this transaction should be considered in any way typical of the union of the thirteen States that was to come is held by many Albanians to be naught but superstitious nonsense. For very many years Albany was altogether a trad- ing city. Its inhabitants took what measures they could to prevent the intrusion of aliens, and, in order to secure the cream of the traffic in peltries, the mer- chants sent runners into the wilderness to intercept Indians who might carry their goods to other markets. They owned a fleet of vessels, upon which all, or nearly all, of the carrying trade of the city was done. They have been charged with unfairness and craft in their dealings with the savages, but this animadversion seems to be abundantly refuted by the fact that the Indians were not only at peace but very friendly with the Albanians through the troubled years when other Digitized by Microsoft® 538 The Hudson River colonists lived in daily terror of the torch and the tomahawk. Money was scarce, and the use of seawant was legal- ised. Six white beads or three black ones were accepted as the equivalent of one penny (stuyver). A beaver- skin had also a recognised standard value in exchange, and beaver-skins were used in payment of debts, rents, etc. Two of the principal streets of modem Albany, State Street and Broadway, were known in the English colonial time as King and Court Streets, and in Dutch days as Jonker (Young Gentleman) and Handelaer Streets. A part of Broadway used to be called North Market, and, still earlier, Brewers Street. At first merchandise used to be conveyed to the ves- sels in skiffs and afterwards wharves were bioilt for the convenience of shippers. At the time of the Revolution three or four Albany men stand out prominently in national annals. Ganse- voort. President of the Convention that adopted the first constitution of the State, lived in the old home- stead of the Gansevoort family that stood upon the ground afterwards occupied by Stanwix Hall. Philip Schuyler, Philip Livingston, and George Clinton were the leaders of the party that secured New York State to the Union. The latter, as we have already noted, was not only the first Governor of the State, but was also an officer of ability and courage, whose service in the Continental army was of untold value. Philip Liv- Digitized by Microsoft® An Old Dutch Town 539 ingston was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. PhiHp Schuyler, the son of an old and honoured race, was a man not only of intense patriot- ism and splendid personal character, but of rare ability. The great influence which General Schuyler pos- sessed with the Indians, though often neutralised by the Johnsons, yet in a great measure pacified and kept in check the Mohawks during the Revolution. To him was given the task of watching Governor Tryon on the south, the British and Indian force under Colonel Guy Johnson at the west, and the enemy that menaced the northern frontier. He led the advance upon Quebec until forced by illness to resign his command to the unfortunate Montgomery. His was the labour of pro- visioning the posts upon Lake Champlain. In fact, there was hardly a man in the American army, with the exception of the Commander-in-chief, upon whom rested so many and varied responsibilities, and who could so combine skill, forethought, and energy with an almost boundless patience. To meet the army of Burgoyne, which, in 1777, ad- vanced from Canada to effect a union with Sir Henry Clinton, Schuyler used not only the means at hand, but pledged his private fortune for the equipment of his forces. He made the preparations that enabled Gates to win a signal victory over Burgoyne at Sara- toga, yet retired without complaint and permitted one who constantly tried to undermine him to enjoy the honours of that victory. Digitized by Microsoft® 540 The Hudson River Schuyler's property had been destroyed and his house at Schuylersville burned by Burgoyne, yet after the latter 's fall, when he had been brought a prisoner to Albany, it was at the Schuyler house that he found entertainment for himself and his family; and it is said that the noble hospitality of his host moved him to SCHUYLER MANSION, lyOO tears. Baroness Reidesel and Lady Harriet Ackland were aimoilg those who accompanied the vanquished British General, and the former has left on record an eulogium upon the character and generosity of her entertainer. There have been three Schuyler houses that have lasted until the present day to puzzle the searcher after landmarks. The home of General Philip Schuyler has Digitized by Microsoft® An Old Dutch Town 541 been thus described by Frederic G. Mather in an