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erecting a battery upon Mount Defiance, which overlooked and enfiladed the fort. General St. Clair, its commander, was thus compelled either to surrender, or evacuate the fort immediately. He chose the latter alternative, and made his escape, though with some loss. It was then garrisoned by the British.

In October, 1777, the garrison, hearing of General Burgoyne's surrender, returned precipitately to Canada. Neither of the fortresses have since been occupied.

This county was chiefly settled by emigrants from Vermont, and other New England states. Considerable portions of it are yet covered with the primeval forests.

VILLAGES. ELIZABETHTOWN is a small village, situated in the midst of beautiful and picturesque mountain scenery. It is the county seat. Population 350.

Keeseville, lying upon both sides of the Au Sable river, and being partly in this county and partly in Clinton, is a large and flourishing manufacturing village. Iron, and woollen and cotton goods, are largely manufactured here. It has also flouring mills, saw mills, a brewery, machine shop, tannery, &c. The falls of the Au Sable give it a fine water power. Here is an incorporated academy. Population 2200.

Westport is a thriving village on the lake. It has a flourishing incorporated academy. Population 700.

Ticonderoga, about two miles from the old fort of that name, is well situated for manufactures, having a valuable and extensive water power, very uniform in its supply, and being advantageously situated for commerce. Population 700.

Essex is a thriving village and has some commerce. Population 700.

Willsborough, in the town of the same name, Au Sable Forks and Jayville, in the town of Jay, are growing and important villages.

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Rivers. AA. Schoharie kill. C. Hudson. a. Catskill Creek. d. Kaaters kill. g. Batavia kill.

Falls. On the Kaaters kill east branch, three falls.

Villages. CATSKILL. Coxsackie. Athens. New Baltimore.

BOUNDARIES. North by Schoharie and Albany; East by Hudson river; South by Ulster; West by Delaware and Schoharie counties.

SURFACE. The county of Greene has a very hilly and mountainous surface. The Catskill mountains running centrally through the county, divide it into two sections, of which the eastern and northern is the most arable.

The eastern fronts of the mountains are precipitous, while upon the west their declivities are more gentle. The Pine mountain, or Kaatsbergs, form the southwestern boundary. The principal peaks of the Catskill mountains are Round Top and High Peak, which have elevations from 3000 to 3800 feet above tide water.

RIVERS. The principal streams are Catskill creek, Kaaterskill, Schoharie kill, and Batavia kill. The Hudson forms its eastern boundary.

CLIMATE. This county has much diversity of climate. The peaks of the mountains are covered with snow nearly a month later than the valleys, and the summer is shorter, but when vegetation commences, it is more rapid than near the Hudson.

GEOLOGY AND MINERALOGY. The transition and red sandstone formations prevail in this county. The predominant rocks of the Catskill division are conglomerates, red and gray shales, slates, slaty and coarse grits; greenish gray and chocolate colored gray sandstone, known as the Catskill or North river flag stone, is abundant. The Helderberg range, consisting of water and common limestone and pyritous slate, predominates in the north portion of the county. The Hudson river group, composed of slate, shales, shaly and thick bedded grits occupies the eastern and southeastern part.

Copper, lead, zinc, iron and coal, have been found in small quantities. Calcareous spar and quartz crystals also occur.

VEGETABLE PRODUCTIONS. The mountains are sterile-the uplands produce excellent grass, while the valleys are rich, yielding good crops of grain. The timber consists of oak, hickory, cherry, soft and sugar maple, and on the hills beech, birch, and in some places, spruce and hemlock. In the mountainous districts the trees are of great size.

PURSUITS. Agriculture is the principal pursuit of the inhabitants. Comparatively little grain is raised. The products of the dairy are large. Many of the farmers are turning their attention to wool growing, for which the county is well adapted.

Manufactures. Leather is manufactured to a greater amount than in any other county in the state. The other manufactures are flour, lumber, paper, fulled cloths, &c.

Commerce. Catskill, Athens, Coxsackie and New Baltimore, are largely engaged in the coasting trade.

The STAPLE PRODUCTIONS of the county are butter, oats, corn and buckwheat.

SCHOOLS. There were in this county, in 1846, 170 common schools, giving instruction to 9071 children, an average period of eight months each, at an expense for tuition of $13,147. The district libraries contained 19,713 volumes.

There were also thirty-three select schools, with 601 scholars; four academies and one female seminary, with seventy-seven students.

RELIGIOUS DENOMINATIONS. Methodists, Presbyterians, Baptists, Dutch Reformed, Episcopalians, Friends, Roman Catholics, Lutherans, and Unitarians. There are in the county, sixtyfour churches, and sixty-four clergymen.

HISTORY. Greene county was settled in the latter part of the seventeenth century, by the Dutch. Cairo and Coxsackie were the principal settlements. Shortly before and after the revolution, many families removed from New England into the county, and a majority of the present inhabitants claim a puritan de

scent.

It is a matter of regret that so little effort has been made to investigate the early history of a county, undoubtedly possessing so much historic interest.

The Hardenburgh patent comprises most of the towns of Windham and Lexington.

Athens was laid out in part, in 1790, by Edward Brockholst Livingston, and E. C. Goodrich.

VILLAGES. CATSKILL VILLAGE, in the town of the same name, was incorporated in 1806. It is the seat of justice of the county, situated on the left bank of the Catskill creek, nearly one mile from the Hudson, and is principally built upon a single street, about half a mile in extent.

It is a port for steamboats and sloops, the creek being navigable from a short distance above the village, to the Hudson, opening a direct communication with the city of New York.

This village is sustained by a wealthy farming community in its own, and adjoining counties; also by a considerable manufacturing interest.

In the business season of the year, Main street, and the wharves indicate great activity in trade and commerce.

The prospect of the Hudson from this village is obscured by a high bluff running parallel with the river, yet this bluff affords desirable sites for residences, some of which are occupied and highly improved.

The location of this village is important, being the terminus of a number of stage routes, some of which communicate with the valley of the Susquehanna. Its public buildings are neat, and its general appearance that of industry. It has an academy, and a select school for young ladies. Population 3000.

Athens, in the town of the same name, pleasantly situated opposite the city of Hudson, was incorporated in 1805,-it is extensively engaged in manufactures, cspecially of brick and lime. A considerable number of sloops are owned here, which ply to and from New York. A steam ferry connects it with the city of Hudson. Population 1500.

Coxsackie Landing, in the town of Coxsackie, is a thriving village, engaged in the coasting trade, and in the manufacture of brick. It has an academy of some note. Population 1500.

Prattsville, lying on the Schoharie kill, manufactures more leather than any town in the United States. It received its name from Hon. Zadoc Pratt, who established extensive tanneries here. The village is also engaged in other manufactures. Population 1200.

The "Mountain House," so widely celebrated as a summer resort for travellers, is within the limits of the town of Hunter. It is situated on the Pine Orchard, a peak of the Catskill mountains, twelve miles from the village of Catskill, and at an elevation of 2212 feet above the Hudson.

The prospect from this point is one of the most extensive and beautiful in the world. The majestic Hudson, with its green islets, its numerous sails. its cities, villages, and highly cultivated farms, is visible, on a clear day, for sixty miles in extent, while in the distance, the dim outlines of the Taghkanic mountains bound the horizon.

About two miles west of the "Mountain House" are the Kaaters kill Falls, upon a stream issuing from two lakes in the rear of the hotel. The waters leap over a perpendicular barrier, 175 feet, and pausing momentarily upon a rocky ledge, plunge down eighty-five feet more, and are hid from the view, in the dark ravine through which they seek the valley of the Catskill.

The scenery around, the deep green forests, the rugged cliffs, covered with ivy and summer foliage, and the extended prospect, add to the sublimity of the waterfall, and render this one of the most picturesque and magnificent scenes in nature.

New Baltimore, Cairo and Coxsackie are villages of some importance, in the towns of the same names.

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