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1. Malone, 1805.
2. Chateaugay, 1805.
3. Constable, 1807.
4. Dickinson, 1808.
5. Bangor, 1812.

6. Fort Covington, 1813.
7. Moira, 1827.

8. Brandon, 1828.

TOWNS.

9. Duane, 1828.
10. Westville, 1829.
11. Belmont, 1833.
12. Bombay, 1833.
13. Franklin, 1838.
14. Burke, 1843.
15. Harrietstown, 1843.

Mountains. GG. Chateaugay. g. Seward. h. Adirondack.
Rivers. a. Deer. b. Salmon. c. Trout, d. Chateaugay.
Regis. f. Racket. j. Saranac.

Lakes. i. Upper Saranac. 1. Lower Saranac. k. Tupper.
Forts. Covington.

Villages. MALONE. Fort Covington.

e. St.

BOUNDARIES. North by Canada East; East by Clinton and Essex counties; south by Essex and Hamilton counties, and West by St. Lawrence county.

SURFACE. Elevated and mountainous, in the southern and southeastern sections, where the Chateaugay range crosses it; elsewhere it is undulating or level. Mount Seward, and the Adirondack group, are peaks of this range. Mount Seward has never been ascended, but its height is computed at about 5000 feet.

Numerous lakes are formed in the valleys of the mountain ranges.

RIVERS. The principal rivers are Salmon, Trout, Chateaugay, St. Regis, Deer, Racket, and Saranac.

LAKES. Upper and Lower Saranac, Tupper, and numerous others of less importance.

CLIMATE. The high latitude, and elevated surface of this county render the climate rigorous. The winters are long and

severe.

GEOLOGY AND MINERALS. The mountainous district is principally of the primitive formation, and is composed of hypersthene, granite and gneiss. The two latter, indeed, form the surface rocks of a large part of the county. The transition formation, however, extends over the northern slope of the county, and is mainly composed of the Potsdam sandstone, very fine specimens of which are quarried in Malone, Chateaugay, Moira, and Bangor. In the northeast corner of Franklin township, the calciferous sand rock makes its appearance.

The principal minerals are magnetic iron ore, found in Franklin, Duane, and Malone townships, purple scapolite, green pyroxene, graphite in six sided tables, bog iron ore, tufa, peat, and massive pyrites.

SOIL AND VEGETABLE PRODUCTIONS. The soil of the north

ern towns is probably equal in fertility to any in the state. The southern townships are less productive. It is mainly a sandy loam, occasionally mixed with clay, and much of it encumbered with stone.

It is not well adapted to wheat, but grass, oats, barley, corn, and the esculent roots, thrive luxuriantly.

The forests, which cover the central and southern portions, are very dense, and consist of white and yellow pine, hemlock, oak, beech, birch, basswood, elm, and white cedar.

PURSUITS. Agriculture is the employment of the greater part of the inhabitants, and their attention is particularly directed to the raising of cattle, and the cultivation of summer crops. The preparation of lumber for market, is also the occupation of a considerable number of the citizens of the county. There is some commerce on the Salmon river, the only navigable stream, and a few mines. The iron ores already mentioned will eventually furnish employment to considerable numbers.

STAPLES. Potatoes, oats, wheat, corn, butter and wool.

SCHOOLS. In 1846, there were 120 district schools in the county, in which 6190 scholars were taught. The schools were maintained an average period of seven months, and $6,041 expended for tuition. The district libraries contained 10,230

volumes.

There were also seven select schools, with seventy-four pupils, and two academies, with 113 students.

RELIGIOUS DENOMINATIONS. Presbyterians, Roman Catholics, Baptists, Universalists, Episcopalians, and Congregationalists. There are twenty churches, and twenty-nine ministers of all denominations.

HISTORY. This county was the home of the St. Regis tribe of Indians, who, under the direction of the French, were so often engaged in hostile incursions upon the colonies of New England and New York, in the latter part of the seventeenth and commencement of the eighteenth centuries. The tribe have still a reservation of eleven miles in length and three in breadth, in the county, lying in the towns of Bombay and Fort Covington.

A daughter of Rev. John Williams, of Deerfield, Massachusetts, who, with his family, was taken captive by this tribe in 1704, remained with the Indians, after her father's return, married one of the chiefs, and one of her descendants was a few years since chief of the tribe.

The first settlers were Canadians, who located at French Mills, now Fort Covington about the year 1800.

In April, 1804, Messrs. Benjamin Roberts, of Winchester,

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Vermont, William Bailey, and Nathan Beman, commenced a settlement at Chateaugay.

Soon after, Mr. Nathan Wood, of Vermont, settled in Malone. Constable was settled about the same time.

The first standard captured from the enemy, in the late war with Great Britain, was taken at Bombay, by Major G. D. Young, a native of Connecticut, on the 22d of October, 1812.

Major Young was commandant of a detachment of the Troy volunteers stationed at French Mills, (now Fort Covington,) and having learned that a party of the enemy had arrived at the village of St. Regis, and that more were shortly expected, resolved to surprise them before they could be reinforced. He accordingly marched a detachment in the night to the vicinity of the village, surrounded the enemy, and captured forty prisoners, with their arms, equipments, &c., one stand of colors, and two batteaux, without the loss of a single man.

A skirmish took place on the 25th of October, 1813, at Chateaugay, between the British light troops and Indians, and a detachment of American troops, under General Izard, in which the latter were repulsed with the loss of fifty men.

In February, 1814, a detachment of British and Indians, numbering about 2300 men, made an incursion into Malone, and penetrated as far as Chateaugay Four Corners, when, hearing of the approach of American troops, they retreated in great confusion, suffering severely in their flight, from a storm of snow and hail. Upwards of 200 men deserted during this retreat.

Fort Covington, in this county, was erected during the last war, and a part of the army wintered here in 1813-14.

VILLAGES. MALONE, in the town of the same name, is the seat of justice for the county. It is situated on both sides of the Salmon river, which here furnishes a large amount of water power, and is surrounded by a fertile country. In the vicinity are extensive veins of valuable iron ore. The village has several manufactories of cotton goods, leather, scythes, pails, &c. The Franklin academy, located here, is in a flourishing condition. Population 1000.

Fort Covington, located at the head of navigation, on Salmon river, is a flourishing village, largely employed in the lumber trade, and has an incorporated academy and several manufactories. The fort here was an important military post during the war. The village was then known as the "French Mills." It received its present name in honor of General Covington, who was slain at the battle of Williamsburgh, November 13th, 1813. Population 1000.

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Rivers, &c. M. Niagara River. a. Eighteen Mile Creek. b. Johnson's. c. Tuscarora. f. Howel's. 1. Tonawanda.

Falls. SS. Niagara Falls.

Lakes. J. Lake Ontario.

Battle Fields. Niagara.

Forts. Niagara. Schlosser.

Villages. LOCKPORT. Lewiston. Niagara Falls Village. Youngs

town.

BOUNDARIES. North by Lake Ontario; East by Orleans and Genesee counties; South by Erie county, and West by Niagara river.

SURFACE. Like most of the other counties lying on Lake Ontario, Niagara county is divided by the Ridge Road and the mountain ridge, into three terraces, of which the two northernmost rise gradually from the lake shore to the mountain ridge; while the southern declines almost imperceptibly toward Tonawanda creek. The surface is therefore generally quite level, having no more than sufficient inequality to secure its effectual drainage.

RIVERS. The county is well watered. Besides Niagara river, which forms its western boundary, the principal streams are Tonawanda creek, which divides it from Erie county, Tuscarora, Eighteen Mile, Johnson's and Howel's creeks, falling into Lake Ontario; and Cayuga creek, a tributary of Niagara river. FALLS. This county, conjointly with Niagara district, Canada West, includes the world renowned cataract of Niagara.

To portray fully the wonders of this stupendous waterfall, exceeds the powers of the human mind, and requires a language commensurate with its grandeur and magnificence. We shall therefore only attempt to describe the different elements which combine to render it the most extraordinary of natural wonders, and leave it to the imagination of the reader to group them into one harmonious whole, although nothing but an actual view of the falls, from several points, can give any adequate conception of its surpassing beauty and sublimity.

For a distance of three-fourths of a mile above the falls, the river, over two miles in breadth, hurries forward in a succession of rapids, whose roar, combined with that of the cataract, may sometimes be heard for a distance of twenty miles. The descent accomplished by these rapids, is between fifty and sixty feet, and their imposing grandeur strikes the beholder with admiration and awe. As the waters approach the fall, the width of the river is compressed to about half a mile. Here it suddenly turns to the eastward, making almost a right angle in its course, and, immediately below the falls, is contracted to a width of only seventysix rods. In consequence of this bend, the view of the cataract from the American side is more in profile than that on the Canada side, where a short distance below the falls a front view is presented, giving the visitor at a glance an idea of its vast magnificence.

Just above the falls, in the middle of the river, lies Goat or Iris Island, half a mile long, and about one-fourth of a mile wide, containing seventy-five acres. This has been connected with several adjacent small islands, by bridges, and these again with the American shore. Iris island is heavily timbered, and has a number of fine walks, and a large garden.

It extends over the cataract, and presents a wall of perpendicular rock, separating the crescent or Canadian fall, from the American portion of the cataract. This latter is again divided by Luna island, a small islet. There are thus three distinct cascades, one on the Canadian, and two on the American side.

The lower fall, or that nearest the American shore, is more than 300 yards in width, and 164 feet in height. The central fall, extending from Luna to Iris island, has the same height, but is only twenty yards in breadth. Both have a gentle curve in their outline.

From the comparative shallowness of the waters on the American side, they are constantly dashed into foam, ere they reach the precipice.

On the Canadian side of Iris island, is the great Horse Shoe or Crescent fall, over which pour seven-eights of the volume of water composing this mighty stream. It is about 700 yards in width, and 158 feet in height. The deep green of its billows is only relieved by the crests of white foam which surmount them. To the spectator, standing on Iris island, the cataract is veiled in a cloud of almost

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