rally a cabin-boy on board, or more frequently a cook, as few fhips have less than eight paffengers on board, either coming up or going down. The freight of goods is ufually one fhilling a hundred weight; but this varies, according to their value, or the room they occupy. The trade of Albany is very fafe, but seems not to be very profitable. The neat proceeds of a voyage amount upon an average to about one hundred dollars, which makes for the whole year one thousand dollars for a fhip, a profit by no means confiderable. If you add to this the money paid by paffengers for their paffage, which amounts to ten fhillings a head, making from feventeen to twenty dollars a voyage, and from one hundred and feventy to two hundred dollars for the ten voyages, which are made in the course of the year, the whole yields but a very moderate profit, which is however encreased by the fale of the goods. This is as yet the ufual way in which trade is carried on by this city; it deprives the merchants of Albany of a confiderable profit, and throws it into the hands of thofe of New York. Some of the former undertake indeed voyages to England, Holland, and other countries; but, for this pose they charter New York veffels. These are the bolder people; and are called men of the new notions, but their number is fmall. pur The The ancient cuftoms and confined views of the timid, yet covetous, Dutchmen, have carefully been preserved in this city. No ship fails from Albany directly to Europe; and yet provision is fent thither from this place. It is evident that, if the inhabitants would take themselves the trouble of exporting their produce, they would fave useless interest, the return-freight, and double commiffion, and would obtain employment for their fhips during the time, when the navigation to the north is fhut up by ice. Ideas of this complexion begin to dawn upon the minds of fome merchants, and will, no doubt, produce advantageous changes. From the fame habitual apathy the merchants of Albany relinquish the trade in horfes and mules, great numbers of which are reared in the neighbourhood, to the Connecticut merchants, who purchase and export them with confiderable profit to the Antilles. The building of fhips cofts in Albany about twenty-feven dollars and half per ton. The ships are all fir-built, and last about ten years. Experiments have been made, which prove, that ships built of dry and well feafoned timber, last thirty years and upwards. The trade of Albany grows daily more extenfive; and the number of fhops and fhips is increafing faft. Two new towns, built five or fix years ago, a few miles above Al bany, bany, on the northern bank of the river, fhare in this trade. Thefe two towns, which have rapidly raised themselves to a confiderable degree of importance, and are but three or four miles diftant from each other, carry on the fame trade as Albany with about twenty-five or thirty veffels, which belong to them, draw from the back coun try the productions of these fruitful provinces, tranfmit them to New York, take in return Eu ropean goods, and supply with them those parts, which were formerly supplied from Albany. The greater diftance, however, and lefs depth of water, are circumftances unfavourable to thefe new towns. The freight thence to Albany is twopence per barrel; their largest ships are only of fixty tons burthen, and generally cannot take on board more than half their cargo, the remainder of which they receive from lighters, which attend them for that purpose in the vicinity of Albany. Yet, they continue their trade, encrease daily, and will probably animate Albany to greater. boldness and activity. New City contains about fixty or seventy stores or fhops, and Troy fifty or fixty. Thefe new-fettled merchants all profper, and their number is daily encreafing. The merchants of Albany, it is reported, view this growing profperity of their neighbours with an evil eye, and confider it as an encroachment upon their native rights. If this be true, the jealoufy of the merchants of Albany must be the refult of their ignorance and confined views. The provinces, which contribute their produce to support this trade, are yet far from having attained to the highest degree of cultivation; many parts, equally proper for that purpose, are but little cultivated; and others yet uncleared. Towns will be built ftill farther northwards than Troy and New City; others will be erected even on the western fide of the river, while, at the fame time, the greater number of fettlements and encreased population, will augment the produce and wants, and every town, whether ancient or new, experience an increase of business beyond what it will be able to do. Albany contains fix thousand inhabitants, two thousand of whom are flaves, as the laws of the State of New York permit flavery. The old houfes are built in the Dutch style, with the gable-end to the ftreet; the pyramidal part rising in steps, and terminating in a chimney decorated with figures, or in fome iron puppets. All the buildings, which have been erected within these laft ten years, are conftructed of bricks in the English ftyle, wide and large. The revenue of the city amounts to about thirty-five thousand dollars a year. It poffeffes a great great quantity of land in the neighbouring country, and alfo fells the quays on the river at two dollars and half per foot, and a ground-rent of one fhilling, which is irredeemable. This revenue is partly owing to the economy of the administrators, who have hitherto endeavoured rather to enrich the city than to embellish it, and render it more convenient. The fenate is, at prefent, compofed of young men, who promise to take care of thefe artieles. But, from the ignorance, apathy, and antiquated ideas, which prevail in this city, it is much to be apprehended, left the refults of their exertions fhould prove but very trifling for a long time to come. I almost incline to think, that young people here are old born. A bank, which was inftituted here four years ago, promotes the trade of Albany; it confifts of fix hundred shares of four hundred dollars each, only half of which have hitherto been paid. The yearly dividend is nine per cent, besides what is deducted for the expence of the building in which the bank is kept. There is in Albany a Dutch Lutheran church of a Gothic and very peculiar conftruction; the Epifcopalians, Prefbyterians, German Protestants, and Methodists, poffefs also churches in this town. The price of land, in the vicinity of Albany, is |