and sixty-five feet in height. It is of brick and stone, faced with marble, and contains the offices of the comptroller, treasurer, attorney-general, surveyorgeneral, &c.

The Capitol is constructed of stone, and cost one hundred and twenty thousand dollars. It contains the chambers of the senate and the representatives, in which are found full-length portraits of Washington and the governors of New York.

There are six banks, and twenty-five churches of different denominations.

The Rensselaer Mansion is a venerable edifice a mile north of the city, the residence of the Patroons of that name, proprietors of one of the great entailed estates in this state, which have been retained in several old Dutch families from past generations. The estate embraces vast tracts of land in different counties, large portions of which occupied by tenants, at various rents, usually small, and often trifling. Within a few years great dissatisfaction has been excited among the people, and, in 1845, bands of men, on this and other manors, armed and disguised, set the laws at defiance, and committed some acts of violence, even murder. The militia were called out, arrests made, and trials and imprisonments at length suppressed the "anti-rent riots."

ed this spot was one of the companions of Hudson, Hardwicke Chrystance, who was sent from his vessel on an exploring party, in September, 1610. Tradition says he landed somewhere near the present North Market street. The trading-house and fort was built that year or the next on the northern extremity of Boyd's island, a little south of the present ferry. It was, however, overthrown and carried away by the flood, in the next season. A higher station was then chosen, on a hill two miles distant, at a place called "Kidder hooghten," by the Dutch, and by the Indians, " Ta-wass-a-gun-shee," or Lookout Hill. Another position was preferred ere long, and there Fort Orange was finally erected. The spot is near South Market street, and near that now occupied by the Fort Orange hotel. Eight large cannon were mounted for defence, of the sort then known to the Hollanders by the name, "stien gestuckten," or stone-pieces, because, as is said, they were capable of throwing large stones instead of iron shot.

But, for about twenty years after this occupation of the spot, the Dutch spent only the trading seasons at Fort Orange, returning annually to their own country, with the products of their trade. În 1625, the Dutch West India company offered large tracts of land to any persons who would colonize the country, and great numbers came over between that time and the year 1635, from some of whom many of the principal families of the present day have derived their names.

Wood was used in Albany in all buildings except the fort until 1647. The town was surrounded by a palisade for about a century, and the strict laws respecting trade with the Indians, induced numbers of persons to remove to the Schenectady Flats, where they could

The Indians knew Albany by the name of Scagh-negh-ta-da, which is said to express, in their language," The End of the Pine Woods;" and this term has since been applied to Schenectady, the town at the western extremity of the elevated pine-barren tract which was thus alluded to, there fifteen miles across, and still almost uninhabited. The Dutch called the place Beaverwyck, on account of the principal article of the trade which they here carried on with the natives; and afterward Willemstadt. The name Urania, or Fort Orange, was nev-trade with the natives with greater freeer extended to the town, it is affirmed, but confined to the small fort which was erected by the Dutch on their first occupying this point. The present name was conferred by the English, as has before been remarked. It is supposed that the first white man who ever visit

dom. The first church-building erected was at the corner of State, Market, and Court streets, and, after being enlarged several times was taken down in 1806, and the stone used in building the present South Dutch church. The houses of Albany were built in the style of

Genesee at Rochester, and onward to the Mountain Ridge, at Lockport, where it rises by five double locks to the level of Tonawanda creek; a tributary of Niagara river, and, a part of the way, by the channel of the former, goes on to

Holland, of small bricks, with the gable ley of that stream it proceeds to the ends to the street, and troughs under the eaves projecting far over the streets. The Dutch language has not even yet wholly fallen into disuse, in some families. The city charter was granted in 1686, and extended westward to the distance of a mile from the river, and north-Lake Erie at Buffalo. west to the north line of the manor of Rensselaerwyck, being 134 miles in length. In 1815 the limits were enlarged, by adding the small town of Colonie. Population, 1850, 51,000.

The canal is there about 500 feet higher than the Albany basin; 200 of which are attained at Schenectady, nearly 300 at Canajoharie, and 400 at the Long Level, above Little Falls. Beyond that are the only two descents on the route, and these are but small.

Among the principal constructions on the route, are the grand embankment, near Rochester, 100 feet high and two miles long; the fine stone aqueducts at Little Falls and Rochester, the former 214 feet long, and the latter stretching across the Genesee, 900 feet, on nine beautiful arches. At Buffalo, is a fine harbor, lined with spacious storehouses, crowded, in the season of navigation, with the numerous steamboats and other vessels employed in the navigation of the lakes. The branch from Syracuse extends through the great salt region; and there are several other branches.

CANALS. The Erie Canal was the first of any considerable extent in the United States, was planned and executed by the influence of Dewitt Clinton and his friends, and must ever be regarded as the result of labors creditable to them and the state, the period being one in which much opposition was excited against it, in consequence of the ignorance of the people of works of that kind. The project of connecting the navigation of the lakes with that of the Hudson, by means of a channel three hundred and sixty-three miles long, almost every foot of which was to be excavated, and which must be taken across streams and over hills and valleys, appeared to many as visionary and ridicu- The Champlain Canal.-Parting from lous; but the difficulty of acquiring land the Erie canal at the junction, eight and of reconciling conflicting interests in miles from Albany, this important work the choice of routes, conspired to in- crosses the mouth of the Mohawk, passcrease the discouragement of the under-es through Waterford, and along the taking. Had the calculations of the projectors been unfounded, the result would doubtless have discouraged imitators: but the Grand canal of New York has long been, and will ever be, a monument of successful enterprise, transcending in its beneficial effects the most sanguine expectations.

west bank of the Hudson, at the foot of the hilly range called Behmis's heights, the scene of the battle of Saratoga, crosses it at Miller's Falls, to Fort Edward (in the French wars known as the First Carrying Place), passes on to Fort Ann, or the Second Carrying Place, where it enters Wood Creek, following The Erie canal was commenced in it to its mouth at Whatehall (formerly 1817, and finished in 1825. It extends Skeenesborough), at the southern exfrom the great basin at Albany north- tremity of Lake Champlain. The eleward, along the right bank of the Hud-vation overcome on this route is 150 feet, son, to the mouth of the Mohawk, and from which the descent is about 75 feet thence rising, by nine double locks, to the level of the banks, crosses the Mohawk twice by aqueducts and follows the valley of that stream to Rome. Thence it crosses to the Oswego river near Syracuse, whence the Oswego canal leads to Lake Ontario; and up the val

toward the north: the lake being about that height above the river's level at Albany. The length of the route is about 60 miles.

The Delaware and Hudson Canal.This canal commences at Rondout, and extends to the Delaware river, having

Cascade Bridge, on the New York and Erie Railroad.

been formed for the purpose of bringing | chusetts railroad to Boston, and the Hudcoal to New York city from some of the Pennsylvania mines.

work forms one of the most important means of transport and travelling within The cost of the Erie railroad, as the limits of the state. It passes along stated in the report of the directors, up the valley of the Hudson river close to to April, 1851, was $20,500,000; of its eastern bank. It is one hundred and which $2,500,000, at least, is chargeable forty-four miles long.

to equipment-account. The amount of The New York and New Haven Railcapital stock issued is $5,790,000, leav-road affords an uninterrupted line of railing the remainder of cost, in the form road to Boston, through Connecticut. of bonds and other debts against the company. $14,710,000; exclusive of the three millions loaned by the state, and relinquished to the company on conditions which have now been complied with; and $750,000 relinquished by the original stockholders on certain conditions, in 1845, making the total cost of the road and equipments $24,250,000; although the liabilities are only about $20,500,000.