as the mechanical inventions of the marine steamfitter can never do. In the name of sentiment we deplore the passing of the white wings. It is said that the old rivermen measured the river Digitized by Microsoft® 114 The Hudson River by "reaches," counting fourteen of these between New York and the head of navigation. The first extended past the long wall of the Palisades, the " Great Chip rock" of the old deeds. The second reach included the Tappan Zee, and took the voyager as far as Haver- straw, which gave name to the third. Beyond the Haverstraw was Seylmaker's Reach, then Hoge's, next Vorsen, which included the hazardous passage of the Highlands. After that was Fisher's Reach, to Esopus, and Claverack next, with Bacerack, Playsier, Vaste, and Hunters succeeding each other as far as Kinder- hook. In an earlier — shall we say simpler? — time, the lines of social demarkation were more closely drawn than even at the present day, and the divinity that hedged the matrons and maidens of the upper class frequently stipulated for private conveyance. In one instance (that came to the writer at first hand, by personal narration) a careful father, living at Hudson, had his vessel repainted and renovated throughout, that his daughter might visit New York in a style befitting her social station. The voyage took nearly a week, and was remembered as one of the experiences of life for threescore years and ten. Among the narratives of river travel a hundred years ago, none has been preserved that gives a more graphic or delightful picture of old scenes and customs than that contained in one of Washington Irving's letters, He is referring to a voyage made in 1800. Digitized by Microsoft® The Passing of the White Wings 115 My first voyage up the Hudson was made in early boyhood, in the good old times before steamboats and railroads had anni- hilated time and space, and driven all poetry and romance out of travel. A voyage to Albany then, was equal to a voyage to Europe at present, and took almost as much time. We enjoyed the beauties of the river in those days; the features of nature were not all jumbled together, nor the towns and villages huddled one into the other by railroad speed as they are now. I was to make the voyage under the protection of a relative of mature age ; one experienced in the river. His first care was to look out for a favorite sloop and captain, in which there was great choice. The constant voyaging in the river craft by the best families of New York and Albany, made the merits of captains and sloops matters of notoriety and discussion in both cities. The captains were mediums of communication between separated friends and families. On the arrival of one of them at either place he had messages to deliver and commissions to execute which took him from house to house. Some of the ladies of the family had, peradventure, made a voyage on board of his sloop, and ex- perienced from him that protecting care which is always remem- bered with gratitude by female passengers. In this way the captains of Albany sloops were personages of more note in the community than captains of European packets or steamships at the present day. A sloop was at length chosen ; but she had yet to complete her freight and secure a sufficient number of passen- gers. Days were consumed in "drumming up" a cargo. This was a tormenting delay to me who was about to make my first voyage, and who, boy-Hke, had packed up my trunk on the first mention of the expedition. How often that trunk had to be un- packed and repacked before we sailed! At length the sloop actually got under way. As she worked slowly out of the dock into the stream, there was a great ex- change of last words between friends on board and friends on shore, and much waving of handkerchiefs when the sloop was out of hearing. Our captain was a worthy man, native of Albany, of one of the old Dutch stocks. His crew was composed of blacks, reared Digitized by Microsoft® ii6 The Hudsop River in the family and belonging to him; for negro slavery still existed in the State. All his communications with them were in Dutch. They were obedient to his orders, though they occa- sionally had much previous discussion of the wisdom of them, and were sometimes positive in maintaining an opposite opinion. This was especially the case with an old grey-headed negro, who had sailed with the captain's father when the captain was a mere boy, and who was very crabbed and conceited on points of sea- manship. I