania, and Lake Ontario.

From the Western side of Lake George, commences a range, and from the Eastern, another, which, passing onward to Canada, are united with a third; and together, are called the Peruvian mountains. Of the Southern commencement of the third range, I am ignorant. From Burlington as I have elsewhere observed, it is visible to a considerable extent, and rises Westward of the other two.

The Taghkannuc range runs from the Sound along the Eastern border of this State, until it enters the County of Rensselaer; whence it passes through the County of Washington, and enters Vermont at Fairhaven.

The Peruvian mountains received this name, because they were supposed to contain mines of considerable value.

The Rivers in this State, beside those which have been already mentioned, are the Black river, Oswegatchie, Racket, Chazy, Tioga, and Saranac: together with many others of no other consequence than as mill-streams. The Alleghany, one of the two principal headwaters of the Ohio, has its rise in the County of that name.

There are many small lakes in this State which I have not noticed; particularly in the country North of the Mohawk.

It is unnecessary for me to add any thing to the observations which have already been made concerning the Climate; or to say any thing further concerning the Soil, except that, taken to

gether, it is inferiour to that of no State on the Atlantic side of the Union.

The agriculture is very various. The Dutch farmers extensively follow that of their ancestors. The New-England Colonists, and their descendants pursue that of New-England; German, Scotch, and Irish settlers, vary from both, and from each other. Several intelligent men in different parts of the State, have improved the agriculture around them. The County of Dutchess is one of the best cultivated tracts in the United States.

Horticulture is little regarded by most of the original inhabitants but the gardens of the gentlemen are not excelled in this country. The market of New-York is well furnished with vegetables; and, lately, that of Albany.

Wheat is the principal product; after that, grass; and after that, maize. Fruits of all kinds, suited to the climate, flourish in the Southern half of the State; and many, in the Northern. Peaches abound in most of the Counties South and West of Albany. In several parts of the Western country nectarines, and apricots prosper: the insects, which attack them in the older settlements not having extended their ravages so far.

New-York abounds in iron ore. In the Peruvian mountains other ores have been discovered; but they have hitherto been very imperfectly examined. Most of the mountains are said to be granitic; but the predominating character of the country is calcareous. Slate abounds; marble has been discovered in several places; and at Amenia on the Eastern border of Dutchess County a quarry has been for some time extensively wrought. The colour is white, blended with blue, so as to be of a cloudy and delicate appearance. The texture is moderately fine, but in some degree flaky.

Many parts of this state exhibit strong proofs of the Deluge. Marine shells, of various kinds, are found in many places, both mineralized, and in their native condition.

Gypsum abounds at the head of the Cayuga lake, in the township of Camillus, in the County of Onondaga, and in several other places. The remarkable sulphur springs in the township

of Phelps, denominated the Clifton sulphur springs, have been mentioned in a former part of these letters. Many other minerals are found; among them are mentioned lead, zinc, and copper. But they are too imperfectly known to merit public attention.

There are no native Forest-trees which are not found in NewEngland, except the cucumber tree, and the black-walnut. The former of these I have never seen. The black-walnut grows in New-England in the most thrifty manner, but is not I believe, indigenous.

The Inhabitants of the State of New-York, like those of the city, are derived from many countries. At least three fifths of them are of New-England origin; and the number of these is rapidly increasing. The next largest class consists of the descendants of the original Dutch planters. After these are the Scotch, Irish, German, English, and French Colonists, and their progeny. As I before observed, it is impossible to ascribe to these numerous classes a common character.

Those, who have immigrated from New-England retain extensively, and many of them absolutely, their original character. When considered en masse, they exhibit such varieties, as would be naturally expected from the account which, I have given concerning the early settlers of a forested country, connected with that of the New-England people. They are ardent, enterprising, resolute, patient, active, industrious, and persevering. Many of them are sober, orderly, moral, and friends of learning, and good government. Many of them are intelligent, ingenious, acute, versatile, ready when disappointed in one kind of business to slide into another, and fitted to conduct the second, or even a third, or fourth, with much the same facility and success, as if they had been bred to nothing else. A considerable number in the whole, and some in almost every settlement, however small, are pious. Others, amounting to a considerable number, are restless, fond of changing their places of residence to a sickly excess : uneasy in regular established society; clamourous about political measures, haunting places of public resort; talkative, especial

ly on political subjects; negligent of their own business, and regardless of Religion. These are the foresters, whom I have heretofore mentioned; the pioneers, who march in front of the army of substantial farmers, destined finally to colonize the country. Their number which at the early periods of Colonization is considerable, diminishes, of course, from two causes. One is, that a part of them are continually driven forward by the sober planters, who purchase their farms; the other is, that the remaining part become to a considerable degree such farmers themselves. Such as keep their place, and do not assume this character, dwindle ultimately into insignificance; and, when compelled by want, and rags, labour for those, who are able to supply their necessities.

You will easily suppose, that in this population must of course be included a proportional number of mechanics, manufacturers, merchants, phsyicians, and lawyers; and that among them there can hardly fail to be diffused a considerable number of persons, welleducated, and respectable for their intelligence and information. The mass of this population forms at the present time a most important accession to the State of New-York; and is continually increasing, both in its numbers, and value. Their energy is already felt in every part of the country. The efforts by which they have changed its vast forests into fruitful fields, and gardens, are unparalleled, perhaps, in the world. It is questionable whether mankind have ever seen so large a tract changed so suddenly from a wilderness into a well-inhabited, and well-cultivated country, as that, which extends on the great Western road from the German Flats to the Genesee river. Nor is it probable that any such tract has assumed within so short a time an appearance equally beautiful. Before the year 1784, when Hugh White, the father of the New-England settlements in this region, removed his family from Middletown, and planted himself in Whitesborough, there was not a single spot, cultivated by civilized man, between the German Flats and Lake Erie; except a solitary farm near the falls of Niagara, known by the name of the Stedman farm. In the year 1810, this region contained 280,319 inhabit