PURSUITS. Agriculture is the pursuit of a majority of the inhabitants. The culture of grain and the rearing of cattle, sheep, and swine, each receive a large share of attention. The county is usually reckoned one of the first of the grazing counties. Oats and corn are raised to a greater extent than wheat. Manufactures. Some attention is paid to manufactures, and such is the amount and convenience of the hydraulic power of the county, that we may anticipate a great increase in this respect, when the county becomes more fully settled. At present, flour, leather, and fulled cloths, are the principal articles produced.

Commerce. The commerce of this county is large, Oswego being one of the best ports on Lake Ontario. Much of the Canada trade enters the state from this direction, as well as that from Lake Erie by the Welland canal. The commerce on the canal is also very large,*

STAPLE PRODUCTIONS. Butter, cheese, wool and oats.

SCHOOLS. There are 272 district school-houses in the county. In 1846, schools were taught on an average eight months. 17,143 children received instruction, at an expense of $17,838. The district libraries contained 24,511 volumes.

There were in the county, twenty-two private schools, with 403 pupils, and three academies, with 178 students.

RELIGIOUS DENOMINATIONS. Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, Congregationalists, Episcopalians, Dutch Reformed, and Roman Catholics. There are fifty-two churches, and seventytwo clergymen of all denominations in the county.

HISTORY. In 1722, under the direction of Governor Burnet, a trading hous was erected at Oswego, on the east side of the river. In 1726, in order to prevent the encroachment of the French, Governor Burnet erected old Fort Oswego, on the west side of the river. In 1755, Fort Ontario, on the east side of the river, was constructed, under the direction of Governor Shirley. On the 14th of August, 1756, both these forts, with a garrison of 1600 men, and a large quantity of ammunition, were surrendered to the French, under Montcalm, who had besieged them with a well appointed force of 5000 men, and met with stubborn and long continued resistance.

In 1759, the pentagonal fort, called Fort Oswego, was built. The post was surrendered to the United States, by the British Government, by the treaty of 1794.

During the late war, its garrison, commanded by Lieutenant

TABLE OF COMMERCE OF OSWEGO COUNTY.

Colonel Mitchell, with an effective force of less than 300 men, sustained an attack from the British force, which consisted of more than 3000 troops, for two days, and fi ly retreated in good order, with a loss during the whole conflict of o ly fortyfour in killed and wounded, while the loss of the enemy was 235. The British, chagrined at their want of success, evacuated the fort in about twelve hours.

Fort Oswego, on the east

of e river, occupies a station a little north of Fort Ontario, and has recently been repaired by the United States government. It is one of the most important military posts on the lake.

The settlement of the county did not commence till after the Revolution. The towns west of Oswego river belonged to the Military Tract, and were granted by the state to officers and soldiers of the New York line.

The townships on the east side of the river constitute a part of "Scriba's patent." These lands were originally granted by the state to Nicholas Roosevelt, of New York, but he not complyi ith the terms of the purchase, a large portion of them were sold to George Scriba, a native of Germany, and then an opule merchant in New York. The town of Richland, part f Volney, and about one half of Scriba, were purchased by Messrs. Alexander Hamilton, J. Lawrence, and J. B. Church. VILLAGES. OSWEGO village, situated o 0 sides of the Oswego river, in the towns of Oswego and Scriba, is the half shire town of the county. As the terminus of the Oswego canal, it is a place of considerable importance, having an extensive forwarding trade. It has an inexhaustible water power, and is largely engaged in manufactures. Its flour Is are of great size. The harbor is rtificial, and is formed by two piers, extendin from the mouth of the river, one 1250 feet long, the other 250. These were erected by the general government, at an expense of $93,000. The village is regularly laid out and well built. Population about 5000.

PULASKI, the other county seat, is a small but thriving village, in the town of Richland. It has valuable water privileges, as yet but partially improved. Population 800.

Mexico, in the town of the same name, is a thriving village, situated on Salmon creek. It has some manufactures, and an academy of some note. Population 600.

Orwell. The falls of the Salmon river at this place are worthy of notice. The stream is about ten rods wide, and after rushing over rocks for about two miles, plunges perpendicularly 107 feet. The banks of the stream are eighty feet high above the falls, and about 200 below them.

Fulton is a large and busy village, in the town of Volney, engaged in manufactures, for which the falls in the Oswego, furnish ample facilities. Population 2400.

BOUNDARIES. North by Seneca and Cayuga counties; East by Cortland and Tioga; South by Tioga and Chemung, and West by Chemung county and Seneca lake.

SURFACE. Tompkins county forms a portion of the great table land of Western New York. Its southern portion is most ele

vated, rising from 1200 to 1400 feet above tide water while on the shores of Cayuga and Seneca lakes it is 800 or 900 feet lower. 500 feet of this depression, however, occurs within two miles of the lakes, where the streams running northward fall over the ledge of the Chemung sandstone, which forms the limit of the highest terrace of the table land.

RIVERS, &c. Salmon, Fall, Six Mile, and Halsey's creek are the only streams of importance. By their rapid descent. they furnish extensive and valuable hydraulic privileges.

FALLS. The most remarkable falls in this county are the Taghannuc, upon Halsey's creek, at the distance of one mile from Cayuga lake. The whole descent, within a short distance, is 300 feet. The water falls, in a single cascade, over a precipice 216 feet in height, with a sheet of water sixty feet wide and two feet deep. The falls around Ithaca also possess great attractions to the lover of the wonders of nature. Fall creek has a descent of 438 feet within one mile. On the Cascadilla, is a fall of 100 feet, in the form of a gigantic stairway.

LAKES. Seneca lake forms a portion of the Western boundary of this county. while Cayuga lake indents it on the north for a distance of about eighteen miles. The scenery at the southern extremity of the latter is highly picturesque.

RAILROADS. The Ithaca and Owego railroad extends from Ithaca to Owego, the county seat of Tioga county. It is twenty-nine and a half miles in length. The proposed route of the New York and Erie railroad is through this county.

CLIMATE. The climate of the county is mild and agreeable, modified in some degree, perhaps, by its proximity to the Seneca and Cayuga lakes. Fruits thrive here in great perfection. It is regarded as healthful.

GEOLOGY AND MINERALS. The whole county, with the exception of two small tracts on the shores of the Cayuga and Seneca lakes, in the towns of Lansing and Hector, belongs to the Erie group, and consists in the north, of the Ludlowville shales, and in the south of the Chemung sandstone. The two small tracts, to which we have referred, are patches of limestone, belonging to the Hamilton group, which appear, beneath the sandstone, near the shores of the lake.

It has but few minerals. Marl and gypsum occur in considerable quantities. Calcareous tufa has been found, near Ithaca, investing moss, &c. and producing, in popular phraseology, petrifactions. There are two or three sulphur springs, of no great reputation, in the county.

SOIL AND VEGETABLE PRODUCTIONS. The soil is, from the geological structure of the rocks, highly fertile, and does not require, in most parts, the addition of any fertilizing agent to maintain or increase its productiveness, the decomposed rocks affording a sufficient stimulus. The hills are productive to their

summits, and afford luxuriant grazing, while the valleys yield large crops of grain. Fruit is extensively and profitably cultivated. The timber consists of oak, white and yellow pine, hemlock, beech, maple, basswood, elm, ash, poplar, cherry and chestnut.

PURSUITS. Agriculture is the pursuit of a majority of the inhabitants. Oats, corn, buckwheat, wheat and potatoes are raised in considerable quantities; the products of the dairy are very large, and much wool is grown by the farmers.

Manufactures also occupy the attention of a considerable number of the inhabitants. Flour, oil, woollen goods, lumber, leather, distilled liquors, paper and potash, are the principal articles produced. The manufactures of the county in 1845, amounted to nearly one and a half millions of dollars.

Commerce. Its commerce is quite extensive. By means of the lakes, it has a direct communication with the Erie canal, while by the Ithaca and Owego railroad the produce of the counties south of it, is brought to a market, and the manufactures of the county distributed over Tioga and Chemung counties, and northern Pennsylvania.

STAPLES. Butter, cheese, wool, oats, buckwheat, wheat and potatoes.

SCHOOLS. In 1846, there were in the county 215 district schools, which were in session an average period of eight months, furnishing instruction to 12,881 children, at an expense for tuition of $21,045. The number of volumes in the district libraries was 24,648.

There were also seventeen private schools, with 497 scholars, and two academies, with 231 pupils.

RELIGIOUS DENOMINATIONS. Methodists, Baptists, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Congregationalists, Unitarians, Dutch Reformed, Universalists and Friends. The whole number of churches, is seventy-four; of clergymen, seventy-five.

HISTORY. The towns of Newfield, Danby, and Caroline, were purchased of the state, by Messrs. Watkins and Flint. The remainder, (except a small portion in the northeastern part of the town of Dryden, which belonged to the ten townships granted to Massachusetts,) formed a portion of the Military Tract, and the settlers derived their titles through the soldiers' patents. The county was organized in 1817, and was named in honor of the late Daniel D. Tompkins, formerly Governor of the state, and Vice President of the United States. Previous to the completion of the Erie canal, it was in a languishing condition, but since the opening of the canal, its agricultural and manufacturing interests have greatly prospered.