* * *

  Softly the mist-mantled mountains arise
  Dim in the dawning of opal-hued skies,
  Nearer and clearer peaks burst on the view
  Lightened by silvery flashes of dew.

  James Kennedy.

* * *

=Stamford= is now at hand, seventy-six miles from the Hudson, about 1,800 feet above the sea, named by settlers from Stamford, Conn.  Here are many large hotels, chief among them The Rexmere and Churchill Hall.  Thirteen miles from Stamford we come to Hobart, four miles further to South Kortright, and then to—­

=Bloomville=, eighty-nine miles from the Hudson, where a stage line of eight miles takes the traveler to Delhi.  Passing through Kortright, ninety-two miles from the Hudson, 1,868 feet above the tide, East Meredith, Davenport, West Davenport (where passengers en route for Cooperstown and Richfield Springs are transferred to the Cooperstown and Charlotte Valley R. R.) and four miles bring us to

=Oneonta=, on the Susquehanna division of the Hudson & Delaware R. R. Returning to Phoenicia we take train through “Stony Clove Notch,” passing Chichester, Lanesville, Edgewood and Kaaterskill Junction to—­

=Hunter=, terminus of the Stony Clove Road.  Resuming the eastward journey at Kaaterskill Junction we come to—­

=Tannersville=, near which are Elka Park, Onteora Park and Schoharie Manor.

=Haines Corners= is another busy station, at the head of Kaaterskill Clove.  On the slope of Mt.  Lincoln have also been established “Twilight,” “Santa Cruz” and “Sunset” Parks.

=Laurel House Station.=—­Here the voice of a waterfall invites the tourist to one of the most famous spots in the Catskill region and a mile beyond is

=Kaaterskill Station=, 2,145 feet above the sea, the highest point reached by any railroad in the State, and half a mile or so further we alight on a rocky balcony, known for its beautiful view all over the world.

* * *

  From greens and shades where the Kaaterskill leaps,
  From cliffs where the wood-flowers cling.

  William Cullen Bryant.

* * *

=Kingston to Catskill.=

=Rhinecliff=, with its historic Beekman stone house, is on the east bank of the river opposite Kingston.  The old mansion, on the hillside, above the landing, was built before 1700 by William Beekman, first patroon of this section.  It was used as a church and as a fort during the Indian struggles and still preserves the scar of a cannon ball from a British ship.

=Ferncliff=, a mile north of the Beekman House, is the home of John Jacob Astor, formerly the property of William Astor, and above this

=Clifton Point=, once known as the Garretson place, the noted Methodist preacher whose wife was sister of Chancellor Livingston, and above this Douglas Merritt’s home known as “Leacote.”  Flatbush landing lies on the west bank opposite Ferncliff.