neutral fakt, fixed air, nor any other acid; that foap unites very well wish the water, makes a good lather, and is excellent for bleaching cloths; that the spring is a Therma, and has plenty of lime-ftone in its neighbourhood. Its warmth is fo confiderable, that during the coolnels of the morning, even in Auguft, copious vapours are emitted by the pool, and the ftream which iifues from it, for a confiderable distance; but the evaporated matter has no peculiar odour. From all which particulars taken together, this theory rationally relult; a quantity of iron and brimftone, fomewhere within the mountain, are, by reafon of their chemical affinity, in the act of combining into martial pyrites. During their action upon each other, heat is produced, and pure air is abforbed. The water running in the neighbourhood of this bed of pyrites borrows fome of its heat, and receives all that part of the atmospheric fluid which remains after the confumption of the pure air, i, e. foul, or azotic gas. But as the heat is excited in the bowels of a calcareous mountain, it happens, that by the combination of the limiftone with" a very fmalt pertion of the fulphur, a calcareous hepar is formed, which flying off in the form of hepatic gas, gives an exceedingly flight tincture to the water of the pool. Thefe waters are ufed with fuccefs, it is faid, in fcorbutic and rheumatic difeafes, falt rheums, &c. but are pernicious to confumptive perfons. In the new town of Renffallaer, nearly oppofite to the city of Albany, a medicinal fpring has lately been difcovered comLining moft of the valuable properties of the celebrated waters of Saratoga. Should further experiments confirm the favourable opinien already entertained of this fpring, it will prove a fortunate difcovery for the city of Albany, and for the country adjoining, as well as for the invalids who annually refort to Saratoga, under many inconveniencies and at a great expenfe. The felt fprings we have already mentioned. The weight of a bufhel of the falt made of thefe waters is fifty-fix pounds, and is equal in goodness to that imported from Turks inland. This State embofoms vaft quantities of iron ore. Naturalifts obferve that ore, in fwamps and pondy ground, vegetates and, increales. There is a filver mine at Philipsburgh, which produces virgin filver. Lead is found in Herkener county, and fulphur in Montgomery. Spar, zink, or fpelter, a femi-meta.g magnez, ufed in glazings, pyrites of a golden hue, various kinds of copper ere, and lead and coal mines, are found in this State. Alfo petrified wood, plafter of Paris, ifinglafs in fheets, talc and crystals of various kinds and colours, flint, asbestos, and feveral other foffils. A fmall black ftone has alfo been found, which vitrifies with a fmall heat, and, it is faid, makes excellent glafs. ISLAND S. There are three islands of note belonging to this State, viz. York-Ifland, which will be hereafter defcribed,* Long-Island and Staten-Ifland. Long-Ifland extends one hundred and forty miles, and terminates with Montauk point. It is not more than ten miles in breadth on a medium, and is feparated from Connecticut by Long-Ifland found. The island is divided into three counties; King's, Queen's and Suffolk. King's county lies at the weft end of Long-Ifland, oppofite New-York, and is not above ten miles long and eight abroad; the inhabitants are principally Dutch and live well; it contains a number of pleafant villages, of which Flatbufh, Brooklyn and Bedford, are the principal, Queen's county lies next to King's as you proceed eastward; it is about thirty miles long and twelve broad. Jamaica, Newtown, Hampftead, in which is a hadfome court-houfe, and Oyster-bay, are the principal villages in this county. Suffolk county is about one hundred miles long and ten broad, and comprehends all the eaftern part of the island and feveral little iflands adjoining, viz. Shelter ifland, Fisher's island, Plum island, and the Isle of Wight. Its principal towns are Huntington, Southampton, Smithtown, Brook-Haven, EaftHampton, in which is, the academy, Southhold and BridgeHampton. The fouth fide of the inland is flat land, of a light fandy foil, bordered on the fea coaft with large tracts of falt meadow, extending from the weft point of the island to Southampton; this foil, however, is well calculated for railing grain, especially Indian corn. The north fide of the island is hilly and of a ftrong foil, adapted to the culture of grain, hay, and fruit. A ridge of hills extends from Jamaica to Southhold. Large herds of cattle feed upon Hampftead plain, and on the falt marshes upon the fouth fide of the ifland. Hampftead plain, in Queen's county, is a curiofity; it is fixteen miles in length, caft and weft, and feven or eight miles wide; the foil is black, and to appearance rich, and yet it was Page 318. never known to have any natural growth, except a kind of wild grafs and a few fhrubs. It is frequented by vaft numbers of plover. Rye grows tolerably well on fome parts of the plain. The most of it lics commen for cattle, horfes, and fheep. As there is nothing to impede the profpect in the whole length of this plain, it has a curious but tiresome effe& upon the eye, not unlike that of the ocean. Eaft of this plain, on the middle of the ifland, is comparatively a barren heath, overgrown with fhrub oaks and pines, amongst which it is fuppofed there are feveral thoufand deer. It is frequented alio by a great number of growse, a very delicious bird. Laws have been paffed for the prefervation of thefe birds and the deer. It is remarkable, that on Montauk point, at the east end of the island, there are no flies. Between this point and EaftHampton is a beach three quarters of a mile wide, in the center of which was found, about fifty years ago, under a fand hill which was blown up by the wind, the entire skeleton of a large whale, nearly half a mile from the water. There are very few rivers upon the ifland; the largest is Peakonock, which rifes about ten miles weft of a place called River head, where the court-house ftands, and runs eafterly into a large bay dividing Southhold from Southampton; in this bay are Robin and Shelter iflands. The fouth fide of the ifland is indented with numerous ftreams of various fizes, which fall into a large bay two or three miles over, formed by a beach about eighty rods wide, which appears like a border to the ifland, extending from the west end of it to Southampton. Through this beach in various places, are inlets of fuch depth as to admit of velfels of fixty or feventy tons. This bay was formerly fresh water. Oyfters, clams, and fish of various kinds, are caught with eile, and in great plenty in this bay, with feines, during the winter feason. It is not uncommon to fee forty or fifty veffels here lording with cyfters at the fame time. And what is almoft incredible, but supported by the teftimony of perfons of veracity, well informed as to the matter, thirty waggon loads of bals have been caught in this hy at one draught. Rockkonkama pond es about the center of the island, between Smithtown and Ilip, and is about a mile in circumfer ence; this pond his b, en found by oblervation to rife gradually feveral years until arrived to a certain height, and then to more rapidly to its lowest bed, and thus it is continually ebbing and flowing. The caufe of this curious phenomenon has never been inveftigated. Two miles to the fouthward of this pond is a confiderable ftream, called Connecticut river, which empties into the bay. There are two whale fisheries, one from Sagg harbour, which produces about one thousand barrels of oil annually; the other is much fmaller, and is carried on by the inhabitants in the winter feafon from the fouth fide of the island. They commonly catch from three to feven whales in a season, which produce from twenty-five to forty barrels each, of oil. This fishery was formerly a fource of confiderable wealth to the inhabitants, but through a fcarcity of whales it has greatly declined of late years. There is a confiderable trade carried on from Sagg harbour, whence is exported to the Weft-Indies and other places, whale oil, pitch-pine boards, horfes, cattle, flax feed, beef, &c. The produce of the middle and western parts of the island is carried to New-York. This ifland contains more than thirty-feven thousand inhabitants. Staten island lies nine miles fouth-weft of the city of NewYork, and forms Richmond county: it is about eighteen miles in length, and, at a medium, fix or seven in breadth, and contains three thoufand eight hundred and thirty-five inhabitants. On the fouth fide is a confiderable tract of level, good land, but the island in general is rough and the hills high. Richmond is the only town of any note on the island, and that is a poor inconfiderable place. The inhabitants are principally defcen dants of the Dutch and French, CIVIL DIVISION S. The State is divided into nineteen counties, viz. New-York, Albany, Suffolk, Queen's, King's, Richmond, Weft-Chester, Orange, Ulfter, Duchefs, Columbia, Ranfeliaer, Washington, Clinton, Montgomery, Ontario, Herkemer, Otfego, and Tyoga, which, by an act of the legiflature, palled in March, 1788, were fubdivided into townfhips. The three last-mentioned counties have been separated from Montgomery fince the cenfus, and have acquired the greater part of their inhabitants fubfequent to that period, moft of whom emigrated from the New-England States. The county of Herkemer is compofed of the towns of German Flats, Herkemer, and Whitcftown, which, in 1792, was divided into feveral other towns, and contained in 1790, according to the cenfus, Vol. II. Sf four thousand feven hundred and twenty-three inhabitants; fince which this number has been increased to upwards of fourteen thousand. The fre them ac The townships, into which the counties are divided, are corporations invested with certain privileges. The act directs, that the freeholders in the feveral townships fhall affemble in town meetings, on the firft Tuefday in April annually, and chuse their own officers, viz. one fupervifor, one town clerk, from three to feven affeffors, one or more collectors, two overfeers of the poor, commiffioners of highways, conflables, fenceviewers, pound-mafters, &c. thefe are to hold their respective offices one year, or until others be chofen. This act, which appears to have originated from a fpirit of pure republicanism, came in force the first day of April, 1789. It has a happy tendency to diffeminate through the State fuch information and fuch principles as are calculated to cherish the fpirit of freedom, and to fupport the republican government. quent collection of people in town meetings makes quainted with each other, and affimilates their ideas manners their being invefted with power makes them feel their importance, and roufes their ambition; their town meetings will be a school, in which all the free citizens of the State may learn how to tranfact bufinefs with propriety, and in which they may qualify themfelves for the higher offices of the State; the number of public offices will be increased, without increafing the expenfes of the State; and the defire of promotion is innate in human nature, and as ambition to poffefs the requifite qualifications commonly accompanies this defire, the probability is, that the number of perfons qualified for public offices will be increased, and of courfe the number of good citizens proportionably multiplied, and the fubordinate civil affairs of the State more faithfully and more regu larly transacted. and their CHIEF TOWNS. There are three incorporated cities in this State; New-York, Albany and Hudfon. NEW-YORK Is the capital of the State, and ftands on the fouth-west point of Manhattan, commonly called New-York ifland, at the confluence of the Hudson and Eaft rivers. The principal part of the city lies on the eaft fide of the ifland, although the build |