rvA^piV-' CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY Digitized by Microsoft® Date Due — ■'-;;: — -APf^= Cornell University Library F 127H8 B12 olin 3 1924 028 853 658 Digitized by Microsoft® This book was digitized by Microsoft Corporation in cooperation witli Cornell University Libraries, 2007. You may use and print this copy in limited quantity for your personal purposes, but may not distribute or provide acces…

accepted authorities. Digitized by Microsoft® Contents CHAPTER I — Introductory ..... II — Two Cities on One Site . Ill — New Buildings and Old . IV — 'Festivals and Pageants . V — ^Along the Manhattan Shore VI — On the Jersey Shore ... VII — Early Settlers of the Hudson Valley VIII — The Passing of the White Wings . IX — Fulton and the Hudson River Steamboat X — Riverside to Inwood XI — The Islan…

Landing Undercliff — The Home of the Poet Morris . From, an old print. The River Road, near Coldenham Where the Brooks Met — Idlewild . View South from Sing Sing, about 1848 Croton and Verplanck' s Point and Anthony's Nose from Hill back of Sing Sing . High Taur and the Short Clove — Haverstraw 161 199 205 213 216 218 220 221 233 239 247 251 263 267 275 283 2gi 297 299 Digitized by Microsoft® X Il…

repetition of historic statements already more or less familiar to the reader. The voy- age of Henry Hudson, English navigator in the service of the Dutch East India Company, to find a passage through polar seas to the shores of farthest Ind; the happy accident which led him into the mouth of the river that was afterwards to bear his name and to per- petuate his memory; and the wonder of the India…

in their season filled the air with spicy perfume. Yet the forests were not uninhabited, for from every covert, every little cove or bay along the shores, the canoes of the Indians put out to intercept or at least to approach the "yacht" of the voyager. The names of tribes and sub-tribes have in large part been pre- Digitized by Microsoft® Digitized by Microsoft® Digitized by Microsoft® Introducto…

of dependent communi- ties. The settlements from New Amsterdam, or Man- hattan, extended northward to Kitchawan, and those of Rensselaerwyk (or Albany) included the more southerly posts of Kingston, Esopus, and Rondout. While it is true that other posts sprang up between, Digitized by Microsoft® 12 The Hudson River yet the greater part of the river shore was for many- years practically untouched b…

receding pine and chestnut; year after year the "herbes" and the simples attended the broader crops; and flowers that bloomed for the delight of the eye and the comfort of the soul lifted their faces within the walls of the home acre. Industry and thrift were the genii that achieved these things in time, but industry and thrift were not enough to keep the new plantations from being some- times rea…

which were committed under pretence of coming to put Christians on their guard. Finally, the Indians took the field and attacked the bou- weries at Pavonia. Two ships of war and a privateer were here Digitized by Microsoft® Introductory 17 at the time, and saved considerable cattle and grain. Probably it was not possible to prevent the destruction of four bouweries on Pavonia which were burnt; not…

ghosts. 19 Digitized by Microsoft® 20 The Hudson River It is the city of the Knickerbockers, where the apo- cryphal burghers that Irving created were supposed to have puffed lazily upon their long pipes till the smoke obscured Communipaw, on the opposite shore. It is the city that hid behind palisades for fear of Indian neighbours; that fretted and prospered under Dutch and English governors ; tha…

vanishes, his merits are insignificant, beside the "Woman yet alive" of Governor Dongan's report. The Albany fort was described by Dongan as being made of pine trees fifteen feet high, and fitted with batteries, etc., yet all very rotten, and he strongly recommends the substitution of masonry for timber at this important post. From Dutch to English, then back again from Eng- lish to Dutch, and fin…

Burnet's observations this fort stands in the latitude of 40° 43' N. The following description, by a foreign writer of that day, gives a vivid picture of the social life of New York when fashion still lingered around the Bowling Green : The first society of New York associate together in a style of elegance and splendor little inferior to Europeans. Their houses are furnished with everything that …

the contrary, everything was orderly and. Digitized by Microsoft® 28 The Hudson River to use a phrase unhappily somewhat obsolete, "was conducted with propriety." The British ships hung in the offing and received their barges as they came up; then, without further ceremony, sailed away and took with them the last shadowy vestige of royal claim to the land where they had struggled so long for supre…

old fort now holds the new Custom House. At the lower end of Broad- way is a group of splendid buildings, among them the Standard Oil, Welles, Bowling Green, Columbia, etc. |vOpposite the Green, at what is now No. i Broadway, was a lot belonging at one time to Arent Schuyler, brother of Peter Schuyler, the first Mayor of Albany. It afterwards came into the possession of Archibald Kennedy, who buil…

the Battery northward multiply. In all that vast collec- tion of iron and masonry there are a few individual masses that are symmetrical, but these are lost in the great aggregation. Separate structures have been shot into the air as though impelled by some terrific volcanic agency, but there is no hint of any idea of relationship between them; they suggest rather the accidental huddling of more o…

meet and melt in purple mystery. But best of all is the marvellous transformation when night comes, and the chimneys are down, and the sky-line fades away. There are no drawbacks or incongruities then ; but the corruscation of uncounted lights — flashing galaxies, not of stars, but of constella- tions and firmaments of stars — render the scene one of indescribable beauty. Below the zone of white b…

Com- position, by Bayard Taylor, Esq. Benedict — Composed expressly for this occasion. M'lle Jenny Lind. Conductor — Mr. Benedict. Digitized by Microsoft® Digitized by Microsoft® Digitized by Microsoft® Festivals and Pageants 45 Great excitement was caused by the auction sale of a choice of seats, Mr. Genin, the hatter, securing the first place on the opening night for what was then con- sidered t…

It was to take place at Castle Garden on the 14th of Sep- tember, and was under the immediate supervision of Generals Mapes, Morton, Fleming, and Benedict, and Colonel W. H. Maxwell, Colonel King, Mr. Colden, and Mr. Lynch. The sedate Evening Post evei^ broke into expressions of rapture at the result. We hazard nothing [it affirmed] in saying that it was the most magnificent fite given under cover…

the water overboard to mingle with that of the Atlantic Ocean. It was a pretty bit of sym- bolism, possible to people bred to the formalities of a somewhat artificial life, and no doubt carried out with becoming gravity. Medals were then distributed to the honoured guests of the occasion, after which we may surmise that dignity unbent and a somewhat more rampant Americanism reigned. We are told th…

scene by spouting great streams of water into the air as they sailed — streams that have force enough to knock down brick walls. From the start to the finish there was no place where the pageant made such an impressive display as between the shores of the incomparable Hudson. It was a picture of the civilization of the nineteenth century, too vast for a painter and inexpressible in words. From the…

seized a boat belonging to the said captain, broke it up, and burned it. They then com- 54 Digitized by Microsoft® Digitized by Microsoft® Digitized by Microsoft® Along the Manhattan Shore 57 pelled the captain to release his prisoner. From that day Shanghai-ing fell into disrepute along the North River. At Cruger's Dock occurred one of the deeds which in any other city under the sun would have be…

inter- esting sight when Madame Bogardus danced and the Domine paid the piper. He was a loyal gentleman and knew what his position demanded. We read that when some jealous dame declared that Anneke had coquettishly shown more of her clocked stocking than propriety demanded, her reverend husband promptly brought suit for slander, and received damages. It appears, indeed, that Bogardus was something…

honor of General Wolfe. After the erection of this me- morial to the hero of Quebec the drive of good society was out the Post Road to the Greenwich turning; thence across to the Obelisk ; thence by the Great Kill Road (the present Gansevoort Street) over to the Hudson ; and so homeward by the river-side while the sun was sinking in golden glory behind the Jersey hills. Or the drive could be exten…

first cast the seeds of empire. Hence proceeded the expedition under Qloffe the Dreamer, to found the city of New Amsterdam, vul- garly called New- York, which, inheriting the genius of its founder, has ever been a city of dreams and speculations. Com- munipaw, therefore, may truly be called the parent of New- York, though, on comparing the lowly village with the great flaunting city which it has …

to enrich the whole neighbourhood with paper money. Fortunately at this juncture there rose a high wind, which shook the venerable pile to its foundation, toppled down one of the chimneys, and blew off a weathercock, the Lord knows whither. The community took the alarm, they drove the land speculator from their shores, and since that day not a Yankee has dared to show his face in Communipaw. Among…

came to anchor at night, in the lower bay ; and, on a private signal, Vanderscamp would launch his boat, and, accompanied solely by his man Pluto, would make them mysterious visits. Sometimes boats pulled in at night, in front of the Wild Goose, and various articles of merchandise were landed in the dark, and spirited away, nobody knew whither. One of the more curious of the inhabitants kept watch…

there at a table on which burned a light as blue as brimstone, sat the three guests from Gibbet Island, with halters round their necks, and bobbing their cups together, as if they were hobnobbing, and trolling the old Dutch freebooter's glee, since translated into English; Digitized by Microsoft® 72 The Hudson River For three merry lads be we, And three merry lads be we; I on the land, and thou on…

1804. Sir:— I send for your perusal a letter signed Charles D. Cooper, which, though apparently published some time ago, has but very Digitized by Microsoft® On the Jersey Shore 75 recently come to my knowledge. Mr. Van Ness, who does me the favour to deliver this, will point out to you that clause of the letter to which I particularly request your attention. You must perceive, sir, the necessity …

presented and fired in succession. The intervening time is not expressed, as the sec- onds do not precisely agree on that point. The fire of Colonel Burr took effect and General Hamilton almost instantly fell. Colonel Burr then advanced towards General Hamilton with a manner and gesture that appeared to General Hamilton's friends expressive of regret, but, without speaking, turned about and withdr…

Rogers under a transparent French equivalent, wrote one of his most marvellous tales, the Mystery of Marie Roget. One by one he took up the clues ; with an astuteness that seemed almost inspired he worked out the history of the murder. Every one at that day read the story, and to the popular mind the Mystery of Marie Roget fully elucidated the grewsome fate of Mary Rogers. There was a story curren…

post prov- ing too strong for the artillery of the besiegers, and the Americans were repulsed with a loss of sixty men. General Wayne succeeded in destroying some boats and capturing a number of cattle, with which •he„j:£- turned to the American lines. Digitized by Microsoft® Digitized by Microsoft® Digitized by Microsoft® On the Jersey Shore 85 This affair might have been forgotten as one of the …

the favour of the sover- eign Lords of Holland. But history shows that land patents were never supposed to imply either birth, breeding, or previous rank of any kind on the part of the recipient. Patroonships, like houses, lands, ships, or peltries, were in the market to be purchased for money. Exactly the requirements insisted upon by the company may be learned from the following ex- cerpt from a…

fountains thereof, with high, low and middle jurisdic- tion, hunting, fishing, fowling and milling, the lands remaining allodial, but the jurisdiction as of a perpetual hereditary fief, devolvable by death as well to females as to males, and fealty and homage for which is to be rendered to the Company, on each of such occasions, with a pair of iron gauntlets, redeemable by twenty guilders within a…

persons. Curiosity on such a point is natural, considering how many of the families now socially prominent in New York trace descent from them. Let us in the first place remember that the scholarly men and those whose lives are passed amidst luxurious surroundings seldom make colonists. To strike into the wilderness for anything more than a dash of ad- venture usually indicates that one has more t…

of war, for the de- fence of the Colonists, in case of misunderstanding with the natives. In a colony the necessary stock for beginning was provided to each tenant by the landlord. This stock- ing included one pair of draught cattle, two cows, and one or two sows. " If in the course of time, with God's blessing, the stock multiply, the bouweries can be fully stocked with necessary cattle, and new …

tion of old memories; but in spite of familiar shore lines and well-known contours, the aspect of the stream would be strange and new. He would perhaps be bewildered, while he could not fail to be impressed, by the spectacular display of steam craft of every description, from the smallest launch that darts shoreward from the side of some trim yacht or imposing war vessel, to the ocean liners that …

will recall Thomas Brown, Charles and Isaac Depew, the Requas, the Lyons, James B. and John L. Travis, Vermilye, Storm, Conkling, Farrington, and others. Harvey P. Farrington is, at the time of this writing, a hale octogenarian, who graduated from a schooner into the steamboat ranks, from captain became owner, and is now, at a time of life when most men willingly retire from active business, to be…

was almost ceaseless trouble arising from the rival claims to the river and the jealousy of those who figured prospective honours and patroonships as the result of Indian trade. An amusing record of a Dutch attempt to put a stop to English trading is given in the following words : 7 November 1633. Jacob Jacobson Elkins, of Amsterdam merchant, aged about 42 yeares, sworn before William Merricke, do…

a mile belowe that forte, and there sett upp a tent, and carried all theire goodes on shoare, and was in trade with the Salvages. And the Dutch sett up a tent by the said englishe tent, to hinder theire trade as much as they could. And then there came souldiers from both the said dutch forts .with musketts, halfe pikes, swords and other weapons, and beat some Indians, which came to trade with this…

as the mechanical inventions of the marine steamfitter can never do. In the name of sentiment we deplore the passing of the white wings. It is said that the old rivermen measured the river Digitized by Microsoft® 114 The Hudson River by "reaches," counting fourteen of these between New York and the head of navigation. The first extended past the long wall of the Palisades, the " Great Chip rock" o…

was composed of blacks, reared Digitized by Microsoft® ii6 The Hudsop River in the family and belonging to him; for negro slavery still existed in the State. All his communications with them were in Dutch. They were obedient to his orders, though they occa- sionally had much previous discussion of the wisdom of them, and were sometimes positive in maintaining an opposite opinion. This was especial…

the story of the Hudson River, was born in America before the War for Independence. According to the most approved precedents, he showed in early boyhood a promise of inventive ability, in combination with a taste for art; the latter culti- vated under the direction of the noted painter, Benja- min West. While in London, engaged in his chosen work, he became interested in canals and wrote a trea- …

after- Digitized by Microsoft® Fulton and the Hudson River Steamboat 121 wards Livingston was practically engaged in the ac- tual labour of invention or construction. His connection seems rather to have been that of a business partner or backer. Preparations for a trial of their boat in the Seine were interrupted by the collapse of the contrivance, which broke in two and sunk in the river. Fulton …

in sen- tences that show a stern repression of the pride that must have made his nerves dance, speaks of the achieve- ment of his cherished plans. He states, briefly, that he has returned from Albany, and modestly mentions his hope that "such boats may be rendered of great importance to my country. ' ' He then proceeds to the statement of facts regarding his voyage. I left New York on Monday at on…

to be prohibitive to any but travellers of means, though the accommodations were hardly such as would be considered "palatial" by the tourist of latter days. The advertisement of distances, time, and charges, was as follows: From New York to Newburg $3. Time 14 hours " " Poughkeepsie 4. " 17 " ' Esopus 5. " 20 " Hudson 5^. " 30 " " " Albany 7. " 36 " Digitized by Microsoft® Fulton and the Hudson R…

ful tragedies that the history of steamboating presents. In 1852, this popular boat, while making her regular run and crowded with passengers, was discovered to be on fire. She was headed for the shore at Riverdale and ran hard aground near the wharf. But while from the bow of the boat it was only a step to the shore, yet the stern floated in deep water, and the majority of the passengers were imp…

the patient husband sees the faithless messenger pass with a glass of lemonade, having utterly forgotten him and the lady in the black bonnet and gray eyes, who may be, for ought he knows to the contrary, wringing her hands at this moment on the wharf at New York. By this time the young ladies are tired of looking at the Pali- sades, and have taken out their novels, the old gentlemen are poring ov…

the Civil War, " once the seat of the Apthorpe family." The Apthorpe mansion stood at the corner of 9 1 st Street and Columbus Avenue. Wash- ington had his headquarters here for a very brief time. The de Lancey house, the property of General Oliver de Lancey, stood at about 86th Street. In the winter of 1777, while the owner was absent, a party of young men came down from Tarrytown, bent on retali…

Microsoft® Digitized by Microsoft® Riverside to Inwood 147 John the Divine is now (1902) being erected, on a site covering three city blocks, from iioth to 113th Streets. The corner-stone was laid in 1892, and possibly most of the present generation of men will have passed away before the entire work is completed. The cost will ap- proximate six millions of dollars. Cathedral Heights is at the sou…

is the former village known to its residents as Manhattan ville. A steel viaduct spans the Manhattan Valley and connects Riverside Drive with the Harlem Speedway. At Man- hattanville, on 128th Street, near St. Nicholas Avenue, is the celebrated convent school, under the charge of the sisters of the Sacred Heart. The buildings, of brown stone, large enough for the accommodation of several hundred s…

Manhattan in modern times, few have reached the eminence attained by the celebrated lawyer, Charles O'Conor, of whom Judge Charles P Daly said: "He has filled a place in the jurisprudence of this State greater than that of any lawyer who has ever lived in it.'" We are nearing the end of Manhattan Island. The wooded, inviting knoll of Inwood rises above the haunted waters of Spuyten Duy vil creek, …

remain in peace for a little time, and doubt not we have assigned suffi- cient reasons for avoiding at present, a dilemma, in which the entrance of a large body of troops into the city, will almost certainly involve us. Should you have such an entrance in design, we beg at least the troops may halt on the western confines of Connecticut, till we have been honoured by you with such an explanation o…

for the Americans to do what the British had planned to do; that is, to fortify the highlands of the river. It is interesting to contemplate what might have been the course of American history if Clinton's fleet, upon its arrival from Boston, had not found General Lee and his volunteer forces in New York. - On the departure of General Lee, Lord Stirling, Brigadier-General, remained in temporary co…

it not very strange, that those invincible troops, who were to destroy and lay waste all this country with their fleets and army, are so fond of islands and peninsulas, and dare not put their feet on the main? But, I hope, by the blessing of God and good friends we shall pay them a visit on their island. For that end, we are preparing fourteen fire-ships to go into their fleet, some of which are r…

reducing it to ashes, while others protested vehemently against such drastic meas- ures. Acting upon the theory that the enemy would follow his recent successes by further aggression, the Commander-in-chief ordered that all of the sick and Digitized by Microsoft® 172 The Hudson River wounded should be removed to Orange, in New Jersey, while surplus stores and baggage were to be trans- ported to Do…

after dark upon the heights of Harlem. From Bayard Hill Fort, which was on what is now Grand Street, the line of retreat was, according to the best evidence, across country to the neighbourhood of Greenwich village, and then by way of the road that was afterwards called the Abingdon-Fitz-Roy road to the neighbourhood of Forty-second or Forty-third Street. From that point the direction was toward H…

ground was probably more open and the pursuers could get a view of General Greene's force; but they sent after the retreating Connecticut men a message that made their Digitized by Microsoft® The Island and the River in 1776 177 very ears tingle. The bugle ranig out the notes of the fox-chase, a call which to the men of that day needed no interpreter. As the trees and rocks echoed back those deris…

American army, while a superior body of British opposed them. The American forces were completely victorious, finally chasing the King's troops down a hill and being recalled with difficulty by order of the Commander-in- chief. This necessarily brief account of the famous battle of Harlem Heights has followed what seems to be the most rational exposition of the perplexing and fre- quently contradi…

been lying for some time oppo- site Bloomingdale, got under way with their three ten- ders, at 8 o'clock in the morning, and came standing up the river with an easy southern breeze. At their approach, the galleys and the two ships intended to be sunk got under way with all haste, as did a schooner laden with rum, sugar, and other supplies for the American army, and the sloop with Bushnell's sub- m…

on account of his reputation, for what has he done as yet, with his great army? While still in doubt as to the meaning of the manoeu- vre, Washington received news of the peril of the Digitized by Microsoft® 1 86 The Hudson River garrison on Manhattan. Threatened by Lord Percy with a large body of troops at the south, and by Knyphausen between the Fort and Kingsbridge, Colonel Magaw and his comman…

excessively excited. Less discreet historians than Irving have not hesi- tated to say that the Father of his Country on that occasion expressed his excitement in language of much greater vigour than is countenanced by polite custom. In other words, this is believed to have been one of the rare occasions upon which Washington swore. And certainly, if there was ever an excuse for profane in- vective…

Fort Wash- ington was therefore surrendered. Thus ended the American occupancy of Manhattan Digitized by Microsoft® Forts Washington and Lee 191 Island. Washington's own reflections upon the closing scene, given in a letter to his brother Augustine, will throw much light upon the difficulties that beset him, and his frame of mind regarding an action against which his better judgment rebelled. This…

and sympathy overflowed her eyes. " Did the poor man leave a family?" she finally asked. Upon the height behind Spuyten Duyvil there is the place of an old redoubt that occupied about the position of the Indian stronghold of Nipnichsen. A little way v/ up the stream the Manor Lord, Frederick Filipse, purchased a ferry right and afterwards erected a bridge with a toll gate between the island and th…

height. From the Jersey shore, nearly opposite, the wall of the Palisades rises, one of the strange and imposing features with which nature sometimes surprises the geologist and puzzles the artist. Digitized by Microsoft® From Spuyten Duyvil to Yonkers 197 Fascinating, if not beautiful in general outline, wonderful in detail and often exquisite in colour, the great mass of weather-beaten rock seem…

it, that before they could do anything Indian Head was gravel. However, the people succeeded, though apparently with some difficulty, in saving the rest of the Palisades. The blasting and crushing processes which were at once an offence to the ear, the eye, and the aesthetic sensibilities of all good people, were finally interfered with effectually and the stone-crushers removed to other fields. Y…

" Colony of Donk," and " De Jonkheer's," or the "Young Lord's," which has been corrupted into Yon- kers. This grant became a manor in 1652 and Van der Digitized by Microsoft® 204 The Hudson River Donk was its Lord for three years, though perhaps he never Hved there. He became involved in a quarrel with Stuyvesant and went to Holland with a remon- strance, but was beaten by the doughty Governor. He…

houses, ^^a single sloop at a small wharf, and the gray walls and roof of a venerable structure, which you may see stretching among the trees parallel with the river, comprised the whole borough. That building is the Philipse Manor house, now occupied for municipal purposes by the public authorities of Yonkers. The city of Van der Donk and Philipse is now a thriving one, much given to factories an…

of the Tappan Zee and the Palisades to boot in order to be there. Most modern youngsters would be conscious of some slight fatigue after such a pull, but not so dehcate were the Dutchmen of that early day. Rambout Digitized by Microsoft® 212 The Hudson River danced and drank, drank and danced as though he had had no exercise for a week. It was a Saturday- night, and midnight came and passed before…

rest. She is always flying swiftly before a wind that mortals cannot feel. There is the memory of another craft, more sub- stantial than the phantom ship, and naore successful in attaining a port than Rambout's boat, that made the passage of the river between Wolfert's Roost and' Digitized by Microsoft® spectres of the Tappan Zee 217 the Rockland shore in 1776. Its occupant was the dashing soldier…

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 a…

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 Palisa…

the little brook that enters the river here, and afterwards applied it to quite an extensive territory, no antiquary has discovered. y Dobbs had a shanty on Willow Point and eked out his modest living by ferrying chance passengers over the river in his periauger, or dugout. His name was easier to pronounce than Weeckquaesguck, and being, moreover, associated with a ferry, it was perpetuated as a p…

George Clinton, . . . and Sir Guy Carleton . . . met to confer, etc., etc. Both of the statements quoted above are mislead- ing. The house referred to is not the Livingston family- seat, but was acquired by Mr. Van Brugh Livingston about 1823. If any part of it was standing during the War for Independence, it was the small rear por- tion. One authority states that the interview between Washington …

stone church which became world famous as the Old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow, now the oldest church building in use in New York State. Digitized by Microsoft® 232 The Hudson River The Revolutionary history of Tarrytown is in the main that of all other hamlets within the neutral ter- ritory. It was overridden and pillaged, property and life were never safe for an hour, and famine, sickness, and …

of a mile to the east of it, the trio of scouts were apparently waiting for something to turn up, when they heard the sound of a horse's hoofs and inter- cepted the rider. Forcing him to dismount, they drew him into the bushes and under a tree somewhat to the east of the present road, searched him, finally discov- ering the criminating papers in his boot. Whether Paulding really exclaimed, " My Go…

engaged his pen in later years. James Kirke Paulding, his senior by several years, was his guide and friend, if not philosopher; and it is not improbable that the people of the neighbourhood, who have conjured for half a century by Geoffrey Crayon's name, must thank that engaging youngster for their titular saint. It is hard for us to realise, looking at the cultivated "grounds," the "improved" re…

not a stroke of work done in the village that day. The shoemaker abandoned his awl, the hatter his bowstring, the tailor his goose, and the forge of the blacksmith was cool from dawn till nightfall. Silent was the sonorous harmony of the big spinning wheel, silent the village song, and silent the fiddle of Master Timothy Canty, who passed his livelong time in playing tuneful measures and catching …

knew it, to present a rather forlorn appearance. Mr. Irving made good dra- matic use of this tree in his Legend of Sleepy Hollow, but it is likely enough he had not seen it when he wrote the story. . . . While I was at school at Tarrytown, Mr. Irving was living on his little Sabine farm of Wolfert's Roost, which afterward was so widely known as Sunnyside. The place, which originally con- tained te…

you a book and a tree." A whimsical picture he drew of his first reading of Scott's Lady of the Lake, while he was at the Hoffmans' home on the Hudson in 18 10: " Seated leaning against a rock, with a wild-cherry tree over my head, reading Scott's Lady of the Lake ; the busy ant hurrying over the page — crickets skipping into my bosom — ^wind rustling among the top branches of the trees. Broad mas…

peacock's feathers," or rather like a " strawberry smoth- ered in cream "! The mode of living at the Manor is exactly after my own heart. You have every variety of rural amuse- ment within your reach, and are left to yourself to occupy your time as you please. We made several charming excursions, and you may suppose how delightful they were, through such beauti- ful scenery, with such fine women t…

gleam in, With hue as red as the rosy bed Which a bee would choose to dream in. He sang of the Hudson in an exalted strain, in verse that may sound formal and, perhaps, a little pedantic to our modern ears; but the fashions change in fifty or sixty years, and it is certain that he celebrated her beauties as only a lover could. At West Point, during his early life, Hoffman wrote a poem called Moonl…

companions upon that occasion being Bryant and Halleck. We may be permitted one further quotation from this representative Hudson River poet. It is from a short poem called Indian Summer, written in 1828: Light as love's smiles, the silvery mist at morn Floats in loose flakes along the limpid river ; The blue bird's notes upon the soft breeze bofne, As high in air he carols, faintly quiver; Digiti…

lovely sight To see the puny goblin there ; He seem'd an angel form of light. With azure wing and sunny hair, Throned on a cloud of purple fair. Circled with blue and edged with white, And sitting at the fall of even Beneath the bow of summer heaven. A moment, and its lustre fell; But ere it met the billow blue. He caught within his crimson bell A droplet of its sparkling dew — Joy to thee, Fay! t…

it? it is only an idle wild.' I did not tell him, but I bought it and you see what I have done with it, and that I was indebted to my Dutch prede- cessor for a very pretty and appropriate name." Irving, Halleck, and numerous other friends of Wil- lis visited him at Idlewild, and on one occasion, when Digitized by Microsoft® 262 The Hudson River he had been there with Mr. and Mrs. Moses H. Grin- ne…

I of his integrity of mind, that I would refer any one to him for an honest account of me, sooner than to almost any one else. Mr. Verplanck 's ancestral home was at Fishkill-on- the- Hudson. There his last years were spent under the roof that his grandfather erected; and there he died, a sober-minded man of many gifts. His friends included nearly all of the literary men of his day, and no citizen…

gularly pure and stainless character." He also was a lawyer as well as a student and man of letters, and was a " Hudson- Riverite " by virtue of long residence. His grave lies in the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, at Tarry- town, a short distance to the north-west of Washington Irving 's plot. For a number of years subsequent to 1847, Mr. Duyckinck conducted The Literary World. There was, however, an int…

in the literary associations of the Hudson, for his work was mainly the result of thirty years of sojourn and study among the redskins upon the frontier. John Romeyn Brodhead, the patient compiler of the ten great tomes that contain transcripts of all discov- erable documents relating to the early history of New York, was born in Saugerties. He ransacked the lib- raries of The Hague and of London,…

Church at Rhinebeck. He will be remembered as a scholarly man of sweet, rare character. His contributions to Christian hymnology possibly constitute his chief claim to remembrance, though he devoted nearly twenty years of his life to public speaking and writing. While James K. Polk was President, Doctor Bethune was offered the ap- pointment to the chair of Moral Philosophy at West Point, which he …

during the half century since its first issue. Some hundreds of thousands of copies were sold in European editions, which brought to the writer fame, if not wealth. The sisters frequently worked together. The younger, who had chosen Amy Lathrop as her lit- erary title, made her bow to the reading public with a novel called Dollars and Cents; but she was asso- ciated with the elder Miss Warner in t…

is sixty miles distant. Next door to Cherry Croft is Julian Hawthorne's summer home, and nearer the foot of the hill Hves Dr. Lyman Abbott, at whose house, it need hardly be suggested, Hamilton Wright Mabie is a famihar visitor. Mr. Mabie is him- self a Hudson River man, in his youth a resident of Digitized by Microsoft® 286 The Hudson River Tarry town, where his earUest literary aspirations were …

the distance one sees a massive group of low, marble buildings, the melancholy residence of convicts, — it is the State prison at Sing Sing. It is natural, but unfortunate, that the fair fame of one of the most attractive of Hudson River towns should for years have been damaged by such an ogre squatting at its very gates. Nor is it surprising that there has been a resolute and recently successful …

a new aqueduct, commenced in 1884 and finished in 1890, was constructed to the east of the earlier one. This has a capacity three times as great as the first, and taps the numerous lakes of a water- shed embracing between three and four hundred square miles. Above the bay into which the Croton enters is the old house of the Van Cortlandts, for we have now passed from the domain of Philipse to that…

side of the river, on the twenty-second of September, 1780, Major Andre saw the war-ship Vulture drop down the river to escape a galling fire from Teller's Point. Fresh from his interview with Arnold, the British spy was anxious to return to New York by the only safe way, — the way by which he had come. His uneasiness at the depart- ure of the Vulture from her anchorage may be im- agined. Once on …

himself a native wife, by whom he had one child. On the summit of High Taur he built an altar, refusing the sun worship of the Indians; but they were enraged, and set upon and would have killed him had not a miracle saved him. An earthquake swallowed his enemies, and incident- ally opened the present channel through which the Hudson flows. Another story follows : A band of German colonists settled…

be excelled by any action in our history. The British had retired from Philadelphia; Wash- ington's army had passed through the trying experi- ence of Valley Forge, and Monmouth had been fought. Now the old struggle for supremacy on the Hudson was renewed. Sir Henry Clinton had captured the 304 Digitized by Microsoft® The Storming of Stony Point 305 American posts at Stony Point and Verplanck's Po…

Absolute silence was enjoined, and like spectres the two storming parties faded from each other's sight in the gloom. The marshes were over- flowed with two feet of water, and through this the men followed their officers, eager and alert, for the object of the expedition was no longer a secret to any one. Not a musket was loaded, except in Murfee 's com- mand, for the attack was to be made entirel…

inst, General Wayne with a party of infantry attacked the enemy's works at Stony Point — the garrison consisted of about six hundred men — it being the dead of night they were not discovered until they had got within about sixteen rods of the works, the alarm was instantly given, but such was the dex- terity of our men that they gained some part of the enemy's works before their picket guard. Our …

but I will not myself break those orders." He then showed Lee General Washing- ton's letter of instructions, upon which his visitor made some-comrQent to the effect that being upon the ground he would feel at liberty to act according to his own judgment in the matter. He attempted then to give the order through Heath's adjutant, but the latter was sternly forbidden by his chief to have any part in…

was atten- tive to a young woman named Teed whose brother was a loyalist. Upon one of his frequent visits to the home of his lady-love, he was set upon by a number of Tories and forced to seek refuge in a barn, from which he fired upon his assailants, wounding some of them. Young Teed was one of the party and con- ducted a parley with the beleaguered lover, who finally agreed to surrender himself.…

anchor near the foot of the mountain, but found, when he wished to resume his course, that his anchor's flukes were caught in something heavy that could not be detached from the bottom withoiit great effort. However, yielding to the persuasion of the windlass, the obstacle, whatever it was, after a while began to come slowly to the surface, with many an uneasy tug. The skipper's curiosity was grea…

quifetly as if in a mill-pond. Nothing saved her from utter' wreck but the fortunate circum- stance of -having a horse-shoe nailed against the miast — a wise precaution against evil spirits, s\nce adopted by all the Dutch captains that navigate this haunted river. There is another stoty told of this- foul- weather urchin by Skipper Daniel Ouselsticker of Fishkill, who was never known to tell a lie…

the defence- less reaches of the river above the Highlands, where the enemy might not only ravage the country, but destroy the little fleet that was then being built at Poughkeepsie. He therefore placed a guard at a point nearly midway between the vessels and the fort, with material at hand for a mammoth signal fire, and simi- lar piles of combustibles were placed at intervals all through the High…

months after the excitement caused by this "eruption of the Phcenix and the Rose into the quiet waters of the Hudson ' ' had begun to subside in a measure, we find the war-ships again brushing past the American defences at Fort Washington. The new vessels designed for obstruction, the sloop with Bush- nell's submarine engine on board, a schooner, and sev- eral scows were driven ashore, captured, o…

on the road to Continental Village, where the stores had been sent, and occupied a strong post that Washington had noted in his reconnoissance after the battle of White Plains in the previous autumn. Colonel Willett hastened to McDougall's relief from Fort Constitution, and after a sharp skirmish the Digitized by Microsoft® NEAR FORT MONTGOMERY 333 Digitized by Microsoft® Digitized by Microsoft® T…

his civil duties as Governor, received this urgent letter at Kingston, and at once hastened to the High- lands, collecting all the militia that he could, more effectually to man the defences. Irving has given the following description of the forts at that time: We have spoken of his (Clinton's) Highland citadel of Fort Montgomery, and of the obstructions of chain, boom, and che- vanx-dc-frise betw…

the works, but even after the enemy, by sheer force of numbers, had effected an entrance, the defenders refused to surren- der and literally fought their way out, many of them escaping by the woods and down the precipitous rocks. Two hundred and fifty were either slain or captured by the British. Putnam did not suspect the true direction of the British advance till the reverberations of the battle…

the Country on both sides of the River from the City is hilly. The Manor of Philipsburg according to our Information, extends about Miles on the River and about 6 Miles back and is joined above by the Manor of Cortland, this Morng. the Sloop passed by Col. Philips's Mansion House and Gardens situate in a pleasant Val- ley between Highlands, the country hereabout excels ours by far in fine Prospect…

is the Fish Kill & Landing whence the Sloops carry the Produce of that Side for Market. The North River is here thought to be near Two Miles wide and the General Range of the Highlands by the Compass as taken on the N. Side by our Digitized by Microsoft® Digitized by Microsoft® Digitized by Microsoft® A Voyage up the Hudson in 1769 349 Surveyors is W. S. W. & E. N. E. We took a Turn on Shore at De…

both Sides continues still hilly and rugged and what Wheat is growing, looks much thrown out and gullied — more Houses & Improvements shew themselves along the Sopus Shore and Opposite being an old settled Country — our Vessel came to Anchor a little above the Walkill about 60 Miles from Albany. We went on shore to Two stone Farm Houses on Beekman Manor in the County of Duch- ess, the Men were abs…

River to the KaatsKill called 36 Miles from Albany off the Mouth of this Creek we have a View of the large House built by John / Dyer the Person who made the Road from hence to Schoharie at the Expensce of ;£4oo, if common Report may be credited — Two Sloops belong to KaatsKill, a little beyond the Mouth whereof lies the large Island of Vastic — there is a House on the North Side of the Creek and …

In the afternoon we viewed the Town which contains according to several Gentlemen residing here, about 500 Dwelling Houses besides Stores and Out Houses. The Streets are irregular and badly laid out, some paved others not, Two or Three are broad the rest narrow & not straight, most of the Buildings are pyramidically shaped like the old Dutch Houses in N. York, we found Cartwright's a good Tavern t…

Ground extends from a Quarter to Half a Mile wide, but somewhat narrower on the upper parts of that River. This Stream at the Cahoes is reckoned to be about a Quarter of a Mile in Breadth & the Falls extend quite across, the Heighth of the Fall is conjectured by Mr. Wells & the Two Surveyors to be 60 Feet or upwards but I have seen a Copper plate that calls it 75, tho' upon ocular view it appears …

on 357 Digitized by Microsoft® 358 The Hudson River the rocks below and his name as a legacy to the moun- tain he used to haunt. Sugar-Loaf was so called for the obvious reason that it is, in form, simply an old- fashioned loaf of sugar, of brobdignagian proportions. What Bear Mountain owes its name to we confess that we are unable to say, but it is probable that some early hunter's exploit, or pe…

deep summer sky. To the right strutted forth the bold promontory of Antony's Nose, with a solitary eagle wheeling about it, while beyond, mountain succeeded to mountain, until they seemed to lock their arms together, and confine this mighty river in their embraces. There was a feeling of quiet luxury in gazing at the broad, green bosoms here and there scooped out among the precipices ; or at woodl…

of the Beekman patent, "beginning at the north side Digitized by Microsoft® 366 The Hudson River of the Highlands." Adolphe PhiHpse was the son of the lord of the lower manor of Philipsburg, who died in 1702. From him the property descended to his nephew Frederick, who, in 1751, died, leaving the Highland patent to his children, Philip, Susannah, Mary, and Margaret. Margaret died, her share going …

fifty, while the corps of teachers was increased. Candidates were for the first time examined for admis- sion to the Academy. Provision was also made for the maintenance of the establishment and the proper instruction of the cadets in all branches of military science. To Major Thayer, appointed Superintendent in 1 81 7, the Academy owes more than to any one man for the ground plan of its system of…

former is usually known as headquarters, contain- ing the offices of Superintendent, Adjutant, Quarter- master, etc. Opposite is the Academic building, erected in 1891-95. It is, like the other, of granite, and cost in round figures $500,000. It forms the east side of the quadrangle, of which the cadet quar- ters constitute the north and west sides. The Chapel lies to the north of the Administrati…

army of unexcelled strength. Within the confines of the Military Academy at West Point the United States has concentrated its standing army. Because the knowledge of this fact appeals to our imagination, and also for another reason, that the Academy is the con- crete symbol of that altar of patriotism upon which so great a treasure of blood has been offered, it has be- come to us a place of sacred…

ruined man and must instantly fly for his life! Overcome by the shock, she fell senseless to the floor. Without pausing to aid her, he hurried down-stairs, sent the messenger to her assist- ance, probably to keep him from an interview with the other officers ; returned to the breakfast-room and informed his guests that he must haste to West Point to prepare for the reception of the commander-in-ch…

mired, but the pepper-and-salt of other days will be perpetuated in poems. Upon the rising ground near Fort CHnton, a memor- able fete, attended by the civil and military officers of high rank in the United States, occurred in 1785. The occasion was the birth of the Dauphin of France, and Washington presided over an assemblage that was bright with the beauty of what Griswold called "the RepubHcan …

jour- nal of a voyage up the Hudson in 1769 which we have the good fortune to publish in this volume, the reader will notice that the name " Broken Neck Hill ' ' appears, and a glance at the camel-like profile of the mountain in question will go far toward convincing one that the later name, "Breakneck," is a corruption of a title that was really descriptive. The name Breakneck might be applied wi…

storm through the Highlands. In this particular it resembles the Duyvel's Dans Kamer. Cruger's Island, on the contrary, enjoys the distinction of never having been visited by death, even down to the present day. Above the Highlands, on the western shore of the river, the northern slope of Storm King declines into a bluff that is broken by numerous ravines, each at some time the bed of a watercours…

a deep down glen, tracked but by my own tangled paths, and the wild torrent which by turns they avoid and follow. That description, which might have been written yes- terday, has been applicable for nearly fifty years. Other hands trim the lawns and repair the drives; other eyes enjoy the beauty of the successive years of growth and developmeiit, but the place is still "Wil- lis's Idlewild," as th…

the hat-stand. " What! " he said; "you have an Indian god there? " He looked a little closer, as I told him how we had found it. " It is the god of the winds and the birds," he continued — " Mesa- ba-wa-sin." Mesa-ba-wa-sin still presides in spirit and fact over the glen, and his altars are everywhere. The wood- thrush and the vireo sing his praises still, and the wake robins are proxies for his r…

colonise them in the New Forest in England was a failure, the Newburgh ex- periment was a failure, the settlements at East and West Camps, hereafter to be noticed, were scenes of bewailing and protests against the bad faith of those who had taken them, a band of homeless, penniless exiles, and had spent many thousands of pounds for their transportation and maintenance. For that in- vestment they c…

good, serviceable soldiers in spite of the miserable system under which they served, and they sprang, armed, from the soil whenever a pressing occasion presented itself. It was the militia and the levies that enabled the commanding general to throw reinforcements into the scale of battle when his little army of regulars was hard pressed. They were to the British always an unknown quantity, and set…

presides over the tea urn, or gravely discuss, after her retirement, the matters that have pre-emi- nency in American history. It was while living at Newburgh that Washington narrowly escaped capture by an envoy of Sir Henry Clinton — at least, so the legend runs. A man named Ettrick lived with his daughter in a secluded valley to the south of head- quarters ; a place known as the Vale of Avoca. I…

commander-in-chief orders the cessation of hostilities between the United States of America and the King of Great Britain to be publicly read to-morrow at 12 o'clock at the new building, and the proclamation which will be communicated herewith to be read to-morrow evening at the head of every regiment and corps of the army. After which the chaplains with the several brigades will render thanks to …

an "incline" railway that is nearly perpendicular. From the summit the view is unsurpassed in extent and variety by any in New York State. From Beacon Hill the huge watch-fires, lighted to give warning of the approach of the enemy or to celebrate the advent of peace, could be seen from the peaks of the Catskills, the rugged tops of the Highlands, the hills of West- chester, or the far-away elevati…

has delighted to honour passed their schooldays at the old Poughkeepsie Collegiate School, that received its charter in 1836. It afterwards Digitized by Microsoft® 422 The Hudson River became the Riverview Academy, the change of name corresponding with the removal from College Hill, the old site, to Riverview. The Eastman College, devoted to the work of preparing young men for business, has also b…

his personality has attracted the friendship of the most distinguished men of his times. He began his life at Maiden, N. Y., and Digitized by Microsoft® Fishkill to Poughkeepsie 425 finally retired to his delightful home near the shore of the Hudson. There is an Indian legend connected with the name of Poughkeepsie, which is said to be derived from the Mohegan word apo-keep-sinck — " a safe and pl…

there was much strife. Gov. George Clinton in his day ruled in the midst of much tumult and turbulence; but he held the reins with vigour, in spite of kidnappers or critics. When the British burned King- ston he prorogued the Legislature to Poughkeepsie, which still served as a "safe harbour." As the Revolution progressed, the Tory faction was weakened, either by suppression or surrender. It was i…

defeated, if not lost sight of, when the ownership of the bridge was acquired by another company. For seven years past the river at Poughkeepsie has been the scene of one of the gayest and most popular of all the great annual features of college athletics. There the regatta of the Intercollegiate Rowing Asso- ciation is held every June, and over one of the finest straightaway courses in the world …

large, Schuyler having backed his own horse heavily, and the excitement was intense as the contestants went flying down the course between the rows of flaring lights and shouting spectators. When old Sturgeon came in first, we may hope that Douw concealed his satisfaction and Schuyler his chagrin, since both were true-blue sportsmen of the old school, who could take good or ill fortune and give no…

business and not likely to conduce to levity. The lines of the net freeze rigid as steel rods, the icy water soaks the thickest gloves till they are sodden and cold, the very fish that are drawn out of that dark and mysterious current under the ice are congealed — stiff as stakes — the moment they are exposed to the atmosphere, and to handle them is like handling pieces of ice. In the face of thes…

build- ing of the Troy dam put a stop to that industry. The statistics for a recent year, published by the State Fish Commissioners, show that in three thousand five hundred nets over a million shad were caught. During the two months or less that the shad season lasts the fishing stations are scenes of picturesque ac- tivity, retaining, perhaps, more suggestion of the old distinctive river life th…

while it is expected that the future will more than justify the outlay, but in general it is acknowledged that this great volume of water flowing seaward with slow gradations from the freshness of a mountain stream to the saltness of the Digitized by Microsoft® Sports and Industries 441 ocean is no longer a fisherman's river. One can hardly believe that the schools of fish have been de- pleted by …

were events to be anticipated with dread and remembered with horror. Hidden under a modern post-office designation we freqviently find half a dozen earlier place-names, as the geologist discovers in a river-bed successive deposits. "I am surprised to find," said a gentleman of an en- quiring mind, " that Esopus had at one time a larger trade than Albany; yet I do not find Esopus on my map or on th…

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 en…

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 tr…

collection, which is translated thus : By Babel's stream the captives sate And wept for Zion's hapless fate; Useless their harps on willows hung While foes required a sacred song. The village of New Paltz is a delightful reminiscence, a legacy of old habitations and simple customs, be- queathed by generations of God-fearing folk to our restless time as a salutary reminder of pristine peace Digitiz…

an historic interest, is long and low, constructed of stone and sup- plemented at a late period of its history by a "linto," or lean-to. It was erected in 1676 by Wessel Ten Broeck, a Westphalian, who, emigrating to America at an early age, was elected S chop per at Esopus and was a commissioner chosen to stiperintend the settlement of the Nieuw Dorp, including the villages of Hurley and Marbletow…

the First Dutch Church, organised August, 1659, by Rev. Harmanus Blom, sent from Holland as a candidate, and ordained by the Classis of Amsterdam, 1660. The fac-similes of signatures of the fifteen successors of Blom, carefully gathered by the venerable Dr. Hoes, and shown me at the close of our pleasant e veiling conversation, are sufficient guarantee that, from the first, Esopus — Wiltwyck — Kin…

bearing a note from Sir Henry Clinton to General Burgoyne: "Here we are (Fort Montgomery — Oct. 8th) and no- thing between us and Gates. I sincerely hope this little success of ours will facilitate your operations." The resolute postman did not escape the penalty of his mis- sion ; he was tried as a spy and sentenced to be hanged. The Governor pressed forward with what force he could hastily get t…

the general conflagration. The intention of the enemy was evi- dently to advance to Albany, which seemed doomed to share the fate of Kingston, and there to effect that conjunction with Burgoyne which was the object of the expedition. But Burgoyne was in no condition to co-operate with any army. The diversion had come too late. Almost Digitized by Microsoft® Rondout and Kinofston 465 simultaneously…

fleet of steamboats equal in number to a combination of all others that ply upon the upper river give the front of the city a metropolitan aspect. Of course, on the Digitized by Microsoft® 468 The Hudson River principle that nothing succeeds Hke success, the growth of population and of business due to foundries and machine shops has been considerable. Commercial Kingston has nearly swallowed the q…

and French Huguenots followed these noble streams. Their descendants now enjoy the rich and glorious patrimony secured by the industry, frugality, and piety of their ancestors. A copy of their treaty with the Indians exists, and was exe- cuted May 26, 1677. They were three days on their journey from Kingston to New Paltz. Soon, however, they selected a more elevated site upon the banks of the beau…

was never broken. The Indians that harassed Kingston and other set- tlements, tomahawking the men and carrying away women and children, were of the Esopus and Catskill tribes, who finally allied themselves with the Mohegans against their greatly dreaded enemy, the Mohawks. We read of the subjugation of the Mohegans and their allies by the Mohawks and the establishment of their overlordship or suze…

of the High Dutch in North America their Joshua, and a pure Lutheran preacher of the same on the east and west side of the Hudson River. His first arrival was with Lord Lovelace in 1709, the first of January. His second with Col. Hunter, 17 10, the fourteenth of June. The journey of his soul to Heaven on St. John's day 17 19, interrupted his return to England. Do you wish to know more ? Seek in Me…

mentioned by Lossing, to the effect that Nesbit, the Englishman whose experiments were encouraged by Livingston in 1797, did build an un- successful steamboat in De Koven's Bay, just below Upper Red Hook landing. It was at De Koven's Bay that the British landed when they burned old Clermont. They made a demon- stration at the house of John Swift Livingston, another descendant of the original propr…

delivered, through the courtesy of Sir John Sherbrooke, to Colonel Lewis Livingston, and, escorted by the Adjutant-General, with Colonel Van Rensselaer and a detachment of cavalry, it was brought to Albany and lay in state in the Capitol. The im- pressive ceremonies held there extended over the Fourth of July. Two days later commenced a funeral progress without parallel in the history of New York.…

of the fort at Albany in the time of Governor NicoU. A patent for this land was not obtained till 1688, when Salsbury 486 Digitized by Microsoft® The Catskill Region 487 was no longer living; but his widow held his portion of the estate, which lay on Catskill Creek. Neither of the original patentees lived upon the land thus ac- WOODLAND BROOK NEAR CATSKILL {From the painting by A. B. Durand^ in th…

the authority of the Company's Director at Manhattan. Grants free from dependence upon the Patroon were subsequently given by the powers at Amsterdam. William Leete Stone, editor at one time of the New York Commercial Advertiser, wrote regarding the settle- nient of Catskill, that 'its Dutch founders, with characteristic prudence, placed it en- tirely out, of sight from the river, probably to rend…

Indian fell sprawling among his companions and in the confusion Anthony completed his run without -injury. About the same time Captain Jeremiah Snyder and Digitized by Microsoft® The Catskill Region 493 his son EHas, of Saugerties, were taken by Tories and Indians while ploughing in a field. They attempted to escape by running, but were captured, and Captain Snyder wounded by a blow from a tomahaw…

to the house and, amid clouds of tobacco smoke and deep potations, discussed the merits of the departed pastor and the merits of the last horse sale. One of the traditionary stories of Catskill is told in Barber and Howe's Collections, the author, William Leete Stone, having perhaps added a touch of imag- ination to the original version of the tale. At an old stone house standing at Cairo, about t…

through a long summer's day; undergoing a thousand muta- tions under the magical effects of atmosphere ; sometimes seem- ing to approach, at other times to recede; now almost melting into hazy distance, now burnished by the setting sun, until, in the evening, they printed themselves against the glowing sky in the deep purple of an Italian landscape. As Kingston cherishes in her hall of fame the na…

only by dint of excellent swimming that young Slechtenhorst saved his own life and the lives of his horses. Shortly after this a feud broke out between Peter Stuy- vesant and the Patroon of Rensselaerswyck, on account of the right and title to the Catskill Mountains, in the course of which the elder Slechtenhorst was taken captive by the potentate of the New Netherlands, and thrown into prison at …

after the troublesome experiences of the war, when their vessels had been captured and destroyed and their liberties menaced by the British enemy, they must have experienced great satisfaction in finding so safe a retreat ; but it is also to be believed that to eyes accustomed to the unmitigated sand and unrelieved levels of Cape Cod, the green and fertile billows of the landscape that lies betwee…

death of Alexander Hamilton. Washington Irving was a guest at Lindenwald during one period of which we have record, and not improbably at other times. He is said to have made there the acquaintance of the school-teacher, Jesse Merwin, who is credited with be- ing the original of the character of Ichabod Crane in the Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Referring to this, Digitized by Microsoft® 5IO The Hudson…

land, and a stranger stepped on shore, a lofty, lordly kind of man, tall and dry, with a meagre face, furnished with huge moustaches. He was clad in Flemish doublet and hose, and an insufferably tall hat, with a cocktail feather. Such was the patroon Killian Van Renselaer, who had come out from Holland to found a colony or patroonship on a great tract of wild land, granted to him by their High Mig…

warrior from top to toe, but was not to be dismayed. Taking the pipe slowly out of his moutn, "To whom should I lower my flag ?" demanded he. "To the high and mighty Killian Van Rensselaer, the lord of Rensselaerstein ! " was the reply. " I lower it to none but the Prince of Orange, and my masters, the Lords States General." So saying he resumed his pipe, and smoked with an air of dogged determina…

situate along the North river in New Netherland, to the effect that the^ Freedoms which were granted to whomsoever should plant any Colonies in New Netherland being drawn up and made public in print in the year 1630, by the Assembly of the Nineteen of the Incorporated West India Company ; Kiliaen 516 Digitized by Microsoft® 'A Digitized by Microsoft® Digitized by Microsoft® An Old Dutch Town 519 -…

up his domain. While other colonies were either maintaining an apathetic silence or else complaining bitterly of the hardships of their lot and the difficulty of sustaining life without aid from the company or government that planted them, the long reports of the great advantages and rich fertility of Rensselaerswyck stirred the imagination of many a seventeenth-century Boer. Other ships might bri…

his house, but was also a thorough republican, enlisted heart and soul in the cause of American liberty. No man in the country staked more for conscience sake than he, for he willingly relinquished the power and pomp that had been the vital atmosphere of his house for generations, to accept the doctrine of the equality of man. During the War of 181 2 the last patroon received at the hands of Gover…

the Dutch church was organised there in 1640, it w^ the only one on the northern part of the river that had a regular ministry, and until after 1700 there was no settled domine north of Esopus except the pastors at Albany and Schenectady. The early ministers at Albany were Domines Mega- polensis, Schaats, Dellius, Lydius, Van Driessen, Van Schie, Frelinghuysen, Westerloo, and Johnson. Mega- polens…

of a house within the fort, — but Vander Donck, the first and at that time the only lawyer of the place, was not permitted to practice, as there was no one to oppose him. The Schepen heard and decided, without haste or delay, upon the few cases that were brought before him, ruling by a code as simple and effectual as that of Solomon. From the pages of Dolph Heyliger we may borrow a vivid picture o…

1833 to make room for the present Apothecary's Hall. . . . The Pearl Street door is said to have been used only for the egress of the dead. The orgies of a Dutch funeral are fast receding from the memory of the living. Few remain who have witnessed them. The records of the church show the expenses of the funerals of church paupers two hundred years ago in rum, beer, tobacco, pipes, etc. Mr. Worth …

Varkens are pigs ; boontjes, as every one must know, is the Dutch equivalent for bean vines; and koetjes for cows. Klaver needs translation no more than lang gras, or kalf. Paarden are horses, eenjes, ducks; a haver is an oat-field; and, of course, a waterplas is a pond — and then, " So great my little poppet was," a conclusion illogical but dear. What a lullaby that was commencing : Sleep, baby, …

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 sen…

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 ha…

1797 and 1848 two wide-spread fires did a great deal of damage. The city has four or five miles of water-front, and for several hundred feet back from the river the ground is low and nearly level, so that when the water rises by reason of an ice-dam or from some other cause, it frequently overflows the lower streets, and in former years wrought great havoc at times. There are still living those wh…

hill. They had no dealings with each other except for war- like encounters, and woe to any urchin who was found 35 Digitized by Microsoft® 546 The Hudson River alone by those of the opposing camp. How this deep and long-continued animosity commenced history does not relate, but many an old Albanian will recollect the encounters that took place between the "hillers" and their adversaries, and recal…

contains chambers ample for all the de- partments and business of the government, besides housing the magniflcent State Library, with its one hundred and fifty thousand volumes and its collection of priceless manuscripts and documents relative to the history of the State. In these few notes upon the history and the legends of a fascinating old city we have hardly opened the subject. The records ar…

Reminiscences of Saratoga, Mr. William L. Stone quotes the " Interesting narrative of a visit to the ' High Rock Spring ' in 1 789, a little more than twenty years after Sir William Johnson's visit . . . taken down from the lips of Mrs. D wight, by .taf^- .V LOOKING DOWN RIVER, NEAR TROY her son, the Hon. Theodore Dwight." This account of the condition of Saratoga and the route thither is so graph…

country waggon without a cover, with straw under their feet and wooden chairs for seats. Two gentlemen on horseback, in their company, finding that we were going to Saratoga, offered to accompany us to the scene of the battle of Behmus Heights, and thither we proceeded after visiting, Cohoes. We dined in the house which was General Burgoyne's head- quarters in 1777 and one . of the females who att…

or candles, light being supplied by pine knots stuck in crevices in the walls. The conver- sation of the family proved that wild beasts were very numerous and bold in the surrounding forests and that they sometimes, when hungry, approached the house. . . On reaching the springs at Saratoga we found but three habitations and those but poor log houses, on the high bank of the meadow, where is now th…

and stick to it. Any darned fool would know the way." What the Father of his Country replied has not been recorded. Digitized by Microsoft® Above Tide- Water 561 Repeated reference has been made to the battle of Saratoga, and its great importance in relation to American history can hardly be overestimated. It should not be forgotten that Sir Edward Creasy, the English military writer, has numbered…

19th. The plan, in brief, was to make a demonstration with Canadians and Indians threaten- ing the American centre, while the grenadiers and light infantry, under Frazer, on the left of Gates's position, and the British left-wing, under Philips and Reidesel, were to move simultaneously and by a cir- cuitous rotite to gain the American rear. Burgoyne himself was with the British right. Digitized by…

the attacking party was due to the presence of Arnold, who, though without a command, owing to a recent quarrel with General Gates, ^'■et took the lead to which his position as rank- ing officer in the field entitled him, and displayed such mad courage that one historian at least has gravely charged him with being intoxicated upon that occa- sion. In this connection, Irving very justly remarks tha…

third of the total population of Warren County. It also has a water-power of great value, and, besides the features of natural beauty which even the ubiquitous mills can- not entirely conceal, it has a notable aggregation and variety of " works. " Here are the marble works, where the black marble, native to the place, is prepared for market; the gun works, sewing-machine works, lime works, and a l…

Joel, 287, 426 Bergen, 344, 345, 349 Bergen, Martin G., 486 Bergen Dutch Church, 72 Bergen Neck, 82 Besightsick, 10 Bethune, Rev. Geo. W., D.D., 278 Beverly House, 366, 369, 380 Beversier, 23 Beverwyck, 519, 520 Bevier, 469 Biddle, Joseph, Jr., 344 Bigelow, John, 424 Bill of Freedoms, etc., 88 Binckes, Captain, 23 Blake, British warship, 51 Bleecker, Hermanns, 255 Blinkersbergh, 13 Blockhouse at S…

337, 340; De Witt, 49, 265, 459; Governor George, 30, 17.0, 184, 187, 312, 316, 327-328, 335- 337. 339. 34o> 407. 427. 456. 460- 461, 464-465, 538, 542, 546, 560; Mrs. George, 460; Sir Henry, 163-166, 228, 304, 335, 338, 339, 343. 379. 389. 407-408, 412, 439, 461, 467-468 Clinton Point, 198 Cockloft Hall, 252, 253 Coeymans, 510 Cohoes, 550, 554 Cojemans House, 352 Colberg, William, 107 Colden, Cad…

settlers, 11 Dutch West India Company, 489 Dutchess County, 337, 345, 349, 350, 416, 426—427, 480 Duyckinck, A. E., 242, 253, 270- 271, 280 Duyvel's Dans Kamer, 393, 418, 421 Dwight, Hon. Theodore, 552 Dwight, Mrs., 554 Dyer, John, 352 Dykman, Judge, 297 E Earl of Devon, 143 East Camp, 402 East India Company, i, 2 Eastman College, 422 East River, 155, 167, 171, 172, 174; (Brown's shipyard), 122 Ec…

at Saratoga, 563 Half Moon, 2, 194, 201, 509, 513 Halifax, 167 Halleck, Fitz-Greene, So, 253, 256, 257, 261, 269, 270 Halve Maenc, 1 Hamburg- American steamships, 81 Hamilton, General Alexander, 74- 77. 152. 249. 366, 411. S°9. 542, 560 Hammond, Colonel James, 326 Hancock, H. Irving, 376 Handlers Street, Albany, 528, 538 Hardenbergh, Colonel Johannes, 460 Hardenbergh's Patent, 356, 360, 372 Harlem…

Index 581 K Kaatskill, 345, 346, 350-351, 507 Kaatskill (Kaatsbergs) Mountains, ^^346, 350. 351-352.499 Kahn, the Swedish traveller, 353 Kakiat, 211 Kane, Commander, U.S.N., 50 Kane, James, 545 Kane, Woodbury, 50 Kasteel, 515 Kellogg, Clara Louise, 385 Kemble, Fanny, 385 Kemble, Gertrude, 252 Kemble, Gouverneur, 250, 252, 262 Kemble, Peter, 250 Kemp, Professor, 251 Kennedy, Archibald, 31, 32 Kenne…

Manhattan shore, 59 Manhattan the home of modesty, 54, 64, 81 Manhattanville, 151, 152, 155, 175, 176 Manor Lords, 87 Manor of Foxhall, 447 Manorial rights granted, 96 Mapes, General, 47 Marbletown, 457, 470 Marie Roget (Mary Rogers); 80 Market Dock, 104 Marriages in New York, 25 Marritje, Davids Vly, 140 Martha's Vineyard, 503 Martiler's Rock, 346 Martin, Sir Henry, 107 Martlings, Abraham, 140 Ma…

218, 219, 220, 224, 327. 438 O to Oath of office administered Washington, 120 Obelisk Lane (Greenwich), 62 Ocean Steamship Company piers, 60 O'Connor, Charles, 156 Ogden, Henry, 252 Old Dutch Church, Sleepy Hollow, 23, 239 Oloffe the Dreamer, 65, 66 Oo,thoudts, 488 Orange County, 345, 346, 405 Orange, N. J., 172 Order disbanding Washington's army, 414 Ormsbee, 120 Ossining, 10, 224, 289, 293, 439 …

139, 140, 143, 144, 151 Riverview Academy, the, 422 Rivington's Gazette, 86 Roa Hook, 319 Roberts, EUis H., 476 Robinson, Beverly, 366, 369, 380 Robinson house, the, 297 Rochambeau, 228, 316, 411 Rockefeller, William, 237 Rockland County, N. Y., 219 Digitized by Microsoft® 586 Index Rockland Lake, 104, 221 Rockland Point, 221 Rockwell, Rev. Charles, 288 Roe, Rev. E. P., 393 Roebuck, British warshi…

35, 96, 195, 206, 361, 421, 450, 451, 459, 490, 502, 521 Stuyvesant Village, 509 Sugar Loaf, 116, 35S, 366 Sugar House Prison, 318 Sullivan, General, 166 Sunday Islands, 352 Sunnyside, 239, 241, 244, 24S, 262 Supreme Court, New York, 466 Susquehannah River, the, 346, 349, 352, 493 Swallow, steamboat, 130 Swartwout family, 444 Talmadge, Nathaniel P., 427 Tappan, 14, 218, 219, 345 Tappan, Cornelia, …

Staten Island, 46 Virginian troops, 178 Vischershoeck, 13 Vorsen Reach, 114 Voyage up the Hudson, W. Irving, 115 Vulture, the, 296-298 W Walkill, 350, 452, 454-45S, 470, 473 Wall Street on evacuation of New- York, 27 Wallace, Sir James, 340, 461 Walloonsac River, 551 Walter the Doubter (Van Twiller) , 66, 511, 512, 513 Wanton Island, 488 Wappinger Indians, 16, 416 Wappinger's Creek, 91, 418 War fo…

the most important historic incidents connected with the river, combined with descriptions of some of its most picturesque scenery and delightful excursions into its legendary lore. Send for Illustrated Desctptive Circular G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS New York London Digitized by Microsoft® The St. Lawrence River Historical Legendary Picturesque By George Waldo Browne Author of " Japan — the Place and the …

of rushing streams and cul- tivated fields, east of the Mississippi, that surpasses in its wealth of scenery that bit of the Empire State known as the Mohawk Valley. It is natural that such a land should be rich in romance, both legendary and historical. From Schenectady to Rome, every town has its romantic story of the French Wars or the Revolution, every bit of woodland has its wealth of pre-his…