STEUBEN, county of New York, bounded W. by Alleghany county in the same state; NW. by Living stop county; N. by Ontario; NE. by Yates county and Seneca Lake; E. by Tioga county of New York, and S. by Potter and Tioga counties, Pennsylvania. ' his county is very nearly a square of 40 miles each side; area 1600 square miles, extending in lat. from 42° to 42° 34' N. and in long. from 0° 2' E. to 0° 48' W. from Washington City.
The surface of this county if not mountainous is very hilly and rocky, but possessing much excellent soil. Compared with the actually determined level of Tioga river below the eastern boundary of Steuben; the lowest part of the arable surface of that county must exceed 900 feet, and the far greater part rise above 1000 feet, relatively with the mean Atlantic tide. This elevation is equivalent to 21° of lat., Lake Ontario being but 231 feet above the ocean level; the higher valley of Tioga river, comprising the much greater part of Steuben, is about 800 feet, or nearly equivalent to 2" of lat. above the lake. This difference of relative height explains the true reason why a milder temperature is found along the lake border, than on any part of Steuben.
With the exception of the north-eastern part which slopes in that direction, and is drained into Seneca Lake, the body of the county is in the valley of Tioga, with a declivity to the southeastward. As a physical
section it constitutes the extreme north-western part of the basin of Susquehanna.
The Tioga or Chemung is formed by three branches; Tioga proper flowing westwardly from Tioga county, Pennsylvania; the middle branch, Canisted, having its most remote sources in Alleghany county; and the northern branch Conhoctor, rising in Livingston county. The Tioga and Canisted unite, and two or three miles below their junction receive the Conhoctor, near the Painted Post, in the south-eastern part of Steuben. It is remarkable, that though rising in so high and hilly a country, all these small rivers are navigable for down stream craft and rafts from near their sources.
The rapid and extensive settlement of this elevated and hilly county is shown by the list of Post-Offices, which amount to 49 according to the recent list now (April 1831) in the course of printing. Bath, the county seat on the left bank of the Conhocton, a little north-cast of the centre of the county, is a fine thriving village, with a waving and pleasant site, N. lat. 23', long. 0° 21' W. from, and by post road 299 miles a little W. of N. from W. C., and 216 miles NW. by VV from Albany. By the census of 1820 this county contained 21,989 inhabitants.