Anonymous

“ After leaving this narrow road, we opened into the fair Valley of Wyoming. This is by far the most delightful valley I ever saw, being exceedingly fertile and highly picturesque. Mountains surround it on all sides, and cultivated farms are constantly occurring, while the noble river meanders through the very centre. It is the spot on which so many brave fellows were massacred in the revolution. We passed the battle ground; and the identical spot was pointed out to us by a passenger who resided in the neighborhood, where the unfortunate individuals were interred, within fifty yards of the road. ”

“ It seems to me that when old mother Nature, after having perfected the gigantic cataract originally begun at Lewistown, was so tickled and delighted with her production, that she resolved to make a pathway for the children of men to come and see her prodigy—accordingly she went to work and made this beautiful turnpike of from eight to twelve rods wide, of hard gravel and sand, through a low country of swamp and clay—and said to the children of men, "Travel, behold and wonder!" ”

“ They rear their captivating forms in the very bosom of apparently primeval nature, on some imposing point or eminence; and as the boat swiftly passes, are alternately hid and opened to the view. As we approached the Catskill mountains, which are much the highest I have ever seen, the celebrated mountain house, called Pine Orchard, was pointed out to me by a gentleman on board. It is located on one of the most elevated points, and is distant twelve miles from the river. ”

“ I had only time to take a casual peep at Schenectady, but it appears to be a thriving, pleasant town, and is located principally between the Mohawk and the Canal. Very few persons take the boats between this place and Albany, on account of the delay occasioned by the numerous locks. We "set sail by horse power," as the Irishman has it, about 2 o'clock P. M., the horses being attached to a rope about 30 yards long, made fast to the boat amidships, with our ideas pleasingly elevated at the thought of traveling on the Grand Clinton Canal for the first time. ”

“ The blacksmiths have become so lazy that they even make it blow their bellows. There is an oil mill at this place, calculated for sixteen runs of stones, eight of which are now in operation; with many others having six, seven and eight, all in complete operation. Several manufactories and mills for different purposes are now building; and I have no hesitation in saying, that although Rochester can never be a handsome town, owing principally to its low situation, yet I believe it will see the time, perhaps very soon, when no place in the Union can exceed it in point of variety and manufactures. ”

“ On board the steamboat I had the most interesting passage for about twenty-five miles that can well be imagined. The scenery on either side of the lake is indeed beautiful. The land rises with a gradual slope from the water's edge, until it attains the height of perhaps 600 feet, when it becomes pleasantly uneven. Farms in high state of cultivation, add greatly to the beauty of the prospect. Ten miles from our starting place we passed the village of Aurora on our left. ”

“ We are still in the valley of the Mohawk, which is narrow and fertile, but the surrounding country has nothing to boast of as to soil. The river at this place is not, I should suppose, over 50 to 70 yards wide, and is, wherever I have seen it, chequered with little islands, which give it a pleasing [Pg 20] appearance. The locks and bridges are very numerous, and it requires great attention and care in passing them, or you may be knocked down, and rise up without your head on your shoulders, which, before you can say "look out," may be in possession of the canal fishes. ”

“ Many of these poor fellows were killed by the leap, while others clung to the rocks and there received the balls of the enemy, who, with deliberate aim, amused themselves by sending them into the dreadful abyss below. ”

“ The land in this narrow valley appeared tolerably good, but principally in the hands of pioneers. We reached Owego, the capital of Broome County, at 11 o'clock. It is handsomely situated on the Susquehanna, which is here crossed by a bridge, and is a thriving little place. We now crossed the river, and started for Montrose, distant thirty-one miles—and now I may safely say we arrived at the back woods. All that appears to have been done here by man, is the making of a very bad road up and down tremendous hills—the rest is nature in her roughest and most repulsive appearance. ”

“ About noon we passed the village of Newark, thirty-seven miles east of Rochester. It is a very interesting and thriving place. After passing it there is a great sameness until you arrive near Lyons, the county town of Wayne. Lyons is finely elevated, and looks well. There is no other place of much size until you reach Montezuma, which is situated on the east side of the great marshes of the Seneca river, which are about six miles wide. The canal is here made to correspond in height with the river, which is about a mile wide, having apparently no current. ”

“ After leaving this place, the country assumes a fine, rich, pleasant aspect, devoid of trees or stumps, and ornamented with fine, well cultivated farms, with rich waving fields of grain, and elegant orchards in full bloom; but there must be, judging from the number of orchards, no scarcity of fruit in this country. Further, 6 miles—which is short of Buffalo 4 miles—we ascended a considerable eminence, and from the summit, I, for the first time in my life, had an extensive view of king George's dominions in the Western World. ”

“ On the 20th, after having visited a relative in Northville, about two miles from the spot where I crossed, I got into the stage for Ithaca, distance twenty-one miles, fare seventy-five cents. For the first four miles the country is fine; it then becomes stony, hilly, and less productive. The village of Ludlow, distant ten miles from Northville, is situated in a very deep hollow, through which runs a mountain stream of singular beauty, and creating a fine water power. It makes a perpendicular pitch of about fifty feet, just above the village, and has a very wild and angry appearance. ”

“ The villages on this road are Hartland, Oak Orchard, Gaines, and Clarkson, all thriving little places.
Rochester.—I arose early, as usual, and found a delightful morning. After breakfast I spent several hours in rambling through and about this town of rapid growth. There is no great beauty about it, and at this time I consider it a dirty place. All the streets are [Pg 47] filled with mud and rubbish. Building is the order of the day, but there are few houses in the place which can be called handsome; and even the best are nothing to what I have seen in the other towns. ”

“ It takes 5 hands to manage a boat of this size: they are the steward, the helmsman, and two drivers, who relieve each other as occasion may require: we have relays of horses every 20 miles, and thus we are gliding to the West. At 12 A. M. we arrived at the little falls of the Mohawk, distant 88 miles from our place of embarkation, and this being the wildest place on the canal, I shall notice it particularly. The river falls in [Pg 22] less than half a mile 50 feet, by one continued rapid, which is surrounded by five locks, one directly above the other. ”

“ And now, whether I am credited or not, I state it as a fact, independent and absolute—that the distance from Weedsport to Batavia is 100 miles—that [Pg 34] it is as thickly settled on each side of the road as far as can be seen, as is the road from New York to Philadelphia, being about the same distance—that the towns and villages are as much finer and neater, as the land is better—and that there are 10 trees and stumps along the latter, where there is one along the former,—and as to scenery, the odds are so much in favor of the former, that I cannot, nor will not, attempt to compare them. ”

“ I never saw half so much good land in one day; in fact that which we have passed is all good. I did not pass in the whole distance of 50 miles, from Weeds' Basin, a solitary piece of woodland nearer [Pg 30] the road than from one quarter to a half mile, and saw very few stumps. This is called the back-woods, out-of-the-world, society, and so on, and I am told it will continue thus to Buffalo, a succession of well-improved farms, with some of them having quite elegant buildings. It is a fact that wood has become scarce. ”

“ The road is intolerable, and the people look savage. Just before we arrived at Lewistown, as I observed before, we descended a very high hill, down which the road is truly dangerous, and at whose base the town is handsomely situated. On the Canada side, directly opposite, is Queenstown, full in view. It forms a pretty cluster of houses, all built since the late war, as the town was burnt by the British, as well as Buffalo. ”

“ A very extensive paper mill is built upon the island on which the bridge first rests. If Judge Porter were disposed to sell out his purchase, he could doubtless realize a profit of a thousand per cent upon his seventy acres. You are charged twenty-five cents for the use [Pg 39] of the bridge during your stay, for which you cross as often as you please. On the island is kept a collection of minerals, petrefactions, &c. being a sort of museum, of which the toll-gatherer is proprietor. ”

“ But it never can become a handsome place. It has a valuable water power [Pg 52] from Fall Creek, already occupied by several mills and factories. The village is about as large as Trenton, and appears to be growing rapidly.
On the 21st, at daylight, I left Ithaca in the New York line, crammed as usual, with eight others in the coach. Immediately after leaving Ithaca, we ascended a hill nine hundred feet in height, and, strange as it may seem, we entered a hollow, and descended all the way to Owego, distance twenty-nine miles, with uncultivated hills on both sides. ”

“ To account for the source of the vast stream of water which is constantly tumbling over the falls, seems extremely difficult. It never varies, but is eternally the same. You cannot change your situation twenty rods in any way, but its features vary materially. ”

“ The only difference between this and a passage or packet boat, is, that their centre cabins are also for the accommodation of passengers, and in some instances a little more expensively finished, and travel at the rate of 4 miles an hour, while we rarely exceed 3-1/4, they with three horses, and we with only two. It is evident the freight boats very much injure the packets by the cheapness with which they run, but as they go with freight, their passage money is clear gain, and competition is the result. ”

“ I had scarcely time to equip myself before it was necessary to jump ashore, and I soon found myself on the road to Auburn, distant 9 miles—stage fare 25 cents only. The country is rather hilly and stony for easy culture, but tolerably improved. I arrived at Auburn just in time to take stage for Canandaigua, distant 40 miles—fare $1.50, which is an extensive town, but the canal route has drained it of considerable business. ”

“ He makes it a matter of conscience to charge pretty roundly for any you may purchase, as they are said to be collected under and about the falls—and as every person wishes to carry home some trophy of his visit, I presume the museum is a very profitable concern. ”

“ The roof is in the form of the back of a tortoise, and affords a handsome promenade, excepting when the everlasting bridges and locks open their mouths for your head. The centre apartment is appropriated to merchandize. ”

“ Schenectady, having to surmount an elevation of forty locks, in a distance of twenty-eight miles, and occupying twenty-four hours. I therefore took my seat in the stage for Schenectady, distance fifteen miles by turnpike, fare sixty-two cents. There are now running between the two last-named places, upwards of thirty four-horse stages, (quite a match, if not superior to the Philadelphia and New York Union line stages,) which go and return daily, generally well crowded. This may serve to give an idea of the trade of Albany with the west. ”

“ But our Contractor very properly remarked, that he must see the boats himself before he would take passage in any. We therefore all sallied forth to the canal, which passes at right angles through the town. We selected a very [Pg 16] superior boat of the Clinton Line, calculated to accommodate thirty persons. This boat is calculated for carrying freight, and the cabins are furnished in good style. The Captain actually engaged to take us to Utica, a distance of 89 miles, for one cent and a quarter per mile!! ”

“ The captain informs me that six persons have lost their lives by being crushed between the bridges, which is a greater number than have been killed during the same time by the bursting of steam engines in the waters of the middle or eastern States. ”

“ The packets pay heavier tolls, and of course levy it on their cargo of live stock. We really live well in our little house, and have an obliging captain and steward, with every convenience, but short necks, that we could ask or desire. ”