The Society of Frends in Puladenia, ave nken great pains to instruer he intians hus vnty ʼn he ư ́s o zviization, seating nstrictors among hem, and establishing entiements in the vicinity. Some of the Indians are low gute wealthy, owning veil stocked arns, and arge aw nils.

VILLAGES ELcora te nty seat, s amated in he town of the ame came. It was nearporated in 837 in ntains besides the ennnty muldings w extensive and ufires. The scenery around the villages antiin. The awn

ed its name from Joseph Ellicott, ate nepai igent i de Holland Land Company. Pumlation. INN.

Loti is a thriving mannerng ilage in Catargis creek, in the towns Perna at Collins n Cattaringus und Erie counties. The water over a thundant, and my n jart occupied. Popularion. 300.

At Hinsdale, is to be the junction of the New York and re railroad, and the Genesee uley canal. The ate is unstricting a large basin here. Aa nearporated academy a ocated in this village. Population, 306

Olean is advantageously stated in the worth nude of the Xlegany river, in the town she me name. Large pancres of lumber and other produce are anmally exported from this place. It is to be the terminus of the Genesee Valley canal Population, 500

Franklincile, a the awn of the same name, aryng village, and has some manufaemores. Popriatica. 400.

Cadiz, in the same town is a vilage of some importance.

Rivers. a. Twenty Mile Creek. b. Chautauque. c. Canadawa. d. Walnut. e. Silver. f. Cattaraugus. g. Chautauque Outlet. h. Casadaga Creek. j. French. k.Connewango.

Lakes. L. Erie. o. Chautauque. p. Casadaga. q. Bear. r. Finley. Villages. MAYVILLE. Jamestown. Westfield. Dunkirk. Fredonia. Fayette. Van Buren.

BOUNDARIES. North by Lake Erie and Erie county; East by Cattaraugus county; South and West by Pennsylvania.

SURFACE. The surface is hilly and elevated. Through its central portion, at a distance of from three to six miles from Lake Erie, and nearly parallel with it, runs the dividing ridge which separates the waters of the lakes from those discharging into the Gulf of Mexico. This ridge is elevated from 800 to 1400 feet above tide water. From this altitude it declines to the northwest, toward the lake, and on the southeast toward the Connewango creek and the Allegany river. The land lying on Lake Erie is a rich and fertile alluvium. The hills throughout the county are nowhere precipitous, but capable of cultivation to their summits.

RIVERS AND CREEKS. The principal streams are the Connewango creek, which drains the eastern and southeastern portions of the county, and uniting with the waters of the Chautauque outlet, in Poland, forms the Connewango river; Cattaraugus creek, which separates this county from Erie; Silver, Walnut, Canadawa, Chautauque, Twenty Mile, North and South branches of French creek, Great and Little Broken Straw and Casadaga creeks. Most of these streams furnish valuable mill privileges.

LAKES. Lake Erie forms the northwestern boundary of the county. Chautauque lake, which gives its name to the county, was so called by the Indians from its form; the Indian name Chautauqua signifying a pack tied in the middle.

It is a beautiful sheet of water, eighteen miles long, and from one to five in width. It is 726 feet above Lake Erie, and 1291 above tide water. Its waters are remarkable for their clearness and purity, and are abundantly stocked with fish. Two steamers ply upon it. It is probably the highest body of water in the world, navigated by steam.

The Casadaga lakes, three in number, each about a mile in extent; Bear lake, and Finley's lake, are the only other lakes in the county.

RAILROADS. The New York and Erie Railroad will pass through this county, and terminate at Dunkirk. Several other railroads have been chartered, but have not been constructed.

CLIMATE. The county has a high reputation for the salubrity of its climate. Fruits thrive well here, and attain great perfection both of size and flavor. From the elevation of its surface, the winters are long, but the cold is somewhat moderated by the proximity of the lake.

GEOLOGY AND MINERALS. This county belongs entirely to the Chemung sandstone group. The rocks of the county consist of alternate layers of sandstone and slaty rocks. In Harmony, Carroll, and some other sections, this sandstone furnishes a fine building material. The crest of the dividing ridge is occasionally crowned with the conglomerate of the Catskill group.

Bog iron ore has been found in several localities, but in no great quantity. Shell marl is abundant in the vicinity of the Casadaga lakes. Alum and copperas are spontaneously formed in the town of Sheridan.

Mineral Springs. Sulphur springs are quite numerous in the neighborhood of Lake Erie. One in Mina is considerably visited. The inflammable springs, or those containing carburetted hydrogen gas, are worthy of notice. There are a number of these along the shores of Lake Erie. The village of Fredonia, in the town of Pomfret, is lighted by this natural gas. It also furnishes material for the light house at Barcelona, and might be employed in the same way at numerous other points along the shores of the lake. It is entirely free from any unpleasant odor.

SOIL AND VEGETABLE PRODUCTIONS. The soil is generally very good. The section on the shores of Lake Erie, extending back for a distance of three or four miles, is a rich alluvium, highly fertile, and well adapted to grains and fruit. The uplands are better fitted for grass, and yield abundant crops.

The timber of the county is oak, maple, beech, black walnut, butternut, hickory, with some pine and hemlock.

On Walnut creek, about a mile from its mouth, formerly stood a black walnut tree, 150 feet in height, thirty-six feet in circumference at its base, and tapering regularly eighty feet, to the first limb. This enormous tree was blown down in 1822. It was supposed to be more than 500 years old. The butt, nine feet in length was excavated, and used for a grocery, at Buffalo. When the Erie canal was opened, it was transported to New York and exhibited to thousands.

PURSUITS. Agriculture is the pursuit of a majority of the inhabitants. More attention is paid to the rearing of stock and the produce of the dairy, than to the culture of grain. The principal grains cultivated are corn, oats, wheat, and some barley and buckwheat. Large quantities of flax and potatoes, are also raised. In the latter crop it occupied a high rank among the counties of the state.

Manufactures. The county is not very largely engaged in manufactures. Flour, lumber, leather and iron, are the principal articles, and their entire value is between $700,000 and $800,000. Van Buren,

Commerce, The county has some commerce.
Dunkirk, Barcelona and Portland are its principal harbors.

STAPLE PRODUCTIONS. Butter, cheese, wool, pork, potatoes, flax, corn and oats.

SCHOOLS. There are in the county 308 poble schoola. In 1846, schools were taught an average period of seven monthe18,376 children received instruction, at a cost of $17,581 The district libraries contained 30,910 volumes.

There are in the county thirty-one untoorporated schocks, with S62 papus; and five academies, attended by 326 studette.

RELIGIOUS DENOMINATIONS. Baptists, Methodists, Congregationalists, Presbyterians, Unitarians, Episcopalians, Universalists and Friends. There are seventy-three churches, and 196 clergymen, of all denominations.

HISTORY. Tradition relates that the French early established a post at Portland, in this county; but at what time is not certainly known. The only Indian settlement within the limits of the county, when first explored, was in the present town of Carroll, on the Connewango creek.

In 1782, a party, consisting of about 800 British and Indians, with a train of artillery and other munitions of war, spent the months of June and July around Chautauque lake, constructing canoes, and making other preparations to descend the Allegany river and attack Fort Pitt, now Pittsburgh. For this purpose they obstructed the channel of the Chautauque outlet, in order to raise the waters of the lake.

The first purchase of lands made in this county, for the purpose of settlement, was in 1801, in the town of Ripley, by Gen. John McMahan. No settlement was effected, however, till 1802, when Col. James McMahan, brother of the general, located himself in the town of Westfield. The same year Edward McHenry settled in the same neighborhood.

In 1796 one Amos Sottle had located in Hanover, but removed in 1800 from the county, and did not return for several years. John McHenry, born in 1802, was the first child of white parents born in the county.

The privations of the early settlers were very great. Often they were compelled to subsist upon the precarious products of the chase, for months, without tasting bread or other provisions.

In 1904, the first town was constituted, and embraced the whole of the present county. In 1808 the county was provisionally organized; but not having a sufficient number of inhabitants to entitle it to a separate organization, it remained attached to Genesee county till 1811.

The whole of this county was included in the Holland Land Company's purchase, and from that company and its successors, the titles to the property were derived,