[J. Thomas Scharf (1886)] In 1753 Cadwallader Colden writes to his wife in Orange County : " I have had a very pleasant ride from Fishkill to Van Cortlandt's, where I lodged, passing easily through the mountains. I baited my horse at Duryees, a tenant of Hercules Lent, near Peekskill, and arrived at the Manor House at dusk. Young Pierre and his charming. wile keep up the hospitality of the house equal to his late father." To brighten and enliven the household came a group of little ones, four sons and three daughters, for whose use a small school -house was built about half a mile from the Manor House. The education received here was probably of an elementary charac-ter, and the eldest son, Philip, was sent to the Coldeu-ham Academy at the age of fifteen, while the younger children pursued their studies at the home school. But few facts can be gleaned of the history of the quiet years that passed between the coming of Pierre Van Cortlandt to reside in the old Manor House and the opening of the Revolutionary struggle.5 Assisted by his son Philip, who had turned his atten-tion to practical surveying, he took charge of most of the Manor lands for the heirs of Stephanus, and the large account books still exist, their pages headed by the pious Lam Deo, setting forth pay-ments made to Colonel Oliver De Lancey, Sir Peter Warren, the Skinners and other heirs. Van Cort-landt was also busied in settling up the large estates of Mrs. Ann De Peyster and Mrs.