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Documentary History of the State of New York, Vol. IV

O'Callaghan, E.B., ed. The Documentary History of the State of New York, Vol. IV. Albany: Weed, Parsons and Co., 1851. 304 words

New Nerueranp (so called because it was first frequented 'and peopled by free Netherlanders) is a province in the most northern part of America lying between N. England (which bounds them on the N, E. side) and Virginia lying to the S. W. The Ocean is confined along its whole length by a clean sandy coast, very similar to that of Flanders or Holland, having except the rivers few bays or Harbors for ships, the air is very temperate, inclining to dryness, healthy, little subject to sickness. The four seasons of the year are about as in France, or the Netherlands the difference is, the Spring is shorter because it begins later, the Summer is warmer because it comes on more suddenly, the Harvest is long and very pleasant, the Winter cold and liable to much snow ; two winds ordinarily prevail: the N. W. in Winter and the 8S. W. in Summer; the other winds are not common; the N. W. corresponds with our N. E. because it blows across the country from the cold point as our N. E. does. The S. W. is dry and hot like our 8. E. because it comes from the Warm countries ; the N. E. is cold and wet like our S. W. for similar reasons. The character of the country is very like that of France ; the land is reasonably hilly and level. To wit, broken along the coast by small Rocky hills unfit for agriculture ; farther in the interior are pretty high Mountains (generally exhibiting great appearance of minerals) between which flow a great number of Small Rivers, in some places there are even some Lofty ones of Extraordinary Height, but not many ; its fertility falls behind no province in Europe in excellence as in cleanness of fruits and seeds.