[Edward Manning Ruttenber (1906)] the traditionary abundance of rattle-snakes on it, though few have been seen there in later years. * * * * * [FN] "I think your reading of _Muchattoos_ as an orthography of original _Matchatchu's,_ is very plausible. I think _Massachusetts_ is the same word, plus a locative suffix and English sign of the plural. It was formerly spelled in many ways: Mattachusetts, Massutchet, Matetusses, etc. Dr. Trumbull read it as standing for _Mass-adchu-set,_ 'At the big hills'; but I learn from history that Massachusetts was originally the name of a _hillock_ situated in the midst of a salt marsh. It was a locality selected by the sachem of his tribe as one of his places of residence. He stood in fear of his enemies, the Penobscotts, and this hillock, from its situation was a 'bad,' or difficult place to reach. So Massachsat for Matsadchuset or Mat-adchu-set plainly means, 'On the bad hillock.'" (Wm. R. Gerard.) Cronomer's Hill and Cronomer's Valley, about three miles west of the city of Newburgh, take their names from a traditionary Indian called Cronomer, the location of whose wigwam is said to be still known as "The hut lot." The name is probably a corruption of the original, which may have been Dutch Jeronimo. Murderer's Creek, so called in English records for many years, and by the Dutch "den Moordenaars' Kil," is entered on map of 1666, "R.