A Tour from the City of New-York, to Detroit, in the Michigan Territory, made between the 2d of May and the 22d of September, 1818, etc

Front matter

A TOUR FROM THE CITY OF NEW-YORK. TO DETROIT. IN TOE MICHIGAN TERRITORY, MADE BETWEEN THE Cd OF MAY AND THE 22d OF SEPTEMBER, 131s!. Thr Tour extends from New- York, by Albany, Schenectady, ami I'tica, to Sacket's Harbor, and thence through Lake Ontario, to St. Lawrence liver, and down that stream to Hamilton village. Thence along both banks ofthe St. Law rence, from Hamilton to the Thousand Islands ; thence to Sacket's Harbor by water ; from that place by Ihe route of peat Sodus, Geneva, Canandaigua, and Batavia, to Kussalo ; and from thence to Black Rock, Fort Erie, tlie Falls us .Ni agara, Queenstown, Lewiston, and the memorable fields of Bridgewatcr and Chippewa. \ster viewing the interesting pass of Niagara, the author traversed the south shore of Lake Erie to the City osDetroit, and visited in the hitler range Dunkirk, Erie, Cleveland, Sandusky, and other places of less note.

The Tour contains notices of what fell under the author's observation concern .ngthe natural history and geography of the region over which his travels ex tended, with brief remarks upon such remarkable events aud characters as have contributed to give interest to different places. the toi r.is accompanied with a map upon which the route will be designated j a particular map of the falls and kiver of niagara, and the environs of the CITY OF DETROIT. BY WILLIAM DARBY, MEMFF.P. OF THE NEW-YORK HISTORICAL SOCIF.TV. Author of a Map and Statistical Account of Louisiana ; and Emigrant s Guide, NEW-YORK: PUBLISKFD FOR THE AUTHOR, BY KIRK & MERCEIN, And sold by Kirk k. Mcrcein, A. T. Goodrich Si Co. James F.astbum k Co. V, . B. Gillev, Charles Wiley 6i Co. R. M'Dcrmut, William Hooker, aud Colbos «t Co. New-York, and by some others ofthe principal Booksellers in the United States. 1S19.

PRfiTFn BY F. VVORTHINtTOlV'. BROOSl.YU. bOl THERN DISTRICT OF NEW-YORK, ss BE IT REMEMBERED, That on ihe sixteenth dav of January* in tnc Foity-third year of the Independence of the Linked States of America, A.D. 1819, WILLIAM DABBY, of the said district, hath deposited in this office the Title of a Book, the right whereof he claims as Proprietor, in ihe words following, to wit: t; A Tour from the City of New-York, to Detroit, in the Michigan Territory, made between the id of May, and the 22d of September, 1818. The Tour ex tends from New-York, by Albany, Schenectady, and Utica, to Sacket's Harbor, apd thence through Lake Ontario, to St. Lawrence river, and down that stream to Hamilton village. Thencealongboth banks ofthe St. Lawrence, from Ha milton to the Thousand. Islands ; thence to Sacket's Harbor by water ; from that place by the route of great Sodus, Geneva, Canandaigua, and Batavia, to Buffa lo ; :md from thence to Black Rock, Fort Erie, the Falls of Niagara, Queenstown, Lewiston, and the memorable fields of Bridgewatcr and Chippewa.

Letter I

Mbany, May Sd, 1818. Dear Sik, Amid the violence of wind and rain, I arrived in this oity at 5 o'elock this afternoon. Though spring has made some advances near New- York, here tlie face of nature is marked with all the bleakness of winter, except snow. At this season, no scenery can exhibit a more dreary aspect tban that of the Hudson ; naked rocks or precipices, with a few leafless sorest trees, are the only objects that in many places meet the eye of tlie voyager in passing many miles upon this truly singular river. While the cold damp wind ■sweeps along tlie current, tbe view of the distant farm houses have a solitary and even gloomy appearance. Perhaps in no equal distance on earth, is the contrast be tween the smiles of summer and the frowns of winter, so strong as upon the Hudson banks between New-York and Albany.

I travelled upon both sliores of the Hudson river in the summer of 181(5, and visited most places of note on or near its margin. I had then occasion to make a remark I have since found just ; that the arrangements of the Steam-Boats, deprive passengers of the view of much of tbe richest scenery of this interesting region. The passage of the river, through the Fishkill mountains, is indeed one efthe finest landscape* B [LET. I. 10 XEWBURG. in North America, and yet is seen hilt by very few of those who traverse through its sublime portals, and who travel expressly for the purpose of beholding nature in her most attractive garb. In the first instance, travelling by a land conveyance and by slow stages, I bad the advantage of be holding the various pails rather more in detail, than I could have, had I passed by the ordinary means of the Steam-Boat.

As you have imposed upon me the task of relating what I have seen or thought, and as you have had the kindness to express more estimation for the matter than the manner, I will give a detail of my notes, during my first vovage up the Hudson. I left the city of New-York, on the afternoon of August 20th, 1816 ; the weather was extremely boisterous for the season ; a strong north wind impeded the progress of the Steam-Boat, and as usual, J passed the Highlands in the night, and landed about midnight at Newburg. The morning of the 21st, repaid amply the fatigue of the evening before, tbe violence of the wind had subsided, the air was serene and cool ; and afforded an excellent opportunity to review with advantage the fine landscapes in this neighborhood. The seite of Newburg is admirably adapted to produce, from a variety of points, the most striking effect that water, hill, dale, and mountain can give.

Rising by rather abrupt acclivity from the water, tbe houses in tlie town appear like the steps of a pair of stairs. From a hill to the westward of, and which rises above the village, the entire adjacent country is spread before the eye. The prospect is on all sides extremely picturesque, the fields and farm houses on the east side of the Hudson, asc seen lessening into the hor izon far into Dutchess county, towards the borders of Con necticut. The Fishkill mountains rising into bold, though not rugged prominences, and covered with trees to their summits. But the. passage ofthe Hudson river, through the Highlands, is far the mott pleasing part of this beautiiET. I.] NEWBURG— FISIIK ILL. 11 ful picture. The smooth surface of the river silently approaching this confined opening, the projecting rocks appa rently menacing tbe slitting vessels beneath, (he diversified groups of trees, the distant view of the hills of Putnam county, and the soft white cloeds exhibiting their airy forms along (he clear blue heaven, forms a landscape that is equal led by few on earth.

It is obvious that the Hudson did not always find its course to the Atlantic Ocean, through the Fishkill mountains. The whole faee ofthe country, north of that pass, evinces an ex posure to submersion by water. By either abrasion of a cataract, or disruption by some convulsion of nature, but much more probably the former, the mountain chain has been broken, and the rushing waters found their way to the now New-York Bay.* During tlie afternoon of Aug. 21st, I crossed the river from Newburg to Fishkill landing, enjoyed in the traverse, the changing view of the narrows, and after lauding, turned and * In Dr. S. L. Mitchcfs excellent observations upon the Geologv of North America, which are attached to Kirk and Mercein's edition of Cuvier's Theory of the Earth, occur the following observations upon the Fishkill mountains.

" They are composed chiefly of granite and kneiss, abounding in loose nodules and solid veins of magnetical iron ore. The width of the chain may be rated at about sixteen miles. The height of the most elevated peaks, have been ascertained baro metrically by Capt. Alden Partridge, of the corps of Artillerists and Egineers. According to his observations, Hutterhill on the west side of the river, is 1529 feet above tide-water, and the new Beacon 1565 feet. " This thick and solid barrier seems in ancient days, to have impeded the course of the water, and to have raised a lake high enough to cover all the country to Quaker bill and the Taconick mountains on the east, aud to the Shawangunk and the Catskill mountains on the west. This lake may be calculated to have ex tended to the Little Falls of the Mohawk, and to Hadlcy's Falls on the Hudson." — Kirk § Mercein's Cuvier, page 337.

A careful review of the structure ofthe adjoining coiyitry, leaves no reasonable doubt of the correctness of the foregoing conclusions drawn by this able geologist. [LET. !• 12 HM1S0X RIVER. beheld the two villages of Newburg and New-Windsor hang ing upon the western slope of the opposite shore. I had here again another opportunity of admiring the ever varying scenery of this truly delighful neighborhood. Often as I have beheld with a sensation of real pleasure, the setting of an unclouded sun, never before (or since) did I see that lu minary take his nightly leave of man, with more serene ma jesty, or amid so many objects to heighten tbe beauty of the scene. Seated upon an elevated bank, in a grove composed of spruce and cedar, I watched the departure of the king of day ; the slow and silent advance of darkness, at length shrouded in gloom a picture, whose teinls can only be for gotten when my bosom ceases to beat.

Environed by the massy and sublime monuments reared by the hand of nature, and enjoying the softened beauty of such an evening, I could net repress a retrospection upon the march of time ; I could not avoid reflecting that an epoch did exist, when the delightful valley in which I then sat was an expanse of water ; that the winding and contracting gorge, through which the Hudson now flows, did not exist, or was tbe scene of another Niagara ; I beheld Ibe lake disappear, tbe roar of the cataract had ceased, the enor mous rocky barriers had yielded to the impetuous flood. The river now glides smooth and tranquil, in its passage through this glen, dark and deep. The war of elements have subsided. The mountains have apparently separated, and given the waters free egress to the ocean. In order to have ample means of reviewing this region, to as much advantage as possible, I hired a man to convey me in a sail boat, from Fishkill landing to West-Point ; and on the morning of the 22d, passed the Narrows with a light wind.

A slight mist floated over the highest peaks of the mountains, but below tbe air was clear and pleasant. Ap proaching the most confined part of the passage, the vast granitic ledges seemed to raise their frowning projections to the clouds, (be trees upon their summits appear like shrubs. XET. I.] WEST-1VINT. 13 In tbe intervening vales or rather ravines, the fisherman and woodcutter have reared their huts ; (he curling smoke is seen issuing from cabins embosomed amid these rugged rocks. West-Point presented its structures perched upon a small cape of level land, hut every where surrounded by masses that seemed to mock time itself. I landed, and rose the winding path that led to (his ever memorable spot ;* a place that was the scene of some of * Whilst preparing these sheets for publication, the following elegant lines appeared in the Columbian, from the pen of Dr. Van Gelder, of New-York.

I could not deny my readers the pleasure of reading so fine a description of the grandeur, even in ruin% of Fort Putnam. ON THE RUINS OF FORT PUTNAM, WEST-POINT. Dreary aud lone as the scenes that surround thee, Thy battlements rise 'mid the crags ofthe wild, Yet dear are thy ruins, for brightly around thee 'Twas here the first dawn of our Liberty smil'd. But lonely's thy terrace — thy walls are forsaken, In ruins around thy proud ramparts are low, And never again shall thy cannon awaken The echo that sleeps in the vallies below. Silence now reigns thy dark ruins among, Where once thrill'd the fife aud the war-druni beat loud, Now the scream of the eaglet slow gliding along, Alone sends its note from the mists of the cloud. But where are the heroes whose home once was here, When tbe legions of Tyranny peopled our shore — Who here rais'd the standard to Freedom so dear, Aud guarded their home 'mid the battle's fierce roar ?

They sleep in yon vale — their rude fortress below, Where darkly the shade of the cedar is spread, And hoarse through the valley the mountain-winds blow, Where lowly they rest in the sleep of the dead. The flowers of the forest have brighten'd that spot, The wild rose has scatter'd its bloom o'er that ground Where lonely they lie— now forgetting — forgot — Unawak'd bv the mountain-storm thundering around. B2 [LET. I. 14 WEST-POIXT, the most remarkable events of our unequalled revolution. It was here that Arnold's treachery was met hy the stern virtue of Washington j it was near tins place that Andre ex piated his folly with his life, and gained an immortal name hy an ignominious death. West-Point presents but little that can interest the travel ler, except it be (he noble scenery of its neighborhood, and events of historical reminiscence.

The barracks ofthe officers and cadets, with a few scattering houses belonging to individuals, are all the artificial improvements worth notice at this establishment. The bank is high, and very abrupt from the surface of the water in (he river, to (he level of (he plain upon which (he barracks aud houses are built. With considerable fatigue, I scrambled up the mountain to the ruins of For( Putnam. Silence and delapidalion now reign over (bis once impor(an( Fortress. It would be difli- Cult (o conceive of a more impregnable position. Seated upon an elevated mass of granite, (he Fort occupied almost the entire surface upon which a human foot could be set. A very steep ascent, of more than 500 perpendicular feet, leads from the plain of West-Point (o (he seite of (he Fort, and a deep rock bound valley, separates it from (he general mass of (he adjacent mountains.

A cistern had been hewed out of the solid granite, which was full of water when I visted the spot. Cannon placed upon the walls of this Fort, could rake (he en(ire surface of West-Point ; but I could not perceive any serious opposition it could have presented to the passage of ships of war, ascending or descending the Hudson river. The landscape from the ruined ba((lemen(s of Fort Put nam, is very in(eres(ing. The Fishkill moun(ains seen from (his place, have a much more naked and rude aspect, than from either Newburg or Fishkill landing. Except upon the opposite shore in Putnam eoun(y, but very litdc hu man culture enlivens the view. West-Point has itself a sol- EET. I. J 15 FORT-rCTNAM. itary appearance, and to the west, nought is seen but woods, and mountains, in their primitive wildncss.

If seclusion from the busy haunts of men, can be of any benefit to the students at West Point, (hey enjoy (his advan tage in its fullest extent. Isolated upon the confined cape, from which the name of the place is derived, the river on one side and towering mountains on the other, an unbroken silence reigns around this seminary. Looking down from the broken walls of Fort Putnam, Dr. Johuson's Rasselas, came strong to recollection. I could not avoid recalling to imaginary life, the men who once acted on this little but re markable theatre. 1 felt a sentiment of awe, amid this now lonely waste, on recalling lo mind that here once depended the fate of a new born nation. Even tlie fallen fragments of stone which once composed part of its buttresses, inspi red me wilh a feeling of respect. Washington, Greene, Putnam, Andre, and Arnold, are no more ; their names have now taken their respective stations in history.

The opinion of mankind is formed upon the merits of the three former, and the shame of (he (wo latter. It is now as far beyond the reach of calumny, to tarnish she unfading re nown of a Washington, a Greene, or a Putnam, as it would be for the human hand to level (o common earth the enor mous masses of (he Fishkill mountains. With slow sleps I descended from the grey remains of (his venerable pile, and cast a frequent and repeated retiring look towards its mouldering turrets. The shades of evening were setting in, the darkened sides of the distant mountains, seemed to mark a sympathetic gloom with that which hung over the deserted Fortress. The busy hum of the students in their evening walks, produced an interesting contrast with the repose in which rested the surrounding scenery. Such was the events, and the reflection of my day's visit to West- Point, [LET.

I. 16 MANUFACTURES. On (he morning of the 23d, I again passed with enercased admiration (be Highlands, and returned to Fishkill landing. In the afternoon I went (o visit the fine Factory of Matc owan,* owned hy Messrs. Schenek's. Tlie scenery near Mateowan is wild, picturesque, and pleasing. Here I first witnessed (he effec(, produced upon the smaller streams which flow into the Hudson river, from ihe high (able land from which their sources arc derived. Flowing over a surface, clevaled many hundred feet above tide water in the Hudson, (be tributary waters of that river all enter hy cataracts of more or less elevation. Fishkill, (Mateowan) commences ils fall some distance above Messrs. Schema's factory, giving any desirable fneilily to the upplication of ils volume, in the propulsion of machinery.

This characteristic is however, general to almost all streams (hat fall into the Hudson from either bank, and gives to (he in habi(an(s near (he borders of (bat river, a facility in tbe con struction of labour-saving machinery, possessed on so large a scale in few, if any other parts of (he earth. If it was possible for American industry to contend, in (he present order of things, successfully against European mo nopoly, tlie banks of the Hudson could become two extend ed lines of manufacturing establishments; but our native exertions wither in the presence of foreign commerce anil perverted taste. Nature is slowly asserting her rights in opposition to absurdly continued custom. If habit had made us familiar with sending our wheat, (o be convened in(o flour in English mills, we would now consider bread made from (his native grain and foreign machinery, in the same favourable degree of preference, we now give to muslins made in Europe, from Carolina aud Georgia cotton. * Mateowan is the Indian name of Fishkill.

No nations, per haps that ever existed, gave more sonorous names to places, than ihe native savages of North America. It is much to be regretted that their nomenclature bad not been more generally preserved. LET. I. J TIMBER, 17 Above Fishkill the country assumes a hilly and rocky, but not mountainous aspect. The strata are inclined in nearly parallel direction to the Catskill mountains. Some limestone occurs. The general structure of (he hills is, however, mica slate. The soil does not exhibit a fertile ap pearance in general, though Dutchess county has been fam ed for its productive crops. This character I believe just as respects orchards and meadows. Too much of the land is cleared. A scarcity of limber strikes the eye of the traveller at every step, and the trees which exist have a stinted appearance.* * The following extract demonstrates that improvident waste of timber, and neglect to supply daily consumption, is not con fined to Dutchess county.

Error, however, gains nothing but notoriety from its extent. " Tbe Duke of Athol is now enjoying the benefit which pro vident ancestors sometimes confer upon their heirs. His Grace's estates have been hitherto considered as rather extensive, than productive ; but his forests have now attained to such a growth, that, we understand, he will be able to cut timber to the amount of 20,0001. a year, we may say almost in perpetuity, as he has continued the practice of bis noble father, and planted millions of trees annually." In reading the above article, we could not suppress a feeling of regret at the evident contrast presented in the conduct of ihe Duke of Athol's "provident ancestor," to the improvi dence of landholders generally in this count -y. The decrease of timber for building, fuel. &c. is already a great inconvenience, and is everyday becoming more serious in the prospects growing out of it.

The evil is not so much iu the use or consumption of the timber, (although that may be unnecessarily extravagant) but in the utter neglect which appears every where to prevail, of re pairing the devastation, by planting new trees, and inking care of tbe young growth. Observation has convinced us, that in no part ofthe country is its neglect more apparent, than in the low er parts of Delaware, and the adjacent parts of Maryland. We mention this district of country particularly, because in travelling over it, (we allude especially to the country called the Levels, and on the Bohemia, and Sassafras rivers,) we were struck with its fine appearance, in soil, ils sine streams, and its easy access to market. It is probable to this last circumstance that the evil oomplained of may in some part, be attributed ; the high price [LET.

I' 18 AGRICULTURE. In all the extent of settled country within the United Sta(es, Ovo epochs have preceded each other in the progress of agriculture. In the first epoch, immense extent of land is cleared ofthe timber, and (he soil rather tortured than cultivated. This lasts until the impoverished fields and ruined forests, oblige the farmers to commence the second epoch. They now come to the point from which they ought to have se( out. They now cultiva(e a more limited extent, but that extent by manure and a careful routine of crops, becomes of timber at Baltimore having induced the proprietors or tenants lo apply the axe with so devastating a hand, that the country is almost bare of timber, and no eflbrts seem to have been adopted to supply the waste. The consequence of tiiis destructive habit is. that the best land in the peninsula, and as good as any in the coun try, with all its advantages from fine navigable streams will not sell for more than 15, 20, or 25 dollars per acre, in addition to the inconvenience arising from a deficiency of fuel, and timber for building.

It may be said, that the tenures by which real pro perty is held in this country, and its frequent circulation front hand to hand, present an obstacle to any plans of permanent im provement, that farmers do not like to expend money, the pro fits of which are to be enjoyed by posterity. We would regret to see such an objectioa seriously urged, in volving as it does a censure upon the freedom of our institutions, which are intimately connected with the proper circulation and equilization of real property. We suggest the subject to the agricultural society of this county, as a proper one for their con sideration, if they will encourage the planting of sorest trees, and support it with their examples, it wili have a good effect. The price of land will be undoubtedly increased, and the interests of agriculture advanced.

There is one fact of which the society must be aware ; (hat in this country and the peninsula generally, it is the custom with farmers to sow or cultivate a much greater quantity of land than they can properly manage; a consequence of which is that a great deal of good land is thrown away ; producing about one third or one fourth of what it would if properly manured and at tended to. If, therefore, many of our farmers would limit their industry to the cultivation of one half or one third of their usual quantity of land, they would economize their labour greatly, cultivate their lands much better, produce a greater quantity of grain and grass, and the surplus would remain for the propagation of timber." — Delaware Watchman. LET. I. J DUTCHESS COUJTTT. 19 annually niore and more productive. It would no doubt have resulted, from the great labour and expense of clear ing land, that farmers would have commenced by making tbe best use of small enclosures, if agriculture had been un derstood scientifically.

That was not formerly the case any where in (he United States, and now only in few places. It is pleasing to see even the germ of a better system. Agri culture is improving ; our citizens begin to learn that their fields may be made more profitable, and less expensive. Dutchess county is about -15 miles long north and south, and twenty-five miles in breadth east and west, from Con necticut line to the Hudson river.. This county a( present, ex tends over an area of very nearly 800 square miles. Dutch ess was formerly more extensive, the (ownsbips south of (he Fishkill mountains, Philipstown, Kent, Paterson, Southeast, and Carmel, were in the Legislative session of 1812 erected into a separate county, and named Putnam. By the census of 1810, the entire county ot Dutchess. possessed a population of 51,412, but of this amount the now county of Put nam contained 8,482 persons ; leaving in Dutchess a nett amount of ±2,930.

This divided by 800, yields 53,6+ to the square mile, a \ery thin popula(ion ; yet (he county is per haps more than two thirds cleared of wood ; and if so, al lowing tbe popula(ion to be now 60 to the square mile, would average more than seven acres of open land to each individ ual. I am well convinced this calculation is by no means overrated near the Hudson, or indeed in any part of the county. The great distances between (lie houses, and the wide sweep of (he fields and meadows, give the country a lonely appearance. Eight miles above Fishkill, Wappinger's creek falls into the Hudson. The latter is a much more considerable stream than the former, but are similar in tumbling over el evated ledges of rock, previous to joining the Hudson. — Where the road passes Wappinger's creek, some mills and other machinery have been erected.

The road crosses tho WAPPINGER'S CREEK. [let. I. 20 creek by a substantial wooden bridge, over nearly the mid dle of the fall. The volume of water was considerable, even when I passed i(, though a long dearth had preceded my journey. The white surge dashing impetuously over the shelving rocks, and amongst tbe wheels of the different wa ter works, produced a fine effect. This place affords a pleasing variety on Ibis road. Above Wappinger's creek, (he face of (he country be comes more uniform, and the soil assumes a less rude aspect than between the creek and the now receding Highlands. Many points of rising ground, present very extensive and beautiful landscape views. The Highland, Shawangunk, and Catskill mountains, arc alternately and often all visible from the same place. The Hudson can sometimes be seen glitter ing low in the deep vale, through which it flows.

Here in many places, appear (he ves(iges of (he ancient lake, which filled the region above (he Highlands. Independent of ihe mountains, the hills which once bounded this sheet of water, arc distinctly discernible to the east and west. These hills are about 30 miles separate, the intermediate space was the breadth of the lake, giving it, (hough on a larger scale, the general characteristic of the yet existing lakes Champlain and George. Viewing a map of Orange, Ulster and Dutchess counties, a singular fact in the geology of the region they occupj', ob trudes itself to observation. The watercourses on the west side of the Hudson, in Orange and Ulster, flow considerably north of east, and enter that river very obliquely. This is the ease with the streams of Wallkill, Rondout, and Esopus. In Dutchess, Fishkill, Wappinger's, and other creeks, run south of east, in very nearly parallel courses, but contrary directions (o (hose which en(er by (he opposite bank.

The elevated (able land from which all these streams de rive their sources, lies apparently nearly on a general level, and forms a valley, which crosses the Hudson in the direction of the water courses. Are we not justifiable in conclu- 1ET. I.] roUGIIKEEPSIE. 21 ding that this was onee (he course of (he lake discharge ? By what process of nature did (he Hudson scoop its present channel, so far beneath the hot(om of this former inland sea, so far even beneath the level of the ocean, and through a continuous mass of rock ? If you can answer this query, if you can explain (his phenomenon, you will do me and the worlda favor. I am unable to even conjecture the process of (hismigh(y, (his unequalled work. Poughkeepsie, the scat of justice for Dutchess county, stands upon the table land ofthe Hudson, sixteen miles from Fishkill.

I arrived here in the afternoon of the 25th Aug. and on the morning of the 26th, took an extensive ramble over its streets and environs. The town is in the form of a cross, the two principal streets crossing each other nearly at right angles. The houses are scattered, and the inter vening spaces planted with trees. A road leads down a long, steep, and in many places very abrupt hill, from Poughkeep sie to the landing, on the Hudson river. This circumstance subjects the inhabitants to great inconvenience. The opposite shore is broken, rocky, barren and desolate. The town contains at present about 2000 inhabitant-. The houses have a decent plainness in their exterior, a character (hey have no doubt received from the moral taste of the inhabitants. I have visited few places, where a more mild, conciliating de portment was observed to the stranger.