127 ^8 H7 JPV 1 il tr THE ITS n nc /i?\ r??\ UUJ en in A i_i u u ^ i COMPRISING IBS, m ii lilMSy, IF ITS ffllMl PUB i imHEST TOGETHER WITH THE m T@ HI FORMING A COMPANION FOR THE PLEASURE TOURIST. ■' proud Btrenni 1 tho blrclicn barlca Ihnt wont ot old From cove to core to shoot ftthwivrt thy lid«, Tlie quivcrod nntior.i, eloquent and bold, Whoso siinplo fiire thy shores and depllis s.^piilied, Aje piisfled awny; and men of other mould Now o'er thy bosom llieir wing'J fiibrics gtiido ; AH while with sails thy keel-lhrongod wntors floo, Tluough one rich Ia{«u or plenty to Hut s»a. The ilu Missouri hr.th a fiercer ior\g, Tho jVIi»s!^ip[ii jjoure a bolder iviive, And with n ,\, iiTning oraali the torront atroi^j, From the lijikcd hikes, lenpa to Xiagarii'a grave ; Y«t, when tliu storm-king amJtea his thundericg gMft Thy hilla reply from nuiny ft belloiving cave; And wheu with enilc-s the sun o'erlocks their biaW| He sees no streaia more bcautiftU lh«D thou." Mtm fnrk: T. W. STRONG, 98 NASSAU STREET. 1852. Entered, according to Act of Congreea, in the year 1852, Bt THOMAS W. STRONG, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the Southorn District of New York. L. 3llnsMit CARCELY are there to be found more favorite resorts of pleasure tourists, than the various rural retreats that deck the margin of the Hudson. This mag- nificent river, which takes its rise about two hundred and fifty miles North of New York, in a mountainous eountrj', on the confines of Canada, has been, not inaptly, styled the Rliine of Amer- ica. If its historic associations are few- er, its claims to romantic and pictur- esque' beauty are scarcely surpassed by any of the classic streams of the Old World. It abounds with scenery of the most e.xquisite beauty and sublimity. Its placid waters peacefully glide along their meandering course through varied scenes of " Hill and dale, fountain and fresh shade ; " now winding round the base of palisades and highlands, and now among leafy meadows, where Nature, when in her autum- ^nal vestments, arrays herself in the pomp and magnificence of rainbow hues and brilliant dyes. Who can gaze unmoved up- on such varied fascinations? Harriet Martineau confessed that if she were a New Yorker she would devote one half her hours to the contemplation of its clustered charms. Besides its phys- ical beauties, however, the Hudson is consecrated by hallowed memories of some of the most heroic and touching passages in the story of our War of Independence. It was on the Hudson, also, that the incipient experiment of propelling a vessel by steam wa.s first achieved, and ere half a century has elapsed, it bears upon its bosom a thousand floating palaces, whose keels divide the limpid waters with such wondrous speed. It is somewhat remarkable that this noble river, so rife with all that inspires poetic sentiment, should, to a great e.xtent, have failed to have awakened the raptures of the poet, or en- listed the magic pencil of the artist ; and this is but rendered the more conspicuous, when it is remembered that it is one of the gi'eat highways of commerce, as well as the chosen route of thousands of pleasure tourists. It is with the view of sup- plying this deficiency that we propose to group together, by pen and pencil, the manifold attractions presented to the eye of those who may make the tour of the Hudson, that the fol- lowing pages have been prepared. Before, however, we com- mence our ad libitxtm tour, suffer us to enact the cicerone for the good old city from which we propose to start, and take a glance at some of its leading objects of interest. Of the antiquities of the city of New York, little need be said, for very few now e.vist ; almost every vestige of the past having been annihilated by the utilitarian spirit of the age, or the mouldering hand of Time. One of the most remarkable relics of past days, still extant, is the Walton House, in Pearl Street, Franklin Square ; it was built in 1754, by William Wal- ton, a wealthy English merchant. It is a spacious mansion, and exhibits evidences of a style of splendor, in which we are unaccustomed to believe our sturdy forefathers indulged. In William Street, midway between John and Fulton Streets, once stood a little frame house, memorable as being the birth-place of the great American Essayist, Washington Irving. It has recently given place to a stately row of brick buildings. Ken- nedy House, so called during the war, is situated No. 1 Broad- way ; it was the head-quarters of Lord Cornwallis, General Clinton, Lord Howe, and other British commanders at that time. John Street derives its name from John Harpendingh, who gave the gro\md on which the Dutch Church was built, and whose escutcheon is there preserved. Trinity Church, built in the Cathedral style, and which may be regarded as the metropolitan religious edifice, stands on the site of two earlier churches of that name; the first built in 1696, which was de- stroyed by fire, and the second, erected in 1788, which a few years since has given place to the present beautiful structure. The height of the tower exceeds the length of any ship afloat. A niagnifkeut panorama of the city is presented from the sum- mit, which is ascended by three hundred and eight steps. About one hundred and sixty thou.sand bodies are said to have been interred hi the cemetery, exclusive of the Seven Years' War, when no records were kept. Amongst the most interesting monuments, are those of General Hamilton, and Captain Law- rence, of the " Chesapeake." General Jlontgomery, who fell at the storming of Quebec, 1775, and Thomas Emmet, are bu- ried in St. Paul's Church-yard. Columbia College, Park Place, is full of classic memories ; it was called King's College in the time of the British domination. Of the Merchant's Exchange, and the Custom House, as well as the Astor House, Stewart's, and other imposing edifices of the city, it is not necessary to speak ; and we shall at once proceed upon our projected tour in search of the picturesque. Two hundred and forty-three years ago, according to the best chroniclers, Hcndrick Hudson, the first European discoverer, made his exploring expedition up this noble river. Like the great Genoese, he was a bold and courageous navigator, and like him too, he encountered not only the perils of the deep, but also suffered from the mutinous dis- affection of his ci-ew. During his third voyage of discovery, in 1610, he, with his son, who had accompanied liim in all his voy- ages, was sent adrift in a small open boat, and never after heard of. Most of the mutineers were subsequently massacred by the savages, and a miserable remnant finally reached Ireland. The Hudson has been variously called the River of Mountains, the Great River, and the North River ; in early times it was styled the Mohican River, and Irving, in his " Knickerbocker," refers to it by its Indian name, Shatemuck. What a mighty revolution has passed since the days of Hudson ! Instead of the wild desolation of the savage, the eye is now greeted on every side by the indications of happy industry and civilization. Great as is the retrospect of the past, the augury of the future is yet more imposing and sublime. The scene from the Battery is one of enchanting beauty. The broad expanse of the Bay of New York, with its embosomed islands to the South, the Heights of Brooklyn on the East, and the shores of New Jer- sey, with the Bergen Heights, Kil van cul and Newark Bay on the West, present a panoramic picture of surpassing beauty. To the North the noble Hudson courses its majestic way, gleam- ing with its numerous craft, while the blue distance is bounded by its Highlands or towering ledge of Palisades. Two modes of conveyance being presented to the tourist, the railroad and the steamboat, those whose object it is to make a pleasant trip up the Hudson, will make choice of the ktter, since it affords much superior facilities for enjoying the several objects of interest which lie along its banks. On the opposite shore to New York is Jersey City, or Paulus Hook, which de- rives considerable importance from its being the starting point of the Philadelphia railroad. Here, also, is the station of the Paterson and Erie railroad, and the Morris Canal, which unites the Hudson with the Delaware at Philipsburg. This canal is over one hundred miles in extent, and is said to have cost two million six hundred and fifty thousand dollars. The dock of the Cunard Steamers is located here. A little to the North of Jersey City is Hoboken; a beautiful suburban retreat, much [rfMHMWMr- •^/itir'^jiikair^.M*'. THE HUDSON ILLUSTRATED. DOi5BS' FERRY. frequented by tlic denizens of New York. It is adorned with linuscs and Wllas, and has many sinnous and picturesque walks, w liicli aro oinluiwercd by richest foliage. There is a grotto, with a spring, called the " Sybil's Cave;" and on the headland above, called Castle Point, stands the house and grounds of Colonel Stevens. From tliis elevation there is a beautiful i>anoramic view of the "Empire City." The Elysian Fields, witli its spread- ing lawns and lu.xurious foliage, stretches onward to Weebaw- ken Blutf on tlie North, and the Bergen Heights on the West. These precipitous accUvities present a wild aspect, being in part composed of huge masses of rock, intersected with brushwood. The celebrated Duelling Ground, where the fatal rencontre took place between Col. Burr and Gen. Hamilton, in 1801, is on the margin of tlie river, completely encompassed with rocks, and seems peculiarly adapted in its seclusion as a place for the. -settlement of the so called aflairs of lienor. The deeply lamented death of Hamilton was commemorated by the erec- tion of .1 neat marble monument on the spot, but both it and his remains have been since removed to the cemetery of Trin- ity Church. On the opposite side of the river is the old Stales Prison and execution dock. In one of the apartments of the Bayard House, behind this building, is tlie place where Gen. Hamilton breatlicd his last, ho having been conveyed tliither from tlio scene of liis slaughter. Bull's Ferry is a shady little nook, a short distance north- ward. In addition to its orchards and pleasure grounds, its surrounding scenery is exceedingly varied and picturesque. Fort Lee, a rocky bluff, three hundred feet in height, forms the commencement of the Palisades. These extend about twenty-five miles up the river on the western shore, when they strike back into the country northward. The form of these perpendicular difts and the slope beneath them to the water, is e.vaetly similar to those of the northern coast of Ireland, ad- joining the Giant's Causeway: the quality of the stone, however, is not the same. It is a species of coarse basalt or trap rock in columnar niiusses, which are generally of the he.xagon form. The height of these majestic ridges varies from two hundred to six hundred feet. They are surmounted by an extended fringe of forest trees as far as tlie eye can reach, which from their elevated position resemble shrubs rather than tall trees. About half way down to the water's edge, is an acute bank of broken fragments of rock, « Inch from the action of the atmosphere, aro occasionally precipitated in large masses. At their base are often to be seen many little sheltered nooks and patches of arable land with cottages and farms. From (he top of tho clifl's here, the ground descends in a gradual slope to the Hack- ensack river about five miles distant. Here are still to bo found some .specimens of the veritable old Dutch population where the language of the fatherland continues to be tho ver- nacular. Receding still farther from the city, the island of Manhattan presents a highly picturesque shore, with its bills and dales adorned with cottages and beautiful Nillas. The Orph.in Asylum is the next building that attracts attention. It is a handsome specimen of the Gothic. 'I'he Lunatic Asylum also is seen standing on a high eminence, w hicli commands a delightful view of the East River, Long Island Sound, the Hud- son, and surrounding counties. Li the rear of this edifice the ruins of a fort still remain, one of the monuments w hicli memo- ralize the birth of American freedom. On the hill overlooking the river and the valley of Manhattanville is Clermont, one of the most interesting residences on the island, and celebrated as liaving been once the abode of Joseph Bonaparte, Viscouni Courteney, and Mr. Jackson the British minister. SlAnnATTANVCLLE Contains but few houses, but is prettily situated iu a valley encompassed by bills and thicli woods. It has a dock and is seen to gi-eat advantage frcjin the river. It has been stated that some yeai-s since ui excavating at the mouth of the cove for the projected Canal here, large quanti- ties of timber were laid bare, lying several feet below the level of the river. The wood was sound, universally cedar, and of a daik color, and lay as if a hunicane had pa.ssed over the forest and torn it up. From this, it is conjectured that either the river has increased in elevation during a long la])so of years, or that those trees were the remains of an antedeluvian world. The geologist, however, will doubtless dissent from the former opin- ion, since the evidences e.xisting on the west side of the river especially, in the substrata, would immediately conflict with it. It is curious to remark that for nearlj' thirty miles up the Hud- son, the western shore presents uniformly either some variety of trap rock, conglomerate or secondary formation, while the eastern abounds in primitive or granite rock, as also the entire island of Manhattan. From Manhattanville to Fort Washing- ton are a range of finely wooded heights, s\\eeping gracefully to the shore. The mounds of the old fort arc still to be seen. The view from there is one of the finest in the vicinity of New York. Fort Washington is a spot of some celebrity iu (he Revolutionary annals. When the army retreated to White Plains, it was decided to leave a garrison here under Colonel Magan, to pi'event the enemy from ascending the river. It was attacked by the British ship of war '■Mercury," but a well dhccted shot caused a speedy retreat, and to .save the lives of the crew she was run on shore, opposite to where now stands the .seventh mile stone on the Bloomingdale road, but soon after fell off and sank in deep water. Several attempts have been made by means of a diving bell, to recover some of her armament and stores, but without much success. The attack upon the fort was made from four different points by the Brit- ish and Hessians. The loss to the British amounted to about THE HUDSON ILLUSTRATED. twelve hundred men, but (he spirited defence in consequence of a deficiency in amunition availed nothing; the garrison, com- posed of twenty-six hundred militia and regular troops surren- dered. This serious loss spread a gloom over the American cause. The surrender of Fort Lee followed soon after. About two miles above Fort Washington is Spuyten Duyi-el Creek. It takes its name from the following circumstance which is humorously related in Knickerbocker's History of New York. It is in substance as follows; — "On the arrival of the English under the command of Col. Nichols, who with the authority of the Briti.sh Crown, claimed the city of New Amsterdam, An- tony Van Corlcar, the renowned trumpeter of the chivalrous Governor Stuyvesant, was despatched to sound the alarm along the pastoral borders of the Bronx, startling the wild solitudes of Croton, arousing the rugged yeomanry of Weehawken and Hoboken, the mighty men of battle of Tappan Bay and the brave boys of Tai-rytown and Sleepy Hollow, togelher with all the warriors of the country round about, charging them one and all to .sling their powder horns, slioulder their fowling pieces ind march merrily down to the Manhattoes. It was a dark and stormy night when the good Antony at the famous creek, (sagely denominated Harlem river,) which separates the island of Alanhattan from the main land. The wind was high, the elements were in a roar, and no Charon could be found to ferry the adventurous sounder of brass across the \\ater. For a short time he vapored like an impatient ghost upon the brink, and then bethinking himself of the urgency of his errand, took a hasty embrace of his stone bottle, swore most valorously ha would swim across en spight tier Duyrel, (in spite of the devil,) and daringly plunged into the stream. Luckless Antony! scarce had he buffeted half way over when he was observed to struggle violently, as if battlingwith thcspiritof the waters; in- stinctively he put his trumpet to his mouth, and giving a vehe- ment bla.st, sank forever to the bottom." The next spot of interest on the Eastern shore is Philips- burgh, or Yonkers. Fordhara Heights, and Tetard's Hill, in this vicinity, are memorable spots in our revolutionary history. It is a neat little village. In the struggle for independence, this was a manor belonging to the family from whom it derives its name, and equal to a German principality in extent. The possessor, however, clinging to the side of the Mother country, the property became confiscated, and has since been divided and subdivided among many proprietors. The spire of its church rising above the trees, and the fine old stone mansion surround- ed by a grove of Chestnut trees, give to this village a beautiful effect as seen from the water. DoEBs' Ferry, which derives its name from the ferry used to across the river diiring the Revolutionary War, was a place of considerable importance during that eventful epocli. Piermont, on the Western shore, so called from its pier, which is a mile in length, is where the New York and Erie Railroad commen- ces. A ferry connects it with the Dearman Station and the Hudson River Railroad. In the immediate vicinity, is Sunny- side, the residence of Washington Irving. It is surrounded DEARMAN with foliage, in one of the most enchanting little nooks on the river. The house has been restored and beautified by Mr. Irving. It stands on the site of the famous "Wolfert's Roost" of the olden time. It was built by Wolfert Eckcr, an ancient burgher of (he town, and afterward came into the possession of Jacob Van Ta.ssel, one of the "race of hard-headed, hard- handed, stout-hearted Dutchmen, descended of the primitive Nethcrlandcrs." Tatpan is memorable from the tragic fate of Colonel Bay- lor's regiment there. They occupied a large barn in the village, and in the dead of night during their slumbers, through the negligence of an out-jiost, lliey were surprised and massacred without quai-ter by Hie British, under Gen. Grey. Here the river spreads, forming what is called Tappan Bay, or Tappaan Zee, as ihc Dutch styled it — where ihey cautiously took in sail or sel- dom naxHgated except in smooth «ater. Ijic village cf Tap- pan will also ever be an object of dcej) interest liom its connec- tion wilh the history of the conspiracy of Arnold and the wretched fate of his accomplice Andre. The site of (he execu- tion of the latter, and the place of his buiial, is situated about a mile from the town, and is pointed out to the traveller. The story of Arnold's conspiracy is in brief as follows: At Tarrytown, which is about a mile beyond Tappan, on the Eastern shore, is a Dutch Church, nearly two hundred years old ; it is near this jilace w here Major Andre was ca])turcd by Paulding, Van Wart and Williams, of the militia. Amon- muent is erected to the memory of Van Wart, who died some time since. It stands by the road-side in a retired valley in (he town of Greenbush, about three miles from Tarrytown. Ben- edict Arnold distinguished himself from the commencement of the war for his extraordinary bravery and intrepidity. He had succeeded in the bold and difficult attempt to invade the Cana^ das from the State of Maine, where (he sufferings of himself and soldiers excited (he universal sympathies of the Na(ion to- wards him: and up to the time of his being appointed to (he command of West Point, in Nov. 1779, he enjoyed the highest confidence. Oii'ended, however, at the reproof of Washington, for certain acts of dishoncs(y \\hich it is said his excessive cupidity had betrayed him into, he formed the treacherous and base plan for delivering the Fortress at West Point in- to the hands of the British. The residence of Gen. Arnold was at the house of Col. Robinson, who had relinquished it and joined (he Royal Army. It was here (he proposal was first made. Major Andre and Col. Robinson were (he agents on the part of the British, \\ith whom Arnold also held fi-equent communications from on board (he Sloop of War Vulture. Major Andre was at that time twenty-nine years of age. From his excellent accomplishments and cultivated taste for the fine arts, and his proticience in most of them, as well as his rapid progi-ess in military rank and re])utation, he liad secured to himself the respect and marked esteem of the British Army. 'I here was sonie(hing singularly interesdng in (he character and fortunes of Andre. In early life he had formed an attachment to a young lady in England, (he marriage of whom wi(h a more successful rival, drove him disappointed to the bustling pursuits of the Camp. But in the height of his mili- tary career, flushed with new hopes from the execu- tion of a project the most beneficial to his party that rould be devised, he was at once precipit.ated from the summit of his prosperity and all his e.xpcct.ations of am- bition were blasted. On Sept. 23, 1780, tlie day fol- lowing the I'atal interview wilh Arnold, as lie vas conveying the communications for (he Bri(ish Com- mander in New York, he was met by the three men before named, whom Andre, believing (o belong to the British, confessed that he did also; upon which they seized him. But although he presented after- wards his passport frtun Arnold, ihis but excited (heir lur(hcr .suspicion, and (hey consequently commenced searching him, when lliey discovered the treasonable ]iapers secreted in his stockings. He was conducted forlhwith to Col. Jameson, tried by a court-martial at the head of which was Gen. Lafayette, and finally ex- ecuted as a Spy, near Tappan, on the 2d of October. JIajor Andre had many liiends in the American Army, and even Washington is reported to have shed tears over the warrant for his execution. Every possible effort was made by Sir Henry Clinton in his favor, but it was deemed important that the decision of the Vv,^^• -t-> ^ ki «j rt P. n p C :s "■ '1 to 3 .2 C- CO Q> > ^ rn 0< O .2 -^ ^ 3 0.0, &< CO i.2 n 5; c hJ - <«* rt V ^■ Idint ructio lis m Rive Th Wf^ ^S^ ' 2 "S-^ >. — c c y ca V edto the CO k. ckensp raw B P- c4 allow s and s Hoo he Ha aversi F D C £ S E Q) ? ^^*^ t« ti cr-a g c; ^. r/5 risoners d in the lied Ve the sou Tappan ^^p^ 3 ^^. tJ K ca 0-« 3 2 a, R ig Sing. T ing are emp e water ; it jAiiE, and fo n, and separ ^^ %^ ji .- c/j jz: ^ r to the East of S risoners at Sing oming up from t It is Rockland outh of the Crot 0-.° . E Il-Si^ . 5-a *^ jout a ion of headl heHu from « -n .2 " 5 1 are situated A large po een a majest ed feet from ; into the riv a, 00 S >-"'^ ^ am catS„ £ H ^ ° rt H 2 to o; > H H 3 -S « ^ ),;£/"■"• SING SING. or lake sccrcry. Havcistraw Village is on the West side of the Bav. 'I his town inrludcs Gnissy Point and Stony Point, with the old Forts of ('lintnn and Montf,'()niery, so eeli'lirated in Iho Revoii.tionary War. The latter is a bold rough prom- ontory. The Croton River rises about two miles above Sing Sing, and is conveyed through pipes to the City of New York. The Croton A()\ieduct is a splendid piece of masonry. The public works connected with this great enterprise, whidi was commenced in 1835 and completed in 1842, it is estimated have cost $14,000,000. Tlie Fountain Reservoir isonc hundred and si.vty-six feet above the level of tide water. From this source the water is conveyed a distance of two miles, in iron pipes, to the Receiving Reservoir, and thence throughout the city. In its course it passes through tunnels cut out of the solid rock, until it reaches the Harlem river, where it passes over the "High Bridge," one thousand four Inmdred and fifty feet long, and at an elevation of one hundred and fourteen feet. This ai|ueduct has a descent of about thirteen inches per mile, and when but two-thirds full of water, discharges si.xty millions of gallons per day. The Croton Dam is an object of especial interest, and will repay a visit. Haverstraw, on the Western side of the Hudson, is pleasantly located on an elevated pl.v teau. About three miles to the North, on a jutting headland, is Stony Pcunt. In the rear of Fort Clinton is Bloody Pond, so called from I its having been the place into which were thrown the bodies of those slain in the defence of these forts. Fort Clinton was fortified during the war, and taken from Gen. Wayne by the ] British in mS; but on the 15th ofiuly of the following year, it w.as retaken by this brave man under circumstances of sin- gular difficulty. On passing the last abbatis, he received a wound in the head by a musket ball, notwithstanding which, he insisted on being carried forward, jirolesting that if he died, he wished it might be in the Fort. Instciid of tower and battlement, however. Stony Point is now surmounted by a light-house. The deadly game of war has happily been ex- changed for the ennobling and peaceful arts of commerce — the fcarfid engine of destruction for the beacon of safety. The fortress of Stony Point commands the waters of the Hudson, which are here contracted into a very narrow channel by Ihe ])rojeclion of Grassy Point, in the vicinity. The Brit- ish took advantage of this in order to prevent vessels from passing. But Wasliington considered it so important that he resolved to take it by the bayonet. For this j)urpose, he reconnoiterc.d it from the neighboring hills; planned the attack, and appoiiite, which at lengtli, liDwever, evaporated with the finncs ot'nnraerous pipes, and finally resolved into the belief of the ship having been that of tlie ghost of Hendriek Iludsim and liis erew. For a long time the phantom ship was seen to revisit the same spots to the terrible diseomfiture of the redoubtable Duteh, and dis- appear as at first, among the Highlands, where it is believed, the mysterious voyagers held their ghostly gambols. Two miles beyond, a beautiful little cascade comes foaming and tumbling down the rocks, nearly one hundred feet, called the Buttermilk Falls, from their whiteness. Several large flour mills are supplied by these waters. Opposite to these, is Bev- erlj' House, where Arnold met Andre, and concocted his treasonable plans. West Point is, to every lover of his country, hallowed ground. It is consecrated by cherished memories of the heroic patriotism of our forefathers. Some of the severest struggles in our war of Independence took place in this vicinity: and these grand old rocks once reverberated with the booming of cannon and the clash of arms. The rocky fostnesses Ihen served, in part, for impregnable fortresses; the clustered foliage and the bright blue heavens above, fired the brave hearts fif the warriors with hopes of victory. Great names, that nnist ever live in our country's story, belong to this battle-groimd, — the noble virtues of Kosciusko and Lafayette, as well as Ar- nold's treachery and Andre's hapless fate. Near the margin of the liver, in a retired nook in the clefts, rises a white marble shaft, beneath which reposes the great Polish chieftain. The following interesting anecdotes of Washington we tran- scribe from an admirable work, just published, entitled "Ro- mance of the Revolution," comprising personal incidents and details of remarkable interest, some of wliicli we do not remcm- ber to have met with elsewhere. The incidents we are about to relate, occurred at West Point, during the early part of the revolutionary struggle. "The sua had just passed its meridian, when an American officer was seen slowly wending his way along one of the un- frequented roads up "the mountains, in the vicinity of West Point, where the American army was then stationed. The of- ficer w;is unaccompanied, and as the horse with slow and meas- ured tread moved along the road, with the slackened rein hang- ing loose upon his neck, liis rider seemed buried iu a deep rev- erie. The scene around w as one of peculiar beauty ; the far mountains heaped up, one above another, against the horizon, and at his feet the lludscm swcejiing on with a sweet and placid look. But the thoughts of the traveller were turned inward, and his eyes heeded not the pageant before them, but seemed rather to be reading the dark and obscure future, or Irving to penetrate the mysteries which surrounded the present. His t houghts, however, were apparently undisturbed, but only solemn and deep. It \\ould ha\e been impossible for any one to have looked upon his calm, thoughtful brow, the majestic, but benev- olent expres.sion of his countenance, the firm contour, though sweet compression of his lips, the mild, penetrating glance of his eye, and the noble proportions of his frame, without detect- ing the presence of the great Washisg ton. Presently he drew up before a mansion on the road, dismounted, and ap])roached the house. Almost immediately a door was throwii open, and an aged gentleman in a civilian's dress, rushed forth and greet- ed the comer with many, seemingly, earnest protestations of welcome. The family in which Washington, on this occasion, was re- ceived, was one he had frequently been in the habit of visiting. During the stay of the army at West Point, he often dhied with its members, and with its head he had at first repo- sed confidence and friendship. But many suspicions of his honesty were whispered about, and in some quarters he was openly accused of treachery to the American cause. To these suspicions Washington would not heed, but liaving been invi- ted to dine with him on a certain day and at a certain hour, and this invitation being pressed with so much over-earnestness, and accompanied with an insinuation, that liis ajipearance with a guard was an indication of his want of confidence in his friend's fidelity, and urged to give a jiroof of his umiiangi'd be- lief in his honesty, by coming unattended to partake with him a private dinner, Washington's susi)ieions at last became fully aroused, and he resolved, by accepting the invitation, to prove at once the truth or falsehood of the sus])icions entertained against him. It was to fulfil tliis engagement that Washing- ton, on the occasion we have described, proceeded to the resi- dence of his suspected friend. The time ajipointcd for the dinner was two o'clock, but it was not later than one when Washington dismounted at the door of his host. He had an especial object in this early arri- val. The host proposed to occupy the interim before dinner, by a walk on the piazza. Here conversation occupied the time, and it soon became apparent to the chief that his host's manner THE HUDSON ILLUSTRATED. 11 was exceedingly nervous and excitable. Without revealing this knowledge, Washington continued the discourse, and, while he carefully avoided betraying his suspicions, he skillfully led the conversations to such subjects, that would be most likely to cause his companion to betray his agitation. So poor an actor was he, and so often was his conscience probed by the ap- parently innocent remarks of the commander-in-chief, that his nervousness of manner became so marked as to give the great- est pain to Washington, at this proof of the intidelity of one on whom he had once reposed unlimited confidence. The American commander in commenting upon the difti^rent beau- ties of the landscape that surrounded them, pointed out the spot where lay the encampment of the enemy, at the same tune remarking upon the extraordinary lack of principle that could induce men of American birth to forego the interest.s of their country, and every consideration of holy patriotism, to enrol themselves among their country's invaders for no other tempta- tion than a little glittering gold. Before the penetrating look which Washington tixed upon him while making these remarks, the guilty traitor quailed, but at this juncture, he was relieved by the sound of approaching horses, and as both guest and host turned to the direction whence the sound proceeded, a com- pany of dragoons in British uniforms appeared upon the brow of the hill, and galloping rapidly along the road towards the house. "Bless me, sir!" exclaimed Washington; "what cavalry are these approaching the house t" "A party of British light horse," rejoined his trembling host, "who mean no harm, but are merely sent for my protection!" "British horse sent here while I am your guest!" said Wash- ington with startling sternness, as he turned upon his host vnih an air of command that awed and caused to quail the little soul of the betrayer before the mighty spirit that he had aroused. "What does this mean, sir?" continued Washington, as a terri- ble look gathered upon his brow. By this time the troops had arrived, and they were seen dis- mounting from theu- horses. This gave courage to the tremb- ling traitor. "General," said he, approaching his guest, "General, you are' my prisoner." "I believe not," replied Wa.shington, his manner having re- gained its former calmness, "but, sir, I know that you are mine! Otiicer arrest tlili trnitor!" In bewildering consternation the treacherous hypocrite looked from Washington to the men ; the one an American officer, and the others seeuiingly British soldiers. But the puzzle was soon solved. Washington had ordered a company of Ameri- cans to disguise themselves as British cavalry, and to arrive at the mansion designated, at a quarter before two, by which means he would be enabled to discover the innocence or guilt of the suspected person. The issue proved his suspicions were well founded, and the mode he adopted for detecting the plot admi- I'ably displaytul his great sagacity. The false friend was h,anded over to the keeping of the soldiers, and conducted to the Amer- ican camp as a piisoner. He afterwards confessed that he had been offered a large sum to betray Washington into the hands of the English : :mA at the hour of two, a party of British horse would have surrotmded the house, and captured the American chief. At first, Washington meditated making a severe exam- ple of the man, but he yielded to the earnest solicitations of his family, and pardoned him. The ahn of the tr-iitor Arnold w.as not confined to the sur- render of West Point alone. He had projected the betrayal, into the hands of Sir Henry Clinton, of Washington himself, Laf^iyetfe, and of the princip,al staff officers. A trifling circum- stance caused its failure. Arnold had invited Washington to dine with him the very morning the plot was discovered, and Washington was only prevented from being present by the urgent request made to him by an old officer, near to ^\hose station he p.assed, th.at he would remain the night with him; and next morning inspect some works in the neighborhood. Washington, accordingly, dispatched an aid from his suite to make excuses to Arnold. The messenger arrived at West Point the next morning, and breakfasted with Arnold. During the repast, a letter was received, the superscription of which no sooner met the eyes of Arnold, than he hurried from the table; and, in a few minutes afterwards, was on his way to New York. This letter contained information of the arrest of Andre. In the meantime, Wa.shington, with his staff, was seated at the table of the officer whose in\itation had delayed the visit to West Point, when a -despatch was brought to the chief which he opened, read, and laid do'SATi ^nthout comment. No alteration was visible in his countenance, but he remained per- fectly silent. After some minutes, he beckoned to Lafayette, arose from the table, and followed by the young Frenchman, proceeded to an inner apaitment, where ho placed the fatal ROCKLAND LAKE. 12 THE HUDSON ILLUSTRATED. OSCAWANA TUNNEL despatch, wiiich revealed tlie jiL-rfidy of Gen. Arnold in his hands, and llien giving way to an uncontrollaljle burst of feel- ing, — fell on his friend's neek and wept aloud. "I believe." said Lafayette, " this was the only occasion throughout that long and sometimes hopeless struggle, that Washington ever gave way, even for a moment, under a reverse of fortune; and, p<:rhaps, I was the only human befng who over witnessed in him an exhibition of feeling so foreign to his temperament. As it was, he recovered himself before I had perused the com- munication that gave rise to his emotion; and when we returned to his staff, not a trace remained on his countenance either of grief or despondency." So true it is, that of all human reverses, the betrayal of confidence on the part of one who has been im- plicitly trusted, is, to a generous nature, the hardest and bitter- est to bear." West Pomt is a central spot, for the eye is greeted on every side by an ever-varying succession of beauties. On cither bank m.ijestic mountains rear their lofty crests — those of Fishkill, Peekskill, Beacon Hill, and Anthony's Nose; while the blue Catsklll range bounds the dim horizon in the North. 'Tis sweet to linger here at close of day, While shadows lengthen on the mountain side ; Tlie sunbeams start from peak to peak away, And white sails gleam along the dusky sky. The christening of "Anthony's Nose,'' is described by Washington Ir\ing in the story of the Dutch govcrnor'.s fii-st voyage up the Hudson, as follows: — "Just at this momejif, the illustrious sun, breaking in all his splendor from behind one of the high cliffs of the Highlands, did dart one of hi.s most po- tent beams full upon the refulgent nose of the sounder of brass, the reflection of which shot straightway down hLssing hot into' llie water and killed a mighty sturgeon that was sporting be- side the vessel! When this astonishing miracle came to be made known to Peter Stuyvcsant, ("the governor,) he, as may be well supposed, marvelled exceedingly: and as a monument thereof, gave the name of Anthony's Nose to a stout promon- tory in the neighborhood, and it has continued to be called Anthony's Nose ever since." From here to Fort iMontell ; The v\'ood-tiek h.is kept the minutes well; He has counted them all with click and stroka, Deep in the heart of the mountain oak ; And he has awakened the sentry-elve, Who sleeps with him in the haunted tree, To bid him ring the hour of twelve, And call the fays to their I'evclry. In addition to its magnificent views us seen fi'om it.s grand am phithcaire of tenaeed rocks, with its steep declivities, shelvini precipitously to the edge of the waters, its luxuriant folian-e and seething cascades,— here are to be seen the Military AciS- emy. the fine old ruin of Fort Putnam, and the picturesque lit- tle church of the Holy Sacraments, which stands on the edge of an emerald slo])e, half hidden among the frees. This edifice was built by Weir, the artist, who resides here. Lossing, in his admirable "Field Book of the Revolution," has devoted much curious research touching the historical remains of this •spot. Instead of going into details about the military est.tb- lishmenta at West Point, we prefer to cite a passaire from the author. "In the centre of the court of the Artillery Ltbora- tory, IS a group of great interest, consisting of a large brass mortar, mounted, which was taken from the English whca -Jl Wayne captured Stony Point; two small brass mortars taken from Burgoyne at Saratoga, and a portion of the famous chain whieli the Americans stretched across the river at West Point to obstruct the passage of the vessels of the enemy. The links are made of iron bars two and a half inches square, avcraginjj in length a little over two feet, and weigh about one hundred and forty pounds each. The chain was stretched across the river at the narrowest point between the rocks just below the steamboat landing and Constitution Island, opposite. It was fixed to huge blocks on each shore, and under tlie cover of bat- teries on both sides of the river. The remains of these are still visible." There is a curious story told of a soldier of Fort Putnam, exemplifying the effects of fear upon the human frame in a re- markable manner. "On the face of one of the precipitous cliffs in the neighborhood, an eagle had built her nest, and a party from the garrison undertook to rob her of her young. To ef- fect this, they suspended one of their comr.adcs from the top of the rock by a rope tied abouL his waist, lowering Iiim down until he came within reach of the prize. While thus hanging in raid-air, the mother bird, in defence of her brood, made a furious attack upon him, and he, to defend himself, used his hanger, when, making an unlucky stroke, he severed two out of three of the strands of the rope by which he was suspended, and the remaining one began rapidly to untwist; in this horri- ble situation, expecting every moment to be dashd to pieces, and wild with terror, he called lustily upon his comrades for succor. They had barely time to haul him in over the preci- pice ere it had been too late. The excessive agony of fear he had endured, caused his hair to change from a dark color to a pure white in less than twenty-four hours." Opposite to West Point is the rock called the Sugarloaf Jlountain, to the North of which lies the town of Cold Spring, celebrated for its iron foundries. The scenery adjacent is highly picturesque; it abounds with rural spots of great beauty. One of the favorite resorts of visitors is a rocky glen, called Indian Falls. These Falls are entirely hid from the view by the thick foliage, until you come directly upon them. They are situated about a mile from Cold Spring. On the opposite -bank of the river is "Shadyside" or '-Ever- shade," the present residence of N. P. Willis, and to form the trio of authorship in this vicinity, we may mention, that on the isl- and between West Point and Cold Spring, is the rural home of Miss Warner, the popular .".uthoress of "The Wide. Wide World," and '-Q'.iecchv." UuBEKCLtFF, closc by, is the country seat of Gen. George P. Monis, whose lyrics have attained such wide celebrity. The .selection of a spot of such rare beauty, is of itself an indication of poetic taste, and well suited to awaken a poet's raptures. North of this is Butter Mill, one thousand live hundred and twenty-nine feet in Insight, and the last of the mountain range on the West. At tlie tirst of it may be seen the piece of rock which was rolled from the top in 1778 by a party of soldiers under General Putnam. On the opposite shore are Bull Hill and BrEAKKECK Hn-L, also mountains of great elevation, greater than any, with the exception of High Peak, which is one thousand sLx hundred and eighty-nine feet high. The former of these, as seen from a particular situation, shows the profile of a man's face, and is called the Turk's Face. These terminate the range of High- lands on the river. Polopell's Island, situated in the middle of the river at this place, is said to contiiin numerous snakes, opposite to which are two small villages, called CoRrrwALL and Canterurt. The scenery here presents an agi-eeable contrast. On the West stands New Windsor, and on the East Fishkill with il.s factories and country seats, together with a view of the Hudson for many miles above. The Fishkill Mountains are very grand. The Grand Sachem is one thousand six hund- red and eighty-five feet in height. Large cotton factories are located here, giving employment to threq hundred persons. The deep valley, with its cascades and rap Ids, the village with its neat white dwellings, extensive fa(.iories and ornamental churches, overhung by the grand old mountain, render it an object of attraction and interest to the traveller. Again, facing Fishkill, the beautiful village of Nevvuurgh, situated on a steep acclivity, has a very imposing aspect. A quarter of a mile South of the \illage, is an old stone building called IIas- RRoncK House, in which Washington wrote his celebrated New- burgh Letters. At New Windsor, two miles South of Newburgh, Gen. Wash- ington resided during most of the winter of 1776. The house is a low, old fashioned building, a few yards back of the south dock, in October, 1777, New Windsor was the scene of great commotion. The possession of the fortresses was fiercely dis- puted by the contending parties. Three miles westward may be seen a picturesque old mansion, built in 1775, once the head- quarters of Generals Greene and Knox. Newburgh was originally settled by emigrants from Palatine, in 1708. It is built on the declivity of a hill, and presents an imposing aspect as .seen from the river. Hasbrouelc House, RAILROAD RUNNING THROUGH THE WOODS BETWEEN CROCKER'S LANDING AND VERPLANK. u THE HUDSON ILLUSTRATED. Jijfe: THE HUDSON ILLUSTRATED. 15 the ivell-known head-quarters of Gen. Washington, as well as the camp-ground, may be seen a little to the South of the town. "The traveller who wishes to carry away a distinct impression of this section of the Hudson," writes Free- man Hunt, in his "Letters about the Hudson," "will not fiiil to visit Beacon Hill, opposite Newburgh, tlie last summit of the Highlands of any altitude, as the range dips off to the north-east. An hour's ride on liorseback from Fishldll landing, partly through the Urn- arable lands of Dutchess, and partly through the luxu- riant overhanging foliage of the mountain road, brings you to the summit. A few occasional glimpses through the tufts of trees, with now and then a broader opening at some curve of the wood, beautiful though they be, give you but a slight foretaste of tlie magnificent coup (Vail in reserve for you upon the summit. This sum- mit — a rounded peak of the primitive granite, bare, or only tufted here and there with a few groups of small trees, with no habitations or traces of cultivation upon it, atlbrds a view of a landscape, at once one of the grand- est and most beautiful that can be found in the Union. Rising as it does, rather abruptly from the plain on the East bank, the spectator, gazing from its height upon the scene before him to the West and North, is placed as it were upon the boundary — the frame or setting of a mag- nificent panorama — which is continued by the Highlands in the South, the hills of the Shawangunk range in the West, and the Catskills in the North, quite round the picture. In this fine setting — high, rugged, and frowning on the range where you stand — softer, but still strongly marked as it breaks against the horizon opposite you — faint, indefinable, and shadowy, where it melts in the clear blue sky to the northward — in this fine setting, the materials of the beautiful and picturesque are arranged with all the grandeur, the softness, and beauty of de- tail, that the most fastidious connoisseur of fine scenery can de- sire. Before you lies the Hudson, swollen into a lovely ex- panse or bay of ten miles iu length — afterwards narrowmg, and meandering away to the North, until it is lost to the eye in the distance — sprinkled through its whole course wdth the white sails of the numberless vessels that float upon its sur- face. Sloping away from its banks, rise the fine cultivated lands of the rich old river counties — the clustered villages — the neat farm-houses, " and hamlets low, With whose thick orebard-blooms the soft winds play," and its elegant nllas gleaming through the tufts of foliage that surround them. The soft green of the meadows — the deeper tints of the forest masses, scattered here and there through the cultivated lands — the golden hue of the grain fields in mid- summer — and the sparkling histre of the river and the two small lakes West of Newburgh, which shine like sheets of sil- ver in the rays of the declining sun — all these, with a thousand variations hi the grouping of the details, produced by the art of man in a tract of country which yields a luxuriance of vege- tation to correspond with its noble river and fine hills — form a picture, such as we may suppose greeted the eyes of Moses when he looked down upon the promised land. ' 'Mid the dark rooks that watch hia bed, Glitters the mighty Hudson spread Unrippled, save by drops that fall From shrubs that fringe his mountain wall.' "The valley before us is also interesting to those who are fond of studying the wonderful mutations and revolutions that have taken place upon the face of our continent, as being the supposed bed of a lake of large dimensions, the southern boun- dary of which was once the Highlands, through which the mass of waters ha\ing burst, found their way to the ocean, forming the present channel of the river. Besides the proofs which the man of science finds in the formation of tliis valley — the various deposites — the organized remains — and the abruptly waved rolling surface in many places — it is remarkable how the idea of its having been the bed of an original lake, impresses itself upon even a general observer placed upon Beacon Hill. The very chain of mountains which meet the horizon, looking in every direction from this point, were, undoubtedly, the banks of this vast body of water — the abrupt, torn passage through OPENING OF THE HIGHLANDS NEAR PEEKSKILL. the hills below bearing witness to a sudden convulsion — the rounded boulders of stone scattered over the level plains, and those plains themselves having in their soils all the character- istics of a deposited surface — all powerfully serve to the con- viction, that you are looking upon the dry bed of a lake of no- ble dimensions. "Beacon Hill was a station for the display of bonfires in the revolution, which, from its elevated position, denoted the move- ments of the enemy to the inhabitants for a great distance through the surrounding counties." Peekskill is about forty-five miles from New York, and from its pleasant and healthy location, together with its proximity to the city of New York, has become a place of considerable mercantile importance. Two miles from this village stands the dwelling occupied by Gen. Washington, while the American army were encamped in Peekskill. The majestic tree near the Academy, on which Strang was hung for some misdemeanor, still remains; and here, too, is the place where Palmer, an American tory, was executed, by order of Gen. Putnam, whose memorable reply to Gov. Tryon, who wrote for his release, threatening vengeance if he were executed, deserves an endu- ring record. It briefly — emphatically unfolds the true charac- ter of that distinguished hero. The note runs thus: "Sir — Nathan Palmer, a Lieutenant in your service, was ta- ken in my camp as a spy; he was condemned as a spy; and you may rest assured, sir, he shall be hanged as a spy. I have the honor to be, &c. Israel Putnam." "P. S. — Afternoon. He is hanged." Not the threats of the British Governor, or the entreaties of Palmer's wife, could change the purpose of the determined General. An old inhabitant states that the man who led the spy, Palmer, to the gallows, afterwards married his widow. There is a traditionary circumstance which occurred at Peeks- kill, or rather Courtland, of which Peekskill is the principal village, that placed iMajor Andre in the path of the captors. "It seems," says Jlr. R. E. Ward, "that in the autumn of 1780, a farmer of this village was making cider, having been for a few days released from his country's service to follow his agri- cultural pursuits. The mill in wliich he was at work was sit^ uated on the East bank of the Hudson, near that part of Hav- erstraw Bay, called "Jf other's Lap." While busily employed in the manufacture of his cider, two young men, Sherwood and Peterson, with their muskets, (the usual accompaniment in those days,) approached the farmer, and after passing the usual salutations, and refreshing themselves with the new cider, seated themselves upon a log that lay near tlie mill The farmer ob- serving them in close conversation, and looking very intently on some distant object, asked them the cause of their alarm and anxiety. "'Hush,' says Sherwood, speaking low; 'the red coats are about us.' "' Wherel' a.sked the farmer, in a whisper. "Yonder, yonder, just within the Lap,' answered Peterson, pointing at the same time to a spot where was an English gun- toat,VMth twenty-four men layin? upon their oars. 'Return to your mill, he added; and addressin^r himself to Sherwood, •we ^vill crawl to the bank of the river and give the red enats a shot.' ^ "Peterson and Sherwood drew near the martriii of the Hud- son, and placed themselves behind a large rock, which was di- rectly between them and the gun-boat. Here, after reconnoit- enng the situation of the gun-boat, and examining their gun.s, they fired upon the crew, and killed two persons. The soldiers that manned the gun-boat belonged to the British sloop-of-war Vulture, which lay at anchor in the Hudson, off Teller's Point f^ot expecting to meet with the enemy, they had prepared themselves with no weapons of attack 'or ilefence, except a blunderbuss. This they hastily fired towards the .-.hore. but without giving it any particular dircctiuiv and of coins,- u ithoii; producing any effect. Quickly perceiving that all their ( flbrt.s to defend themselves must be unavailing, as they were contind- ing with a hidden foe, they put their boat about as speedily as possible, .and proceeded towards the Vulture, presuming that its hea\y arms would secure to them a far better protection from rebel outrage than tlieir own small blunderbuss. In pro- ceeding back to the Vulture, they kept a proper distance from the shore, for the purpose of evading all further annoyance from the rebel muskets. The retreat was made good, and a.s the sun was just losing himself behind the towering mountains that border the Hudson in the vicinity of Haverstraw Bay, the THE HUDSON ILLUSTRATED. 17 disappointed sailors might have been seen lifting themselves up the side of the Vulture. •'Peterson and Sherwood remained in their place of conceal- ment until some time after the crew of the gun-boat had reached their vessel, expecting that a reinforcement might probably be sent on shore to reconnoitre. But no movement of the kind was made, and they abandoned the rock and rejoined the old faimer at the mill. "While Sherwood and Peterson wqre informing the farmer of the result of the skirmish, a man was observed coming down the Ea.st bank of the river, just below Collabergh Landing, and cautiously examining everything around him. The stranger i had gained the spot nearly opposite where the gun-boat had been stationed, before he observed the men at the mill ; upon discovering them, he retraced his steps for a few rods, and took an easterly course towards Croton River. That man was no less a personage than Major Andre, bearing the traitor Arnold's despatches to the British General. The gun-boat was to have received him at the point where it had been stationed, and con- veyed hira on board the Vulture. He had conferred with the traitor the evening previous, a few miles below West Point, and after all the necessary arrangements had been made, they separated, the one for his camp and the other for the Vulture. The course of the latter lay along the West bank of the Hud- son, about three miles below Caldwell's Landing and opposite Verplank's Point, At that point he crossed the river, and fol- IL MAJOR PAULDING'S MONUMENT. lowed its course until he arrived at flic particular .spot in the "Lap," where the gun-boat had been stationed to receive liim. Ilavinj; heard the firing, and perceiving that the gun-boat had been forced or frightened olf, he was compelled to alter liis course, and proceed towards the interior of the County of Westchester. About eleven o'clock on the evening of that day he found himself approaching Crumpond. At that place he took lodgings for the night with a Mr. Smith. The ne.xt morning, having procured a horse, he started for New York, determining to travel the distance by land. He crossed the Croton River at Pinesbridge, and at the tune of his capture, was passing the Beekman woods, the largest forest in West- chester County. West Point thus owed its safety, in part, to those who were in.strumental in putting Andre iu the way of being captured : while, therefore, the proper meed of praise is awarded to Paulding, Williams and Van Wart, and monuments erected to their memory for the agency they had in his capture, the part acted by Sherwood and Peterson, and the agency they had in enabling the capture to take place, should not remain 'unhon- ored and unsimg.'" It should not be forgotten that this is the birth-place of John Paulding, the American tarmer, who intercepted Andre, the British spy, at Tarrytown, some fifteen miles below. Ilis mon- ument is situated about two miles North of the village. It is a marble pyramid, fifteen feet high, running to a point, and is enclosed in an iron railing about twelve feet square. The main inscription is on the South side, and runs thus: "Here reposes the mortal remains of John Paulding, Who died on the 18th day of February, 1818, in the 60th year of his age. On the morning of the 23d of September, 1780, Accompanied by two young farmers of the county of Westchester, (Whose names will one day be recorded on their own deserved monuments,) He intercepted the British Spy, Andre. Poor himself, He disdained to acquire wealth by sacrificing his Countrj'. Rejecting the temptation of great rewards, He conveyed his prisoner to the American camp, and By this act of noble self-denial. The treason of Arnold was detected; The designs of the enemy baffled; West Point and the American Army saved, and these U. S. Now by the grace of God free and independent, Rescued from imminent peril." On the opposite side is written — "The Corporation of the City of New York Erect this tomb. as a memorial Raised to Public Gratitude." On the East side is a beautiful wreath engraved on the mar- ble with the word "Fidelity." Dans-Kam!vier Point, on the western shore, presents the form of a peninsula. Knickerbocker in his narrative of Governor Stuyvesant's passage up the river, says: "Even now I have it on the point of my pen to relate how his crew was most hor- ribly frightened on gached position, overlooking a wide lowland region, with the m.ajestic Hudson rolling through it, has given them a distinct ehar.acter, .and rendered them at all times a rallying point for romance .and fable. Sluch of the fanciful associations with which they have been clothed m.ay be owing to their being peculiarly subject to those beautiful .at- mospherical cft'ects which constitute one of the great charms of Hudson River scenery. To me they have ever been the tairy region of the Hudson. I speak, however, from early impres- sions, m.ade in the happy d.ays of boyhood, when all the w'orld had a tinge of fairy-land. I sh.all never forget my first view of these mountains. It was in the course of a voyage up the Hudson in the good old times before steamboats and railroads had dii\en all poetry and romance out of travel. A voyage up the Hudson in those days was equal to a voyage to Europe at present, and cost almost as much time ; but we enjoyed the river then — we relished it .as we did our «'ine sip by sip, not, as at present, gulping all down at a draught without tasting it. My whole voyage up the Hudson was full of wonder and ro- mance. I w.Ts a lively boy, somewhat im.aginative, of easy faith, and prone to relish everything which partook of the marvellous. THF HUDSON ILLUSTRATED. 21 Among the passengers on the sloop was a veteran 1^ Jian trader, on his way to the lakes to traffic with the natives. He had diseoTered my propensity, and amused himself throughout the voyage by telling me Indian legends and grotes(|ue stoi ies about i every noted place on the river, such as Spuytcn Devil Creek, ' the Tappan Sea, the Devil's Dans-Kamnier, and other hobgob- i lin places. The Catskill Mountains especially called forth a ■ host of fimciful traditions. We were all day slowly tiding ■ along in .sight of them, so that he had full lime to weave his : whimsical narratives. In these mountains, he told me, accord- I ing to Indian belief, was kept the great treasury of storm and ■ sunshine for the regi jn of the Hudson. An old squaw spiiit I had charge of it, who dwelt on the highest peak of the moun- : tain. Here she kept Day and Night shut up in her wigwam, ■ letting out only one of them at a time. She made new moons : every month, and hung them up in the sky, cutting up the old ; ones into stars. The great Manitou, or master-spirit, employed ' lier to manufacture clouds; sometimes she wove them out of i cobwebs, gossamers, and morning dew, and sent them oil" flake after flake, to float in the air and give light summer showers — sometimes she would brew up black thunder-storms, and send down drenching rains, to swell the streams and sweep cvery- ' thing away. He had many stories, also, about mischievous spirits who infested the mountains in the shape of animals, and plaj^ed all kinds of pranks upon Indian hunters, decoying them into quagmires and morasses, or to the brinks of torrents and precipices. All these were doled out to me as I lay on the deck throughout a long summer's day, gazing upon these moun- tains, the ever-changing shapes and hues of which appeared to realize the magical influences in question, Sotnetimes they seemed to approach, at others to recede; during the heat of the day they almost melted into a sultry haze; as the day de- clined they deepened in tone; their sunimits were brightened by the last rays of the sun, and later in the evening their whole outline was printed in deep purple against an amber sky. As I beheld them thus shifting continually before my eye, and lis- tened to the marvellous legends of the trader, a host of fanci- ful notions concerning them was conjured in my brain, which have haunted it ever since. As to the Indian superstitions concerning the treasury of storms and sunshine, and the cloud-weaving spirits, they may have been suggested by the atmospherical phenomena of these mountains, the clouds which gather round their summits, and the thousand aerial effects which indicate the changes of weather over a great extent of country. They are epitomes of our variable climate, and are stamped with all its \icissitudes. And here let me say a word in favor of these vicissitudes, which are too often made the subject of e.xclusive repining. If they annoy us occasionally by cliangea from hot to cold, from wet to dry, they give us one of the most beautiful climates in the world. They give us the brilliant sunshine of the south of Europe with the fresh verdure of the north. They float our summer sky with clouds of gorgeous tints or fleecy whiteness, and send down cooling showers to refresh the panting earth and keep it green. Our seasons are all poetical; the phenom- na of our heavens are full of sublimity and beauty. Winter with us has none of its proverbial gloom. It may have its howling winds, and thrilling frosts, and whirling snow-storms; but it has also its long intervals of cloudless sunshine, when the snow-clad earth gives redoubled brightness to the day; when at night the stars beam with intensest lustre, or the moon floods the whole landscape with her most limpid radiance; and then the joyous outbreak of our spring, bursting at once into leaf and blossom, redundant \\ith vegetation, and vocifer- ous with life! — and the splendors of our summer — its morning voluptuousness and evening glory — its airy palaces of sun-gilt clouds piled up in a deep azure sky; and its gusts of tempests of almost tropical grandeur, when the forked lightning and the bellowing thunder volley from the battlements of heaven and shake the sultry atmosphere — and the sublime melancholy of our autumn, magnificent m its decay, witliering down the pomp and pride of a woodland country, yet reflecting back from its yellow forests the golden serenity of the sky — sm-ely we may say that in our climate "the heavens declare' the glory of God, and the firmament showeth forth his handiwork: day unto day uttereth speech; and night unto night showeth knowledge." "A word more concerning the Catskills. It is not the Indians only to whom they have been a kind of wonder-land. In the early times of the Dutch dynasty we find them themes of golden speculation among even the sages of New Amster- dam. During the administration of Wilhelmus Kieft there was a meeting between the Director of the New Netherlands and the chiefs of the Mohawk nation, to conclude a treaty of peace. On this occasion the Director was accompanied by Mjmheer Adriacn Van dcr Donk, Doctor of Laws, and subse- quently historian of the colony. The Indian chiefs, as usual, painted and decorated themselves on the ceremony. One of them in so doing made use of a pigment, the weight and shin- ing appearance of which attracted the notice of Kieft and his learned companion, who suspected it to be ore. They pro- cured a lump of it, and took it back with them to New Amster- dam. Here it was submitted to the inspection of lohannes De la Montague, an eminent Huguenot doctor of medicine, one of the counsellors of the New Netherlands. The supposed ore was forthwith put in a crucible and assayed, and to the great exultation of the junto yielded two pieces of gold, worth about three guilders. This golden discovery was kept a profound secret. As soon as the treaty of peace was adjusted with the WEST POI.NT ACADEM\-. 22 TUB HUDSON ILLUSTRATED. CADET,— WEST POINT. Mohawks, Williani Kioft sent a trusty officer and .1 party of men under fruidanee of an Indian, who undertook to conduct them to the place where the ore had hcen i,"ound. We have no account of this jrold-hunting expedilinn, nor of its w hcrabouts, exeeptin;:; tliat it was somewhere on tlie Catskill ^fountains. The exploring- party brought back a bucketfuU of ore. Like the foi'Uier specimen it w'as submitted to the crucible of De la Montagnc, and was orjually productive of gold. All tliis we have on the authority of Doctor Van der Donk, who was an eye-witness of the |)rocess and its result, and records the whole in his description of the New Netherlands. "William Kieft now despatched a confidential agent, one Arent Corsen, to convey a sackful of the precious ore to Hol- land. Corscn embarked at New Haven in a British vessel bound to England, whence he was to cross to Rotterdam. The ship set sail about Christmas, but never reached her port. All on board perished. "In l()-t7, when the redoubtable Petrus Stuyvesant took command of the New Netherlands, William Kieft embarked, on his return to Holland, provided with further specimens of the Catskill Jfonntain ore; from which he doubtless indulged golden anticipations. A similar fate attended him with that which had befallen his agent. The ship in which he hikjj. em- barked was east away, and he and his treasures were swal- lowed in the waves. "Here closes the golden legend of the Catskills; but another one of similar import succeeds. In 1 649, about two years after the shipwreck of Wilhelnius Kieft, there w'as again rumors of precious metal.^ in these mountains. Mynheer Brant Arent Van Slechtenhorst, agent of the Patroon of Rensselaersvvyck, had purchased in behalf of the Patroon a tract of the Catskill lands, and leased it out in farms. A Dutch lass in the house- hold of one of the farmers found one day a glittering substance, which, on being examined, was pronounced sitver (jre. Brant Van Slechtenhorst forthwith sent his son from Rensselaers- wyck to explore the mountains in quest of the. suppo.sed mines. The young man i)ut up in the farmer's house, which bad recently been erected on the margin of a mountain stream. Scarcely was he housed when a furious storm burst forth on the mountains. The thunders rolled, the lightnings flashed, the rain came down in cataracts; the stream was suddenly swollen to a furious torrent, thirty feet deep; the farm-house and all its contents were swept away, and it was only by dint of excellent swinuning that young Slechtenhorst saved his own and the lives of bis horses. Shortly after Ibis a feud broke out between Peter Stuyvesant and the Patroon of Rensselaers- wyck on account of the right and title to the Catskill Mom- tains, in the course of which the elder Slechtenhorst was taken captive by the Potentate of the New Netherlands, and throvvTi into prison at New Amsterdam. "We have met with no record of any further attempt to get at the treasures of the Catskill; adventurers m.iy liavo been discouraged by the ill luck which appeared to attend all who meddled with (hem, as if they were under the guardian keep of the same spirits or goblins who once haunted the moun- tains and ruled ovi'r the weather. "That gold and silver ore was actually pnjcured from these mountains in days of yore, we have historical evidence to prove, and the recorded word of Adriaen Van der Donk, a man of weight, who was an eye-witness. If gold and silver were once to be found there, they must be there at present. It remains to be .seen, in these gold-hunting days, whether the quest will be renewed, and some daring adventurer, fired with a true Californian spirit, will penetrate the mysteries of these mountains and open a golden region on the borders of the Hudson." The next point of interest is Geiimantovvn, about thirty miles below Albany. In 1710 seventy of the Palatines, sent out by Qneen Anne, settled on this spot, then part of the Liv- ingston manor. In 172.'), pursuant to an arrangement entered into between George 1. and the projirietoi', this tract was granted to the persons belonging to East Camj>, as the settle- ment was called. The settlement first commenced by tbree small lodges, named respectively, after the superintendent of each, as "Weiser's Dorf," "Kneiskcr's Dorf;" names now fal- len into disuse. Hudson City is the capitol of Columbia County. It derived its name from Hendrick Hudson, who on the 16th of Septem- ber, 1609, anchored at this spot, which has since borne his name. Some suppose the navigator extended his explorations up the river as far as Albany, and even to the Mohawk, but the pre- vailing belief inclines to the contrary, and limits his discoveries to this location. The basis rock of the precincts is transition carboniferous slate, upcm which are imposed several ridges, containing secondary limestone, abounding with animal remains. The compact portion of the city lies upon argillaceous rnarl, in horizontal strata, containing a considerable portion of sulphate of magnesia. In front of the principal street is a promontory of silecious .slate, projecting into the river in a bold clifl", whose summit is more th.nn sixty feet above the surface of the water. It has beep foi'med into an agreeable promenade, commanding a beautiful view of the river, the town of Athens, and the coun- try (m the opposite shore, bounded by the distant Catskills, winch blend with the nearer hills of "Rorabuch," or Mount Merino; w bile at your feet is seen the Hudson River Railroad, winding its way along over either bay, \\ hich sini'onnds the jironiontory. Travellers passing through the city to Lebanon Springs, should not fail to pay a vi^it to Prospect Hill. As you ascend on the eastern side, passing through the Burying Ground, you instinctively pause as yon enter it, to cast your eye over the country beneath. Among objects that attract the gaze, is a chaste and beautiful marble monument, \\ hich nuu'ks the spot « here sleeps the dust of Lieut. Willl-vm H. Allen, who was killed by pirates off the Island of Cuba, while in command of the U. S. vessel of war. Alligator. When you arrive at the summit of this beautiful eminence, commanded by Becraft Mountain, there is a fine view of the river, the Catskill Moun- tains, and an extent of country for grandeur and vai iety scarcely surpassed in any part of our land. Portions of Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania, are seen fVom this singularly located hill. It also affords an almost entire view of Columbia County. The hill is about two hun- dred feet high, rising with a uniform smooth surface, and falls olf in the south-east to a low meadow, which divides it from the North end of the mountain. Pew cities in this country have sent into the arena of public life more distinguished men than Hudson, and well may they cherish, as they do, with pride, the recollection of their names. It is also the birthplace of Gen. Worth, who won iinperish.a- ble laurels during the Mexican campaign. Passing Athens on the West, and the City of Hudson on the East, you arrive in succession at the following small villa- ges: — CoLUMBiAviLLE, situated on Kinderhook Creek, (the birth-place of ex-President Van Buren,) and the site of .several .J) THE HUDSON ILLUSTRATED. 23 Indian wars with the Dutch. Stockport stands on a high table land, about a mile and half wide, descending on the East gently to the valley of the Claverack and Kinderhook Creeks, which unite near the centre of the to\n). In breaking through the high bank of the river, these streams have falls of together nearly one hundred and sixty lectin three miles, and this water power has given rise to several manufacturing villages. Cox- sACKiE, New Baltimore, and Coeymans, all of which are tlour- isliing villages. The river here loses its character for boldness, numerous small islands intersecting its course, and its beautiful green shores rising on each side in gentle acclivities into the interior. The channel now begins to be very shoal and narrow. About four miles from Albany commence the Overslaugh bars. These arc deposites of sand, continually shifting, brought down by the spring floods, and often prove a serious impediment to navigation. Castle Island is now in view; it is memorable as having been the site of the fii-st English settlement in 1614. Supposing their insular position would prove a preservation from surprise on the part of the Indians, the "pale faces" little dreamt of a worse casualty which took place in the overflow- ing of the island by the spring freshet. Greenbush facing Albany, is worthy of notice, as having been a spot devoted to the purposes of military training at the time of the war. The camp ground and barracks, recently o o a K s o END OF THE HIGHLANDS. repaired, are wortti irispectin:ant drives in the neighbor ho(jiee. It being winter and he having snow shoes on hi.s feet, he landtMl safely on the ice. The Indians afterwards saw him, but supposing no hum;m being could have made the descent, and that lie must of course be supernatural, they con- cluded that it was not only useless, but even dangerous to fol- low him. On the opposit(? shore stands a rock called Antony's Nose, from its singular shape. Al)out two miles beyond is Prisoner's Island, so called from its having been the place where prisoners were confined during the French war, and directly West is Lord Howe's Ptoni^hing splendor. On the right a very contracted aperture opened into a lateral chamber, and near it tlie riplin^ of a clear fountain sounded musically among the gloomy cre\"ices and apartments. With some diffi- culty \vc crept to the lower end of the room, where several other passages branched off in dismal blackness. We again descended forty feet to the floor of a second room, which bore close resemblance to the fonner, but still more magnificent, al- though there were no conical stalactites hanging from the ceil- ing, yet the sides were ornamented by a variety of fanciful fig- ures, some of human beings, caused by the oozings of the wa- ter having lime in solution, which produced a very brilliant eflfect. The floor of this room also was on a steep declivity, and terminated by a narrow pjissage to a third room, which again bore a resemblance to tliose already described. Proceeding down- wards we found ourselves impeded in our further progress by an extremely narrow and difficult pass. A cord was tied around the body of our guide, who discovered e\ ident tigns of reluc- tance to penetrate fui'ther into the liorrible abyss. We lower- ed him do\ni, however, with liis candle, the flame of which shone up the winding passage, whilst at intervals his voice was echoed do«Ti the terrific chasm, calling on us to lower him or to hold him fast. At length the cord ran out, and lie was not near the bottom, upon which he was liauled up, covered with dirt, his arm bleeding, from a wound received by the projection of some of the rocks, looking more than anything else like the ghost of some terrible warrior cited from the grave. Abund- ance of rock or quartz crystals are found upon the adjacent grounds." Crossing Palatine Bridge, upon Garoga Creek, the valley becomes more contracted between a rocky barrier of great height, not very dissimilar in appearance to the Palisades of the Hudson. Fragments of huge, colossal rocks are here ])iled up in wild confusion, while the beautiful stream of the Mo- hawk now calmly flows along its deep sequestered vallies, or dashes in wild and terrific grandeur over its precipitous and craggy chasms. As you proceed to Little Falls, all at once the descending current with its fleecy foam, comes tumbling impetuously down from every fissure of the immense rocks, heaped high and imminent about the falls, which are covered with tall hickories, maples and pines, proudly shaking their branches upon the airy heights, while lu.xuriant shrubs and bushes lie scattered along the verdant margin of the deep and rugged glen beneath. Tliese mountains are a continuation of the Katsbergs. In this scene, where the rude but magnificent works of nature, are so profusely displayed, the imagination is overpowered by their sublimity, and the proudest works of art in the comparison, lose themselves in almost utter insignifi- cance. Even tlie Canal, cut upon the mighty and enduring precipice — the road entrenched upon the mountain side and the substantial Acqueduct locks and gates all seem unimpor- tant, surrounded as they are by the magnificence and sublimity of these everlasting hills. After leaving the Little Falls of the Mohawk a delightful plain stretches about seven miles, which is called the German Flats, which leads to the village of Hekkimer, so called after a brave General of that name, who was killed at the battle of Oriskany. During the French wars this was the scene of much sanguinary warfare. West Canada Cheek, on which are the celebrated Trenton Falls, enters the Mohawk river, about half a mile East of the village, and is passed near its mouth, by a well constructed bridge. A distressing accident occurred here a few years since. A young man in company with a party visiting one of these cascades, called Sherman's Falls, incautiously stepping into the rapids, they irresistibly carried him over the falls. The river here passes through a dark rocky chasm of con- siderable length, presenting a beautiful variety of rapids, eddies, and cascades. There are numerous marine petril'action and organic remains to be found here. About five miles onward stands the village of Frankfort. The beautiful city of Utica, now gradually bursts upon the view. Utica occupies the site of old Fort Schuyler, celebrated in the annals of the Revolutionary W^ir. It is situated on the right or South bank of the Mohawk. The ruins of this Fort may yet be seen, between the eastern extremity of Main Street and the river. This city was first settled in 1784. The streets here are regularly laid out, diverging in all directions, down the valley of the Mohawk to Schenectady, westward to Buffalo, to the vallies of the Delaware and Susquehannah to the South, and northward to Sacketts' Harbor. Utica also contains numerous elegant Hotels, private dwellings, public institutions, stores, &c. Numerous country seals and farms surround this city, which present a varied and richly culti- vated landscape. Within a few miles, in a westerly direction, are Whitesborough, the York Mills, Clinton Village, containing Hamilton College, and Rome. The last named occupies the site of the celebrated Fort Stanwix. This fort was commanded in 1777 by Col. Gansevoort, when Col. St. Leger with a party from Burgoj-ne's array and numerous Indians, suddenly sur- VIEW OF CATSKILL LANDING FROM OAKHILL. ^ 30 THE HUDSON ILLUSTRATED. HUDSON. rounded it and caused its surrender. The former, however, in connection with Gen. Herkimer and Arnold, compelled St. Lcger an;ain to evacuate the fort, leaving behind him all the stores and artillery. Following the usual track and passing the villages of New Hartford, Manchester and Vernon, the ne.vt object of interest is Oneida Ciustlc, which formerly was occupied by the Oneida and Tuscarora Indians. They, like most other Indian tribe,'! have since gone to the "Far West." Passing an elevated track, a chain of lofty mountains is seen stretching along the horizon to the North. Here also are immense and almost impenetrable forests. About six miles farther on, is Chittenango, situ.ited on a creek of that name. Here are to be seen numerous specimens of petrifactions. These incrustations are formed by various springs, which issue from the sides of a hill in the vicinity of the village. Adjacent to the village of Jamesville is Green Pond. Its depth is about two hundred feet, and is so called from the color of its waters, which emit a strong smell of sulphur. About four miles beyond, is Onondaga Hollow, a benutiful valley, through which the creek of that name passes. A con- siderable settlement of the Onondaga Indians once occupied the spot, about three miles to the South of this, where grand councils of the Six Nations were held. In this town, at Pom- pey and Camillus, are some extensive ancient fortifications and vestiges of towns, supposed to be of great antiipiity. Other remarkable ruins are situated on the east b.ank of the Che- nango River, near the village of Oxford. There are also oth- ers near Auburn, Canandaigua, and Scipio, and several between the Seneca and Cayuga Lakes. Near the Tonawanda Creek, some interesting antiquities are described by Dr. Kirkland, con- sisting of two forts, occupying from four to eight acres each, which are supposed to have enclosed the ancient towns. This place is called by the Senecas, Tegataineagahque, or double fortified toN\m. Here were also discovered the remains of a funeral pile of about six feet elevation, through which numer- ous human bones appeared. Although these remains are more thickly scattered over the territory once occupied by the cele- brated tribes of the Six Nations, from whence some might sup- pose them to be of Indian origin, it is yet the opinion of other learned writers, that they must be of a far anterior construction. Eastman in his history of this State, considers th.at these anti- quities afford sufficient evidence of the remote existence of a v:ust population in a far more .advanced state of civilization th.in has ever been known to have obtained jimong the Indian tribes. About eight miles from Onondaga Hill, situated in the valley of ihe Otisco Creek, is Makcellus. Two miles to the North of this are falls of about seventy feet, near which, water-lime or cement is to be found in great abund.ince; also a beautiful petrifaction of trees partly covered with lime-stone. Skaneateles, a neat village, is about six miles beyond. Here again are to be seen picturesque ciscades, which are pre- cipitated over rocky bluffs, about seventy feet. The city of Auburn, on the Owasco Creek, is about seven miles distant from Skaneateles. Auburn derives much of its importance from the numerous manufactories and mills which are in its vicinity. It contains many public buildings, among the most important of which is the State Prison, which is considered one of the most complete in the Union. So admirable has been the discipline of this prison, that a large portion of the convicts dis- charged have, on their release, become honest and industrious men. The .system adopted here is similar to that of the prison at Sing Sing. About seven miles to the West, is the Village and Lake of Cayuga. The scenery here is very beautiful, especially along the banks of the Lake. Several mineral springs, having a sul- phurous crust about the stones which surround them, are to be seen. These sulphur springs produce sulphate of lime or gyp- sum in great abundance, which is conveyed by the great Canal over a large extent of country. It is remarkable that the level plains between this and I.jike Erie present, beneath the allu- vion, first a layer of lime, variously combined, containing shells and fossil remains; then another of massive slate, under which beds of s.uid-stone are to be seen in the deep ravines and chasms. For the number of its lakes, as well as its moun- tains, rivers and waterfalls, the State of New York may be con- sidered as unrivalled by any other in the United States. In pursuing only the ordinary beaten route, the tourist loses much that is interesting and picturesque in this vicinity. "The Falls of Fall River, near Itiiaca," says a modern tour- ist, "are seen on entering the Village from the steamboat land- ing. Its height is one hundred and sixteen feet, with propor- tionate breadth. Two immense piles of rocks enclose the stream, and on the right hand, high up the bank, a mill-race is seen winding round an acute angle in the rocks, suspended in mid-air, and now and then an adventurous visitor carefully treading his way along the dizzy path. This raceway was built in an extraordinary way. A person let himself down from a tree standing on a high point above, and swinging over the giddy steep, he there dug out places in the rock in which to fasten the principal supporters of the race. The view from this point is grand and impressive. A short distance from this, up the rocky bed of the creek, the visitor proceeds until his steps are arrested by another splendid Fall, the bank present- ing the most curious forms and the most surprising strata. This Fall, though not so high as the preceding, is more beautiful and wild. The raceway has gone to ruin, and instead, a tun- nel has been excavated, which is equally worth inspection. The Fall of these waters within one mile is said to be four hundred and thirty-eight feet. On the Six Mile Creek, and also the VivQ Mile Creek, arc to be found some exceedingly beautiful and romantic falls and cascades. They are to be seen near the village. That known as the Taghcanic, is perhaps the most deserving of notice, its descent is two hundred and sixty-two feet, perpendicular, terminating in a beautiful ravine — the width of the stream is about sLxty feet The steamer leaves East \r- THE HUDSON ILLUSTRATED. 31 Ca)mga every day. A projected ship canal, uniting Cayuga Lake and Sodus Bay, is in progress, and will give, when com- pleted, great natural advantages to the adjacent village of Mon- tezuma. The next important place we arrive at In the route to the Falls of Niagara, is Rochester. This City, which has been named Western New York, is one of great trade. It is situated on the Genesee River, and possesses a water communication with New York, Quebec and the great lakes. Near the centre of the town is an aqueduct buili upon eleven arelies of hewn stone, upwards of eight hundred feet in length. About eighty rods from the city are the Great Falls, ninety-seven feet high. It was here the celebrated jumper, Sam Patch, made his last leap, in 1829. It is said he precipitated himself from an elevation of one liundrcd and sevenfy-five feet, being from a scaffolding erected on the projteting Tatile Rock. An immense con- course of people had .assembled to witness the daring, and as it proved, fatal exploit. Passing onward a distance of forty- four miles, is Oak Orchard. It is located on a creek of that ,L name. The largest arch on the whole line of canal is at this place, over which the canal crosses the creek. Nineteen miles farther is the vill.ige of Lockport. Here are five double locks on the canal, above which the latter is cut through solid rock a distance of three miles, and about twenty feet in depth. A stage leaves this place for Niagara, the distance to the Ameri- can" Fall being about thirty miles. Black Rock, on the West bank of the river, is three miles to the East of Butlalo. This beautiful city is situated on the junction of Lake Erie and the Canal, and being the great thoroughfare to the Falls of Niagara and the Canadas, is one of great resort and importance. The hotels here are of the first order. Stages for Chippewa Village, passing round Grand Island, leave Buflido every morning. Opposite Black Rock is the Village of Waterloo, on the Canada side, which is accessible by a ferry. The cataracts of Niagara are situated partly in Canada and the State of New York ; they are first approach- ed from the latter. It is impossible, adequately to portray, in words, the majestic beauty and sublim- ity of the scene w hich is here presented to the eye of the spectator. Imagine the broad and mighty waters of an immense river, a mile in width, rushing impetuously over a perpendicular rocky palisade one hundred and sixty feet high, and the consequent agitation of its foaming waters, its tremendously grand and never-ceasing roar, the curious anomaly of its radiant bow beaming in all its rich variety of hue, and the m.ajestic complacency of the surround- ing rocks and aged pines which seem to rear them- selves as in mockery of the fiat which has doomed all sublunary things to decay and death ; imagine all this, and you form some faint idea of the vast- ness and splendor of the magnificent Niagara. _ To enjoy the various views aftbrded by the American and Canadian Falls, it will be desirable to seek a giiide, and one may easily be met witli at the hotels. These Falls are situate about twenty miles from Lake Erie, and fourteen from Ontario. The Niag- ara River unites the waters of both of the above Lakes. The Horseshoe Fall is of a curved form, and measures one hundred and fifty-eight feet, while that of the American side is somewhat concave and descends to a depth of one hundred and sixty-four feet. Table Rock is gener.ally considered the most eligible spot to command a view of the Falls, .since it forms a projection of about fifty feet. There is a descent from the rocks by an enclosed circular stair- case which leads to the passage behind the great sheet of water, called cave of iEolus, it is fifty feet wide and a hundred feet high. A giude is neces- sary here as also a dress prepared for the purpose. The scene is the most sublime from Termination Rock, so named from its being the furthest approach- able spot from which a p.anoramic view can be ob- tained. The Album kept at the hotel contains an amusing collection of poetic effusions and impromp- tus, (fee, on viewing the Falls. The bridge thrown across (he rapids about one quarter of a mile above the Falls, leads to Bath Island, which is also con- nected by another to Go.at Island — also Brig Island, which is similarly united, and is in the form of the main and quarter-decks of a brig. On Goat Island is the stair case, and from its elev.ation the celebra- ted Sam Patch leaped in 1829, being one hundred and eighteen feet, into the water below. A noble view is commanded by this platform of the Falls and sur rounding scenery. Terrapin Bridge is now only safely accessible as far as the Tower, to which it leads, although it extends ten feet over the Falls. About three miles below the Falls there may be seen, espe- cially at low water, the curious phenomenon of a whirlpool, caused by a sudden turn in the channel of the waters. About one mile further onward is a precipice called Devil's Hole, sup- posed to have once been the site of a cataract. Lastly, from the roof and piazzas of the P.-ivilion Hotel, a beautiful view is to be obtained of the Falls. It is computed that during an hour about one thousand six hundred millions of cubic feet of water pass over these Fall.s. -J =!J 32 THE HUDSON ILLUSTRATED. For a description of tho Ciinadas and surrounding country, as well as more ample details respecting the Falls of Niagara, the tourist is referred to the numerous CJuide Books published on the spot, as well as at Albany and elsewhere. Brock's monument, erected some time since to the niem.iry of the gal- lant Sir Isaac Brock, who fell in an engagement with the Amer- icans in 1812, has since been partially destroyed ; the shaft was one hundred and twenty-six feet, and it was intended to have placed a statue of the (jeneral on its summit. Many neigh- boring places are worthy of inspection by the visitor. Youtigs- town, about half a mile' from the mouth of the river: also. Fort Ni.-igara, Ixiwi.ston, Lundy's L:uie, Fort George, &c., have all become places of historic interest — in fact, to the American, "cliLssic ground." But here we are compelled, reluctantly, to close our rambling and desultory notes, which portray but' too feebly the inlercst- ing localities they severally indicate, and which have indeed already extended beyond their prescribed limits. At part- ing, wo need only suggest to the reader the forcible lines of Brainerd on that " crowning wonder of tho New World," the fame of which ha.s attracted pilgrim feet from all parta of the civilized globe. " It would seem As if God poured tliec from his 'hollow hand,' .\nJ liunj; his bow upon thine awful front, .All.! spoke ill llial loud voice which seemed to liini Who dwelt in I'atrnos for his Saviour's sake, 'The sound of many waters,' and had bade The flood to elironiclo the apres back. And notch his cent'ries in the eternal rocks. Deep callcth nnto deep. And what arc wc That hear the question of that voice Bublimo? Or what are all the notes that ever rung From war's vain trumpet, by thy thundering side? Yea, what is all the riot man can make In his slioi't life to thy unc.'asing roar? And yet, bold babbler, what art thou to Him Who drowned the world, ami heaped the waters far Above its loftiest mountains? a light wave Tliat breaks and whispers of its Maker's might." ify Xttamboat from Jk'tw York to Albany, New "YorVc. to Hoboken, ..... Weehawken, Blooiningdale, .... Bull's Ferry, Manhattanville, .... Fort Lee, ..... Fort Washington, .... Spuyten Dnyvel Creek, . yonkers, ..... Hastings, Dobb's Ferry, .... Dearinan's, ..... Piermont, Irving, ..... Tarrytown, Nyack, Sing Sing, Croton, Haverstraw, Grassy Point, .... Verplanck's Point, .... Caldwell's Lnnding, West Point, .... Cold Spring, .... Cornwall, ..... New Windsor, .... Newburgh Low Point, New ILimburgh, .... H.ttnpton, Marlborough, .... Milton, Poughkeepsie, .... Hyde Park, Staatsburgh, Rhinebeck, Kiug.ston, ..... Tivoli, Bristol, Catskill Hudson, ..... Coxsackie, ..... Stuyvesani, Kinderhook Landing, New Baltimore, .... Coeymans, .... Cast'leton Van Wio's Point, Albany, .... MAP OF THE inn)SON. liy Railroad from .liban tf to yiagara Albany to miles Centre House, 8 Schenectady, 17 Amsterdam, 33 Tribe's Hill, 39 Fond;i, .... 44 Palatine Bridge, 65 Fort Plain, 68 St. Johnsville, 64 Little Falls, 74 Utica, 95 Whitcsboro, 99 Oriskanv, 102 Rome, 109 Verona Centre, . 118 Oneid.n, 122 Canastota, 127 Canaserag.1, 131 Chittenango, 133 Manlius, 140 Syracuse, 143 Caniillus, 157 Slarcellus, 162 Skaneateles Junction, 164 Anbuin, 174 Cayuga Bridge, 191 Seneca Falls, 194 Waterloo, , 201 Genev.i, 212 East Vicnn.i, . 214 Clifton Springs, . . 216 Canandaigua, . 223 Victor, . 232 Fisher's, 237 Pittsford, . . 242 Uoeliester, . 252 ('hurchville, . 266 Wardville, . 269 Byron, . 277 Batavia, . 285 Alexander, , 293 Attica, . 296 l).'.rien City, . 301 Darien, 303 Alden, 308 Town Line, 313 Ijincaster, 318 Clark's Branch, 322 Dufliilo, 328 Niagara, 350 For the accommodation of the tourist, wo subjoin a brief Table of Distances, from the City of New York, to the leading places of interest on the route to the Falls of Ni.agara, by Steamboat and Railroad. 1 ^ T"- TT^- STI=l.<3nvrC3r'S jlllillrjili' illil'lllllwll" "ill '''"'"'" 014 109 702 7 < V (BniiTal pnliliBliiiig iVtolIflp/(^ i .Vo. 98 •rii^SS^.J't^ STREET, •^\ 1*. 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