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reflections on the aspect of the country between Lewiston and Saratoga. When compared with the country in which I had then resided for several years, in respect to picturesque scenery, it has a decided advantage; for it is not, like Upper Canada, a plain and level country, but is plentifully interspersed with hill and dale, which contribute much to vary the monotonous appearance that a land so partially cleared and settled must otherwise undoubtedly present. But when the productiveness of the soil, in that part of the American Continent to which I now more immediately refer, is compared with the settled or unsettled townships of Upper Canada, the palm must certainly be yielded to the latter. In the whole course of my journey to Saratoga from the Niagara river, I do not recollect to have observed a single acre of what might be called excellent land, with the exception of the fine alluvial beds on the Mohawk river, to which I have alluded in a preceding part of my narrative. Every other portion of the country through which I passed, appeared to consist of a light sandy soil, without any mixture of that vegetable mould, which forms the superior stratum of all lands in the Province of Upper Canada, of whatever materials the substratum may be composed. While I resided in Canada, it was frequently a subject of astonishment to me, that so many of the inhabitants of the State of New York should emigrate to that country; but when I arrived in the State myself,

and had an opportunity of ascertaining the degree of encouragement which it held out to agriculturists, I soon discovered a sufficient reason for such an exchange of countries, in the great inferiority of the soil of New York to that of Upper Canada. Another cause may be found, that is not less effectual than this, in the difference of price for which land is obtained in these respect ive parts of America; for, while eight dollars an acre are asked for inferior land in the State of New York, land of a greatly superior quality may be procured in Upper Canada for two dollars, and frequently for one, per acre. Such, again, are the effects of the spirited exertions used by the Ame ricans in the improvement of their country!

From what I have seen of the United States, I conceive, the advantages which they present to emigrants of any class are so trivial, in comparison with those of Canada, that I wonder how any man, who has lived in Great Britain or Ireland, can reconcile it to his prudence or his patriotism, to choose a residence in an hostile country and become subject to the levelling laws of a Re public, when he might enjoy privileges much more extensive in the British Colonies, to say nothing of the superior fertility and cheapness of the land. For my part, I have always entertained such a warm attachment to the laws and constitution of my own country, that, even if the case were reversed in regard to the encouragements to husbandry, and the scale of fertility

and cheapness were in favour of the Union and against the British Dominions, I would still prefer the bread of carefulness" in Canada, to the cornucopia of the United States. It must be very unpleasant for any truly patriotic subject of his Britannic Majesty, who entertains the slightest regard for the peculiarly noble and liberal institutions of his country, to live in any part of the United States; for he can scarcely pass a day of his life, except he be entirely secluded from the society of men, without hearing every thing which he considers valuable in the British constitution, and praiseworthy in the conduct of those Statesmen who support it, vilified and condemned.

After remaining a few days at Saratoga, I took my departure for New York in the Stage-coach, in company with Mr. Waring, and two other New York gentlemen, having left Mr. Horton behind. We passed through the villages of Ballston, Waterford, Lansingburgh, and the city of Troy. The situation of Troy is very beautiful; being bounded, on the Eastern side, by a considerable range of hills, delightfully interspersed with woods; and, on the Western, by the river Hudson. The population is about 8,000, and the appearance of the city is very flattering.

We arrived before noon in the city of Albany, which is the capital of the State of New York, and about six miles from Troy. Though some of the streets are narrow and insignificant in

their appearance, many of the houses are of elegant construction. But there are others, which, from their peculiar structure, strongly remind the spectator of the original Dutch settlers. They are principally built of wood, and the roof is made, after the umbrella fashion, to project entirely over the balcony of the second story.

At Albany, we embarked on board a fine steamvessel, called, if I rightly remember, “the Chancellor Livingstone." The distance from Albany to New York is about 160 miles, and the fare six dollars, or 27 shillings, including accommodations of every description.

The River Hudson, along which we sailed to New York, has been celebrated by many eminent men as the most picturesque and magnificent river in America; but I confess, that, in my opinion, the St. Lawrence is much more munificently endowed with these qualities. Notwithstanding the preference which I feel myself constrained to give to the St. Lawrence, as that which, having been first seen, was calculated to make the most lively impression on my mind, I cannot but acknowledge at the same time, that the Hudson possesses many of those traits which entitle it to the classical reputation it has gained of being "the Tyber of America."

West Point, an important post of the American army during the revolutionary war, stands on the West bank of the Hudson, near the entrance of the Highlands. This village consists of a small num→

ber, of houses, and a Military Academy, built upon a large plain which forms the bank of the river. A most melancholy event must ever be associated with the scenes which surround West Point,the death of the gallant Major André. This unfortunate young officer, who was only twenty-nine years old at the time of his going to America, had, on account of the amiableness of his disposition and his superior acquirements, obtained the entire confidence of his officers, and was decidedly the favourite of the British army. He had made himself early familiar with the learned lore of classic antiquity, and was considerably skilled in the fine arts of painting, poetry, and music. In his youth: he had formed a violent attachment for a lady, whom he was accustomed to address in his epistles by the name of Delia. To her he devoted all the leisure he could spare from the laborious occupation of a mercantile profession, and to him she was the only source of

Joy and grief, and hope and fear,

until by one sad fatal blow, her unexpected marriage with a more successful but not a more deserving competitor, he was driven to seek in the restless life of a soldier, a refuge from the unrest and the anguish of his wounded heart.

The following is the character given of him by his biographer:

"There was something singularly interesting in the character and fortunes of André. To an