all, as they entered, might prepare for the lofty notes. " At the end of the service the deacons took the contribution bags, which were fixed on the ends of poles, and made their rounds to collect the coppers of the congregation. It is a significant fact that besides the bag there was an alarm bell on the end of each pole, as though to notify the soundest sleepers that the sermon had come to an end. Tokens, stamped by the church and redeemable at stated times, were received instead of money, which was a scarce Digitized by Microsoft® Rondout and Kingston 449 commodity at a time when the government still legal- ised the payment of "seawant" or wampum for debts. At the communion table church members always wore black, and invariably stood to receive the sacrament. The Kingston church is particularly worthy of notice from the fact that it occtipied a unique position, being an independent church as late as 1808. For a century and a half it had rejected the jurisdiction of the Gen- eral Synod of the Dutch Church in America. The ministers had been called from Europe, and an indi- vidual charter was granted in 17 19 by the British Crown. Besides these Dutch and Huguenot settlers, it is said that a few Irish found their way into Kingston at an early day; however that may be, we know that not the least energetic and successful of her citizens to-day may boast of forbears that may have hung their shields in Tara's halls. In Dr. Miller's History of New York, published in London in 1695, there were shown the plans of three places on the Hudson River. New Amsterdam was the first of these in importance ; Albany (Fort Orange), the second; and Kingston, third. This same order is preserved to-day. It is a fact to remember that, in expressing her choice for a site for the national capital, New York voted in favour of Kingston. Ulster County, formed in 1683, lay between Moodna or Murderer's Creek on the south, and Sawyer's, the line dividing from Greene County, on the north. It Digitized by Microsoft® 450 The Hudson River borders the west bank of the river and .embraced at that time all of the important settlements between the Highlands and Saugerties. The trading post of Ron- dout, one of the very earliest to be established, ante- dated the landing of the Pilgrim Fathers at Plymouth by six years. The Indian name, Ponckhockie, is still retained to designate a section of the town. The Rondout and Esopus settlers were driven away by the Indians prior to 1640, about which time a new attempt to colonise was made. In 1655, there Was another exodus of the whites, and then Governor Stuyvesant came in person from New York and staked out ground for a new village, leaving twenty-four sol- diers to protect the place. The land chosen was a free gift from the Indians to the " Grand Sachem . . . to grease his feet, as he had undertaken so long and painful a journey." New Indian troubles arose, owing to a supply of fire-water that some red men received in payment for husking corn for the before-mentioned Thomas Cham- bers in 1659. One of the recipients, during the revel which followed, fired a gun. A party of white men, who were possibly not too sober themselves, construed the discharge of the firearm to mean the commence- ment of an attack, upon which they fired upon a party of the Indians, killing several of them. In retaliation the lately peaceable redskins took thirteen prisoners, and, soon gathering a force of five hundred warriors, surrounded the fort, so that no one durst leave it for Digitized by Microsoft® Rondout and Kingston 451 three weeks. Crops were burned, cattle slaughtered, and houses destroyed. Finally, a number of captives were put to death by torture. This brought the Gov- ernor again to Kingston, but the Indians dispersed before his arrival. A truce was secured, through the intervention of other Indians, and two prisoners were finally restored. Then, possessed by a fatuous confidence that the enemy had experienced a change of heart, the people of Wiltwyck (Kingston) "left the gates of their fort open day and night." In the summer of 1663, they paid dearly for their temerity. In June of that year, having come to the fort in great numbers, under pre- tence of trading, the Indians made a sudden attack while most of the men were outside of the walls. Thomas Chambers, whose foolish bestowal of brandy had brought on the original trouble, aided by the mili- tant valour of the Dutch domine, led his companions in such a desperate fight that they succeeded in driv- ing the invaders from