Merino high and near, over the bay, whieli is cultivated to its summit, and from whose crown the Highlands in the south, the Luzerne Mountains, near Lake George, in the north, the Katzbergs in the west, and the Green Mountains eastward, may be seen, blue and shadowy, and bounding the horizon with a grand and mysterious line, while at the feet of the observer, the city of Hudson lies like a picture spread upon a table. Directly opposite the city is Athens, a thriving little village, lying upon the river slope, and having a connection with its more stately sister by

' -^-'^ ^,ikl*'

VIEW FROM THE PEOMENADi, HUDSON.

means of a steam ferry-boat. It was first named Lunenberg, then Esperanza, and finally was incorporated under its present title. Behind it spreads out a beautiful country, inhabited by a population consisting chiefly of descendants of the Dutch. All through that region, from Coxsakie to Kingston, the Dutch language is still used in many families.

The country around Hudson is hilly and very picturesque, every turn in the road affording pleasant changes in landscape and agreeable surprises. A little northward, Claverack {I£et Klaiiver JRaclc, the Clover Reach) Creek comes down from the hills in falls and cascades, and

THE HUDSON.

presents many romantic little scenes, IS'ear its banks, a few miles from Hudson, are mineral springs, now rising into celebrity, and known as the Colnmbia Sulphur Springs. The accommodations for invalids and l)leasure-seekers are arranged in the midst of a fine hickory grove, and many persons spend the summer months there very delightfully, away from the fashionable crowd. The tourist should not omit a visit to these springs, nor to Lebanon Springs farther in the interior. The latter may