It is an unhappy circumftance when an infant nation adopt the vices, luxuries and manners of an old one; but this was in a great measure the cafe with the first fettlers of Albany, moft of whom were immediately from Amfterdam. Their diverfions are walking and fitting in mead-houses, and in mixed companies they dance. They know nothing of the little plays and amufements common to fmall focial circles. The gentlemen who are lively and gay, play at cards, billiards, chefs, &c. others go to the tavern, mechanically, at eleven o'clock, stay until dinner, and return in the evening. It is not uncommon to fee forty or fifty at thefe places of refort, at the fame time; yet they feldom drink to intoxication, unless in company, or on public occafions, when it is thought to be no difgrace. They feldom admit many fpectators to their marriages; but the day after, the groom prepares a cold collation, with punch, wine, &c. to partake of which, he expects all his friends will come, at eleven o'clock, without any invitation. A dictator, with abfolute power, is then ap pointed to prefide at each table, or in each room, and it feldom happens that any are fuffered to leave the house, until the whole circle exhibits a fhocking fpecimen of human depravity. Their funeral ceremonies are equally fingular. None attend them without a previous invitation. At the appointed hour, they meet at the neighbouring houfes or ftoops, until the corpfe is brought out. Ten or twelve perfons are appointed to take the bier all together, and are not relieved. The clerk then defires the gentlemen (for ladies never walk to the grave, nor even attend the funeral, unless of a near relation) to fall into the proceffion. They go to the grave, and return to the houfe of mourning in the fame order. Here the tables are handfomely fet and furnished with cold and fpiced wine, tobacco and pipes, and candles, pa per, &c. to light them. The converfation turns upon promifcuous fubjects, however improper, and unfuitable to the folemnity of the occafion, and the houfe of mourning is foon converted into a house of feafting.' The best families live extremely well, enjoying all the conveniences and luxuries of life; but the poor have scarcely the neceffaries for fubfiftence. The ground covered by the city charter, is of a thin, poor foil. In the river before the city is a beautiful little ifland, which, were it properly cultivated, would afford a faint refemblance of paradife. The well-water in this city is extremely bad, fcarcely drinkable by those who are not accustomed to it. Indeed all the water for cooking is brought from the river, and many families ufe it to drink. The water in the wells, if Kalm was well informed, is unwholesome, being full of little infects, resembling, except in fize, those which we frequently fee in ftagnated rain water. The public buildings are, a Low Dutch church, one for Prefbyterians, one for Germans or High Dutch, one for Epifcopalians—a hospital, and the City-hall. The city of Hudson has had the most rapid growth of any place in America, if we except Baltimore in Maryland. It is fituated on the eaft fide of Hudfon's river, in latitude 42° 23′, and is 130 miles north of NewYork, thirty miles fouth of Albany, and four miles weft from old Claverack town. It is furrounded by an extenfive and fertile back country, and, in proportion to its fize and population, carries on a large trade. No S 2 No longer ago than the autumn of 1783, Meffrs. Seth and Thomas Jenkins, from Providence, in the ftate of Rhode-Island, having first reconnoitred all the way up the river, fixed on the unfettled fpot where Hudfon now ftands, for a town. To this fpot they found the river was navigable for veffels of any fize. They purchased a tract of about a mile fquare, bordering on the river, with a large bay to the fouthward, and divided it into thirty parcels or shares. Other adventurers were admitted to proportions, and the town was laid out in fquares, formed by fpacious ftreets, croffing each other at right angles. Each fquare contains thirty lots, two deep, divided by a twenty feet alley; each lot is fifty feet in front, and 120 feet in depth. In the fpring of 1784, feveral houfes and ftores were erected. The increase of the town from this period to the fpring of 1786, two years only, was aftonishingly rapid, and reflects great honour upon the enterprizing and perfevering fpirit of the original founders. In the fpace of time juft mentioned, no lefs than 150 dwelling-houses, befides fhops, barns, and other buildings, four warehouses, feveral wharfs, fpermaceti works, a covered rope-walk, and one of the best diftilleries in America, were erected, and 1500 fouls collected on a spot, which, three years before, was improved as a farm, and but two years before began to be built. Its increase fince has been equally rapid; a printing-office has been established, and feveral public buildings have been erected, befides dwelling-houfes, ftores, &c. The inhabitants are plentifully and conveniently fupplied with water, brought to their cellars in wooden pipes, from a spring two miles from the town. It stands on an eminence, from which are extenfive and delightful views, to the north-weft, north, and round that way to the fouth-eaft, confifting of hills and vallies, variegated with woods and orchards, corn-fields and meadows, with the river, which is in moft places a mile over, and may be feen a confiderable diftance to the northward, forming a number of bays and creeks. From the fouth-caft to the fouth-weft, the city is fcreened with hills at different distances; and weft, afar off over the river and a large valley, the profpect is bounded by a chain of ftupendous mountains, called the Katts-kill, running to the west-north-west, which add magnificence and fublimity to the whole scene. Upwards of twelve hundred fleighs entered the city daily, for feveral days together, in February 1786, loaded with grain of various kinds, boards, fhingles, ftaves, hoops, iron ware, ftone for building, fire-wood, and fundry articles of provifion for the market; from which fome idea may be formed of the advantage of its fituation, with respect to the country adjacent, which is every way extenfive and fertile, particularly to the weftward. Poughkeepsie is the fhire-town of Duchefs county, and is fituated upon the eaft fide of Hudfon's river, and north of Wappinger's-kill or creek. It is a pleasant little town, and has frequently been the feat of the ftate government. Lanfinburgh, formerly called the New City, ftands on the east fide of the Hudfon, juft oppofite the fouth branch of Mohawks river, and nine miles north of Albany. It is a very flourishing place, containing upwards of a hundred houses, pleasantly situated on a plain, at the foot of a hill. Kingston Kington is the county town of Ulfter. Before it was burnt by the British, in 1777, it contained about 200 houfes, regularly built, on an elevated dry plain, at the mouth of a little pleasant ftream, called Eufopus Kill or creek, that empties into the Hudson, but is nearly two miles weft from the river. The town has been rebuilt. Skenectady is fixteen miles north-weft of Albany, in Albany county, fituated on the banks of the Mohawks river. The town is compact and regular, built principally of brick, on a rich flat of low land, furrounded with hills. The windings of the river through the town and the fields, which are often overflowed in the fpring, afford a beautiful profpect about harvest time. As it is at the foot of navigation on a long river, which paffes through a very fertile country, and is the medium of all the weftern trade through the lakes, that comes down the Hudson, it must grow rich in proportion as the country weft of it populates. Agriculture and Manufactures. New-York is at least half a century behind her neighbours in New-England, New-Jersey, and Pennsylvania, in point of improvement in agriculture and manufactures. Among other reafons for this deficiency, that of want of enterprize in the inhabitants is not the leaft. Indeed their local advantages have been fuch, as that they have grown rich without enterprize. Befides, lands have hitherto been cheap, and farms of courfe large; and it requires much lefs ingenuity to raife 1000 bushels of wheat upon 60 acres of land, than to raife the fame quantity upon 30 acres. So long, therefore, as the farmer in New-York can have 60 acres of land to raise 1000 bushels of wheat, he will never trouble himself to find out how he can raife the fame quantity upon half the land. It is population alone that ftamps a value upon lands, and lays a foundation for high improvements in agriculture. When a man is obliged to maintain a family upon a fmall farm, his invention is exercifed to find out every improvement that may render it more productive. This appears to be the great reafon why the lands on Delaware and Connecticut rivers produce to the farmer twice as much clear profit, as lands in equal quantity and of the fame quality upon the Hudfon. If the preceding obfervations be juft, improvements will keep pace with population and the increafing value of lands. Another caufe which has heretofore operated in preventing agricultural improvements in this ftate, has been their government, which, in the manner it was conducted until the revolution, was extremely unfavourable to improvements of almost every kind, and particularly in agriculture. The governors were many of them land-jobbers, bent on making their fortunes; and being invefted with power to do this, they either engroffed for themselves, or patented away to their particular favourites, a very great proportion of the whole province. This, as has been before obferved, proved an effectual bar to population, and of courfe, according to our prefent hypothefis, has kept down the price of lands, and fo prevented improvements in agriculture. It ought to be obferved, in this connection, that these overgrown eftates could be cultivated only by the hands of tenants, who, having no right in the foil, and no certain profpect of continuing upon the farm, which they hold at the will of their landlord, had no motives to make thofe expenfive improvements, which, though not immediately productive, would prove very profitable in fome future period. The tenant, depen S 3 dent dent on his landlord for his annual fupport, confines his views and improvements to the prefent year; while the independent freeholder, secure of his eftate for himfelf and his fucceffors, carries his views into futurity, and early lays the foundation for growing improvement. But thefe obftacles have been removed, in a great measure, by the revolution. The fine fertile country of the Mohawks, in Montogmery county, which was formerly poffeffed by Sir William Johnfon, and other land-jobbers, who were enemies to their country, has been forfeited to the ftate, and is now fplit up into freehold eltates, and fettling with astonishing rapidity. The foregoing obfervations will, in a great measure, account for the great neglect of manufactural improvements. Smith, whom I have fo often quoted, thirty years ago obferved, It is much owing to the difproportion between the number of our inhabitants, and the vast tracts ftill remaining to be fettled, that we have not as yet entered upon fcarcely any other manufactures, than fuch as are indifpenfibly neceffary for our home convenience.' This fame caufe has operated ever fince, in the fame way. Great improvements in agriculture cannot be expected (unless they are made by a few individuals who have a particular genius for that businefs) fo long as lands are plenty and cheap; and improvements in manufactures never precede, but invariably follow improvements in agriculture. These obfervations apply more particularly to the country. The city of New-York contains a great number of people, who are employed in the various branches of manufactures. Among many other articles manufactured in this city are the following: wheel-carriages of all kinds, loaf-fugar, bread, beer, fhoes and boots, fadlery, cabinet-work, cutlery, hats, clocks, watches, potters ware, umbrellas, all kinds of mathematical and mufical inftruments, fhips, and every thing neceffary for their equipment. A glafs-work and feveral iron-works have been established in different parts of the country, but they never have been very productive, owing folely to the want of workmen, and the high price of labour, its neceffary confequence; for the internal refources and advantages for these manufactories, fuch as ore, wood, water, hearth-ftone, proper fituations for bloomeries, forges, and all kinds of water-works, are immenfe. There are feveral paper-mills in the state, which are worked to advantage. Trade.] The fituation of New-York, with refpect to foreign markets, has decidedly the preference to any of the ftates. It has, at all feafons of the year, a fhort and eafy accefs to the ocean. We have already mentioned, that it commands the trade of a great proportion of the best fettled and beft cultivated parts of the United States. It has been fuppofed, by gentlemen well informed, that more wealth is conveyed down Connecticut river, and through the Sound to New-York, than down the Hudson. This is not improbable, as the banks of the Connecticut are more fertile, and much thicker and more extenfively fettled than the banks of the Hudfon. New-York has not been unmindful of her fuperior local advantages, but has availed herself of them to their full extent. Some of her commercial regulations have been viewed as oppreffive and injurious to to the interefts of her neighbours, and been productive of many heavy complaints and unhappy jealoufies, which have proved unfriendly to that political union which ever ought to fubfift between confederate fifter ftates. But as it is expected that the new government will remedy these evils, a bare mention of them is fufficient. There appears to be a fecrecy in the commercial policy of this state. An accurate account of their annual exports and imports, if known at all, is known to few. All therefore that can be expected under this head, in addition to what has already been obferved, is fimply an enumeration of the feveral articles exported and imported, without pretending to fix their amount. Mr. Smith* obferves, In our traffic with other places, the balance is almoft conftantly in our favout.' This I believe has generally been the cafe. Their exports to the Weft Indies are, bifcuit, peafe, Indian corn, apples, onions, boards, ftaves, horfes, fheep, butter, cheese, pickled oyfters, beef and pork. But wheat is the ftaple commodity of the ftate, of which no lefs than 677,700 bushels were exported in the year 1775, befides 2,555 tons of bread, and 2,828 tons of flour. Infpectors of flour are appointed to prevent impofitions, and to fee that none is exported but that which is deemed by them merchantable. West India goods are received in return for thefe articles. Befides the above mentioned articles, are exported flax-feed, cotton-wool, farfaparilla, coffee, indigo, rice, pig iron, bar iron, pot afh, pearl afh, furs, deer skins, log wood, fuftic, mahogany, bees wax, oil, Madeira wine, rum, tar, pitch, turpentine, whale fins, fish, fugars, molaffes, falt, tobacco, lard, &c. but moft of these articles are imported for re-exportation. In the year 1774, there were employed, in the trade of this state, 1075 veffels, whose tonnage amounted to 40,812. Mountains. The long range of Allegany mountains commences with the Katts Kill mountain upon Hudfon's river. This range, which Mr. Jefferfon calls the Spine of the United States, fpreads through this ftate, in a north-east and south-west direction, in several distinct ridges, with dif ferent names. Medicinal Springs.] The moft noted fprings in this ftate are thofe of Saratoga. They are eight or nine in number, fituated in the margin of a marth, formed by a branch of Kayadaroffora Creek, about twelve miles weft from the confluence of Fish-Creek and Hudfon's River. They are furrounded by a rock of a peculiar kind and nature, formed by the petrefaction of the water. One of them, however, more particularly attracts the attention; it rifes above the furface of the earth five or fix feet, in the form of a pyramid. The aperture in the top, which difcovers the water, is perfectly cylindrical, of about nine inches diameter. In this the water is about twelve inches below the top, except at the time of its annual difcharge, which is commonly in the beginning of fummer. At all times. it appears to be in as great agitation as if boiling in a pot, although it is extremely cold. The fame appearances obtain in the other fprings, except that the furrounding rocks are of different figures, and the water flows regularly from them, * Hift. New York, p. 213. $ 4 By |