The Documentary history of the state of New-York; arranged under direction of the Hon. Christopher Morgan, secretary of State. By E. B. O'Callaghan ...

JOURNAL OF NEW NETHERLAND.
Brief Description of JVew JNetherland.
NEW NETHERLAND (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 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 as our N. E. does.
The S. W. is dry and hot like our S. 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. There are three principal rivers,
to wit: the Fresh,'the Mauritius2 and the South3 River all three
reasonably wide and deep, adapted for the navigation of large
1 Connecticut. 2 Hudson. 3 Delaware.