CKLEY 
 
 .tRN BOOKS 
 
 E. Stark St. 
 -AND 15, ORE. 
 
 THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES
 
 TO THE 
 
 HON. JAMES EMOTT, 
 
 OF POCGHKEEPSIE, 
 rHB FOLLOWING PAGES ARE RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED, 
 
 IN TESTIMONY OP THB 
 
 man APPRECIATION IN WHICH HE is HELD 
 
 BY IT13 FRIEND AND SERVANT, 
 
 THE AUTHOR.
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 THE following letters were originally writ- 
 ten for the American Traveller. They were 
 commenced without the remotest expecta- 
 tion of their obtaining a circulation beyond 
 that print. They have, however, been cop- 
 ied into other journals, and it has occurred 
 to the writer, that their publication in a con- 
 nected form, might prove interesting and use- 
 ful to the thousands who travel for business 
 or pleasure in the steamboats that daily navi- 
 gate the Hudson River. 
 
 The letters, he is aware, possess no pecu- 
 liar merit. They are plain, matter-of-fact 
 epistles ; embracing, however, a variety of 
 geographical, historical, statistical, and other 
 matter, connected with the noble river, and 
 the flourishing villages on its borders. 
 
 As several important villages and towns 
 
 on the river have been very briefly noticed, 
 
 or altogether passed by, it is the purpose of 
 
 the writer to continue his epistles to the Edi- 
 
 1*
 
 V PREFACE. 
 
 tor of the Traveller ; and should the present 
 collection meet with encouragement, a second 
 series, a volume of corresponding size and 
 appearance, will, in the course of the coming 
 fall, or ensuing spring, be published. 
 
 The writer would not omit this opportu- 
 nity of acknowledging his obligations to Capt. 
 Lathrop, A. J. Downing, Esq., P. Potter, Esq., 
 and several other gentlemen, for the facilities 
 afforded by them, severally, in procuring 
 much valuable information. 
 
 New York, July 25, 1836. 
 
 NOTE TO THE THIRD EDITION. 
 
 It was the intention of the writer of the following series 
 of letters, to have introduced a sketch of the history of 
 steam navigation on the Hudson ; and, to gratify the cu- 
 riosity of the distant reader, to have described the splen- 
 did boats that plough its waters : to have spoken of the 
 speed of the Swallow, Erie, Champlain, Robert L. Stevens, 
 Utica, and Rochester ; of the elegance and comfort of the 
 North America, Ohio, De Witt Clinton, and Albany, 
 and of their efficient and gentlemanly officers. The 
 boats on the North and East Rivers, are not surpassed by 
 any in the world, for splendor or speed. Several towns 
 have also been omitted, as well as the names of individu- 
 als who have done the " state some service ;" but should 
 another edition be called for, the writer will introduce 
 other matters, that would prove interesting to him that 
 travels up and down the river, and to him, who may thank 
 Providence that he dwells on its beautiful banks, and in- 
 hales its healthful and invigorating breeze.
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 Page 
 LETTER 1 11 
 
 Poughkeepsie Location Products of Dutchess County 
 Population of Poughkeepsie Sidewalks Churches Enterpri- 
 sing men Education College and Academies Remarkable 
 rise of real estate Cause of it A place for mechanics Pros- 
 pect from Mansion Square Hatch's Hotel, etc. 
 
 LETTER II 16 
 
 Col. Stone's description of the view from College Hill Streets 
 Reservoir Whaling Companies Manufacture of Silk New 
 Whale Ship Anecdote Good Wives. 
 
 LSTTEBlII 20 
 
 Peekskill High tide East winds High-School Paulding's 
 Monument Visit to Gen. Van Courtlandt Antony's Nose Bank 
 Religious Societies Hotels Capt. Tuthill Steamboat Union. 
 
 LBTTEBlV 28 
 
 Dobbs' Ferry Tarry town Population Washington Irving- 
 Churches Circumstances at a Hotel, or treatment of travellers 
 The place of Andre's capture An old Dutch Church Rev. 
 Mr. Smith Schools Road to White Plains Inscription on Van 
 Wart's Monument White Plains Imprisonment for debt. 
 
 LETTER V. 37 
 
 Put up at the Mansion House Troy a prominent point of inter- 
 est Visit to Mrs. Willard's Female Seminary The Amateur 
 Vocalist Mrs. Willard's zeal in the cause of Education, etc.
 
 Till CONTENTS. 
 
 Page 
 LETTER VI ..................................................... 43 
 
 Location and plan of Troy Public Buildings View from 
 Mount Ida Original proprietor of the City Historical notice- 
 Religious Societies Banks and Insurance Companies Water 
 Works Fountains Washington Square Legrand Cannon's 
 Building Causes of prosperity Self-made men Gov. Marcy an 
 Attorney. 
 
 51 
 
 Revolutionary Reminiscences Tree near the Academy Ex- 
 ecution of Strang and Palmer Gen. Putnam's memorable Let- 
 terCircumstances which led to the capture of Major Andre- 
 Vignette on the bills of Westchester Bank, etc. 
 
 LBTTEBVHI ................................................... 60 
 
 Origin of "Sing Sing" Statistics Description of Sing Sing 
 Prison The Chaplain System of Discipline The Lynd System 
 
 Folger and Matthias Mount Pleasant Academy Franklin 
 Academy The Newspaper Public House, etc. 
 
 LETTER IX ..................................................... 69 
 
 Views of the Hudson Historical Items The Hudson a Lake 
 
 The old man's story. 
 
 LETTER X ...................................................... 77 
 
 The Travellers' Home Mansion House, and its new proprie- 
 tor Troy House Washington Hall Apology The Rail Road 
 Cars Description of Troy Bridge, etc. Route to Balston and 
 Saratoga Springs Revolutionary Reminiscence Battle at Be- 
 mis' Heights Distance to Balston" Sans Souci" Balston Re- 
 turn to Troy Henry Burden His residence His genius, etc. 
 Reading Room, Troy West Troy Its business M'Adamized 
 road to Albany Stages, etc. 
 
 LBTTBRXI ..................................................... 96 
 
 Revolutionary Reminiscences of the Hudson Fort Edward- 
 General Lyman Story of the fate of Miss Jane M'Crea.
 
 CONTENTS. IX 
 
 Page 
 LETTER XII 108 
 
 Master Lipsey's Boat Revolutionary Incident The Boat Club 
 The passing of a Steamboat Cold Spring Col. George P. 
 Morris's Mansion Scenery Old Cro'-Nest Magnificent Site 
 Description of Col. Morris's House The Gardener of an English 
 Earl Mischief of Ignorance Our Lady of Cold Spring Lines 
 for Music, etc. 
 
 LETTER xm 112 
 
 Strictures on Albany The Clergy Historical sketch of Al- 
 bany Head-Quarters of Gen. Layfayette Mrs. Grant's descrip- 
 tion of Albany in olden time Manner of living there Hermit- 
 ageGentle treatment of slaves among the Albanians Conse- 
 quent attachment of domestics, etc. 
 
 LETTER XTV 131 
 
 Academies and Common Schools Albany Academy for Boys 
 Dr. Beck The Female Academy Introduced by Mr. Critten- 
 ton to the Different Departments The plan of Instruction Dr. 
 Barber's System of Elocution " The Language of the Flowers," 
 a poetical effusion from a young Lady of the Academy Descrip- 
 tion of the Building Location, etc. The Baptist Church The 
 old Capitol Architectural description of the new State Hall 
 Of St. Paul's Church South Dutch Church The Old Stone 
 Pulpit North Dutch Church. 
 
 LETTER XV 151 
 
 Revisit Poughkeepsie Rapid Progress of Improvement New 
 Silk Factory Inventive genius of Gen. Harvey Patent, Screw 
 Company Coining Money Patent Saw for felling trees Patent 
 Stock Frames Advantages of Poughkeepsie, etc. Report of 
 the Inspectors of Grain Dutchess Plains Scenery Poetry- 
 Ride to Hyde Park Derivation of the name The late Dr. Ho- 
 sack's place Churches and population Cultivated grounds- 
 Death of Dr. Hosack, etc.
 
 X CONTENTS. 
 
 LWTTER XVI 16i 
 
 How the writer obtained the History of the Military Academy 
 at West Point Lt. Roswell Park West Point a place of inter- 
 estHallowed by Washington, Kosclusko, Lafayette, etc. View 
 of West Point after entering the Mountain Gap above The 
 Monuments Links of the chain broken by the British vessels 
 in 1777 Early History of the Academy The Officers Practi- 
 cal considerations which should influence those who are seek- 
 ing or who may gain admission to the Military Academy, etc. 
 
 LETTER XVII 189 
 
 Settlement of Newburgh Location Population Showy ap- 
 pearance from the River Place of business Steamboats Ex- 
 tensive manufacture of Bricks in Newburgh and vicinity Iron 
 Foundry Newburgh Brewery Col. Crawford's extensive 
 Storehouse Business crowded into one street Botanic Gardens 
 and Nursery of the Messrs. Downing Description of the same 
 J. W. Knevels' collection of exotic Plants, the most extensive 
 in the country View from Beacon Hill Splendid Scenery 
 Reasons for supposing the Hudson was once a Lake Washing- 
 ton's Head-Quarters The United States Hotel Walden, a man- 
 ufacturing village on the Walkill Its resources, etc. 
 
 LBTTSR XVIII 201 
 
 Original purchase and first settlement of Hudson The Whale 
 Fishery Reverses of Hudson Hudson and Berkshire Rail 
 Road Statistical Estimates Girard College Lebanon Springs 
 Capital, &c., of Whaling Companies Capt. Paddock The 
 Shipping of Hudson Rail Road ropes Alexander Coffin Cap- 
 tain Gordon New Court House and Jail Private Dwellings- 
 Churches Doctor White's Asylum for the Insane Education 
 Distinguished men of Hudson Grave of Lieut. Win. II. Allen 
 Col. Jenkins Location of Hudson, &c. Views North Bay 
 View from Prospect Hill Steamboats Banking Capital Vil- 
 lage of Athens Ferry r &c. 
 
 LETTER XIX W 
 
 Literary Institutions of Poughkeepsie Distinguished Men- 
 Stranger's Grave Public Journals Manufactures Mines of 
 Dutchess County, &c. &,c. 
 
 SARATOGA SPRINOB . 244
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON, &c. 
 
 LETTER I. 
 
 Poughkeepsie Location Products of Dutchess County- 
 Population of Poughkeepsie Sidewalks Churches En- 
 terprising men Education College and Academies Re~ 
 markable rise of real estate Cause of it A place for me~ 
 chanics Prospect from Mansion Square Hatch's Ho* 
 tel, etc. 
 
 Poughkeepsie, N. Y., Sept. 5, 1835. 
 
 DEAR P. In my last from New York city, I 
 promised the disclosure of some facts relative to 
 this interesting and flourishing village. But the 
 peculiar advantages of its location, its rapidly in- 
 creasing population, the public spirit of the citi- 
 zens, the great advance of real estate, and the in- 
 troduction of new sources of improvement and 
 wealth, have been of late so generally the subject 
 of newspaper remark, that I am fearful I shall not 
 be able to add much that is new or interesting to 
 the general stock. But to begin. Poughkeepsie 
 may justly rank with the first villages in New- 
 York or New England. Indeed, I am not ac- 
 quainted with a single village which in some im- 
 portant particulars equals it, and but few that will
 
 12 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 bear a favourable comparison. It is situated on the 
 east bank of the Hudson, midway between Albany 
 and New York. It is the court town of the rich- 
 est county save one in the " Empire State," and as 
 a highly cultivated agricultural county, it is, I ap- 
 prehend, unsurpassed by any other in the Union. 
 The gross products of the county, from its soil, its 
 mines, and its manufactories, are believed by per- 
 sons best qualified to judge, to approach very near 
 to five millions of dollars per annum. The pro- 
 ducts of Dutchess and Ulster counties, and a por- 
 tion of the western towns of Connecticut, are 
 brought to this village, where they are shipped for 
 the great commercial market. The village is very 
 compact the streets numerous, spacious, and well 
 paved. The sidewalks too are neatly paved, and 
 give the traveller a very favourable impression of 
 the public spirit of the corporation. The popula- 
 tion of the village in 1830 was 5022, and the town 
 about 7000; now the population of the village 
 exceeds 7000, and the town contains well nigh 
 10,000. The assessment of real estate in the cor- 
 poration in 1834 was $1,099,085; of personal, 
 $937,700. There are seven places of public wor- 
 ship : one Baptist, two Friends, one Episcopal, one 
 Methodist, one Presbyterian, and one Dutch Re- 
 formed. The Episcopal church is a beautiful 
 Gothic edifice. It was built in 1833. A second
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THfi HUDSOW. 13 
 
 Episcopal church is about being erected. A se- 
 cond Presbyterian church is now going up, and 
 another Baptist and Catholic church are, I un- 
 derstand, to be commenced without delay. The 
 public spirit of such men as Cunningham, Tal- 
 madge, Potter, Oakley, Vassar, Hatch, and a few 
 others, gentlemen of intelligence and liberality, 
 will not stop till it has given the place not only a 
 beautiful external appearance and a business char- 
 acter, but endowed it with the means of education 
 and intellectual improvement. They have project- 
 ed, and are making rapid efforts for building a 
 large and commodious academy for girls and boys ; 
 and a lofty and one of the most beautiful sites in 
 the county has been purchased, on which an im- 
 posing edifice is to be built, to be occupied as a 
 collegiate school of the highest order. Another is 
 to be erected and liberally endowed for young la- 
 dies. These advantages of general education, will 
 unquestionably hold out inducements of the most 
 powerful kind, to wealthy gentlemen with families 
 to settle in this healthy and delightful village. At 
 b. recent sale of land, quite a number of persons 
 of this description were present, and one hundred 
 and eighty-three lots of ground, suitable for house 
 lots, together with a farm of one hundred and three 
 acres, situated two miles south of the courthouse, 
 were sold for $79,279. Lots which were sold 
 2
 
 14 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 eighteen months since for $600, have been sold for 
 $4000. A plot of fourteen acres in the suburbs of 
 the village, which was purchased ten months since 
 for $4000, was recently sold for $14,000. An- 
 other plot, which could have been purchased nine 
 months before for $10,000, was sold a few days 
 since for $24,000. A farm in the vicinity, which 
 was offered twenty months since for $22,000, has 
 lately been sold for $68,000. A lot in the village, 
 purchased sixty days since for $2000, has been 
 sold for $5000. This enumeration of facts I have 
 from the most unquestionable authority. Some 
 view this rise as the result of the " speculating ma- 
 nia," which exists all over the country at this time. 
 But I must, I confess, concur with an intelligent 
 gentleman of New England, whom I have just 
 seen, in the opinion, that the primary cause of this 
 advance is to be found in the enterprise and public 
 spirit manifested by the gentlemen alluded to above, 
 and which now seems to prevail with the whole 
 population. 
 
 Few places in the country afford better oppor- 
 tunities for ingenious and industrious mechanics. 
 The enterprising gentlemen who are labouring with 
 laudable zeal to promote the growth of Pough- 
 keepsie, have struck out a course which cannot 
 fail of success, that of introducing new branches of 
 business ; hence every ingenious mechanic is ta-
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON, 15 
 
 ken by the hand, and every facility afforded him 
 for starting and prosecuting his business. 
 
 I have, perhaps, already extended my letter be- 
 yond the limits allotted a correspondent; but I 
 consider the general diffusion of the statistical, 
 commercial, and geographical knowledge of inter- 
 esting portions of our wide-spread republic, of vast 
 importance to enterprising Yankees; and as your 
 paper has an extensive circulation, and particu- 
 larly in our best hotels, where such information is 
 eagerly sought for by the traveller, I feel per- 
 suaded that the space occupied will not be thrown 
 away, and therefore, with your permission, I shall 
 devote one or two letters more to this place. The 
 delightful prospect from Mansion Square, and the 
 neighbouring hill, which affords the most extended 
 view of hill and dale, cultivated to a charm, the 
 courteous and intelligent society, and the comforts 
 of one of the best hotels in the country, have ren- 
 dered my tarry very pleasant, and induced me to 
 linger much longer than I anticipated on my ar- 
 rival. It is scarcely necessary, but in justice I am 
 induced to mention, that the hotel alluded to, is 
 now kept, and has been for the last seven years, by 
 Messrs. A. S. Hatch & Son and a more airy, 
 comfortable, and commodious house, or more cour- 
 teous and gentlemanly hosts, I have seldom met 
 with in my journeyings.
 
 LETTER II. 
 
 Col. Stones description of the view from College Hill- 
 Streets Reservoir Whaling Companies Manufacture 
 of Silk New Whale Ship Anecdote Good Wives. 
 
 Poughkeepsie, Sept SB, 1836. 
 
 DEAR P. Since writing my last from this place 
 I have seen the letters of Col. Stone, the elite edi- 
 tor of the Commercial Advertiser, written while 
 " luxuriating" on the delicacies of the Mansion 
 House, and although I alluded to the splendid 
 views afforded from the hill in the vicinity of 
 " Mansion Square," whose brow is to be crowned 
 with the classi temple of learning, I cannot re- 
 frain from introducing a passage from the Colonel's 
 graphic description. 
 
 He says : " It is neither of steep nor of diffi- 
 cult access, and is sufficiently elevated to afford a 
 landscape of great extent, and of mingled grandeur 
 and beauty. It will be studded with villas on all 
 sides to its base. On the south, it will overlook the 
 town of Poughkeepsie and the beautiful district of 
 country, fhence to the Fishkill range of mountains 
 and the highlands. On the west and the north, 
 the Shawangunk and the Catskill mountains rear 
 their azure crests in the distance, the Hudson si-
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 17 
 
 lently rolling his mighty volume of waters through 
 the vale below ; while on the east the prospect is 
 only hounded by the mountainous regions of west- 
 ern Connecticut and Massachusetts. And on all 
 sides, within the circle I have thus indicated, the 
 landscape is of surpassing beauty composed of 
 fertile villas and gently swelling hills of farms, 
 orchards, and gardens, in a high state of cultiva- 
 tion, studded with villas, and ornamented with for- 
 ests of various timber among which are the oak 
 and the locust. Such will be the position of the 
 Poughkeepsie University the eye resting, on 
 which soever side it falls, upon a country resem- 
 bling an immense garden rich, fertile, beautiful !" 
 Since 1831, more than $100,000 have been exr 
 pended in opening, regulating, and paving streets. 
 A reservoir has been built on an eminence about 
 half a mile from Hatch's Hotel, for supplying the 
 village with water for the extinguishment of fires, 
 at an expense of from 25 to $30,000, showing a 
 degree of liberality on the part of the corporation, 
 not surpassed, if we take into the account the rela- 
 tive means, by the city of New York, in their pro- 
 ject for bringing spring water to that city. Two 
 whaling companies, with a capital of $200,000 
 each, have been established. A company for the 
 growing and the manufacture of silk, with a capi- 
 tal of $200,000, has commenced the erection of a 
 2*
 
 18 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON'. 
 
 brick factory, thirty-six by one hundred feet, four 
 stories high. The silk factory will be in opera- 
 tion before the close of the present season. 
 
 One of the ships now building in the extensive 
 shipyard of Messrs. Tooker & Hait is to be 
 called the Nathaniel P. Tallmadge, a compliment 
 to that gentleman, as merited as it is just; for to 
 his liberal and enterprising spirit, in a great meas- 
 ure, belongs the present prosperity and future pros- 
 pects of the village. 
 
 And here I cannot refrain from relating an an- 
 ecdote of one of the gentlemen who have been very 
 active in every laudable effort to promote the good 
 of Poughkeepsie. Possessed of ample resources, 
 but a heart much larger than his ability, his libe- 
 rality was scarcely circumscribed by his means ; 
 his purse and his credit were never solicited in 
 vain. His resources, however, in time failed, and 
 he became a bankrupt ; but in order to provide for 
 his family, he commenced the business of a broker, 
 and as usual, before the traffic was prohibited by 
 law, sold lottery tickets. At the drawing, half a 
 ticket was left on his hands, and that ticket came 
 out a .prize of $50,000 ; and although he had ta- 
 ken the benefit of the insolvent act, and was not of 
 course legally obliged, he very magnanimously 
 paid every creditor to "the uttermost farthing." 
 He had something left. Fortune has continued to
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 19 
 
 smile on the liberal soul, and he is now once more 
 independent, actively engaged in advancing the 
 public good. Such men are an honour to human 
 nature. Would to God we had them in every vil- 
 lage throughout our wide spread country. 
 
 By the way, friend Porter, if you have any 
 young men in your goodly city in want of wives, 
 and good ones I have no doubt some of the fair 
 are certainly very beautiful I advise you to send 
 them on forthwith to the care of our gallant young 
 friend of the Poughkeepsie Hotel, as there are in 
 the village, according to a census just completed, 
 one thousand one hundred and thirteen unmarried 
 young ladies, ready, doubtless, to enter into the 
 blissful estate of matrimony. Hatch takes the best 
 care of all visiters, whatever may be their business, 
 when put under his protection. Adieu for the 
 present. Yours, &c.
 
 LETTER III. 
 
 Peekskill High tide-East winds High-school Paulding's 
 monument Visit to Gen. Van Courtlandt Antony's Nose 
 Bank Religious societies Hotels Capt. Tuthill Steam- 
 boat Union. 
 
 Peekskill, Sept. 1835. 
 
 FRIEND P. Here I am, at Peekskill, com- 
 pletely hemmed in by the overflowing tide of the 
 Hudson. The street in front of the house is cov- 
 ered with water ankle deep, and still increasing. 
 The water has nearly reached the window where 
 I sit writing, which overlooks the river to Cald- 
 well's Landing, and the noble Dunderberg but two 
 miles distant, yet scarcely visible in consequence of 
 the dense state of the atmosphere. 
 
 Peekskill is about forty-five miles from New 
 York, containing well nigh fifteen hundred inhabit- 
 ants, and with a little more enterprise would, from its 
 pleasant and healthy location, and its proximity to 
 the city of New York, become a place of consid- 
 erable mercantile importance. The high tide, al- 
 luded to above, is not an uncommon occurrence at 
 this season of the year on the river. The east 
 winds are not one half so unpleasant in their effects 
 upon the system here as in your city. They be-
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 21 
 
 come somewhat softened in their passage over the 
 country; and the highlands of the north stand up 
 as an impregnable barrier to keep off these "down 
 east" intruders. 
 
 But for Peekskill. The most interesting evi- 
 dence that there is a spark of public spirit ex- 
 isting in this ancient settlement, which will sooner 
 or later burst into a flame, is to be found in the 
 establishment of a high-school, and the erection 
 of a very neat, spacious and appropriate edifice for 
 that purpose, on a most delightful eminence; where 
 the healthful and invigorating breeze from the tow- 
 ering mountains in the vicinity, pours forth its 
 " medicinal" influence ; and where the soul alive 
 to the sentiments of beauty, variety, and sublimity, 
 can view with rapture the variegated and pictur- 
 esque scenery, the beautiful and expansive bay, the 
 towering and gigantic Dunderberg, the " race," 
 and the opening of the majestic highlands. But 
 my pen affords an altogether inadequate descrip- 
 tion of the scene. Peekskill is certainly well sit- 
 uated for purposes of education ; furnishing, as it 
 does, facilities for communicating daily, nay almost 
 hourly, with the great city ; and from my own per- 
 sonal inference, as well as the testimony of others, 
 I doubt whether there is a place in the whole range 
 of the Hudson, where health can be more con- 
 veniently sought, or more surely gained. The
 
 99 LETTERS ABOUT THE HtDSOK. 
 
 academy was built with a capital stock, divided into 
 shares of five dollars each, and taken up princi- 
 pally by the inhabitants of the village. The prin- 
 cipal, Mr. Thompson, is a very worthy, intelligent 
 teacher. The present number of pupils is about 
 sixty. Board is furnished in the same building to 
 scholars, whose parents do not reside in the vil- 
 lage. 
 
 It should not be forgotten that this is the birth- 
 place of John Paulding, the American farmer, who 
 intercepted Andre, the British spy, at Tarrytown, 
 some fifteen miles below this place. I rode out to 
 his monument a few days since. It is situated 
 about two miles to the north of the village. The 
 monument is of marble, a pyramid, about fifteen 
 feet high, running to a point. It 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,)
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 23 
 
 He intercepted the British Spy, Andre. 
 
 Poor Himself, 
 He disdained to acquire wealth by sacrificing 
 
 His Country. 
 
 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 enmy 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 marble with the word "Fidelity." The 
 inscription on the other side I have forgotten. 
 
 On the way to the monument, and but a few 
 this side, is the residence of Gen. Pierre Van
 
 21 LSTTEHS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 Courtlandt, an old gentleman of sixty. I called on 
 him and spent an hour very pleasantly. He was 
 reading "Horse Shoe Robinson," and remarked, 
 as he laid it down, that he was not a little inter- 
 ested with it, as he liked every tiling which rela- 
 ted to the revolutionary war. His father was an 
 officer in that war, and his grandfather was the 
 first Lieutenant Governor of this State ; an office 
 which he held for more than twenty years. The 
 place where he lives, and all his real estate, he 
 holds by the will of his father ; and the original 
 grant bf the British King to his grandfather. Gen. 
 V. is the owner of Antony's Nose, (on the river,) 
 as it is called. He gave me the origin of that name. 
 Before the revolution, a vessel was passing up 
 the river, under the command of a Capt. Hogans ; 
 when immediately opposite this mountain, the mate 
 looked rather quizzically, first at the mountain, and 
 then at the captain's nose. The captain, by the 
 way, had an enormous nose, which was not un- 
 frequently the subject of good-natured remark; and 
 he at once understood the mate's allusion. " What," 
 says the captain, " does that look like my nose 1 
 call it then if you please Antony's nose." The" 
 story was repeated on shore, and the mountain 
 thenceforward assumed the name, and has thus be- 
 come an everlasting monument to the memory of 
 the redoubtable Capt. Antony Hogans and his nose.
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 25 
 
 The elevation of Antony's Nose is one thousand 
 two hundred and twenty-eight feet from the level of 
 the river, and directly opposite Fort Montgomery 
 Creek. Washington Irving supposes its name to 
 be derived from the nose of Antony Van Corlaer. 
 It differs from the origin given me by Gen. V. 
 
 The christening of the mount is described in the 
 story of the Dutch governor's first voyage up the 
 Hudson, as follows : " Just at this moment the illus- 
 trious sun, breaking in all his splendour from be- 
 hind one of the high cliffs of the Highlands, did 
 dart one of his most potent beams full upon the re- 
 fulgent nose of the sounder of brass. The reflection 
 of which shot straightway down, hissing hot into 
 the water, and killed a mighty sturgeon that was 
 sporting beside the vessel ! When this astonishing 
 miracle came to be made known to Peter Stuyve- 
 sant (the governor,) he, as may well be supposed, 
 marvelled exceedingly ; and as a monument thereof, 
 gave the name of Antony's Nose to a stout prom- 
 ontory in the neighbourhood, and it has continued 
 to be called Antony's Nose ever since." From 
 here to Fort Montgomery, which is now in ruins, 
 on the opposite side, a large boom and chain was 
 extended during the revolutionary war, which cost 
 about seventy thousand pounds sterling. It was 
 partly destroyed by Gen. Sir Henry Clinton, in Oc* 
 tober, 1777. 
 3
 
 96 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 Gen. V. gave me the time from a small bull's 
 eye gold watch, which he drew from his fob, and 
 which he said must be at least one hundred and 
 fifty years old, as it was the property of his great- 
 great grandfather, and had come down regularly 
 to him. 
 
 After drinking the hospitable General's health, 
 in a glass of fine old Madeira, I took my depar- 
 ture. The residence of Gen. Van Courtlandt is 
 antique, but the grounds around are in the highest 
 state of cultivation. A Bank, with a capital of 
 $200,000, was established in Peekskill about tvro 
 years since, and General V. was elected President. 
 It is in a flourishing condition. The stock has 
 sold at almost as great an advance as ever the 
 United States Bank stock did. There is a bust of 
 Gen. Van Courtlandt's father in the bank. The 
 produce of many towns in Westchester, and most 
 of the towns in Putnam county, is shipped in the 
 Peekskill sloops for New York. There are seven 
 which are constantly in motion, with produce of 
 various kinds for the New York market. 
 
 There are six religious societies in Peekskill - 
 two Friends or Quakers one Presbyterian one 
 Dutch Reformed one Methodist one Universal- 
 ist and an Episcopal Church is about being erect- 
 ed. With a portion of the funds of the Trinity 
 corporation, it will doubtless flourish.
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 27 
 
 The Hotels in Peekskill are not remarkable for 
 the splendour of their construction, or their commo- 
 diousness, neither are they managed with remark- 
 able liberality or comfort. I would, however, ex- 
 cept the house kept by Col. Williams, who, by 
 the way, is a very gentlemanly, worthy man ; and 
 has the reputation of keeping a good house, al- 
 though I have had no opportunity of judging. He 
 is about removing into a neat and spacious build- 
 ing, which is nearly finished, and then I hope to 
 speak more understandingly of his establishment. 
 A new hotel is soon to be erected on Antony's 
 Nose, as a summer house. 
 
 Although I have "spun out" this epistle to a 
 great length, I cannot forbear the present opportu- 
 nity of alluding to the fine little steamer Union, 
 which plies between New York and this village 
 daily, landing passengers at Greenburgh, Yon- 
 kers, Tarrytown, Sing Sing, Grassy Point, and 
 Caldwell's. Capt. Tuthill, of the Union, is an af- 
 fable, courteous officer. He unites these qualities 
 with great experience, having been connected with 
 the Hudson River steamboats for more than twelve 
 years. A few days since, a party of gentlemen 
 presented him with a splendid silver pitcher, as a 
 token of their respect for his private worth, and 
 excellent conduct as a steam navigator. But I 
 must close. Adieu for the present.
 
 LETTER IV. 
 
 Dobbs' Ferry Tarrytown Population Washington Ir- 
 ving Churdies Circumstances at a Hotel, or treatment 
 of travellers The place of Andre's capture An old Dutch 
 Church Rev. Mr. Smith Schools Road to White Plains 
 Inscription on Van Wart's Monument White Plains 
 Imprisonment for debt. 
 
 New York, Oct. 20, 1836. 
 
 FRIEND P. On Wednesday I left New York 
 m the good steamer Union, "not knowing the 
 things that would befall me." * * * 
 
 I, however, landed at Dobb's Ferry, about twenty 
 miles up the Hudson, and lingered about the place 
 two hours, viewing the thrifty orchards and highly 
 cultivated grounds of Livingston and Constant, 
 and then took private conveyance to Tarrytown. 
 Dobb's Ferry and Tarrytown are two small villa- 
 ges in the township of Greenburgh, both market 
 and steamboat landings, situated about five miles 
 apart on the east side of the Hudson. The popu- 
 lation of the whole township does not exceed fifteen 
 hundred. 
 
 There are a number of delightful, picturesque, 
 and extensive prospects, and several wealthy gen- 
 tlemen farmers reside in the vicinity. On our 
 road to Tarrytown we passed the elegant man-
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 29 
 
 sion of a Mr. Hamilton, son of Alexander Hamil- 
 ton, the distinguished statesman, who fell in a duel 
 with the ambitious Burr. A quarter of a mile 
 from the main road towards the Hudson, about 
 midway between Dobbs' Ferry and Tarrytown, is 
 the residence of Oscar Irving, a nephew of our 
 distinguished countryman, Washington Irving, who 
 is erecting a cottage near that of his relatives, 
 where he intends to pass his life in rural retire- 
 ment, and the pursuit of literature and learning. 
 His elegant and graphic pen, and his chastened 
 and classic imagination, will add ne\v charms to 
 the noble, the majestic, the exquisite scenery of the 
 Hudson. With a heart alive to the emotions of 
 benevolence, and with habits congenial to the genius 
 of domestic bliss, 1 am not a little surprised that 
 one who has portrayed with grace and delicacy, 
 and has in his works rendered the most exalted 
 tribute to the female character, should so long re- 
 main in " single-blessedness," as a certain condition 
 is sometimes falsely called. But the busy tongue 
 of rumour says, that the charm of celibacy will 
 soon be broken, and that the best of writers, will 
 become the best of husbands. So mote it be. 
 
 At Dobbs' Ferry there are two places of public 
 
 worship. A Presbyterian meeting house, a small 
 
 wooden building; and a neat little Episcopal church, 
 
 built of stone, in the gothic order. There are two 
 
 3*
 
 30 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 public houses, and a post-office. On the land of 
 Livingston, are the remains of an old fort thrown 
 up in the war of the revolution. Harvey, the painter, 
 resides here. The village has a " newness" which 
 indicates improvement. Building lots, and farms 
 I am told, advance with the general rise all over 
 the country. 
 
 On my arrival at Tarrytown, I put up at a place 
 purporting to be a Hotel ; but unlike any thing I 
 ever before visited ; and God forbid that I should 
 ever " see the like again." It was towards sun- 
 down when I arrived. My small baggage I took 
 to my lodgings, and coming down, I inquired of a 
 young woman, a daughter of " mine host," the 
 hour of tea. " Oh," said she, " some time after dark, 
 when the folks come in from picking apples." 
 This answer sounded rather queer and indefinite, 
 but I let it pass. Appearances were much in fa- 
 vour of the house: it was neat the beds were com- 
 fortable, and every thing around had an air of 
 cleanliness. The next morning, at breakfast, " mine 
 host" was repeating a quarrel which took place be- 
 tween him and a lodger during the night. He 
 said " he would not entertain these d d Yan- 
 kees he was rich enough to live without keeping 
 a public house, and those who stopped with him 
 must behave themselves and do as he wished them, 
 or he'd kick them out quicker than they came in."
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 31 
 
 He was, however, very civil to me that day. In 
 the evening, I called on a reverend gentleman, and 
 returned about nine, when I found the house closed 
 and barred, and not the glimmer of a light to mark 
 the mansion of the living. A few gentle taps, 
 however, brought " mine host," in the condition so 
 delicately and so graphically described by Tom 
 Cringle. The door opened, and the mouth of 
 "mine host" at about the same time, in tones of 
 corresponding harmony (vocal and instrumental) 
 " What are you out so late for ?" said he. I 
 made no reply, but took the light from the " impu- 
 dent varlet's" hand, and made my way to bed. The 
 next morning I arose at half past 7, and seeing no 
 indications of approaching breakfast, I sallied forth 
 in pursuit of a barber, which not rinding, I return- 
 ed, and inquired if breakfast was ready. " We 
 have been to breakfast," said the hostess. "Been 
 to breakfast! why didn't you call me, madam?" 
 said I. " We have other business to attend to with- 
 out calling folks up to breakfast," said she. " Well 
 then," said I, " you may attend to it give me my 
 bill, if you please, madam." I paid my bill, two 
 shillings and sixpence a meal, including boiled 
 pork and cabbage, and exclusive of any thing else, 
 save and except potatoes, turnips, and onions, in one 
 miscellaneous dish of salmagundi. 
 
 I related my sufferings to the good people of
 
 32 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 Tarrytown, and excited no little commiseration, 
 and the most courteous and friendly proffers of 
 kindness and hospitality ; but as I intended leaving 
 town that day, I declined the invitations. I found, 
 however, that the host and his house were well 
 known, and that scarce a traveller stopt there with- 
 out having some difficulty with the ignorant booby 
 who pretends to keep a hotel. Indeed, many trav- 
 ellers go four or five miles out of the way, to avoid 
 stopping at this house. I have related these cir- 
 cumstances for the benefit of your numerous sub- 
 scribers in this State, and those who may chance 
 to pass through this place, and hear the name of 
 Smith of the " Tarrytown Hotel." 
 
 Tarrytown is a still, quiet village, famed in the 
 history of the first American war, as the place 
 where Andre was captured by Paulding and his 
 associates. No monument marks the spot where 
 this scene occurred, although it is pretty accurately 
 ascertained. The inhabitants of the village made 
 the attempt some years ago, but for want of energy 
 and spirit did not accomplish the design. It was 
 a memorable event, and one of great importance to 
 our national liberty, and some monument should 
 tell the place and record the circumstances. 
 
 It is said that the tree, under which Andre was 
 taken, was struck by lightning on the very day the 
 news of Gen. Arnold's death was received at Tar-
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 33 
 
 rytown. Singular coincidence this ! It was a white- 
 wood tree, and uncommonly large, being twenty- 
 six feet in circumference and forty-one high. 
 
 There is a " Dutch Reformed Church" at Tar- 
 rytown, one hundred and sixty-two years old, and 
 a very ancient burying ground, supposed to be older 
 than the church. The pulpit and the communion 
 table are of oak, and were brought from Holland. 
 The bricks were made in Holland. The Rev. 
 Thomas G. Smith, the present pastor of this church, 
 is a Scotchman, but was an American patriot in 
 the revolutionary war. He is a worthy, intelli- 
 gent, and hospitable old gentlemen, of upwards of 
 seventy, and has been the spiritual pastor of the 
 flock for more than thirty years. 
 
 There are two excellent private boarding schools 
 in this village, one for boys and the other for young 
 ladies. The former is under the superintendence 
 of a Mr. See, and the latter is managed by two 
 Quaker ladies. 
 
 On Friday, I hired a conveyance to White Plains, 
 seven miles east of Tarrytown. The route is a per- 
 fect zigzag, and I can assure you that we headed 
 every one, at least, of the cardinal points of the 
 compass. And for roughness, the passage of the 
 Green Mountains does not even vie with it. This 
 is all absolute matter of fact, and I am prepared to 
 make affidavit to that effect before any justice of the
 
 34 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 peace in Christendom. About midway, we passed 
 the monument of, Van Wart, of Andre memory. I 
 alighted, and taking out a pencil, took down the sev- 
 eral inscriptions on the four sides. On the North' 
 
 Here reposes 
 the mortal remains 
 
 of 
 
 ISAAC VAN WART, 
 An Elder of the Greenburgh Church, 
 
 who died 
 on the 23d of May, 1828, 
 
 in the 
 
 69th year of his age. 
 
 Having lived the life, he died the death of the 
 Christian. , 
 
 On the South side it is written 
 
 The Citizens 
 
 of the 
 County of Westchester 
 
 Erected this Tomb, 
 in testimony of the high sense 
 
 they entertained for the 
 Virtuous and Patriotic conduct 
 
 of their fellow citizen, 
 
 and as a memo-rial sacred to 
 
 Public Gratitude.
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 3& 
 
 On the East side we have 
 
 Vincit Amor Patriae. 
 
 Nearly half a century 
 
 before this monument was built, 
 
 The Conscript Fathers of America 
 
 had, in the Senate Chamber, voted that 
 
 Isaac Van Wart 
 
 was a faithful Patriot one in whom 
 
 the love of Country was Invincible, 
 
 and this Tomb bears testimony 
 
 that the Record is true. 
 
 On the West side the inscription reads after this 
 manner 
 
 "Fidelity. On the 23d of Sept. 1780, Isaac 
 Van Wart, accompanied by John Paulding and 
 Daniel Williams, all Farmers of the county of 
 Westchester, intercepted Major Andre on his re- 
 turn from the American lines in the character of a 
 Spy, and notwithstanding the large bribes offered 
 them for his release, nobly disdained to sacrifice 
 their country for gold, secured and carried him to 
 the commanding officer of the district, whereby the 
 dangerous and traitorous conspiracy of Arnold was 
 brought to light, the insidious designs of the ene- 
 my baffled, the American army saved, and our be- 
 loved country free," &c. 
 
 Paulding was, unquestionably, the master spirit
 
 36 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 of the trio. He is represented by those who knew 
 him, as a brave man and a good soldier. 
 
 White Plains is a small village, with about five 
 hundred inhabitants, and is the county town for 
 Westchester. The, Court House and the Jail, of 
 course, have their location here. Thank God, 
 however, the poor debtor is not incarcerated for pov- 
 erty, in the prisons of New York. I blush for the 
 attempt making in my native State to restore that 
 relic of barbarism to the code. Continue in the 
 same fearless way you have commenced, to advo- 
 cate the cause of the poor and the oppressed, in 
 opposition to a few interested enemies of popular 
 rights, and the " inglorious twenty"* will hide their 
 diminished heads, and retire to the obscurity they 
 deserve. I had intended to notice the last named 
 village more fully, but the foregoing digression, fills 
 the second sheet of your New York Traveller. 
 
 * Mr. Porter, the editor of the American Traveller a paper 
 which he has conducted with ability for the last ten or twelve 
 years, has ever fearlessly advocated the abolishment of im- 
 prisonment for debt. The " inglorious twenty," is a term he 
 applied to twenty Senators, who voted for the perpetuation 
 of this barbarous law.
 
 LETTER V. 
 
 Put up at the Mansion House Troy a prominent point qf 
 interest Visit to Mrs. WillarcCs Female Seminary The 
 Amateur Vocalist Mrs. WillarcFs zeal in the cause qf 
 Education, <f-c. 
 
 Mansion House, Troy, N. Y., November 13, 1835. 
 
 FRIEND P. My epistle, in one respect at least 
 are " like angels visits, few and far between," but 
 on that account may, I presume, be the more ac- 
 ceptable to that portion of your readers who prefer 
 the sparkling effusions of a brilliant imagination 
 to the plain matter of fact letters of a plain man, 
 like your humble servant. I arrived here two 
 days since, and find myself so pleasantly located 
 under the protecting care of the wo^y Doctor, 
 who presides over the destinies of <ne transient re- 
 sidents of the Mansion House, that my tarry will 
 be somewhat protracted, a^d you may expect to 
 hear from me several fames before I take up the 
 line of march. 
 
 Troy may b considered a prominent point of 
 interest as tte mercantile head of navigation on the 
 noble Hudson; and its enterprise and public spirit, 
 as well as its topographical situation, entitle it to 
 more than a passing notice. I have just returned 
 from a visit to Mrs. Willard's Female Seminary, 
 4
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON-. 
 
 and it affords me unfeigned pleasure to be able to 
 give some account of one of the most interesting' 
 establishments of the kind in the Union. The 
 principal of this Institution is a lady of no ordi- 
 nary mind, and possesses in an eminent degree all 
 those traits of character which add to the dignity 
 of the sex. Mrs. Willard has been engaged in the 
 cause of female education more than fifteen years 
 past. In 1819 she established a Female Academy 
 at Waterford, and obtained an act of incorporation 
 from the New York Legislature, without, however, 
 receiving any aid from the State. The plan of 
 her institution, at that time unmatured by the ex- 
 perience of years, met the decided approbation of 
 the intelligent, and gave to the female sex advan- 
 tages in- point of solid mental acquirements, and 
 general improvement, in branches of taste, utility, 
 and science, vmch beyond what they had previously 
 enjoyed in this vicinity. Encouraged by the liber- 
 ality of a few gentlemen at Troy, she was induced 
 to remove hither, in M*y, 1821; when she entered 
 a new building erected It* that purpose. Since 
 that time her school has inclosed in importance 
 and favour with the public, and h^ now probably 
 a larger number of boarding schol<ws than any- 
 Female Academy in the Union. The building 
 was enlarged in 1824. and in 1828 an additional 
 edifice was ereeted, fifty by thirty-seven feet, ecu-
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HODSON. 39 
 
 nected by a sort of out-door-chamber entry. An- 
 other addition to the main building was made in 
 1833. The several alterations have all been made 
 without affecting the unity of the original design, 
 and the main structure is now one hundred and 
 thirty feet by forty. 
 
 There are at present about two hundred and sixty 
 young ladies, from every state in the Union, from 
 the Canadas, the West Indies, one from Scotland, 
 one from London, and two from Paris, The last 
 came over with Mrs. W. on her return from Eu- 
 rope, a few years since. Her family consists of 
 one hundred and sixty persons, one hundred and 
 ten of whom are boarding scholars. Mrs. Willard, 
 as principal, is assisted by two " vice principals," 
 and twenty-two teachers and officers, two only of 
 whom are gentlemen. 
 
 Were I a Bachellor, I should have hesitated about 
 accepting the pressing invitation of the hospitable 
 head of the institution, to take tea with her numer- 
 ous and attractive family. But the courtesy was 
 extended so sincerely and frankly, and being anx- 
 ious to learn something of the domestic arrange- 
 ments of the institution, I cheerfully complied, al- 
 though I confess I felt somewhat abashed, on en- 
 tering a dining-room with one hundred and thirty 
 "blushing and beautiful maidens, My worthy host- 
 ess, however, by her ease of manners and a^reea-
 
 40 LETTERS ABOUT TOE HUDSON. 
 
 ble conversation, soon dispel ed this feeling. There 
 were six tier of tables. We sat down at the head 
 of the middle tier. Sweet home-baked wheat bread, 
 with butter, hasty pudding and molasses, and an 
 excellent cup of black tea, was the simple, but 
 wholesome fare, set before us. Here, perhaps, I 
 should remark, that the " National dish" alluded 
 to is only served up occasionally. At breakfast, 
 tea and coffee, with bread or toast, and meat, form 
 the meal. The dinners are uniform, all alike ; but 
 one dish of meat is served, be it roast beef, lamb, or 
 poultry; with, however, the usual and appropriate 
 variety of vegetables. 
 
 After tea I accompanied my hostess to the lecture- 
 room, directly over the dining-room, and listened 
 with great pleasure to the vocal and instrumental 
 performances of several young ladies. A sweet- 
 toned piano of your Boston Chickering, "discoursed 
 most eloquent music." I imagined myself listen- 
 ing to the masterly performance of ^ome great pro- 
 fessor, instead of a girlish amateur of sixteen. And, 
 O ye powers of Jove, not to speak profanely, if the 
 melody of that holy and happy world beyond the 
 spangled sky, partakes of the exquisite harmony of 
 the blooming beauty whose rich soft notes fell upon 
 my ears, then is heaven worth all the miseries, suffer- 
 ings, toils, and privations of life, aye, and the pains 
 of martyrdom. I have heard our best theatrical
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 41 
 
 Singers I have heard those who possessed more 
 power and compass of voice: but for rich, soft, 
 silvery, exquisite, inexpressible sweetness, the fair 
 pupil of the Troy Female Academy, in my estima- 
 tion, is without a superior. At least, I have never 
 listened to melody more fascinating. 
 
 Put this down as a burst of enthusiasm. It is, I 
 assure you, an honest expression of feeling, enkin- 
 dled by the entrancing music of the fair lady's voice. 
 I never before experienced the full power of mu- 
 sic. But enough of what I can but poorly express. 
 
 Few women have laboured more arduously or 
 more successfully in the cause of female education, 
 than Mrs. Willard. Her zeal seems only to have 
 been controlled by circumstances. Her plan of in- 
 struction is before the public. It has received the 
 approbation of some of the wisest men of Europe. 
 Dr. Combe quotes it in his essay on education, with 
 unqualified approbation. Her academy furnishes 
 every year more than thirty teachers, who scatter 
 over the remotest parts of the Union. Her efforts 
 in the cause of education in the once classic Greece, 
 are, I believe, pretty well known. Through her 
 instrumentality, a school has been established at 
 Athens, " for the more especial purpose of instruct- 
 ing female teachers." During one single quarter, 
 as far back as 1833, twelve female teachers went 
 out among the Georgians, the Carolinians, the 
 4*
 
 42 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSOk. 
 
 Michiganians, the Vermonters, New Yorkers, &c. 
 prepared under her auspices for the noble purposes 
 of education. The fact, that Mrs. Willard's insti- 
 tution is applied to for teachers, induces young wo- 
 men who desire to devote themselves to the busi- 
 ness of instruction, to turn their eyes hither, not 
 only as the place for preparation, but as the start- 
 ing point for enterprise. A large portion of this 
 class are of New England descent, from the mid- 
 dling class of society: "They come to us," says 
 Mrs. W., "with all that we could desire in the 
 frame-work of their moral, intellectual, and phys- 
 ical character. Thirsting for knowledge, physi- 
 cally able to endure the labour of study, feeling the 
 necessity of improving the time -they are pupils 
 whom it is delightful to teach ; and the seed of in- 
 struction, while we are yet sowing it, buds, springs 
 forth, and blossoms before our eyes. Thus they 
 cheer our labours, and they increase our reputation, 
 by their decisive evidence of improvement. They 
 go forth to do good to others, and they throw it 
 back to us." But Mrs. Willard's pupils are not 
 confined to the middling class. The daughters of 
 the rich are with her, and many of them, she assures 
 us, rank among the first in moral dignity and intel- 
 lectual elevation. The management is purely repub- 
 lican, and illustrates the beauty of that form of gov- 
 ernment when directed by intelligence and energy.
 
 LETTER VI. 
 
 Location and plan of Troy Public Buildings View from 
 Mount Ida Original proprietor of the City Historical 
 notice Religious Societies Banks and Insurance Compa- 
 nies Water Works Fountains Washington Square 
 Legrand Cannon's Building Causes of prosperity Self- 
 made men Gov . Marcy an Attorney. 
 
 Blansion House, Troy, Nov. 23, 1835. 
 
 DEAR P. In my last, I briefly alluded to the 
 location of Troy, as the head of navigation as a 
 place of great enterprise and public spirit and gave 
 a somewhat minute account of the Female Semi- 
 nary. My present epistle will be chiefly confined 
 to a brief historical sketch of the city, with perhaps 
 an occasional digression. 
 
 Troy then, to begin, is handsomely situated upon 
 the east bank of the Hudson, and with a foresight 
 seldom observed, is laid out with a view of its ulti- 
 mately becoming a place of considerable magni- 
 tude ; and Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love, 
 (with the exception of River street, whose course 
 is guided by that of the river, and which, as it re- 
 curves towards the east, receives the other streets 
 running north and south, as well as those in the 
 opposite direction,) with its regular squares and 
 rectangular avenues, "was selected as its model, by
 
 44 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 the advice of a gentleman, who had made a then 
 rare visit to that celebrated city. In the course of 
 a few years, stores and dwellings sprang up in 
 abundance, principally in River and First streets. 
 The stores indeed are now generally confined to 
 River and Congress streets. Nearly all the busi- 
 ness is transacted there. River street is, in fact, 
 the Pearl, the Front, the Water street, and the 
 Broadway of Troy. The stores in River street 
 are very spacious, and extend nearly a mile and a 
 half. The remainder of the city exhibits the tran- 
 quil aspect and noiseless quiet seldom found but in 
 the country. Many of the buildings, public and 
 private, particularly those erected within the last 
 five years, are spacious and elegant, while all dis- 
 play a neatness and propriety of construction, une- 
 qualled by those of any city of its size with which 
 I am acquainted. The Court House, built of Sing 
 Sing marble, is a splendid edifice after the Grecian 
 model, perfectly chaste and classic in all its parts. 
 The new Presbyterian Church, nearly completed, 
 displays taste and liberality in its construction ; and 
 St. Paul's (Episcopal) will vie with any Gothic edi- 
 fice of its class in the United States. It was erect- 
 ed some eight or nine years since. It is one hun- 
 dred and three feet by seventy ; and the walls are 
 of a dark coloured limestone, hammered and laid in 
 mortar. At the west end of the building, a tower
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 45 
 
 projects twelve feet, and is one hundred feet in 
 height. There is a basement of nine feet, and the 
 walls of the main building 1 rise thirty-eight feet 
 above it. The window over the altar is large, be- 
 ing forty feet by twenty. On each side of the 
 building there are five windows, and three on each 
 end. The galleries and ceilings are supported by 
 clustered columns ; the wood work is painted in 
 imitation of oak. The cost of the church and lot 
 amounted to about $50,000. 
 
 There are in Troy twelve places of public wor- 
 ship three Presbyterian, two Episcopal, one Qua- 
 ker, two Methodist, one Scotch Presbyterian, one 
 Roman Catholic, one Universalist, and an African 
 Church, with a coloured preacher. One of the 
 Methodist churches is of brick, and its architecture 
 manifests good taste and judgment. 
 
 East of the plain upon which Troy is built, and 
 not more than a quarter of a mile from the river, 
 Mount Ida rises abruptly to the height of three or 
 four hundred feet, from whose summit every house 
 and store may be seen with perfect distinctness, 
 while the eye is likewise gratified by a very ex- 
 tensive view, north and south, embracing nine 
 locks at the junction of the great western and 
 northern canals, Waterford, Lansingburgh, and Al- 
 bany. 
 
 The greater part of the land where the city of
 
 46 LETTERS ABOUT THE HTJDSOK. 
 
 Troy now stands, was formerly owned by three 
 farmers, relatives, of the name of Vanderheyden. 
 That which now forms the most compact part, con- 
 taining' nearly two thirds of its population, belong- 
 ed to the late Jacob D. Vanderheyden, long and 
 well known in this vicinity under the appellation 
 of " the Patroon." Public worship was first per- 
 formed here in a small school house in 1792. The 
 place was for some time called Vanderheyden, un- 
 til, with reluctance, the proprietors consented to 
 change it for the more brief and classic name of 
 Troy. It was incorporated as a village in 1801, 
 with a population of near two thousand inhabitants. 
 In 1810, it contained a population of three thousand 
 eight hundred and ninety-five. The legislature in 
 1816, granted it a charter, creating it a city, and 
 vesting it with the usual powers and privileges of 
 such corporations. In 1820, the population in- 
 creased to five thousand two hundred and sixty- 
 four; in 1825, to seven thousand eight hundred 
 and seventy-five, and in 1829, to ten thousand eight 
 hundred and forty. The present population is 
 about eighteen thousand, showing an increase, du- 
 ring five years, at the rate of 40 per cent., and more 
 than half that of any equal time preceding. For 
 this it is indebted, in part, to the opening of the 
 Grand Canal, whose beneficent waters reached the 
 Hudson in 1824. Troy has reaped a liberal share
 
 LETTERS ABOTJT THE HUDSON. 47 
 
 of the boundless benefits diffused by that great un- 
 dertaking, as it has opened her markets to the im- 
 mense, the fertile regions of the west, from which 
 they had been previously almost entirely excluded. 
 The name of Clinton, the wise projector of this 
 noble enterprise, should be had in everlasting re- 
 membrance by the citizens of this justly styled "em- 
 pire state." 
 
 T\vo streams, affording immense water facilities, 
 empty into the Hudson within the limits of the city, 
 and one of them rolls down a beautiful cascade, 
 about a mile from the Court House, well worth 
 visiting as a curiosity. They already move the 
 machinery of numerous mills and factories. 
 
 There are four Banks, the Merchants and Me- 
 chanics, Farmers, Troy City, and Bank of Troy, 
 with an average capital of about $350,000 ; and 
 two Insurance Companies, the Rensselaer and Sa- 
 ratoga, and Troy. There is also one of those ex- 
 cellent institutions a Savings Bank. 
 
 The city of Troy is abundantly supplied with 
 excellent water from the neighbouring hills, at an 
 expense of $150,000, on the Philadelphia plan, ex- 
 cept, that in that city it is raised by artificial means, 
 and in this by its natural head, being seventy-five feet 
 above the level of the city. On the corner of every 
 street there are hydrants, and a hose placed on 
 these, sends the water up higher and with much
 
 48 LETTERS ABODT THE HTJD3u. 
 
 greater force than a fire engine ; consequently, their 
 use has been superseded. 
 
 The squares and private gardens are ornamented 
 with perpetual water fountains. There is one of 
 Italian marble, chaste, classic, and of course, of 
 beautiful construction, directly in front of the Man- 
 sion House ; it sends up the water ten or fifteen 
 feet, and in its descent resembles the weeping wil- 
 low. The noise produced in the fall sounds like 
 the continually pelting rain. Indeed, strangers, 
 who put up at the Mansion House, not unfrequently, 
 in passing the morning compliments with the affa- 
 ble Doctor, allude to the last night's shower. 
 
 Washington is one of the finest squares in the 
 city. The Mansion House, belonging to Dr. 
 Huddleston, facing the south, has quite an impo- 
 sing appearance. On the east side, Legrand Can- 
 non, Esq. a gentleman of enterprise and spirit, has 
 nearly completed a block of stores that will vie 
 with any I have ever seen in New York, Philadel- 
 phia, or Boston. There are eight of them, four sto- 
 ries high, with freestone fronts, making altogether 
 a noble, business-like appearance. 
 
 Troy is indebted for its wealth and population, 
 to its advantageous situation for commercial pur- 
 suits, and to the enterprise and economical habits 
 of its citizens. Many, aye, most of the leading men 
 in Troy, commenced life penniless. But industry,
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 49 
 
 energy, perseverance, and the smiles of that kind 
 Providence, whose dews descend alike on all, have 
 produced a mighty change. Three of the leading 
 men in particular, nearly related to each other, 
 came here in early life from one of the New Eng- 
 land States, humble mechanics, and in time amassed 
 princely fortunes. Two of them have departed this 
 life, leaving their children an abundance of this 
 world's goods, and the inheritance of a name, more 
 valuable than gold. Their loss was deeply felt, and 
 lamented by the whole population. The remain- 
 ing individual stands high in the esteem of the citi- 
 zens, and is at the head of several institutions. The 
 present Mayor of Troy was once a day labourer 
 he is now one of the most wealthy and influential 
 men of the city. These are but a few of the many 
 examples of the kind, even in this city. The state 
 is full of such instances. In a "Troy Post" of 
 1822, I saw the other day the advertisement of 
 W. L 1 . Marcy, stating that he, in company with 
 another individual, had taken an office, and would 
 be happy to wait upon the public as attorneys at 
 law. Step by step he has risen to the Chief Ma- 
 gistracy of the " Empire State." But to return to 
 the causes of prosperity in this city. The great 
 Western and Northern Canals empty into the Hud- 
 son directly frpposite the centre of business, while ' 
 ehe administers to an extensive country, east and 
 5
 
 50 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 north, in the most minute articles of daily use by 
 retail. With great natural facilities, and the in- 
 vincible enterprise of the citizens, the prosperity of 
 Troy must go on, increasing with a rapidity equal 
 to that, at least, of the last ten years.
 
 LETTER VII. 
 
 Revolutionary Reminiscences Tree near the Academy Ex- 
 ecution of Strang and Palmei Gen. Putnam's memora- 
 ble Lett ei Circumstances -which led to the capture of Major 
 Andre Vignette on the bills of Westchester Bank, fyc. 
 
 Peckskill, December 4th, 1835. 
 
 DEAR P. In September, while on a visit to this 
 place, I gave a few rambling- sketches of men and 
 things. Among other matters, I alluded to the 
 Academy, and its beautiful and commanding loca- 
 tion; gave the inscription from Paulding's monu- 
 ment, etc., but neglected noticing the many inter- 
 esting revolutionary associations connected with 
 the place. Now as every thing relating to the re- 
 volution, that resulted in the establishment of our 
 Independence, possesses an interest entitling it to 
 attention, I cannot, while on the very spot so 
 fraught with these reminiscences, forego the plea- 
 sure of alluding to what can never become dull to 
 the ear of patriotic Americans. 
 
 But two miles from the village stands the dwell- 
 ing occupied by Washington, while the American 
 army were encamped in this place. The majestic 
 tree near the Academy, on which Strang was hang- 
 ed for some misdemeanour, still remains; and here
 
 52 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 too is the place where Palmer, the American tory,. 
 was executed, by order of Gen. Putnam, whose- 
 memorable reply to Gov. Tryson, who wrote for 
 his release, threatening 1 vengeance if he were exr: 
 ecuted, deserves an enduring record. It briefly 
 emphatically unfolds the true character of that dis- 
 tinguished hero. The note runs thus : 
 
 "Sir Nathan Palmer, a lieutenant in your 
 service, was taken 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 honour 
 to be, &c. 
 
 " ISRAEL PUTNA.E. 
 
 " P. S. Afternoon. He is hanged." 
 
 Not the threats of the British Governor, or the 
 entreaties of Palmer's wife, could change the pur- 
 pose of the determined General. I am informed, 
 by an old inhabitant of Peekskill, that tha man 
 who led Palmer to the gallows afterwards married 
 his widow, and that a child of this union still 
 survives. 
 
 I have before alluded to the capture of Andre, 
 by Paulding and his associates; but there- is a tra- 
 ditionary circumstance, which occurred in Peeks- 
 kill, or rather in Courtland, of which Peekskill is 
 the principal village, that placed Major -Andre in 
 the path of the captors. For the facts . connected' 
 with this tradition, I am indebted to R. E. Ward*.
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSOK. 53 
 
 Esq. It seems that in the autumn of 1780, a far- 
 mer of this village was making cider, having been 
 for a few days released from his country's service 
 to follow his agricultural pursuits. The mill in 
 which he was at work was situated on the east 
 bank of the Hudson, near that part of Haverstraw 
 bay, called " Mother's Lap." While busily em- 
 ployed 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 the mill. 
 
 The farmer observing them in close conversation, 
 and looking very intently on some distant object, 
 asked them the cause of their alarm and anxiety. 
 
 "Hush," speaking low, says Sherwood, "the red 
 coats are about us." 
 
 "Where?" asked the farmer, in a whisper. 
 
 " Yonder, yonder, just within the Lap," answers 
 Peterson, pointing at the same time to a spot where 
 was an English gun-boat, with twenty-four men 
 laying upon their oars. " Return to your mill,'' 
 he added ; and addressing himself to Sherwood, "we 
 will crawl to the bank of the river, and give the red 
 boys a shot." 
 
 Peterson and Sherwood drew near the margin of 
 the Hudson, and placed themselves behind a largo
 
 64 LETTEnS ABOUT THE HUBSOSV 
 
 rock, which was directly between- them and the 
 gun-boat. Here, after reconnoitring the situation 
 of the gun-boat, and examining their guns, 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. Not expecting 
 to meet with the enemy, they had prepared them- 
 selves with no weapons of attack or defence, except 
 a blunderbuss. This they hastily fired towards the 
 shore, but without giving it any particular direc- 
 tion, and of course, without producing any effect. 
 Quickly perceiving that all their efforts to defend 
 themselves must be unavailing, as they were con- 
 tending with a hidden foe, they put their boat about 
 as speedily as possible, and proceeded towards the 
 Vulture, presuming that its heavy arms would 
 secure to them a far better protection from rebel out- 
 rage, than their 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 as the san was just 
 losing himself behind the towering mountains that 
 border the Hudson in the vicinity of Haverstraw 
 bay, the disappointed sailors might have been seen 
 lifting themselves up the side of the Vulture. 
 Peterson and Sherwood remained in their place
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 55 
 
 of concealment, 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 farmer at the mill. 
 
 " What luck with the red coats ?" inquires the 
 farmer, hastily. 
 
 " Good luck and bad luck? if it is a possible thing," 
 replies Peterson. 
 
 "How can that be?" says the farmer. "Easy 
 enough," answers Peterson. "We had the good 
 luck to come off unhurt, and the bad luck to kill 
 two of the sailors in the gun-boat, whose only 
 crime was being engaged in arms against us." 
 
 While Sherwood and Peterson were informing 
 the farmer of the result of the skirmish, a man was 
 observed coming down the east bank of the river, 
 just below Collabergh landing, and cautiouslv ex- 
 amining every thing around him. The stranger 
 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-boa* was to have received him at the point
 
 56 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 where it had been stationed, and conveyed him in 
 safety on board the Vulture. The Vulture was to 
 have conveyed him and his despatches to New 
 York. He had conferred with the traitor the even- 
 ing previous, a few miles below West Point, justly 
 considered as the key of the Hudson. After all the 
 necessary and proper arrangements had been made 
 between the traitor and the spy, 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 Hudson, about three miles below Cald well's 
 landing, and opposite Verplank's Point. At that 
 place he crossed the river, and followed its course 
 until he arrived at the particular spot in "the Lap," 
 where the gun-boat had been stationed to receive 
 him. Having heard the firing, and perceiving that 
 the gun-boat had been forced or frightened from the 
 place of assignation, he was compelled to alter his 
 course, and proceed towards the interior of the 
 county of Westchester. About eleven o'clock on 
 the evening of that day, he found himself approach- 
 jng Crumpond. At that place he remained through 
 the night with a Mr. Smith. Early on the morn 
 of the ensuing day, 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 time of his capture, was 
 passing the Beelonan woods, the largest forest in
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 57 
 
 Westchester county, and adjacent to the old Dutch 
 Church alluded to in my letter about Tarrytown. 
 So you will perceive, friend P., that West Point 
 owed its safety in part to those who were instrumen- 
 tal in putting the Spy in the way of being captur- 
 ed ; and 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 the capture, the part acted by 
 Sherwood and Peterson, and the agency they had 
 in enabling the capture to take place, should not 
 remain " unhonoured and unsung." 
 
 By the way, on the bills of the " Westchester 
 Bank," established in Peekskill about two years 
 since, there is a beautiful vignette picture, repre- 
 senting the arrest of poor Andre. He is in the act 
 of supplicating his captors to let him escape ; the 
 discovered papers are in the hands of one of them, 
 and the stern eyes of the others evince the deter- 
 mination to listen to no suggestions but those of 
 patriotism. The form and features of Andre are 
 admirably depicted a miniature hangs in his bo- 
 som, exquisitely finished. The worthy editor of 
 the " Westchester and Putnam Republican," printed 
 in this village, has furnished me with some stanzas, 
 suggested by the vignette I have above described, 
 and with them I conclude this epistle, as I leave here 
 to-day in the good steamer Union, for the city.
 
 58 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 Before their country's foe they stand, 
 
 Each with a stern and searching eye ; 
 Grasped with a firm and honest hand, 
 
 The hostile records open lie: 
 They read, and as each noble brow 
 
 Wears the quiet shadow of resolve, 
 The true and just exhibit now 
 
 The secret which they dared to solve. 
 
 Away with gold ! it has no power 
 
 To turn the true heart from its quest ; 
 The ordeal of this solemn hour 
 
 Gives firmness to the patriot's breast : 
 And as the tempter's art is tried, 
 
 He finds each supplication vain ; 
 The weary prisoner turns aside, 
 
 To hide his labouring bosom's pain. 
 
 Tumultuous thoughts upon his mind 
 
 In quick succession wildly crowd, 
 As urged by the resistless wind, 
 
 Spreads o'er the sky the tempest's cloud :. 
 Why bends his sad and languid glance 
 
 Where, near his heart, that picture lies, 
 Affection's fond inheritance, 
 
 With sunny smile, and loving eyes ! 
 
 Alas ! upon that face no more 
 
 The eager gaze of hope can turn, 
 The dream of early love is o'er, 
 
 And ne'er again its fires will burn ; 
 A shade is gathering o'er each tress, 
 
 A gloom is lingering on the brow, 
 And all its budding loveliness 
 
 Is stained with tears of anguish now.
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 59 
 
 Brave, yet devoted! Oa thy head 
 
 The bolt, by others forged, shall fall} 
 And history on thy name shall shed 
 
 Of fate, the wormwood and the gall ! 
 Yet wert thou noble and thy soul 
 
 The battle and the storm withstood, 
 Till bending to a stern control, 
 
 'Twas by a traitor's lure subdued- 
 Peace to thy shade, ill fated one ! 
 
 Though in the abbey's lengthened aisle, 
 Scarce lit by day's meridian sun, 
 
 Thy marble bust may sadly smile, 
 Yet is there darkness on thy name, 
 
 Though gentle pity mourns for thee, 
 While patriots bless the holy flame >. ' 
 
 Which kept thy captor's spirit free. /*'' 
 
 Yours, <fcc. //..;
 
 
 LETTER VIII. 
 
 Origin of " Sing Sing" Statistics Description of Sing 
 Sing Prison The Chaplain System of Discipline The 
 Lynd System Folger and Matthias* Mount Pleasant 
 Academy Franklin Academy The Newspaper Public 
 House, <f-c. 
 
 Sing Sing, Mount Pleasant, Feb. 6, 18S6. 
 
 DEAR P. " Sing Sing" is the principal village 
 of the town of " Mount Pleasant," and is situated 34 
 miles north of New York, on the east side of the 
 Hudsoa river. The name is derived from the Chi- 
 nese, Tting Sing, the title of a celebrated governor 
 in China, of a city so called. It is said to be 
 brought to this country by a Dutch settler who had 
 traded with China. The whole town, the largest 
 in point of population in Westchester county, con- 
 tains by the state census of 1835, four thousand 
 seven hundred and fifty-eight souls, and more fe- 
 males than males by one hundred and twenty-eight. 
 There are, it also appears, in this town, three hun- 
 dred and ninety-eight soldiers, nine hundred and 
 seventy-three voters, forty-nine aliens, one hundred 
 and twenty-four natural abolitionists, or to speak 
 more significantly, people of colour ; five hundred 
 and sixty-seven married females under the age of
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 61 
 
 45 ; four hundred and thirty unmarried females be- 
 tween 16 and 45; and one thousand and sixty-nine 
 unmarried females under 16. The township con- 
 sists of 23,605 acres of land, the largest number of 
 21 towns in the county, except Cortlandt, which 
 contains 33.315 acres. So much for statistics. Sing 
 Sing is pleasantly situated on an elevation gradu- 
 ally rising from the river to the height of 300 or 
 400 feet. The principal object of interest or cu- 
 riosity here is the State Prison. Through the 
 courtesy of R. Wiltse, Esq. the agent, and Col. 
 Sing, I visited the various departments, and was 
 much gratified with the neatness, order, and regu- 
 larity which prevailed in the several shops and 
 workhouses. 
 
 The prison is situated on the east margin of the 
 Hudson river, ten feet above high water mark. 
 The prison grounds contain one hundred and thir- 
 ty acres, and may be approached by vessels draw- 
 ing twelve feet of wafer. The prison-keeper's 
 house, workshop, &c., are built of rough dressed 
 stone, or " Sing Sing marble." The prison is four 
 hundred and eighty-four feet in length, running 
 north and south, (parallel with the river,) and forty- 
 four feet in width, fronting westerly on the Hudson 
 river, and communicating with the west yard by 
 two doors, which open at the extreme north and 
 south ends of the prison. The west yard is enclos- 
 6
 
 62 LETTERS ABODT THE HUDSON. 
 
 ed by two buildings forty feet wide and two stories 
 high, which are occupied as the kitchen, hospital, 
 chapel, workshops, storehouses, &c. ; these build- 
 ings extend from the prison westerly to the edge 
 of the dock; the south wing adjoins the prison, but 
 has no communication but from the hospital. The 
 north wing is connected with the prison by a wall 
 twenty feet in height, running north and south ten 
 feet, thus enclosing an area of four hundred and 
 ninety-four by four hundred and twelve feet. This 
 yard communicates with the east yard of the prison, 
 which is enclosed, by an open arch-way through 
 the centre of the prison, and an arched gate- way 
 through the wall at the north end. There is no 
 door leading from the prison into the east yard. In 
 the centre of the west yard is a range of shops forty 
 feet wide, fronting on the Hudson, and running 
 parallel with the prison two hundred and seventy- 
 six feet, having wings which extend easterly to- 
 wards the prison one hundred and forty feet, 
 occupied as stone shops. The guard house is on 
 the bank, on the east side of the prison, about 170 
 feet above the level of the yard, and commands a 
 perfect view of the east yard, and most of the west. 
 The prison is five stories high. There are two 
 hundred cells on each floor, in all one thousand. 
 There are at this time about seven hundred and 
 eighty prisoners, and not more than ten or twelve
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 63 
 
 sick in the hospital. The largest number in this 
 prison at one time, the keeper informed me, was 
 nine hundred and forty. 
 
 The present chaplain of the institution, the Rev. 
 Jonathan Dickinson, of the Presbyterian order, 
 has the reputation of being well qualified for the 
 purpose of imparting religious instruction, and im- 
 pressing upon the minds of the convicts the duty 
 they owe to their God and to society. And if any 
 situation in which men could be placed, who have 
 discarded every virtuous principle, is calculated to 
 soften the heart and render them susceptible of re- 
 ligious reformation, it is when confined to the soli- 
 tude of their cells, where they cannot escape the 
 reproof of their own reflections, and where their 
 duties as men and Christians are clearly pointed 
 out by their religious teacher. Mr. Dickinson re- 
 marked to me that he never preached the gospel 
 with more pleasure than he had here, nor indeed 
 with equal interest. Here men in general have 
 not been in the habit of hearing it; it therefore 
 .comes to them with the advantages of novelty ; and 
 their peculiar condition helps and even urges them 
 to its consideration. I found the chaplain a very 
 affable, humane, and intelligent gentleman. He 
 politely favoured me with a glance at his unpub- 
 lished report to the inspectors of the prison. " From 
 what I have been led to observe," says Mr. D. "it
 
 64 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 seems to me that while there is no absolute security 
 in education against crime, yet it must be admitted 
 that it imposes a certain amount of restraint on the 
 predominant passions and propensities, which, 
 though broken through in some instances, remains 
 useful afterward as a means of throwing light up- 
 on the darkness of a person's criminal course, and 
 when brought into this state for reflection, he is the 
 better able to see and to weigh the follies of his 
 life." Several instances have come under Mr. D.'s 
 observation, where men had prostituted the privi- 
 lege of early pious education ; but at this distant 
 day, after a series of transgressions, its early influ- 
 ences seem to have arisen from a long sleep, and 
 are now in this secluded state exerting a most salu- 
 tary, reclaiming effect. 
 
 The system and discipline of the Sing Sing 
 Prison at the present time owe their origin to Elam 
 Lynds, for many years the agent of the Auburn 
 prison. His system combines solitude and the ad- 
 vantages of profitable employment. The convicts 
 are shut up in separate cells at night, and on Sun- 
 days except when attending religious exercises in 
 the chapel. While at work, the prisoners are not 
 allowed to exchange a word with each other under 
 any pretence whatever, nor to communicate any 
 intelligence to each other in writing; not to ex- 
 change looks, winks, laugh, or motion, with each
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 65 
 
 other, nor make use of any signs, except such as are 
 necessary to convey their wants to the waiters. 
 This system was established at Auburn in 1824. 
 Capt. Lynds assembled the convicts together, and 
 giving the rules by which their conduct must be 
 governed, told them they must henceforth labour 
 diligently, and in perfect silence; that for every 
 infringement of the rules which he had then giv- 
 en them, severe corporeal chastisement should be 
 inflicted. The convicts were at first inclined to 
 receive this as a mere threat, but they were soon con- 
 vinced, from the energy of will and firmness of 
 character exhibited by Captain Lynds at this cri- 
 sis, that submission was inevitable. 
 
 The adoption of this system of confining each 
 convict in a separate cell at night, rendered the 
 Auburn prison (which at this time, 1824, contained 
 but five hundred and fifty cells) insufficient to ac- 
 commodate all the convicts in the state. An act 
 was therefore passed by the Legislature, author- 
 izing the erection of a new prison. Sing &ing was 
 selected as the location, and Captain Lynds as the 
 agent to build and conduct it. He was directed to 
 take from the Auburn prison one hundred convicts, 
 to remove them to the ground selected for the site 
 of the new prison, to purchase materials, employ 
 keepers and guards, and commence the construc- 
 tion of the prison. The* reasons for taking the 
 6*
 
 66 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 convicts from Auburn, and transporting them so 
 great a distance, instead of from New York, were, 
 that the convicts at Auburn had been more accus- 
 tomed to cutting and laying stone, and had been 
 brought by Capt. Lynds into the perfect and regu- 
 lar state of discipline he had established at Auburn, 
 and which was justly deemed indispensably neces- 
 sary to their safe keeping in the open country, and 
 the successful prosecution of the work. 
 
 The Auburn prisoners arrived at Sing Sing 
 without accident or disturbance in May, 1825, with- 
 out a place to receive or a wall to enclose them. 
 On the same day a temporary barrack was erected 
 to receive the convicts at night; they were then 
 set at work, building the prison, making of each 
 one a carpenter, mason, &c. and having no other 
 means to keep them in obedience but the rigid en- 
 forcement of discipline by Capt. Lynds\ During 
 several years, the convicts, whose numbers were 
 gradually increased, were engaged in building their 
 own prison, and finally completed it in 1829. It 
 then contained eight hundred cells. In 1831, an- 
 other story was added, and the number of cells in- 
 creased to one thousand. 
 
 What a commentary this on the Lynd system! 
 That it has a tendency to restrain crime, will be 
 seen by the following statistics, given in one of the 
 reports of the prison. In 1831, 199 convicts were
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 67 
 
 received; in 1832, 188; in 1833, 151 total, 538, 
 which shows a gradual decrease in three years, 
 notwithstanding the great increase of population. 
 
 Thus much for the Sing Sing prison. Mount 
 Pleasant, you know, is famous as being the scene 
 of Matthias' impositions. Folger and his wife still 
 reside in the village. He is a gentleman in his 
 appearance and manners, and apparently' not more 
 than thirty-two or thirty-three years of age. They 
 hope to live down the prejudices which have been 
 created against them by their connexion with that 
 fiend in human shape Matthias. 
 
 The Mount Pleasant Academy, under the su- 
 perintendence of Albert Wells, Esq. is in a flour- 
 ishing and prosperous condition. The academy 
 edifice is a spacious building of Sing Sing marble, 
 sixty by eighty feet, three stories h;gh, standing on 
 a lot of four acres, delightfully shaded with fruit 
 trees, on one' of the most retired streets of the vil- 
 lage, commanding too an extensive prospect of the 
 river and adjacent country. In its internal arrange- 
 ment, there is every desirable convenience for the 
 principal's family and instructors, and the several 
 departments of the school. The remarkable healthi- 
 ness of the place, the beauty of the scenery, and the 
 facility of communication with both city and coun- 
 try, conspire to render this one of the most delight- 
 ful retreats for a literary institution. This academy
 
 68 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 is under the direction of the " Regents." Boys are 
 boarded and educated for $150 per annum. A fe- 
 male seminary is about to be erected here on a lib- 
 eral and extensive plan. 
 
 The Franklin Academy, a boarding school for 
 young ladies in this village, is in high repute. It 
 is under the management of Mr. and Mrs. Bleeker. 
 There are seventy-five young ladies who board in 
 the family, and receive instruction in the solid and 
 ornamental branches. There is also a male de- 
 partment, entirely unconnected as to location, in 
 which about eighty young gentlemen are instructed 
 in the various branches of English and classical 
 education. 
 
 There are on Mount Pleasant a Presbyterian, an 
 Episcopal, a Baptist, and a Methodist church. One 
 newspaper, the " Westchester Herald," conducted 
 with considerable ability by a Mr. Roscoe. In re- 
 gard to public houses, I can only say that the best 
 is now, and has been for the last thirteen years, 
 kept by Mr. E. Crosby, a son of him of "Spy" 
 memory, where may be obtained very comfortable 
 accommodations. But I have not yet found in my 
 travels, the house that will compare with your 
 " American" and your " New England." Brigham 
 and Gould of the former, and Coleman of the latter, 
 are my beau ideal of publicans.
 
 LETTER IX. 
 
 Views of the Hudson Historical Items The Hudson a Lake 
 The old man's story. 
 
 New York, March 10, 18M. 
 
 FRIEND P. The congealed \vatersofthe Hud- 
 son at this season of the year, totally exclude my 
 ramblings, and 1 must content myself with the re- 
 collections of past journeyings and the reminiscences 
 of other writers. Yes, I must draw in part upon the 
 resources of abler pens, for facts wherewith to fill 
 up my attempted illustrations of the noble North. 
 
 Disturnell of this city, has you know, com- 
 menced a series of views from original drawings, 
 under the cognomen of " Picturesque Beauties of 
 the Hudson River and its vicinity ;" and Samuel 
 L. Knapp, Esq. has undertaken to give historical 
 and descriptive illustrations. Two numbers have 
 already appeared, and should adequate encourage- 
 ment be afforded, it is the publisher's intention to 
 issue a number every two months. Each number 
 contains three splendid engravings on steel; and 
 the letter-press illustrations, though brief, are credit 
 able to the taste and genius of the author. The 
 vignette in the title page, presenting a view of the 
 Palisades, is exquisite decidedly the best in the
 
 70 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 number. The Danube or Rhine, does not furnish 
 more beautiful or picturesque views than our own 
 beautiful Hudson ; and the illustration of these 
 beauties are worthy of the efforts of our most gifted 
 painters, poets, and historians. The name of Henry 
 Hudson, the discoverer of the noble river which 
 bears his name, and " who is identified with its his- 
 tory," will be had in remembrance while its smooth 
 waters roll on to the ocean's depth. Hudson, says 
 Col. Knapp, was the friend of Capt. John Smith, 
 of Pocahontas memory. He entered the southern 
 waters of New York on the 3d of September, 1609, 
 and was the first navigator who visited them. Tra- 
 dition says, that he landed at Long Island and 
 traded with the natives. He next discovered the 
 mouth of the river which has ever since been called 
 by his name. He spent a week south of the Nar- 
 rows, before he entered the bay, watching the na- 
 tives, but at the same time holding a friendly traffic 
 with them. He was not then aware, that the pres- 
 ent site of the city and county of New York was 
 an island. On the 14th, he proceeded through Tap- 
 pan and Haverstraw bays, and anchored during 
 the night near West Point. At times, Hudson and 
 his men amused themselves in catching fish, which 
 were found in abundance in the river, and of a fine 
 flavour. The natives appeared more mild and so- 
 cial than those he encountered while entering the
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 71 
 
 river. On the 16th, he anchored at a place which, 
 now bears his name, Hudson. It is not certain 
 how much further up he sailed. Antiquarians be- 
 lieve that he reached Albany, and that some of his 
 men in boats proceeded still further, to the conflu- 
 ence of the Mohawk and Hudson rivers. His ves- 
 sel was very small for such an exploring voyage, 
 a mere "fly boat," as some have called her, not 
 larger than a small sloop used for the coasting 
 traffic at the present time. Hudson's ship was 
 called the Half Moon, and if not made for comfort, 
 was better calculated for running into bays and 
 harbours than larger boats. 
 
 It is the opinion of some, that the Hudson was 
 originally a lake. Mrs. Phelps, late Vice Princi- 
 pal of the Troy Female Seminary, in her " Female 
 Student," an excellent series of lectures delivered 
 before the young ladies of that institution, expresses 
 a similar opinion. She thinks it impossible to pro- 
 nounce with certainty respecting the changes which 
 may have taken place in the region watered by the 
 Hudson and its branches ; but that while passing 
 down its current, and observing the adjacent coun- 
 try on each side, she has been strongly impressed 
 with the belief, that the valley of this river was 
 once a vast lake connected with the lakes on our 
 northern border ; that the highlands and palisades 
 were the southern boundary of this lake. The
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 waters forcibly operating upon these barriers might, 
 by degrees, have worn them away, until opening 
 for itself a passage, this mighty mass rushed on- 
 ward to the ocean. This, however, is mere hy- 
 pothesis. She seems inclined to the opinion, that 
 the region about Troy was once covered with wa- 
 ter, and that Mount Ida and Mount Olympus were 
 islands in this great lake. About two miles from 
 Troy, on the east, there is a beautiful valley; 
 by following its course, you will find it winding 
 its way toward the Hudson, resembling, in appear- 
 ance, the bed of a river whose channel has been 
 turned, or whose waters are dried up. 
 
 On the west side of the Hudson there is a sin- 
 gular ravine, often called the Dry River ; this, in- 
 stead of sloping banks like the beautiful vale on the 
 eastern side, has abrupt and rugged shores, and 
 a rocky, uneven bed: a little rill yet lingers among 
 the rocks, convincing us, if farther evidence were 
 necessary, that there has been a noble arm of the 
 Hudson. Although on the eastern side, the vale 
 of which Mrs. Phelps has spoken, bears less incon- 
 testible marks of its having been the bed of a river, 
 there is but little doubt, that too was covered with 
 water tributary to the large river. Referring then 
 to the supposition, that the Hudson river is but the 
 remains of a great lake, which suddenly discharged 
 its waters into the Atlantic, we might suppose that
 
 tETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 73 
 
 when this event took place, many rivers were form- 
 ed by the inequalities of the surface, and that these 
 rivers in time have changed their channels, or 
 gradually subsided into dry land. 
 
 But a truce to geographical speculations about 
 the changes of the " Hudson and its vicinity ;" and 
 now for an interesting revolutionary reminiscence, 
 related to me by a gentleman who some time since 
 visited your state. He put up at a house in Green- 
 field, and during the evening, while he sat in the 
 bar room, heard a sensible old man relate the sub- 
 stance of what follows. On retiring to his room, 
 he sat down and made a transcript ; and gave it to 
 the editor of the Greenfield Mercury, with whom 
 he was acquainted. But for the " Old Man's story." 
 
 " During the revolutionary war," said he, "there 
 was a point of land on the Jersey side of the Hud- 
 son River, and not far distant from New York, 
 which was the scene of a bloody conflict. There 
 were about three hundred acres next to the river, 
 from which the wood and timber had been cleared 
 off; back of this was a heavy forest. On this ele- 
 vated point, a large number of fat cattle, destined to 
 supply the American army, were placed. Four 
 or five miles distant, in New Jersey, there were 
 three thousand light infantry, under the command 
 of Lafayette. I was one of that detachment. Our 
 business was to see that the cattle were not taken 
 7
 
 74 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 from the point by the enemy. One morning, in- 
 telligence was brought into the camp, that several 
 vessels had approached the point, and that a large 
 body of British soldiers were landing. My regi- 
 ment was ordered to march immediately for the 
 Point. Rufus Putnam, a nephew of the old Gene- 
 ral, was our Colonel. He was well stocked with 
 the Putnam mettle. He was a brave officer. I 
 could never discern that he was not just as cool 
 and self-possessed when going into battle as when 
 sitting in his tent. We made a hurried march, and 
 upon approaching the edge of the woods, the Col- 
 onel ordered the Adjutant to go forward and see 
 where the troops were, and what was their num- 
 ber. The Adjutant soon returned, and reported they 
 were forming upon the shore in three columns, and 
 he should think the columns contained about one 
 thousand each. 'Then,' said the Colonel, 'ride 
 back to the camp as quickly as possible, and tell 
 Lafayette to come on.' When the Adjutant had 
 gone, Col. Putnam rode up to my Captain, who 
 was Daniel Shays, of insurrection memory, and, 
 said he, ' well, Capt. Shays, shall we be playing 
 with them until the General comes ?' ' That must 
 be as you please,' replied Capt. Shays. 
 
 "Orders were soon given to advance to the open 
 land upon the point. We now stood face to face 
 with our foes. Firing very soon commenced.
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 75 
 
 Gannon from the shipping in the river poured forth 
 their volleys; and small-arms did fatal execution. 
 Col. Putnam rode back and forth in front of the 
 regiment, as calm as a man at home, though the 
 balls were whistling past him in every direction. 
 We worked very fast, and for one regiment made 
 a great noise. The corporal at my right hand, 
 received a ball through the body, and fell, dying. 
 I was young, and a dying man at my feet, bleeding 
 and gasping, might perhaps cause my colour to fade 
 a little. Capt. Shays stepped forward ' George,' 
 said he, 'never mind it, I will take his place;' 
 and he was as good as his word ; he took the cor- 
 poral's gun and used it. Shays was the best Cap- 
 tain I ever served under. He was bold and kind. 
 I will give him his due, though he has done un- 
 worthily since ; we stood shoulder to shoulder in 
 that day of peril. I was loading my gun the twenty- 
 second time, when General Lafayette, with the 
 main body of the light infantry, issued from the 
 wood. Never shall I forget the feeling of that mo- 
 ment. Wellington was hardly more pleased to see 
 ' Blucher in the battle of Waterloo, than we were to 
 see our brother in arms. The main body formed 
 at once, upon our left. Lafayette rode forward, 
 (an elegant officer, and never did he fill my eye so 
 entirely as at that, moment;) though a mere strip- 
 ling in appearance, in action he was a man and
 
 76 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 had Cornwallis seen him as we then saw him, he 
 would not have called him ' the boy. 1 As he ap- 
 proached, ' Col. Putnam,' said he, ' how dared 
 you fire before I arrived ?' ' Oh,' said the Col- 
 onel, ' I thought I would be playing with them a 
 little.' Lafayette at that moment seemed full of 
 energy and fire turning towards the line, and 
 with a loud and distinct voice, marked by his 
 French accent said he, ' We fire no 'more the 
 whole line charge bayonets rush onward, and 
 drive them, where the devil drove the hogs.' The 
 effect of his presence and his words was astonish- 
 ing; every heart beat quick and full. We did 
 rush on, and such a scene of carnage my eyes 
 never saw. At first the British force charged to 
 meet us, but they could not stand against us, and 
 fled from the shore ; we followed them, and drove 
 them in the water; of the three thousand, about 
 fifteen hundred got aboard the vessels. The rest 
 were slain, and most of them at the point of the 
 bayonet. 
 
 " I have described to you the most painfully in- 
 teresting and horrid scene which I had ever wit- 
 nessed. I never enjoyed killing men. I fought 
 because I thought it to be my duty." 
 
 Yours, &c.
 
 LETTER X. 
 
 Che Travellers' Home Mansion House, and its new pro- 
 prietor Tray House Washington Hall Apology The 
 Kail Road Cars Description of Troy Bridge, etc. 
 Route to Balston and Saratoga Springs Revolutionary 
 Reminiscence Battle at Bemis' Heights Distance to 
 Balston" Sans Souci" Balston Return to Troy- 
 Henry Burden His residence His genius, etc. Reading 
 Room, Troy West Troy Its business M'Adamized 
 road to Albany Stages, etc. 
 
 Mansion House, Troy, May 11, 1836. 
 
 FRIEND P. There was an old fashioned virtue, 
 called hospitality of which we have still extant 
 some records in the history of the patriarchs, and 
 recent traditions of its existence in some later gen- 
 erations. Perhaps there is yet a by-corner of the 
 world, where traces may be found of it, and cer- 
 tainly there is still extant a command to exercise it. 
 " Be not forgetful to entertain strangers ; for thereby 
 some have entertained angels unawares." 
 
 The discontinuance of this virtue, must be as- 
 cribed to the numerous artificial wants, created 
 partly by the whims of fashion, and partly by the 
 regular progress of society increasing the ex- 
 pense of good house-keeping. We cannot welcome 
 a guest, but at the sacrifice of some money, or time,
 
 78 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 or pride and, therefore, we close the door, and 
 deny the obligation to open it. 
 
 Fortunately for the stranger, the same march of 
 civilization has prepared another home, whose doors 
 are always open to all who can pay for the enter- 
 tainment. Many, even amidst the unpaid for cour- 
 tesies of a private dwelling, sigh for the liberty and 
 comfort of that "travellers' home." How often 
 has the truth of these lines been felt, by every way 
 faring man who has read them : 
 
 " Whoe'er has travell'd life's dull round, 
 Where'er his changes may have been, 
 Must sigh to think, how oft he's found 
 The kindest welcome at an inn." 
 
 But prosing and poetry aside. The " Mansion 
 House," so deservedly popular under the adminis- 
 tration of Dr. Huddleston, has become the very ne 
 plus ultra of " inns," since it passed into the hands 
 of Mr. Henry Hull, long and favourably known 
 by the bon tons who have for the last ten or twelve 
 years resorted to the medicinal " Springs of Leba- 
 non" for health, or fashionable recreation. Mr. H. 
 possesses in an "eminent degree" all the requisites 
 of a good publican. Affable, courteous, and intel- 
 ligent, with twenty years' experience, he never fails 
 to render his guests easy, comfortable, and happy. 
 In a word, the whole tout ensemble of his establish- 
 ment is just what it should be. 

 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 79 
 
 There are several other very good houses in 
 Troy. The Troy House, by Mr. Kidd, is pleas- 
 antly situated, and is favourably spoken of by those 
 who have visited it. 
 
 Washington Hall, by Messrs. E. & P. Dorlon, is 
 also an excellent house. The building is spacious, 
 the table well supplied, and the beds comfortable ; 
 and what is of importance to many, the prices are 
 moderate. 
 
 To the traveller for business, and especially for 
 pleasure, the character of a hotel is of paramount 
 importance. It is, in fact, one of the " little things" 
 on which the comfort and pleasure of his journey 
 depends. This, therefore, must be my apology for 
 saying so much about "inns and innholders." 
 
 Yesterday, I took a seat in one of the passage 
 cars, on the new rail road, for Balston. The road 
 now extends to Saratoga, and will, I venture to pre- 
 dict, become the most fashionable route, as indeed 
 it is the most interesting, to the " Springs." The 
 arrangements for carrying passengers are quite ex- 
 tensive. There are twenty-four cars belonging to 
 the company at once spacious, elegant, and con- 
 venient. They are twenty-four feet in length by 
 eight in breadth, and sufficiently high within for 
 the passengers to stand erect, the whole divided 
 into three apartments ; the seats of which are cush- 
 ioned and backed with crimson morocco, trimmed
 
 80 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 with coach lace ; each apartment is surrounded by 
 moveable panels, thus affording the comforts and 
 facilities of either a close or open carriage, to suit 
 the convenience of the passengers. The outside 
 of the cars is painted of a beautiful fawn colour, 
 with buff shading, painted in "picture panels," 
 with rose, pink, and gold borders, and deep lake 
 shading; the small mouldings of delicate stripes of 
 vermilion and opaque black. Within the panels 
 are " transferred" some of the most splendid pro- 
 ductions of the ancient and modern masters, among 
 which are copies from " Leonardo da Vinci," "Ho- 
 race Vernet," " David," (the celebrated painter to 
 Napoleon,) " Stuart," and many more of the mod- 
 ern school. The whole number of the subjects of 
 the twenty-four cars, cannot fall far short of two 
 hundred, as each car averages from six to ten 
 subjects : among which may be enumerated, sev- 
 eral copies from the antique, Napoleon crossing the 
 Alps, the two splendid scenes in Byron's Mazeppa, 
 the Hospital Mount St. Bernard, portraits of most 
 of the distinguished men of our own country, among 
 whom Washington (from Stuart's original) stands 
 conspicuous, the wounded tiger, the avalanche, 
 portraits of distinguished women, views of several 
 of our popular steamboats, the rail road bridge 
 near Philadelphia, and several views in the south. 
 The " tout ensemble" is more like a moveable gal-
 
 LETTERS ABOCT THE HUDSON. 81 
 
 lery of the fine arts, than like a train of rail road 
 cars. The springs of the cars are of Philadelphia 
 make, and bear evenly. The "journals" are on a 
 new plan, obviating* all previous objections. The 
 wheels are of cast iron, with patent rolled iron tire, 
 well annealed and wrought, being put on the cart 
 wheel while hot. The cooling of the tire, and the 
 contraction of the iron, render it impossible to de- 
 viate from its place. The whole is then turned in 
 a steam lathe by machine tools, thus rendering the 
 circle of the wheel perfect from its centre, which is 
 a great desideratum. 
 
 The cars were made in Troy by those famous 
 coach builders, Gilbert, Veazie and Eaton, aided 
 by Mr. Starbuck, a scientific machinist. Connected 
 with the cars are two beautiful locomotives called 
 the " Erie" and the " Champlain." 
 
 The rail road bridge, over which the cars cross 
 the Hudson from Troy to Green Island, on their 
 route to the Springs, is certainly a noble, substan- 
 tial specimen of this kind of architecture. It is one 
 thousand five hundred and twelve feet in length, 
 thirty-four feet in width, and seventeen feet to the 
 eaves. It is supported by stone abutments and 
 piers. The sides are double lattice work, covered 
 with boards on the outside. The floors of plank, 
 and the roof shingled. It has thirty-two sky-lights 
 or scuttles. The roof is supported in the centre
 
 83 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 by a tier of pillars. The draw on the east end is one 
 hundred and four feet long, twenty-four feet wide, 
 and ten feet high. The side draw is fifty-two feet 
 long and twenty-four feet wide. A cast iron pipe 
 for conveying water from the main pipe of the 
 Troy Water Works Co. extends along under the 
 roof, the whole length of the bridge. It has six- 
 teen hydrants, one being placed at every other sky- 
 light. After crossing this bridge, before reaching 
 the village of Waterford, you pass three bridges 
 besides the main one. The first crosses the Mo- 
 hawk from Green Island to Vanschaick Island, 
 and is four hundred and eighty-two feet long, the 
 second crosses another sprout of the Mohawk from 
 Vanschaick Island to Hawver Island, and is two 
 hundred and two feet long. Three hundred and 
 sixty feet further north, the third or minor bridge 
 crosses the upper sprout of the Mohawk to Wa- 
 terford, and is three hundred and twenty-six feet 
 long. On Hawver Island may be seen the remains 
 of an old fort thrown up in the Revolutionary war. 
 On the Troy bridge there is a side walk for foot 
 passengers, the rail road track, and a passage for 
 common carriages. A bridge is shortly to be 
 thrown across the Hudson from Green Island to 
 West Troy, and the miserable horse-boats which 
 now convey travellers across the Hudson will 
 eventually fall into disuse. 

 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 83 
 
 The passage over the islands to Waterford, and 
 indeed the whole route to Balston and Saratoga 
 Springs, is really delightful. Then, too, the agents 
 on the rail road are civil to the passengers, and at- 
 tentive to the locomotives. The engineers are ex- 
 perienced, and, although " flying as it were on the 
 wings of the wind," one feels perfectly safe from 
 accident. A few miles above Waterford, we pass 
 on our right Mechanicsville, a flourishing little 
 manufacturing village ; and within a mile or two 
 of Bemus' Heights, rendered memorable as the 
 scene of battle. 
 
 A brief historical sketch of this battle will not I 
 presume, friend P., be uninteresting to your read- 
 ers. It is at all events in place ; and perhaps con- 
 tains some facts not mentioned in the history of the 
 American Revolution. 
 
 It seems that Gen. Burgoyne crossed the Hud- 
 son on the 13th and 14th of Sept. 1777, and on the 
 1 8th encamped in two lines, about two miles from 
 the camp of Gen. Gates, " his left resting on the 
 river, and his right extending at right angles to it 
 across the low grounds about six hundred yards, 
 to a range of steep and lofty heights occupied by 
 his elite, having a creek or gully in his front." 
 
 The camp of Gen. Gates was in the form of a 
 segment of a great circle. His right resting on 
 the brow of the hill near the river, with which it
 
 84 LETTERS ABOUT THE tl'JDSON'. 
 
 was connected by a deep entrenchment. The ex- 
 tremities were strengthened by strong batteries, and 
 the interval by a breastwork constructed of trees, 
 logs, and rails. The approach to the right, was 
 almost impassable, and the left could hot be reached 
 without great difficulty. 
 
 The above sketch will give the reader something 
 of an idea of the two armies on the day preceding 
 the bloody and hotly contested action of the 19th. 
 
 The action of the 19th of September on Bemus' 
 Heights, was accidental. Lieut. Col. Colburn, of 
 the New Hampshire line, was detached, with a 
 light party, to the west side of the river, for the pur- 
 pose of observation. He reported about 8 o'clock, 
 that the enemy had struck the greater part of their 
 tents, and were ascending the heights in the direc- 
 tion of the American line. Col. Morgan was im- 
 mediately directed to march with his rifle corps, 
 to hang on their front and flank, and retard their 
 march as much as possible. 
 
 At about half past 12 o'clock, the report of small 
 arms announced that Morgan had fallen in with 
 the enemy. The firing was of short duration. It 
 was occasioned by falling in with a British picket, 
 which was immediately forced. Pursuing the fu- 
 gitives, he suddenly and unexpectedly fell in with 
 the British line, and was instantly routed, with the 
 loss of several officers and men taken prisoners.
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 An anecdote of Morgan, the rough but intrepid 
 commander of the rifle corps, may be interesting 
 in this place. 
 
 Col. (afterward General) Wilkinson, was at 
 this time acting as Adjutant General of Gates' 
 army, and attracted by the fire, he entered the wood* 
 The first person he fell in with was Major Dear- 
 born, who, with "great animation and a little 
 warmth, was forming thirty or forty file of his in- 
 fantry ;" on turning to gain the camp, his ears were 
 saluted by an uncommon noise ; following the di- 
 rection of the sound, he approached Col. Morgan, 
 who, attended by only two men, was endeavouring 
 with a turkey call to collect his dispersed troops. 
 On coming up and accosting him, he burst into 
 tears, and exclaimed, " I am ruined ; Major M. ran 
 on so rapidly with the front, that they were beaten 
 before I could get up with the rear, and my men 
 are scattered." 
 
 Two of the New Hampshire regiments (Cilly's 
 and Scammel's) were then ordered out, with direc- 
 tions to fall too on the left of Morgan. This was 
 done, and the action was renewed with considera- 
 ble spirit till about 1 o'clock, though subject to oc- 
 casional pauses, as the troops on either side shifted 
 their ground. Five other regiments were succes- 
 sively brought on to the field, and about 3 o'clock 
 the action became general, and from this period
 
 88 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 until nightfall, the roar of musketry was incessant. 
 Gen. Scammel's brigade was ordered out towards 
 the close of the action, together with Marshal's 
 regiment of Patterson's brigade and the Massa- 
 chusetts line. Had they been brought out at an 
 early hour, it is supposed that something decisive 
 would have taken place. The force engaged in 
 this action on the part of the Americans amounted 
 to about 3,000 men : on the part of the British, as 
 it appears from Burgoyne's own statement, about 
 3,500 men. Our loss in killed was reported at 
 about 80, and 218 wounded, while that of the Brit- 
 ish, according to the statements of Lieut. Col. Kings- 
 bury, (Burgoyne's Adjutant General,) amounted to 
 600 killed and wounded. 
 
 This action, it appears, was entirely accidental, 
 and originated in a misconception of Gen. Gates of 
 a movement of the enemy, which had reference 
 merely to taking new ground on the heights in 
 front of the great ravine. 
 
 Thus closely contested, it was more remarkable 
 for the cool determination and gallantry displayed 
 by the American soldiery, than for any other exhi- 
 bition of tactical skill on either side. Says General 
 Wilkinson : i 
 
 " The theatre of action was such, that although 
 the combatants changed ground a dozen times in 
 the course of the day, the contest terminated on
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 87 
 
 the spot where it began. This may be explained in 
 a few words. The British line was formed on an 
 eminence in a thin pine wood, having before it 
 Freeman's farm, an oblong field stretching from 
 the centre towards the right ; the ground in front 
 sloping gently down to the verge of this field, which 
 was bordered on the opposite side by a close woodj 
 the sanguinary scene lay in the cleared ground, 
 between the eminence occupied by the enemy, and 
 the wood just described. The fire of our marks- 
 men from this wood was too deadly to be withstood 
 by the enemy, in line, when they gave way and 
 broke ; our men rushing from their covert pursued 
 them to the eminence, where, having their flanks 
 protected, they rallied, and charged in turn, drove 
 us back into the wood, from whence a dreadful fire 
 would again force them to fall back ; and in this 
 manner did the battle fluctuate, like the waves of a 
 stormy sea, with alternate advantage for hours, with- 
 out one moment's intermission. The British ar- 
 tillery fell into our possession at every charge, but 
 we could neither turn the pieces upon the enemy, 
 nor bring them off The wood prevented the last, 
 and the want of a match the first, as the lint stock 
 was invariably carried off, and the rapidity of transi- 
 tions did not allow us to provide one. 
 
 "The morning after the action I visited the 
 wounded prisoners, who had been dressed, and dis-
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 covered a charming youth, not more than sixteen 
 years old, lying among them, feeble, faint, pale, 
 and stiff, in his gore. The delicacy of his aspect, 
 and the quality of his clothing, attracted my atten- 
 tion, and on inquiry, I found that he was Ensign 
 Philips. He told me he had fallen by a wound in 
 his leg or thigh, and as he lay on the ground, was 
 shot through the body by an army follower, a mur- 
 derous villain, who avowed the deed ; the moans 
 of this helpless youth affected me to tears; I raised 
 him from the straw on which he lay, took him in 
 my arms, and removed him to a tent, where every 
 comfort was provided for him; but his wounds 
 were mortal, and he expired." 
 
 One fact in this place is worthy of notice, as 
 showing on what a trivial circumstance the fate of 
 an army or a nation sometimes depends. 
 
 On the morning of the action, a deserter from 
 the enemy's camp came in, and stated that the en- 
 tire British army was under arms, and that Gen. 
 Burgoyne had given orders for the immediate at- 
 tack of our lines, which, in consequence, were 
 promptly manned, as well as circumstances would 
 admit. An hour was passed in great anxiety, in 
 expectation of the threatened attack; none however 
 was made, and the troops were dismissed. Yet it 
 appears that the information of the deserter was 
 substantially correct. After the surrender of Bur-
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE IICD30N. 
 
 goyne, it was stated by General Phillips that Bur- 
 goyne had determined to attack the left of the 
 American line, with his whole force, on the morn- 
 ing preceding the action ; that the army was formed, 
 only waiting for the dispersion of the fog to com- 
 mence, when General Frazier observed to General 
 Burgoyne, that "the grenadiers and light infantry, 
 who were to lead the attack, appeared fatigued by 
 the duties of the preceding day, and that if he 
 would suspend the operation until the next morn- 
 ing, he was persuaded they would carry the at- 
 tack with more vivacity." This induced Burgoyne 
 to defer it, and the order was countermanded. The 
 same day a spy from Sir Henry Clinton reached 
 Burgoyne, informing him of his expedition against 
 the Highlands. This determined Gen. Burgoyne 
 to postpone the attack, and wait for events. Had 
 he carried his meditated attack into execution, it is 
 very probable that the result would have been 
 highly disastrous to the American arms, as our 
 troops were quite exhausted from the operations of 
 the preceding day; besides, our lines were not 
 completed, and what was worse, the left wing, ow- 
 ing to some mismanagement, had been prevented 
 from drawing ammunition. In point of numerical 
 force, the two armies were about equal, but the ad- 
 vantage was decidedly with the British, as their 
 troops were composed of veterans, while our men
 
 90 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 were badly equipped, and Avere defective in disci- 
 pline. Under these circumstances, we may well 
 suppose, had the attack been made, that Burgoyne 
 would have gained a decided victory, and that the 
 convention of Saratoga, by which, a short time af- 
 terwards, he surrendered himself and army as pris- 
 oners of war, would not have taken place. 
 
 But to leave the field of action. The distance 
 from Troy to Balston is about twenty-five miles. 
 We left Troy at half past 2, and arrived at Bals- 
 ton at half past 4 P. M. Abating hinderances, 
 the distance is, I am informed, usually performed 
 in an hour and a half. Determined to return the 
 same evening, my tarry at Balston was necessarily 
 short. 
 
 I however visited the " Sans Souci" the fashion- 
 able house for visitors to the Balston Springs. Mr. 
 Waters, the worthy proprietor of the establishment, 
 I found busily employed in preparing for the sum- 
 mer campaign. The house is one of the largest, 
 airiest, and most convenient in the country. It is 
 three stories high, one hundred and sixty feet in 
 length, with two back ranges of one hundred and 
 fifty feet, and capable of accommodating one hun- 
 dred and twenty-five to one hundred and fifty per- 
 sons. There is a beautiful garden attached to it. Mr, 
 W. is not wanting in capacity or disposition to ca- 
 ter for the hundreds who flock to his house du-
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 91 
 
 ring the summer. As an instance of this it may 
 be mentioned, that he has made arrangements, in 
 connexion with Mr. Hull of the Mansion House 
 in Troy, to procure fresh from the lakes, perch and 
 other choice fish. 
 
 Balston is rather ancient in its appearance. It 
 contains about one thousand five hundred inhabit- 
 ants. There are several churches, an Academy, 
 a Female Seminary ; and a weekly newspaper is 
 published here. There are also two or three 
 woollen manufactories in operation. 
 
 The village was chartered in 1807, and is di- 
 rected by three trustees, who are chosen annually. 
 The Balston Lake is situated about six miles from 
 the village. It is five miles long and one in width. 
 This beautiful lake, and the jaw-cracker creek, 
 " Kayaderosseras," which flows along the east end 
 of the village, is a great resort for sportsmen in the 
 summer season. 
 
 But to return to Troy, (as I did after partaking 
 of the medicinal waters of Balston.) We arrived 
 at the Mansion House before dark, having since 
 half past 2 P. M. travelled fifty miles, and enjoyed 
 the varied beauties of a romantic and interesting 
 section of country. 
 
 You have heard, friend P., of the "name and the 
 fame" of Henry Burden. Well, his residence is 
 about two miles from the city. Delightfully situ-
 
 3Q LETTERS ABOUT THE HtJESON. 
 
 ated upon an eminence, which affords a view of 
 a large extent of country, the most romantic and 
 picturesque imaginable. By the taste of his amia- 
 ble and accomplished lady, and the skill of a Eu- 
 ropean gardener, the grounds adjacent to the Man- 
 sion House have been transformed from a barren 
 waste, such as it was when Henry Hudson 
 
 *' Frightened the Indian in his wild retreat," 
 
 to an enchanting garden, where the roses of Eng- 
 land, the thistle of Scotland, and the lilies of France, 
 are taught to luxuriate together. At the bottom of 
 the hill rolls, or rather leaps, by a succession of 
 foaming cataracts, a rapid and narrow stream, 
 which discharges its waters into the Hudson. 
 
 It is here that the most extensive iron works, 
 which are to be found in the vicinity of the Hud- 
 son, during its whole course, are established. The 
 manner in which the nails are manufactured, dif- 
 fers in no respect from similar establishments in 
 New England. But the process by which spikes 
 are produced is the invention of Mr. Burden, and 
 it was this important improvement which first 
 brought him into notice, and greatly augmented 
 his pecuniary resources. 
 
 The next effort of his genius was the construction 
 of the far-famed steamboat ; the result of which is 
 well known. This discouraging circumstance, to-
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 93 
 
 gether with the loss of time and money, which 
 were very great, would have been sufficient to 
 have entirely disheartened an ordinary mind. But 
 in a single week, after the wreck of his steamboat, 
 Mr. B. produced the model for the manufacture of 
 horse shoes, which promises soon to yield an im- 
 mense profit. Mr. Burden is now on a voyage to 
 Europe, to procure letters patent for the exclusive 
 use of his inventions there. Success attend every 
 effort of his inventive cleverness. 
 
 While in Troy, 1 enjoyed the privilege extended 
 to all strangers, of visiting the well-regulated and 
 extensive reading rooms of the " Troy Young 
 Men's Association." This association is composed 
 of five hundred and fifty young men between the 
 ages of fourteen and forty. Persons over forty are 
 admitted as honorary members by paying $5 per 
 annum. The regular members pay $2. The 
 reading rooms are furnished with about one hun- 
 dred and fifty principal newspapers and magazines, 
 from every state in the Union, as well as from for- 
 eign countries. There is also connected with it a 
 library of about twelve hundred volumes. Lec- 
 tures are delivered before the members of the asso- 
 ciation from December to March, on moral, lite- 
 rary, and scientific subjects. A part of the mem- 
 bers have formed a Debating Society. The asso- 
 ciation is incorporated, and can hold property to the
 
 94 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 amount of $30,000. Ladies are introduced, and 
 not unfrequently visit the rooms in pleasant weather. 
 
 West Troy, directly opposite the city on the 
 west side of the Hudson River, has but little to at- 
 tract the attention of the traveller. The United 
 States Arsenal, however, is located here, and there 
 are several articles manufactured pretty extensively, 
 such as stone-ware, steam engines, etc. 
 
 There is a fine smooth Macadamized turnpike 
 on the west side of the river, from West Troy to 
 Albany. This road was completed in 1831, and 
 cost about $100,000. An excellent line of accom- 
 modation stages leave Troy and Albany every half 
 hour during the day. Passengers with their bag- 
 gage are taken up and put down in any part of 
 either city, for the trifling sum of twenty-five cents. 
 The distance over the turnpike is six miles, and it 
 runs parallel and in sight of the river and the great 
 canal all the way. A steamboat, the John Ma- 
 son, plies between Troy and Albany three or four 
 times a day. But travellers generally prefer the 
 pleasant route over the turnpike. There is a very 
 neat public house on the road, where the stages 
 stop, known as the half-way house. In the sum- 
 mer season, the citizens of the two cities find this a 
 delightful resort or stopping place. 
 
 The facilities of travelling from Troy are quite 
 numerous; besides the steamboats and the rail road,
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 95 
 
 stages leave for Castleton, Rutland, Manchester, 
 Chester, Bennington, Brattleborough, Greenfield, 
 Worcester, Lebanon Springs, Pittsfield, Boston, 
 and for Whitehall via Sandy Hill, every day; and 
 for Union Village to Whitehall, three times a week.
 
 
 LETTER XL 
 
 Revolutionary Reminiscences of the Hudson Fort Edward 
 General Lyman Story of the fate of Miss Jane M ' Creo, 
 etc. 
 
 Troy, May 12, 1836. 
 
 DEAR P. In my last from this place, I intro- 
 duced a brief account of the battle of B emus' 
 Heights. No section of the country is, ->erhaps, 
 more fraught with reminiscences of war than the 
 " Hudson and its vicinity." Following the river 
 about fifty miles north of Troy, you reach the vil- 
 lage of Fort Edward. The fort was raised during 
 the memorable war of 1775, for the defence of this 
 point of the Hudson. It was originally called Fort 
 Lyman, after General Lyman, a brave but neglected 
 officer. About half a mile above Fort Edward 
 stands the old pine tree which marks the spot 
 where Miss Jane M'Crea was murdered by the In- 
 dians. The story of her fate, related by an anony- 
 mous pen, will bear repeating in this place. For it 
 " has been a theme which eloquence and sensibility 
 have alike contributed to dignify, and which has 
 kindled in many a breast the emotions of a respon- 
 sive sympathy. General Gates' s sympathy in his 
 letter to Burgoyne, although more ornate than for- 
 cible, and abounding more in bad taste than sim- 1
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 7f 
 
 plicity or pathos, was suited to the feelings of the 
 moment, and produced a lively impression in every 
 part of America; and the glowing language of 
 Burke, in one of his most celebrated speeches in 
 the British Parliament, made the story of Jane 
 M'Crea familiar to the European world." 
 
 This young lady was the daughter of a clergy- 
 man who died in New Jersey before the Revolu- 
 tion. Upon her father's death, she sought a home 
 in the house of her brother, a respectable gentle- 
 man residing on the western bank of Hudson 
 River, about four miles below Fort Edward. Here 
 <>he formed an intimacy with a young man named 
 David Jones, to whom it was understood she was 
 engaged to be married. When the war broke out, 
 Jones took the side of the royalists, went to Canada, 
 received a commission, and was a captain or lieu- 
 tenant among the provincials in Burgoyne's army. 
 
 Fort Edward was situated on the eastern mar- 
 gin of Hudson River, within a few yards of the 
 water, and surrounded by a plain of considerable 
 extent, which was cleared of wood and cultivated. 
 On tke road leading to the north, and near the foot 
 of the hill, about one third of a mile from the fort, 
 stood a house occupied by Mrs. M'Neil, a widow 
 lady, and an acquaintance of Miss M'Crea, with 
 whom she was staying as a visiter at the time the 
 American army was in that neighbourhood. The 
 9
 
 98 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 side of the hill was covered with a growth of bushes, 
 and on its top, a quarter of a mile from the house, 
 stood a large pine tree* near the root of which 
 gushed out a perennial spring of water. A guard 
 of one hundred men had been left at the fort, and a 
 picket under Lieutenant Van Vechten was stationed 
 in the woods on the hill a little beyond the pine 
 tree. 
 
 Early one morning this picket guard was at- 
 tacked by a party of Indians, rushing through the 
 woods from different points at the same moment, 
 and rending the air with their hideous yells. Lieut. 
 Van Vechten and five others were killed and scalp- 
 ed, and four were wounded. Samuel Standish, one 
 of the guard, whose post was near the pine tree, 
 discharged his musket at the first Indian he saw, 
 and ran down the hill towards the fort ; but he had 
 no sooner reached the plain, than three Indians 
 who had pursued him, cut off his retreat, da/ted 
 out of the bushes, fired, and wounded him in the 
 foot. One of them sprang upon him, threw him to 
 the ground, pinioned his arms, and then pushed 
 him violently forward up the hill. He naturally 
 made as much haste as he could, and in a short 
 time they came to the spring, where several In- 
 dians were assembled. 
 
 Here Standish was left to himself, at a little dis- 
 tance from the spring and the pine tree, expecting
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 99 
 
 every moment to share the fate of his comrades, 
 whose scalps were conspicuously displayed. A 
 few minutes only had elapsed, when he saw a 
 small party of the Indians ascending the hill, and 
 with them Mrs. M'Neil and Miss M'Crea on foot. 
 He knew them both, having often been at Mrs. 
 M'Neil's house. The party had hardly joined the 
 other Indians, when he perceived much agitation 
 among them, high words and violent gestures, till 
 at length they engaged in a furious quarrel, and 
 beat one another with their muskets. In the midst 
 of this fray, one of the chiefs, apparently in a par- 
 oxysm of rage, shot Miss M'Crea in the breast. 
 She instantly fell and expired. Her hair was long 
 and flowing. The same chief grasped it in his 
 hand, seized his knife, and took off the scalp in 
 such a manner as to include nearly the whole of 
 the hair ; then springing from the ground, he tossed 
 it in the face of a young warrior, who stood near 
 him watching the operation, brandished it in the 
 air, and uttered a yell of savage exultation. When 
 this was done the quarrel ceased ; and, as the fort 
 had already been alarmed, the Indians huiyied 
 away as quickly as possible to Gen. Frazier's en- 
 campment on the road to Fort Anne, taking with 
 them Mrs. M'Neil and Samuel Standish. 
 
 The bodies of the slain were found by a party 
 that went in pursuit, and were carried across the
 
 100 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 river. They had been stripped of their clothing, 
 and the body of Miss M'Crea was wounded in nine 
 places, either by a scalping knife or a tomahawk. 
 A messenger was despatched to convey the afflict- 
 ing intelligence to her brother, who arrived soon 
 afterward, took charge of his sister's remains, and 
 had them interred on the east side of the river about 
 three miles below the fort. The body of Lieut. 
 Van Vechten was buried at the same time, and on 
 the same spot. 
 
 History has preserved no facts by which we can 
 at this day ascertain the reason why Miss M'Crea 
 should remain as she did in so exposed and un- 
 protected a situation. She had been reminded of 
 her danger by the people at the fort. Tradition 
 relates, however, and with seeming truth, that 
 through some medium of communication she had 
 promised her lover, probably by his advine, to re- 
 main in this place, until the approach of the British 
 troops should afford an opportunity to join him, in 
 company with her hostess and friend. It is said, 
 that, when they saw the Indians coming to the 
 house, they were at first frightened, and attempted 
 to escape; but, as the Indians made signs of pa- 
 cific intention, and one of them held up a letter in- 
 timating that it was to be opened, their fears were 
 calmed and the letter was read. It was from Jones, 
 and contained a request that they would put them-
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THB HUDSON. 
 
 101 
 
 selves under the charge of the Indians, whom he 
 had sent for the purpose, and who would guard 
 them in safety to the British camp. Unfortunately, 
 two separate parties of Indians, or, at least, two 
 chiefs acting independently of each other, had uni- 
 ted in this enterprise, combining with it an attack 
 of the picket guard. It is incredible that Jones 
 should have known this part of the arrangement, 
 or he would have foreseen the danger it threatened. 
 When the prize was at their hands, the two chiefs 
 quarrelled about the mode of dividing the rewards 
 they were to receive ; and, according to the Indian 
 rule of settling disputes in the case of captives, one 
 of them, in a wild fit of passion, killed the victim 
 and secured the scalp. Nor is it the least shocking 
 feature of the transaction, that the savage seemed 
 not aware of his mission. Uninformed as to the 
 motive of his employer for obtaining the person of 
 the lady, or not comprehending it, he regarded her 
 in the light of a prisoner, and supposed the scalp 
 would be an acceptable trophy. Let it be imagined 
 what were the feelings of the anxious lover, waiting 
 with joyful anticipation the arrival of his intended 
 bride, when this appalling proof of her death was 
 presented to him. The innocent had suffered by 
 the hand of cruelty and violence, which he had un- 
 consciously armed ; his most fondly cherished hopes 
 were blasted, and a sting was planted in his soul, 
 
 a*
 
 102 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 which time and forgetfulness never could eradicate. 
 His spirit was scathed and his heart broken. He 
 lived but a few years, a prey to his own sad recol- 
 lections, and sunk into the grave under the burden 
 of his grief. 
 
 The remembrance of this melancholy tale is still 
 cherished with a lively sympathy, by the people 
 who dwell near the scene of its principal incidents. 
 The inhabitants of the village of Fort Edward, 
 have lately removed the remains of Miss M'Crea 
 from their obscure resting place, and deposited 
 them in the public burial-ground. The ceremony 
 was solemn and impressive. A procession of young 
 men and maidens followed the relics, and wept in 
 silence when the earth was again closed over them ; 
 thus exhibiting an honourable proof of sensibility 
 and of respect for the dead. The little fountain 
 still pours out its clear waters near the brow of 
 the hill, and the venerable pine is yet standing in 
 its ancient majesty, broken at the top and shorn of 
 its branches by the winds and storms of half a cen- 
 tury, but revered as marking the spot where youth 
 and innocence were sacrificed in the tragical death 
 of Jane M'Crea.* 
 
 * Sparks Life of Gen. Arnold.
 
 LETTER XII. 
 
 Master Lipsey's Boat Revolutionary Incident The Boat 
 Club The passing of a Steamboat Cold Spring CoL 
 George P. Morris's Mansion Scenery Old Cro'-Nest 
 Magnificent Site Description of Col. Morris's House 
 Ttie Gardener of an English Earl Mischief of Ignorance 
 Our Lady of Cold Spring Lanes for Music, etc. 
 
 New York, 1835. 
 
 DEAR P. In one of my excursions last summer 
 upon the Hudson, I stopped at West-Point, but 
 must now postpone a description of that place, as I 
 immediately took possession of Master Lipsey's 
 (the Charon of these parts) boat a personage and 
 a craft Avell known to all the sojourners at West- 
 Point, and in which many a gay party from the 
 south, and, in fact, from all quarters of the world, 
 has sailed in the shadow of old Cro'-Nest, and 
 danced over the glad waters of the green and glassy 
 Hudson. In passing through the gorge, across 
 which in the revolutionary war a chain was stretch- 
 ed to prevent the incursions of the British light 
 vessels of war, and where reposes the rock hurled 
 from its bold and threatening eminence by the giant 
 arm of old Putnam himself, we encountered one of 
 the airiest pleasure boats I have recently seen. It 
 was manned by a crew in uniform white jackets,
 
 104 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 and was, altogether, a neat and tasty affair. It is 
 called the Auriel, and belongs to a club composed 
 of the professors and officers of West Point, and the 
 gentlemen of the vicinity. The exercise is con- 
 ducive not only to the health of the members, but 
 to the cultivation of good fellowship, and a gene- 
 rous and cordial hospitality. The river was alive 
 with vessels of every description, and it was no 
 easy matter to wind our way among the small-craft 
 and sloops, beating and tacking under what is nau- 
 tically termed a " cracking breeze." I counted more 
 than sixty of these trim river craft between West- 
 Point and Newburgh, in a distance of eight miles. 
 The passing of the steamboats is an amusing scene, 
 and the landing always creates a sensation among 
 the " natives" and visiters. So many arrivals and 
 departures constantly taking place, meetings of 
 friends, and salutations from the passengers to those 
 they recognise on the wharf, and the bustle of the 
 porters, render it one of the liveliest incidents of 
 the day. We crossed the wake of the North 
 America, which is one of the most agreeable op- 
 erations in the world to a person of steady nerves, 
 but not so amusing to those who do not affect the 
 chance, or, at all events, the apprehension of a cap- 
 size, inasmuch as the undulating motion occasioned 
 by these large vessels, in the narrow pass of the 
 Highlands, is mighty uncomfortable, and seems
 
 LKTTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 105 
 
 never to subside. Escaping this peril, I arrived 
 safe at Cold Spring, a little village that owes most 
 of its prosperity to the foundry belonging to Mr. 
 Gouvernier Kemble, at which nearly one hundred 
 individuals are constantly employed. This gentle- 
 man is famed for his hospitality, which however I 
 did not have an opportunity of enjoying, as I had 
 determined on a visit to my old friend Col. George 
 P. Morris, the editor of the New- York Mirror, a 
 gentleman of whose friendship any one might be 
 proud. 
 
 Col. Morris's house is built upon a plateau just 
 above the village, and commands a picturesque, 
 and lake-like view of the noble Hudson to the 
 north, with the blue range of the distant Catskills 
 bounding the horizon. In front you have old 
 Cro'-Nest and his subject mountains, with their 
 map of living verdure crowning their brows and 
 sides the scene of Rodman Drake's exquisite 
 poem of the " Culprit Fay." To the south, it en- 
 joys one of the finest and most uninterrupted views 
 imaginable of West-Point, the plains, buildings, 
 and Fort Putnam ; and on a clear day, the parade 
 of the cadets may be distinctly seen from the por- 
 tico ; and their music, echoed by a hundred hills, 
 falls soothingly and pleasantly upon the ear. 
 
 Altogether, this is one of the most magnificent 
 sites for a summer residence in the United States.
 
 106 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 It possesses, in many respects, advantages even su- 
 perior to those of West-Point; and if a good hotel, 
 or comfortable boarding-houses were established 
 here, it would vie with that spot as a summer re- 
 treat. I believe that it is or was contemplated by 
 Mr. Samuel Gouverneur, one of the largest land- 
 holders in the neighbourhood, to build a house of 
 this description on the bluff just below Cold Spring, 
 which forms the narrowest part of the Highlands. 
 I am not going, after the manner of letter-wri- 
 ters in general, to furnish you with a catalogue ot 
 the exquisite paintings and busts, costly books, and 
 luxurious appliances to the noble mansion of Col. 
 Morris, nor do I intend to discuss the excellence of 
 the ragouts, to dilate upon the unexceptionable 
 qualities of the chateau mar gout, and least of all, 
 to retail, a la Willis, the agreeable conversation 
 that took place there among the hospitable and 
 intellectual people, by whom the place was made 
 so attractive to me. But I suppose it is no en- 
 croachment upon the canons of good breeding, to 
 give you an idea of the house itself, briefly and 
 succinctly. I understand it was built by John C. 
 Hamilton, one of the sons of the late Gen. Ham- 
 ilton, and the biographer of that illustrious man ; 
 and is one of the most conveniently constructed, 
 spacious, and elegant mansions, within and with- 
 out, above and below, that the skill of the architect
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 107 
 
 could have devised. The entrance hall is on a 
 novel plan, and has excited much attention, for, 
 like Washington's head-quarters in the immediate 
 neighbourhood, (Newburgh,) it possesses multi- 
 tudes of doors, and but one solitary Avindow, yet it 
 is light and airy and cool as a garden bower. The 
 drawing-rooms and saloon front the river, and the 
 ever-moving panorama of the Hudson is right be- 
 fore them, while on a moonlight evening the por- 
 tico is one of the pleasantest stations to be conceived. 
 The grounds are well disposed, and susceptible 
 of the highest improvement, and if the plan which 
 the Colonel showed me on paper be carried into 
 effect, his residence at Cold Spring will be a little 
 nook stolen out of Paradise. I can't resist narra- 
 ting a circumstance here, which shows the incon- 
 ceivable stupidity of a foreign beautifier and layor 
 out of grounds, who came here for that purpose, 
 recommended as a man of taste, and as the ei- 
 gardener of an English Earl. Reliance being im- 
 plicitly placed upon his tact and skill, he received 
 orders to exercise his accomplishments in his pecu- 
 liar line to the best advantage things were left to 
 his discretion and responsibility, and he had un- 
 controlled and ad libitum authority to plant, to lay 
 out, and dispose, as he listed, for two months last 
 spring. Judge, friend P., of his employer's sur- 
 prise and mortification, when he found that this time
 
 108 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON.' 
 
 had been employed by his beautifier and radical 
 reformer in cutting down and laying waste almost 
 everything in the shape of a tree about the premises ! 
 
 It is really astonishing how much mischief may 
 be done in a little time by an ignorant person, even 
 though he be the "gardener of an Earl," and the 
 growth of years prostrated in one hour. The only 
 consolation left for the proprietor was, that the trees, 
 although lofty, were only cedars, and that the cir- 
 cumstance afforded opportunity for the display of 
 his taste in arboriculture, by replacing them with 
 others of a more ornamental, choice, and elegant 
 description. At the present time, they are busy in 
 transplanting full-grown and large-sized oaks, ma- 
 ples, and other forest trees, on the plan suggested 
 and practised by a Scotch baronet named Stewart, 
 and I have no doubt of the complete success of the 
 experiment. In this event, the " Earl's gardener," 
 without intending it, has unconsciously done good ; 
 and out of much evil, benefit will have been de- 
 duced, as all transplanters of trees will have a 
 model before them, how most safely and judiciously 
 to manage their operations. 
 
 But to leave the garden, the trees, and Col. Mor- 
 ris's hospitable mansion, which we did, at the time, 
 most reluctantly, I will conclude this discursive 
 and rambling epistle with some observations which 
 I made upon this part of Hudson river, as dapted
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 109 
 
 more particularly for villas and country-seats. 
 This river, it is useless again to state, is the great- 
 est thoroughfare of the union. Its scenery through- 
 out is magnificent, and in this particular region 
 sublime. Health and happiness dwell among its 
 hills, and every luxury that the earth can yield is 
 wafted by its waters. It is within a few hours' 
 journey to New York, and the facilities of access 
 are unexampled in convenience, economy, and op- 
 portunity. The day is not distant, when the entire 
 banks of the Hudson will be dotted with villas of 
 the refined and elegant, but "up among these rocky 
 cliffs," the Highlands, there are a few acres of ta- 
 ble ground which ought to be improved, and whick 
 must soon be appropriated for the purpose I have 
 mentioned, as the eye of "chaste and classic" taste 
 could not select a more delicious and consummate 
 position for the display of its elegant and graceful 
 designs. 
 
 "Our Lady of Cold Spring," is the name of a 
 classical and beautiful little Catholic edifice, situated 
 on a high rock overhanging the Hudson. The 
 traveller, passing by in the steamboats, cannot but 
 be struck with its romantic beauty. Surrounded as 
 it is by majestic mountains, and the beautiful Hud- 
 son, its location seems peculiarly well calculated to 
 awaken sentiments of devout adoration. 
 
 But I conclude this letter abruptly (as, unless I 
 10
 
 110 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 do so, I could linger for ever among those quiet and 
 heavenly haunts of love and poetry) by transcribing 
 a little metrical effusion, which I accidentally met 
 with, and the authorship of which I understood is 
 attributed to Col. Morris. It is "Lines for Music," 
 and evidently written in the earthly paradise which 
 I have attempted to describe. 
 
 O would that she were here, 
 
 These hills and dales among, 
 Where vocal groves are gayly mocked 
 
 By echo's airy tongue, 
 Where jocund Nature smiles 
 
 In all her gay attire, 
 Amid deep-tangled wiles 
 
 Of hawthorn and sweet-brier. 
 O would that she were here, 
 
 That fair and gentle thing, 
 Whose words are musical as strains 
 
 Breathed by the wind-harp's string. 
 
 O would that she were here, 
 
 Where the free waters leap, 
 Shouting in their joyousness, 
 
 Adown the rocky steep, 
 Where rosy Zephyr lingers 
 
 All the livelong day, 
 With health upon his pinions, 
 
 And gladness in his way. 
 O would that she were here, 
 
 Sure Eden's garden-plot 
 Did not embrace more varied charms 
 
 Than this romantic spot.
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. Ill 
 
 O would that she were here, 
 
 Where frolic by the hours, 
 Rife with the song of bee and bird, 
 
 The perfume of the flowers, 
 Where beams of peace and love, 
 
 And radiant beauty's glow, 
 Are pictured in the sky above, 
 
 And in the lake below. 
 O would that she were here 
 
 The nymphs of this bright scene, 
 With song and dance and revelry, 
 
 Would crown BIANCA queen. 
 
 Yours.
 
 LETTER XIII. 
 
 Strictures on Albany The Clergy Historical Sketch of Al- 
 bany Head- Quarters of Gen. Lafayette Mrs. Grant's de- 
 scription of Albany in olden time Manner of living there 
 Hermitage Gentle treatment of slaves among the Alba- 
 nians Consequent attachment of domestics, tie. 
 
 Albany, May 20, 1836. 
 
 FRIEND P. Albany, the crack city of the Hud- 
 Bon, is the oldest settlement save one in the United 
 States.* Considering its age and importance as a 
 Beat of government, the traveller expects to find a 
 lion, but is soon undeceived, it being little more 
 than a lion's whelp. There is an aristocracy 
 founded upon two of the most contemptible of the 
 instruments of power money and party politics. 
 Of the latter, I, as an administration man, would 
 never complain, were it permitted to hold its ap- 
 propriate place. But it is here the leaven affect- 
 ing the whole lump. I object to it when it influ- 
 ences, in the least degree, the courtesies of life. 
 Political opinion ought never to be the only pass- 
 port to hospitality. The manners of the better 
 classes are, at first, uniformly of the non-committal 
 
 * Jamestown, in Virginia, was settled in 1607, while Albany 
 dates its origin in 1610.
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 113 
 
 sort. They appear to suspect you of an intention 
 to pick their pockets, or take sides with their po- 
 litical opponents. Coming as I did, from New 
 York, where hearts, like the merchandise, are out 
 of doors, it operated like a cold bath in the month 
 of December. But, thank Heaven, they are as jeal- 
 ous of each other as of strangers. The starting of 
 a new project is the alarm for a whole swarm of 
 little big men to look out for their rights, that is, 
 in the vernacular language, to hold on upon their 
 carefully accumulated stock of money and political 
 power. There would be more pale faces at the 
 loss of a vote, or a few dollars, than could be pro- 
 duced in New York by a tenth exhibition of the 
 great conflagration. 
 
 The step from the sublime to the ridiculous has 
 long since been taken on every subject. Even re- 
 ligion, which ought to be free from every foreign 
 influence, and be permitted to move unconstrained 
 in her own simple dignity and grace, is made to 
 minister to the men in power. The manner in 
 
 which the Rev. is showed up, renders him 
 
 a complete ****. To have heard and praised 
 him, is the test both of your good sense and po- 
 liteness. I have heard strangers, more than once, 
 smart under the chafing given them on the subject, 
 by a certain distinguished gentleman's family. Of 
 the denomination to which he belongs, he is a truly 
 10*
 
 114 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 devoted minister. He possesses a simple and ear- 
 nest piety, that always commands respect and es- 
 teem. His prayers, for fervour and directness, ex- 
 ceed any I have ever heard. But having said thus, 
 you have said all. His eloquence is like a river of 
 oil flowing on before a thirsty man. He may please, 
 but never satisfies. He does not possess what his 
 admirers claim, originality of mind. His store- 
 house is well supplied, by his indefatigable indus- 
 try, from the arguments of abler men. He has 
 eloquence, but it is not classical. It has been spoiled 
 by fondling, till it has almost lost, what I think it 
 once possessed, the freedom and boldness of nature 
 in her wildest mood. 
 
 The Rev. Dr. S , both in and out of the pul- 
 
 pit, is a truly interesting man. Had his temper- 
 ance defamer in Boston, that renowned purifier of 
 the " Pi^ean Stables," and of acrostic memory, 
 known the Doctor here, he would have restrained 
 his powerful, but slanderous and malignant pen.* 
 He has the artlessness of a child, with the learning 
 that classes him with our most distinguished men. 
 His contributions to our stock of religious literature 
 are invaluable. 
 
 * This gentleman, who has lately distinguished himself as 
 the reformer of Dr. S. and other as good men, is no novice in 
 the business, as the Roxbury Pigery, removed by his elo- 
 quence, can testify.
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 115 
 
 The Rev. Mr. P., the Rector of St. Paul's church, 
 is an excellent preacher. The productions of his 
 pen display the "ripe and good scholar." His 
 style is at once chaste and classic, and at the same 
 time condensed and pungent. Modesty, and a want 
 of confidence in the powers of his mind, are great 
 barriers to his fame. But with preachers and 
 preaching, and with fault finding, I have done. 
 
 Looking over the first directory of Albany, I 
 gather some items of the history of this city, which 
 it may not be amiss to introduce. It seems that 
 the first fort was built on an island below, but was 
 abandoned in consequence of the frequency and 
 height of the river floods. Fort Orange was erected 
 in 1617, and a person by the name of Sebastian 
 Croll, was the first commissary of the fort. 
 
 In 1629, a charter of liberties and exemptions for 
 patroons, masters, and private individuals, who 
 should plant colonies in New Netherlands, \vas 
 granted by the States General of Holland. Un- 
 der this charter, a purchase of lands was made in 
 August, of the same year, for Kilian Rensselaer, a 
 merchant of Amsterdam, the ancestor of the present 
 Patroon's family. 
 
 The consequence and power of this individual, as 
 a patentee, may be gleaned from the Dutch rec- 
 ords in the secretary's office. He had a small fort 
 of his own, and on one occasion lent some cannon
 
 116 LETTERS ABODT THE HUDSON. 
 
 to the military commanders at Fort Orange. He 
 had his sheriff a fort at Bear Island, and his com- 
 mandant there was known to have fired at the 
 sloops which passed without saluting the fort. His 
 residence, called the Rensselaerburg, was first 
 at the island below the city. The commerce of 
 Albany was principally with the savages, for 
 beavers, in exchange for strouds, leggins, and 
 rum. Brokers were employed by the inhabitants 
 to purchase the skins, and they were natives or 
 savages, as the demand or the competition made it 
 necessary to obtain their aid. A court was held 
 in the fort, consisting of the commissary and as- 
 sociates, duly appointed in Holland ; and these 
 had the exclusive jurisdiction in matters civil and 
 criminal. 
 
 In 1664, it was captured from the Dutch by a 
 force under Major Cartvvright. Kalm, who visited 
 the city after the charter had been granted by the 
 English Governor Dongan, describes its appear- 
 ance as being that of a small town, with two prin- 
 cipal streets crossing each other, in one of which 
 was placed all the public buildings. This will ac- 
 count for the great width of State street. It then 
 contained the fort, a regular though slight stockade, 
 the English church, the guard-house, the town- 
 house, the Dutch church, and the market. It had 
 a very rural appearance ; each house having its
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 117 
 
 garden and shade trees. The situations on the 
 water side were beautiful. There were three 
 docks the lower, middle, and upper. The lower 
 was called the King's dock. The vessels were 
 unloaded by the aid of canoes lashed together, and 
 having a platform built upon them, where the goods 
 were placed. 
 
 The alterations in the city have been astonish- 
 ing. Where Fox street now crosses Pearl street, 
 was a deep ravine, crossed by a bridge, and the de- 
 scent to it was quite sudden. Other ravines crossed 
 the streets running parallel to the river. These 
 are now no longer visible. State street was much 
 steeper. The road to Schenectady ran round the 
 fort to the south and west, where the state offices 
 now stand ; and where the elegant mansions of two 
 of the mayors are now situated, were banks of earth 
 reaching up as far as the third story. Chapel 
 street was full of stores and warehouses, and there 
 the principal business was done. Then it was 
 Barrack street. The Pasture was literally such, 
 and now where Lydius street is laid out, was the 
 regular encamping ground of the British armies, 
 commanded by Amherst and Abercrombie. 
 
 Albany, during the revolutionary era, presented 
 a singular appearance. It was stockaded ; had its 
 north and south gates ; was a military post ; was 
 commanded by the gallant Layfayette, and Col.
 
 118 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 Van Schaick, a distinguished officer and native of 
 Albany ; and was considered one of the most im- 
 portant stations in the United States. It was the 
 key to the north and west, the point from which 
 our armies threatened Montreal and Quebec, or the 
 British posts on the lakes. 
 
 General Schuyler's, General Ten Broeck's, and 
 the Patroon's mansions, convey to us a good idea 
 of the taste of the builders, and the elegance of the 
 modes of living among the wealthy and distin- 
 guished families of the olden time. A house in 
 North Pearl street, near General Westerlo's resi- 
 dence, is distinguished as having been the head- 
 quarters of Lafayette, which, on his recent visit to 
 the United States, he recognised as he passed 
 rapidly through the town, from the circumstance 
 of its having a curious brass knocker, an animal 
 hanging down by its hind legs. 
 
 Mrs. Grant, in her " Memoirs of an American 
 Lady,"* gives, in her quaint but interesting style, 
 the following description of Albany, the manner of 
 living there in olden time, etc. 
 
 * The work was first published in London, in 1808. Mr. 
 George Dearborn, of Gold street, has just published a new 
 and beautiful edition of the work. Southey pronounced " her 
 description of the breaking up of the ice in the Hudson" as 
 "quite Homeric." Its "re- appearance must be a welcome 
 event in the marshalling of American literature now in pro- 
 gress."
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 119 
 
 " The city of Albany was stretched along the 
 banks of the Hudson ; one very wide and long 
 street lay parallel to the river, the intermediate 
 space between it and the shore being occupied by 
 gardens. A small, but steep hill rose above the 
 centre of the town, on which stood a fort, intended 
 (but very ill adapted) for the defence of the place, 
 and of the neighbouring country. From the foot 
 of this hill, another street was built, sloping pretty 
 rapidly down till it joined the one before mentioned 
 that ran along the river. This street was still 
 wider than the other ; it was only paved on each 
 side, the middle being occupied by public edifices. 
 These consisted of a market-place, or guard-house, 
 a town hall, and the English and Dutch churches. 
 The English church, belonging to the Episcopal 
 persuasion, and in the diocess of the bishop of Lon- 
 don, stood at the foot of the hill, at the upper end 
 of the street. The Dutch church was situated at 
 the bottom of the descent where the street termi- 
 nated; two irregular streets, not so broad, but 
 equally long, ran parallel to those, and a few even 
 ones open between them. The town, in proportion 
 to its population, occupied a great space of ground. 
 This city, in short, was a kind of semi-rural estab- 
 lishment ; every house had its garden, well, and a 
 little green behind ; before every door a tree was 
 planted, rendered interesting by being coeval with
 
 120 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 some beloved member of the family ; many of their 
 trees were of a prodigious size and extraordinary 
 beauty, but without regularity, every one planting 
 the kind that best pleased him, or which he thought 
 would afford the most agreeable shade to the open 
 portico at his door, which was surrounded by seats, 
 and ascended by a few steps. It was in these that 
 each domestic group was seated in summer even- 
 ings to enjoy the balmy twilight, or serenely clear 
 moonlight. Each family had a cow, fed in com- 
 mon pasture at the end of the town. In the even- 
 ing they returned all together, of their own accord, 
 with their tinkling bells hung at their necks, along 
 the wide and grassy street, to their wonted shelter- 
 ing trees, to be milked at their masters' doors. 
 Nothing could be more pleasing to a simple and 
 benevolent mind, than to see thus, at one view, all 
 the inhabitants of a town, which contained not ono 
 very rich or very poor, very knowing or very ig- 
 norant, very rude or very polished individual ; to 
 see all these children of nature enjoying in easy 
 indolence, or social intercourse, 
 
 clothed in the plainest habits, and with minds as 
 undisguised and artless. These primitive beings 
 Were dispersed in porches, grouped according to 
 similarity of years and inclinations. At one door
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 121 
 
 young matrons, at another the elders of the people, 
 at a third the youths and maidens gayly chatting or 
 singing together, while the children played round 
 the trees, or waited near the cows, for the chief in- 
 gredient of their frugal supper, which they gener- 
 ally ate, sitting on the steps in the open air. This 
 picture, so familiar to my imagination, has led me 
 away from my purpose, which was to describe the 
 rural economy and modes of living in this patri- 
 archal city. At one end of the town, as I observed 
 before, was a common pasture, where all the cat- 
 tle belonging to the inhabitants grazed together. 
 A never-failing instinct guided each home to her 
 master's door in the evening, where, being treated 
 with a few vegetables and a little salt, which is in- 
 dispensably necessary for cattle in this country, 
 they patiently waited the night ; and after being 
 milked in the morning, they went off in slow and 
 regular procession to their pasture. At the other 
 end of the town was a fertile plain along the river, 
 three miles in length, and near a mile broad. This 
 was all divided into lots, where every inhabitant 
 raised Indian corn, sufficient for the food of two or 
 three slaves, (the greatest number that each family 
 ever possessed,) and for his horses, pigs, and poul- 
 try: their flour and other grain they purchased 
 from farmers in the vicinity. Above the town, a 
 long stretch to the westward was occupied first by 
 11
 
 133 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 sandy hills, on which grew bilberries of uncommon 
 size and flavour, in prodigious quantities ; beyond, 
 rise heights of a poor hungry soil, thinly covered 
 with stunted pines, or dwarf oaks. Yet in this 
 comparatively barren tract, there were several wild 
 and picturesque spots, where small brooks, running 
 in deep and rich bottoms, nourished on their banks 
 every vegetable beauty : there, some of the most 
 industrious early settlers had cleared the luxuriant 
 wood from these charming little glens, and built 
 neat cottages for their slaves, surrounded with little 
 gardens and orchards, sheltered from every blast, 
 wildly picturesque, and richly productive. Those 
 small sequestered vales had an attraction that I 
 know not how to describe, and which probably re- 
 sulted from the air of deep repose that reigned there, 
 and the strong contrast which they exhibited to tho 
 surrounding sterility. One of these was in my 
 time inhabited by a hermit. He was a French- 
 man, and did not seem to inspire much veneration 
 among the Albanians. They imagined, or had 
 heard, that he retired to that solitude in remorse for 
 some fatal duel in which he had been engaged ; 
 and considered him as an idolater, because he had 
 an image of the Virgin in his hut. I think he re- 
 tired to Canada at last ; but I remember being 
 ready to worship him, for the sanctity with which 
 my imagination invested him, and being cruelly
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 123 
 
 disappointed because I was not permitted to visit 
 him. These cottages were in summer occupied by 
 some of the negroes, who cultivated the grounds 
 about them, and served as a place of joyful liberty to 
 the children of the family on holydays, and a nursery 
 for the young negroes, whom it was the custom 
 to rear very tenderly, and instruct very carefully. 
 
 " In the society I am describing, even the dark as- 
 pect of slavery was softened into a smile. And I 
 must, in justice to the best possible masters, say, 
 that a great deal of that tranquillity and comfort, 
 to call them by no higher names, which distinguish 
 this society from all others, was owing to the rela- 
 tion between master and servant being better un- 
 derstood here than in any other place. Lot me not 
 be detested as an advocate for slavery, when I say, 
 that I think I have never seen people so happy in ser- 
 vitude as the domestics of the Albanians. One rea- 
 son was, (for I do not now speak of the virtues of 
 their masters,) that each family had few of them, 
 and that there were no field negroes. They would 
 remind one of Abraham's servants, who were all 
 born in the house, which was exactly their case. 
 They were baptized too, and shared the same re- 
 ligious instruction with the children of the family; 
 and, for the first years, there was little or no differ- 
 ence with regard to food or clothing, between their 
 children and those of their masters.
 
 124 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 " When a negro woman's child attained the age 
 of three years, the first New Year's day after, it 
 was solemnly presented to a son or daughter, or 
 other young relative of the family, who was of the 
 same sex with the child so presented. The child 
 to whom the young negro was given, immediately 
 presented it with some piece of money and a pak 
 of shoes; and from that day, the strongest attach- 
 ment subsisted between the domestic and the des- 
 tined owner. I have nowhere met with instances 
 of friendship more tender and generous, than that 
 which here subsisted between the slaves and their 
 masters and mistresses. Extraordinary proofs of 
 them have been often given in the course of hunt- 
 ing or Indian trading, when a young man and his 
 slave have gone to the trackless woods together, 
 in the cases of fits of the ague, loss of a canoe, and 
 other casualties happening near hostile Indians. 
 The slave has been known, at the imminent risk 
 of his life, to carry his disabled master through 
 trackless woods with labour and fidelity scarce cred- 
 ible ; and the master has been equally tender on 
 similar occasions, of the humble friend who stuck 
 closer than a brother ; who was baptized with the 
 same baptism, nurtured under the same roof, and 
 often rocked in the same cradle with himself. 
 These gifts of domestics to the younger members 
 of the family were not irrevocable ; yet they were
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 125 
 
 very rarely withdrawn. If the kitchen family did 
 not increase in proportion to that of the master, 
 young children were purchased from some family 
 where they abounded, to furnish those attached ser- 
 vants to the rising progeny. They were never 
 sold without consulting their mother, who, if ex- 
 pert and sagacious, had a great deal to say in the 
 family, and would not allow her child to go into any 
 family with whose domestics she was not acquaint- 
 ed. These negro women piqued themselves on 
 teaching their children to be excellent servants, well 
 knowing servitude to be their lot for life, and that 
 it could only be sweetened by making themselves 
 particularly useful, and excelling in their depart- 
 ment. If they did their work well, it is astonish- 
 ing, when I recollect it, what liberty of speech was 
 allowed to those active and prudent mothers. They 
 would chide, reprove, and expostulate, in a manner 
 that we would not endure from our hired servants ; 
 and sometimes exert fully as much authority over 
 the children of the family as the parents, conscious 
 that they were entirely in their power. They did 
 not crush freedom of speech and opinion in those, 
 by whom they knew they were beloved, and who 
 watched with incessant care over their interest and 
 comfort. Affectionate and faithful as these home- 
 bred servants were in general, there were some in- 
 stances (but very few) of those who, through levity
 
 126 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 of mind, or a love of liquor, or finery, betrayed 
 their trust, or habitually neglected their duty. In 
 these cases, after every means had been used to re- 
 form them, no severe punishments were inflicted at 
 home. But the terrible sentence, which they 
 dreaded worse than death, was passed they were 
 sold to Jamaica. The necessity of doing this was 
 bewailed by the whole family as a most dreadful 
 calamity, and the culprit was carefully watched on 
 his way to New York, lest he should evade the 
 sentence by self-destruction. 
 
 ******* 
 " Amidst all this mild and really tender indul- 
 gence to their negroes, these colonists had not the 
 smallest scruple of conscience with regard to the 
 right by which they held them in subjection. Had 
 that been the case, their singular humanity would 
 have been incompatible with continued injustice. 
 But the truth is, that of law, the generality of those 
 people knew little ; and of philosophy, nothing at 
 all. They sought their code of morality in the 
 Bible, and there, imagined they found this hapless 
 race condemned to perpetual slavery ; and thought 
 nothing remained for them but to lighten the chains 
 of their fellow Christians, after having made them 
 such. This I neither " extenuate," nor " set down 
 in malice," but merely record the fact. At the 
 same time, it is but justice to record also a singu-
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 127 
 
 lar instance of moral delicacy, distinguishing this 
 settlement from every other in the like circum- 
 stances, though, from their simple and kindly modes 
 of life, they were from infancy in habits of famil- 
 iarity with these humble friends, yet being early 
 taught that nature had placed between them a bar- 
 rier, which it was in a high degree criminal and dis- 
 graceful to pass, they considered a mixture of such 
 distinct races with abhorrence, as a violation of her 
 laws. This greatly conduced to the preservation 
 of family happiness and concord. An ambiguous 
 race, which the law does not acknowledge ; and 
 who (if they have any moral sense, must be as 
 much ashamed of their parents as these last are of 
 them) are certainly a dangerous, because degraded 
 part of the community. How much more so must 
 be those unfortunate beings, who stand in the pre- 
 dicament of the bat in the fable, whom both birds and 
 beasts disowned ? I am sorry to say that the pro- 
 gress of the British army, when it arrived, might 
 be traced by a spurious and ambiguous race of this 
 kind. But of a mulatto born before their arrival, 
 I only remember a single instance ; and from the 
 regret and wonder it occasioned, considered it as 
 singular. Colonel Schuyler, of whom I am to 
 speak, had a relation so weak and defective in ca- 
 pacity, that he never was intrusted with any thing 
 of his own, and lived an idle bachelor about the
 
 128 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUbsON. 
 
 family. In process of time, a favourite negro wo- 
 man, to the great offence and scandal of the family, 
 bore a child to him, whose colour gave testimony 
 to the relation. The boy was carefully educated ; 
 and when he grew up, a farm was allotted to him 
 well stocked and fertile, but ' in depth of woods em- 
 braced,' about two miles back from the family seat. 
 A destitute white woman, who had somehow wan- 
 dered from the older colonies, was induced to marry 
 him ; and all the branches of the family thought it 
 incumbent on them, now and then, to pay a quiet 
 visit to Chalk, (for so, for some unknown reason, 
 they always called him.) I have been in Chalk's 
 house myself, and a most comfortable abode it was; 
 but considered him as a mysterious and anomalous 
 being. 
 
 " I have dwelt the longer on this singular in- 
 stance of slavery, existing devoid of its attendant 
 horrors, because the fidelity and affection resulting 
 from a bond of union so early formed between mas- 
 ter and servant, contributed so very much to the 
 safety of individuals, as well as the general com- 
 fort of society, as will hereafter appear. 
 
 " The foundations, both of friendship and still 
 tenderer attachments, were here laid very early, by 
 an institution which I always thought had been 
 peculiar to Albany, till I found in Dr. Moore's 
 View of Society on the Continent, an account of a
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 129 
 
 similar custom subsisting in Geneva. The chil- 
 dren of the town were all divided into companies, as 
 they called them, from five or six years of age, till 
 they became marriageable. How those companies 
 first originated, or what were their exact regula- 
 tions, I cannot say ; though I, belonging to none, oc- 
 casionally mixed with several, yet always as a stran- 
 ger, though I spoke their current language fluently. 
 Every company contained as many boys as girls. 
 But I do not know that there was any limited num- 
 ber ; only this I recollect, that a boy and girl of 
 each company, Avho were older, cleverer, or had 
 some other pre-eminence above the rest, were called 
 heads of the company, and, as such, obeyed by the 
 others. Whether they were voted in, or attained 
 their pre-eminence by a tacit acknowledgment of 
 their superiority, I knew not; but however it was 
 attained, it was never disputed. The companies of 
 little children had also their heads. All the chil- 
 dren of the same age were not in one company ; 
 there were at least three or four of equal ages, who 
 had a strong rivalry with each other ; and children 
 of different ages, in the same family, belonged to 
 different companies. Wherever there is human 
 nature, there will be a degree of emulation, strife, 
 and a desire to lessen others, that we may exalt 
 ourselves. Dispassionate as my friends compara- 
 tively were, and bred up in the highest attainable
 
 130 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 candour and innocence, they regarded the company 
 most in competition with their own, with a degree 
 of jealous animosity. Each company, at a certain 
 time of the year, went in a body to the hills, to 
 gather a particular kind of berries. It was a sort 
 of annual festival, attended with religious punctu- 
 ality. Every company had a uniform for this 
 purpose ; that is to say, very pretty light baskets 
 made by the Indians, with lids and handles, which 
 hung over the arm, and were adorned with various 
 colours. One company would never allow the 
 least degree of taste to the other in this instance ; 
 and was sure to vent its whole stock of spleen in 
 decrying the rival baskets. Nor would they ever 
 admit, that the rival company gathered near so 
 much fruit on these excursions as they did. The 
 parents of these children seemed very much to en- 
 courage this manner of marshalling and dividing 
 themselves. Every child was permitted to enter- 
 tain the whole company on its birthday, and once 
 besides, during winter and spring. The master 
 and mistress of the family always were bound to 
 go from home on these occasions, while some old 
 domestic was left to attend and watch over them, 
 with an ample provision of tea, chocolate, preserved 
 and dried fruits, nuts, and cakes of various kinds, 
 to which was added cider or a syllabub, for these 
 young friends met at four, and did not part till nine
 
 LBTTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 131 
 
 or ten, and amused themselves with the utmost 
 gayety and freedom, in any way their fancy dic- 
 tated. Other children or young people visit occa- 
 sionally, and are civilly treated, but they admit of 
 no person that does not belong to the company. 
 The consequence of these exclusive and early inti- 
 macies was, that, grown up, it was reckoned a sort 
 of apostacy to marry out of one's company, and in- 
 deed, it did not often happen. The girls, from the 
 example of their mothers, rather than any compul- 
 sion, became very early, notable and industrious, 
 being constantly employed in knitting stockings, 
 and making clothes for the family and slaves : they 
 even made all the boys' clothes. This was the 
 more necessary, as all articles of clothing were ex- 
 tremely dear. Though all the necessaries of life, 
 and some luxuries, abounded, money as yet was a 
 scarce commodity. This industry was the more 
 to be admired, as children were here indulged to 
 a degree that, in our vitiated state of society, would 
 have rendered them good for nothing. But there, 
 where ambition, vanity, and the more turbulent pas- 
 sions were scarce awakened ; where pride, founded 
 on birth, or any external pre-eminence, was hardly 
 known; and where the affections flourished fair 
 and vigorous, unchecked by the thorns and thistles 
 with which our minds are cursed in a more ad- 
 vanced state of refinement ; affection restrained pa-
 
 133 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 rents from keeping their children at a distance, and 
 inflicting harsh punishments. But then they did 
 not treat them like apes or parrots, by teaching 
 them to talk with borrowed words and ideas, and 
 afterward gratifying their own vanity by exhibit- 
 ing these premature wonders to company, or re- 
 peating their sayings. They were tenderly cher- 
 ished, and early taught that they owed all their 
 enjoyments to the divine source of beneficence, to 
 whom they were finally accountable for their ac- 
 tions ; for the rest, they were very much left to na- 
 ture, and permitted to range about at full liberty in 
 their earliest years, covered in summer with some 
 slight and cheap garb, which merely kept the sun 
 from them, and in winter with some warm habit, 
 in which convenience only was consulted. Their 
 dress of ceremony was never put on but when their 
 company assembled. They were extremely fond 
 of their children ; but, luckily for the latter, never 
 dreamed of being vain of their immature wit and 
 parts, which accounts, in some measure, for the 
 great scarcity of coxcombs among them. The 
 children returned the fondness of their parents with 
 such tender affection, that they feared giving them 
 pain as much as ours do punishment, and very 
 rarely wounded their feelings by neglect, or rude 
 answers. Yet the boys were often wilful and giddy
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 133 
 
 at a certain age, the girls being sooner tamed and 
 domesticated. 
 
 " These youths were apt, whenever they could 
 carry a gun, (which they did at a very early period,) 
 to follow some favourite negro to the woods, and, 
 while he was employed in felling trees, range the 
 whole day in search of game, to the neglect of all 
 intellectual improvement, and contract a love of 
 savage liberty, which might, and in some instances 
 did, degenerate into licentious and idle habits. In- 
 deed, there were three stated periods in the year, 
 when, for a few days, young and old, masters and 
 slaves, were abandoned to unruly enjoyment, and 
 neglected every serious occupation for pursuits of 
 this nature." 
 
 12
 
 LETTER XIV. 
 
 Academies and Common Schools Albany Academy for Bays 
 Dr. Beck The Female Academy Introduced by Mr. 
 Crittenton to the different Departments The plan of In- 
 struction Dr. Barber's System of Elocution " The Lan- 
 guage of the Flowers" a poetical effusion from a young 
 Lady of the Academy Description of the Building Lo- 
 cation, etc. The Baptist Church The old Capitol Arch- 
 itectural description of the new State Hall Of St. Paul's 
 Church South Dutch Church The Old Stone Pulpitr- 
 North Dutch Church. 
 
 Albany, June 1, 1836. 
 
 FRIEND P. No state in the union surpasses 
 New York, in the liberal provisions made for pri- 
 vate education. There is scarcely a town or vil- 
 lage, on the borders of the Hudson, that is not pro- 
 vided with one or more Academies, High Schools, 
 or other institutions of learning, which are libe- 
 erally supported, and generally well managed. It 
 is in the common school system that we are deficient. 
 The rich and the middling classes are provided for 
 while the poor are passed by, or almost entirely 
 neglected. In New England, and particularly in 
 Massachusetts, the common schools are of an ele- 
 vated character, and are attended by all classes. 
 The children of the rich and the poor meet to- 
 gether ; they enjoy similar privileges and advan-
 
 LETTERS AJJOUT THE HUDSON. 135 
 
 tages. In New York, no person of ordinary means 
 would think of sending his children to a free school. 
 The number is small in proportion to the popula- 
 tion ; and were he ever so republican in his views, 
 he would feel that he was depriving others, less 
 able than himself, of the means of education. He 
 therefore sends them to an Academy, and takes lit- 
 tle or no interest in the management of the free 
 schools. 
 
 But efforts, I am happy to say, are being made 
 to improve our common school system; and as 
 New York is behind no state in splendid private 
 institutions of learning, it will not, I trust, be long 
 before she will at least equal any, in the number 
 and excellence of her common schools. 
 
 There are in Albany two Academies, one for 
 boys, and the other for girls, which, I honestly be- 
 lieve, are unsurpassed by any similar institutions 
 in the country. The Boys' Academy has been 
 under the management of Dr. T. R. Beck, since 
 1817. It has been justly remarked of this institu^ 
 tion, that, in every thing but the name, it is on an 
 equality with many of the colleges of our country. 
 The building is considered the finest proportioned of 
 any in the state. Dr. Beck, the principal, has dis- 
 tinguished himself as an author. His address, de- 
 livered in 1813, before the Society of Arts in Al- 
 bany, contains the earliest systematic account of the
 
 136 LETTERS ABOUT THE HCDSON. 
 
 minerals of our country. This address was pub- 
 lished, and obtained for the author the meed of 
 well earned praise. His work on the " Elements 
 of Medical Jurisprudence," on its appearance some 
 years since, created considerable excitement in 
 England and America ; it aroused public attention 
 to a long neglected subject, and was noticed in 
 terms of high commendation in the " Edinburgh 
 Medical and Surgical Journal." It has been trans- 
 lated into German, and become the text-book on 
 this subject, in the various Medical Colleges of 
 Great Britain. Dr. Beck is one of the founders of 
 the Albany Institute, " a scientific and literary as- 
 sociation, which has already published the first 
 volume of its transactions, highly creditable to it 
 self and its members."* 
 
 A few days since I visited the Female Academy, 
 and was politely introduced to the different depart- 
 ments by the worthy principal, Mr. Crittenton, and 
 his assistant, the Rev. Robert McKee. Mr. C. has 
 grown up with the institution, and appears to be 
 enthusiastically devoted to it. The Academy is 
 divided into six departments, exclusive of the classes 
 composed of those scholars from each of the higher 
 departments, who are pursuing the study of the 
 French and Spanish languages, Natural History, 
 
 * See " National Portrait Gallery," the editor of which has 
 very properly introduced a portrait of Dr. Beck.
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 137 
 
 Chemistry, and Botany. It appears to be of a use- 
 ful and practical character. The studies pursued, 
 and the arrangement of the departments, contribute 
 to this end, as the proficiency of the great number 
 of young ladies amply demonstrates. The text- 
 book of the science taught, is the basis of the in- 
 struction to be communicated, and the students are 
 required to give extemporaneous illustrations of 
 every important principle in the science under con- 
 sideration, and also to give a general as well as a 
 particular analysis of the author. 
 
 The general direction of the Institution is com- 
 mitted to a Principal ; besides, to each department 
 there is attached a permanent teacher ; and when- 
 ever the number of pupils renders it expedient, the 
 department is divided, and a teacher appointed to 
 each division. The teachers of Penmanship devote 
 their time to the departments in rotation. Lectures 
 are given in the winter terms on Chemistry and 
 Experimental Philosophy ; in the summer terms, 
 on Botany and Geology, by the Professor of Chem- 
 istry and Natural Philosophy, and on Biblical An- 
 tiquities, by the President. 
 
 Instruction in Rhetoric and Composition, and in 
 Sacred Music, is given by the respective Professors 
 of these branches. 
 
 Dr. Jonathan Barber, of Harvard College, has 
 lately been appointed Professor of Elocution and 
 12*
 
 138 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 Composition in this institution. He has endeav- 
 oured, and with success I am informed, to impress 
 upon the minds of the young ladies, the importance 
 of correct and impressive reading. Dr. Barber 
 holds a high rank as an Elocutionist, but I advise 
 him by all means to abandon Phrenology, a sci- 
 ence which he is but illy adapted to teach. 1 con- 
 sider his system of elocution really excellent, and 
 I agree with the Regents in their report, that his 
 mode of instruction is calculated to ensure a distinct 
 and impressive utterance, and is not chargeable, as 
 conducted by himself, with any tendency to pro- 
 duce unnatural or affected reading ; that it is adapted 
 to improve the physical powers of the voice, and. 
 give a distinct enunciation, which are particularly 
 insisted on as necessary preliminaries to the higher 
 grace of expression at which it aims ; that it in- 
 volves also an analysis of the meaning and spirit of 
 written language, with a view to its expression by 
 the voice, by which an intelligent and attentive pu- 
 pil may improve at the same time his powers of 
 criticism and composition, thus exercising an im- 
 portant .influence in the improvement of the mind 
 as well as of the voice. 
 
 The principal, Mr. Crittenton, read to me spe- 
 cimens of prose composition, which would have 
 been creditable to a practised and even classic wri- 
 ter. The muses, too, find worshippers among the
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 139 
 
 fair daughters of this temple of learning. The 
 effusions of two or three, at least, of the scholars, 
 add to the value and interest of a literary period- 
 ical* published here. The principal favoured me 
 with two articles of poetry from a beautiful girlf 
 in her sixteenth year. One of these pieces pos- 
 sesses so much of the true spirit of poetry, that I 
 cannot (especially as it has not been published) re- 
 sist the temptation of introducing it in this place. 
 The thoughts, if not original, are pure, and the lan- 
 guage is simple and beautiful. The fair author 
 has studied nature attentively, for one of her years, 
 and with a poet's feelings ; like the bee, she educes 
 good from the flowers. It is called 
 
 " THE LANGUAGE OP THE FLOWERS." 
 
 How is the book of Nature filled 
 With lessons that we all may learn ! 
 
 What precious precepts are instilled 
 As each successive page we turn ! 
 
 I love to walk at dawn of day, 
 With open eye, and ear, and heart ; 
 
 To list (o what the flowers say, 
 And learn the lessons they impart. 
 
 * The Zodiac, a monthly Magazine, conducted with ability 
 by Mr. Bloodgood, and published by Erastus Perry, 
 t Miss M. E. Gould.
 
 140 LBTTER8 ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 For flowers have a voice for me ; 
 
 They many a holy lesson teach ; 
 And better surely I should be 
 
 If I but practised all and each. 
 
 The fragrant herb on which I tread, 
 Although I crush it to the ground, 
 
 Will, as it raises up its bead, 
 With incense strew the air around. 
 
 And thus I learn that Gratitude 
 Should always in my heart abound ; 
 
 And, that for evil, greater good 
 Should always in return be found. 
 
 The violet, with azure eye, 
 Says, strive not in this world to shine ; 
 
 Far from its vain allurements fly, 
 And let humility be thine. 
 
 The daisy, with its velvet leaf, 
 
 Its rays of purple, disk of gold, 
 Says, " I am glorious, yet how brief! 
 
 " In me a type of life behold." 
 
 A flower has language in its bloom, 
 And when it withers, droops, and dies, 
 
 It says, You hasten to the tomb ; 
 Prepare for death Be early wise. 
 
 Few cities in our country have more splendid 
 edifices than Albany. It is a matter of consolation, 
 after my perhaps too harsh delineation of character 
 in a former epistle, to find something to praise. 
 
 The Female Academy of which I have been
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 141 
 
 speaking, is really a beautiful and classical edifice. 
 Its location is upon the west side of North Pearl 
 street, nearly equi-distant from Maiden lane and 
 Steuben street. It commands a capital view of 
 the eastern part of the city and opposite shore of 
 the Hudson. 
 
 The plan of the building is about sixty-five feet 
 by seventy -seven, including the portico, and the 
 height about fifty-five feet, containing in all four 
 stories and a cellar. The four stories are divided 
 into sixteen spacious rooms ; with halls sufficient 
 for the accommodation of the staircases, and com- 
 munications to the several apartments. The front 
 faces to the east, and is ornamented with a beau- 
 ful Hexastyle portico of the Ionic order, which for 
 sublimity of effect, and taste in arrangement, is not 
 surpassed by any in the United States. The pro- 
 portions of the columns, capitals, bases, and entab- 
 lature, are taken from the temple on the Ilissus, 
 the most beautiful example of the Ionic among the 
 remains of antiquity. A flight of six steps of mar- 
 ble supports the colonnade ; and this elevation, the 
 great length of the columns, (which are forty feet,) 
 the bold and lofty entablature, so well adapted to 
 this order, give a majesty and effect to the front 
 which can only be duly appreciated by a critical 
 examination. The angles are finished with antae ; 
 and the ceiling of the pronaos or vestibule formed
 
 149 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 into a single panel, surrounded with an appro- 
 priate entablature. 
 
 The arrangement of the front windows, dividing 
 the front into two stories instead of four, is judi- 
 cious. If the front had been perforated for four 
 tiers of windows, its architectural beauty would 
 have been much impaired ; but by lengthening the 
 windows, so that one serves to light two stories, as 
 has been done, and throwing a transom across 
 them at the intermediate floors, ornamented with 
 Grecian fret, the beauty of the whole has been in- 
 creased. 
 
 The principal entrance into the interior, is from 
 the vestibule above mentioned. The door is quite 
 plain, no ornament being admitted which does not 
 strictly accord with the general character of the 
 front. The entrance is, nevertheless, spacious and 
 convenient, and corresponds well with the Venitian 
 windows above. A bold, well constructed stair- 
 case, ascending to the fourth story, is presented im- 
 mediately on entering the lower hall, and though 
 divested of all fantastic ornament, it will be much 
 admired on account of its strength and convenience, 
 and the durable quality of the materials with which 
 it is constructed. 
 
 The finish of the rooms (the Exhibition room 
 excepted) is plain, and of Grecian detail; and while 
 all superfluous ornament has been studiously avoid-
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 143 
 
 ed, strength, boldness, and propriety have been kept 
 steadily in view. 
 
 The Chapel exhibits a slight departure from 
 that plainness of style which is a marked feature 
 in the general finish of this edifice. But this slight 
 variation creates no confusion. It seems in har- 
 mony with the rest ; and while the shade of differ- 
 ence is so small as scarcely to be noticed, you are 
 presented with the most classically finished room 
 in this city, and one probably not surpassed by any 
 in the state. This room is thirty-seven by sixty- 
 one feet, the ceiling about seventeen feet high, and 
 the entrance by two spacious doors on the east side. 
 It is lighted by a range of windows along the west 
 side ; and the walls of the opposite side and end 
 have recesses corresponding in number and loca- 
 tion with the windows, which preserve a rigid sym- 
 metry as regards the various openings. The doors, 
 windows, and recesses, are finished with plain ca- 
 sings, having pedimental lintels crowned with carv- 
 ed mouldings. The plainness of the face of the ca- 
 sings is relieved by patteres, or rosettes, a fashion- 
 able and judicious ornament much used by the 
 architects of antiquity. The antaes and entablature 
 with which this room is ornamented, are in imita- 
 tion of those of the Erectheum, and cannot fail to 
 attract particular attention. They exhibit a highly 
 finished specimen of the Grecian Ionic, and display a
 
 144 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 judicious use of ornament without profusion ; and if 
 this specimen of the Ionic order be contrasted with 
 that used in the front portico, it will be readily con- 
 ceded, that though the latter, on account of its bold- 
 ness, should have preference in external decoration, it 
 must yield the palm to the former for internal finish. 
 
 The Baptist Church, on the same side of North 
 Pearl street, and but a few doors from the Academy, 
 gives a fine appearance to North Pearl street. The 
 pediments of both buildings projecting at suitable 
 distances from each other, enhance the effect, by 
 relieving the monotony of the long line of dwelling 
 houses in the neighbourhood, without materially 
 obstructing the view of the whole, while they give 
 to them the appearance of one construction. 
 
 The Capitol is situated one hundred and twenty 
 feet above the level of the Hudson. It cost $ 1 20,000. 
 It is a substantial stone edifice of one hundred and 
 fifty feet in length, ninety feet in breadth, fifty 
 feet in height, consisting of two stories and a base- 
 ment. The east part is adorned with a portico of 
 the Ionic order, having four columns, three feet and 
 eight inches in diameter, and thirty-three feet in 
 height. In the hall of the Representatives and the 
 Senate chamber, I noticed portraits of Washington, 
 end of several of the governors of the state. 
 
 The State Hall, which is to supply the place of 
 the old Capitol, now nearly completed, will be a
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 145 
 
 magnificent edifice. It covers an area of one hun- 
 dred and thirty-eight by eighty-eight feet ; and con- 
 tains four stories : the largest sides running nearly 
 north and south, and the principal front facing 
 west, towards the Academy park, and separated 
 from it by Eagle street. The materials used in the 
 construction are brick and stone, and the exterior is 
 to be faced with cut stone from Mount Pleasant. 
 The ceilings are to be arched with brick, which 
 arches are to support the floors of the several sto- 
 ries, rendering the whole fire-proof. The roof is 
 to be covered with copper. The walls are made 
 unusually thick, in order to resist the pressure of 
 the internal arches and floors ; and additional 
 strength is gained by strong iron anchors at each 
 floor, running longitudinally and transversely, and 
 firmly leaded into the external walls. 
 
 The principal and second stories are ornamented, 
 externally, with Grecian antae, which rests upon 
 the projecting die of the building, and extends up- 
 wards to the attic story, and which supports the 
 entablature extending round the building at the up- 
 per termination of the two principal stories. The 
 west front is to be ornamented by a well proper 
 tioned portico, comprising six Grecian Ionic col- 
 umns, supported by the steps and platforms at the 
 principal entrance, and surmounted by suitable pro- 
 portioned entablature and pediment. 
 13
 
 146 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 The east side will be ornamented by a similar 
 pediment, supported by antae. A neat cornice ter- 
 minates the attic story, surmounted by the parapet, 
 which is intended to conceal the roof. 
 
 A hemispherical dome, of forty feet diameter, 
 containing the sash through which the light passes 
 to the rotunda, terminates the upper part of the 
 building. 
 
 The basement story is to contain six rooms of 
 twenty-two by thirty-three feet, and two dark rooms 
 of the same dimensions, suitable for wood and coal ; 
 also, two halls of twenty-two by thirty-three feet, 
 and two of ten by fifteen feet, and an area under 
 the rotunda in the centre of the building, of thirty- 
 three feet diameter. The basement story is four 
 teen feet high, including the arches and floors. 
 
 The principal story contains six rooms of twenty- 
 two by thirty-three feet, one room thirty-three by 
 forty-seven feet, two rooms of thirteen by twelve 
 feet, two halls ten by forty-five feet, and a hall of 
 twenty-two by thirty-three feet ; which latter is at 
 the principal entrance, and contains the staircases, 
 and the rotunda, which is thirty-three feet diam- 
 eter. 
 
 The second and third stories each, contain nine 
 rooms of twenty-two by thirty-three feet, a hall of 
 twenty-two by thirty-three feet, and two halls of 
 ten by forty-five feet, and the rotunda of thirty-
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 147 
 
 three feet diameter. The principal and second sto- 
 ries, including the floors and arches, will occupy 
 twenty-two feet each in height ; the attic story wiH 
 be fourteen feet in the clear. The whole height 
 of the building, above the side-walk at the west 
 front, will be about sixty-five feet ; the declivity of 
 the ground eastward, will increase the height of 
 the east side to about seventy-four feet. I am 
 not aware that any appropriation of the rooms has 
 been made as regards the different public offices ; 
 it is probable, however, that the large room, and 
 two of those of twenty-two by thirty-three feet, will 
 be required by the comptroller, for the business 
 connected with his office ; two will be required by 
 the secretary ; the attorney-general, the treasurer, 
 surveyor- general, the adjutant -general, register in 
 chancery, and the clerk of the supreme court, will 
 each require one; leaving four for future exigen- 
 cies of the state. 
 
 The interior is to be furnished in a plain style, 
 in all respects suited to the purpose of public of- 
 fices. 
 
 The rotunda will have an estrade or gallery, ex 
 tending round it at the second and third story floors, 
 and enclosed by iron railings, to afford the neces- 
 sary communications between the hall, which cen- 
 tre at that point. It is probable that iron, in place 
 of stone, will be used in constructing the principal
 
 148 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 staircases, which commence at the right and left 
 of the hall, near the principal entrance, and termi- 
 nate in the third story. 
 
 St. Paul's Church, at the corner of South Ferry 
 and Dallias streets, is a fine specimen of the Gothic 
 style of architecture. It is eighty-four feet long, 
 sixty-two wide ; the height of the walls to the cor- 
 nice is thirty-two feet, with a semi-octagonal ves- 
 tibule projecting sixteen feet, and rising to the front 
 pediment of the main roof. The building is of 
 rough unwrought stone, (from two to three and a 
 half feet thick.) The design is from an ancient 
 Gothic temple. The original plan embraces the 
 erection of a stone tower in the rear, of twenty-two 
 feet square, elevated two sections above the belfry ; 
 to be surmounted with turrets to correspond with 
 those on the main building. There are five win- 
 dows on each side, and two in front, supported by 
 centre ends, diverging at the head, so as to form 
 three distinct Gothic arches to the casements and 
 frames of each window. The mullions are diag- 
 onally disposed, and contain glass of five and a 
 quarter inches square. The angles of the walls, 
 and the partition wall at the landing of the gallery 
 stairs, are supported by buttresses of two feet 
 square; having in each three abutments, capped 
 with cut stone, and surmounted with quadrangular 
 Gothic pinnacles. The nave is finished with a
 
 CETTERS tBOTT THE HUDSON. 149 
 
 deep Gothic frieze and cornice, and the parapet 
 carried up in the form of battlements. 
 
 On the right and left of the entrance way, are 
 niches prepared for statuary. The front door is 
 ten feet wide, on each side of which are columns 
 supporting the arch of a window above the impost 
 of the door. The naves of the vestibule roof are 
 finished with cornice and chain work, and the an- 
 gles surmounted with pinnacles. 
 
 The interior finish is also Gothic, painted in im- 
 itation of oak. Below are one hundred and twenty- 
 eight lens, and sixty-six in the gallery. The screen 
 is twenty-four feet wide, supported by four octa- 
 gonal Gothic columns, in panel work, and rising 
 about eighteen feet from the chancel floor. The 
 columns are finished at the top with pinnacles, or- 
 namented and enriched with carved leaves and 
 vines ; in the centre of the screen, and immediately 
 over the pulpit, there rises a pediment supported by 
 clustered columns and an arch ; the pediment is also 
 surmounted with a richly ornamented pinnacle ex- 
 . tending to the ceiling, and standing in relief, in 
 a niche prepared to receive it. The top of the 
 screen and basis of the pinnacle are finished with 
 castellated battlements, and the panel rests in 
 quatre foils. 
 
 The South Dutch Church, situated between 
 Hudson and Beaver streets, is a superb edifice, ex- 
 13*
 
 150 BETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 hibiting one of the finest specimens in the art of 
 building to be found in Albany. It cost about 
 $100,000, and is the property of the Dutch Re- 
 formed congregations. The entire pulpit of the 
 old stone church of this society, founded in 1656, 
 was brought over from Holland, and though the 
 edifice is demolished, yet that identical pulpit is 
 still in existence. It serves the same purpose in 
 our day that it did upwards of a century and a half 
 ago. 
 
 The North Dutch Church, on the west side of 
 Pearl street, has been erected many years, and be- 
 longs to the same congregation. It is a large 
 Greek edifice, well proportioned ; it has two stee- 
 ples, and cost about $50,000. 
 
 Yours, &c.
 
 LETTER XV. 
 
 Poughkeepsie Rapid Progress of Improvement- 
 New Silk Factory Inventive genius of Gen. Harvey- 
 Patent Screw Company Coining Money Patent Saw 
 for felling trees Patent Stock Frames Advantages of 
 Poughkeepsie, etc. Report of the Inspectors of grain 
 Dutchess Plains Scenery Poetry Ride to Hyde Park 
 Derivation of the name The late Dr. Hosack's place 
 Churches and population Cultivated grounds Death of 
 Dr. Hosack, etc. 
 
 Poughkeepsie, June 2, 1836. 
 
 FRIEND P. It is some months since I visited 
 this most thriving village ; and the progress of im- 
 provement has been so rapid since, that it seems 
 years rather than months. Accompanied by my 
 intelligent young friend, Hatch, of the Poughkeep- 
 sie Hotel, I rode over almost every part of the vil- 
 lage, and was surprised at the number of new 
 streets and squares, which were being laid out and 
 graded under the eye of the " improvement party," 
 as it is aptly termed. Preparations appear to be ma- 
 king for a constantly progressive, and even rapid in- 
 crease of population ; and the plans for manufac- 
 turing companies seem to warrant it.* The ex- 
 
 I * The following remarks from the Poughkeepsie Eagle, 
 give a pretty correct idea of the disposition of the inhabitants 
 generally, to receive new-comers. It speaks, at least, the
 
 152 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 tensive silk factory, owned by a company with a 
 capital of $200,000, is completed, and nearly ready 
 to commence operations. Gen. Harvey, a skilful 
 machinist, and the inventer of some half score of 
 " Yankee contrivances," has got up a screw com- 
 pany, with a capital of $200,000, which promises 
 not a little towards the future prospects of the place. 
 The screws are made by the machinery of Gen. 
 H.'s invention, and with astonishing facility. The 
 whole being accomplished by three rapid applica- 
 tions of the machinery. The first cuts the screw 
 
 language and sentiments of the "improvement party" on this 
 head. 
 
 " We repeat this remark, that a hearty welcome should be 
 extended to every new-comer, whatever be his business or 
 calling. We do so because, in this respect, our town has got 
 the name, whether justly or not we will not pretend to say, 
 of being rather chary in our favours ; and because, if true, it 
 does not tend to any public advantage. A stranger meeting 
 with a cold salutation, or with silent neglect, and who has 
 to encounter those narrow and aristocratic prejudices which 
 circumscribe the social circle and exclude him from its enjoy- 
 ments, will not find his situation so pleasant as to make it 
 an object to remain here, if there are other places where he 
 can do as well in business. When a stranger settles among 
 us, there should he no waiting for this family or that family to 
 make his acquaintance, which, being done, gives time for the 
 growth of discontentment or disgust, but the hand of friend- 
 ship should be immediately extended, and that respect offered 
 which merit claims. Our true policy therefore is, to do all 
 things to encourage the settlement of strangers among us, 
 and to use every means to make their residence both agree- 
 able and profitable."
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 153 
 
 from the wire, and forms the head; the second 
 forms the groove, and finishes the head; and the 
 third makes the screw, and turns out a highly pol- 
 ished and beautiful article, far superior to the Eng- 
 glish screws made by hand. It is expected that 
 this establishment will manufacture not less than 
 twenty thousand gross per week, and give steady 
 employment to three hundred hands. I saw in the 
 same establishment a machine for coining money, 
 made for the government mint the model of a saw 
 for felling trees, invented for the express benefit ot 
 a " down east" company of speculators a machine 
 for turning out horse-shoes, perfect, with only one 
 speedy operation and a large number of machines 
 for weaving stock frames were in the " full tide of 
 successful operation," all productions of Gen. Har- 
 vey's fertile genius. The admirers of mechanical 
 skill, and the curious generally, who visit Pough- 
 keepsie, should not pass this repository of the " use- 
 ful arts" by. Mr. Goodell, the partner of the in- 
 venter, is a most intelligent, affable gentleman, and 
 appears to take pleasure in exhibiting and unfold- 
 ing the mysteries of the place. 
 
 With a rich and fertile country around the fa 
 cilities of communication with the commercial em- 
 porium of the country the invincible spirit of en- 
 terprise legitimately belonging to the "improve- 
 ment party," but now leavening the whole lump, it
 
 154 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 were difficult to trace, even in imagination, the des- 
 tined prosperity and greatness of this village and 
 its vicinity. Notwithstanding there is but little 
 water power here, it is estimated by shrewd, care- 
 ful calculators, that any branch of manufacturing 
 can be carried on by steam to any extent, with far 
 greater economy than in your Manchester of 
 America, Lowell.* 
 
 The annual report of the inspector of grain in 
 the city of New York, furnishes some interesting 
 official evidence of the " conspicuous rank occupied 
 by old Dutchess among her sister counties." From 
 
 * At this time there are twenty-three cotton and woollen 
 manufactories in the county of Dutchess, the annual value 
 of the manufactured articles in which is $621,102 61 ; the value 
 of the raw material $284,235 ; and the number of yards of 
 cloth manufactured 2,396,863. There is one dying and print- 
 ing factory, consuming of the raw material $650,000, and 
 yielding manufactured articles to the value of $750,000 annu- 
 ally. Of iron works there are six, consuming of the raw ma- 
 terial $116,330, and yielding the value of $233,800. There are 
 five trip-hammers, which consume $4,740, and yield $12,700. 
 Of grist mills, saw mills, fulling mills, carding machines, clo- 
 ver mills, paper mills, and tanneries, there are two hundred 
 and fifty-four, the value of the raw material consumed annu- 
 ally in which is $807,386, and the annual product $979,918 16. 
 There is also one brewery, which consumes of the raw ma- 
 terial $65,000, and yields $92,000. There are, therefore, in this 
 county at the present time, of the various kinds of manufac- 
 tories and hydraulic works, two hundred and ninety ; which 
 annually consume in the raw material, the value of $1,927,416, 
 and yield a product of $2,689,521 57.
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 155 
 
 this report it appears, that the whole quantity of 
 grain received in the city during the year amounts 
 to 3,350,788 bushels. 
 
 Of this quantity 2,309,307 bushels were received 
 from the several counties of this state, and 1,041,481 
 bushels from the other states of the union, and from 
 foreign countries. 
 
 Of the 2,309,307 bushels received from the sev- 
 eral counties of this state, 838,043 bushels, or con- 
 siderably more than one third of the whole, was 
 furnished by Dutchess county. 
 
 From all parts of* the state, except the three 
 counties of Dutchess, Columbia, and Rensselaer, 
 there were received 734,522 bushels, being less by 
 more than 100,000 bushels than was received from 
 Dutchess alone. 
 
 It further appears, that of all the grain received 
 into the city from every place, one quarter was sup- 
 plied by the county of Dutchess. 
 
 By turning to the inspector's report for 1833, we 
 find the whole quantity of grain received in the 
 city from Dutchess was 479,532 bushels, from 
 which it will appear that the surplus of grain sent 
 to market from the county, has very nearly doubled 
 in two years. 
 
 But the quantity of grain as shown by the in- 
 spector's report, falls very far short of showing the 
 entire surplus grain product of the county, i A
 
 156 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 great many thousand bushels are annually sent di- 
 rectly from Poughkeepsie to the several towns on 
 the New England seaboard. Large quantities of 
 corn and rye are ground, and sent to New York 
 in the meal and still larger quantities of oats and 
 corn are ground, and sent to New York as feed 
 for horses, cows, &c. And nearly all the grain of 
 the several towns bordering on Connecticut, finds 
 a market in the manufacturing districts of that 
 state. Not a bushel that is shipped direct to New 
 England, or goes to the city as meal, or as feed, or 
 that is sent to Connecticut, is embraced in the in- 
 spector's report j if it were, Dutchess county would 
 probably be found, instead of 838,043 bushels, to 
 have sent abroad during the past year, not less than 
 1,300,000 bushels. 
 
 The "Dutchess Plains," two miles below the 
 village, furnishes some delightful sites for country 
 seats, where the wealthy and the refined may re- 
 tire in the summer season, from the "din and dust" 
 of the city, and enjoy the magnificent, the soul- 
 enlivening scenery, which meets the eye in every 
 direction. Indeed, there are on the borders of the 
 Hudson, from its rise to its mouth, localities of un- 
 rivalled beauty, where the good man may breathe 
 into the ear of heaven, the devout adorations awa- 
 kened in his soul by all " above, around, and below 
 him;" where the invalid may court and win
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HCDSON. 157 
 
 smiling health; where the botanist may walk in 
 the garden of the flowers, and cull the sweets of 
 rural science; and the philosopher, and the devotee 
 of pleasure, may, alike, gratify the desires of the 
 heart and the eye. The Hudson, with its romantic, 
 its diversified scenery, rendered interesting by rev- 
 olutionary reminiscences, furnishes inexhaustible 
 materials for the poet and the painter. I have 
 passed up and down its waters a hundred times ; I 
 have repeatedly wandered along its shores for miles, 
 and every time I find some new prospect to ad- 
 mire, or some new incident to interest. One of the 
 most graphic descriptions of some of the appear- 
 ances of this noble river, recently appeared in the 
 "Knickerbocker;" it is so pertinent to the train 
 of my thoughts at this time, and possesses so many 
 evidences of true poetry, that I cannot forbear quo- 
 ting it entire ; and this I do the more cheerfully, 
 under an impression that it may, perchance, atone 
 for my common-place thoughts or crude remarks. 
 
 Proud stream ! the birchen barks that wont of old 
 Prom cove to cove to shoot athwart thy tide, 
 
 The quivered nations, eloquent and bold, 
 Whose simple fare thy shores and depths supplied, 
 
 Are passed away ; and men of other mould 
 Now o'er thy bosom their wing'd fabrics guide, 
 14
 
 158 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 All white with sails thy keel-thronged waters flee, 
 Through one rich lapse of plenty to the sea. 
 
 Beauty and Majesty on either hand 
 
 Have shored thy waters with their common realm 
 Here pasture, grove, and harvest-field expand, 
 
 There, the rough boatman veers his yielding helin 
 From the sheer cliff, whose shadow broad and grand 
 
 Darkens his sail, and seems his path to whelm 
 With doubt and gloom ; till through some wild ravine, 
 A gush of sunlight leaps upon the scene! 
 
 I love thy tempests, when the broad-winged blast 
 
 Rouses thy billows with his battle call, 
 When gathering clouds, in phalanx black and vast, 
 
 Like armed shadows gird thy rocky wall, 
 And from their leaguering legions thick and fast 
 
 The galling hail-shot in fierce volleys fall, 
 While quick, from cloud to cloud, darts o'er the levin 
 The flash that fires the batteries of heaven ! 
 
 How beauteous art thou, when, at rosy dawn, 
 Up from thy glittering breast its robe of mist 
 
 Into the azure depths is gently drawn, 
 Or softly settles o'er thy bluffs, just kiss'd 
 
 By the first slanting beams of golden morn ; 
 Gorgeous when ruby, gold, and amethyst 
 
 Upon thy tasselated surface lie 
 
 The wave-glassed splendours of the sun-set sky I 
 
 A nd when the moon through wreaths of curdled snow, 
 Upon thee pours a flood of silver sheen, 
 
 While the tall headlands vaster seem to grow, 
 As on thy breast their giant shadows lean. 
 
 There is a mournful music in thy flow;
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 159 
 
 And I have listened mid the hallowed scene, 
 Until lov'd voices seemed, in murmurs bland, 
 Hailing me softly from the spirit land. 
 
 The deep Missouri hath a fiercer song, 
 
 The Mississippi pours a bolder wave, 
 And with a deaf 'ning crash the torrent strong, 
 
 From the linked lakes, leaps to Niagara's grave ; 
 Yet when the storm-king smites his thundering gong, 
 
 Thy hills reply from many a bellowing cave ; 
 And when with smiles the sun o'erlooks their brow, 
 He sees no stream more beautiful than thou. 
 
 The ride to Hyde Park, about six miles north 
 of Poughkeepsie, is very pleasant. The elegant 
 mansions, the extended plains, and the highly cul- 
 tivated grounds you pass, render the route really 
 delightful. The village or town of Hyde Park, 
 derived its name from the place owned by the late- 
 Dr. Hosack. Dr. Bard, the original proprietor, 
 gave it that name ; and when the town of Clinton 
 was divided into three separate villages, this town 
 assumed the name of Hyde Park. 
 
 The mansion and grounds of the late Dr. Ho- 
 sack, occupy a space of about seven hundred acres. 
 It is a princely place, extending a mile from the 
 village north, and about the same distance from the 
 river east. The mansion is built on an extensive 
 plain, and surrounded by trees and shrubbery of 
 every variety. The grounds along the Albany
 
 160 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. * 
 
 river road, on either side, are shaded with large lo- 
 cust trees. A retired spot of the grounds of this 
 great estate is occupied with a neat little Episcopal 
 chapel, and the mansion of the rector. This was 
 given to the society by Dr. Bard. Its location is 
 quite rural. There are three other churches in 
 the town, a Methodist, a Dutch Reformed, and 
 Quaker or Friends. The population of the town 
 is about two thousand six hundred ; but in the vil- 
 lage there are perhaps not more than five hundred 
 inhabitants. Judge Pendleton, Hamilton Wilkes, 
 Thos. Williams, and E. Holbrook, Esqrs., have all 
 beautiful mansions, and highly cultivated grounds. 
 Dr. Hosack's place is to be sold, and will probably 
 be divided into Jots, and furnish ample space for a 
 dozen mansions as summer residences for our New 
 York city gentry. The New York and Albany 
 boats land at Hyde Park, about half a mile from 
 the village. 
 
 The "American National Portrait Gallery" con- 
 tains a portrait, and brief biographical sketch of 
 this distinguished medical practitioner and author. 
 The author of the sketch says, that in 1830, Dr. 
 Hosack concluded to retire from practice, and with 
 that view purchased the elegant estate of his patron, 
 Dr. Bard, at Hyde Park, on the banks of the Hud- 
 son, where he resided from May to November, en- 
 gaged in cultivating his farm, and improving and
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 161 
 
 beautifying his pleasure grounds, and extensive bo- 
 tanical garden. His extensive and practical know- 
 ledge as a florist, connected with wealth and a re- 
 fined taste, has rendered his garden second to none 
 in the union; and here, in the bosom of his family, 
 he enjoyed in retirement the bright reward of un- 
 sullied renown, which he had earned by a life of 
 unceasing activity, in developing the hidden virtues, 
 and administering the efficient power of a science 
 which is of the first importance to his fellow-men. 
 But the mighty conqueror, whose hand is stayed 
 not by worldly grandeur or moral worth, broke in 
 upon his repose, and on Tuesday night, the 29th 
 of December, 1835, he expired at his residence in 
 New York, at the age of sixty-six years. On 
 Tuesday, of the preceding week, he remarked to a 
 friend, that his health was most excellent, and had 
 been so for some time. On Friday morning he 
 felt rather unwell, but after taking his breakfast he 
 went out a short distance, transacted some busi- 
 ness, and returned to ride out in his wagon. He 
 was suddenly seized with fainting, and soon after 
 an apoplectic shock, attended with paralysis, from 
 which time he lingered until Tuesday evening, the 
 period of his demise. He had been anticipating 
 the event for more than a year, although his health 
 was good ; but there were symptoms which, as a 
 skilful physician, he could not mistake. 
 14'
 
 163 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 As a physician and man of science, his name 
 was universally honoured as the first ; as a citizen, 
 his many virtues and excellences of character have 
 made a deep impression upon the hearts of thou- 
 sands, and he has left a blank in the scientific and 
 social world, which few men can supply with equal 
 ability. " He was always observant of the strict- 
 est punctuality in the performance of his numerous 
 and various engagements, having scarcely ever 
 been known either to omit the performance of his 
 duty, or to be absent five minutes after the time pre- 
 scribed for his attendance." It was an observation 
 of his, that the more a man has to do, the better he 
 does it, and the more punctual he is in the perform- 
 ance. His habits of early rising and strict tem- 
 perance, have been the most effectual means in en- 
 abling him to perform the many arduous tasks 
 which he has so successfully accomplished. 
 
 Soon after he retired from practice, he was invi- 
 ted by some of his friends to enter the political 
 arena, and attach himself to one of the political par- 
 ties then existing, but he declined by thus express- 
 ing his sentiments : " If a party could be formed 
 favourable to the interests of education, of agricul- 
 ture, and the commercial character of our state; 
 to the development of its natural resources and 
 promotion of internal improvements; to such a 
 party I could not hesitate to avow my allegiance,
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 163 
 
 and to devote the best exertions of which I am ca- 
 pable, to advance the interests of my native state 
 and country : but under existing dissensions, I must 
 decline all connexion with our political institu- 
 tions, and devote myself to the cultivation of the 
 vine and the fig-tree, as more conducive to my own 
 happiness and that of my family.'
 
 LETTER XVI. 
 
 How the writer obtained the History of the Military Academy 
 at West Point Lt. Roswell Park West Point a place 
 of interest Hallowed by Washington, Kosciusko, Lafay- 
 ette, etc. View of West Point after entering the Moun- 
 tain Gap above The Monuments Links of the chain 
 broken by the British vessels in 1777 Early History of the 
 Academy The Officers Practical considerations which 
 should influence those who are seeking or who may gain 
 admission to tlie Military Academy, etc. 
 
 West Point, June 10, 1836. 
 
 FRIEND P. In 1834, 1 was associated with t\vo 
 gentlemen in the editorial management of a monthly 
 magazine ; in soliciting contributions for the pages 
 of the work, I applied to an early and intimate 
 friend,* for a description and some account of West 
 Point and the Military School. The desired in- 
 formation was cheerfully furnished, and published. 
 It was drawn up with the accustomed ability of the 
 writer, and from his perfect familiarity with the 
 scenes described, as well as the facts introduced, it 
 was considered the most full and accurate account 
 of the institution that had ever appeared in print. 
 
 * Lt. Roswell Park, a graduate of West Point Academy, 
 who has since distinguished himself not only as a gentleman 
 of general intelligence, but especially as a lecturer on civil 
 engineering.
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 165 
 
 I have mentioned these circumstances as an apol- 
 ogy for using the facts, and occasionally the lan- 
 guage, contained in this account. These facts, to- 
 gether with what I have been able to gather from 
 a hasty visit to the place, will form the materials 
 of my present epistle. 
 
 West Point is a spot of peculiar interest. It has 
 been hallowed by the footsteps of a Washington, a 
 Kosciusko, and a Lafayette ; it is consecrated by 
 a nation to the Spartan-like training of a few devo- 
 ted sons from every state of our wide spread union ; 
 nor less sacredly secluded by nature as the scene 
 of retirement and study : it seems alike calculated 
 to please the pensive sage and the aspiring youth- 
 ful soldier ; while even female loveliness vouch- 
 safes to paint its memories in lines of hope and 
 brightness, as " the boast of a glory hallowed 
 land." 
 
 " Bright are the moments link'd with thee, 
 
 Boast of a glory hallowed land ; 
 Hope of the valiant and the free, 
 Home of their youthful soldier band. 
 
 The view of West Point as you enter the Moun- 
 tain Gap, after you leave Newburgh, is delightful. 
 In the fore ground is the new spacious hotel ;* be- 
 
 * An excellent well-managed house, by Mr. Cozzens, a gen- 
 tleman highly esteemed by all visiters at West Point.
 
 166 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 yond it are the academic halls, the barracks, chapel, 
 and mess house, appropriated to the cadets ; and on 
 the right, are the comfortable dwellings occupied 
 by the officers of the academy. On the left, at the 
 angle of the plain, are traces of Fort Clinton ; and 
 on the right, towering far above Camptown, the 
 suburb occupied by soldiers and citizens, stands 
 Fort Putnam, on mount Independence, venerable in 
 its ruins "stern monument of a sterner age," 
 which survived the attempts of treason and the as- 
 saults of bravery, only to yield its hallowed mate- 
 rials to the desecration of a rapacious owner.* Of 
 the three monuments which now meet your eye, 
 the one on the right and nearest to you, on a pro- 
 jecting tongue of land bordered with thick groves, 
 is the Cadet's Monument, erected to the memory of 
 the deceased officers and cadets of the academy. 
 It cost $12,000. The centre one, near the flag- 
 staff) is a cenotaph, erected by General Brown to 
 the memory of Colonel Eleazar D. Wood, an early 
 and distinguished graduate of the academy, who 
 fell at the sortie of Fort Erie, in 1814. And the 
 monument on the left, over the levelled redoubt or 
 citadel of Fort Clinton, is sacred to Kosciusko. It 
 
 * Some years ago, the owner of the land on which Fort 
 Putnam was located, proceeded to demolish the fort, using 
 the materials for fences, &c. to compel the government to 
 purchase it at an exorbitant price. This was finally done.
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 167 
 
 was completed in 1829, by the corps of cadets, at 
 an expense of near $5000. Just beyond the wharf, 
 is the rock alluded to in my letter 'about' Cold 
 Spring, from which the chain was stretched across 
 the river in time of the revolution, to prevent the 
 passage of British vessels. They broke it, how- 
 ever, in 1777, when they forced the passage of the 
 highlands; and some links of it, near three feet 
 long, and of bar-iron near two inches square, are 
 still preserved in the statehouse as a revolutionary 
 relic. 
 
 The Military Academy was contemplated at an 
 early period of our national existence, with a view 
 to the preservation of military knowledge, and the 
 enforcement of a uniform discipline in our army. 
 As early as 1790, General Knox, then secretary 
 of war, in a report on the organization of the mi 
 litia, says : " Either efficient institutions must be 
 established for the military education of youth, and 
 the knowledge acquired therein be diffused through- 
 out the country by the means of rotation ; or the 
 militia must be formed of substitutes, after the man- 
 ner of the militia of Great Britain. If the United 
 States possess the vigour of mind to establish the first 
 institution, it may be reasonably expected to pro- 
 duce the most unequivocal advantages. A glorious 
 national spirit will be introduced, with its extensive 
 train of political consequences." In 1793, General
 
 168 LETTERS ABOUT THE HDDSOI*. 
 
 Washington, in his annual message to Congress, 
 suggests the inquiry, " whether a material feature 
 in the improvement" of the system of military de- 
 fence, " ought not to be, to afford an opportunity 
 for the study of those branches of the art, which 
 can scarcely ever be attained by practice alone." 
 And in his annual message of 1796, he says: 
 " The institution of a military academy is also re- 
 commended by cogent reasons. However pacific 
 the general policy of a nation may be, it ought 
 never to be without an adequate stock of military 
 knowledge for emergencies. "Whatever argument 
 may be drawn from particular examples, superfi- 
 cially viewed, a thorough examination of the sub- 
 ject will evince that the art of war is extensive and 
 complicated ; that it demands much previous study ; 
 and that the possession of it, in its most improved 
 and perfect state, is always of great moment to the 
 security of a nation. This, therefore, ought to be 
 a serious tare of every government ; and for this 
 purpose, an academy, where a regular course ol 
 instruction is given, is an obvious expedient, which 
 different nations have successfully employed." 
 
 On the 7th of May, 1794, Congress passed an 
 act providing for a corps of artillerists and engineers, 
 to consist of four battalions, to each of which, eight 
 cadets were to be attached ; making it the duty of 
 the secretary of war to procure, at the public ex-
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 169 
 
 pense, the necessary books, instruments, and appa- 
 ratus, for the use and benefit of said corps. This 
 was the first introduction of cadets as a grade of 
 officers in the army of the United States. The 
 term cadet, derived from the French, signifying a 
 younger son, was previously applied in England 
 to those young gentlemen who, seeking the situa- 
 tion, were trained for public employment, particu- 
 larly in the service of the East India Company. 
 In our own army it signifies an officer ranking be- 
 tween a lieutenant and a sergeant ; this grade hav- 
 ing been confined to the pupils of the military 
 academy since its establishment. 
 
 In 1798, Congress authorized the raising of an. 
 additional regiment of artillerists and engineers, 
 and increased the number of cadets to fifty-six. In 
 July of the same year, the President was empowered, 
 by another act, to appoint four teachers of the arts 
 and sciences, necessary for the instruction of this 
 corps. Thus, although the cadets were not col- 
 lected in one point, nor buildings erected for pur- 
 poses of education ; still, the principle upon which 
 the present institution rests \vas fully sanctioned ; a 
 new grade was created in the army to which young 
 men were exclusively entitled to be admitted ; and 
 means were provided for their education in the sci- 
 ence of war, that they might be fitted for stations 
 of command. 
 15
 
 170 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 The military academy was established by an act 
 of Congress, of March 16th, 1802, by which the 
 military peace establishment was determined. By 
 this act, the artillerists and engineers were made to 
 constitute two distinct corps. To the corps of en- 
 gineers were attached ten cadets. The 27th sec- 
 tion provided, that the said corps, when organized, 
 " shall be stationed at West Point, in the State of 
 New York, and shall constitute a military acad- 
 emy." It is also provided, that the senior engineer 
 officer present shall be superintendent of the acad- 
 emy ; and authorized the purchase of the necessary 
 books, implements, and apparatus, for the use and 
 benefit of the institution. In the following year, 
 another act, dated February 28, 1803, empowered 
 the President to appoint one teacher of the French 
 language, and one teacher of drawing. 
 
 Six years after, Mr. Jefferson, then President, 
 and who had previously expressed some doubts of 
 the constitutionality of the academy, thus calls the 
 attention of Congress to the subject of its welfare : 
 " The scale on which the military academy at West 
 Point was originally established, is become too lim- 
 ited to furnish the number of well instructed sub- 
 jects in the different branches of artillery and en- 
 gineering, which the public service calls for. The 
 chief engineer, having been instructed to consider 
 the subject, and to propose an augmentation, which
 
 LETTERS ABOrT THE HUDSON. 171 
 
 might render the establishment commensurate with 
 the present circumstances of the country, has made 
 his report, which I now transmit for the considera- 
 tion of Congress. The plan suggested by him of 
 removing the institution to this place, (Washington,) 
 is also worthy of attention. Besides the advantage 
 of placing it under the immediate eye of the gov- 
 ernment, it may render its benefits common to the 
 naval department; and will furnish opportunities 
 of selecting, on better information, the characters 
 most qualified to fulfil the duties which the public 
 service may call for." The proposal to remove 
 the academy to Washington, like several subsequent 
 ones, was promptly negatived ; but on the above 
 recommendation, an act was passed, increasing the 
 corps of cadets by one hundred and fifty-six addi- 
 tional members. 
 
 And in 1812, after the favourable notice of Pres- 
 ident Madison, Congress passed an act, dated April 
 29, which declares that "the military academy 
 shall consist of the corps of engineers, and the fol- 
 lowing professors and assistants, in addition to the 
 teachers of French and drawing already provided 
 for, viz. : A professor of experimental and natural 
 philosophy ; a professor of mathematics ; a professor 
 of the art of engineering ; with an assistant for 
 each." A chaplain was also to be appointed, and 
 required to officiate as professor of geography, eth-
 
 172 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 ics, and history. The number of cadets was lim- 
 ited to two hundred and sixty; the prerequisites for 
 admission, the term of study and service, and the 
 rate of pay and emoluments were prescribed. 
 
 Such were the essential provisions for establish- 
 ing the military academy; and notwithstanding 
 repeated efforts to change them, they still remain 
 unaltered. The documentary history above given, 
 is extracted from Col. Johnson's able report to the 
 House of Representatives, dated May 17, 1834; a 
 document, which shows in detail how fully this in- 
 stitution has received the sanction and support of 
 all the great statesmen of our nation, from the first 
 establishment of our federal government. It also 
 shows how unfounded are the prejudices which 
 have been locally excited against the academy ; 
 and how substantial have been the benefits by which 
 it has sought to repay the country for her maternal 
 care and support. 
 
 The old buildings first occupied by the academy 
 are long since gone to decay, and demolished. In 
 1812, the jurisdiction of two hundred and fifty 
 acres of land, was ceded by New York to the Uni- 
 ted States; and an appropriation of $12,000 hav- 
 ing been made for the erection of quarters, the 
 mess-hall, chapel, and south barracks, were begun, 
 and completed in the following year. The three 
 brick edifices nearest the mess-hall, were erected in
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 173 
 
 1815-16, and the other three nearest the flag-staff) 
 on the same line, in 1820-21. The north bar- 
 racks were built in 1 8 1 7. Of the three stone dwell- 
 ings west of the flag-staff) the farthest was erected 
 in 1821; the others in 1825-26. The hospital 
 and hotel were built in 1828-29; and the ordnance 
 or gun-house, in 1830. Appropriations have been 
 made for a gymnasium and a chapel, which are 
 now under construction. The water-works, for 
 supplying all the buildings with water, or extin- 
 guishing fire, were completed in 1830, at an ex- 
 pense of $4,500. The annual expense of the acad- 
 emy is stated at $11 5,000; averaging about $425 
 for each cadet. This is one fourth less than the 
 average cost of each cadet, prior to 1817, which 
 was not less than $550 per annum. The library 
 is well selected, of military, scientific, and historical 
 works, containing nearly ten thousand volumes. 
 The philosophical apparatus lately received from 
 France is extensive, and constructed with the latest 
 improvements. 
 
 Our biographical history of the academy shall 
 be brief Its superintendence was intrusted, in its 
 early stages, to General Jonathan Williams, ex- 
 officio, as chief of the corps of engineers. During 
 this period, from 1802 to 1812, the number of ca- 
 dets was small, and the total number of graduates 
 was only seventy-one. This may satisfactorily 
 15*
 
 174 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 answer the question, why do we not find more of 
 them among the distinguished men of our country. 
 The only professors recorded during this period, 
 are George Barren, and afterward Francis R. 
 Hassler, professors of mathematics; Francis De 
 Masson, teacher of French, and Christian E. Zoel- :. 
 ler, of drawing. Mr. Hassler is now employed by ' 
 the government on a trigonometrical survey of our 
 coast 
 
 From 1812 to 1815, the academy was placed un- 
 der the direction of the succeeding chief engineer, 
 General Joseph G. Swift. Among the professors, 
 were the Rev. Adam Empie, chaplain ; Andrew 
 Ellicott, professor of mathematics; Col. Jared Mans- 
 field, professor of natural philosophy; and Capt. 
 Alden Partridge, professor of engineering. 
 
 In 1815, Capt. Alden Partridge was appointed 
 superintendent of the academy ; the chief engineer 
 being, as at present, its Inspector, ex-offido. The 
 only new professor appointed was Claudius Be- 
 rard, teacher of French. 
 
 Some traits of Capt. Partridge's character ren- 
 dering a change desirable, he was relieved from his 
 station in 1817; and succeeded by Col. Sylvanus 
 Thayer, of the corps of engineers ; a gentleman 
 every way qualified by nature and by acquirements, 
 both at home and abroad, for this responsible duty. 
 Under his superintendence, an improved system of
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON/ 17$ 
 
 (discipline was introduced; the course of studies 
 much extended, so as to compare favourably with 
 that of foreign military schools; and the studies 
 required came to be thoroughly taught. Colonel 
 Thayer assiduously devoted all his resources tq 
 the advancement of the academy, until 1833, when, 
 at his own request, he was honourably relieved 
 from this station, and appointed to direct the erec- 
 tion of fortifications in Boston harbour. He was 
 succeeded in the superintendence of the academy 
 by Major R. E. De Russey, of the corps of engi- 
 neers, a gentleman of amiable character and exten- 
 sive acquirements. 
 
 The chief professors of the academy not yet men- 
 tioned, are: chaplains, Rev. T. Picton, 1818, Rev. 
 C. P. Mcllvaine, 1825, now Episcopal Bishop ot 
 Ohio, and Rev. Thos. Warner, 1828; professors 
 of engineering, Claude Crozet, 1817, since chief 
 civil engineer of Virginia, Major David B. Doug- 
 lass, 1823, now civil engineer, and Dennis H. 
 Malan, 1831 ; professor of natural philosophy, Ed- 
 ward H. Courtenay; professor of mathematics, 
 Charles Davis, 1821 ; acting professors of chemis- 
 try, Dr. James Cutbush, 1820, Dr. John Torrey, 
 1824, and Lieut. W. Fenn Hopkins, 1828; teach- 
 ers of drawing, Thos. Gimbrede, 1819, Charles 
 R. Leslie, R. A. 1833, and Robert W. Weir, 1834. 
 
 The total number of graduates, from its esta)}-
 
 176 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 lishrnent to July, 1834, inclusive, is seven hundred 
 and eighty-five. Of this number, four hundred 
 and thirty-four were in the service at the latter date, 
 as officers of the army ; nine have been killed in 
 battle ; eighty-four died in service ; two hundred 
 and eight have resigned ; and the remainder are 
 disbanded or otherwise dismissed from the service. 
 Of those who sleep on the battle-field, Col. Wood, 
 Col. Gibson, and Capt. Williams, fell at the sortie 
 of Fort Erie ; Rathbone at Glueenston Heights ; 
 Hobart at Fort George; Ronem at Chicago; Burch- 
 stead and Wilcox at Fort Mimms ; and Smith at 
 Christler's farm in Canada. 
 
 " Our whole army possesses now far more of the 
 public respect and confidence, than it did not many 
 years since. It is the great distinction of the acad- 
 emy at West Point, that has contributed largely 
 and effectually to this elevation of the character of 
 the military establishment. And it has accom- 
 plished a nobler service, by sending forth numbers 
 annually, competent to superintend the construction 
 of those chains of internal improvement, which are 
 to be the eternal bonds of our national union. The 
 rail-roads which connect the capital of Massachu- 
 setts with the heart of the state, and with important 
 harbours in Rhode Island and Connecticut; the im- 
 proved facilities of communication afforded to the 
 whole country by the Susquehannah and Balti-
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 177 
 
 more, Baltimore and Ohio rail-roads ; and the sim- 
 ilar construction between Charleston and Ham- 
 burg, S. C. ; the new roads which have augmented 
 the wealth of the territories of Michigan and Ar- 
 kansas, by opening new channels of transportation ; 
 and the securities extended to the internal and for- 
 eign commerce of the nation, by important harbour 
 improvements upon the shores of the lakes, and 
 upon the sea coast ; these are some of the endur- 
 ing memorials of the usefulness of the military 
 academy, and of the returns it has made for the 
 care, and time, and money, which have been be- 
 stowed upon it. Other testimonials, and other re- 
 wards, have been accorded to it, by the literary in- 
 stitutions of our land, which have invited its gradu- 
 ates to fill important professorships. The presi- 
 dent and one of the professors in the college of 
 Louisiana ; the president of Hamilton college, and 
 the vice-president and the professor of mathematics 
 in Kenyon college, in Ohio; the professors of 
 mathematics in the college of Geneva, and in the 
 university of Nashville ; the professors of chemis- 
 try in the universities of Pennsylvania and Vir- 
 ginia, have all been members of the academy, and 
 have resigned their commissions in the army, upon 
 receiving these honourable appointments. And 
 very recently, two second lieutenants have accepted 
 vacant chairs in the university of New York. No
 
 178 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 words can demonstrate with one half the force and 
 impressiveness, the beneficial influence of the mili- 
 tary academy upon the characters of its members, 
 and upon the national reputation. Within the short 
 period of thirty years, this institution, whose own 
 high reputation is now sustained by professors, all 
 of whom, with but one exception, have been edu- 
 cated within its walls, has not only furnished to 
 the army gallant and accomplished officers, and to 
 the country skilful engineers, but has sent forth 
 principals and professors, to ornament and sustain 
 colleges and literary seminaries. To this list ol 
 those who have been thus distinguished, might be 
 added the name of Ritner, who graduated with a 
 highly respectable rank, in possession of his com- 
 rades' affection and confidence; and became the 
 professor of civil and topographical engineering in 
 Washington college in Pennsylvania ; and died at 
 the moment when the prospect of serving his na- 
 tive state dawned upon him, and when his native 
 state began to rejoice in the anticipation of his use- 
 fulness and success." In this complimentary sum- 
 mary, extracted from Colonel Johnson's -report, 
 may now be included the distinguished professor 
 of mathematics and philosophy, in the university 
 of Pennsylvania. But while we would thus award 
 honour where honour is due ; and show that, esti- 
 mated according to her contribution of national sci^
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 179 
 
 ence, the military academy is " not a whit behind 
 the chiefest," far be it from her sons to monopolize 
 distinction, or to say that she has done any more 
 than a national academy ought to have done, in re- 
 turn for all her advantages. 
 
 The argument, that it is supererogatory to edu- 
 cate young men at the national expense, while so 
 many who are self-educated volunteer their ser- 
 vices, loses its force, when it is considered that the 
 cadets are not merely scholars, but an active and 
 efficient part of the army ; a grade of officers on 
 duty, as much as if they were dispersed through 
 all the posts and garrisons ; but learning that duty 
 ten times as well as they could thus learn it; and 
 at still less expense than if instructed while holding 
 the commission of second lieutenants, correspond- 
 ing to the old grade of ensigns. They learn it too, 
 far more uniformly and thoroughly than if taught 
 at private schools, military or civil ; as the experi- 
 ence of more than one rival institution abundantly 
 testifies. No fewer than thirty-four gentlemen, all 
 with one exception similarly educated at the acad- 
 emy, are employed in the discipline and instruction 
 of two hundred and sixty cadets. Who but the 
 most wealthy, could afford to pay for a similar 
 amount of instruction for their sons, during four 
 years of preparatory study ? 
 
 The other argument raised against the academy,
 
 180 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 that only the sons of the influential and wealthy, 
 gain admission to its advantages, is untrue in point 
 of fact. Were it true, the blame would still rest, 
 not on the academy, but on the members of Con- 
 gress, on whose recommendations the appointments 
 ate generally made. Those who complain, there- 
 fore, have only to elect more impartial representa- 
 tives. Or if the fault be in the secretary of war, 
 who makes the appointments, still it would not be 
 remedied by abolishing the academy. The appoint- 
 ment of officers still resting with the executive, it 
 would then appoint as lieutenants those whom it 
 now appoints as cadets ; or rather, it would ap- 
 point a more favoured class, already well educated. 
 But as regards the administration at the academy 
 itself; it is admitted by all who know the truth, 
 even by its most violent opponents on the official 
 boards of visiters, that nothing can be more just 
 and impartial, than the promotion or rejection of 
 the candidates for its honours. As about two ca- 
 dets are rejected, for every one who graduates, it 
 is not strange that many of the disappointed should 
 find fault with the strictness of its requisitions. 
 But in educating candidates for the highest offices 
 of the army, it is surely just that the country should 
 select those who are deemed best qualified; and 
 not be required to educate and commission all who 
 may be admitted to the academy on the recommen-
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 181 
 
 dation of partial friends. Even though many of 
 the rejected may possess latent talents, undeveloped 
 or dimmed by idleness; though they may after- 
 ward rise and shine in another sphere; still the 
 academic staff had no right to presume that they 
 would thus acquit themselves, without some present 
 evidences of future promise. 
 
 The number of applicants is so great, that the 
 youth must be very presumptuous, or must feel his 
 claims to be transcendent, who can sanguinely cal- 
 culate on admission. This may be said without 
 imputation ; because the wealthy and influential 
 are by no means the only candidates. As the ra- 
 tio of appointments is about three for each con- 
 gressional district in four years, the candidate may 
 generally learn, upon inquiry, whether there is a 
 vacancy in his district. Or if not, it may be useful 
 to forward his application and have it registered at 
 Washington; as priority of application is one 
 ground of preference. In selecting candidates for 
 admission, the descendants of revolutionary officers, 
 and of those who were in service during the last 
 war, are considered as having peculiar claims to 
 notice; since their fathers perilled life itself for the 
 preservation of their country. There is no other 
 distinction between the candidates ; save their ac- 
 credited talents and abilities to be of public service. 
 The age of admission is now limited from sixteen 
 16
 
 182 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 to twenty-one years ; as that is supposed to be the 
 most suitable period for completing, or rather com- 
 mencing a military education. The acquirements 
 necessary for admission, are, an acquaintance with 
 reading, writing, and the elementary rules and 
 principles of arithmetic. Efforts have been made, 
 and it has been recommended by some boards of 
 visiters, to raise the standard of admission, requiring 
 a knowledge of grammar, geography, and the 
 French and Latin languages, as a prerequisite. 
 The decisive objection to this proposition, is, that 
 it would close the doors of the academy against 
 many who have not the pecuniary means of making 
 these acquirements. But let it not therefore be 
 supposed that those acquirements are the less val- 
 uable or necessary. On the contrary, as geogra- 
 phy, history, and the Latin language, are not now 
 taught in the academic course, it is so much the 
 more important that young gentlemen should be 
 well versed in them before entering the academy ; 
 otherwise, they are obliged to acquire them by pri- 
 vate study, or else remain ignorant of these essen- 
 tial branches of a liberal education. Many candi- 
 dates fail of being admitted at the initiatory exam- 
 ination, because, although they can give the rules 
 of arithmetic, they cannot explain the principles on 
 which these depend. As opportunity is afforded 
 for gratuitous instruction on this subject at the
 
 LETTERS AB00T THE HUDSON. 183 
 
 academy, from the 1st of June, until the examina- 
 tion of candidates near the close of the month, they 
 who are anxious for success, would do well to 
 avail themselves of this assistance. 
 
 The months of July and August in each year 
 are devoted solely to military exercises ; for which 
 purpose the cadets leave the barracks and encamp 
 in tents on the plain, under the regular police and 
 discipline of an army in time of war. For this 
 purpose, the cadets are organized in a battalion of 
 four companies, under the command of the chief 
 instructer of tactics and his assistants. The cor- 
 porals are chosen from the third class, or cadets 
 who have been present one year; the sergeants 
 from the second class, who have been present two 
 years ; and the commissioned officers, or captains, 
 lieutenants, &c., are selected from the first class, or 
 highest at the academy. All the other cadets fill 
 the ranks as private soldiers, though necessarily 
 acquainted with the duties of officers. In rotation 
 they have to perform the duty of sentinels, at all 
 times, day or night, storm or sunshine, in camp, 
 and evenings and meal-times, in barracks. Cadets 
 who have been present two encampments, are al- 
 lowed, if their conduct have been correct, to be ab- 
 sent the third, on furlough. The drills or military 
 exercises, consist in the use of the musket, rifle, can- 
 non, mortar, howitzer, sabre and rapier, or broad
 
 184 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 and small sword; fencing, firing at targets, &c., 
 evolutions of troops, including those of the line ; 
 and the preparation and preservation of all kinds 
 of ammunition and materials for war. The per- 
 sonal appearance of the corps of cadets cannot fail 
 to attract admiration ; especially on parads or re- 
 view. The uniform is a gray coatee, with gray 
 pantaloons in winter, and white linen in summer. 
 The dress cap is of black leather, bell crowned, 
 with plate, scales, and chain. The splendid band 
 of music, which, under Willis, made hill and valley 
 ring with notes of " linked harmony long drawn 
 out," though changed, still pleases ; and under its 
 new leader, promises soon to deserve its former re- 
 nown, as the best in our country. 
 
 The cadets return from camp to barracks on the 
 last of August, and the remaining ten months of 
 the academic year are devoted to their arduous 
 studies. The ceremony of striking the tents and 
 marching out of camp is so imposing, as to be well 
 worth an effort of the visiter to be present on that 
 occasion. On the previous evening, the camp is 
 brilliantly illuminated ; and enlivened with music, 
 dancing, and bevies of beautiful strangers, it pre- 
 sents quite a fairy scene. 
 
 For the sake of more full instruction, each class 
 is divided into several sections, each having a sep- 
 arate instructer. Thus each cadet is called upon.
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. I8& 
 
 at almost every recitation, to explain a considerable 
 portion of the lesson ; for the morning recitations 
 generally occupy two hours each. The written or 
 delineated demonstrations, are explained on a black 
 board in the presence of the whole section. 
 
 The studies of the first year are algebra, geome- 
 try, descriptive geometry, trigonometry, and the 
 French language. All the mathematical studies 
 are practically taught and applied to numerous 
 problems not in the books ; on the resolution of 
 which greatly depends the reputation and stand- 
 ing of each rival candidate for pre-eminence. The 
 studies of the second year, are the theory of shades, 
 shadows, and perspective, practically illustrated ; 
 analytic geometry, with its application to conic sec- 
 tions ; the integral and differential calculus or sci- 
 ence of fluxions ; surveying and mensuration ; the 
 French language, and the elements of drawing, 
 embracing the human figure, in crayon. This 
 completes the course of mathematics, and also of 
 French ; which the cadets learn to translate freely 
 as a key to military science, but which few of them 
 speak fluently. 
 
 The third year is devoted to a course of natural 
 philosophy, including mechanics, optics, electricity, 
 magnetism, and astronomy ; together with chem- 
 istry, and sketching landscapes with the pencil, and 
 16*
 
 186 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 topography with the pen, which complete the 
 course of drawing. 
 
 The fourth and last year is appropriated to the 
 study of artillery and infantry tactics ; the science 
 of war, and fortification, or military engineering ; 
 a course of civil engineering, embracing the con- 
 struction of roads and bridges, rail-roads and canals, 
 with the improvement of rivers and harbours ; a 
 course of mineralogy and military pyrotecting; to- 
 gether with the elements of rhetoric, moral philoso- 
 phy, and national and constitutional law. 
 
 To test the progress of the cadets in these studies, 
 semi-annual examinations are held, commencing on 
 the first Mondays of January and June ; at the lat- 
 ter of which a board of visitors, appointed by the 
 secretary of vyar, is present, to make a critical offi- 
 cial report of the state of the academy. The ex- 
 amination of all the classes usually occupies about 
 a fortnight, and is very severe ; but still is not con- 
 sidered the full test of individual proficiency. Each 
 instructer makes a weekly class report, on which 
 is recorded the daily performance of each cadet ; 
 those who excel being credited 3, and those who 
 fail entirely marked 0. These marks are accessi- 
 ble to the cadets from week to week, and stimulate 
 their exertions : finally, they are summed up at the 
 end of the term, and laid before the academic stafF, 
 and visitors ; so that the standing of each cadet is
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 187 
 
 influenced not only by his examination, but by all 
 his previous recitations. A certain prescriptive 
 proficiency being required of the cadets in each 
 branch, those who fall below this limit are neces- 
 sarily discharged from the service. Averaging the 
 last ten years, where a class of one hundred enters 
 the academy, it is reduced to about seventy at the 
 end of six months, sixty at the end of one year, fifty 
 at the end of two years, and forty at the end of 
 three years ; not more than about thirty-five grad- 
 uating. 
 
 There is a general merit roll of every class, 
 made out at the end of each academic year ; the 
 merit of each cadet being expressed by a number 
 denoting his proficiency or acquirements. But the 
 final standing of each cadet, on which depends his 
 rank in the army, is determined by the sm of his 
 merit, in all the different branches ; and this de- 
 pends not only on his actual proficiency in any 
 branch, but also on its relative importance. This 
 latter is thus estimated at present by the academic 
 staff\ viz. : Conduct 300 ; engineering 300 ; math- 
 ematics 300 ; natural philosophy 300 ; chemistry 
 and mineralogy 200 ; rhetoric, ethics and law 200 ; 
 infantry tactics 200; artillery 100; French 100; 
 and drawing 100. Hence the individual who 
 should excel in all the branches, would be credited 
 with 21 00 on the final merit roll; but no more
 
 188 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 than three or four such instances have ever occur- 
 red at the academy. The cadet in each class hav- 
 ing the greatest sum of merit is placed first on the 
 roll, and so onward; and he who is deficient in 
 only one single branch is discharged, or else turned 
 back another year to receive a second probation. 
 
 The graduates of the military academy are enti- 
 tled by law to a preference over other applicants 
 for commissions in the army. As the average 
 number of vacancies is only about twenty-five an- 
 nually, the army would soon be more than filled, 
 did not a considerable number of the graduates 
 voluntarily resign, in order to embrace other pro- 
 fessions, particularly that of civil engineering. Al- 
 though feeling under a moral obligation to offer 
 their services to the country in case of any future 
 emergency, they deem it right, as it is freely per- 
 mitted, in time of peace, to embrace other profes- 
 sions in which they may seek to be still more use- 
 ful. Those who remain in the army, are attached 
 as brevet second lieutenants to the different corps, 
 until they may receive higher rank on the occur- 
 rence of vacancies.
 
 LETTER XVII. 
 
 Settlement of Newburgh Location Population Showy 
 appearance from the River Place of business Steam- 
 boats Extensive manufacture of Bricks in Newburgh 
 and vicinity Iron Foundry Newburgh Brewery Col. 
 Crawford 's extensive Storehouse Business crowded into 
 one street Botanic Gardens and Nursery of the Messrs. 
 Downing Description of the same J. W. Knevels' collec- 
 tion of exotic Plants, the most extensive in the country 
 View from Beacon Hill Splendid Scenery Reasons for 
 supposing the Hudson was once a Lake Washington's 
 Head- Quarters The United States Hotel Walden, a 
 manufacturing Tillage on the Wal/dll Its resources, etc. 
 
 Newburgh, June 10th, 1S36. 
 
 FRIEND P. Newburgh was originally settled 
 by a few emigrants from Palatine, in 1708. It is 
 beautifully located on the west bank of the Hudson, 
 sixty miles north of New York, and contains a 
 population of 7G83, according to the state census of 
 1835. Situated as it is, on the declivity of a hill, 
 it makes a fine appearance from the river, although, 
 if we except a few elegant mansions on the hill, 
 little taste is displayed in the architectural view. 
 
 It is a place of considerable business. The pro- 
 ducts of Orange county are principally shipped 
 from this village to New York. Five steam- 
 boats, the Washington, the Superior, the William
 
 190 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 Young, and the Highlander, are constantly em- 
 ployed in transporting produce to the city, and an- 
 other boat, the Baltimore, runs between Newburgh 
 and Albany with freight or passengers. 
 
 Bricks are manufactured in Newburgh, and the 
 immediate vicinity, on a pretty extensive scale. 
 Three establishments make yearly, I am informed, 
 an average of three millions each ; one four and a 
 half millions; and six smaller establishments, a 
 short distance north of the village, about fourteen 
 millions. With what are made on the opposite 
 shore, the aggregate number manufactured by all 
 is upwards of thirty -six millions per annum. These 
 bricks, at an average of $6 per thousand, amount 
 to the enormous sum (dug from the clay hills as it 
 were) of upwards of two million dollars. There is 
 also a large Iron Foundry, owned by J. W. Wells, 
 at which various kinds of machinery and castings 
 are made. The brewery of J. Beveridge & Co. is 
 very extensive, and the ale is, I think, without ex- 
 ception, the best manufactured on the river. At 
 least, it is superior to any with which I am ac- 
 quainted. More than twenty thousand barrels of 
 this excellent beverage are turned out annually. 
 
 Some of the storehouses are very extensive ; that 
 owned by Col. D. Crawford, is two hundred and fifty 
 feet long, and the amount of produce shipped by 
 the house with which this gentleman is connected,
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 191 
 
 during the navigation, amounted to something like 
 two hundred thousand dollars. Nearly all the 
 business is crowded into one street, running paral- 
 lel with the river. And a large number of the in- 
 habitants are huddled into the chambers over, or in 
 the rear of the stores. 
 
 The Botanic Gardens and Nurseries of the 
 Messrs. Downing, a little north of the village, in a 
 charming situation sloping gently towards the 
 shore, and looking out from among the bright flow- 
 ers and the fresh foliage, over one of the sweetest 
 of views, are by no means the least attractive por- 
 tion of the suburbs of this place; and I suspect, from 
 the celebrity which this establishment is attaining, 
 as a commercial garden, throughout the Union, 
 that many strangers are drawn hither by the in- 
 creasing tastg for horticulture, to view the improve- 
 ments in cultivation, or to draw from the rich re- 
 sources of fruit and ornamental trees collected here, 
 for the improvement and embellishment of their 
 own estates. Although the proprietors mentioned 
 to me that their establishment was new, and com- 
 paratively in its infancy, yet from the vigorous man- 
 ner with whieh it is conducted in the various de- 
 partments, it must become the source of great ad- 
 vantages to the whole country. The proprietors 
 appear to possess a profound knowledge, both theo- 
 retical and practical, of their profession, and a coa*
 
 193 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 stant correspondence is maintained with scientific 
 individuals and establishments of the same kind in 
 Europe, by which means all the new fruits, and 
 every thing rare and valuable to the amateur, is 
 obtained as soon as it comes into notice. The va- 
 riety of fruits cultivated in the nurseries is quite as- 
 tonishing: I can only recollect one hundred and 
 fifty kinds of apples, and more than two hundred 
 of pears what a treasure for the farmer and horti- 
 culturist! The proprietors pay the most minute 
 attention to the genuineness of the sorts, and bear- 
 ing trees are planted to test all the varieties. As a 
 proof of the advantages of, and the perfection to 
 which grafting is carried, I was shown several 
 trees which bear annually twenty-five or thirty va- 
 rieties of fruit upon the different branches. 
 
 In the lower parts of the grounds we observed an 
 extensive walk just formed, exhibiting a complete 
 botanical circuit of plants arranged in a scientific 
 manner a rockwork for alpine plants, and a pond 
 for aquarian, in which the water-lilies and a number 
 of other aquatic plants were thriving admirably. In 
 this way the establishment will, when completed, 
 comprise every thing desirable in its way to the 
 botanist, the amateur, and the agriculturist. I no- 
 ticed large plantations of the celebrated Chinese 
 mulberry, grape vines, and the rarer and more deli- 
 cate shrubs and plants and among the treasures
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 193 
 
 of Flora, rich collections of roses, dahlias, and other 
 ornamental plants. In the hot-house, among a va- 
 riety of curious vegetation, I was struck with the 
 size of a huge aloe, one of those wonders of nature 
 which bloom but once in two of the ordinary life- 
 times of the Human race. This specimen has, I 
 believe, achieved more than one half its centennial 
 period. From the hasty glance which I took 
 through the establishment, I was unable to note 
 more particularly those minutiae of such an estab- 
 lishment which, after all, must be seen to be appre- 
 ciated but I was delighted with the greenness of 
 the hedges, of which I saw four or five kinds grow- 
 ing here to test their comparative merits in this 
 climate. Every foreigner is justly offended with 
 our unsightly fences why should we not appro- 
 priate to ourselves the beautiful materials which 
 nature seems to have armed with thorns, and deck- 
 ed with foliage, for that special purpose. And then, 
 what a discord between rail fences and green mead- 
 ows, and what a harmony in live hedges and equally 
 verdant fields ! 
 
 I encountered, in my rambles in the suburbs, a 
 very rich private collection of exotic plants at the 
 demesne of J. W. Knevels, Esq., who, as I under- 
 stand, is a zealous amateur, and has recently de- 
 prived Philadelphia of some of her boasted floral 
 and botanical treasures to enrich this neighbour- 
 17
 
 194 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSOK. 
 
 hood. There are many superb tropical plants in 
 his range of hot-houses, more than one hundred 
 feet in length, which I had never before seen, and 
 many of which I had never observed specimens so 
 fine. The large variety of camellias the noble 
 orange trees the stately palms the breadfruit 
 tree the coffee, camphor, guava, and other West 
 Indian fruits, were thriving here apparently as if 
 in their natural zones. If I had first seen the 
 light of heaven in some southern clime, beneath 
 the shade of a palm or a plantain, I might, like the 
 Hottentot whose story is upon record, have wept 
 at the sight of our compatriot trees ; but as it was, 
 I contented myself with admiring that refinement 
 of mind which led a country gentleman to in- 
 dulge and cultivate a taste at once so innocent, so 
 delightful, and so instructive, as the collection and 
 preservation of those beautiful and delicate produc- 
 tions, which the great Creator has scattered with a 
 bountiful hand over the different climates and coun- 
 tries of the earth. 
 
 The stranger, who wishes to carry away a dis- 
 tinct impression of this section of the Hudson, will 
 not fail to visit Beacon Hill, opposite Newburgh, 
 the last summit of the Highlands of any altitude, 
 as the range dips off to the northeast. An hour's 
 ride on horseback from Fishkill landing, partly 
 through the fine arable lands of Dutchess, and
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 195 
 
 partly through the luxuriant over -hanging 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 the magnificent 
 coup cCceil in reserve for you upon the summit. 
 This summit 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, affords a vi'ew of a 
 landscape, at once one of the grandest 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 magnificent 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 north- 
 ward in this fine setting, the materials of the 
 beautiful and the picturesque are arranged with all
 
 196 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 the grandeur, the softness, and beauty of detail, 
 that the most fastidious connoisseur of fine scenery 
 can desire. Before you lies the Hudson, swollen 
 into a lovely expanse or bay of ten miles in length 
 afterward narrowing, and meandering away to 
 the north, until it is lost to the eye in the distance 
 sprinkled through its whole course with the 
 white sails of the numberless vessels that float upon 
 its surface. 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 orchard-blooms the soft winds play," 
 
 and its elegant villas gleaming through the tufts of 
 foliage that surround them. The soft green of the 
 meadows the deeper teints 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 lustre of the river and 
 the two small lakes west of Newburgh, which 
 shine like sheets of silver in the rays of the de- 
 clining sun all these, with a thousand variations 
 in the grouping of the details, produced by the art 
 of man in a tract of country which yields a luxu- 
 riance of vegetation to correspond with its noble 
 river and fine hills form a picture, such as we
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 197 
 
 may suppose greeted the eyes of Moses when he 
 looked down upon the promised land. 
 
 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 boundary 
 of which was once the Highlands, through which 
 the mass of waters having burst, found their way 
 to the ocean, leaving the bed of the lake dry, and 
 forming the present channel of the river. Besides 
 the proofs which the man of science finds in the 
 formation of this valley the various deposites the 
 organized remains and the abruptly waved roll- 
 ing 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 the hills below bearing wit- 
 ness to a sudden convulsion the rounded boulders 
 of stone scattered over the level plains, and those 
 plains themselves having in their soils all the char- 
 acteristics of a deposited surface all powerfully 
 serve to the conviction, that you are looking upon 
 the dry bed of a lake of noble dimensions. 
 17*
 
 198 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 Beacon Hill was a station for the display of bon- 
 fires in the revolution, which, from its elevated po- 
 sition, denoted the movements of the enemy to the 
 inhabitants for a great distance through the sur- 
 rounding counties. 
 
 During my visit to Newburgh, I visited Wash- 
 ington's Head-Quarters the old Hasbrouck house 
 occupied by him and his family in the revolu- 
 tionary war. It is now occupied by a son of Wash- 
 ington's host. Veneration, if I may be allowed 
 the use of a phrenological phrase, does not appear to 
 be a very prominent development, or bump, on the 
 cranium of the present proprietor, as the. improve- 
 ments made in various parts of this "time hon- 
 oured" and Washington hallowed mansion melan- 
 cholily demonstrate. The sleeping apartment of 
 Washington and his lady were pointed out to me, 
 as was also the chair belonging to him, which has, 
 I regret exceedingly to say, been newly bottomed 
 and painted. 
 
 The United States Hotel is a well contrived and 
 spacious building of brick. It looks out upon the 
 Hudson from thirty-six windows and doors. It is 
 now under the management of Mr. Gilbert, and 
 will compare with the best hotels on the river. 
 Daily mail stages leave this hotel for Goshen, Bing- 
 hampton, Owego, Ithaca, Geneva, Buffalo, &c. All 
 the New York and Albany steamboats land and
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 199 
 
 receive passengers at the dock directly in front of 
 the hotel. 
 
 Eleven miles west of Newburgh, there is a fine 
 little manufacturing village called Walden. This 
 village is said to contain the greatest water power 
 of any village in the state of New York, within 
 eighty miles of the city. The district of country 
 around it is remarkable for beauty, fertility, and 
 salubrity of climate. The village is situated at 
 the Falls of the River Walkill. The river passes 
 through the village, where it has an average width 
 of two hundred feet; a cascade of thirty-two feet 
 fall, and rapids of eighteen feet, in that distance, 
 giving facilities for working the water three times 
 from so many levels, with over-shot wheels of 
 twenty, eighteen, and twelve feet diameter, and on 
 both sides of the river. The Walkill has it source 
 in the numerous ponds in the mountains on both 
 sides of it, and also receives all the springs in a 
 course of fifty miles before it reaches the Falls at 
 Walden. It is considered a powerful and perma- 
 nent stream, and will probably continue so from 
 circumstances connected with it. The river has 
 never been known to rise by freshets over three 
 feet at Walden, which is accounted for from the 
 fact of its passing through a narrow outlet after 
 leaving the drowned lands, over which any sudden 
 influx of water diffuses itself without occasioning
 
 300 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 any disastrous flood below the outlet. The village 
 was commenced in 1823, when the canal was com- 
 pleted, and the first factory erected, since which it 
 has acquired a population of twelve hundred. Its 
 water power alone is capable of sustaining a popu- 
 lation of ten thousand inhabitants. 
 
 But the bell on the dock announces the steam- 
 boat in sight, and I must away, without saying the 
 half I intended. So farewell for the present.
 
 LETTER XVIII, 
 
 t 
 
 Original purchase and first settlement of Hudson The 
 Whale Fishery Reverses of Hudson Hudson and Berk- 
 shire Rail Road Statistical Estimates Girard College 
 Lebanon Springs Capital, <f-c., of Whaling Companies 
 Capt. Paddock The Shipping of Hudson Rail Road 
 ropes Alexander Coffin Captain Gordon New Court 
 House and Jail Private Dwellings Churches Doctor 
 White's Asylum for the Insane Education Distinguish- 
 ed men of Hudson Grave of Lieut. Wm. H. Allen Col. 
 Jenkins Location of Hudson, tf-e. Views North Say 
 View from Prospect Hill Steamboats Banking Capital 
 Village of Athens Ferry, tyc. Stuyvesant Great Nut- 
 ton Hook Beautiful Scites. 
 
 Hudson, May 2d, 1337. 
 
 DEAR P. This city derives its name from Hen- 
 ry Hudson, the first navigator of the "noble North." 
 The site on which the city is built was purchased 
 in 1783, one year after the war of the American 
 Revolution, and the settlement commenced in 1784. 
 It was purchased by twenty-seven individuals, chief- 
 ly from the Island of Nantucket, Providence, R. I., 
 and Martha's Vineyard, with a view to the establish- 
 ment of the whale fishery, which was commenced 
 immediately ; this branch of business, together with 
 the West India trade, were carried on for several 
 years extensively, and with success. The growth
 
 302 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 of Hudson, for a number of years after its first set- 
 tlement, was almost without a parallel ; and contin- 
 ued to increase and flourish until the commence- 
 ment of the embargo, prior to the late war with 
 Great Britain. 
 
 Some ten or twelve years since, the city under- 
 went one of the reverses to which great prosperity 
 sometimes leads. From this depression it is, how- 
 ever, rapidly rising; and will, in time, doubtless be- 
 come one of the most prominent places for business 
 on the banks of the Hudson. Its location, in sev- 
 eral important particulars, is without a rival. 
 
 The inhabitants count much on the completion 
 of the Hudson and Berkshire Rail Road, and their 
 hopes will, unquestionably, be realized. The Rail 
 Road Company was incorporated in 1832, and its 
 charter renewed in 1834; but no organization took 
 place until May, 1835. Its capital stock is $350,000, 
 and more than double that amount was subscribed 
 on the opening of the books. The preliminary 
 surveys commenced in June, 1835, and the work 
 has steadily progressed since that period. The 
 whole line, extending from the river at the city of 
 Hudson to West Stockbridge, Mass., thirty-two 
 miles, is under contract for grading, and nearly or 
 quite completed. The rails will, in all probability, 
 be laid this summer ; and by September of the pre- 
 sent year, the work will be completed.
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 203 
 
 This road passes through a beautiful valley, em- 
 bracing one of the richest farming districts in the 
 state. At Stockbridge, it will connect with the great 
 Western Rail Road from Boston ; and at Gatskill 
 with the Rail Road leading to Canajoharie, and 
 thence to Buffalo. Through this avenue the East 
 may be supplied with the produce of the fertile 
 West, and the latter with the manufactures of the 
 East. It will also afford a new route for travellers 
 from the " Commercial" to the " Literary Empo- 
 rium." They may then leave the city of New 
 York at 5 o'clock, P. M., reach Hudson at 4 A. 
 M., and arrive at Boston at 2 P. M., of the same 
 day. But independent of all travel, and eastern 
 and western transportation, it is estimated that the 
 county of Berkshire will support the road, and 
 more than pay the interest of the capital. It is the 
 opinion of George Rich, Esq., the engineer, that 
 the road will be built within its capital, or for 
 $11,000, per mile say entire capital $350,000; 
 the interest at 7 per cent, would amount to $24,500 ; 
 superintendence and repairs to $20,000; total, 
 $44,500. Now individuals acquainted with the 
 marble business have offered to contract to deliver 
 to the company at Stockbridge, from the quarries 
 of the beautiful marble in that village, 100 tons per 
 day, for nine months in the year ; and to insure the 
 sale of the same amount when delivered at Hudson.
 
 204 LJETTERB ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 But for safety, I will assume but half that amount, 
 at $2, per ton, for transportation, where they now 
 pay $5 ; 50 tons per day for 240 days, pays $24,000. 
 The other tonnage to and from the Hudson river 
 was ascertained, two years since, to exceed 25,000 
 tons, which at $2, would amount to $50,000, giv- 
 ing a total of $74,000. To secure the marble bu- 
 siness to this company, an association of the Rail 
 Road stockholders have purchased nearly all of the 
 principal quarries in the vicinity of Stockbridge. 
 The marble of which the Girard College, at Phil- 
 adelphia^ is built, was transported from the quarries 
 over a hilly road to be shipped at Hudson.* 
 
 The Lebanon Springs are only seven miles from 
 the line of the road, and as soon as the main road 
 is completed, a branch will be made to that place. 
 That the Berkshire and Hudson Rail Road will 
 materially advance the prosperity of this rising city, 
 I do not entertain a doubt. 
 
 The whaling business has been carried on pretty 
 extensively in Hudson, since 1830. Eleven ships, 
 amounting to something like four thousand tons, are 
 now engaged in this useful enterprise. The Hud- 
 son Whaling Company has a capital of $300,000 ; 
 one third of which is invested in three fine ships. 
 
 * The marble required for the Girard College cost about 
 $180,000.
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 203 
 
 Capt. Macy, late of the Liverpool packet line, is 
 sole proprietor of one of the ships ; and the others 
 are held by joint stock companies. The president 
 of the Hudson Whaling Company, is a genuine 
 descendant of Nantucket, and a brother of the far- 
 famed Paddock, master of the ship Oswego, wrecked 
 some years ago on the coast of Barbary. 
 
 There are several square-rigged vessels, from 
 this city, employed in the merchant service, and it 
 is a singular fact, that at one time more shipping 
 was owned at Hudson than in the city of New York. 
 
 Rail Road Ropes are manufactured in this place, 
 by Messrs. Folger and Colman. It is the only 
 establishment of the kind in the country. More 
 than 15.0 tons are turned out annually. These 
 ropes are often one and a half miles in length ; 
 more than 200 men would be able to carry. Ten 
 miles of these ropes are used on the Portage Rail 
 Road, in Pennsylvania, per annum. Of the twen- 
 ty-seven original purchasers, or proprietors, of Hud- 
 son, one only survives Alexander Coffin ; I en- 
 joyed his company for an hour, and found him af- 
 fable and intelligent ; and although he had attained 
 the advanced age of ninety-six, he appeared active 
 and sprightly. He was born in Nantucket, and is 
 a near relative of Admiral Sir Isaac Coffin. When 
 I saw him he was in the enjoyment of good health, 
 and told me that he could walk a mile without 
 18
 
 306 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 resting. He has outlived a numerous offspring, 
 with but one exception. Of ten children, one daugh- 
 ter only survives, and she is in her seventy-fourth 
 year. This venerable old man is universally es- 
 teemed by his fellow-citizens, fdr his patriotism and 
 integrity. His reputation remains unblemished by 
 the foibles and vices, which, alas, too frequently 
 mar the glory of gray hairs. 
 
 His scattered locks are white 
 With the hoar frost of time ; but in his soul 
 There is no winter. He, the uncounted gold 
 Of many years experience, richly spreads 
 To a new generation ; and methinks, 
 With high prophetic lore doth stand sublime, 
 Like Moses, 'tween the living and the dead. 
 
 I was introduced to a Capt. Gardner, now in his 
 seventieth year. He had just returned from a suc- 
 cessful whaling voyage, after an absence of three 
 years. He sailed out of Hudson, fifty-two years 
 ago. He spoke of another voyage with all the 
 energy and ardor of youth. 
 
 The new Court House, recently completed, is one 
 of the finest specimens of Grecian architecture I 
 have ever seen. It is about 300 feet wide. The 
 building, including the wings, has 1 16 feet front; the 
 main edifice, 40 by 60 feet, and 60 feet high, is sur- 
 mounted by a dome 40 feet high, rising in majes- 
 tic grandeur above the other buildings of the city,
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 207 
 
 and is entered by a portico, 16 feet, with six Ionic 
 columns ; the wings are severally 34 feet in front, 
 by 44 in depth, and two stories high. The front 
 is of Stoekbridge marble, and the ends and rear of 
 blue limestone. The centre contains the Court 
 room, Sheriff's, and Surrogates offices ; the west 
 wing, rooms for the Supervisors, County clerk, 
 Grand and Petit jury, and District attorney ; and 
 the east wing, the jail, with twenty cells on the plan 
 of the State prisons, and the Keeper's dwelling. 
 The Court room is splendidly furnished, and the 
 whole structure affords good evidence of the taste 
 of the architect, and the liberality of the county. 
 It cost $30,000. The private dwellings of this city 
 are generally neat, but few are very spacious or 
 elegant. Cyrus Curtis, Esq., one of the leading 
 men, has, however, a noble mansion of brick, the 
 cupola of which overlooks the city. 
 
 The city contains eight places of public worship : 
 one Episcopal, two Presbyterian, one Baptist, one 
 Methodist, one Universalist, and two Quaker 
 churches. The new and spacious Presbyterian edi- 
 fice is built of limestone, of the Gothic order, and 
 will compare in architectural proportions with the 
 finest specimens of our country. The new Church 
 of the Dutch Reformed is a neat and chaste speci- 
 men of the Doric order. 
 
 The mortality of the city is, I am told, less than
 
 008 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 that of any other in the state. The cholera of 1832 
 did not visit the city of Hudson. 
 
 In the course of my ramblings about the city, I 
 visited Dr. White's Insane Asylum. Viewing it 
 as the work of individual effort, it well deserves 
 respectful notice. It has been in successful ope- 
 ration since 1830. The building is somewhat 
 imposing in its appearance, and its location is pe- 
 culiarly eligible and airy. It is constructed of 
 limestone, procured from an inexhaustible quarry 
 about a mile from the city. It is 120 feet in length. 
 The centre is three stories, and two wings two sto- 
 ries in height, with a basement under the whole, 
 for bathing and culinary purposes. It is well cal- 
 culated for the purpose, being divided into rooms 
 for the accommodation of about sixty patients. It 
 is situated on elevated ground, commanding fine 
 scenery, good air, and pure water. In the rear are 
 extensive grounds, where the inmates can exercise, 
 and be diverted by games of ball, quoits, &c. Upon 
 examining the interior of the establishment, the visit- 
 er finds every thing light and airy, well adapted for 
 the comfort and restoration of the patients; the rooms 
 are neatly kept, well furnished, ventilated, and heat- 
 ed. The attendants, male and female, appear to be at- 
 tentive and kind. A separate building is assigned 
 for noisy and disorderly patients. In his medical la^ 
 bours, Dr. White is assisted by his son, Dr. G. H.
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 209 
 
 White. Their treatment is upon the most approved 
 plan, and has been quite successful, being in recent 
 cases about 90 per cent. At present there are 48 
 patients ; 275 have been admitted since the opening 
 of the institution. 
 
 It is worthy of remark in this place, that Dr. 
 White was induced to enter upon so difficult an en- 
 terprise from the occurrence of two cases in his own 
 family, which led him more attentively to study 
 the philosophy of the human mind for nearly twen- 
 ty years, and to gather for their benefit from the 
 systems of Europe, and the institutions of our own 
 country, the most approved medical and moral 
 treatment. 
 
 The treatment of a community of maniacs is 
 most arduous; but when the principles of benevo- 
 lence, guided by wisdom, are enlisted in the cause, 
 the reward of an approving conscience will more 
 than compensate the devoted friend of the poor lu- 
 natic. Of Dr. White it may be said, 
 
 Thou art their friend 
 Thy wasting midnight vigil is for them : 
 The toil, the watching, and the stifled pang, 
 That stamps thee as a martyr, is for them ; 
 They cannot thank thee, save with that strange shriek,- 
 Which wounds the gentle ear. Yet thou dost walk 
 In high ministry of love and power, 
 As a magician, 'mid their spectre-foes, 
 And burning visions. 
 18*
 
 210 LETTERS ABOUT THE HCD3ON. 
 
 Considerable attention is paid in Hudson to edu- 
 cation. On the opposite corner of the Asylum stands 
 a three story brick edifice, occupied as a Classical 
 Boarding School. It is under the management of 
 Mr. Andrew Huntington. The number of scholars 
 is limited to twenty-five. It consists of boys from 
 eight to sixteen years of age. Besides the common 
 branches of an English education, the studies pur- 
 sued are the Latin, Greek, and French languages, 
 Algebra, Geometry, Rhetoric, and Chronology. 
 The pupils are constantly under the care of the 
 principal. The discipline of the school appears to 
 be strict, but at the same time mild and parental. 
 The expense of tuition, for each pupil, per annum, 
 is $160, including tuition, board, lodging, washing, 
 fuel, lights, and stationary. There are several 
 other good schools, public and private. 
 
 Few towns in this country have sent into the 
 arena of public life more distinguished men than 
 Hudson. It was here that Ambrose Spencer com- 
 menced his professional career, about the year 1793, 
 and continued in a very extensive and honourable 
 practice, until his removal to Albany, in 1804, 
 shortly before his appointment as Judge of the Su- 
 preme Court. He was well educated in early life, 
 and applied himself with assiduity, at the proper pe- 
 riod, to the study of the law. In his profession he 
 was rather solid than brilliant. His gigantic mind
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 211 
 
 could grasp and comprehend the most abstruse sub- 
 jects. Upon the bench he had no compeer ; and 
 it was but common praise, when he was styled by 
 cotemporary lawyers the Mansfield of America. 
 Although an active and leading member of the 
 dominant political party from 1802 to 1816, dur- 
 ing the most exciting period of our history, Judge 
 Spencer never suffered his judgment to be biassed, 
 or the ermine of justice to be sullied. All parties 
 and partisans, without one known exception, testi- 
 fied to his unyielding firmness, and spotless integ- 
 rity, as a judge. Well may the citizens of Hudson 
 cherish, as they do, with pride, the recollection, 
 that that city was the theatre of his first efforts ; 
 the efforts of a genius, and of talents, which so long 
 adorned the bench, and which have left an undy- 
 ing record of the glory and greatness of their pos- 
 sessor. 
 
 It was here, too, that William W. Van Ness 
 commenced the practice of law, though at a period 
 somewhat later. He was admitted to the bar about 
 1790, and appointed a Judge of the Supreme Court 
 in 1807, when he removed to Albany. In Judge 
 Van Ness were blended in an eminent degree ener- 
 gy of mind and blandishment of manners. While 
 at the bar, though not distinguished, perhaps, by so 
 powerful a perception, or so strong a concentra- 
 tiveness as Judge Spencer, yet his mind was al-
 
 212 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 ways clear, his power of demonstration exceeding- 
 ly vivid, and his mode of developing truth so lucid, 
 that his facts and doctrines seemed to be written 
 with a pencil of light. It was in these particulars 
 that he was considered by many the superior of 
 Judge Spencer. This happy combination of or- 
 derly intellectual powers, with a noble prepossess- 
 ing person, and a musical voice, gave Judge Van 
 Ness a commanding ascendancy over the minds of 
 jurors, both in the capacity of advocate while at 
 the bar, and of judge while on the bench. 
 
 Thomas P. Grosvenor, also, commenced the 
 brilliant career which ended before he had fairly at- 
 tained the meridian of life, in the city of Hudson. 
 He is said to have been a man of powerful mind, 
 and independent feelings. Though a strong and 
 steady light in his profession, he seemed more pe- 
 culiarly destined by nature for a statesman. He 
 was elected, and several limes re-elected, to Con- 
 gress in the district composed of the county of Co- 
 lumbia, and for many years occupied a seat in the 
 House of Representatives. During an eventful 
 period he stood side by side with the first men in 
 the nation, maintaining his doctrines with an ener- 
 gy in debate, worthy of the proudest orators of 
 Greece or Rome. Profoundly skilled in the sci- 
 ence of government, with a logical and well bal- 
 anced mind, open in his policy, and fearless in his
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 213 
 
 course, he was no common antagonist to contend 
 with. 
 
 Statesman, yet friend to truth ! of soul sincere, 
 
 In action faithful, and in honour clear; 
 
 Who broke no promise, served no private end, 
 
 Who sought no title, and who lost no friend; 
 
 Ennobled by himself, by all approved, 
 
 Praised, wept, and honoured, by the friends he loved. 
 
 Martin Van Buren, though a native of Kinder- 
 hook, removed to the city of Hudson, in 1806, 
 shortly after he was admitted to the bar, and in the 
 latter place pursued a very successful and lucrative 
 practice until about the year 1812, when he was 
 appointed Attorney General of the State of New 
 York. His subsequent course, and his present ele- 
 vated position as President of the United States, 
 the highest office in the gift of the American peo- 
 ple, are subjects familiar to every reader. 
 
 Elisha Williams, a native of Pomfret, in Connec- 
 ticut, after acquiring a professional education, com- 
 menced the practice of law, in 1795, in the village 
 of Spencertown, in the county of Columbia. He 
 remained there a year or two, and then removed to 
 Hudson, where he resided until the spring of 1833, 
 a few weeks before his death. Ambrose Spencer, 
 William Van Ness, Thomas P. Grosvenor, Jacob 
 R. Van Rensselaer, Martin Van Buren, and Elisha 
 Williams, were all practitioners at the Columbia
 
 214 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 bar about the same period. Their forensic dispu- 
 tations were intellectual and entertaining in the 
 highest degree. They formed a constellation of 
 genius and talent scarcely exceeded in any age or 
 country; and of that constellation, Elisha Williams 
 was the "bright and peculiar star." As an advo- 
 cate he stood unrivalled among his cotemporaries. 
 His professional services were sought in every di- 
 rection. His knowledge of human nature was 
 deep and profound ; his mind active and energetic; 
 his fancy creative ; his eloquence splendid and re- 
 sistless. Thomas Addis Emmett declared him to 
 be the most eloquent man of the age. " I have 
 listened," said he, "to the great men of Europe, 
 but never to one who could enchain the attention, 
 and captivate the judgment, like ELISHA WIL- 
 LIAMS." 
 
 In the grave yard, upon the eastern declivity of 
 Prospect Hill, there is a chaste and beautiful mar- 
 ble monument, which marks the spot where sleeps 
 the dust of Lieutenant William H. Allen, who was 
 killed by the pirates off the Island of Cuba. He 
 was in command of the United States vessel of war 
 Alligator, when killed. He was renowned for his 
 bravery. 
 
 " Let laurels, drenched in pure Parnassian dews, 
 Reward his memory, dear to every muse; 
 "Tis to the virtues of such men, man owes 
 His portion in the good that Heaven bestows ;
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 213 
 
 And, when recording history displays, 
 Feats of renown, though wrought in ancient days ; 
 Tells of a few stout hearts that fought and died, 
 Where duty placed them, at their country's side ; 
 The man that is not moved by what he reads, 
 That takes not fire at their heroic deeds, 
 Unworthy of the blessings of the brave, 
 Is base in kind, and born to be a slave." 
 
 Col. Elisha Jenkins, and his brother Frederick 
 Jenkins, are among the first settlers of the place, 
 although not numbered among the twenty-seven 
 original proprietors. The former has been Secre- 
 tary of State, was Paymaster General during the 
 last war, and for several years Mayor of Albany. 
 Col. Jenkins, was one of the most active men in 
 building the pier at Albany. They are both now 
 residents of Hudson. 
 
 The compact portion of Hudson lies upon argil- 
 laceous marl, in horizontal strata,* containing a 
 considerable portion of sulphate of magnesia. In 
 front of the principal street is a promontory of sili- 
 cious slate, projecting in the Hudson in a bold cliffj 
 whose summit, more than sixty feet from the sur- 
 face of the water, has been formed into an agreea- 
 ble promenade, by the corporation, and commands 
 a beautiful view of the river, and the country on 
 the opposite shore, bounded by the towering Kaats- 
 
 Gordon's Gazetteer of New York.
 
 216 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 bergs; being planted with trees and shrubs, and 
 furnished with a house for refreshment, it has be- 
 come a pleasant resort during the summer, and will 
 repay the visitor for his pains at all seasons. Upon 
 either side of this promontory is a bay of consider- 
 able extent, with a low and approachable shore, 
 with ample depth of water for all vessels that may 
 ascend the river. The North Bay, in particular, 
 forms an unrivalled harbor, and I have been sur- 
 prised, that it has not ere this been devoted to bu- 
 siness purposes. The sites for building on the 
 banks above, are equal, if not superior, to any in the 
 city.* The bay on the South is locked in by a lofty 
 hill, anciently called Rorabuch, but which receiv- 
 ed the name of Mount Merino, in consequence of 
 the establishment of a sheep farm here, some years 
 since, containing five hundred acres of land. The 
 streets of the city are regularly laid out, intersect- 
 ing each other at right angles, except near the riv- 
 er, whetfe they conform to the shape of the ground. 
 From the promenade on the river, Warren, the 
 main street, extends southeast more than a mile, 
 with a gentle ascent to Prospect Hill, and there 
 unites with others which subtend ils base. This 
 beautiful eminence, commanded by Becraft Moun- 
 
 * It will be seen by the map that the Berkshire Rail 
 Road will pass over this section of the City of Hudson. 
 It is decidedly the best location.
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 217 
 
 tain, furnishes a fine view of the river, the Catskill 
 Mountains, and an extent of country for grandeur 
 and variety scarcely surpassed in any part of our 
 land. Portions of Massachusetts, Vermont, New 
 Hampshire, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania, are 
 seen from this singularly located hill. It also af- 
 fords an almost entire view of Columbia County. 
 The hill is about 200 feet high, rising 1 with a uni- 
 form smooth surface, and falls off in the southeast 
 to a low meadow, which divides it from the north, 
 end of the mountain. It is composed of a solid 
 mass of hard clay (or pan) not stratified, contain- 
 ing round pebbles of quartz, gneiss, granite, &c., 
 with pebbles of slate, chlorite, jasper, basamite, &c., 
 The mass of the mountain is graywacke, support- 
 ing a blue compact limestone. The upper strata 
 of both rocks contain a great variety of petrifac- 
 tions. The limestone affords a fair marble, which 
 is used for flagging the streets, and for architectu- 
 ral purposes. 
 
 The day and night boats of the " New York, 
 Albany, and Troy Line," and the " People's Line," 
 going up and coming down, land and receive pas- 
 sengers at the dock. Two steamboats ply between 
 Hudson and New York for passage and towing; 
 and a steamboat departs daily for Albany, touching 
 at the intervening places. There are three hotels, 
 and several taverns. I found very excellent ac- 
 19
 
 818 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 commodations in my visits to this place at Boutell's. 
 Mr. B. has recently removed to a new and spacious 
 house, where he will be able to accommodate travel- 
 lers in his usual good style. Nothing adds more to 
 the reputation and advantage of a place, than com- 
 modious well-managed houses of entertainment. 
 
 Columbia County ranks among the five wealth- 
 iest in the state, and yet it has but one bank loca- 
 ted at Hudson, with a capital of but $150,000; a 
 sum altogether inadequate to furnish accommoda- 
 tions to the business community of a county whose 
 manufacturing, and other business operations, will 
 compare with almost any section of the state.* 
 
 * The population of Columbia is 40,000, and that of 
 Hudson is 6000. At Hudson, and within six miles of it, 
 are the following concerns, all of which require extensive 
 banking accommodations to carry on their operations : 
 
 Incorporated Whaling Company, capital, $300,000; Pri- 
 vate Companies, owning 9 ships, cost and outfit, 8300,000; 
 one brig and a schooner engaged in foreign commerce, 
 employing annually $30,000 ; Freighting establishments, 
 paying out in their operations annually, $633,000 ; one 
 Steam Mill, with a capital invested and employed, of 
 $20,000; one Brewery, employing annually $20,000; cap- 
 ital employed in the coal trade, $25,000 ; one Air Furnace, 
 capital invested and employed, $35,000; an extensive 
 Rope Factory for Rail Roads, the only one in the State, 
 employing annually, $30,000 ; capital invested and em- 
 ployed in trade and merchandise, independent of the 
 above statements, $875,000 ; Hudson Print Work, oapi-
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 219 
 
 Directly opposite the city of Hudson is the vil- 
 lage of Athens, with a population of 2000 inhabi- 
 
 tal, $385,000; amount paid for labor, fuel, &c. annually, 
 $100,000 ; amount paid for printing, cloths, and dye-stuffs, 
 annually, $405,000 annually printed 4,200,000 yards; 
 Columbiaville Cotton Factories, capital, $105,000; amount 
 paid out for raw material, labor, &c., annually ; four 
 Woollen Factories, capital, $60,000 ; amount paid out for 
 wool, labor, fuel, &c., annually, $110,000; eight Flouring 
 Mills, embracing a capital of $50,000 ; amount used annu- 
 ally in their operations, $80,000 Total amount of invest- 
 ed capital, $1,540,000 Total amount of necessary floating 
 capital, $2,200,000. 
 
 There are also three other Landings, with freighting es- 
 tablishments connected, which employ large capitals, and 
 depend upon Hudson for their banking accommodations. 
 
 There are in Columbia county (independent of the fore- 
 going statements) numerous other business places and 
 operations which require banking facilities to a large 
 amount. East and south of the city of Hudson, (and be- 
 yond the iimitsof 6 miles,) there are 80 Stores, 26 Flouring 
 Mills, 2 Cotton Factories, 4 Woollen Factories, 1 Patent 
 Block Factory, and the extensive Iron Works at Ancram. 
 
 North of Hudson, and beyond the same limits, are 40 
 Stores, 24 Flouring Mills, 2 Paper Mills, 3 Woollen Fac- 
 tories, 4 Cotton Factories, and the Freighting establish- 
 ment at Stuyvesaot. 
 
 In the county of Berkshire, adjoining Columbia on the 
 east, there are large investments of capital in the manu- 
 facture of Iron and Woollen goods, which find their way 
 to market through the city of Hudson ; and the proprie- 
 tors of those establishments depend uoon obtaining their 
 monied accommodation at Hudson.
 
 S20 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON, 
 
 tants. A steam ferry crosses every fifteen minutes. 
 The principal business carried on in Athens is the 
 manufacture of brick and lime. Twenty-five ships 
 are employed in carrying these articles to market. 
 There are six churches in this village, an Episco- 
 pal, a Dutch Reformed, a Baptist, a Methodist, a 
 Lutheran, and a Quaker. 
 
 Stuyvesant is a beautiful village, situated on 
 the bank of the Hudson, in the county of Colum- 
 bia, about ten miles north of the city of Hudson. 
 This was formerly a part of the town of Kinder- 
 hook, celebrated for being the birth-place of the 
 President of the United States. It is a place of con- 
 siderable business, having several important and 
 extensive freighting establishments, from which 
 large quantities of grain and other productions of 
 the rich and fertile lands in the immediate vicinity, 
 the northern range of towns of this county, and 
 southern tier of the county of Rensselaer, are ship- 
 ped for New York. From this village east and 
 south by a gradual and unbroken ascent you arrive 
 at an eminence on which are several points partic- 
 ularly desirable for country seats, a few of which 
 I will take occasion to notice, as having been se- 
 lected by eminent individuals, who are making ac- 
 tive preparations to erect mansions at their earliest 
 convenience: to wit, President Van Buren, At- 
 torney General Butler, Judge Vanderpool, and
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 221 
 
 Others. South of the President's, and on the same 
 range of elevation, is the farm formerly owned by 
 Jonas White, Esquire, containing about 600 acres 
 of land, which for fertility of soil is not surpassed 
 by any in this section of the country, and probably 
 not in the state. Upon this farm, and about half a 
 mile from the scite selected by the President, and 
 upon the same range of elevation, is one of the most 
 delightful locations for a country seat on the Hud- 
 son ; having not only the same splendid view (with 
 the President's and Attorney General's mansions) 
 of the river to the north, the Catskill mountains to 
 the west, but to the south having decidedly tne ad- 
 vantage, commanding a full view of the city of 
 Hudson, Merino Point, and the river for several 
 miles. In this farm is included the promontory 
 called Nutton Hook, immediately opposite to Cox- 
 sackie, with which it is connected by a well regu^ 
 lated ferry. This point is important from its pe- 
 culiar position, being at the head of ship navigation, 
 and at the head of the contemplated Coxsackie and 
 Schenectady Rail Road, for which an application 
 for a charter is now before the Legislature, which 
 may be connected with the Hudson and Berkshire 
 Rail Road by a link of but six miles in extent, 
 thereby opening a communication by the way of 
 this point both from the south and east to the west. 
 I have been induced to speak thus particularly of 
 19"
 
 S22 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 the " White Farm," from the fact of its combining 
 all that can be desired by the gentleman of leisure, 
 the farmer, or man of business. I do not wish to 
 be understood, that the adjoining lands will not 
 compare with this farm in quality of soil but that 
 its peculiar situation, the bend in the river giving 
 it a front on the river on two sides, renders it beau- 
 tiful beyond the powers of description. The old 
 town of Kinderhook, for richness of soil, fertility, 
 and adaptation to every branch of agriculture, is 
 not surpassed by any land in the state. This fact 
 the highly cultivated fields, splendid farm-houses, 
 and substantial barns, abundantly prove. 
 
 Yours, truly.
 
 LETTER XIX. 
 
 Literary Institutions of Poughkeepsie Distinguished Men 
 Stranger's Grare Public Journals Manufactures 
 Mines of Dutchess County, (f-c. <fc. 
 
 Poughkeepeie,* May, 1837. 
 
 DEAR P. I am aware that my rambling series 
 of " Letters about the Hudson" commenced with 
 this beautiful village. But as its increasing popu- 
 lation, its various manufacturing establishments, 
 and its temples of literature and learning, strike the 
 mind rather as the power of fairy enchantment, 
 than as the production of the energy and enterprise 
 of this "work day world," it will be my endeavour 
 to complete what I so imperfectly begun. 
 
 The enterprise of Poughkeepsie varies from that 
 of many other places. It is guided by intelligence 
 and liberality. The directing spirits seem to pos- 
 sess a higher motive than that embraced in lago's 
 advice, "put money in thy purse." They exhibit 
 a patriotic pride in the rising wealth and prosperi- 
 ty of the whole village, and a deep interest in the 
 cause of education. As an evidence of this, one 
 only need glance at the regularly paved, clean, and 
 
 * Poughkeepsie, from the Indian word, Apokeepsing, 
 safe harbour, organized 7th March, 1788.
 
 224 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 level streets ; its tastefully designed, neat, and ele- 
 gant private residences; its handsome, sprightly, 
 business-like stores ; its noble seminaries, rich, am- 
 ple, and commodious in their architecture; among 
 which, like a throned queen, pre-eminently beauti- 
 ful, stands the Collegiate School, with its chaste 
 and elegant Grecian proportions. But it is not, 
 friend P., my object to turn eulogist, but rather to 
 state facts. The institutions of learning are emi- 
 nently entitled to notice. The building of the Colle- 
 giate School, situate on that noble eminence, known 
 as College Hill, has been finished and in operation 
 since November, 1836. The building is of brick, 
 137 by 76 feet, a perfect model of the Athenian 
 Parthenon. It will accommodate one hundred pu- 
 pils, together with the family of the principal, and 
 his assistants. Besides the principal, there is a 
 Professor of Mathematics, of the Ancient Langua- 
 ges, of the French, Spanish, and other modern Lan- 
 guages, and one of History. 
 
 The School is conducted on purely philosophical 
 principles; reference being had to the nature of 
 the juvenile mind, and constant efforts employed to 
 develop its powers in their natural order, and to 
 preserve them in their relative strength. The do- 
 mestic arrangements and modes of instruction are 
 adapted to youth of every age, and they are in- 
 structed in such branches as may either qualify
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 225 
 
 them for commercial life, or prepare them for a 
 collegiate course, and the attainment of a liberal 
 education, according to the wishes of their parents 
 or guardians. Those who are intended for com- 
 mercial life are taught Orthography, Reading, 
 Writing, English Grammar, Geography, Rhetoric, 
 Logic, Mathematics, History, Natural Philosophy, 
 Political Economy, Civil Polity, the French and 
 Spanish languages ; and those intended for a col- 
 legiate course, apply themselves to the Latin and 
 Greek Languages, in addition. 
 
 The government of the School is supervisory 
 and parental ; whilst the strictest order is enjoined, 
 such discipline only is employed as most effectual- 
 ly tends to call into action the moral sense of the 
 scholar. Select portions of the Scripture are read 
 daily, their fundamental truths inculcated, and such 
 familiar lectures are occasionally delivered, as best 
 serve to illustrate their moral and religious design 
 and tendency, without having a direct bearing upon 
 the peculiarities of any Christian denomination. 
 Sabbath mornings and evenings are devoted to the 
 study of the Bible; and scholars attend church at 
 such places as their parents, or guardians, direct. 
 The rewards and punishments are of an intellectual 
 and moral nature, addressed to the understanding 
 and the heart. Rewards for good deportment, and 
 diligence in study, are, the confidence and good will
 
 236 tin nSRS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 of instructors ; approbation and love of friends and 
 relations; self-government; rapid improvement in 
 learning ; advancement to a higher class, and an 
 approving conscience. Punishment for negligence, 
 and irregularity of conduct is, chiefly, disapproba- 
 tion of instructors; private and public censure; stu- 
 dying during the hours of diversion; removal to a 
 lower class ; confinement ; and finally, if incorrigi- 
 ble, dismission from the school. Strict attention is 
 paid to the health of the pupils, and they are at- 
 tended by a skilful and experienced physician, when 
 necessary. Buying or selling, or bartering, and 
 the use of tobacco, are strictly prohibited. There 
 are two terms in the year, 23 weeks each. The 
 first commences on the first Wednesday in Novem- 
 ber ; the second term the first Tuesday in May. 
 The principal and his family constantly and fami- 
 liarly associate with the youth committed to their 
 care. The annual expense per scholar, is $230. 
 The sum includes all charges for instruction, board, 
 books, stationary, bed and bedding, washing, mend- 
 ing, room, fuel, lights, &c. 
 
 The new building of the Dutchess County Acad- 
 emy, for boys, has been completed. It is three sto- 
 ries high, and occupies a very commanding posi- 
 tion. The frame of the old edifice occupied as the 
 Academy, was brought to this village from Fish- 
 kill, shortly after the Revolutionary war.
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 227 
 
 Under the present organization of this Academy, 
 each pupil, whatever may be the department of sci- 
 ence pursued by him, has the benefit of the com- 
 bined talents of all the teachers. The teachers not 
 only hear the ordinary recitations, but give lectures 
 to the classes in all the departments of science taught 
 by them. To enable them to do this to the great- 
 est advantage to the pupils, the Trustees furnish 
 a set of Globes, and Mechanical, Philosophical, and 
 Chemical apparatus, of which each pupil pursu- 
 ing the studies to which they appertain, has the 
 benefit. 
 
 The building of the Poughkeepsie Female Acad- 
 emy, was erected in 1836. It is of brick, and is 
 situated in the heart of the village. It opened on 
 the 18th of May. The average number of pupils 
 during the first year was from 70 to 80. It justly 
 ranks among the first Female Institutions in the 
 country. 
 
 The Female Seminary of Miss Booth stands 
 high in the estimation of the public, and I think 
 deservedly so. Miss B. is, from her moral and in- 
 tellectual qualities, eminently well calculated to 
 educate young ladies. 
 
 Poughkeepsie may well be proud of her Litera- 
 ry Institutions, for in this respect she is without a 
 rival. In the course of two years the place has
 
 228 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 paid for three temples of science, well nigh one 
 hundred thousand dollars* 
 
 Among the most distinguished men in this beau- 
 tiful village, I shall notice a few, whose public ser- 
 vices have made them pre-eminent. 
 
 Judge James Emott, president of the Dutchess 
 County Bank, and a large stockholder in that in- 
 stitution, with whose interests and prosperity he 
 has been long identified, demands a more elaborate 
 notice than a mere passing tribute to his worth. I 
 must content myself, however, with a brief notice 
 of this excellent man, whose worth can only be 
 fully appreciated by those who have the privi- 
 lege of his intimacy. In every public trust which 
 this gentleman has assumed, his conduct has been 
 marked with uncompromising integrity, sterling 
 ability, and disinterested zeal. His assiduity in the 
 office of commissioner under Gov. Jay, his ability 
 and gentlemanly deportment as speaker of the house 
 of Assembly in this state, his untiring devotion to 
 his country's service, and the more immediate wel- 
 fare of his constituents, as member of congress, du- 
 ring the last war, and his exemplary deportment as 
 a circuit judge, have gained for him universal ad- 
 
 * The Collegiate Institute cost about $70,000 ; the 
 Female Academy, $14.000; and the Dut chess County, 
 $11,000.
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON; 229 
 
 miration and respect. In his judicial character, 
 he was particularly remarkable for the exhibition 
 of those virtues which characterize him as a phi- 
 lanthropist and as a man. His urbanity at the bar, 
 his patience, mildness, and dignity, in the most ar- 
 duous of all employments, endeared him to the pro- 
 fession of which he was at once an ornament and 
 a guide ; while the depth of his learning, and the 
 soundness of his judgment, were best acknowledg- 
 ed in his opinions, which were seldom reversed. 
 The ermine of his justice remains unsullied. He 
 is a gentleman of the old school, evincing in his in- 
 tercourse with society, a high sense of honour, and 
 great moral purity and simplicity of character. 
 The estimation in which he is held by the Episco- 
 pal church, of which he is a " bright and shining 
 light," and the influence he exerts in its general 
 councils, are well known. He was the personal 
 and confidential friend of De Witt Clinton. Judge 
 Emott's residence fs one of the most commanding 
 and beautiful on the Hudson, where he entertains 
 his friends with that cordial urbanity which marks 
 the finished gentleman. 
 
 " His life is gentle; and the elements 
 So mingled in him, that Nature might stand up, 
 And say to all the world, this is a man." 
 
 In passing the new and splendid mansion of the 
 20
 
 230 BETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 Hon. Nathaniel P. Talmadge, a senator in Con- 
 gress, I must be allowed to say a few words of its 
 occupant. Mr. T., who is yet in the prime of life, 
 has always devoted himself to the public good. 
 His patriotic exertions in the senate of the United 
 States, if not always crowned with success, shine 
 conspicuous amidst the public calamities which 
 they would have averted. After graduating with 
 distinguished honour at Union College, he applied 
 himself to that profession which is the highway to 
 public favour and emolument. But, the honours 
 of the forum were soon attained ; and the splendors 
 of the great American senate had higher attractions 
 for a man, whose brilliant career may be consider- 
 ed as just begun. Transferred from the assembly 
 and senate of his own state, where his eminent 
 abilities were constantly exerted for the benefit of 
 his fellow-citizens, to the senate of the United 
 States, his votes and speeches on every subject fully 
 attest his worth. He is a genuine old-fashioned 
 republican ; one who is never guided by party 
 trammels, but whose whole soul is given to his 
 whole country. His speeches are marked by 
 great vigour of thought, chasteness, and beauty ; 
 and to a most fascinating eloquence, he adds the 
 more valuable quality of a sound and discrimina- 
 ting judgment. Honesty, sincerity, amiability, 
 moral excellence, and intelligence, are stamped in-
 
 LETTKRS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 231 
 
 delibly on his countenance and character. To the 
 genius, enterprise, and energy of this gentleman, 
 the village is largely indebted, for its present as 
 well as prospective prosperity. I have heard with 
 regret, that Mr. T. contemplates withdrawing from 
 the national councils. I hope, however, he may 
 be induced to remain, where public spirit and ex- 
 alted patriotism are so much needed. 
 
 ' He was not born to shame ; 
 
 Upon his brow shame is ashamed to sit, 
 
 For 'tis a throne where honour may be crown'd. 1 
 
 Would you, friend P., visit one of the most enchant- 
 ed spots which the midsummer-night dream of po- 
 etry ever conjured up in the revelry of delicious 
 imaginings, then visit this gentleman's residence, 
 and if Oberon does not enchain you quite, you may 
 go away, and live in the memory of it forever. 
 
 Poughkeepsie is also the residence of the Hon. 
 Smith Thompson, one of the associate judges of 
 the Supreme Court of the United States, and seve- 
 ral years since the whig candidate for the guberna- 
 torial chair of this state. His legal decisions are 
 well known to the people of the United States, and 
 his moral and intellectual character are of the high- 
 est grade. He is, to sum up all in few words, "a 
 ripe and good scholar," and an " honest man." 
 
 In contemplating the beautiful edifices which
 
 232 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 strike the beholder from so many points in this 
 delightful place, we are at once reminded of the ac- 
 complished gentleman to whom the inhabitants of 
 Poughkeepsie, as well as the crowds of strangers 
 who pass them, are indebted for that gratification 
 of taste, which is almost peculiar to the spot. Need 
 I mention the name of JOHN DELAFIELD, Esq. the 
 efficient financier, and cashier of the Phoenix Bank 
 in the city of New- York. Mr. D. seems to have 
 searched the relics of antiquity, and ransacked the 
 accumulated treasures of modern refinement, to 
 embody in so many various modifications of the 
 beau ideal, the exemplars of refined taste. The 
 city of New York is largely indebted to Mr. Del- 
 afield for his spirited exertions in behalf of science, 
 literature, and the arts : it was under his guidance 
 that the Historical Society of New York was reno- 
 vated ; and the New York Athenaeum also was be- 
 nefitted at his hands. The University of the City 
 of New York, which is now an honour to the city 
 and to the state, owes its existence in part to Mr. 
 Delafield, as one of five gentlemen who projected 
 that noble institution ; Mr. D. was secretary to the 
 council for three years. It was the taste of this 
 gentleman which caused the erection of the first 
 purely Grecian edifice in New York, being the 
 bank of which he has been the active executive of- 
 ficer for seventeen years. Among other embellish-
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 233 
 
 ments introduced by Mr. Delafield, is the enclosure 
 of Hudson Square, excelled by none in this coun- 
 try, and, as is admitted by Europeans, is second to 
 none of the London squares. The financial saga- 
 city and liberality of Mr. D. are too well known 
 to be here noticed ; but we cannot resist the incli- 
 nation, to record in these pages the name of one, 
 who is alike the representative and the patron of 
 genius. 
 
 We frequently see among business-men great 
 public spirit, and talents of a high order. To this 
 class belongs Paraclete Potter, for many years edi- 
 tor and publisher of the Poughkeepsie Journal, 
 and a highly respectable bookseller. The com- 
 prehensiveness of this self-taught and highly gifted 
 individual's mind, is only equalled by the kindness 
 of his nature, and the urbanity of his manners ; but 
 the rarest excellence of all is the perfect disinterest- 
 edness which marks every feature of his character. 
 Is any measure proposed by which the public weal 
 is to be advanced, his energetic helping hand comes 
 to the work without hesitation or delay. He does 
 not stop to inquire, " how much shall I gain by 
 this?" His mind seems cast in a purer mould; 
 and while less elevated natures are battling for 
 wealth, and the world's notice, he appears to keep 
 aloof from the venial herd, as if "pro bono publico" 
 20*
 
 234 LETTERS ABODT THE HUDSON. 
 
 was both his watchword and his motto. He is a 
 prominent member of the " improvement party." 
 
 " Last, but not least/ 1 I must allude to General 
 Walter Cunningham. Nature designed this gen- 
 tleman for what he so emphatically is a business 
 man. As cashier of the Dutchess County Bank, 
 his sterling ability, prudent forecast, as well as en- 
 ergetic decision, have given him an influence which 
 few men possess. As a financier, he has few supe- 
 riors. His sagacity in these operations has been 
 crowned with signal success, and it has enabled 
 him at the same time to be a liberal friend and a 
 public benefactor. He possesses an elasticity and 
 buoyancy of spirits, which no time or circumstan- 
 ces can depress. His person is commanding, his 
 carriage dignified and determined, and he is withal 
 a most amiable and upright man. 
 
 About half a mile below the village, on the 
 grounds* of Henry Livingston, Esq., is a secluded 
 
 * These grounds, and the spacious old mansion, have 
 been in the possession of the Livingston family about one 
 hundred and thirty years. The building is of stone, one 
 hundred feet in length, but has been covered with boards. 
 It contains something like thirty rooms. The name of 
 the grandfather of the present occupant is to be found on 
 the declaration of American independence. A ball was 
 fired through this house by a British vessel, during the re- 
 volutionary war, and is still in the possession of Mr. L. 
 
 Col. Henry Livingston, the present occupant, is a gen-
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 235 
 
 and romantic cove on the Hudson, called " The 
 Stranger's Grave," which received its name from 
 the following circumstance. Long before the in- 
 troduction of steam-boats on the river, and when 
 the entire transportation was confined to sloops, a 
 foreign vessel, on her way to Albany, cast anchor 
 opposite this cove. Shortly after a boat came 
 ashore, bearing a dead body, for which a grave was 
 immediately prepared in a nook of the cove, be- 
 yond the reach of tide mark. The body was si- 
 lently and sadly interred, and the seamen embarked 
 and pursued their course, leaving the wondering 
 spectators of this scene to their own surmises. A 
 short time elapsed, and a marble tablet was placed 
 at the head of the grave. The deceased was a sea- 
 man, a native of Denmark, and had died of fever. 
 The slab bears many masonic emblems, to which 
 order the deceased belonged. The locality of this 
 sequestered place is truly beautiful ; there is a lone- 
 liness about it, 
 
 Most soothingly sweet for young lovers to meet, 
 Or poets to wake the dear theme. 
 
 tleman of the old school. He is much esteemed by the 
 inhabitants, and has been honoured by his fellow-citizens 
 with several important offices, the duties of which he has 
 ever discharged in a manner to secure the esteem of his 
 friends, and command the respect of all.
 
 236 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 One of the best evidences of the prosperity of a 
 village, is to be found in the appearance of its pub- 
 lic journals. If the sheet is badly printed, and 
 contains few advertisements, the distant reader at 
 once comes to the conclusion, that it is a place of 
 little or no business. On the contrary, if the paper 
 be neatly executed, and well filled with advertise- 
 ments, he infers at once that it is a place of consi- 
 derable mercantile and business importance, and 
 that the community are liberal and intelligent. The 
 papers of Poughkeepsie forcibly illustrate these 
 remarks. It is but justice to say, that for their ty- 
 pographical beauty, and general good taste, they 
 are unsurpassed by any similar publications in the 
 country. The three papers, the Poughkeepsie 
 Journal, by Jackson & Schram, the Poughkeepsie 
 Eagle, by Platt & Ranney, and the Telegraph, by 
 Kelly & Lossing, have a united circulation of more 
 than four thousand copies weekly. The Journal 
 was established in the revolution, and was conducted 
 for many years by Paraclete Potter, Esq., with dis- 
 tinguished ability ; the Telegraph was commenced 
 in 1824, and the Eagle in 1828 by Mr. Platt. The 
 two former support the Van Buren administration, 
 and the latter is the county organ of the whig or 
 anti-administration party. 
 
 Considerable attention is paid to reading in this 
 place. The circulating library of Messrs. Potter
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 237 
 
 & Wilson* contains about four thousand choice 
 volumes, embracing the whole range of litera- 
 ture. Their store is also well supplied with both 
 foreign and American books, in superior style of 
 binding. There is likewise another very respect- 
 able bookstore, and a library for the Mechanics' 
 Association. 
 
 Since my last visit to this place, several new 
 enterprises have been introduced into the village, 
 and others have been enlarged and perfected. The 
 Poughkeepsie Locomotive Factory, which is about 
 commencing operation, will exceed, when in the full 
 tide of successful experiment, in extent and facili- 
 ties of manufacture, any thing of the kind in this 
 country. It is got up under the direction of Mr. 
 Bouten, an ingenious civil engineer, late of Boston. 
 It is presumed that this establishment will turn out 
 from fifty to seventy-five locomotives per annum. 
 The probable value of engines manufactured, ma- 
 king the number of fifty, and putting the price at 
 
 * I cannot refrain from acknowledging in this place my 
 indebtedness to Mr. Wilson, for his gentlemanly deport- 
 ment, cordial hospitality, and the many valuable facts which 
 he so readily and cheerfully furnished. He possesses taste 
 and talent of a high order, as the contributions which have 
 graced the pages of the Edinburgh and other literary 
 journals of Europe fully testify. His modesty is equal to 
 bis merit. He is a genuine Scotchman.
 
 238 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 $6000 each, the lowest minimum, will amount to 
 $300,000, per annum. The principal building is 
 of brick, two stories, with an attic 200 by 50 feet. 
 There are several auxiliary buildings in connexion 
 with the main; a blacksmith shop, 100 by 30 feet; 
 a building for the construction of steam boilers, 50 
 by 30 feet, all built of bricks and covered over with 
 slate. The building cost $30,000. More than 
 two hundred and fifty hands are employed in this 
 establishment. 
 
 Two Carpet manufactories have been established 
 since December, 1835. They will manufacture 
 annually more than 100,000 yards of fine and su- 
 perfine ingrain carpeting, worth at present prices 
 from $1, to $1.20 per yard. These establishments 
 are the result of individual enterprise.* 
 
 A new Furnace commenced casting since the 
 opening of navigation, this spring. It will manu- 
 facture castings to the amount of $30,000 per an- 
 num. 
 
 The manufacture of Paper Hangings has been 
 recently commenced by Thomas Christie & Co., 
 late of Boston. The paper is of a superior quality, 
 and for beauty and durability will compare with 
 the French, These gentlemen are erecting a build- 
 
 * Henry Winfield & Co. are proprietors of one of these 
 establishments. Mr. Winfield is well known as one of the 
 first civil engineers in the country.
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 239 
 
 ing which will enable them to manufacture a larger 
 quantity than any similar establishment in the 
 Union. 
 
 While on a visit to this village, I witnessed the 
 operation of Beale's Patent Safety Harness. Robert 
 Beale is a citizen of Washington, D. C., but con- 
 templates removing to Poughkeepsie, as the most 
 desirable place for introducing several of his use- 
 ful inventions. Like Gen. Harvey, before alluded 
 to, he possesses a curious and inventive mind. He 
 was educated for the bar, but has turned his atten- 
 tion to mechanical improvements. The harness 
 alluded to, dispenses with the use of traces, breech- 
 ing, swingletree, and swingletree-brace. Attached 
 to the harness there is a safety string, which, by 
 pulling, detaches the horse in an instant from the 
 carriage. So far as time is important in taking the 
 horse out, nothing can be more complete; two or 
 three seconds is all that is necessary to entirely dis- 
 engage the horse from the carriage. The horse 
 walks down hill with perfect safety, and seems to 
 travel over the ground with all the ease and grace 
 of the unharnessed steed. 
 
 The Brewery of Messrs. Vassar & Co. is now 
 the largest establishment of the kind in the United 
 States. The recent enlargement is of brick, 200 
 by 50 feet, three and four stories high, which, to- 
 gether with its fixtures, cost the proprietors rising
 
 240 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 $40,000. It is calculated to turn out 50,000 bar- 
 rels of ale per annum. The ale manufactured at 
 this establishment is not surpassed by any in the 
 country. It is used even in the city of Philadel- 
 phia, so famed for its excellent malt liquors. 
 
 In the County of Dutchess there are valuable 
 beds of Brown Hematite. In Iron and Marble it 
 contains treasures of no ordinary value.* 
 
 * ffiskkitt Ore Bed. This is the ore bed belonging to the 
 Fishkill Iron Company. It is situated about three miles 
 north-east of the village of Hopewell. The hill in which 
 it occurs presents no peculiarity that I could discover, 
 except that its surface is made up of coarse gravel, and 
 has a rounded form in various places. The ore is co- 
 vered by a stiff whitish clay^ and is intermixed with the 
 same substance, called fuller's earth, by the miners. Quartz 
 is also one of the accompanying minerals, and a sort 
 of slate is often found in the centre of the masses of ore, 
 which causes some inconvenience to the smelter. The 
 whole bed is made up of nodules of ore of various sizes 
 and forms, but usually rounded, which are covered, and 
 apparently cemented together, with a yellowish-brown, 
 clayey ochre. These nodules are often hollow, and when 
 this is the case, the inner surface is highly polished, and 
 has the appearance of having been fused. Sometimes, 
 also, beautiful stalactites, of various sizes and forms, are 
 found in these balls, and occasionally there is observed a 
 thin lining of a black powdery matter, resembling plum- 
 bago, which is believed to be oxide of manganese. The 
 structure of the ore is fibrous, and its colour brown. 
 
 This bed is worked by levels or burrows carried in va-
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 241 
 
 Formerly an old steam-boat house stood at the 
 foot of Main-street, but that has been demolished, 
 and a beautiful hotel has been erected in its place, 
 
 rious directions through the hill in which it is situated. 
 These excavations have already extended to the distance 
 of ninety or an hundred feet from the entrance. The 
 roof of these burrows is from twelve to thirty feet above 
 the floor, and is supported by pillars of ore, from five to 
 ten feet in thickness. The ore alternates with the clay 
 and slate, and from what I subsequently observed, I infer 
 that the bed rests upon mica slate, although I did not find 
 that rock in the immediate vicinity. Independently of 
 the interest which this locality possesses in a mineralogi- 
 cal point of view, the judicious manner in whieh the 
 mining operations are conducted, renders it worthy of 
 particular notice. 
 
 Clove Ore Bed. This is an extensive deposite of brown 
 hematite, situated in the south-western part of the town 
 of Unionvalle. The general appearance of the hill in 
 which this occurs does not differ much from that of the 
 Fishkill ore bed, but it appears to be more extensive, at 
 least it has been more extensively explored. In most in- 
 stances it has been worked to the day ; large excavations 
 having been made in various places, which communicate 
 with some central point by means of roads or rail-ways. 
 The Dover Iron Company have, however, sunk a well 
 or shaft, and are constructing a lever to intersect it, a 
 mode of working which promises to be highly advanta- 
 geous. The ore is in general similar to that found at the 
 Fishkill bed, but perhaps there is a larger proportion of 
 the ochrey, orjinc ore, as it is here called, which is usually 
 considered more valuable than the other varieties. 
 21
 
 242 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 
 
 by G. J. Vincent & Co. It fronts the steam-boat 
 dock, and its windows look out upon the green and 
 glassy waters of the river. The house is well man- 
 aged by Messrs. Van Kleek & Son. 
 
 Foss Ore Bed. Proceeding from the Clove bed in a 
 north-western direction, after crossing Chestnut Ridge, 
 we coine to a deposite of ore known by the above name, 
 in the town of Dover, about a mile and a half W. S. W. 
 from the furnace of the Dover Iron Company. This bed 
 is situated in a valley between two spurs of the mountain 
 which passes through this part of the county, and it is 
 particularly interesting, as showing the association of the 
 hematite with the mica slate, which occurs here in strata 
 of some thickness, and contains garnets of various sizes. 
 In extent, however, this bed appears to be inferior to either 
 of those already noticed. The ore is in much larger 
 masses, and is not only more difficultly reduced to powder, 
 but contains a. larger proportion of foreign substances. 
 
 Amenia Ore Bed. Passing through Dover Plains, in 
 the vicinity of which are inexhaustible quarries of white 
 and coloured marbles of excellent quality, we find another 
 deposite of hematite in the north-western part of the town 
 of Amenia. This is truly a magnificent locality, whe- 
 ther we consider the quality or the enormous quantity 
 of the ore. Supplies are here obtained for the Amenia 
 Iron Company, and for several furnaces in the State of 
 Connecticut. The bed has been opened at various places 
 for the distance of 100 yards, and the ore presents all the 
 varieties observed at the celebrated Salisbury deposite. 
 It often occurs in the form of stalactites of various sizes, 
 and possessing uncommon beauty. The same high polish, 
 or blackish sooty matter, is observed on the surface of the
 
 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 243 
 
 Time would fail me to speak of all tne objects 
 of interest and utility, connected with a village of 
 unequalled beauty, enterprise, and prosperity. It 
 holds out inducements to the ingenious mechanic, 
 in my opinion.no where surpassed. The banking 
 capital of the village amounts to about $1,000,000 ; 
 this money is mostly loaned in the county, and prin- 
 cipally to the industrious mechanic or the thriving 
 farmer. Of the soundness and perfect solvency of 
 the three banks of Poughkeepsie, there can be no 
 manner of doubt; they are managed with great 
 skill, prudence, and liberality 
 
 Yours, truly. 
 
 nodules, and they not unfrequently have a light brown 
 colour, and a structure so distinctly fibrous as to bear a 
 considerable resemblance to wood. A fragment of a 
 stalactite from this locality, was found to have a specific 
 gravity of 3.828; and to lose upon calcination 13.5 per 
 cent of its weight. The composition of this specimen 
 will probably be a fair average of that of the pure hema- 
 titic variety from the various localities in this county. 
 
 BecJc's Report.
 
 SARATOGA SPRINGS. 
 
 THE writer of the foregoing letters made a flying ex- 
 cursion to Saratoga Springs, and intended to have given 
 a particular description of the place, but has been com- 
 pelled by circumstances beyond his control, to omit an 
 original account of matters and things relative to this 
 fashionable resort. As these letters, however, will proba- 
 bly fall into the hands of many a traveller on the Hud- 
 son, who contemplates a visit, he would introduce from 
 Mr. Davison's " Traveller's Guide through the Middle and 
 Northern States, and the Provinces of Canada" the fol- 
 lowing account, with a few alterations, rendered neces- 
 sary by changes which have occurred since the appear- 
 ance of the last edition of that valuable work. 
 
 Saratoga Springs is situated north-easterly from Ballston 
 Spa 6 1-2 miles, and 36 1-2 miles from the city of Albany. 
 The village is located on an elevated spot of ground, sur- 
 rounded by a productive level country, and enjoys, if not 
 the advantage of prospect, at least the advantage of a salu- 
 brious air and climate, contributing much to the health and 
 benefit of its numerous visitants. The springs, so just- 
 ly celebrated for their medicinal virtues, are situated on 
 the margin of a vale, bordering the village on the east, 
 and are a continuation of a chain of springs discovering 
 themselves about 12 miles to the south, in the town of 
 Ballstcn, and extending easterly in the form of a cres- 
 .cent, to the duaker village. In the immediate vicinity 
 are 10 or 12 springs, the principal of which are the Con- 
 gress, the Hamilton, the High Rock, the Columbian, the 
 Flat Rock, the Washington, and the President. About a 
 mile east, are found a cluster of mineral springs which 
 go by the name of the Ten Springs. 
 
 THE CONGRESS SPRING 
 
 Is situated at the south end of the village, and is 
 owned by Doct. John Clarke ; to whose liberality the
 
 SARATOGA SPRINGS. 
 
 245 
 
 public are much indebted for the recent improvements 
 that have been made in the grounds adjoining the foun- 
 tain, for the purity in which its waters are preserved, and 
 for an elegant colonnade erected over the spring, affording 
 a convenient promenade to visitants. 
 
 The spring was first discovered in the summer of 1792, 
 issuing from a crevice in the rock, a few feet from its 
 present location. Here it flowed for a number of years, 
 until an attempt to improve the surface around it produced 
 an accidental obstruction of its waters, which afterward 
 made their appearance at the place where they now flow. 
 It is enclosed by a tube sunk into the earth to the dis- 
 tance of 12 or 14 feet, which secures it from the water 
 of a stream, adjoining which it is situated. 
 
 From an analysis made by Doct. Steel, it appears that 
 a gallon of the water contains the following substances : 
 chloride of sodium, 385 grs. ; hydriodate of soda, 3 1-2 
 grs. ; bicarbonate of soda, nearly 9 grs. ; bicarbonate of 
 magnesia, nearly 96 grs.; carbonate of lime, a little more 
 than 98 grs. ; carbonate of iron, upwards of 5 grs. ; silix, 
 1 1-2 grs.; carbonic acid gas, 311 cubic inches; atmos- 
 pheric air, 7 do. 
 
 To this spring perhaps more than any other spot on 
 the globe, are seen repairing in the summer mornings, 
 before breakfast, persons of almost every grade and con- 
 dition, from the most exalted to the most abject. The 
 beautiful and the deformed the rich and the poor the 
 devotee of pleasure and the invalid all congregate here 
 for purposes as various as are their situations in life. To 
 one fond of witnessing the great diversity in the human 
 character, this place affords an ample field for observation. 
 So well, indeed, has it been improved by the little urchins 
 who dip water at the fountain, that an imposing exterior 
 is sure to procure for its possessor their services; while 
 individuals less richly attired, and whose physiognomy in- 
 dicate a less liberal disposition, are often compelled to 
 wait till it is more convenient to attend to their wants. 
 
 Most persons soon become fond of the water ; but the 
 effect on those who taste it for the first time is frequently 
 unpleasant. To such, the other fountains are generally 
 more palatable, having a less saline taste than the Con- 
 gress. 
 
 The HIGH ROCK is situated on the west side of the val- 
 21*
 
 246 SARATOGA SPRINGS. 
 
 ley, skirting the east side of the village, about half a mile 
 north of the Congress. The rock enclosing this spring 
 is in the shape of a cone, 9 feet in diameter at its base, 
 and 5 in height. It seems to have been formed by a con- 
 cretion of particles thrown up by the water which for- 
 merly flowed over its summit through an aperture of 
 about 12 inches in diameter, regularly diverging from 
 the top of the cone to its base. This spring was visited 
 in the year 1767 by Sir William Johnson, but was known 
 long before by the Indians, who were first led to it, either 
 by accident or the frequent haunts of beasts, attracted 
 thither by the saline properties of the water. A building 
 was erected near the spot previous to the revolutionary 
 war ; afterward abandoned, and again resumed ; since 
 which the usefulness of the water has, from time to time, 
 occasioned frequent settlements within its vicinity. 
 
 The water now arises within 2 feet of the summit, and 
 a common notion prevails that it has found a passage 
 through a fissure of the rock occasioned by the fall of a 
 tree ; since which event it has ceased to flow over its 
 brink. This opinion, however, may be dotfbted. It is 
 probable that the decay of the rock, which commenced 
 its formation on the natural surface of the earth, may 
 have yielded to the constant motion of the water, and at 
 length opened a passage between its decayed base and 
 the loose earth on which it was formed. This idea is 
 strengthened from the external appearance of the rock 
 at its eastern base, which has already been penetrated by 
 the implements of curiosity a number of inches. 
 
 Between the Red spring in the upper village, and the 
 Washington in the south part of the lower village, are 
 situated most of the other mineral springs in which this 
 place abounds. At three of the principal springs, the 
 Hamilton, Monroe, and Washington, large and conve- 
 nient bathing houses have been erected, which are the 
 constant resort for pleasure as well as health, during the 
 warm season. 
 
 The mineral waters both at Ballston and Saratoga are 
 supposed to be the product of the same great laboratory, 
 and they all possess nearly the same properties, varying 
 only as to the quantity of the different articles held in so- 
 lution. They are denominated acidulous saline and 
 acidulous chalybeate. Of the former are the Congress,
 
 SARATOGA SPRINGS. 
 
 247 
 
 (which holds the first rank,) the Hamilton, High Rock, 
 and President, at Saratoga; and of the latter are the 
 Columbian, Flat Rock, and Washington, at Saratoga, and 
 the Old Spring and San Souci, at Ballston. The waters 
 contain muriate of soda, hydriodate of soda, carbonate of 
 soda, carbonate of lime, carbonate of magnesia, oxide of 
 iron, and some of them a minute quantity of silica and 
 alumina. Large quantities of carbonic acid gas are also 
 contained in the waters, giving to them a sparkling and 
 lively appearance. The Congress, in particular, the 
 moment it is dipped, contains nearly one half more than 
 its bulk of gas; a quantity unprecedented in any natural 
 waters elsewhere discovered. 
 
 Doct. Steel, in his geological report of the county of 
 Saratoga, published a few years since, remarks, that "the 
 temperature of the water in all these wells is about the 
 same, ranging from 48 to 52 degrees on Fahrenheit's scale; 
 and they suffer no sensible alteration from any variation 
 in the temperature of the atmosphere; neither do the va- 
 riations ot the seasons appear to have much effect on the 
 quantity of water produced. 
 
 " The waters are remarkably limpid, and when first 
 dipped, sparkle with all the life ot good champaigne. 
 The saline waters bear bottling very well, particularly 
 the Congress, immense quantities of which are put up in 
 this way, and transported to various parts of the world ; 
 not, however, without a considerable loss of its gaseous 
 property, which renders its taste much more insipid than 
 when drank at the well. The chalybeate water is like- 
 wise put up in bottles for transportation, but a very tri- 
 fling loss of its gas produces an immediate precipitation 
 of its iron ; and hence this water, when it has been bot- 
 tled for some time, frequently becomes turbid, and finally 
 loses every trace of iron ; this substance filing itself to 
 the walls of the bottle. 
 
 " The most prominent and perceptible effects of these 
 waters, when taken into the stomach, are cathartic, diuretic, 
 and tonic. They are much used in a great variety of 
 complaints ; but the diseases in which they are most ef- 
 ficacious are jaundice and bilious affections generally, 
 dyspepsia, habitual costiveness, hypochondriacal com- 
 plaints, depraved appetite, calculous and enphritic com- 
 plaints, phagedenic or ill-conditioned ulcers, cutaneous
 
 248 SARATOGA SPRINGS. 
 
 eruptions, chronic rheumatism, some species or states 
 of gout, some species of dropsy, scrofula, paralysis, scor- 
 butic aifections and old scorbutic ulcers, amenorrhea, 
 dysmenorrhea, and chlorosis. In phthisis, and indeed all 
 other pulmonary affections arising from primary dis- 
 eases of the lungs, the waters are manifestly injurious, 
 and evidently tend to increase the violence of the disease. 
 
 " Much interest has been excited on the subject of the 
 source of these singular waters ; but no researches have 
 as yet. unfolded the mystery. The large proportion of 
 common salt found among their constituent properties 
 may be accounted for without much difficulty all the 
 salt springs of Europe, as well as those of America, being 
 found in geological situations exactly corresponding to 
 these ; but the production of the unexampled quantity of 
 carbonic acid gas, the medium through which the other 
 articles are held in solution, is yet, and probably will re- 
 main, a subject of mere speculation. The low and regu- 
 lar temperature of the water seems to forbid the idea that 
 it is the effect of subterranean heat, as many have sup- 
 posed, and the total absence of any mineral acid, except- 
 ing the muriatic, which is combined with soda, does 
 away the possibility of its being the effect of any combi- 
 nation of that kind. Its production is therefore truly un- 
 accountable." 
 
 In addition to the springs already enumerated, a valua- 
 ble SULPHUR SPRING was discovered a few years since in 
 the vicinity of the Hamilton Spring, in the rear of the 
 Congress Hall. It rises from a depth of about twenty 
 feet, in a tube of about 4 feet in diameter, and affords an 
 ample supply of water for the bathing establishment with 
 which it is connected. It has already proved highly ef- 
 ficacious in many cases of salt rheum, scrofula, and other 
 cutaneous eruptions; and were it generally known, would 
 undoubtedly be resorted to more frequently by persons 
 afflicted with these complaints. 
 
 The boarding establishments of the first class at Sara- 
 toga Springs are the Congress Hall and Union Hall at 
 the south end of the village, the Pavilion at the north, 
 and the United States Hotel in a central situation be- 
 tween them. Besides these, there are a number of other 
 boarding houses on a less extensive scale, the most noted 
 of which are Montgomery Hall and the York House
 
 SARATOGA SPRINGS. 
 
 249 
 
 in the south part, and the Columbian Hotel and Wash- 
 ington Hall, in the north part of the village ; Prospect 
 Hall, also kept by Mr. Benjamin R. Putnam, is beau- 
 tifully located about one mile northwest of the village, 
 and is a very respectable establishment. 
 
 The CONGRESS HALL, kept by Mr. Mungen, is situated 
 within a few rods of the Congress spring, to which a 
 handsome walk, shaded with trees, has been constructed 
 for the convenience of guests. The space in front of the 
 building is occupied by three apartments, each of which 
 is enclosed by a railing, terminating at the front entran- 
 ces of the piazza, and each used as a flower garden. The 
 edifice is 200 feet in length, 3 stories high, besides an 
 attic, and has two wings extending back, one 60, and the 
 other about 100 feet. In front of the hall is a spacious 
 piazza, extending the whole length of the building, 20 
 feet in width, with a canopy from the roof, supported by 
 17 massy columns, each of which is gracefully intwined 
 with woodbine. There is also a back piazza, which 
 opens upon a beautiful garden annexed to the establish- 
 ment, and a small grove of pines, affording both fra- 
 grance and shade to their loitering guests. The Con- 
 gress Hall can accommodate from 250 to 300 visitants, 
 and is justly ranked among the most elegant establish- 
 ments in the union. 
 
 The UNITED STATES HOTEL, kept by Seaman and Mar- 
 vin, with its gardens and out-buildings, occupies a space 
 in the centre of the village of about five acres. The 
 main building is composed of brick, 125 feet long and 
 t)4 wide. It is four stories high, and has a wing extend- 
 ing west 60 feet, three stories high. A building 34 by 
 0, appropriated to drawing and lodging rooms, has also 
 been added on the south, and is connected with the main 
 edifice by broad piazzas in front and rear, extending the 
 whole length of both buildings. The ground in the rear 
 and south of the hotel is handsomely laid out into walks, 
 terminating on the west in a garden belonging to the es- 
 tablishment, and the whole is tastefully ornamented with 
 trees and shrubbery. The front of the edifice is enclosed 
 by a delicate circular railing into three apartments, each 
 containing a choice variety of flowers and shrubs, and 
 shaded by a row of forest trees extending the whole 
 length of the building. The hotel is situated equally dis-
 
 250 SARATOGA SPRINGS. 
 
 tant between the Congress and Flat Rock springs, and 
 commands a view of the whole village, and from its 
 fourth story a distinct view is had of the surrounding 
 country for a number of miles. This establishment can 
 accommodate nearly 250 visitants, and is one of the lar- 
 gest and most splendid edifices in the United States. 
 
 The PAVILION, kept by John Robson, is situated in a 
 pleasant part of the village, immediately in front of the 
 Flat Rock spring. The building is constructed of wood, 
 136 feet in length, with a wing extending back from the 
 centre of the main building, 80 feet, and another (which 
 has been recently added) extending along Church street, 
 of 200 feet, affording numerous private parlours, com- 
 municating with lodging rooms, lor the convenience of 
 families. The main building is 2 1-2 stories high, with 
 the addition of an attic, which, with the handsome porti- 
 co in front, sustained by delicate colonnades, renders it, in 
 beauty and proportion, one of the finest models of archi- 
 tecture this country can produce. The large rooms of 
 the Pavilion are so constructed that by means of folding 
 doors the whole of the lower apartments may be thrown 
 into one an advantage which gives much additional in- 
 terest to the promenade and cotillion parties, which fre- 
 quently assemble 6n this extensive area. A large gar- 
 den, to which is added a fish pond, is connected with the 
 establishment. The Pavilion is calculated for the ac- 
 commodation of about 250 visitants Mr. Robson, the 
 present manager of this establishment, is a gentleman of 
 great experience in the business, and will increase the 
 popularity of the house. 
 
 The UNION HALL is one of the earliest and most re- 
 spectable establishments in the vicinity, and is situated 
 directly opposite the Congress Hall. It has, within a few 
 years, been much improved in its appearance, and en- 
 larged by considerable additions to the main building. It 
 now presents an elegant front, 120 feet in length, three 
 stories high, with two wings extending west 60 feet. It 
 is ornamented in front by 10 columns, which rise to 
 nearly the height of the building, and support the roof of 
 a spacious piazza. A garden in the rear of the building, 
 together with a beautiful flower garden on the north open- 
 ing to the main street, are among the varieties which con- 
 tribute to the pleasantness of the establishment. It is
 
 SARATOGA SPRINGS. 251 
 
 now kept by Mr. W. Putnam, a son of the original pro- 
 prietor, and ranks in point of elegance and respectabili- 
 ty with the most favoured establishments in the vicinity. 
 
 The READING ROOMS. There is in the village a print- 
 ing office and bookstore, with which is connected a read- 
 ing room, a mineralogical room, and a library, under the 
 superintendence of the same proprietor. These rooms, 
 a few doors north of the U. S. Hotel, are contained in. 
 the same building with the library and bookstore, but have 
 their separate apartments. That appropriated for the 
 reading room, is large and airy. It is ornamented with 
 a variety of maps and charts, and is furnished by the 
 daily mails with about 100 papers, from different parts of 
 the United S.ates and from the Canadas, besides several 
 periodical publications. The mineralogical apartment is 
 on the second story, to which stairs lead from the reading 
 room. This apartment contains specimens of all the 
 minerals discovered in this vicinity, together with a va- 
 riety from different parts of the union, and from Europe. 
 They are very handsomely arranged in glass cases, have 
 been much augmented of late by Dr. J. H. Steel, of this 
 place, to whom the proprietor is principally indebted for 
 iheir collection and arrangement. An apartment adjoin-- 
 ing the reading room, contains a library of about 2000 
 volumes, which are well selected, and receive constant 
 additions from the most fashionable productions of the 
 day. There is also kept at the rooms a register of the 
 names of visitants at the Springs, their residence and 
 places of board. The names thus entered frequently 
 number from 6 to 8000 in the course of the season. 
 
 These rooms afford a pleasant retreat from the noise 
 and bustle of the boarding establishments, and are much 
 frequented by ladies and gentlemen of taste and fashion. 
 The terms are reasonable, and are scarcely an equivalent, 
 considering the extent and usefulness of the institution. 
 
 At both the villages of Ballston and Saratoga Springs, 
 there are always sufficient objects of amusement to ren- 
 der the transient residence of their summer guests pleas- 
 ant and agreeable. Those whose taste is not gratified at 
 the billiard rooms, which are annexed to most of the 
 boarding establishments, can always enjoy a mental re- 
 creation at the reading rooms; a ride on the rail road, 
 carriages for which leave both village? several times a
 
 252 AnATOGA SPRINGS. 
 
 X 
 
 day ; or a short excursion in the neighbourhood, where 
 sufficient beauty and novelty of scenery are always pre- 
 sented to render it interesting. The amusements of the 
 day are usually crowned with a ball or promenade. The 
 respective apartments appropriated for these occasions are 
 calculated to accommodate from 150 to 200 guests ; but 
 they often contain a much greater number. 
 
 The spacious areas of the cotillion rooms are between 
 80 and 90 feet in length, and when enlivened by the asso- 
 ciated beauty and gayety resorting to the springs, present 
 a scene of novelty and fascination seldom equalled. 
 
 About two miles east from Saratoga Springs there is 
 also a small fish pond, situated on the farm of a Mr. 
 Barhyte. Parties often resort thither, as well to enjoy 
 the amusements of fishing as to partake of a repast on 
 trout, the proprietor reserving to himself the exclusive 
 privilege of -ne them up. 
 
 TBB END.
 
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