Mountains, rivers, and some mifcellanies. The most confiderable high lands are the Catkill mountains weft of Hudfon's river, and about 90 miles N. from New-York. What I mentioned vol. I. p. 454, 455, by way of annotation, concerning the runs of water from the Catkill mountains, en paffent; now in its proper place requires to be corrected, and ought to be understood as follows. On the east and fouth eaft fides of Catkill mountains, feveral ftreams run, and fall into Hudfon's river below Albany; on their N. W. fide proceeds Schorie river, and falls into Mohawks river, a branch of Hudfon's river, at fort Hunter about 30 miles above Albany; and this Schorie river in its courfe comes within three or four miles of the main branch of Delaware river; from the S. W. fide flows a confiderable branch of Delaware river. Conajoharie river falls into the Mohawks river about 10 miles above fort Hunter, and comes very near to a branch of Safquahanna river; this branch of Safquahanna is fo large, that at 18 miles from the Mohawks river, the Indians go down in canoes to all the Indian fettlements upon Safquahanna river. From this fituation of thefe rivers, no runs of water from the Catkill mountains can fall into lake Ontario, into river Ohio, or into the Safquahanna river. Excepting Long Island and Staten-Ifland, the main land fea line, from Byram river to New-York island, is very fhort. The only confiderable river in this province is Hudfon's river; from the elbow where is the great carrying place to Wood-Creek towards Canada, to Sandyhook at its mouth, are near 200 miles; the tide way reaches upwards of 150 miles to Cohoes at the mouth of Mohawks river, about fix or feven miles above Albany church, its course is about S. 12 d. W; the tides, that is, the floods and ebbs, are about 12 hours later at Albany than at NewYork; a little above the high lands at about 50 miles above the city of New-York, the water of the river be comes comes fresh; at about 100 miles comes on the W. fide Efopus or Soaper's river; the S. line of the province of Maffachusetts-Bay continued 20 miles, ftrikes Hudfon's river a little below the mouth of Efopus river; this Efopus river is noted for the manufactures of iron pigs and bars, flour, malt liquor, &c. a little further on the E. fide of the great river, is the camp or Palatine town in the mannor of Livingston about 40 miles below Albany; at 125 miles on the E. fide falls in Kinderhock river after receiving Claverhock river; the great Ranflaers mannor, or Ranflaer Wyk, reaches along the great river, and 20 miles each fide of the river from Kinderhock mannor to Mohawks river; in this mannor is the city of Albany, and many peculiar tracts of land; at 150 miles as the river runs is the city of Albany; at 157 miles on the W. fide is Cohoes, or the mouth of Mohawks river; at 162 miles is Houfuck river's mouth, where live a small tribe of Indians called Scatacooks; this Houfuck river is on the E. fide of the great river, and comes from the north west parts of Maffachusetts, and the S. W. parts of NewHampshire; the north line of Maffachusetts-Bay province continued 20 miles, falls in with Hudfon's river a little below Cohoes; at 200 miles from New-York is the elbow or flexure of this great river at the great falls. From thefe great falls the route to Montreal in Canada is 10 to 15 miles land carriage to Wood-Creek, then along the Verdronken drowned or overflowed lands to Crown-point a French fort and pafs near lake Champlain, then along this lake to Chamblais river, and a little above Chamblais, another French fort and pafs upon Chamblais river, crofs la Prairie to Montreal. There is another route up Hud As we formerly hinted, from fort Chamblais down the river of that name are 17 leagues to cape Sorel upon the great river of Canaca; this fort Sorel is 15 leagues below Montreal, and 35 leagues above Quebec the capital of Canada, the ordinary refidence of the French governor general of Canada. Quebec, from the accurate obfervations of des Hayes, is 70 d. W. from London. Bofton, the metropolis of British America, by the good obfervations of Mr. Robie, is 71 d. 30 m, W. from London. fon's river above the elbow falls, to a carrying place to lake Sacrament, and thence to the fouth end of lake Cham plain. The city of New-York from governor Burnet's obfer. vations, lies in 40 d. 50 m. N. lat. 4 h. 58 m. W. long. from London. Here the variation 1723 was 7 d. 20 m. W. decreasing. Upon the acceffion of a new governor, the general affembly of New-York generally fettle the falaries and other ordinary articles in fupport of the government, for five or more years. For their fectaries in religion, fee the Rhode-Ifland fectary, vol. II. p. 156. As I find that the defigned appendix or fupplement may prove out of proportion too large, with refpect to the principal hiftory, I fhall in each fubfequent fection annex by way of mifcellanies fome matters which might have been referred to the appendix. These mifcellanies are of the nature of digreffions, and like change of diet, may relieve a palled ftomach or appetite in reading. Good iron is diftinguished by its ringing amongst other bars. The best iron bars break fibrous and bearded; if they break glaffy and fhining, the iron is brittle, and not good. The inconveniencies of fmall governments or provinces, fuch as is that of New-Hampshire in New-England, is that perhaps they are below the notice of the ministry and boards in Great-Britain; their governors and other officers are of little confideration, have little or nothing to lofe, and therefore act impune. The plantation legiflatures are fo far circumfcribed, that they can make no laws inconfiftent with the laws of Great-Britain. If the French be allowed to become mafters of the river of St. Laurence, of the great inland lakes, and of the great river Miffiffippi; they are in confequence mafters of all the inland trade of North-America; an incredible prejudice to the British nation. The The back of Long-Inland was the first place of the English whale fishery, fmall whales affect flats; and at this time whalers make voyages upon the flats of Virginia and Carolinas. It is faid that the common laws of England extend to the plantations; that the ftatute laws made fince the plantations had a being, do not include them unless they are particularly mentioned in the act of parliament. In all our colony affemblies of reprefentatives, there ought to be a limited fmall quorum of members to meet, adjourn, and to fend for abfent members, and a much larger quorum to proceed upon business: this regulation may alfo take place with relation to the judges of the several executive courts of law. To obviate any prejudices which a reader may entertain against this hiftorical fummary, compofed with much labour, merely for a publick good; the writer thinks it convenient at times to explain himself in general. 1. He has endeavoured a laconick ftile, which by many is reckoned harfh, and not fluent or fonorous; the good judges, the mathematicians and merchants, use use it as the strongest, the most concife and expressive. 2. The writer is of no party, and subjected to no dependence; he is neither whig nor tory, a temporary courtier nor anti-courtier: a tory is for rendering that branch of the prefent legislature called king or monarch, fole and independent, with a paffive obedience and nonresistance; a republican is for lowering or annihilating the prerogatives of a king, and for an unlimited extenfion of the privileges of the people in their reprefentatives; but a genuine whig is for maintaining the ballance of power among the feveral orders or negatives of the legislature; I profess myself of this politia, as it is no faction; all the others are factious. 3. Religion, as it was in all times, and in all countries, defigned for the benefit of fociety; it naturally is fubordinate to the civil government; and a refident, whether native or adventitious, ought occafionally to conform to the established S 4 manner manner of the fectaries tolerated by the laws of the country, though not rafhly to renounce that form of worship which was parental or educational, which generally tends to libertinifm and licentiousness in religion. 4. As in my courfe of the colonies I continue to increase my distances, it is not to be expected that I can be fo particular and copious, but fhall endeavour ftrictly to investigate the truth, though the further from my place of refidence my view becomes more contracted and less diftinct. In the British plantations or colonies all grants of lands made by the governor and council, are declared to be good in law, against his majefty and fucceffors. As the king and his ministry in Great-Britain, though they do not chufe the parliament, yet have a very great influence in the choice; fo it is with refpect to the governors and affembly men in our colonies. The reprefentatives from the feveral counties and townships are not their peculiar or feparate agents, but their quota in their provincial representation; hence it is that they are not under the cognizance of their county or town, but under that of the general affembly. The North-America trade confifts in fish, naval ftores, other timber and lumber, fkins, furrs, tobacco, and rice; I do not mention copper ore though enumerated, because at prefent it is not wrought or exported. The publick taxes in our provinces, are the province and county rates; and the township or parochial rates for the minifters of the gofpel, called pastors, priests, rectors, and other denominations, as alfo for the school, poor, highways, and fundry other fmall articles. By act of parliament, 1731, there may be imported from the British plantations into Ireland in British fhipping, all forts of plantation goods excepting thofe goods commonly called enumerated commodities, viz. fugar, tobacco, cotton wool, indigo, ginger, fpeckle wood or Jamaica wood, fuftick or other dying woods, |