The plain and slopes have the appearance of a garden ; while the hills on both sides present sweet pictures of mingled forest and cultivated fields, enlivened by small flocks and herds, and dotted with the homes of a thrifty people. But the river appears solitary. Not a boat may be seen upon it, until "Waterford is passed, for the current is too swift for navigation. **The water in the river here," wrote Kalm, the Swedish naturalist and traveller, in his journal, more than one hundred years ago, "was very clear, and generally shallow, being only from two to four feet deep, running very violently against us in most places."

THE HUDSON.

Between Mechanicsville and "Waterford, near the junction of two railways, the viaduct of the Vermont Central Eailroad, twelve hundred feet in length, stretches across the Hudson. It is constructed of square timber, and rests upon hcaAy stone piers, besides the shore abutments. From that point to "Waterford, the river views from the highway are very picturesque, and when within half a mile of that large village upon Half- Moon Point, at a bend in the stream, the traveller obtains a sight of "Waterford and Lansingburgh, on opposite sides of the river, with the

VIADUCT OF THE VERMONT CENTRAL RAILWAY.

covered toll-bridge that connects them. The church spires of Troy are also seen, and in dim blue outline, in the extreme southern horizon, appear the higher spurs of the Katzbergs, or Catskill Mountains.

Waterford is a very pleasant town, at the confluence of the Mohawk and Hudson rivers, and had then a little more than three thousand inhabitants. It stands upon the level bank of the Hudson. Most of its streets are fringed with the maple and elm, the favourite shade trees in the northern and eastern villages and cities of the United States.