necting with the bottom of Geyser Cañon; in this heated condition it has a powerful action on the rocks and the metallic sulphurets which they contain, especially in the sulphuret of iron everywhere so abundantly dif fused through the formation, and so dissolves them and brings them up to the surface, to be again partly redeposited as the solution is cooled down by contact with the air." Prof. Whitney adds that phenomena of the same kind as those observed at the Geysers, and sometimes even on a larger scale, are exhibited all throughout the now almost extinct volcanic regions of California and Nevada. Even on Mount Shasta the last expiring efforts of this once mighty volcano may be. traced in the solfatara action still going on near the summit, and which is undoubtedly due to the melting snow finding its way down to the heated lava, or other volcanic materials below, in the interior of what was once the crater, from and around which a mass of erupted matter has been poured forth and piled up to the height of several thousand feet. We know, on other authority, that earthquakes have frequently been experienced at the Geysers, accompanied by loud noise. Two smart shocks on the night of February 20th, 1863, were followed by the bursting forth of new openings of steam and boiling waters. Such an outburst, on one occasion, caused a gush of steam up the left side of the cañon so hot as to kill all the trees and shrubs in its course.

The chemical theory asserts that all the phenomena are ascribable to the action of water percolating through mineral deposits, and creating heat, expansion, and explosion by simple chemical decomposition; without the aid of a heated volcanic mass. The two theories may be harmonized, for the mineral matter is probably of volcanic origin, and whether it is heated before the water acts upon it is not very material.

In spite of the hot water, the steam, and the saline deposits, vegetation flourishes far down the slopes of Geyser Cañon, about the margins, and in some of the very waters. The evergreen-oak thrives almost within reach of the exhalations, and maples and alders are found on the banks of the creek close to some of the steam-vents. A grass called Panicum thermale grows near the hot springs. Animal life dares to invade the scene, for dragon-flies of great beauty may often be observed, while

birds build their nests and sing in the adjacent trees. Dr. Blake found two forms of plant-life in a spring having as high a temperature as 198 degrees. These were delicate microscopic confervæ. In a spring having a temperature of 174 degrees, many oscillariæ were found, which, by the interlacement of their delicate fibers, formed a semigelatinous mass. In a spring of the temperature of 134 degrees, layers of filamentous green and red algae were freely formed as the water flowed over the rocks. Unusual masses of oscillaria flourish in the waters of Pluton Creek. Their presence in the highly mineralized waters of a spring with a temperature of 174 degrees, shows how great is the range of the conditions in which these forms of plant-life can be developed.

One returns to the hotel after a morning tramp through Geyser Cañon and along Pluton Creek with an enormous appetite, and is glad to rest for a few hours. Afterward, there are delightful strolls up and down the creek, and good trout-fishing for those who will go far enough. Deer and grizzly bear are to be had for the hunting in the mountains-the grizzly sometimes without hunting. But the sportsman had better be accompanied with some one familiar with the country, unless he is a good forester and can find his way without a path. A San Francisco lawyer was lost for several days on a huntingtrip, and nearly starved to death before he was found. It was a roving hunter, of the true Leatherstocking sort, named Elliot, who

first, of white men, found the Geysers, in 1847. Coming suddenly to the edge of the cañon, he was amazed at what he beheld, and on returning to his companions told them, in his rough way, he had found the mouth of the infernal regions. Elliot fell in a fight with a tribe of Nevada Indians, not many years ago-a true border-hero to the last. The mountain over which he probably approached the Geysers, called Cobb's Peak, commands one of the grandest views obtainable in California. Northward, only fifteen miles off, lies Clear Lake, divided in two parts by the purple bulk of Uncle Sam Mountain, and surrounded by the rugged spurs of the Coast Range. On a clear day, one can see in that direction two hundred miles in an air-line, where the snowy crown of Mt. Shasta, 14,440 feet above the sea, floats in the sky like a fixed cloud.

Mount St. Helena and Napa Valley lie nearer at hand, and to the westward the eye takes in the Pacific Ocean for a hundred miles along Mount Cobb can be ascended on

the coast.

horseback. The timber is not thick on the way, and many charming outlooks are obtained. Another scenical treat may be had by returning from the Geysers to San Francisco Bay, by way of the old road across the Hog's Back, to Ray's Station, and thence into Russian River and Sonoma Valley. These valleys, though more extensive than Napa, have similar characteristics. They are very fertile, contain a number of pleasant and thriving towns, are traversed by a railroad, and are very picturesque. Reaching San Francisco by this route, the tourist will have gained a very good idea of the northern coast-valleys of California, and the noble bay into which they partly drain. No trip equaling it for variety and beauty of scenery can be made in the same time, at so little cost, and with so much comfort. It can be done in three days, but the lover of nature will want to give more time to the trip, and the invalid, who seeks the Geysers for the medicinal use of their waters, must stay longer to test their certain efficacy.

On the east bank of the Hudson River, | just below the village of Greenbush, opposite the city of Albany, stands the Old Van Rensselaer Mansion. A dense hedge of lilacs, rich in the profusion of spring flowers, borders and overtops the picket-fence which fronts the house and runs nearly parallel with the road and river. In the distance, down the long avenue that skirts the river, may be seen the former residence of Colonel Cuyler, an officer of the English Army. This house, built by the Colonel more than a hundred years ago, has long been owned and occupied by a branch of the Van Rensselaer family. Across the river, directly opposite the old mansion, Corning's Blast Furnace, a picturesque foreground object of an unobtrusive red color, relieved by a cool hazy background, attracts the eye. A little further down, on an elevation rising above the surrounding foliage, is the Seminary of the Sacred Heart; further still the Helderberg, and in the remote distance the Catskill Mountains.

Aged trunks of willows almost dead, with here and there a green sprout appearing at the top, to show that life is not entirely extinct, stand like silent sentinels to guard the house. The fences, like everything else around, are

fast going to decay. Within the hedge which fronts the modern portion of the house, a lawn, once kept with cultivated taste, attracts the attention of the passing traveler, as he looks through the openings with a longing desire to enjoy the cool and quiet seclusion of its retreat. From the locust, around whose trunk for many a year it has upward crept, until it reached its top, hangs the woodbine, waving to and fro in the gentle action of the breeze. The robin hops in playful freedom and security upon the ground, and the sparrow comes, as did its progenitor before, to make its abode in the artificial little dwelling which the hand of love has placed among the branches of the trees. The pine, the mountain-ash, the cedar and the locust, in close proximity, surround the inclosure on the north, and almost shut out from view the village, while the eye of the spectator rests pleasantly upon a dilapidated rustic summerhouse, covered with creeping vines and embowered in foliage, and then moves on agreeably to quiet walks and well-laid gardenplats. It is a fine old mansion, delightful in location, with the broad, silvery Hudson washing its bank, and the sad and joyous associations of more than two centuries clustering around it.

The quiet village of Schaghticoke, where the venerable Domine Van Bunschooten smoked his pipe in peace, and preached to the inhabitants in the only language they could comprehend, and perhaps ever heard, had become an ancient Dutch town, when a few enterprising New Englanders passed through, and made a settlement of the village of Troy, more than a hundred and twentyfive years after this old mansion was built. We may imagine the surprise and indignation of the good old burghers of Albany, when they found that "Big Jacob," grandson of Derick Van Derheyden, had fallen into the hands of the Philistines and sold a portion of the farm of 490 acres, leased from the Patroon, "at an annual rent of three bushels and three pecks of wheat and four fat fowls,"

Originally a pearl or diamond merchant, he was appointed a director of the Dutch West India Company, and one of nine Commissioners at Amsterdam, whose business it was to look to the interests of the company he represented.

Sagacious and enterprising, he availed himself of his position, through an act passed by the Dutch Government, to have his agent Krol purchase for him extensive tracts of land, consisting of what is now comprised within the bounds of Albany, Rensselaer, and Columbia Counties. All the directors in fact appear to have been inspired with an ambition to possess large farms in New Netherland. Godyn and Blommaert were pleased to announce to their associate directors, at the first meeting of the Amsterdam chamber, that

to the Yankees, on which to build the city of Troy.

In this land of enterprise and wonderful progression everything appears new, and yet, as time is measured here, antiquity may claim this old land-mark. When it was erected, the Merry Monarch sat upon the throne of England, Louis XIV. ruled the gorgeous court of France, and John, the great-grandfather of George Washington, cultivated the alluvial acres of his broad plantation in the county of Westmoreland, Virginia.

The first ancestor of the Van Rensselaer family, who came to America in 1637, was Kiliaen, born in the dorp or village of Niewkirk, province of Gelderland, Netherlands.

they had advised Peter Minuet, and charged him to register in their names "a tract of land on the south corner of the Bay of South River, extending northward about thirty-two miles, from Cape Henlopen to the mouth of the said river, and inland about two miles in breadth." Peter in New Netherland faithfully managed this matter to the entire satisfaction of his friends in Holland. The original patent was found at Amsterdam, and is now deposited in one of the public offices at Albany.

Another director of the Amsterdam chamber, Michael Pauw, seeing how matters were going, and unwilling to be considered worse than an infidel, naturally concluded that he might as well make some provision for the future, and hastened to secure for himself the

tract called Hobokan-Hacking, "lying opposite the Island Manhatas, and bounded on the east by the North River, and on the south by Ahasimus." A few days after Pauw added to his possessions, by purchase from its Indian owners, the whole of Staten Island, and the following autumn lengthened his cords and strengthened his stakes by an additional purchase of all lands extending along the river Mauritius and Island Manhatas on the east side, and the Island Hobokan-Hacking on the north side, surrounded by marshes serving sufficiently for distinct boundaries.

Kiliaen Van Rensselaer came to America, but returned to Holland and died at Amsterdam. Wouter Van Twiller, Director-General of New Netherlands, was nearly related to Kiliaen Van Rensselaer, and from the same place. Mr. Van Rensselaer had a sister Maria, who married Rykert Van Twiller. He also had a son Johannes, who married his cousin Elizabeth, sister to Wouter Van Twiller. This Johannes it was without doubt who built the old mansion, or that part of it known in history as the "Old Fort." From Johannes, according to Holgate's American Genealogy, descended the once numerous and wealthy family of Van Rensselaers on both sides of the river. Whatever the period may have been when the house was erected, it is eviIdent that it has from time to time received additions. One of the most remarkable and interesting features connected with its history is, that in this age and country of rapid changes it should have remained from the time it was built, for six generations successively, in possession of the same family.

That the building was erected as early as 1663 there appears to be no reason to doubt. Possibly it may have been at a period anterior to this, as will appear from the following facts communicated by a member of the family. "The stone on which is inscribed the date is at the side of the north door, opposite and similar to the one which bears the letters

I V R. It is now concealed by paint, but I saw it some years since, and traced the figures 74-, the last one I forget. The first, I, was under the framework of the door, which probably had been altered. But that date, 1740, only referred to that new part of the house, the I, which comprised the large hall, the dining-room to the left, and the small building. The original house comprised the western front on the river, two large rooms separated by a hall, and another dwelling of the same size for the slaves, placed a little further back on the south side. The mark of it was very visible on that side of the house, when the paint was worn off. That dwelling was removed when the 'new' part was added to the north. The date of the older house was variously given me by two of the brothers. One said it was built in 1640, the other at a later period. The Patroon of that day dwelt on the island opposite the old mansion, just below Albany. A heavy freshet swept away his summer-house.

A Dutch

In his vexation he vowed that he would no longer live there. He then built our house. In the summer-house thus which was carried down the flood. destroyed was a round mahogany stand, skipper spied it from his sloop and caught it. He at once recognized it as belonging to the Patroon, as it was the only mahogany table in that part of the country. We still have the stand. From that time the mansion was occupied by the descendants of the Patroon until 1825 or 6. It was then rented to different persons. President Duer had it for several years. In 1852 Dr. Van Rensselaer removed to it with his family. Dr. Van Rensselaer's father was John J. Van Rensselaer, who died in 1828. His grandfather, Jeremiah, died at the early age of 22 years at Charleston, S. C. His great-grandfather, Old Hansem,' as he was familiarly called,

was, I believe, the builder of the house. His English name was probably John. The two stones which now lie on the sides of the north door, and are similar to those containing portholes, in the front wall of the main building, were probably removed from some part of the old house, when the new portion was built. They were found under the north porch when it was repaired a few years since. A curious feature of the house is the construction of the chimneys on the south side. Ignorant of the use of flues, the builder placed the chimney of the bedroom on the second floor in front of that of the library beneath, thus forming those deep recesses, which until 1852 were filled with large dark closets. It is observable that the older building is far plainer in style than the new one; all the tiles and wainscoting are to be found in the latter. The window-frames in the library and draw

UPPER CHAMBER IN NEW WING.

ing-room were put in by General John Van Rensselaer in the early part of 1800, in lieu of the small old-timed diamond panes. From the latter, the drawing-room, and the room above it, he also removed the high wooden mantel-pieces, and replaced them by the present ones of Italian marble; small and insignificant as they now appear to us, in those days from their novelty they were the wonder of the country round. Two hundred years since, the entire manor and lordship of Rensselaerwyck,' as it is termed in a will of Kiliaen Van Rensselaer, dated 1686-7, must have been almost a wilderness. The dependence on the mother country was so exclusive, that every year our ancestors, with the broad Hudson rolling at their feet, sent their linen to Holland to be washed. I have the heavy wooden chest in which it was thus sent. When the need of a church was felt, the proprietor of that day sent to the old country for timber to build it. A difference of opinion arose as to the location of the church. Mr. Van Rensselaer wished to place it on Douw's Point, which was then included in the

manor. His opponents urged that the proper site was at Fort Orange,' the present town of Albany. They carried the day, and erected the ' Old Dutch Church' which long stood at the very foot and center of State street. Foiled in his purpose, Mr. Van Rensselaer refused to give them the timber, and built therewith a barn, the heavy rafters of which might yet have lasted for years had it not been burned down in 1840-3."

There is some ground for the supposition from the following lease, Sept. 7th, 1646, by Antonio De Hooges, as agent of Kiliaen Van Rensselaer, to Thomas Chamber, that the main building fronting the river was erected at an earlier period than 1663. After designating in the lease "a certain parcel of land lying right opposite the Bouwerie, called the Flatt, on the east bank of the river between the two kills, which land he, Thomas aforesaid, shall occupy as a bouwerie for the term of five successive years commencing the fifteenth of November, anno 1647," the conditions follow-one of which is that "Thomas Chamber shall build, free of all cost and charges, and without claiming a doit in return from the Lord Patroon, at his own expense, a farm-house sixty feet long, twenty feet wide in the clear, the projection and all in proportion as occasion may require, all faithful and firm work, without specifying the same." This lease must have been canceled or possibly never signed, for it appears that Jehan Van Weely and Wouter Van Twiller, guardians and tutors of Johannes Van Rensselaer, in 1647, leased unto Arent Van Curler the same Flatte Greenbush as above mentioned, for six successive years. There was a house upon the Flatte at this time, but whether it was any part of the old mansion, and if so, whether it was erected as early as 1640, appears doubtful. That the main building was erected as early as 1663 is conclusively proven from the fact, as stated by Broadhead in his history of New York, that when the Indians attacked and massacred many of the inhabitants of the village of Wiltwyck, June 10th, 1663, the farmers fled to the Patroon's new fort "Cralo," at Greenbush, for protection. Other authorities, no less reliable, state that the house was erected and used as a fort as early as 1663. That the building was so used, is evident from the fact that some of the stone portholes still remain visible in the walls, while others, worn away by time and the elements, lie exposed at the north door. A careful examination of the building leaves no doubt as to the fact already stated, that the addition