The grades are so met that most tourists would be quite un-
conscious that there were any marked grades at all ; and many
would exhibit no surprise if they should be told that no higher
elevations above sea level are met between Utica and the
Thousand Islands than between New York and Utica. The
accompanying cut, which I have carefully prepared from
official reports will reveal the facts.
In the chart each space represents 100 feet above sea
level; the irregular line thus makes graphic the elevations of
the entire route. At the left are given the elevations of a
number of places in the United States with which the eleva-
tions of places on the Thousand Island route may be compared.
It will here be seen that the climb from NevV York to Utica
is insignificant : there is a rise of only 32 feet in passing from
New York to xilbany, though the distance is nearly 150 miles.
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A BIT OF T()P(H;RAPHY. -J 1 ,
And at 238 miles from New York, Utica is found at an clrva-
tiou of only 410 feet above the sea. I5ut one has proceeded
only 16 miles on the Rome, Watertown and Ogdensburg rail-
road (Black River division) when he has doubled his elevation,
(Trenton,) and with thirteen miles more (Alder Creek) has
multiplied it by three. While the summit level of the Black
River canal is at Boonville, at an elevation of 1,119 feet, the
summit of the Black River route is found a little to the south
of Alder Creek, the latter place itself being 1,245 feet above
the sea. From that point it is a steady decline to Martinsburg
station, the descent being particularly swift between Boonville
and Port Leyden, the passenger being able to note it by
watching the locks of the parallel canal. In seven miles there
is a drop of 235 feet, the first three miles of the distance taking
145 feet of the drop. From Martinsburg it will be seen that
there is another climb to Lowville, 845 feet elevation, whence
there is a practically continuous down grade to Clayton, which,
at 232 feet elevation is but little more than half that of Ctica.
Referring to the comparative figures on the left, it will be
observed that the elevation of Utica is midway between that
of Harrisburg, Pa., and Rochester, 310 and 510 respectively.
Holland Patent stands 30 feet higher than Chicago. Trenton
is much higher than either St. Paul or Kansas City, and but
little less than Topeka, Kans. Trenton l'';tlls is 45 feet higher
than Fargo, N. D., Remsen exceeds the celebrated Altoona on
the Pennsylvania railroad by 24 feet, and Alder Creek is within
35 feet of Ijeing as high as Chautauqua lake, which boasts the
highest navigated water east of the Rocky mountains. Boon-
ville is 100 feet higher than Omaha, J;owville is n^-arly even
with Topeka, Carthage with Kansas City, and Clayton with
Schenectady.
The French Settlers.
The following paper is from the pen of Mrs. M. L.
Whitcher of Whitesboro, N. Y.:
Those who like to wander in the by-paths of our nation's
history will remember that at a very early period of the revolu-
tion Dr. Franklin being sent in 1777 as ambassador to the
French court to gain the assistance of that government in
carrying on our war with England, was tendered and accepted
the use of a villa at Passy, rent free, by its owner a wealthy
banker. Dr. Franklin occupied the villa nine years.
This act of generous hospitality was done by Monsieur M.
Le Ray de Chaumont, who was a student of the affairs of
the struggling colonies and deeply interested in the cause of
liberty. He gave Dr. Franklin a warm reception and, as the
American commissioners could not be openly received by the
French court, he gave up his seat in the ministry that he
might act asintermediary l)ctwcen the Americans and his own
government.
He became the friend and patron of the colonists and sent
them a whole cargo of powder with instructions that it need
nut bo paid fur unless their cause was won. We recently
m
,^^Ja^^^^^-^^
THE frp:nch settlers. 219
learned from the agent of the Le Ray estate that the powder so
generously furnished had not been paid for. The cargo con-
sisted of two thousand barrels. From his own purse M. Le
Ray also fitted a ship to join the Bon Homme Richard and
was chosen to superintend the equipment of the entire squad-
ron which was destined to cast lustre on the name of John
Paul Jones.
M. James Donatius Le Ray, the banker's eldest son, was
at this time completing his education, studying English with
iiis father's venerable friend, Dr. Franklin. He, too, became
interested in American affairs and visited this country soon
after the revolution, bearing letters of introduction from Dr.
Franklin to Gouverneur Morris, DeWitt Clinton and other
prominent men. During a second visit he bought large tracts
of land, one in New Jersey and another in Otsego county, this
state, for which Judge Cooper, father of the novelist, J. Fenni-
more Cooper, was his agent. But the largest ot his purchases
was a tract of two hundred and twenty thousand acres of land
in Jefferson county, the most of which was bought on Jan. 3,
1.S08, from William Constable, the grandfather of the late
Hon. William C. Pierrepont of Pierrepont Manor. It was on
tliis property that he built his home. A hamlet sprung up
around his grand mansion, named Le Raysville, as the town-
sliip was very properly called Le Ray. The homestead site
and hamlet are near the line of the Ftica and lilack River
railroad, the nearest station, Felts Mills, being only three
miles distant. Its sole claim to public notice, aside from the
air of liistorical romance still elinging to it, is the pietures(iue
beauty of its scenery. Tlie original dwelling Iniilt in ISIO,
was burned in l822. This was replaced by a mansion wliicli
was comj)leted in 1827, and stands on the original site, a pla-
teau often acres, fn_)ni whieli the ground falls away on fVt-ry
220 THE FRENCH SETTLERS.
side. Its walls of massive stone are covered with stucco
similar to that which adorns the AMiite House at Washington.
The house is two stories high, with wings at either side and a
large basement. Four large rooms occupy each floor, the front
parlors and corresponding rooms above being octagon in form.
One of the wings was used as a chapel and the other for a
library. In the basement were the storerooms, pantries,
kitchen and wine cellar. The floor of the last mentioned is of
stone, while all around the sides were shelves so arranged with
holes that the wines, always the choicest variety, were kept
on their corks. A number of wine casks are still standing in
the old cellar and the aroma, which is even at this time plainly
perceptible, is a vivid reminder of the times when the mansion
was widely famous for its frequent and generous hospitality.
Among the many distinguished guests entertained at the
mansion were Gouverneur ]\Iorris, Governor Clinton and
President INLmroe, who, shortly after his inauguration, made a
tour of the northern frontier to inspect the military fortifica-
tions and learn their strength in case of need. The president
arrived in August, 1817, and remained for several days, the
guest of M. Le Ray. The president wore the undress uniform
of an officer of the revolution — a military coat, light colored
breeches and a cocked hat.
In the grand octagon i)arlors there are still some of the
massive elegant pier tables, with their plate glass backs and
carved lions' feet, while above the marble mantels arc the
grand old mirrors extending to the ceiling, and at either side
are elegant bronze cliandeliers, which supported large clu.sters
of wax candles. The walls of these rooms are still without
spot or blemish although they were finished in 1827. To one
visitor, at least, who would tell the story of tlieir hey-dey and
their desolation there is an indescribable cbarm in these — ^
THE FRE^'CH SETTLERS. 221
" Rooms of luxmy and state,
That old magnificence so riclily furnished,
With cabinet of ancient date
And carvings gilt and burnished."
The mansion faces the forest. On its left was the deer
park, where tame fawns might be seen ciuietl}' grazing, while
to the right were the ample gardens, which were famous for
rare fruits and choice flowers and vegetables, imported from
France or furnished from the gardens at the White House in
Washington, their only superior in this countr3\
A neat bridge with white latticed railing still spans the
stream that runs in front of the mansion and forms an attrac-
tive feature of the landscape from the piazza, where the massive
Doric columns extend to the roof " Where once the garden
smiled " is now a field of wheat. The old garden walks can
now only be traced by some lilac or sturdy rose. The l)eautiful
grave beside the garden is still standing and tlirough it the
old path leads to the waterfall and the ruins of what was once
a pretty alcove. Of the man}- arbors, rustic bowers and sum-
mer housts which were arranged so invitingly about the
grounds, only one remains, the spy-house, an octagon structure,
neatly plastered and painted. This cozy retreat was furni. shed
with books, papers and a spy-glass, with which the mcnibei-s
of the household could amuse themselves with watdiiiig llie
movements of the villagers. Between the spy-liouse and the
village was an artificial pond formed by damming the stream
which niui-iinnv
ai)poar again near the mansion. Tlic sheet of water is ealleil
St. James' lake. It was stocked with sj.erkled troul aii-l |.i-o-
vided with pleasure boats. It still furnishes the young villagers
a fine boating place.
The waterfall is a place of wild, romantic beauty. The
222 THE FRENCH SETTLERS.
waters of the stream which murmurs through the grove here
plunge down a deep, rocky chasm and disappear from sight.
At the foot of the chasm is a small cave where the sunshine
never enters, but above and around it wild flowers bloom
profusely. The air seems always filled with the music of song
birds, odors of wild flowers and the soft splashing of the falling
water. It seems like enchanted ground.
In the grove near the fall is the tomb of a little child. It
is covered by a slab of gray marble and upon an upright
stone one may read : " Here lies Clotilde de Gouvello, died
Sept. 20, 1818. She was endeared to her parents and tenderly
loved by all who watched her thirteen months of patient suf-
fering life. Strew flowers upon her grave, but weep not, for
she numbers with angels in Heaven." This little one was
the grandchild of M. LeRay and was the only one of the
family who was buried in America. She was baptized in the
grove not far from her last quiet resting place. A huge
boulder, which presented a large flat surface about four feet
from the ground, was, with candles, crucifix and fair linen,
transformed into an altar. A large brancli of a tall oak spread
out protectingly as a canopy over it, and near the end of the
limb two of its smaller branches suggested the antlers of a
deer. Artistic carving of the end of the limb completed a
close resemblance to a deer's head. At its neck was hung a
l)ell which could be rung from the ground by means of a
nicely adjusted rope and pulley. On a i)leasant afternoon in
August, IS 17, at a given hour, the bell was rung, and tlie
family, accom})anied by servants, sponsors and priest,
marched in quiet procession to the appointed place. When
the solemn sacrament of baptism had been administered to
the child the party returned to the mansion where a baptismal
feast had l)een jjrepared, and gifts, to coniuuMnorate the event.
Till:: ii;i:;:vcii yEiiLEi;^. 22:]
were distributed to all the retainers of tlie household. The
mother of this eliild was Therese, only danohtor of M. LeRay.
She had remained in France, where she became engaged in
marriage to the Marquis De Gouvello. Her father had been
sent for to assist in drawing up the marriage settlements and
when tliat important document was read the daughter
demanded a change, providing that, in case of divorce, her
I)ortion of her husband's estate should be doubled. Her father
remonstrated, declaring that God, who ordained marriage,
designed the union to be perpetual, and would not bless a
bond accepted by the lips when the heart harbored tlioughts
of its severance. The marriage was therefore postponed until
the judgment of the daughter harmonized with that of her
father. It was in honor of this daughter that the town of
Theresa was named, as Cape A'incent was named for his son
Vincent, Alexandria Bay for his son Alexander, Julielville
( now a part of Watertown ) for his mother-in-law, and Tlessis
was named for his dog.
In his religion, M. Le Ray was a devout Catholic, yet
liberal in his spiritual as he was generous in his material
things. This was shown in his gifts of land and building
materials for the building of churches of any denomination.
He also contributed freely for the establishment of schools.
In fact in all of his affairs he used very liberal measures.
He sent agents to France and other countries, circulated
pamphlets an
l)ors in the old world to unite in settling the new. He
brought gentlemen of education and alalitv to supi-rintend
tlie establishing of mills and factories which \iv |)rovidcd as
the wants of the settlers re( pi i red. These gentlemen brouglit
with them not only the arts and industries of the higher
civilization of llieir old home. Imt somewhat nu.re of the idea
224 THE FREN(^H SETTLERS.
of social rank and dignity of position that was used in new
American settlements, in the northern states at least. For,
although the family and all their household were courteous
and conciliatory, this did not bridge over the great social gulf
between them and their neighbors, and when the great family
carriage bowled through the village the housekeepers left
their baking and churning to catch a glimpse of the passing
grandeur. ''There's such divinity doth hedge a king."
These people furnished a denial to that popular fallacy " that
all men are created equal."
Prominent among the distinguished French gentlemen
who purcliased land of M. Le Ray was Joseph Bonaparte, ex-
king of Spain. After the defeat at Waterloo in 1815, Joseph,
realizing that " riches have wings," offered M, Le Ray, who
was then in France ( where he had been sent to settle some
accounts between that government and the United States,)
several wagon loads of silver for an uncertain amount of liis
American territory. There were no surveys or title deeds
agreed upon, as the Bonapartes were in great haste to get out
of France and there was little time for details. Napoleon
promised to meet his In'other in this country and there is no
doubt, that had the emperor been allowed to select his own
line of travel, he would have preferred to live with his
marshals and generals on our northern frontier to the lonely
isle of St. Helena.
Joseph Bonaparte made a purchase of one hundred and
twenty thousand acres in Jefferson and Lewis counties. A
beautiful lake on the^ edge of tlie North Woods is still called
Bonaparte Lake. In extent it is more than a thousand acres ;
it is dotted with picturesijue islands, and being fed wholly by
subterranean streams its waters have a wonderful clearness,
such as has made Loclies Lomond and Katrine famons in
Scottish history.
At a place on Indian river about nine miles (rom the
village of Carthage, the waters tlow undi-r a rock of white
limestone, and at this point, called Natural Bridge, Joseph
Bonaparte built a house in 1829, which is still standing. The
bridge on the upper side is nearly as smooth as masonry,
while beneath, the waters have worn deep grottoes where one
may walk upright into the rocky recesses until he finds him-
self groping into darkness. This locality rewards the seeker
of specimens of rocks and minerals. The near-by Bonaparte
house might easily be mistaken for an old-fashioned meeting
house without belfry or steeple. It is now a tenement, but
its occupants still take pride in showing its oddities to the
curious visitors and in furnishing their own admiring com-
mentary upon the former owner, the count, as they call the
ex-king of Spain. His green velvet hunting suits, free ex-
penditure of money, conciliating manner and his bullet-])roof
sleeping chamber are fruitful topics for conversation. The
Count de Surveillers spent four summers on his .\meriean
estate. He was accompanied by a retinue of followers and
had as his guests many distinguished French generals, exiles
like himself. Their banquets served on golden dishes, were
characterized by all the pomp and precision of court eti
Some of these noble guests became colonists for a time.
Among them were Count Real, who was Napoleon's chief
prefect of police, the Due de Vincennes, a philoso]>her of
eminence ; M. Pigeon, an astronomer who brought some of
the finest instruments known to the age, to Cai)e X'incent ;
Marshal Grouchy, to whose too implicit obedience of orders
historians attribute the defeat at Watei-loo, and other Najwle-
onic adherents who joined in building ;i house for the
226 THE fr?:n('H settlers.
emperor's occuj^iition when he should escape from 8t. Helena.
Another member of the Bonaparte family, Napoleon Louis
Lucien Murat, likewise became a resident of Jefferson county.
He was a son of the brilliant General Murat, Napoleon's great-
est cavalry officer (whom he made king of the two Sicilies) and
of Caroline, sister of the first consul. The son remained, for a
while after Waterloo, witli his mother in Spain, until the
Bourbons made liis residence there too uncomfortable.
He then joined the contingent of refugees and bought a ti'act
of land on Indian river near Theresa, where he opened a store,
built saw mills and grist mills, and fancied he had founded a
city, which he called Joachim in honor of his ftither. He was
a gay and volatile young fellow, and though the fortunes of
his fiimily and of his country were, at that time, grave enough
to fill a thoughtful mind with apprehensions, beseemed intent
upon making life a holiday. His store, instead of being
stocked with corduroy and jeans, which were needed by the
settlers, was decked out with artificial flowers and French
millinery, and at his fantastic entertainments metamorphosed
the farmers' daughters, the only young women in the neigh-
borhood, into Cinderellas clothed with delicate silks wliicli he
imported and distributed freely among the maids of tiie Dutch
settlement. Among the kixuries which the young pi'ince
brought from France was a grand piano, which was preserved
only to be burned in the very disastrous fire which visited the
village of Carthage in 18^1. Its antique pattern showed the legs
connected at either end by an elaborately carved harp and
braced by a long bar of solid mahogany, also carved, which
united the ends as ohl fashioned chairs were strengthened by
a rung extending across the nnddle. The piano rested upon
carved lions' feet while at each end were drawers for music.
Nothing now remains of Joachim, a city *' whose glory
THE FRENCH SETTLKKS. 227
passed away while yet it never was." The name, however,
still clings to a bridge and dam which were huilt when the
city was planned.
The prince married an American woman who, wlun
their last shred of fortune had vanished, opened a boarding-
school under the untitled name of Madam Murat. Tlie writer
of a sensational article which appeared in Putnam's Magazine
in 1853 under the caption " Have We a Bourbon Among us? "
attempted to foist upon the world a marvelous tale stating
that the well beloved preacher to the Indians, the Rev. Elea/Au-
Williams, was, in reality, the young dauphin son of Louis X\" I
and Marie Antoinette and that M. Le Ray de Chaumont wns
the agent of his rescue, escape and preservation in the safe
solitudes of Northern New York. M. Vincent \ v Iwiy indig-
nantly denied the charge and gave the (h^nial all the imhlirity
that print and painstaking distribution could provide.
Lamartine states that the miracle of silence over his esca|)e
would be greater than his miraculous escape itself.
It is to be regretted that a name so worthy of remem-
brance as is that of Le Ray should be omitted from the jciges
of history. In a life of Dr. Franklin, wliirh has been recently
published, the story of M. Le Ray's hosi)itality to him is
pleasantly told ; there also ai>{)i'ai's a i)icture of the senior Le
Ray and a picture of the house occupieil l)y Dr. Li-anklin
during his nine years' residence in France. The huilding
is still pointed out to tourists as the Franklin hou.^e.
M. Le Ray and his family left America and retui'iud to
France in June, LS;>(). lie died in December. ISlu. jigcl SO
years, leaving three children and two sisters. .Mexandt-r. his
youngest .son, fell in a duel in Texas in ISJl. Theresa,
Countess de Gouvcllo, died in 185;), leaving one .^on who came
to this country in 1881, having been invited by this govern-
228 THE lllENt'H SETTLEliS.
ment to represent the Le Ray family at the centennial
celebration of the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown. Before
returning he visited the old home in Jefferson county. Vin-
cent Le Ray, who succeeded to his father's estate in 1825, was
a methodical business man, and though strictly honorable, he
possessed none of the liberal qualities of his father. He died
in 188G, leaving one son, Charles, Marques de St. Paul, a
childless man with whose death the historic name will prob-
ably cease.
1k
Two 01d=Fashioned Boys.
Ben and Joby Collins were coasting one Saturday half-
holiday on a sled with bent runners. Ben was the elder and
the more serious. Joby was more athletic, quickiT of ptTri-j)-
tion, and slow to believe what he could not see with his own
eyes and instantly comprehend. What Ben hicked in the
perceptive organs he fully made up in the reflective. Conse-
quently he was slow, in fact, clumsy, and Joby was constant-
ly getting the "start" of him in their boyish divertisements.
Ben's easy temperament was the means of avoiding friction
over .Joby's little victories. They usually agrectl cxcfiit upon
scientific matters in which l)en, having a thirst for knowicdgr.
was greatly interested. His rehash of natural ]iliiloso|ihy was
wholly lost upon Joby who was skeptical and at times hori-d
by his brother's discussion of theoretical and a|»i»li('d si-ienco
which he found in an old volume borrowed from a n('ighl>or
who once lived in Boston.
"Let's take one more slide and then go home, do the
chores and get ready for the show, " suggested Hen, who,
though slow, was really the leading spirit in the eiiterpi-ises of
the fioy's Own Kingdom.
" What is the show, Ben, " inquired the other.
230 TWO OLD-FASHIONED BOYS.
" Why, the tallygraph ! The thing that talks over twen-
ty iniU's of wire. The showmen come to paw for to get the
school house to give the show in. "
"That's nawthin, " answered Joby, its just as easy to
talk over a coil of wire as over a handsled. Get on — its my
steer. "
" But the wire is stretched away miles and miles on poles
and they t;:lk to another feller at the other "
Furl! icr explanation was precluded by the speed of the
sled down the long slope which dropped them gently on the
ice which covered La Famine and the lake as far as the eye
could reach.
" Now, once more and I'll steer, " urged Ben when they
had shot far out on the ice.
They returned to the top of the hill and made a fresh
start, Ben lying down and making a rudder of a new copper-
toed boot, The course made a sharp turn through an oi^en
gate flanked by a rail fence.
Ben steered too much and the sled began to waver in its
course.
Look out ! " warned Job, and then flung himself off into
the snow whither he emerged half suffocated to find the sled
high and dry in the rail fence and poor Ben screeching with
pain. It was characteristic of Ben's lack of skill that he
should slam into the fence.
" Oh ! my leg, my leg ! It's broke, Joby. Draw me
home on the sled. I — feel — so — sick. "
Joby was frightened, but as he did things without ever
thinking he very quickly mended the wrecked sled with cord
and then all but finished Ben in rolling him onto it. He drew
his injured brother to the house and made such a hullabaloo
for help that his affrighted parents ran to meet him and as-
TWO OLD-FASH lONKD BOYS. 231
sist the suffering boy to a trundle bed whicli was liauled fV(jni
under the bed in the recess.
A neighbor was sent on horseback for a doctor, sixteen