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Jacob Lindley's Account, 1793

SW_JL1793_Page_053

several Friends, merchants of the city, accompanied us to the vessel, where the passengers and captain were in a heat; but we kept down, and it blew over. Capt Lansing told me afterwards with seriousness, he did believe the storm was permitted in order to give us time for the meeting. About midnight they weighed anchor, and stood up the North river. Our progress was slow and te-dious, which gave us opportunity to view the rug-ged margin of that great water, which exhibited sub-jects for awful contemplation. The rocks and moun-tains rise from the water several hundred feet high; on the tops of divers of which, are the remains of fortifications made in the time of the late war; at some of which places, bloody contests had been held. We passed West Point, Fort Putnam, and divers others on the tops of the highest hills, com-manding the prospects of diSirent reaches of the North river. 7th. We passed a stream tumbling over the rocks into the river, called the Buttermilk Falls — a goodseat for a mill. But the barren appearance of thebanks, with the prospect of the divers dark habita-tions of death and destruction, brought me into a humbling sense of the excellency of that holy reli-gion, which breathes peace on earth and good will to men. The situation of these strong holds on thetops and peaks of mountains, perhaps three or fourhundred feet high, were associated with ideas whichmore strongly confirmed my mind in the approachof that day, in which the King of kings will exalthis holy mountain above them all. Passed by New Windsor, New Marlborough, andBarnagat. At the latter are many limekilns, which