of the stone that Mr. Field erected as a memorial of the his- toric association of Tappan. Some rampant patriot, with more zeal than propriety, applied an explosive and destroyed it. The place where Nyack stands was once a part of the Philipse manor. This town, though of comparatively recent origin, is the principal one in Rockland County, Digitized by Microsoft® 220 The Hudson River and mxmbers among its inhabitants many of the repre- sentatives of old county families. The river front is here more accessible to the people of the town than are the shores of villages and cities on the eastern side to the people there. On the Nyack side there is no railroad running close to the river, forming a barrier that is WASHINGTON HOUSE AT TAPPAN not usually either safe or pleasant to cross. On the east bank the poorer dwellings and the coal and lumber yards are near the river, while on the west the grounds of handsome residences slope to the water's edge. One of the results of the difference just noted is that there is quite a fleet of pleasure boats belonging to Nyack and a flourishing boat club there, while Tarry- town must be content to enjoy its river prospect from Digitized by Microsoft® Spectres of the Tappan Zee 221 a distance, as most of its well-to-do inhabitants dwell upon the hills. The sweep of the Hudson River from Haverstraw Bay to the Tappan Zee is around the curving base of that deceptive headland known as Point-no-Point, or Rockland Point. As its name implies, it is at best the bluntest of points. It juts into the current, a segment HIGH TAUR — POlNT-NO-POlNT AND HAVERSTRAW i^Frotn a draiving by the author) of a huge circle, just above the palisaded front of Hook Mountain, and just below the venerable crest of old Taur. Back of No-Point, over the brow of the hills, in a basin to which they are the titanic rim, lies Rock- land Lake, and day after day the ice-cars pass and re- pass the crest on their way between the ice-houses on the lake side and those on the river shore. A headland that used to be eagerly looked for by the passengers Digitized by Microsoft® 222 The Hudson River on the river boats, and was pointed out by every river- man, who viewed it with the pride of conscious pro- prietorship, No-Point satisfied the cultivated sense of the artist and impressed the untutored wayfarer with its perfection. It is safe to say that not even the Hudson River affords a more perfect combination of form and colour in landscape than this used to present. The traveller from other lands carried away, among his pleasantest impressions, the memory of its beautiful sweep of out- line and the blending of lush summer foliage into the silver grey of weather-beaten rocks, or the rich chrom- atic harmony of its autumn dress. Now there is a dust-cloud hanging over a scene of increasing desola- tion. Acres of broken rock and bare soil scar the cliff and make it an ofEence to the eye. The selfishness of those who are robbing the State of one of its most charming and beautiful possessions should arouse universal antagonism. The explanation of this van- dalism can be given in one word, — gravel. In one scale are beauty, sentiment, the delight of the eye, the restful, health-conserving qualities inherent in a harmonious landscape; in the other — gravel. Gravel is a marketable commodity. Gravel pays. Gravel fills the pockets of the contractor, and must be secured for that purpose without regard to sentiment or local pride. The story of the Palisades over again? Yes, and worse; for while every one concedes the unique character of the great monotonous rock wall — "the Digitized by Microsoft® Spectres of the Tappan Zee 223 ice- worn bosses of gneiss," as Professor Geikie called it — that stretches its long, parallel lines of base and crest above the river, opposite Yonkers, it is a ques- tion if any artist ever greatly admired its parallelism. The rectangular structure was tolerable only because of the robes of colour that clothed it in the ruddy sun- lit morning and the purple-mantled evening. But the people of Yonkers and its vicinity love the Palisades, and were aroused to effective action against the van- dalism that has attempted their demolition. In the case of No- Point the offence is greater, if pos- sible, because the harm done is greater, and the loss more irreparable. Without seeking to condone the wrong done at the Palisades, it may be pointed out that in the course of years the foliage, springing up in the fissures and valleys that have been made, will cover the site of the blasting. But