143 M. North Adams, see p. 141. The train descends the valley of the Hoosac. To the left rises Greylock (p. 141), to the right East Mt. (2270 ft.). 148 M. Williamstown, see p. 141. We turn to the N.W. (right), cross a corner of Vermont, and enter New York State. 164 M. Hoosick Falls; 166 M. Hoosick Junction, for a branch-line to (6 M.) Bennington (p. 145).

At (175 M.) Johnsonville the railway forks, the left branch leading to Troy (see below), and the right to (189 M.) Mechanicsville (p. 144) and (212 M.) Rotterdam Junction (p. 195).

From (188 M.) East Saratoga Junction, on the latter branch, a line runs to (18 M.) Saratoga (p. 180).

191 M. Troy, see p. 145. Thence to (197 M.) Albany, see R. 20 c.

18. From New York to Pittsfield (Berkshire Hills).

166 M. NEW YORK, NEW HAVEN, AND HARTFORD RAILROAD to (56 M.) Bridgeport in 11/2-21/2 hrs.; HOUSATONIC RAILROAD thence to (110 M.) Pittsfield (through-fare $3.40) in 4-41/2 hrs. The 'Berkshire Hills Limited Express' diverges at (411/2 M.) South Norwalk and joins the Bridgeport line at Hawleyville (to Pittsfield in 41/2 hrs.).

From New York to (411/2 M.) South Norwalk and (56 M.) Bridgeport, see R. 4a.

From South Norwalk one branch of the Housatonic Railroad runs to the N. through a pretty wooded country, becoming hillier as we proceed. 43 M. Norwalk (p. 57); 49 M. Wilton; 55 M. Branchville, the junction of a short line to Ridgefield, the birthplace of 'Peter Parley' (S. G. Goodrich; 1793-1860); 59 M. Redding, the birthplace of Joel Barlow (1755-1812), author of the 'Columbiad'; 63 M. Bethel, a prosperous little place with 2335 inhabitants. At (66 M.) Hawleyville we join the main line from Bridgeport (see below).

From Bridgeport the Housatonic R. R. ascends the valley of the Pequonnock. At (71 M.) Botsford it unites with the branch from New Haven (p. 58) and leaves the river. At (75 M.) Newtown the 'hills begin to show mountainous symptoms'. At (79M.) Hawleyville (see above) we cross the N. Y. & N. E. R. R. (p. 66).

The SHEPAUG RAILROAD runs from Hawleyville to (33 M.) Litchfield (U. S. Hotel, $2), a summer-resort in a pretty, hilly district, near Bantam Lake. Pop. (1890) 2246. It was the birthplace of Henry Ward Beecher (18131887) and Mrs. Beecher Stowe (b. 1812).

83 M. Brookfield Junction, for Danbury (p. 62), etc. At (85 M.) Brookfield the Housatonic, the beautiful valley of which we henceforth follow, comes into view on the right. We cross the river as we near (101 M.) New Milford (Weautinaug Inn, $ 311⁄2-4; New Milford Ho., $2) and thereafter have it to the left. 104 M. Kent (Elmore Ho.), a prettily situated village; 113 M. Cornwall Bridge. To the left rises the Sharon Ridge. 123 M. Falls Village (Dudley Ho.), near the Falls of the Housatonic (60 ft.). A coach runs hence to Salisbury. To the left (2/2 M.) rises Mt. Prospect, a good point of view. 129 M. Canaan (670 ft.; Dudley Ho., Warner Ho., $ 2), also a station on the Hartford & Connecticut Valley R. R., a good centre for excursions.

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Canaan Mt. (1500 ft.), 1 M. to the S.E, affords a view of the Housa

tonic Valley, the Twin Lakes, and the Berkshire Hills (R. 19). The Twin Lakes lie 21/2 M. to the W. Excursions may also be made to Campbell's Falls (71/2 M.;), Sage's Ravine (9 M.; p. 137), etc.

We now pass from Connecticut into Massachusetts and enter the district of the Berkshire Hills proper (R. 19).

The Taghkanic or Taconic Mts. rise to the left, and the Hoosac Range to the right. Beyond (131 M.) Ashley Falls we cross the Housatonic. 135 M. Sheffield (see below); 141 M. Great Barrington (p. 137). — 143 M. Van Deusenville is the junction of a line to West Stockbridge, State Line, and Albany (p. 154). Monument Mt. (p. 138) rises to the right. 145 M. Housatonic; 148 M. Glendale. We cross the river once more and bend to the right (E.).—149 M. Stockbridge (p. 137). In the next few miles we cross the Housatonic several times. 151 M. South Lee; 155 M. Lee (p. 139); 157 M. Lenox Dale. At (159 M.) Lenox Station omnibuses from the hotels at (22 M.) Lenox (p. 139) meet the trains. 162 M. New Lenox. We cross the river for the last time in entering 166 M. Pittsfield (p. 140; Rail. Restaurant). From Pittsfield to (20 M.) North Adams, see p. 141.

19. The Berkshire Hills.

The district known as the Berkshire Hills, corresponding practically to Berkshire County (pop. 81,108) in the W. part of Massachusetts, is about 50 M. long from N. to S. and 20-25 M. wide from E. to W., covering an area of about 1300 sq. M. On the W. it is bounded by the Taconic Mts. and the State of New York; on the E. by the Hoosac Mts., a S. prolongation of the Green Mts.; on the S. by Connecticut; and on the N. by Vermont. The region confined between the two mountain-ranges is broken up into a number of smaller valleys, interspersed with isolated hills; and for the gentle loveliness of a hill-country, as contrasted with a mountaincountry, it is unsurpassed in the United States and has few rivals elsewhere. The Hoosac flows through the district towards the N. to join the Hudson, and the Housatonic flows S. towards Long Island Sound, while innumerable small lakes and brooks add to its attractions. The praises of the Berkshire Hills have been repeatedly sung by Longfellow, Bryant, Whittier, Hawthorne, Beecher, and others. The name of the Taconic Mts. is well known in geology, as the non-fossiliferous Taconic formations are regarded as a distinct system, intermediate between the Archæan rocks and the Potsdam sandstone. Perhaps the best SEASON to visit the Berkshires is in autumn, as the brilliant autumnal tints of the American woods are seen here to perfection. Fashion has decreed that the seaside sojourn at Newport should be followed ere returning to town by a 'fall' visit to the Berkshire Hills, and many people stay here till well on in November. Lenox (p. 139) is the most fashionable resort, but Stockbridge (p. 137), one of the loveliest villages in America, is perhaps an equally good centre for casual travellers; while Pittsfield (p. 140), Great Barrington (p. 137), and other places also form good headquarters. The Hotels are usually good and not exorbitant. The Roads are good and well-adapted for driving and cycling. Carriage Hire is lower than at Newport or in the White Mts.

Pittsfield is reached from New York in 41/2 hrs. (fare $31/4-3/2; see R. 18) and from Boston (see R. 17a) in 41/2-5 hrs. (fare $3.40).

The S. half of the district has hitherto been the best known, and the following description enumerates the chief points in order from S. to N. Comp. the 'New Book of Berkshire', by Clark W. Bryan.

Sheffield (675 ft.; Conway Ho., $2; rail. stat., see above), a quiet little village on the Housatonic, attracts a few summer-visitors

and is known for its marble-quarries, which supplied the material for Girard College (p. 217). Pop. (1890) 1954.

Mt. Washington (2625 ft.; view), sometimes called the Dome or Mt. Everett, one of the highest of the Taconic Mts., rises 5 M. to the W. and is frequently ascended hence (road to the base; path to the top 1/2 hr.). The Sheffield Elm, mentioned in the 'Autocrat of the Breakfast Table', is 1 M. to the S. of the centre of the village. Other pleasant points are Bear's Den, 1 M. to the W.; Sage's Ravine, 4 M. to the S.W.; Twin Lakes, 7 M. to the S.; and Ashley Falls (4 M.). The *Bashbish Falls are also visited hence. From Sheffield we may proceed to the N., along the Housatonic, either by road (a pleasant drive) or railway, to (6 M.) – Great Barrington (720 ft.; *Berkshire Inn, Main St.; Miller Ho.; Collin's Ho., $2; rail. stat., p. 136), beautifully situated in a hollow surrounded by hills, the slopes of which afford good views of the picturesquely-spired town and the valley. Pop.(1890) 4612.

The railway-station lies to the W. of Main Street, shaded by fine elms into which we turn to the S. (right). We pass the Post Office (1.) and Town Hall (r.) and in a few minutes reach (r.) the Episcopal Church, built of blue limestone, and the large new Berkshire Inn. Opposite, concealed by a massive stone wall and trees, is *Kellogg Terrace, a magnificent mansion of blue limestone, with red-tiled roofs, erected by the late Mrs. HopkinsSearles, in a French Gothic style, at a cost of $1,500,000 (300,0007.). It is most elaborately fitted up (no admission). A good distant view of it is obtained from the hill on the opposite side of the river. The Grounds contain a fine fountain (jet 80 ft. high). - The handsome *Congregational Church and the Hopkins Memorial Manse (cost $300,000) are on the same side of the street, a little to the N. of the Post Office. The former contains a magnificent organ (3954 pipes, 60 speaking stops) and an 'echo' organ', concealed in the walls and operated by 21/2 M. of electric wire. The parsonage is said to be the finest in the United States.

William Cullen Bryant (1794-1878), the poet, was for many years (1815-25) town-clerk of Great Barrington, and many of the town records are in his handwriting. His house (the 'Henderson Place') stood in the site occupied by the Berkshire Inn, but has been moved farther back and is now an annex of the hotel. Dr. Samuel Hopkins, the hero of Mrs. Stowe's 'Minister's Wooing', lived at Great Barrington for 25 years.

A few hundred yards to the N.W. of the station is the pretty little Mansfield Pond. The Berkshire Heights (980 ft.), 11/2 M. to the N. of the station, command a fine *View. About 3/4 M. to the S. is Mt. Peter, a good point of view. To the E., across the river, rise Mt. Bryant (1450 ft.) and East Mt. (1740 ft.). Belcher's Cave lies at the N. end of the village.

To the S.E. (51/2 M.) lies Lake Buel, in the hill on the W. side of which is a chasm known as the Ice Gulf, where ice is found nearly all summer. · Long Lake lies 3 M. to the N.W. - Monument Mt. (p. 188) is 41/2 M. to the N.

The direct road from Great Barrington to (71/2 M.) Stockbridge (railway, see p. 136) runs on the E. side of the Housatonic, with Monument Mt. (p. 138) to the left and Bear Mt. (p. 139) to the right.

Stockbridge (830 ft. ; *Stockbridge Inn, $ 3, a comfortable oldfashioned house, with old china and other curiosities; Edwards Hall, p. 138, $2; boarding-houses), one of the most typical and charming of New England villages, with its immemorial elms and immaculate neatness, 'sleeps along a level plain just under the rim of the hills'. Pop. (1890) 2132.

The Stockbridge Inn stands in Main St., at the leading to (12 M.) the railway-station (p. 136).

corner of the road Opposite is the

tasteful Episcopal Church, adjoining which is a War Monument. Following Main St. towards the left (W.) we pass, on the left, the Sedgwick Mansion, the old home of the Sedgwick family. To the right, nearly opposite, is Edwards Hall, now a boarding-house, where Jonathan Edwards (1703-58) wrote his famous treatise on The Freedom of the Will'. It is recognizable by the three little windows above the ponderous old door. Beyond Edwards Hall is the Casino, with tennis courts, etc. Nearly opposite (left) is the Congregational Church, in front of which is a Bell Tower, erected by David Dudley Field to the memory of the Indian Mission and his deceased grandchildren. The most interesting part of the Cemetery (right) is the enclosure of the Sedgwick family, with the grave of the authoress Catherine M. Sedgwick (1789-1867). The Edwards Monument, also to the right, was erected in 1871 by the descendants of Jonathan Edwards. To the left is the beautiful Dwight Place, beyond which, on the same side, is the interesting Old Burial Ground of the Stockbridge Indians, with an appropriate monument (*View). The road diverging to the right at the Edwards Monument leads to a Park, laid out and presented to the town by Cyrus W. Field (view).

In the part of Main Street to the E. of the Stockbridge Inn is the Jackson Library and Reading Room (10,000 vols. ; open to strangers). A little farther on is the Academy, with Laurel Hill behind it.

To ICE GLEN, 14 M. From the railway-station we follow the track to the left (E.) tó (6 min.) a style to the right, where we cross the fence. The path to the glen runs to the right (up the hill). *Ice Glen, a cleft in Bear Mt. (see p. 139), is a wild, cold, and narrow rocky ravine, in the caverns of which ice may be found in midsummer and which forms a startling contrast to the surrounding scenery. At (15-20 min.) the upper end of the glen we pass through a gate into a pasture, across which we descend by a faint path to (5 min.) the road (gate here marked 'Path to Ice Glen'). Following the road to the right, we regain the station in 1/4 hr.

*FROM STOCKBRIDGE TO MONUMENT MT. (there and back 9-10 M., or 3-4 hrs.). From the Stockbridge Inn we descend Main St. to the left. It bends to the left, passes the Indian Burial Ground (see above), and (2/3 M.) crosses the Housatonic. We then turn to the left and in a few hundred paces cross the railway. Avoiding the road to the right here, we continue in a straight direction to (3/4 M.) the cross-roads, where we keep to the left. The road soon dwindles to a lane and begins to ascend. 3/4 M. Smith's Farm, 325 ft. above Stockbridge (view). Here we should ask the way across the pasture, which ascends to the left to (8 min.) a gate leading into the wood. The route through the forest is by an old and winding cart-track, now seldom used for driving. In 20 min. it is joined by another track from the right. A few yards beyond this, to the left, is a small patch of grass, with a slab of rock. A steep footpath ascends hence over rocks to (5-10 min.) the chaotic, rocky top of Monument Mt. (1250 ft.), which commands a magnificent *View of the Housatonic Valley and the Berkshire Hills. The rock-formations (white quartz) are very fine, especially one huge detached pinnacle known as the 'Pulpit'. Ladies or others who object to scrambling should now return to the carttrack and either retrace their steps or follow it to the left to (25 min.) the Great Barrington road. A little time is saved, however, by descending the indistinct path on the other side of the summit, which merges (1/4 hr.) in a grassy wheel-track, that joins (3 min.) the above-mentioned cart track about 10 min. from the Great Barrington road. Here we turn to the left for (33/4 M.) Stockbridge, a dusty high-road walk which we may

avoid by having a carriage to meet us. About 1 M. from Stockbridge we pass the stump (32 ft. in girth) of a huge willow.

FROM STOCKBRIDGE TO LENOX VIA LAKE MAHKEENAC AND BALD HEAD, 8-9 M. We follow the road leaving Main St. at the Episcopal church and take the first road to the left (sign-post 'to Lenox 6 M.'). The road ascends Prospect Hill (*View of Stockbridge) and for a mile or two is lined with handsome places'. To the right is Rattlesnake Hill. After about 3 M. we see Lake Mahkeenac or the Stockbridge Bowl (ca. 920 ft.) below us to the left. At the (1 M.) fork near the N. end of the lake, we follow the left branch ('to Lenox and Pittsfield'). At (3/4 M.) the next fork we again keep to the left, passing (on the lake, to the left) the scanty remains of the house in which Nathaniel Hawthorne lived in 1849-51, and wrote the 'House of the Seven Gables' and other works. 3/4 M. Opposite the pretty home of Mr. Higginson, we take the central of three roads (driving to this point, advisable in hot or dusty weather), and immediately afterwards follow the road to the left between two private roads. A very little farther on we ascend to the right by a steep lane. In 20-30 min. we see the bare grassy top of Bald Head or Mt. Prospect (1585 ft.) to the right, which we reach by crossing the fence and grass to (5 min.) the cairn. *View to N. and S., including Lenox, the Stockbridge Bowl, and Monument Mt. We may now return to the lane and follow it round a wooded hill and down to (21/2 M.) Lenox. Or we may descend the cart-track in the hollow between Bald Head and the wooded summit to the N., which leads toward Lenox but soon dwindles to a trail and finally disappears (this route not advisable for ladies or elderly people). At (10-15 min.) the foot of the hill we emerge from the wood on a field, where we climb the fence and continue in the general direction of (112 M.) Lenox, which is seen in front. There are so many private roads here, that it is impossible to give precise directions, but it is scarcely possible to go far wrong. Lenox, see below.

Excursions are also made from Stockbridge to Mohawk Lake, 23/4 M. to the W.; Lake Averic, 3 M. to the N.W.; Eldon's Cave, in Tom Ball Mt., 31/2 M. to the W.; over the old Burgoyne Road (Bear Mt.; views); Lee (4 M.); Great Barrington (1/2 M.); West Stockbridge (5 M.), etc.

Lee (865 ft.; Morgan Ho.), 4 M. to the N.W. of Stockbridge, is a village with paper-mills and quarries of marble (used for the Capitol at Washington, etc.). Pop. (1890) 3785. A fine drive may be taken through the Hopbrook Valley to Fernside (1160 ft.; Hotel), Tyringham, and Monterey (12 M.). Highlawn Farm, a famous horse-breeding establishment, lies 3/4 M. to the N.W., on Laurel Lake (p. 140).

Lenox (1270 ft.; Curtis House, $4; Bellevue House, with fine view from the back-windows, $3; numerous boarding-houses), beautifully situated on a ridge, 21/2 M. to the W. of the railwaystation (p. 136) and 6 M. to the N. of Stockbridge, is the Newport of the Berkshires and makes an even greater impression of wealth and luxury than the real Newport. The main street, shaded with elms, contains the hotels, a Club, a Public Library, etc., while the slopes and crests of the surrounding hills are covered with large and often beautiful country - houses. Driving, riding, and lawn tennis (tournament in Oct.) are the favourite amusements; horseraces are held in the Lee Pleasure Park, and the annual 'Tub Parade' (of carriages) is a regular institution. Fanny Kemble (1811-93) and Henry Ward Beecher (1813-87) are among the most famous of former Lenox residents.

The best way to see Lenox is to hire a carriage, with an intelligent driver, and spend 2-3 hrs. in driving about the network of excellent private roads (open to light vehicles only) of which the place consists. The grounds of many of the houses are open to the carriages of visitors. The