New Netherland, so called because it was first frequented and peopled by the free Netherlanders, is a province in the most northerly part of America, situate between N. England (which bounds it on the N. E. side) and Virginia, lying to the S. W. Its entire length is washed by the ocean and has a clean sandy beach resembling very much 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 being, the spring is shorter, because it begins later; the summer is hotter, because it comes on more suddenly; the autumn is long and very pleasant; the winter cold and liable to much snow. Two winds ordinarily prevail, the N. W. in winter, and the S. 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, like our N. E. The

180 NEW- YORK COLONIAL MANUSCRIPTS. S. W. is dry and hot like our S. E., because it comes from the warm countries; the N. E. is cold and wet lii^e our S. W., for similar reasons. The aspect of the country is very like that of France; the land is reasonably high and level, to wit, along the coast, broken by small hills which are rocky and unfit for cultivation ; further in the interior are pretty high mountains, exhibiting generally strong indications of minerals ; between those mountains flow a great number of small streams; there are even in places, some, but not many, lofty mountains of extraordinary height; in fertility, the country falls behind no province in Europe both as to excellence and cleanness of fruits and seeds.