Travels in the United States, etc.,: during 1849 and 1850./ By the Lady Emmeline Stuart Wortley.

TRAVELS IN AMERICA.
son and its banks, especially at W,est Point. I shall not go into
any particulars on the subject till my return, but only say the
river reminded me-of the Rhine in many parts, svinus the old
feudal castles.
When we arrived at Albany we first tried a very handsome looking hotel in a high situation, from whence I thought we
should have a fine view, which our driver recommended, the one
I had been advised to go to in New York being quite full. It
was closed, and this, I suppose, our cmunning driver knew right
well, but it gave him the opportunity of asking about twice as
much more for our short but rather steep drive, as we had paid
for our passage the whole way fromn New York; the one being
remarkably cheap, the other rather more remarkably dear. Of
course we soon bfound another hotel, for Albany abounds with
them. Here are some of their names-Stanwix Hall, the American Hotel, the City, the Clinton, Columbian, Congress Hall,
Delavan House, Temperance Hotel, Eastern Railroad Hotel, Franklin House, Mansion House (where we are staying), United States
Hotel, and Washington Hall.
The proprietor and people here are extremely civil and obliging,
and we are very comfortable. The street in which our hotel is situation is particularly handsome; it is exceedingly wide with excellent and very broad trottoirs (which they call here side-walks).
This town was founded by the Dutch in 1623, and called Fort
Orange, and in 1686 it was chartered as a city. Next to Jamestown in Virginia, it was the earliest European settlement within
the thirteen original States; it has not, however, at all an ancient
air, at least as far as I have seen of it; but, in fact, it was almost
entirely rebuilt not long ago; I believe after one of the dreadful
fires so frequent in the United States.
When the English captured New York this town was named
Albany, a compliment to the Duke of York and Albany, afterward James the Second. Its position makes it necessarily a great
thoroughfare: it is placed near the head of tide navigation, and
on the direct line of communication from the east and the south
with the River St. Lawrence, with the Saratoga Springs, and
with the country of the great Lakes.
The city has acquired great additional commercial importance
since the completion of the Erie and Champlain canals: this
has made it the eiltrepdt for a large proportion of the products of
the State destined to the New York markets. A. fine basin is
constructed upon the river to accommodate this large trade: in
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