CHAPTER XXV.

When first beside the lake thy turrets rose, Extending far around in simple pride, A novel beauty o'er the landscape throws, Where gentle waters softly murmuring glide.

At Utica the gentlemen hired a stage to visit the Falls of Trenton, distant fourteen miles. They were accompanied in this route by a number of passengers from New-York and North Carolina. They crossed the Mohawk upon a covered wooden bridge. After this the road gradually ascended to a forest, which was in part cleared for new fields. At a little distance from the falls is a tavern, where they left the carriage, and went on foot through thick woods, from which a pair of stairs conducted to the falls. The beautiful mass of green around, the azure sky, the large and variegated rocks, and the three falls, produce a most happy effect. The rocks of these falls are so excavated by the water, that they have the form of a common kettle. The upper falls, which are about ninety feet high, are the grandest. They dined at the tavern, and towards evening returned to Utica.

The day was fine and pleasant. They regretted that it was too late, upon their return thither, to visit a hydrostatic lock designed to weigh the boats which pass on the canal. Having seen enough of the canal, and being anxious to see the newly-settled country between this place and Niagara, they continued their journey the next day in the stage coach. With this intention they left Utica at four o'clock in the morning, and the same day arrived at Auburn, distant seventy-three miles. They passed through twelve villages on their route from Utica to Auburn. Between Manchester and Vernon day dawned, and they found themselves in a rather wild country, in the midst of a wilderness. Behind the village of Oneida, the road led along a considerable hill, from which they had a beautiful view of Oneida lake, which presented the appearance of a large stream. Here there were a number of extensive prospects, which, however, as there was but little cultivated land and few houses, were rather uniform. Something further on, after they had left Oneida, they came to a small lake, called Salt Lake, which is in the midst of a forest, and has on its banks three picturesquely situated towns, Liverpool, Salina, and Syracuse. At Salina are rich salt springs, the water of which is collected in reservoirs, and it is evaporated by the heat of the sun to procure the salt. Beyond Sullivan they passed through the village of Chitteningo. A branch of the Erie canal forms a kind of harbour at this place. They dined at Manlius, a new village. From the canal, which forms an angle here, they drove in a southerly direction in order to keep on the plains. The two Onondago villages are pleasant places.

Beyond Marcellus the night unfortunately closed in, which prevented their seeing Skaneateles Lake, as well as the town of the same name. About nine o'clock in the evening they arrived at Auburn, and found good accommodations at one of the public houses.

At four o'clock next morning they again set out in the stage coach for Rochester, distant sixty-nine miles. It was just day-light when they arrived in the vicinity of Cayuga, on the lake of the same name. This lake empties into the Seneca river, which afterwards unites with the Mohawk. They crossed the lake, not far from its mouth, on a wooden bridge one mile in length. On the opposite side of the lake is a large toll-house. At a short distance from this they arrived at Seneca Falls, so called in consequence of the little falls of the Seneca river, which are close by, and are chiefly formed by a mill-dam. Beyond Waterloo the road in some places was made of logs, so that the passengers were very disagreeably jolted. Geneva is situated at the north point of Seneca Lake. The town derives its name from its similarity of situation to Geneva in Switzerland. The Franklin hotel, situated on the bank of the lake, is both spacious and beautiful.

Canandaigua, which lies on the north point of the lake of the same name, is an extremely pleasant town. The court was sitting here, and there was a large collection of people, so that the town exhibited a very lively appearance. At this place the road separates, the left goes through Batavia and several small villages to Buffalo on Lake Erie; the right to Rochester, and thence to Lake Ontario and the Falls of Niagara. And as this road again approaches the Erie canal, it was said to be the most interesting; on this account it was given the preference, though the longest route. They left Canandaigua in the afternoon, and rode through Victor, Mendon, and Pittsford, to Rochester. They arrived at Rochester at half-past eight o'clock in the evening, and took lodgings at the Eagle tavern. They crossed the Genessee river, which divides Rochester into two parts, on a wooden bridge built firmly and properly, and the next morning walked through the town. Several hundred yards below the bridge the Genessee river is about two hundred yards wide, and has a fall of ninety-five feet. Above the falls is a race which conducts the water to several mills, and it again flows up into the river below the falls, where it forms three beautiful cascades.

Rochester is one of the most flourishing towns in the state of New-York. At this place the Erie canal is carried over the Genessee river by a stone aqueduct bridge. This aqueduct, which is about one hundred yards above the Genessee Falls, rests upon a slate rock, and is seven hundred and eighty feet long.

The party now left Rochester at nine o'clock, and went on board the canal packet-boat Ohio. The canal, between Lockport and Rochester, runs the distance of sixty-three miles through a tolerably level country, and north of the Rochester ridge. This ridge consists of a series of rocks, which form the chain of mountains which commences north of Lake Erie, stretches eastward to the Niagara river, confines it, and forms its falls; then continues its course, and forms the different falls which are north of Lake Ontario, and is at length lost in the neighbourhood of the Hudson. The canal runs a distance through sombre forests, when they reached Lockport on the 20th of August, about seven o'clock in the morning. At this place the canal is carried over the ridge by five large locks, through which the water is raised to the height of seventy-six feet. The locks are ten in number, being arranged in two parallel rows, so that while the boats ascend in one row, they may descend at the same time in the other.

Lockport is an extremely pleasant place, and is situated just above the locks. At Lockport they took a dearborn for Buffalo, where they were anxious to go, in order to see the union of the canal with Lake Erie. Though a good stage runs between Lockport and the Falls of Niagara, they went in this bad vehicle five miles to the navigable part of the canal. They then took passage in a boat at Cottensburgh. At this place also, the canal is cut through a rock to the depth of about thirty feet. About two or three miles farther on it terminates in the Tonawanta creek, which serves as a canal for twelve miles. The creek is about fifty yards wide, and runs through a dense and beautiful forest. At the new town of Tonawanta, the creek unites with the Niagara river, where the sluice leads off. At this place also Alida and her company had the first view of the Niagara river, which conveys the waters of Lake Erie into Lake Ontario, from the other extremity of which flows the St. Lawrence. In this river they observed Grand Island. During the late war, the Niagara, it is well known, formed the boundary line between the United States and the British provinces in Upper Canada, and this island bore testimony of the conflict.