USA > New York > Albany County > Albany > The annals of Albany, Vol. IV > Part 19
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During my residence in Albany he had gone to assist at the negociation with the Indians; I merely know him from his correspondence with me, which is highly polite and elegant. The General ranks among the most con- siderable men in the United States.
I have seen JOHN SCHUYLER, the eldest son of the General; for a few minutes I had already conversed with him at Skenectady, and was now with him at Saratoga. The journey to this place was extremely painful, on ac- count of the scorching heat, but Saratoga is a township of too great importance to be passed by unobserved.
On my journey to Saratoga I had passed the new bridge, constructed across the Mohawk River. This bridge is erected on the spot where the Cohoez Falls appear to the greatest advantage .* But the river contains not at present sufficient water to support the falls. In many places the rocks are quite dry; but in others they afford a fine prospect. The perpendicular height of the falls may amount to about fifty feet, and the river is about an eighth of a mile in width. But upon the whole, the view is not strikingly wild, romantic, or pleasant, though the falls are much celebrated throughout America. The bridge is constructed of timber, and rests on stone pil- lars, about twenty-five or thirty feet distant from each other. The masonry is not remarkable for solidity or neatness; but the carpenters'-work is exceedingly well done.t
On my return from Saratoga I crossed the northern branch of the Mohawk River by Halfmoon, to see the two new towns, New City and Troy, which, as has already been observed, were built a few years ago, and are already carrying on a considerable trade. The houses are very neat and numerous; almost every house contains a shop;
* The Cohoez Falls, which the author misnames Xohos fall, appear most romantically from Lansinburgh Hill, five miles east of them, although they likewise offer a good prospect, when viewed from this bridge .- Translator.
t The bridge is eleven hundred feet along, twenty-four feet wide, rests on thirteen piers, and was erected in 1794, at the expense of twelve thousand dollars .- Translator.
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Rochefoucault- Liancourt in Albany, 1795.
the inns are excellent; vessels are moored near all the keys; tan-yards, potash-works, rope-walks. and mills, are cither already in full work, or building. The sight of this activity is truly charming. A Mr. TAYLOR, who possesses about one hundred acres near Ponstenkil Creek, has erected here two grist mills, two saw mills, and one pa- per-mill. He does business, it is said, with New York by water. The place is finely situated, well distributed, and may, if managed with skill and prudence, become very profitable. We are told, that the proprietor intends to sell it; and this is one of the places which I would buy in preference to all others, if I had any idea of settling in America, and had wherewithal to pay for it. There are a variety of things, with which a man may occupy himself every day, nay every moment of the day, with benefit to himself and the country at large.
The land between Saratoga and Albany is upon the whole sandy; especially the hills about Saratoga consist of an indurated sand. The stoney matter, on which lies the stratum of sand, is slate of a dark colour, and coarse grain, with veins of white quartz. On fragments of this slate impressions are found of a peculiar and very curious appearance. In the vicinity of the medicinal springs of Balltown and Saratoga are several veins of lime-stone. Ferruginous and cupreous pyrites are also found in the neighbourhood; mines of these minerals, it is asserted, exist in the environs, but they are yet neglected, as in fact are nearly all the mines in the United States. You meet with few or no rocks, until you reach the Cohocz Falls. The rocks, which form this cataract, consist of an argillaceous schistus, some of which may easily be re- duced to powder, while other parts are harder, have a con- choidal fracture, and resemble basalt. Near the falls are several veins of feldtspar of a reddish colour.
Between these falls and Albany, the soil of the moun- tains consist of indurated clay; the stones, which are · found there, are a species of slate. In the intervening space between the mountains and the present bed of the river was an uninterrupted chain of small sand-hills, rising on both sides of the river, nearly at equal distances
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Rochefoucault- Liancourt in Albany, 1795
from the shore, and which undoubtedly arethe remains of the ancient bed of the river, after it had formed the pre- sent channel.
Potash forming a considerable branch of the trade of Albany, as well as of other American cities, the back country of which has been lately cleared, I shall here insert such information as I have collected on the manner of preparing this salt, which is generally observed in the United States. This alcaline salt is extracted from com- mon ashes after they have been previously purified from all heterogeneous matter, It is obtained by solution and evaporation. Large tubs, with a double bottom, are filled with ashes; the uppermost bottom, which contains several holes, is covered with ashes, about ten or eleven inches deep, while the under part of the tub is filled with straw or hay. Water, being poured over the ashes, ex- tracts the particles of salt, and discharges all the hetero- geneous matter which it may yet contain on the layer of hay or straw. The lie is drawn off by means of a cock, and if it should not yet have attained a sufficient degree of strength, poured again over the ashes. The lie is. deemed sufficiently strong when an egg swims on it. This lie is afterwards boiled in large cauldrons, which are constantly filled out of other cauldrons, in which lie is likewise boiling. If the lie begin to thicken in the caul- dron, no fresh lie is added, but the fire is well fed with fuel, until all the aqueous particles are separated, and the whole is completely inspissated and endurated. This salt is of a black colour, and called black potash. Some man- ufacturers leave the potash in this state in the cauldron, and encrease the fire, by means of which the oil is dis- engaged from the salt in a thick smoke, and the black potash assumes a grey colour, in which state it is packed up in barrels for sale.
The process of preparing the potash requires more or less time, according to the quality of the ashes and the lie, and to the degree of strength of the latter; the me- dium time is twenty-four hours. The ashes of green- wood, and especially of oak, are preferred. No potash can
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Rochefoucault- Liancourt in Albany, 1796.
be prepared from the ashes of resinous trees; and ashes which are five or six months old, are 'better than those that are new.
Some manufacturers use only one cauldron for boiling, which they fill with cold lie, as it comes from the tubs; and others put the salt, as soon as it begins to coagulate, into smaller cauldrons, to complete the crystallization.
In many parts of the State of New York, especially in the North, and in the vicinity of Albany, the inhabitants, who fell the wood, prepare the potash. But there are also large manufactories, where from thirty to forty tubs are used for preparing the lie, aud from ten to twelve cauldrons for its evaporation. The manufacturers buy the ashes from private families. The tubs and cauldrons are of different sizes in proportion to the greater or less extent of the manufactory. By a general estimate, from five to six hundred bushels of ashes yield a ton of potash.
The barrels, in which the potash is packed up, must be made of white oak, or if this cannot be had, of wood which is but little porous. The staves ought to be far more durable than for casks, in which other dry goods are packed; the hoops also must be more numerous; for the least fissure would expose the potash to humidity, to the air, and, consequently, to deliquescence and dissolution. In- stances have occurred, when barrels, badly made and hooped, and which had been filled with potash, were soon after found to be half empty.
Pearlash is potash purified by calcination. To this end the potash is put into a kiln, constructed in an oval form, of plaster of Paris; the inside of which being made otherwise perfectly close, is horizontally intersected by an iron gate, on which the potash is placed. Under this grate a fire is made, and the heat, reverberated by the arched upper part of the kiln compleats the calcination, and converts the potash into pearlash; which is taken out of the kiln, and, when completely cooled, packed in barrels, The process of calcination lasts about an hour. Pearlash is proportionately more heavy than potash, on account of its great compactness, and the loss of weight, experienced by the latter through the calcination, is very
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Rochefoucault Liancourt in Albany, 1795.
trifling. Although pearlash is less liable to deliquate by the air than potash, yet the barrels, in which it is packed, are of the same sort and structure as those in which the latter salt is barrelled. They are of different sizes, and contain from two to three hundred pounds. Potash as well as pearlash are sold by tons in the course of trade; and it is not lawful to export citber before it is duly in- spected by the public searchers, who are appointed for this purpose in all the states, where pearl or potash is manufactured. Dupetitthouar's strength having been considerably impaired by his illness, he thought it pru- dent to return home. I will proceed to Boston, where I expeet to find letters from Europe, which I must desire to see. For these last three months I have not heard a word from any of my friends or relations.
I was by no means displeased at leaving Albany. Young Mr. Rensselaer and Mr. Henry are the only gen- tlemen from whom I experienced any civilities. The Albanians, to speak generally, are a set of people re- markable neither for activity nor politeness ; they are the most disagreeable beings, I have hitherto met with, in the United States. In every other respect Albany is a place where, with a small capital, you may make money, and with a large capital acquire great wealth. The trade of this place suits any amount of property, and is attended with less risk than any other species of commerce carried on in this part of the globe. An industrious and enterprising man might improve the trade of this place to a very considerable degree.
We experienced here this day, Friday the 7th of Au- gust, an uncommon heat. My thermometer stood at ninety-six degrees of Fahrenheit, or twenty-eight four- ninths of Reaumur. We were told, that the thermometer of Mr. Lewis, who is esteemed here a very accurate me- teorologist, stood at one hundred degrees of Fahrenheit or thirty two-ninths of Reaumur. This excessive heat continued several days, and was not the least allayed in the night.
My horse, which was to be sent after me by Captain Williamson, was not yet arrived. I took, therefore, a
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Rochefoucault-Liancourt in Albany, 1795.
seat in the stage waggon, that is, a waggon without springs, but covered. You cross Hudson's River, on leaving Albany. The road to Lebanon, where we stopped for the night, lies over a mountainous country. Nearly the whole of the district is in the first stage of settle- ment. All the land, within an extent of twenty-five miles belongs to Mr. Van Rensselaer, Lieutenant-governor, and one of the richest proprietors in the State of New York, perhaps in all the States of the Union. Much of this land was granted to his ancestors by letters-patent, at the time when the Dutch settlement was formed. He has also purchased much more. A considerable part of this estate has been sold; but he sells none without reserving a ground-rent. This forms, no doubt, a very pleasant sort of income; but which, in my opinion, cannot be of long duration in this country. A man, who is obliged to pay every year a ground-rent, soon forgets the moderate terms on which he obtained possession of his estate, feels only the unpleasant compulsion of paying money at a fixed time, and eagerly seizes upon the first opportunity of freeing himself from this incumbrance.
The last place, before you reach Lebanon, is Stephen- town, situated on a fine large creek. It belongs to the Patron ; this the general appellation of Mr. Rensselaer, at Albany, as well as in its environs. The face of the country is sad and melancholy; it is mountainous and rocky, and bears no trees but hemlock-fir and white pine. On the road from Stephentown to Lebanon, the country expands into an amphitheatre, formed by numerous mountains of various size and shape, most of which lie in grass up to the very summits. At the end of a very circuitous journey through this vale you reach the inn of Mr. STOw.
Lebanon possesses a mineral spring, close to which stands the inn of Mr. Stow, on the declivity of a moun- tain; most of the invalides, who drink the waters, board therefore at the inn. From this point, the prospect of the vale, or rather of the low grounds, is most pleasing. A number of small houses, scattered over the fields, and several villages, enhance the charms of this delightful
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A Stage Coach of the last Century.
view, which, on my arrival at the inn, I was too indis- posed to enjoy. I was obliged to creep into my bed, although it was scarcely five o'clock, to sustain my fit of the ague, to take an emetic, and to renounce whatever re- markable objects this place itself, or its vicinity, may contain.
A STAGE COACH OF THE LAST CENTURY.
The Western Mail Stages from Albany to White town and Cooperstown.
INTHE Mail leaves Albany every Monday and Thursday, 1 at two o'clock afternoon; arrives at Schenectady the same evening; and the following at Canajohary, and ex- changes passengers and mail with the Whitestown and Cooperstown Stages, and returns next morning to Albany.
The Whitestown Stage starts from Whitestown every Monday and Thursday at two o'clock, P. M., arrives at Canajohary next evening; returns next morning.
The Cooperstown Stage leaves Cooperstown every Tuesday ; arrives at Canajohary the same evening; ex- changes passengers with the Albany and Whitestown Stages, and returns the following day.
NOTE. The Fare from Schenectady to Canajohary is 14s., returning 12s., averaging only 4d. a mile. The Whitestown Stage Fare is at the same average price.
TICKETS, ensuring any number of seats in the Stage to Canajoharie, &c., may be had at Mrs. Hudson's Inn, if applied for the evening before the Stage starts.
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THE BURNING OF SCHENECTADY. 1690.
[The following papers relating to the invasion of New York and the burning of Schenectady by the French, are copied from the first and second volumes of the Docu- mentary History of the State of New York, compiled by Dr. E. B. O'Callaghan from the documents found in the office of the Secretary of State, and the records of the city of Albany in the City Hall; forming a very complete history of that memorable incursion, which was designed to destroy Albany.]
PROJECT OF THE CHEVALIER DE CALLIERES,
Governor of Montreal and commanding by commission the troops and militia of Canada, regarding the present state of affairs in that country, January, 1689. [ Paris Doc. IV. ]
As the recent Revolution in England will change the face of American affairs it becomes necessary to adopt entirely new measures to secure Canada against the great dangers with which it is threatened.
Chevalier Andros, now Governor General of New England and New York, having already declared in his letters to M. de Denonville that he took all the Iroquois under his protection as subjects of the Crown of Eng- land and having prevented them returning to M. de De- nonville to make peace with us, there is no longer reason to hope for its conclusion through the English nor for the alienation of the Iroquois from the close union which exists with those in consequence of the great advantages they derive from thence, the like to which we cannot offer for divers reasons.
Chevalier Andros is a protestant as well as the whole English colony so that there is no reason to hope that he will remain faithful to the King of England [James II.] and we must expect that he will not only urge the Iroquois
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Burning of Schenectady.
to continue the war against us but that he will even add Englishmen to them to lead them and seize the posts of Niagara, Michilimakinak and others proper to render him master of all the Indians our allies, according to the pro- ject they have long since formed, and which they began to execute when we declared war against the Iroquois and when we captured 70 Englishmen who were going to take possession of Michilimakinak, one of the most import- ant posts of Canada; our entrepôt for the Fur Trade and the residence of the Superior of the Rev. Jesuit Fathers, Missionaries among our Savages, and which belongs, in- contestibly, to us.
It is to be expected, then, that they are about to endea- vor to invest all Canada and raise all the Savages against us, in order to deprive us wholly of every sort of Trade and draw it all to themselves by means of the cheap bar- gains of merchandize they can give them, nearly a half less than our Frenchmen can afford theirs, for reasons which will be, elsewhere, explained, and thus become masters of all the peltries; a trade which sustains Cana- da and constitutes one of the chief benefits that France derives from that Colony.
No sooner will the English have ruined our trade with the Savages than uniting with them they will be in a position 'to fall on us, burn and sack our settlements, scattered along the River St. Lawrence to Quebec, with- out our being able to prevent them, having no fortress capable of arresting them.
Things being thus disposed, the only means to avoid this misfortune is to anticipate it by the expedition which will be hereafter explained and which I offer to execute forthwith, if it please His Majesty to confide its direction to me on account of the particular knowledge I have ac- quired of the affairs of that country during five years that I had the honour to serve His Majesty and to com- mand his troops and military there, after twenty years service in the army.
The plan is, to go straight to Orange (Albany) the most advanced town of New-York, one hundred leagues from Montreal, which I would undertake to carry, and to
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Burning of Schenectady.
proceed thence to seize Manathe, the capital of that Colo- ny situated on the seaside; on condition of being fur- nished with supplies necessary for the success of the expedition.
I demand for that only the troops at present main- tained by His Majesty in Canada if it be pleasing to him to fill them up by a reinforcement of soldiers which they require in consequence of sickness that has produced the deaths of many among them.
These troops number 35 companies which at 50 men each ought to give 1750. Yet at the review made when I left, there were found only about 1300, so that 450 sol- diers are still required to complete them ; thus it would be necessary that His Majesty should please to order the levy of at least 400 men, and to have them enlisted as quick as possible in order that they may be embarked in the first vessels.
The use I propose to make of these 1700 men is to take " the pick " (l'elite) of them to the number of 1400 and to adjoin to them the elite of the Militia to the num- ber of 600, so as to carry these 2000 men necessary on this expedition ; leaving the 300 remaining soldiers to guard the principal outposts at the head of our Colony in order to prevent the Iroquois seizing and burning them whilst we should be in the field.
I propose embarking these 2000 men, with the sup- plies necessary for their subsistence in a sufficient number of canoes and flat Batteaux which we already employed in the two last Campaigns against the Iroquois.
My design is, to lead them by the Richelieu River into Lake Champlain as far as a Carrying Place which is within three leagues of the Albany River that runs to Orange .* I shall conceal this expedition, which must be kept very secret, by saying that the King has commanded me to proceed at the head of His troops and Militia to the Iroquois Country to dictate Peace to them on the con- ditions it has pleased His Majesty to grant them without the interference of the English, inasmuch as the Iroquois
* This "Carrying Place " or portage is now traversed by that section of the Champlain Canal extending from Fort Anne to Sandy Hill.
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Burning of Schenectady.
are his true subjects ; without letting any one know our intention of attacking the English until we have arrived at the point whence I shall send to tell the Iroquois, by some of their Nation, that I am not come to wage war against them but only to reduce the English, who have caused our division, and to re-establish the good friend- ship that formerly existed between us; therefore they had better avoid coming to their aid if they wish not to be treated with the greatest rigor, the said English being unable to protect them from the force I lead against them, and that I shall turn against the said Iroquois, if they dare assist them.
As the Batteaux cannot proceed further than the Car- rying Place, my intention is to erect there a small log fort (un petit fort de pieux terrassés) which I shall have built in three days, and to leave 200 men in it to guard the Batteaux; thence march direct to Orange, embarking our supplies on the River in canoes which we shall bring and which can be convoyed by land, we marching with the troops along the river as an escort.
I calculate to seize in passing some English Villages and Settlemnts where I shall find provisions and other conveniences for attacking the town of Orange ..
That town is about as large as Montreal, surrounded by picquets at one end of which is an Earthen Fort de- fended by palisades and consisting of four small bastions. There is a garrison of 150 men of three companies in the fort and some pieces of Cannon. Said town of Orange may contain about 150 houses and 300 inhabitants capa- ble of bearing arms, the majority of whom are Dutch and some French Refugees with some English.
After having invested the Town and summoned it to surrender with promise not to pillage if it capitulate, I propose in case of resistance to cut or burn the palisades, in order to afford an opening, and enter there sword in hand and sieze the fort. These being only about 14 feet high can be easily escaladed by means of the conveniences we shall find, when Masters of the town, or by blowing in the gate with a few petards or two small field pieces which may be of use to me and I shall find means of con-
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Burning of Schenectady.
veying there, if his Maty will please to have them fur- nished at La Rochelle to take with me, and some gren- ades and other munitions, a list of which I shall hand in separately, and which will be deducted from the funds His Majesty destines for Canada so as not to increase the expenditure of preceding years.
After I shall have become Master of the town and fort of Orange, which I expect to achieve before the English can afford it any succor, my intention is to leave a garri- son of 200 men in the fort with sufficient supplies which I shall find in the City, and to disarm all the Inhabitants, granting at His Majesty's pleasure pardon to the French deserters and inhabitants I shall find there, so as to oblige them to follow me.
I shall seize all the barks, batteaux and canoes that are at Orange, to embark my force on the river which is navigable down to Manathe, and I shall embark with the troops the necessary provisions and ammunition, and some pieces of Cannon, to be taken from Fort Orange to serve in the attack on Manathe (New York).
This place consists of a town composed of about 200 houses and can put about 400 inhabitants under arms. They are divided into four Companies of Infantry of 50 men each, and three companies of Cavalry of the same number, the horses being very common in that country. This town is not enclosed, being situated on a Peninsula at the mouth of the river that falls into a Bay forming a fine harbour. It is defended by a Fort faced with stone having four Bastions with several pieces of cannon, com- manding the Port on one side and the town on the other.
I contemplate first carrying the town by assault, it being all open, and making use of the houses nearest the Fort to approach the latter; forming a battery of the Cannon I shall have brought from Orange and of that I may find in the stores of the town, where the vessels arm and disarm.
It is necessary for the success of this Expedition that H. M. give orders to two of the ships of War destined this year to escort the merchantmen who go to Canada and Acadie or the fishermen who go for Cod to the Great
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Burning of Schenectady.
Bank, to come after having convoyed the merchants, towards the end of August, into the Gulf of Manathe and cruize there during the month of September, as well to prevent succor from Europe which may arrive from England or Boston, as to enter the port when I on my arrival shall give the signal agreed upon, so as to aid us in capturing the Fort which they may cannonade from aboard their ships whilst I attack it on land. They can in case of necessity even land some marines (to replace the 400 men I shall have left on the road guarding Orange and the Batteaux); also some pieces of Cannon if we require them. They might reimbark and return to France in the month of October after capture of the Fort and carry the intelligence thereof.
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