I851CL 
 
CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY 
 
 3 1924 079 599 845 
 
m 
 
 a Cornell University 
 P Library 
 
 The original of this book is in 
 the Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924079599845 
 
Production Note 
 
 Cornell University Library 
 produced this volume to preserve 
 the informational content of the 
 deteriorated original. The best 
 available copy of the original has 
 been used to create this digital 
 copy. It was scanned bitonally at 
 600 dots per inch resolution and 
 compressed prior to storage using 
 ITU Group 4 compression. 
 Conversion of this material to 
 digital files was supported by the 
 Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. 
 Digital file copyright by Cornell 
 University Library 1995. 
 
 This volume has been scanned 
 as part of The Making of America 
 Project, a cooperative endeavor 
 undertaken to preserve and enhance 
 access to historical material from 
 the nineteenth century. 
 
 The digital data were used to 
 create Cornell's replacement 
 volume on paper that meets 
 AMSIStondardZ39.48-1992. 
 
HlSTOJllCAL COLLECTIONS 
 
 OF THE 
 
 STATE OF NEW YORK; 
 
 BEING 
 
 A GENERAL COLLECTION OF THE MOST INTEEESTING FACTS, BIOGRAPHICAL 
 
 SKETCHES, VARIED DESCRIPTIONS, &c. 
 
 REIJITING TO THE 
 
 PAST AND PRESENT; 
 
 With 
 
 GEOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTIONS 
 
 OF THE 
 
 COUNTIES, CITIES, AND PRINCIPAL VILLAGES. 
 
 THROUGHOUT THE STATE. 
 Zllnstrated by numerons Bn^ravin^s. 
 
 BY JOHN W. JARBER, 
 
 AOTHOE OF THE ELEMENTS OF GENERAL HISTORY, AND THE CONNECTirUT 
 AND HASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS. 
 
 [Armi or the Sute of New York.] 
 
 [More elevated.] 
 
 NEW YORK: 
 
 PUBLISHED FOB THE AtJTHOE, 
 
 BY CLARK, AUSTIN &, CO., 205 BROADWAY. 
 1861. 
 
/^ . ■ !■ - . 
 
 Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1851, 
 
 By John W. Barber, 
 in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of Connectiait. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 The design of this volume is to give an account of the most im- 
 portant and interesting events relating to the history of the State of 
 New York, from its settlement to the present time, with geographical 
 descriptions, illustrated by numerous engravings. In preparing the 
 first edition of this work, the author was assisted by Mr. Henry 
 Howe, the author of the Historical Collections of Virginia and Ohio. 
 The first edition of this work was published ten years since. Sev- 
 eral editions have been issued since that period ; the most recent was 
 by Messrs. H. &. E. Phiuney, of Cooperstown, in 1846. This was 
 a condensed work from previous editions, and left out much dry 
 detail, which could be found in several other works published in the 
 State. The present edition is a reprint from the last, with the ad- 
 dition of valuable matter, and statistical information brought down to 
 the present time. 
 
 In collecting the materials and preparing them for publication, and 
 in making the drawings for the engravings, each of the compilers of 
 the original work spent more than a year of close and laborious appli- 
 cation. They visited every part of the state, and besides travelling 
 thousands of miles in the public conveyances, journeyed many hun- 
 dreds on foot. 
 
 Although conscious of having used every effort which could be rea- 
 sonably expected, in order to have the work accurate in every respect, 
 yet experience has taught us not to claim an entire exemption from 
 those imperfections ever attendant on works of this kind. Travellers, 
 in giving accounts of foreign countries, their history, &c., may make 
 statements at random, which may pass for truth when there is no one 
 at hand able to correct their errors. This volume will come before 
 many persons, who, on some subjects introduced, have better means 
 of information than the compilers of the original work. A certain 
 writer defines history to be merely " an approximation towards truth." 
 Although this humiliating statement will not be allowed to its full ex- 
 tent, yet, when the imperfection of every thing human is considered, 
 it must be confessed to have some foundation in truth. 
 
 In the prosecution of this work, the compiler has availed himself of 
 the labors of those who have preceded him. The historian of necessi- 
 
IV PREFACE. 
 
 ty derives his information from others. It will be observed that quo- 
 tations have been made from a great variety of publications, to which, 
 in most instances, credit has been given. It was thought advisable to 
 have each author give his testimony in his own words, from which the 
 reader can draw his own inferences. Truth ought always to be pre- 
 ferred before elegance of language. In the geographical department, 
 much information has been derived from Spafford's and Gordon's 
 Gazetteers. SpafFord may be considered as the pioneer in furnishing 
 geographical descriptions of the state ; his first Gazetteer was published 
 in 1813, the second in 1824. The Gazetteer by Mr. Gordon, an able 
 work of 800 closely printed octavo pages, was published in 1836. A 
 valuable, though smaller work of the same kind, was published by 
 Mr. Disturnell in 1842. 
 
 The numerous engravings interspersed throughout this volume, 
 were, with few exceptions, copied from original drawings taken on the 
 spot. The principal object was to give faithful representations, rather 
 than picturesque views, or beautiful specimens of art. Before decid- 
 ing that any of these representations are incorrect, our readers should 
 consider that the appearance of any place will be materially altered by 
 viewing it from different points of observation. In order to form an 
 entirely correct judgment, it will be necessary to stand on the spot from 
 whence the drawing was taken. 
 
 J. W. B. 
 
COUNTIES, TOWNSHIPS, VILLAGES. 
 
 Adams, 117. 
 Addison, 332. 
 Alabama, 107. 
 Albion, 275, 276. 
 Alden, 88. 
 Albany, 45. 
 Albany Co., 45. 
 Alfred, 53. 
 Alexandria, 116. 
 Allen, 53. 
 Alexander, 107. 
 Almond, 53. 
 Allegany Co., 53. 
 Amboy, 276. 
 Amenia, 84. 
 Amherst, 88. 
 Amity, 53. 
 Amsterdam, 146. 
 Ancram, 76. 
 Andes, 81. 
 Andover, 53. 
 Angelica, 53. 
 Annsville, 227. 
 Antwerp, 116. 
 Arcadia, 354. 
 Argyle, 348. 
 Arietta, 112. 
 Arkwright, 65. 
 Ashford, 64. 
 Astoria, 292. 
 Athens, 111, 109. 
 Athol, 344. 
 Attica, 366. 
 Auburn, 59. 
 Augusta, 227. 
 Aurelius, 59. 
 Aurora, 88, 63. 
 Austerlitz, 76. 
 Au Sable, 72. 
 Avon, 139, 135. 
 Avon Springs, 135. 
 
 Bainbridge, 71. 
 Baldwinsville, 254. 
 Ballston, 309. 
 Ballston Spa, 309. 
 Bangor, 100. 
 Barcelona, 67. 
 Barker, 56. 
 Barre, 275. 
 Barrington, 367. 
 Barton, 338 
 
 Batavia, 107. 
 Bath, 332. 
 Bedford, 356, 364. 
 Beekman, 84. 
 Beekmantown, 72. 
 Belfast, 53. 
 Belmont, 100. 
 Bennington, 366. 
 Benton, 367. 
 Bergen, 107. 
 Berkshire, 338. 
 Berlin, 294. 
 Berne, 45. 
 Bethany, 107. 
 Bethel, 337. 
 Bethlehem, 45. 
 Big Flats, 67. 
 Binghamton, 56. 
 Birdsall, 53. 
 Black Brook, 72. 
 Black Rock, 88. 
 Bleeker, 102. 
 Blenheim, 329. 
 Bloomingsburg, 337. 
 Blooming Grove, 262. 
 Bolivar, 53. 
 Bolton, 344. 
 Bombay, 100. 
 Boonville, 227. 
 Boston, 88. 
 Bovina, 81. 
 Boylston, 276. 
 Bradford, 332. 
 Brandon, 100. 
 Brasher, 304. 
 Brant, 88. 
 Bridgewater, 227. 
 Brighton, 143. 
 Bristol, 256. 
 Broadalbin, 102. 
 Brockport, 145. 
 Brookfield, 140. 
 Brookhaven, 333. 
 Brooklyn, 126. 
 Broome Co., 56. 
 Booome, 329. 
 Brownville, 116. 
 Brunswick, 294. 
 Brutus, 59. 
 Buffalo, 88. 
 Burlington, 281. 
 Burns, 53. 
 
 Bushwick, 126. 
 Burton, 64. 
 Busti, 65. 
 Butler, 354. 
 Butternuts, 281. 
 Byron, 107. 
 
 Cairo, 109. 
 Cahoes, 52. 
 Caldwell, 344. 
 Caledonia, 135. 
 Cambridge, 348. 
 Camillus, 243. 
 Campbell, 332. 
 Cambria, 215. 
 Camden, 227. 
 Cameron, 332. 
 Canaan, 76. 
 Canajoharie, 146. 
 Canandaigua, 256. 
 Canadice, 256. 
 Candor, 338. 
 Caneadea, 53. 
 Canisteo, 332. 
 Canton, 308 
 Carlton, 275. 
 Caroline, 340. 
 Carlisle, 329. 
 Carmel, 287. 
 Carrol, 65. 
 Caton, 332. 
 Castile, 366. 
 Castleton, 294. 
 Cattaraugus Co., 64. 
 Catherines, 67. 
 Catlin, 67. 
 Cato, 59. 
 Catskill, 109. 
 Caughnawaga, 146. 
 Cayuga Co., 59. 
 Cayuga, 63. 
 Cayuta, 67. 
 Cazenovia, 140. 
 CentreviUe, 53. 
 Champion, 116. 
 Champlain, 72. 
 Charlotte, 65. 
 Charleston, 146. 
 Charlton, 309. 
 Chateaugua, 100. 
 Chatham, 76. 
 Chatauoue Co., 65. 
 
 Chatauque, 65. 
 Chazy, 72. 
 Chemung, 67. 
 Chemung Co., 67. 
 Chenango, 56. 
 CjlENANGO Co., 70. 
 Cherry Valley, 283 
 Cherry Creek, 65. 
 Chester, 344. 
 Chesterfield, 95. 
 Chictawaga, 88. 
 Chili, 143. 
 China, 366. 
 Chittenaugo, 142. 
 Cincinnatus, 80. 
 Cicero, 243. 
 Clarence, 88. 
 Clarendon, 275. 
 Clarkson, 143. 
 Clarkstown, 300. 
 Clarkesville, 53. 
 Claverack, 76. 
 Clay, 243. 
 Clayton, 116. 
 Clermont, 76. 
 Clifton Park, 309. 
 Clinton Co., 75. 
 Clinton, 84. 
 Clyde, 355. 
 Clymer, 65. 
 Cobleskill, 329. 
 Cochecton, 337. 
 Coeymans, 45. 
 Colchester, 81. 
 Golden, 88. 
 Colesville, 56. 
 Coldspring, 287, 64 
 Collins, 88. 
 Columbia, 112. 
 Columbia Co., 76. 
 Columbus, 71. 
 Concord, 88. 
 Conesville, 329. 
 Conesus, 135. 
 Coney Island, 126. 
 Conhocton, 332. 
 Conklin, 56. 
 Connewango, 64. 
 Conquest, 59. 
 Constable, 100. 
 Constantia, 276. 
 Copake, 76. 
 
COUNTIES, TOWNSHIPS, VILLAGES. 
 
 Coopeistown, 281. 
 Corinth, 309. 
 Cornwall, 262. 
 Cortlandt, 80, 356. 
 Cortland Co., 80. 
 Cortlandville, 80. 
 Coventry, 71. 
 Covert, 330. 
 Covington, 366. 
 Coxsackie, 109. 
 Crawford, 262. 
 Croghan, 134. 
 Crown Point, 95. 
 Cuba, 53. 
 
 Danby, 340. 
 Danube, 112. 
 Dansville, 138, 332. 
 Darien, 107. 
 Davenport, 81. 
 Day, 309. 
 Dayton, 64. 
 Decatur, 281. 
 Deerfield, 227. 
 Deer Park, 262. 
 De Kalb, 304. 
 Delaware Co., 81. 
 Delhi, 81. 
 Denmark, 134. 
 Oepeyster, 304. 
 Deposit, 304. 
 De Ruyter, 140. 
 Dewitt, 243. 
 Diana, 134. 
 Dickenson, 100. 
 Dix, 67. 
 
 Dobb's Ferry, 302. 
 Dover, 84. 
 Dresden, 348. 
 Dryden, 340. 
 Duane, 100. 
 Duanesburg, 322. 
 Dundee, 368. 
 Dunkirk, 66. 
 Durham, 109. 
 Dutchess Co., 84. 
 
 Eagle, 53. 
 
 East Bloom6eld, 256. 
 East Chester, 356. 
 East Hampton, 333. 
 Easton, 348. 
 Eaton, 140. 
 Eden, 88. 
 Edinburg, 309. 
 Edmeston, 281. 
 Edwards, 304. 
 Elba, 107. 
 Elbridge, 243. 
 Ellenburg, 72. 
 EUery, 65. 
 Ellicott, 65. 
 EUicottville, 64. 
 
 Ellington, 65. 
 Ellisburg, 116. 
 Elmira, 67. 
 Elizabethtown, 95. 
 Enfield, 340. 
 Ephrata, 102. 
 Erie Co., 87. 
 Erwin, 332. 
 Erin, 67. 
 Esopus, 341. 
 Essex, 95. 
 Essex Co., 95. 
 Evans, 88. 
 Exeter, 281. 
 
 FabiuB, 243. 
 Fairfield, 112. 
 Fallsburg, 337. 
 Farmersville, 64. 
 Farmington, 256. 
 Far Rockaway, 292. 
 Fayette, 330. 
 Fayetteville, 254. 
 Fenner, 140. 
 Fisbkill, 87. 
 Flatbush, 126. 
 Ftatlands, 126. 
 Fleming, 59. 
 Florence, 227. 
 Florida, 146. 
 Floyd, 227. 
 Flushing, 291. 
 Forrestburg, 337. 
 Fort Ann, 348. 
 Fort Edward, 348. 
 Fort Covington, 100. 
 Fort Plain, 152. 
 Fowler, 304. 
 Frankfort, 112. 
 Franklin, 81, 82. 
 Franklin Co., 100. 
 Franklinville, 64. 
 Fredonia, 66. 
 Freedom, 64. 
 Freetown, 80. 
 French Creek, 65. 
 French Mills, 100. 
 Friendship, 53. 
 Fulton, 280, 329. 
 Fultonville, 153. 
 
 Gaines, 275. 
 Gainesville, 366. 
 Galon, 354. 
 Gallatin, 76. 
 Galway, 309. 
 Gardner's Island,336. 
 Gates, 143. 
 Geddes, 244. 
 Genesee, 53. 
 Genesee Co., 107. 
 Geneseo, 135. 
 Genoa, 59. 
 
 Geneva, 260. 
 Georgetown, 140. 
 German Flats, 112. 
 German, 71. 
 Germantown, 76. 
 Gerry, 65. 
 Ghent, 76. 
 Gilman, 112. 
 Glen, 146. 
 Glenn Falls, 347. 
 Glenville, 322. 
 Gorham, 256. 
 Goshen, 267. 
 Gonvemeur, 304. 
 Grafton, 294. 
 Granby, 276. 
 Granger, 53. 
 Granville, 348. 
 Gravesend,. 126. 
 Great Valley, 64. 
 Greece, 143. 
 Greenbush, 298. 
 Greene Co., 108. 
 Greene, 71. 
 Greenport, 76, 335. 
 Greenfield, 309. 
 Greensburg, 356. 
 Greenville, 109. 
 Greenwich, 348. 
 Greenwood, 332. 
 Greig, 134. 
 Groton, 340. 
 Grove, 53. 
 Groveland, 135. 
 Guilderland, 45. 
 GuUford, 71. 
 
 Hadley, 309. 
 Hague, 344. 
 Half Moon, 309. 
 Hallet's Cove, 292. 
 Hamburgh, 88. 
 Hamilton, 140. 
 Hamilton Co., 111. 
 Hammond, 304. 
 Hamden, 81. 
 Hampton, 348. 
 Hamptonburg, 262. 
 Hancock, 81. 
 Hannibal, 276. 
 Hanover, 65. 
 Harlaem, 207. 
 Harmony, 65. 
 Harpersfield, 81. 
 Harrisburg, 134. 
 Harrison, 356. 
 Hartford, 348. 
 Hartland, 215. 
 Hartwick, 281. 
 Hastings, 276. 
 Havana, 70. 
 Haverstraw, 300. 
 Hebron, 348. 
 
 Hector, 340. 
 Hempetead, 293. 
 Henderson, 116. 
 Henrietta, 143. 
 Herkiher Co., 112. 
 Herkimer, 113. 
 Hermon, 304. 
 Hillsdale, 76. 
 Hinsdale, 64. 
 Holland, 88. 
 Homer, 80. 
 Hoosick, 294. 
 Hope, 112. 
 Hopkinton, 304 
 Hopewell, 256. 
 Horicon, 344. 
 Hornby, 332. 
 Homelsville, 332. 
 Hounsfield, 116. 
 Howard, 332. 
 Hudson, 76. 
 Hume, 53. 
 Humphrey, 64. 
 Hunter, 109. 
 Huntington, 333. 
 Hurley, 341. 
 Huron, 354. 
 Hyde Park, 87. 
 
 Independence, 53. 
 Ira, 59. 
 
 Irondeqnoit, 143. 
 Islip, 333. 
 Italy, 367. 
 Ithaca, 340. 
 
 Jackson, 348. 
 Jamaica, 291. 
 Jamestown, 65. 
 Jasper, 332. 
 Jay, 95. 
 Java, 366. 
 Jefferson, 329. 
 Jefferson Co., 116. 
 Jerusalem, 367. 
 Johnsburg, 344. 
 Johnstown, 102. 
 Jordan, 254. 
 Junius, 330. 
 
 Keene, 95. 
 Keesville, 95. 
 Kendall, 275. 
 Kent, 287. 
 Kinderhook, 76. 
 Kingsbury, 348. 
 Kings Co., 126. 
 Kingston, 340. 
 Kirkland, 227. 
 Knox, 45. 
 Kortright, 81. 
 
 Lafayette, 243. 
 
COUNTIES, TOWNSHIPS, VILLAGES. 
 
 La Grange, 84. 
 Lake Pleasant, 112. 
 Lancaster, 88. 
 Lansing, 340. 
 Lansinburg, 298. 
 Laurens, 281. 
 Lawrence, 304. 
 Lebanon, 140. 
 Lee, 227. 
 Ledyard, 59. 
 Leicester, 135. 
 Lenox, 140. 
 Leon, 64. 
 Le Ray, 116. 
 Le Roy, 107. 
 Lewis, 95. 
 Lewisboro, 356. 
 Lewis Co., 134. 
 Ijewiston, 215. 
 Lexington, 109. 
 Leyden, 134. 
 Liberty, 337. 
 Lima, 139, 135. 
 Lincklaen, 71. 
 Lindley, 333. 
 Lisbon, 304. 
 Lisle, 56. 
 Litchfield, 112. 
 Little Falls, 114. 
 Little Valley, 64. 
 Liverpool, 244. 
 Livingston, 76. 
 Livingston Co., 135. 
 Livonia, 135. 
 Locke, 59. 
 Lockport, 215. 
 Lodi, 330. 
 Long Island, 139. 
 Long Lake, 112. 
 Lorraine, 116. 
 Louisville, 304. 
 Lowville, 134. 
 Lumberland, 337. 
 Luzerne, 344. 
 Lyme, 116. 
 Lyndon, 64. 
 Lyons, 354. 
 Lysander, 243. 
 
 Machias, 64. 
 Macedon, 354. 
 Macomb, 12. 
 McDonough, 71. 
 Madison, 140. 
 Madison, 140. 
 Madrid, 304. 
 Malone, 100. 
 Malta, 309. 
 Mamakating, 337. 
 Mamaroneck, 356. 
 Manhattanville, 207. 
 Marlborough, 341. 
 MarceUoB, 243, 254. 
 
 Manchester, 256. 
 Manheim, 112. 
 Manlius, 253. 
 Mansfield, 64. 
 Marathon, 80. 
 Marbletown, 341. 
 Marion, 354. 
 Marcy, 227. 
 Marshall, 227. 
 Martinsburg, 134. 
 Maryland, 281. 
 Masonville, 81. 
 Massena, 304. 
 Mattawan, 86 
 Mayfield, 102. 
 Mayville, 65. 
 Medina, 275. 
 Mendon, 143. 
 Mentz, 59. 
 Meredith, 81. 
 Mexico, 276. 
 Middlebury, 366. 
 Middleburg, 329. 
 Middlefield, 281. 
 Middlesex, 367. 
 Middletown, 262, 81. 
 Milan, 84. 
 Milford, 281. 
 Milton, 309. 
 Milo, 3C7. 
 Mina, 65. 
 Minden, 146. 
 Minerva, 95. 
 Minisink, 262. 
 Mohawk, 146. 
 Moira, 100. 
 Monroe, 262. 
 Monroe Co., 143. 
 Montezuma, 63. 
 Montgomery, 267. 
 Montgomery Co.,145 
 Monticello, 337. 
 Mooers, 72. 
 Moravia, 59. 
 Moreau, 309. 
 Morehouse, 112 
 Moriah, 95. 
 Morrisiana, 365. 
 Morrisville, 140. 
 Morristown, 304. 
 Mount Hope, 262. 
 Mount Morris, 138. 
 Mount Pleasant, 356. 
 Murray, 275. 
 
 Nanticoke, 56. 
 Naples, 256. 
 Napoli, 64. 
 Nassau, 294. 
 Nelson, 140. 
 Neversink, 337. 
 New Albion, 64. 
 Newark, 388. 
 
 New Baltimore, 109. 
 New Berlin, 71. 
 Newburg, 262. 
 Newcastle, 356. 
 Newcomb, 95. 
 Newfield, 340. 
 New Fane, 215. 
 New Hartford, 227. 
 New Haven, 276. 
 New Hudson, 53. 
 New Lebanon, 76. 
 New Lisbon, 281. 
 New Paltz, 341. 
 Newport, 112. 
 New Rochelle, 365. 
 New Scotland, 45. 
 Newstead, 88. 
 Newtown, 291. 
 New Utrecht, 126. 
 New Windsor, 262. 
 New York Co., 154. 
 Niagara, 215. 
 Niagara Co., 215. 
 Nichols, 338. 
 Niles, 59. 
 Niskayuna, 322. 
 Norfolk, 304. 
 Northampton, 102. 
 North Castle, 356. 
 Northfield, 299. 
 N. Hempstead, 291. 
 North East, 84. 
 North Salem, 356. 
 Northumberland, 309. 
 Norway, 112. 
 Norwich, 71. 
 Nunda, 53. 
 
 Ohio, 112. 
 Ogden, 143. 
 Ogdensburg, 304. 
 Olean, 64. 
 Olive, 341. 
 Oneida Co., 227. 
 Oneonta, 281. 
 Onondaga, 243. 
 Onondaga Co., 243. 
 Ontario, 354. 
 Ontario Co., 256. 
 Oppenheim, 102. 
 Oquago, 58. 
 Orange Co., 262. 
 Orange, 332. 
 Orangetown, 300 
 Orangeville, 366. 
 Oriskany, 235. 
 Oriskany Falls, 
 Orleans, 116. 
 Orleans Co., 274. 
 Orwell, 276. 
 Ossian, 53. 
 Ossissing, 356. 
 Oswegatchie, 304. 
 
 Oswego, 276. 
 Oswego Co., 275. 
 Owego, 338. 
 Otego, 281. 
 Otisco, 243. 
 Otto, 64. 
 Otsego, 281. 
 Otsego Co., 280. 
 Otselic, 71. 
 Ovid, 330. 
 Owasco, 59. 
 Oxford, 71. 
 Oyster Bay, 291. 
 
 Painted Post, 332. 
 Palatine, 146. 
 Palermo, 276. 
 Pamelia, 116. 
 Palmyra, 354. 
 Paris, 227. 
 Parish, 276. 
 Parishville, 304. 
 Parma, 143. 
 Patchogue, 335. 
 Paterson, 287. 
 Pavilion, 107. 
 Pawlmg, 84. 
 Peekskill, 356. 
 Pelham, 356. 
 Pembroke, 107. 
 Pendleton, 215. 
 Penfield, 143. 
 Penn Yan, 367. 
 Ferrinton, 143. 
 Perry, 366. 
 Perrysburg, 64. 
 Persia, 64. 
 Peru, 72. 
 Petersburg, 294. 
 Perth, 102. 
 Pharsalia, 71. 
 Phelps, 256. 
 Philadelphia, 116. 
 Phillipstown, 287. 
 Pierrepont, 304. 
 Piermout, 302. 
 Pike, 53. 
 Pinckney, 134. 
 Pine Plams, 84. 
 Pitcaim, 304. 
 Pitcher, 71. 
 Pittsfield, 281. 
 Pittsford, 143. 
 Pittstown, 294. 
 Plainfield, 281. 
 Plattekill, 341. 
 Plattsburg, 72. 
 Pleasant Valley, 84. 
 Plymouth, 71. 
 Poland, 65. 
 Pomlret, 65. 
 Pompey, 243, 254 
 Portage, 53. 
 
8 
 
 COUNTIES, TOWNSHIPS, VILLAGES. 
 
 Porter, 215. 
 Portland, 65, 67. 
 Port Byron, 63. 
 Port Chester, 365. 
 Port Genesee, 
 Portville, 64. 
 Potsdam, 308. 
 Potter, 367. 
 Poughkeepsie, 84. 
 Poundridge, 356. 
 Prattsburg, 332. 
 Prattsville, 109. 
 Preble, 80. 
 Preston, 71. 
 Princeton, 322. 
 Providence, 309. 
 Pulaski, 280. 
 Pulteney, 332. 
 Putnam Co., 287. 
 Putnam Valley, 287. 
 Putnam, 348. 
 
 Queensbury, 344. 
 Queens Co., 290. 
 
 Ramapo, 300. 
 Randolph, G4. 
 Reading, 332 
 Eedfield, 276. 
 Redhook, 84. 
 Rcmsen, 227. 
 Rensselaer Co., 294. 
 Rensselaerville, 45. 
 Rhinebeck, 84. 
 Ridgeway, 275. 
 Richfield, 281. 
 Richford, 338. 
 Richland, 276. 
 Richmond, 256. 
 Richmond Co., 299. 
 Riga, 143. 
 Ripley, 65. 
 Riverhead, 335. 
 Rochester, 341, 143. 
 Rockland, 337. 
 Rockland Co., 300. 
 Rodman, 116. 
 Rome, 227. 
 Romulus, 330. 
 Rondout, 342. 
 Root, 146. 
 Rossie, 304. 
 Rose, 354. 
 Rotterdam, 323. 
 Roxbury, 81. 
 Royalton, 215. 
 Rush, 143. 
 Rushford, 53. 
 Russell, 304. 
 Russia, 112. 
 Rutland, 116. 
 Rye, 356. 
 
 Sackctts Harbor, 117. 
 Sagg Harbor, 333. 
 St. Johnsville, 146. 
 St. Regis, 101. 
 Salem, 350. 
 Salina, 244. 
 Salisbury, 112. 
 Sanford, 56. 
 Sandlake, 294. 
 Sandy Creek, 276. 
 Sandy Hill, 350. 
 Sangerfield, 227. 
 Saranac, 72. 
 Saratoga, 310. 
 Sardinia, 88. 
 Saratoga Co., 309. 
 Saratoga Springs,310. 
 Saugerties, 341. 
 Savannah, 354. 
 Sawpits, 365. 
 Scaisdale, 356. 
 Schaghticoke, 294. 
 Schenectady Co., 
 
 322. 
 Schenectady, 323. 
 Schoharie, 329. 
 Schoharie Co., 328. 
 Schodac, 294. 
 Schroon, 95. 
 Schroeppel, 276. 
 Schuyler, 112. 
 Schuylerville, 310. 
 Scio, 53. 
 Scipio, 59. 
 Scott, 80. 
 Scriba, 276. 
 Sempronius, 59. 
 Seneca, 256. 
 Seneca Co., 330. 
 Seneca Falls, 330. 
 Sennet, 59. 
 Seward, 329. 
 Setauket, 335. 
 Shandaken, 341. 
 Sharon, 322. 
 Shawangunk, 341. 
 Shelby, 275. 
 Shelter Island, 333. 
 Sheldon, 366. 
 Sherburne, 71. 
 Sheridan, 65. 
 Sherman, 65. 
 Sidney, 81. 
 Sing Sing, 360. 
 Skaneateles, 251. 
 Sleepy Hollow, 360. 
 Smithfield, 140. 
 Smithtown, 333. 
 Smithville, 71. 
 Smyrna, 71. 
 Sodus, 354. 
 Solon, 80. 
 Somers, 356. 
 
 Somerset, 215. 
 South Bristol, 256. 
 South East, 287. 
 Southfield, 299. 
 Southampton, 335. 
 Southold, 333. 
 Southport, 67. 
 Spafford, 243. 
 Sparta, 135. 
 Spencer, 338. 
 Springfield, 281. 
 Springport, 59. 
 Springwater, 135. 
 Stamford, 81. 
 Stafford, 107. 
 Stanford, 84. 
 Stark, 112. 
 Starkey, 367. 
 Stephentown, 294. 
 Sterling, 59. 
 Steuben, 227. 
 Steuben Co., 332. 
 Stillwater, 315. 
 St. Lawrence Co., 
 
 304. 
 Stockbridge, 140. 
 Stockholm, 304. 
 Stockport, 76. 
 Stockton, 65. 
 Stratford, 102. 
 Stuyvesant, 76. 
 Suffolk Co., 333. 
 Sullivan, 140. 
 Sullivan Co., 337. 
 Summer Hill, 59. 
 Summit, 329. 
 Sweden, 143. 
 Syracuse, 244. 
 
 Taghkanic, 76. 
 Tappan, 302. 
 Tarrytown, 358. 
 Thompson, 337. 
 Ticoiideroga, 95. 
 Tioga, 338. 
 Tioga Co., 338. 
 Tompkins, 81. 
 Tompkins Co., 339. 
 Tonawanda, 94. 
 Trenton, 227. 
 Triangle, 56. 
 Troupsburg, 332. 
 Troy, 294. 
 Trumansburg, 340. 
 Truxton, 80. 
 Tully, 243. 
 Turin, 134. 
 Tyre, 330. 
 Tyrone, 332. 
 
 Ulster«Co., 341. 
 Ulsterville, 343. 
 Ulysses, 340. 
 
 Unadilla, 281. 
 Union, 350, 56. 
 Union Vale, 84. 
 Union Village, 350 
 Urbana, 332. 
 Utica, 227. 
 
 Valalie, 77. 
 Van Buren, 243, 67. 
 Varick, 330. 
 Venice, 59. 
 Vernon, 227. 
 Verona, 227. 
 Vestal, 56. 
 Veteran, 67. 
 Victor, 256. 
 Victory, 59. 
 Vienna, 262, 227. 
 ViUenova, 65. 
 Virgil, 80. 
 Volney, 276. 
 
 VV^alden, 267. 
 VV^ales, 88. 
 Walkill, 262. 
 Walton, 81. 
 Walworth, 364. 
 Warren, 112. 
 Warren Co., 344. 
 Warrensburg, 344. 
 Warsaw, 366. 
 Warwick, 262. 
 Washington, 84. 
 Washington Co.,348. 
 Waterford, 321. 
 Waterloo, 330. 
 Watertown, 117. 
 Watervliet, 45. 
 Watson, 134. 
 Wawareing, 341. 
 Wayne, 332. 
 Wayne Co., 354. 
 Webster, 143. 
 Weedsport, 63. 
 Wells, 112. 
 West Almond, 53. 
 West Bloomfield, 256. 
 Westfield, 67. 
 West Monroe, 276. 
 West Point, 267. 
 Westchester, 356. 
 Westchester Co., 
 
 356. 
 Westerlo, 45. 
 Western, 227. 
 Westfield, 65. 
 Westford, 281. 
 Westmoreland, 227. 
 Westport, 95. 
 West Troy, 52. 
 West Turin, 134. 
 Westville, 100. 
 Wethersfield, 366. 
 
COUNTIES, TOWNSHIPS, VILLAGES. 
 
 Wheatfield, 215. 
 Wheatland. 143. 
 Wheeler, 332. 
 White Creek, 348. 
 Whitehall, 348. 
 White Plains, 356. 
 Whitesborough, 232. 
 Whitestown, 227. 
 WiUet, 80. 
 
 Williamsburg, 133. 
 Williamson, 354. 
 Williamstown, 276. 
 Willsborough, 95. 
 Wilmington, 95. 
 Wilmurt, 112. 
 Wilna^ll6. 
 Wilson, 215. 
 i Wilton, 309. 
 
 Windham, 109. 
 Windsor, 56. 
 Winfield, 112. 
 Wirt, 53. 
 Wolcott, 354. 
 Woodhull, 332. 
 Woodstock, 341. 
 Worcester, 281. 
 Wyoming, 366. 
 
 WvoMiNQ Co., 366. 
 
 Yates, 275. 
 Yates Co., 367. 
 Yonkers, 365. 
 York, 135. 
 Yorkshire, 64. 
 Yorktown, 356. 
 Yoongstown, 294. 
 
 POPULATION OF COTINTIES, ACCOEDING TO THE CENBTTS OF 1850, 
 
 AND POPULATION OF THE COUNTIES IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK IN 1845, 
 
 Compiled frmn official returns in the office of the Secretary of State. 
 
 1845. 1850. 
 
 Albany 77,268 93,297 
 
 --AUegany 40,084 87,880 
 
 Broome 25,808 30,660 
 
 Cattaraugus 30,169 38,912 
 
 Cayuga 49,663 55,489 
 
 Chautauque 46,548 60,624 
 
 Chemung 23,689 28,964 
 
 Chenango 39,900 40,313 
 
 Clinton 31,278 40,056 
 
 Columbia 41,976 43,004 
 
 •Cortland 25,081 2.5,068 
 
 Delaware 36,990 39,872 
 
 Dutchess 55,124 68,994 
 
 Erie 78,636 101,116 
 
 Essex 26,102 31,203 
 
 Franklin 18,692 26,114 
 
 Fulton 18,579 20,168 
 
 'Genesee 28,845 28,538 
 
 Greene 31,967 33,124 
 
 Pamilton 1,882 2,188 
 
 Herkimer 87,424 38,257 
 
 Jefferson 64,999 68,156 
 
 Kings 78,691 138,899 
 
 Lewis 20,218 24,670 
 
 Livingston 33,198 40,887 
 
 Madison 40,987 43,081 
 
 Monroe 70,899 87,838 
 
 Montgomery 29,643 31,913 
 
 New York 371,102 516,394 
 
 Niagara 84,660 42,224 
 
 Oneida 84,776 99,818 
 
 1850. 
 86,900 
 43,977 
 67,164 
 28,464 
 62,160 
 
 1M5. 
 
 Onondaga 70,176.... 
 
 Ontario 42,692.... 
 
 Orange 52,227.... 
 
 Orleans 25,846.... 
 
 Oswego 48,441.... 
 
 Otsego 60,509 48,746 
 
 Putnam 13,258 14,184 
 
 Queens 31,849 36,832 
 
 Rensselaer 62,338 73,436 
 
 Richmond 13,673 15,066 
 
 Rockland 13,741 16,965 
 
 Saratoga 41,477 46,620 
 
 Schenectady 16,630 20,067 
 
 Schoharie 32,488 33,636 
 
 Seneca 24,972 25,442 
 
 St. Lawrence 62,354 63,634 
 
 Steuben 51,679 63,785 
 
 Suffolk 34,579 86,826 
 
 Sullivan 18,727 25,090 
 
 Tioga 22,456 25,384 
 
 Tompkins 88,168 38,749 
 
 Ulster 48,907 59,406 
 
 Warren 14,908 17,159 
 
 Washington 40,554 44,751 
 
 Wayne 42,515 44,967 
 
 Westchester 47,578 58,267 
 
 Wyoming 27,205 32,123 
 
 Yates 20,777 20,590 
 
 Total 2,600,374 3,098,818 
 
INDEX, 
 
 
 Pn-e 
 
 Abercrombie, Gen., defeat of, 
 
 . 97 
 
 Allen, Indian, . 
 
 . 145 
 
 Amsterdam, Nieuw, in 1C59, 
 
 ].'")() 
 
 Andre, taking of. 
 
 . 358 
 
 Andre, execution of, . 
 
 . 3U2 
 
 Anecdotes, ludicrous, 
 
 . 284 
 
 Ararat, city of, . 
 
 94 
 
 Arnold the traitor, anecdote of, 
 
 . 1.53 
 
 Astor House, 
 
 203 
 
 Backus, Azel, D. D., epitaph, 
 
 . 240 
 
 Ballad, ou the destruction of Schenec- 
 
 tady, .... 
 
 . 327 
 
 Battery and Castle Garden, 
 
 . 200 
 
 Black Rock, attack on, 
 
 90 
 
 Bowne Mansion House, 
 
 . 292 
 
 Boyd, Ijieuteuant, horrible death of, . 136 
 
 Brock, !Sir James, death of, 
 
 218 
 
 Brunt, Joseph, notice of, 
 
 . 149 
 
 Breiul, scarcity of. 
 
 . 339 
 
 Bridjrewater, buttle of. 
 
 . 222 
 
 British ollici'.rs, description of. 
 
 . 177 
 
 Brown, C'oloncI, notice of, . 
 
 . 153 
 
 Burgoyne, surrender of. 
 
 . 311 
 
 Butler, Walter, death of, . 
 
 . IOC 
 
 Clahoes Falls, . 
 
 . 52 
 
 ('anajoliarie, invasion of, . 
 
 149 
 
 Caroline, burning of, . 
 
 . 224 
 
 Carthage Bridge, 
 
 144 
 
 Catskill Mountain House, . 
 
 . 110 
 
 Cayuga Bridge, 
 
 . (i3 
 
 Census, New York city. 
 
 . 154 
 
 Census of counties, . 
 
 9 
 
 Chataiique gas springs, 
 
 . C« 
 
 Chemung, battle of, . 
 
 . 68 
 
 Chimney Point Gulf, 
 
 . 135 
 
 Church, ancient, at Caughnawa 
 
 ga, . 146 
 
 Church, ancient, Albany, 
 
 . 47 
 
 Churches, number of in N. York 
 
 , 12, 198 
 
 Cholera in New York, 
 
 . 183 
 
 Chippewa, battle of, 
 
 . 221 
 
 Cherry Valley, destruction of, . 
 
 . 285 
 
 City Hall, New York, 
 
 . 185 
 
 Clinton, George, notice of. 
 
 . 273 
 
 Clinton, De Witt, notice of. 
 
 . 205 
 
 Cobleskill, attack on, 
 
 . 330 
 
 Coldeu, Governor, effigy of. 
 
 . 166 
 
 Golden, Cadwallader, notice of, . 
 
 . 293 
 
 Cornbury, lord, notice of, . 
 
 . 23 
 
 Crown Point, 
 
 . !)5 
 
 Croton Aqueduct, 
 
 2115 
 
 Customhouse, .... 
 
 . 192 
 
 Pa?e 
 
 Diploma for the Indians, . . .106 
 
 Uobb's Ferry, 302 
 
 Dodd, Rev. Bethuel, epitaph, . . 237 
 Dutch, ancient, church, . . 47 
 
 Dutch church at Caughnawaga, . 146 
 
 Edwards, D. D., Jonathan, notice of, 58 
 Erie Canal celebration, . . . 204 
 
 Fire, great, in New York, 1776, . 172 
 
 Fire, great, in New York, 1835, . 190 
 
 Five Nations, invade Canada, . . 21 
 
 Fort Erie, assault on, ... 90 
 
 Fort Erie, sortie of, . . .91 
 
 Fort Plain, block-hoiise, . . . 152 
 
 Fox, George, notice of, . . . 292 
 
 Frazer, General, death of, . . 320 
 
 French colony, account of, . 255 
 
 Frederic, Fort, notice of, . . . 95 
 
 Fulton, Robert, notice of, . . . 209 
 
 Gardner, Lyon, notice of, . . .336 
 
 Genesee Falls 1-44 
 
 Glenus Falls, 347 
 
 (Vray, Colonel, death of, . . . 125 
 Granger, Gideon, epitaph, . . 259 
 
 Greig, Capt., remarkable preservation of, 231 
 Gothic or Temperance Hall, . . 198 
 
 and John, adven- 
 
 Harpers, William 
 
 tures of, . 
 Hale, Captain Nathan, notice of. 
 Halls of Justice, 
 Harlaem Tunnel, 
 Hamilton, Alexander, notice of, 
 Hamilton College, 
 Han Yerry, anecdote of, . 
 Herkimer, General, notice of, 
 Herkimer, burning of, 
 Hendrick, King, notice of, 
 Hornby Lodge, . 
 
 Holland Land Company's Office; 
 Howe, Lord, death of, 
 Hudson River discovered, . 
 
 Indians, natives, 
 Indians, Tuscarora, . 
 Indians, Onondaga, . 
 
 Jay, John, LL. D., notice of, 
 Johnson Hall, . 
 Johnson, Sir Wilham, notice of, 
 Johnson, Sir Guy, residence of. 
 
 62 
 177 
 1S7 
 207 
 213 
 238 
 234 
 115 
 113 
 152 
 
 55 
 108 
 
 97 
 
 15 
 
 14 
 217 
 243 
 
 364 
 103 
 103 
 147 
 
INDEX. 
 
 11 
 
 Page 
 
 Kalm, Professor, visit to Albany, . 48 
 
 Kiild's Heights, Albany, ... 46 
 
 Kidd, William, the pirate, . . 336 
 
 Kirtland, llev. Mr., notice of, . . 238 
 
 Kingston, destruction of, . . . 342 
 
 Knickerbocker, extract from, . . 159 
 
 Kosciusko, notice of, . . . 271 
 
 Lake George, battle of, . . . 344 
 
 Lee, Ann, notice of, . . . .52 
 
 Letter, anonymous, Newburg, . . 264 
 
 Livingston, Philip, notice of, . . 208 
 
 Livingston, William, notice of, . . 209 
 
 Livingston, Brockhaldst, . . .211 
 
 Lindesay, Mr., notice of, . . . - 283 
 
 Long Island, battle of, . . . 128 
 
 Long Island, account of, . . . 139 
 
 Lundy's Lane, battle of, . . 222 
 
 McCrea, Miss Jane, murder of, . . 353 
 
 Merchants' Exchange, New York, . 194 
 
 Meigs, Colonel, expedition of, . ■ 334 
 
 Mohawk Castles, taking of, . . 151 
 
 "Montgomer)', (ieneral, notice of, . 212 
 
 Montauk Point, view of, . . . 33G 
 
 Montour, Catharine, notice of, . . 70 
 
 Morris, Gouvorneur, notice of, . . 365 
 
 Navy Yard, Brooklyn, . . . 126 
 
 Negro plot, . ... 164 
 
 New York, evacuation of, . . .310 
 
 New York in 1800 184 
 
 Now York University, . . . 195 
 
 Nftw York Deaf and Dumb Asylum, 196 
 
 Newspapers, ancient, extracts from, . 165 
 
 Niagara Falls, view of, . . . 220 
 
 Niagara Fort, account of, . . . 225 
 
 Norton, Seth M., epitaph, . . . 240 
 
 Officers, Dutch names of, . . .156 
 
 Ogdensburg, attack on, . . . 305 
 
 Oneida Institute, view of, . . . 232 
 
 Onondagas, account of, . . . 243 
 Onondaga, French colony at, in the 
 
 year 1656, 248 
 
 Oriskany, battle of, . . . 235 
 
 O.swego, attack on, .... 279 
 
 Oswego Fort, surrender of, . 277 
 
 Painted Post, the history of, . 332 
 
 Palatinates, settlement of, . . . 24 
 
 Patroons, notice of, . . 18 
 
 Paulding, John, notice of, . . . 358 
 
 Peekskili, incursion into, . . . 357 
 
 Penitentiary, Blackwell's Island, . 189 
 
 Phelps and Gorham's surveys, . . 258 
 
 Phelps, Hon. Oliver, epitaph, . . 260 
 
 Pike, Gen. Z. M., death of, . . 120 
 
 Plattsburg, battle of, . . 73 
 
 Pompey, ancient remains at, . . 254 
 
 Portage Falls, view of, . . 54 
 
 Prison at Auburn, .... 61 
 
 Prison ships, revolutionary, . 127 
 
 Prescott, battle of, . . . 306 
 
 Publications, periodical, in New York, 202 
 
 Putnam's battle with Indians, . 350 
 
 Queenstown Heights, battle of, . . 918 
 
 Red Jacket, notice of, . . . 92 
 
 Red Jacket, conference with, . . 258 
 
 Rensselaer, manor of, ... 297 
 
 Rensselaer, Hon. Stephen, notice of, . 51 
 
 Revolutionary incidents in New York, 173 
 Rivington press destroyed, . . .169 
 
 Robinson House, tlie, . . 288 
 
 Royalists executed at Kingston, . 343 
 
 Sachems visit England, ... 34 
 
 Sacketts Harbor, attack on, . . 122 
 
 Salina salt works, . . 240 
 
 Sailor's Snug Harbor, . . 299 
 
 Schlosser Landing, view of, . 223 
 
 Schuyler, Honyost, stratagem of, 231 
 
 Schuyler, General Philip, notice of, 315 
 
 Schuyler Mansion House, . . 311 
 
 Schenectady, destruction of, . . 325 
 
 Schoharie, JFort, attack on, . . 329 
 
 Seneca Mission House, ... 92 
 Sliakers, notice of, . . . .52 
 
 Shakers at New Lebanon, ... 78 
 
 Sing Sing Prison, .... 360 
 
 Skeene, Major, royalist, , . 349 
 
 Skcnandoah, epitaph, . . . 240 
 
 Skenandoa, notice of, ... 239 
 
 Sleepy Hollow, ..... 360 
 
 Standard, first, taken in last war, . 101 
 Stadt Huys in 1642, . . . .155 
 
 Stuyvesaut, Governor, notice of, 208 
 
 Sterling, Lord, notice of, . . 212 
 
 Stanwix, Fort, siege of, . . . 230 
 
 Steuben, Baron, notice of, . . . 24] 
 
 Stillwater, battle at, . . . 316 
 
 Steamboat, Fulton, first American, . 211 
 
 Stony Point, storming of, . . . 300 
 
 Tammany Hall, New York, . . 199 
 
 Ticonderoga, Fort, .... 96 
 
 Ticonderoga, capture of, by Allen, . 98 
 
 Ticonderoga, St. Clair's evacuation of, 99 
 
 Trenton Falls, . . . . 242 
 
 Troy Female Seminary, . . 296 
 
 Tunnel at Portage 55 
 
 TuBcarora Indians, .... 217 
 
 Union College, 323 
 
 Van Kleek House, .... 85 
 
 Van Rensselaer, S., notice of, . . 51 
 
 Van Wart, Isaac, epitaph, . . 360 
 
 Wadsworth, James and William, notice 
 
 of, ... . . 13G 
 
 Washington, Fort, capture of, . . 363 
 
 Washington inaugurated, . . 193 
 
 Washington's head-quartere, Newburg, 263 
 
12 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 West Point Academy, 
 West Point, ancient view of, 
 White, Hugh, notice of, 
 White, Hugh, epitaph. 
 White Plains, battle of, . 
 Williams, Rev. Mr., capture of, . 
 Williamson, Captain, first settler 
 Bath, 
 
 at 
 
 Pa»e 
 
 267 
 272 
 233 
 237 
 361 
 101 
 
 332 
 
 Wilkinson, Jemima, "the Universal 
 
 Friend," . . . • . 
 William Henry, Fort, capture of. 
 
 Yellow Fever in New York, 
 York Island, military movements on, 
 York, U. C, attack on, . 
 Young, Major G. D., notice of, . 
 
 p.g« 
 
 368 
 346 
 
 180 
 170 
 118 
 101 
 
 INDEX 
 
 To the additional matter in the Appendix. 
 
 Pa?e 
 
 French expedition against the Seneoas, 369 
 Long Island Indians, . . 371 
 
 Conference at Unadilla, between Gen. 
 
 Herkimer and Brandt, . 373 
 
 Indian sacrifice at Rochester, 374 
 
 Indian chiefs Complanter and Big Kettle, 375 
 First settlers of Greene, . 376 
 
 German Flats destroyed by Tories, &c., 377 
 Remarkable fulfilment of a dream, . 378 
 Death of the Oneida guide, . 379 
 
 Battle of Bennington, . . 379 
 
 Ancient Dutch Church, Sleepy Hollow, 381 
 Deception on Sir James Yeo, . 382 
 
 P.ge 
 David Williams captor of Andre, . 383 
 Execution of a deserter, . . . 383 
 Blowing up of the Steam Frigate Fulton, 385 
 Murder of Robert Barber, . . 387 
 
 Capture of the Amistad, . 389 
 
 Rachel Baker, . . . .390 
 
 Abduction of Morgan, . . 392 
 
 Conflagration of the Phoenix, . . 394 
 Wreck of the Mexico, . . . 395 
 Account of Jos. Smith and Mormonism, 399 
 List of Post Ofiices, . . .399 
 
 Towns recently organized, . . 12 
 
 TOWNSHIPS RECENTLY ORGANIZED. 
 
 Townflhipa. 
 
 CouDtieB. 
 
 TownBhips. 
 
 Counties. 
 
 Ashland, 
 
 Greene. 
 
 New Bremen, 
 
 Lewis. 
 
 Callicoon, 
 
 Sullivan. 
 
 North Dansville 
 
 Livingston. 
 
 Cape Vincent, 
 
 Jefferson. 
 
 North Hudson, 
 
 Essex. 
 
 Carrolton, 
 
 Cattaraugus. 
 
 North Norwich, 
 
 Chenango. 
 
 Chester, 
 
 Orange. 
 
 Poeston Kill, 
 
 Rennselaer. 
 
 East Fishkill, 
 
 Dutchess. 
 
 Rice, 
 
 Cattaraugus. 
 
 Genessee Falls, 
 
 Allegany. 
 
 Rosendale, 
 
 Ulster. 
 
 Hartford, 
 
 Cortland t. 
 
 Schuyler Falls, 
 
 Clinton. 
 
 Jewett, 
 
 Greene. 
 
 South Valley, 
 
 Cattaraugus. 
 
 La Pier, 
 
 Cortlandt. 
 
 West Farms, 
 
 West Chester. 
 
 Lloyd, 
 
 Ulster. 
 
 West Sparta, 
 
 Livingston. 
 
 Macomb, 
 
 St. Lawrence. 
 
 Worth, 
 
 Jefferson. 
 
 Maine, 
 
 Broome. 
 
 
 
NEW YORK 
 
 OUTLINE HISTORY. 
 
 There is reason to believe that the first Europeans who landed on 
 the soil of New York, were the crew of a French vessel under the 
 command of John de Verrazzano, a Florentine, in the service of 
 Francis I., of France. " Verrazzano had been for some time intrusted 
 with the command of four ships, in cruising against the Spaniards. 
 These vessels being separated in a storm, the commander resolved 
 with one of them, the Dauphin, to undertake a voyage for the purpose 
 of discovering new countries." About the middle of March, 1524, 
 he arrived on the American coast near Wilmington, N. C. From 
 this point he proceeded as far south as Georgia. He then turned 
 and proceeded northward, until he came to about the latitude of 41° 
 north, where he entered a harbor, which, from his description, is 
 believed to be that of New York.* 
 
 It appears from Verrazzano's account, that he stayed in the harbor 
 about fifteen days. It seems he had much intercourse with the natives 
 of the country. " They came on board his ship frequently, and without 
 reserve ; traded with him freely for such articles as he needed, and 
 generally attended his men, in greater or smaller numbers, whenever 
 they went on shore." He sailed from the harbor on the 5th of May, 
 and proceeded as far porth as the coast of Labrador ; from thence 
 he sailed for France, where he arrived in July. In a letter to the 
 king, he gave an account of his voyage, giving the name of New 
 France to the country he visited. As his voyage neither produced 
 nor promised any addition to the revenues of France, his discoveries 
 were not pursued, and even the memory of it was almost forgotten. 
 It is supposed that Verrazzano, in a subsequent voyage, was cut to 
 pieces and devoured by the savages. 
 
 In 1607, a London company fitted out a ship under the command 
 of Henry Hudson, for the purpose of discovering a northwestern 
 passage to the East Indies. This voyage, and another the next year 
 
 * An account of this voyage, given in a letter to the French king, is found in Richard 
 Hakluyt's Voyages, Navigations, &c., published in 1600, in London, in three vob. folio. 
 Tt is republished in vol. i. of the Coll. of the New York Hist. Soc. 
 
14 OUTLINE HISTORY. 
 
 for the same purpose, both proving unsuccessful, the company sus- 
 pended their patronage. Hudson then went to Holland, and entered 
 into the service of the celebrated Dutch East India Company. This 
 company fitted out a small ship, named Half Moon, imder the com- 
 mand of Hudson, with a crew it is said of twenty men, Dutch and 
 English. Hudson left Amsterdam on the 4th, the Texel on the 6th 
 of April, and arrived on the American coast on the 18th of July, 
 1609, near Portland, in the state of Maine. 
 
 Pursuing his course southward, Hudson came to Cape Cod. where 
 he landed, about the 3d of August. After this, he sailed southward 
 and westward for one-and-twenty days, "making remarks on the 
 soundings and currents," until he came to the entrance of Chesapeak 
 B^y, about the 24th of August. From this point, he returned north- 
 ward along the coast, and on the 28th discovered Delaware Bay 
 During the six following days, Hudson pursued his northerly course, 
 until, on the 3d of September, 1609, he anchored within Sandy Hook. 
 
 " The next day, the 4th of September, he sent a boat on shore for 
 the purpose of fishing. The tradition is that his men first fended on 
 Coney Island, which lies near to Long Island, and now makes a part 
 of Kings count}'. On the same day the natives came on board his 
 ship, as she lay at anchor, conducting themselves with great apparent 
 friendliness, and discovering a strong disposition to barter the produce 
 of their country for knives, beads, clothes, and other articles of a 
 similar kind. The next day, the 5th of September, Hudson again 
 sent his boat on shore, for the purpose, as appears from the journal, 
 of exploring and sounding the waters lying to the south, within Sandy 
 Hook, and forming what is now called the Horse Shoe. Here the 
 boat's crew landed and penetrated some distance into the woods, in 
 what is now Monmouth county, in New Jersey. They were very 
 well received by the natives, who presented them very kindly with 
 what the journal calls 'green tobacco,' and also with 'dried cur- 
 rants ;' [these were probably whortleberries,] which are represented 
 as having been found in great plenty, and of a very excellent quality. 
 
 " On the 6th of September, Hudson sent a boat manned with five 
 hands to explore what appeared to be the mouth of a river, at the 
 distance of about four leagues from the ship. This was no doubt 
 the strait between Long and Staten islands, generally called the 
 Narrows. Here, the writer of the journal observes, ' a good depth 
 of water was found ;' and within, a large opening, and a narrow 
 river to the west ; in which it is evident he refers to what is now 
 called the Kills, or the channel between Bergen Neck and Staten 
 Island. In exploring the bay and the adjacent waters, the boat's 
 crew spent the whole day. On their way in returning to the ship 
 towards night, they were attacked by the natives, in two canoes ; the 
 one carrying fourteen men, and the other twelve. A skirmish ensued, 
 in which one of Hudson's men, named John Colman, was killed by 
 an arrow, which struck him in the throat, and two more were 
 wounded. The next day the remains of Colman were interred on a 
 point of land not far from the shio, which from that circumstance 
 
OUTLINE HISTORY. 15 
 
 received the name of Colman's Point ; and which, probably, was the 
 same that is now called Sandy Hook. 
 
 "On the 8th, 9th and 10th days of September, Hudson still rode 
 cautiously at anchor, without the Narrows, and seems to have been 
 chiefly employed in trading with the natives, and in guarding against 
 any insidious attacks which might have been meditated by them, and 
 which he evidently feared. On the 11th, he sailed through the 
 Narrows, and found, as the writer of the journal expresses it, ' a very 
 good harbor for all winds.' On the 12th, he first entered the river 
 which bears his name, and sailed up about two leagues. On these 
 two days the ship was visited by great numbers of the natives, who 
 brought Indian com, beans, tobacco, and oysters, in abundance, and 
 exchanged them for such trifles as the ship's company were disposed 
 to barter. They had pipes of 'yellow copper,' in which they 
 smoked. They had also various ornaments of copper ; and earthen 
 pots, in which they dressed their meat. But, althoiigh t|jfey were 
 ' civil,' as the writer of the journal tells us, and ' made show of love,' 
 Hudson did not think proper to trust them ; and by no means would 
 suffer any of them to remain on board during the night. 
 
 "From the 12th to the 22d of September, Hudson was employed 
 in ascending the river. The journal represents it in general about a 
 mile wide, and of a good depth, abounding with fish, among which 
 were ' great store of salmons.' As he advanced, he found the land 
 on both sides growing higher, until it became ' very mountainous.' 
 This high land, it is observed, ' had many points ; the channel was 
 narrow, and there were many eddy winds.' In his passage up the 
 river, the natives frequently came on board of his ship, and sometimes 
 in considerable numbers, but always in an amicable manner. 
 
 " Hudson appears to have sailed up the river a little above where 
 the city of Hudson now stands ; and beyond that point, he himself 
 never ascended. Not considering it as safe to proceed farther with 
 his ship, he sent a boat with five hands, (the mate, who had the 
 command of the expedition, being one,) to explore and sound the river 
 higher up. The boat proceeded eight or nine leagues beyond where 
 the ship lay at anchor ; but finding the soundings extremely irregular, 
 and the depth, in some places, not more than seven feet, it was judged 
 unadvisable to attempt any farther progress. It is evident, from the 
 whole account, that the boat went as far as where the city of Albany 
 now stands. 
 
 " It is worthy of notice, that the farther they went up the river, 
 the more friendly and hospitable the natives appeared. After they 
 had passed the highlands, the writer of the journal observes : ' There 
 we found a very loving people, and very old men ; and were well 
 used.' On the 18th of September, when the ship was lying about 
 twenty-five or thirty miles below the present situation of Albany, 
 ' the mate,' it is farther observed, ' went on shore with an ola savage, 
 a governor of the country, who took him to his house and made him 
 good cheer.' At this place the savages flocked on board the ship in 
 considerable numbers, bringing with them corn, tobacco, pumpkins, 
 
16 OUTLINE HISTORY. 
 
 and grapes, and some of them beaver and otter skins, which they 
 exchanged for hatchets, knives, beads, and other trifles. On the 20th 
 of September, Hudson and his crew, for the purpose of making an 
 experiment on the temper of the Indians, attempted to make a number 
 of their principal men drunk. But though they ' were all merry,' 
 as the journalist expresses it, only one of them appears to have been 
 completely intoxicated. This phenomenon excited great surprise 
 and alarm among his companions. They knew not what to make 
 of it, and it was not until the next day, when he had completely re- 
 'covered, that they became composed. This, so far as we know, 
 is the first instance of intoxication by ardent spirits, among the Indi- 
 ans on this part of the American continent. It is very remarkable that 
 among the Six Nations there is a tradition, still very distinctly pre- 
 served, of a scene of intoxication which occurred with a company of 
 
 the natives when the ship first arrived On the 22d of the 
 
 month, confidence on the part of the natives being restored, a number 
 of their chiefs came on board the ship as she lay at anchor. This 
 interview the writer of the journal describes in the following man- 
 ner : ' At three o'clock in the afternoon they came on board, and 
 brought tobacco and beans, and gave them to our master, and made 
 an oration, and showed him all the country round about. Then they 
 sent one of their company on land, who presently returned and brought 
 a great platter of venison, dressed by themselves ; and they caused 
 him to eat with them. Then they made him reverence and departed.* 
 
 " On the 23d of September, Hudson began to descend the river. 
 On his way down, his men went frequently on shore, and had several 
 very friendly interviews with the natives, who expressed a desire 
 that they might reside among them ; and made them an offer of lands 
 for that purpose. But when the ship came below the highlands, the 
 savages appeared to be of a different character, and were extremely 
 troublesome ; especially those who inhabited the western side of the 
 river. They attempted to rob the ship, and repeatedly shot at the 
 crew with bows and arrows from several points of land. Hudson's 
 men discharged several muskets at them, and killed ten or twelve of 
 them. In these conflicts, which were frequently renewed during the 
 first and second days of October, none of the ship's crew appears to 
 have been injured. The land on the eastern side of the river, near 
 its mouth, was called by the natives ' Manna-hatta.' 
 
 " On the 4th day of October, (just one month from the day on 
 which he landed within Sandy Hook,) Hudson came out of the river 
 which bears his name ; and without anchoring in the bay, immedi- 
 ately stood out to sea. By twelve o'clock at noon that day he was 
 entirely clear of land. He steered directly for Europe ; and on the 
 9th of November following he ' arrived,' as the writer of the journal 
 expresses it, 'in the range of Dartmouth, Devonshire.' Here the 
 journal ends. 
 
 " Whether Hudson immediately landed in England, cannot now be 
 clearly ascertained ; but it appears that he left that country in April, 
 1610, and reached the American coast early in the summer. He 
 
OUTLINE HIBTOEY. 17 
 
 soon discovered the great northern bay which bears his name. There, 
 after an unwise delay, he was compelled to pass a distressing and 
 dangerous winter. In the spring, in addition to all his other misfor- 
 tunes, he found a spirit of dissatisfaction and mutiny growing among 
 his crew, and at length manifesting itself in open violence. This 
 proceeded so far, that on the 22d of June, 1611, a majority of the 
 crew arose, took command of the ship, put Hudson, his son, and seven 
 others, most of whom were sick or lame, into a boat, turned them 
 adrift in the ocean, and absindoned them to their fate. They never 
 were heard of more. 
 
 " Hudson did not give his own name to the river which he discov- 
 ered. The Iroquois Indians called it Cahohatatea. The Mahicans, 
 Mahakaneghtuc, and sometimes Shatemuck. Hudson styled it em- 
 phatically the ' Great River,' or the ' Great River of the Mountains ;' 
 no doubt from the extraordinary circumstance of such a body of 
 water flowing through the mountains without a cataract. The name 
 of its discoverer, however, was early attached to it. I find it familiarly 
 called Hudson's river, in some of the public documents of the Dutch 
 colonial government ; but more frequently the North river, to dis- 
 tinguish it from the Delaware, which was discovered by the same 
 navigator, and which being within the territory claimed by the Dutch, 
 was called by them the South river. 
 
 " The Dutch immediately began to avail themselves of the advan- 
 tage which the discovery of Hudson presented to their view. In 
 1610, it appears that at least one ship was sent hither by the East In- 
 dia Company, for the purpose of trading in furs, which it is well known 
 continued for a number of years to be the principal object of com- 
 mercial attraction to this part of the new world. In 1614, a fort and 
 trading-house were erected on the spot where Albany now stands, 
 and called Fort Orange ; and about the same time another fort and 
 trading-house were established on the southwest point of Manhattan 
 Island, and called New Amsterdam. The whole colony received 
 the name of New Netherlands." — Hist. Discourse by Samuel Miller, 
 D. D., vol. i. Coll. New York Hist. Soc. 
 
 In 1621, " the Privileged West India Company" was formed in 
 Holland ; this company in 1623 began its operations along the Hud- 
 son, with a direct view to colonization. A number of settlers during 
 this year were sent out, under the command of Comelis Jacohse Mey, 
 who were most heartily welcomed by the few previous inhabitants. 
 Before these arrived they had been two years without supplies, and 
 had been obliged to cut up the sails of some of their boats for neces- 
 sary clothing. In compliment to Capt. Mey, they named the bay of 
 New York Port Mey. During the same year the forts New Amster- 
 dam and Orange were erected, upon the sites of the present cities of 
 New York and Albany. 
 
 In 1625, the West India Company freighted two ships, in one of 
 
 which Peter Minuit arrived in New Netherland, with a company of 
 
 Waloons, who settled on Long Island opposite New Amsterdam. 
 
 Minuit is considered by some as the first Governor or Director of 
 
 2 3 
 
18 OUTLINE HISTORY. 
 
 New Netherland. Subordinate to him, the gradation of authority 
 and rank seems to have been: 1. Opper-Koopman ; 2. Onder-Koop- 
 man ; 3. Koopman ; 4. Assistant. The office of Opper-Koopman, 
 chief-merchant or commissary, was vested in Isaac de Raiser. In 
 four or five years the trade with the natives was greatly extended, 
 attracting dealers even from the lakes, and from the banks of the St. 
 Lawrence near Quebec. 
 
 In 1629, the company adopted a charter of " Liberties and exemp- 
 tions for patroons, masters, and private individuals, who should plant 
 colonies in New Netherland, or import thither any neat cattle." The 
 terms of encouragement to those who should send out settlers, were 
 great. Such as should undertake to plant a colony of fifty souls, up- 
 wards of fifteen years old, were to be acknowledged Patroons, a name 
 denoting something baronial and lordly in rank and means. They 
 were allowed to select lands for miles in extent, which should descend 
 to their posterity for ever. Under this charter, several directors of 
 the company determined to avail themselves of these privileges, 
 among whom were Samuel Goodyn, Samuel Bloemart, Killian Van 
 Rensselaer, the Heer Pauw, and Jan de Laet. These persons sent 
 out Wouter Van Twiller, as agent, to inspect the condition of the 
 country, and to purchase the lands of the natives for the purpose of 
 settlement. 
 
 Owing to some disturbances in the colony, Minuit was recalled in 
 1633, and Wouter Van Twiller was appointed in his place. The 
 arrival of Van Twiller, as governor, gave a fresh impulse to the set- 
 tlements. During his administration, the controversy occasioned by 
 the encroachments of the English was begun. In 1638, William 
 Kieft succeeded Van Twiller as governor of New Netherland. In 
 1642, he broke up the English settlement on Long Island, and fitted 
 up two sloops to drive them out of the Schuylkill, of which they had 
 possessed themselves. In 1643, the New England colonies entered 
 into a league both against the Dutch and Indians. In 1646, a severe 
 battle was fought on part of Strickland's Plain, called Horse Neck, 
 between the Dutch and Indians. There appears not to have been 
 any particulars of the action preserved ; but it is said the battle was 
 contested with mutual obstinacy, and great numbers were killed on 
 both sides. The Dutch ultimately remained masters of the field. 
 
 In 1647, Peter Stuyvesant arrived at Fort Amsterdam, as govern- 
 or. He was a brave old officer, and had been commissioned gov- 
 ernor-general of Curacoa and the Dutch West Indies. He laid claim 
 to all the lands and streams from Cape Henlopen to Cape Cod ; he 
 went to Hartford, and demanded a surrender to the Dutch of all the 
 lands on Connecticut river. These claims were opposed, and left to 
 the decision of arbitrators. Long Island was divided : the eastern 
 part was to be held by the English, the western by the Dutch ; to 
 the main, the boundaries were amicably adjusted. 
 
 In 1664, Charles II. of England, disregarding the Dutch claim on 
 New Netherland, made a grant to his brother, the Duke of York and 
 Albany, which included all the mainland of New England, begin- 
 
OUTLINE HISTORY. 19 
 
 niiig at St. Croix, extending to the rivers Connecticut and Hudson, 
 " together with the said river calied Hudson's river, and all the lands 
 from the west side of Connecticut river, to the east side of Delaware 
 Bay." In order to enforce this claim of England for the New Nether- 
 land, an expedition, consisting of three ships, 130 guns, and six hun- 
 dred men, was sent against it, under the command of Col. Richard 
 Nichols. On his arrival at Manhattan, Nichols demanded the sur- 
 render of the fort. Gov. Stuy vesant was exceeding loth to surrender 
 without an attempt at defence, but the favorable terms offered to the 
 inhabitants disposed them to an immediate capitulation. After some 
 fruitless negotiation, during which Gov. Stuyvesant pleaded the justice 
 of the title of the States-General, and the existing peace between them 
 and the English nation, the province was surrendered, August 27th, 
 1664, upon the most liberal terms to the vanquished. 
 
 Having taken possession of the country, Nichols assumed the gov- 
 ernment, with the title of " Deputy-governor under his royal high- 
 ness the Duke of York, of all his territories in America." New 
 Amsterdam was now called, in honor of the Duke, New York, and 
 Fort Orange, Albany. Gov. Nichols proceeded to erect a Court of 
 Assizes, consisting of the governor, council, and justices of the peace 
 This court compiled a body of laws, collected from the ancient cus- 
 toms and usages, with additional improvements, such as the times 
 required, regarding English law as the supreme rule. These ordi- 
 nances were sent to England, and confirmed by the Duke of York the 
 following year. 
 
 It is supposed that, at the time Nichols took possession of the 
 province, the Dutch inhabitants were about 6000 in number. New 
 Amsterdam, the metropolis, it is said, contained about 3000 persons, 
 about half of whom returned to Holland. Their habitations, however, 
 were soon occupied by emigrants, partly from Great Britain, but 
 mostly from New England. Upon Hudson river there were many 
 Dutch settlers ; and upon the shores of the Delaware, there were 
 numerous plantations of Dutch and Swedes. 
 
 Col. Nichols, after having governed the province about three years, 
 resigned his office, and Col. Francis Lovelace was appointed by the 
 duke to succeed him. Lovelace assumed the government in 1667, 
 and continued his administration till the colony was re-surrendered 
 to the Dutch. War having been declared against Holland, a small 
 squadron was sent over by the Dutch, which arrived at Staten Island 
 July 30th, 1673. Lovelace being absent from New York, Captain 
 Manning, who had the charge of the town, rejected the aid of the 
 English inhabitants, who offered to defend the place, sent a messenger 
 to the enemy, and struck his flag before their vessels appeared in 
 sight. As the fleet advanced, the garrison showed their willingness 
 to fight ; but Manning forbade a gun to be fired, under pain of death, 
 and surrendered the place unconditionally to the invaders. He was 
 afterwards tried by a court-martial, and pleaded guilty to all the 
 charges preferred. His sentence was as extraordinary as his con- 
 duct ; it was, that, " though he deserved death, yet, because he had 
 
20 OUTLINE HISTORY. 
 
 since the surrender been in England, and seen the king and duke, it 
 was adjudged that his sword should be broke over his head, in pub- 
 lic, before the City Hall ; and himself rendered incapable of wearing 
 a sword, and of servmg his majesty for the future, in any public trust 
 in the government." 
 
 Anthony Clove was constituted the Dutch governor, but he remained 
 in the office but a short period. A treaty of peace, in 1674, was 
 concluded between the Dutch and English, by which New Nether- 
 land was restored to the English. The Duke of York, to remove all 
 controversy respecting his property in America, took out a new patent 
 from the king, and commissioned Major Edmund Andros " Governor 
 of New York, and all his territories in these parts." Andros, as the 
 agent of a despotic master, was unpopular to the people under his 
 government, and involved himself in disputes with the neighboring 
 government of Connecticut. 
 
 The province of New York, about the year 1678, contained twenty- 
 four towns, villages, and parishes. Fifteen vessels, on an average, 
 traded yearly with England, importing English manufactures to the 
 value of £50,000 sterling. Its annual exports, besides pease, beef, 
 pork, tobacco, and peltry, consisted of about sixty thousand bushels 
 of wheat. The city of New York containffd 3,430 inhabitants, and 
 owned only three ships, eight sloops, and seven boats. " A trader 
 worth £500 was considered a substantial merchant ; and the planter, 
 worth half that sum in movables, was accounted rich. All the es- 
 tates in the colony were valued at £150,000. Ministers were scarce, 
 and religions many. The duke maintained a chaplain at New York, 
 which was the only certain endowment of the church of England. 
 There were about twenty houses for public worship, of which about 
 half were vacant. The law made it obligatory upon every district 
 to build churches, and provide for their ministers, whose compensa- 
 tion varied from £40 to £70 a-year, besides a house and garden. 
 But the Presbyterians and Independents, the greater and more sub- 
 stantial portion of the inhabitants, only, showed much willingness to 
 comply with the requisition. There were no beggars in the province, 
 and the poor were well cared for. The militia amounted to 2000, 
 including 140 horsemen ; and some regular troops were maintained 
 for the forts at Albany and New York." 
 
 Col. Thomas Dongan arrived at New York, in August, 1683, as 
 the successor of Andros in the government. He immediately, on the 
 request of the magistrates of New York, gave orders that an assem- 
 bly should be elected by the freeholders. This assembly, consisting 
 of a council of ten, and eighteen representatives, convened at Hemp- 
 stead on the 17th of October. They passed an act of general natural- 
 ization ; an act declaring the liberties of the people, or a Bill of Rights ; 
 one for defraying the expense of government ; and a few others, regu- 
 lating the internal affairs of the province. In 1686, James II. having 
 come to the throne, on the renewal of Gov. Dongan's commission, 
 refused to confirm the privileges granted when he was Duke of York. 
 The assembly was prohibited, and orders were given to Dongan to 
 
GOV. STUYVESANT. 
 
 Copied from an engraving in " Watson's Olden Times in New York.' 
 
 DESTRUCTION OF SCHENECTADY 
 
 Ey a party of French and Indian;" from RIonireal. Ftb. 1(^1^9 i See page j2."i i 
 
OUTLINE HISTOKY. 21 
 
 " suffer no printing-press in his government." Much disaffection 
 arose at this time, among the colonists, on account of the appointment 
 of professed Catholics to the principal crown offices. At this period 
 there were in the province 4000 foot, 300 horse, and one company 
 of dragoons. The shipping, belonging to the city of New York, had 
 increased to nine or ten three-masted vessels, of about 80 or 90 tons ; 
 200 or 300 ketches or barks, of 40 tons ; and about twenty sloops, 
 of twenty-five tons. 
 
 In 1687, the French court aimed a blow, which threatened the 
 British interests in North America. M. Denonville, with 1500 French 
 and 500 Indians, took the field against the Senecas, one of the con- 
 federated tribes of the " Five Nations," who were the friends of the 
 English. An action took place near the principal Seneca village, in 
 which 100 Frenchmen, ten French Indians, and about eighty of the 
 Senecas were killed. Denonville, the next day, marched forward to 
 burn the village, but found it in ashes. The Senecas had burnt it, 
 and fled. After destroying the com in this and several other villages, 
 the French returned to Canada. For this attack, and other outrages 
 committed by the French, the confederated Five Nations thirsted for 
 revenge. " On the 26th of July, 1688, twelve hundred of their men 
 landed on the south side of the isljuid of Montreal, while the French 
 were in perfect security, burnt their houses, sacked their plantations, 
 and put to the sword all the men, women, and children, without the 
 skirts of the towm. A thousand French were slain in this invasion, 
 and twenty-six carried into captivity, and burnt alive. Many more 
 were taken prisoners in another attack, in October, and the lower part 
 of the island wholly destroyed ; only three of the confederates were 
 lost, in all this scene of misery and desolation." Nothing but the 
 ignorance of the Indians, in the art of attacking fortified places, saved 
 Canada from being utterly cut ofl". 
 
 In 1688, it was determined to add New York and the Jerseys to 
 the jurisdiction of New England, and Sir Edmund Andros was ap- 
 
 e)inted captain-general and vice-admiral over the whole. Governor 
 ongan was removed from his office of governor, and Francis Nichol- 
 son, who had been lieutenant-governor under him, was appointed in his 
 stead. The constitution, established on this occasion, was a legisla- 
 tive and executive governor, and a council, who were appointed by 
 the king, without the consent of the people. The news of the acces- 
 sion of William and Mary, in 1689, to the throne of England, was 
 joyfully received in New York. Andros, the tyrant of New Eng- 
 land, was seized at Boston. Jacob Leisler, with forty-nine men, 
 seized the fort at New York, and held it for the protestant king and 
 queen of England. 
 
 Leisler's assumption of the command at New York excited a spirit 
 of envy and hatred among many of the people, at the head of whom 
 were Col. Bayard and the Mayor, who, unable to make any effectual 
 resistance, retired to Albany. A letter arriving from the English 
 ministry, addressed " To Francis Nicholson, Esq., or, in his absence, 
 to such as, for the time being, take care for preserving the peace and 
 
22 OUTLINE HI8T0KY. 
 
 administering the laws in his majesty's provmce of New York, &c.," 
 to do every thing pertaining to the office of lieutenant-governor, till 
 farther orders — ^Nicholson having absconded, Leisler considered the 
 letter as addressed to himself, and accordingly assumed the office of 
 governor. The people of Albany, though friendly to William and 
 Mary, refused subjection to Leisler. They were however compelled 
 to submit to his authority by an armed force under Milbom, his son- 
 in-law. The colonists continued in a state of contention nearly two 
 years. During this period, the French and Indians from Canada, in 
 1690, surprised Schenectady, and massacred sixty men, women, and 
 children. 
 
 In 1691, Col. Henry Sloughter arrived at New York, as governor 
 of the province ; which was, at this time, by an act of the assembly, 
 divided into ten counties. The arbitrary acts of James were repealed, 
 and the former privileges of the colonists were restored. Leisler 
 and Milbom, having made a foolish attempt to retain their authority, 
 were imprisoned on a charge of high treason. They were tried by 
 a special commission, and sentenced to suifer death. Gov. Sloughter 
 hesitated to command their execution, and wrote to the English min- 
 isters for directions how to dispose of them. Their enemies, fearing 
 the result of this application, made a petition for, and earnestly pressed 
 their execution. " The governor resisted, until, having been invited 
 by the petitioners to a sumptuous entertainment, he was, when his 
 reason was drowned in wine, seduced to sign the death-warrant. 
 Before he recovered his senses, the prisoners were executed." Slough- 
 ter died suddenly, in July, 1691, and ended a short, weak, and turbu- 
 lent administration. 
 
 Upon the death of Sloughter, the government, pursuant to the late 
 act for declaring the rights of the people, committed the chief com- 
 mand to Richard Ingoldsby. His authority was terminated by the 
 arrival of Col. Benjamin Fletcher, who arrived with the commission 
 of governor, in August, 1692. Fletcher is represented as a man of 
 violent temper, shallow capacity, and avaricious disposition. He 
 made considerable disturbance, by his efforts to establish the Episco- 
 pal form of church government in the province. By virtue of a com- 
 mission which he held, Fletcher attempted to take the command of 
 the militia of Connecticut ; and went to Hartford, in that colony, 
 while the legislature were in session, to compel obedience. While 
 attempting to have his commission read to the train-bands at that 
 place, Capt. Wadsworth, their senior officer, ordered the drums to 
 beat, and told Fletcher, who commanded " silence," that if he was 
 interrupted he would " make the sun shine through him." Fletcher 
 upon this desisted, and returned to New York. 
 
 Early in 1693, Count Frontenac, with a force of 6 or 700 French 
 and Indians, made an incursion into the Mohawk country, and sur- 
 prised an Indian village on the river, slew many of the inhabitants, 
 and took 300 prisoners. Col. Schuyler hastened to the assistance of 
 his allies, and with about 300 Indians, mostly boys, followed the re- 
 treating enemy, and several skirmishes ensued. When the French 
 
OUTLINE HISTORY. 23 
 
 reached the north branch of Hudson's river, a cake of ice opportunely 
 served them to cross it ; and Schuyler, who had retaken about fifty 
 Indians, desisted from the pursuit. The French, in this expedition, 
 lost about eighty men, and such were their sufferings, that they were 
 compelled to eat their own shoes ; the Iroquois, while in pursuit, fed 
 upon the dead bodies of their enemies. In 1696, Frontenac made 
 another descent, with a large force, and spread devastation among the 
 possessions of the Five Nations. After this expedition, the Indians 
 in the English interest continued to harass the inhabitants near Mon- 
 treal, and similar parties in the French interest to harass those 
 near Albany, until the peace of Ryswick, in 1697. 
 
 In 1698, Richard, Earl of Bellamont, arrived as the successor of 
 Fletcher, and his commission included the governments of Massachu- 
 setts and New York : and for the latter, he brought with him his 
 kinsman, John Nanfan, as lieutenant-governor. Piracy, at this time, 
 prevailed in the American seas to a great extent, and the inhabitants 
 of several colonies were accused of giving the pirates aid. The most 
 noted of these marauders was a Captain Kidd, the remembrance of 
 whom is kept alive by the belief that he buried immense sums of money 
 along the coast. To suppress piracy was one of the avowed purposes 
 of the king, in selecting a man of the high rank, resolution, and integ- 
 rity of the Earl of Bellamont. The earl died in 1 701 , and Nanfan, the 
 lieutenant-governor, assumed the command. Lord Combury was 
 appointed governor the following year. 
 
 Combury began his administration by espousing one of the factions 
 in the colony which had its rise from Leisler, who was executed for 
 treason. By a series of outrageous acts, he endeavored to establish 
 the Episcopal party. He prohibited the Dutch ministers and teach- 
 ers from exercising their functions without his special license, and 
 imprisoned some of them for disobeying his orders. This tyrant was 
 the grandson of the Earl of Clarendon, and first cousin of the queen. 
 " Having dissipated his substance in riot and debauchery, and being 
 compelled to fly from his creditors, he obtained from his patron the 
 government of New York, which was confirmed by the queen, who 
 added the government of New Jersey. His character is portrayed 
 as a compound of bigotry and intolerance, rapacity and prodigality, 
 voluptuousness and cruelty, united with the loftiest arrogance and 
 the meanest chicane." His dissolute habits and ignoble manners 
 completed the disgust with which he was universally regarded ; and 
 when he was seen rambling abroad in the dress of a woman, the people 
 beheld with indignation and shame the representative of their sove- 
 reign and the ruler of the colony. In 1709, the queen was compelled 
 to revoke his commission by the complaints of the people of New 
 York and New Jersey. When deprived of his office, his creditors 
 put him in prison in the province he had governed, where he remain- 
 ed till the death of his father elevated him to the peerage, which 
 entitled him to liberation. 
 
 John, Lord Lovelace, Baron of Hurley, the successor of Combury, 
 arrived in the province, December, 1708. The hopes entertained, 
 
24 OUTLINE HISTOEV. 
 
 from his exalted character, of a happy admmistration, were frustrated 
 by his death on the succeeding 5th of May. The government now 
 devolved upon Richard Ingoldsby, lieutenant-governor. His admin- 
 istration of eleven months is chiefly distinguished by an unsuccessful 
 attempt on Canada. In this attempt, the province of New York dis- 
 covered much zeal. Besides raising several companies, she procured 
 six hundred warriors of the Five Nations, paid their wages, and 
 maintained a thousand of their wives and children at Albany while 
 they were in the campaign, at the expense of about twenty thousand 
 pounds. In 1710, Colonel Schuyler went to England, to press upon 
 the ministry the importance of subduing Canada. The more effectu- 
 ally to accomplish this object, he took with him five Indian chiefs, 
 who gave Queen Anne assurances of their fidelity, and solicited her 
 assistance against their common enemies, the French.* 
 
 Brigadier-general Robert Hunter, a native of Scotland, arrived as 
 governor of the province, in June, 1710. He brought with him three 
 thousand Palatines, who, in the previous year, had fled to England 
 from the rage of persecution in Germany. Many of these persons 
 settled in the city of New York, others in Livingston Manor in Co- 
 lumbia county, while others went into Pennsylvania. In 1711, the 
 assembly of New York, in order to assist the enterprise under the 
 command of Colonel Nicholson for the reduction of Canada, passed 
 an act for raising troops, restricted the price of provisions, and issued 
 10,000/. in bills of credit, to be redeemed by taxation in five years. 
 Nicholson mustered at Albany two thousand colonists, one thousand 
 
 • " The arrival of the five sachema in England, made a great bruit through the whole 
 kingdom. The mob foUovfed wherever they went, and small cuts of them were sold 
 among the people. The court was at that time in mourning for the death of the Prince of 
 Denmark ; these American kings were, therefore, dressed in black underclothes, after the 
 English manner ; but instead of a blanket, they had each a scarlet-in-grain cloth mantle 
 edged with gold, thrown over all their other garments. This dress was directed by the 
 dresseiB of the play-house, and given by the queen, who was advised to make a show of 
 them. A more than ordinary solemnity attended the audience they hod of her majesty. 
 Sir Charles Cotterel conducted them in two coaches to St. James's ; and the Lord Cham, 
 berlain introduced them into the royal presence. Their speech on the 19th of April, 1710, 
 is preserved by Oldmixon, and is in these words : 
 
 " Great QciEff — We have undertaken a long voyage, which none of our predecessors 
 could be prevailed upon to undertake, to see our great queen, and relate to her those things 
 which we thought absolutely for the good of her, and us her allies, on the other side of the 
 water. 
 
 " We doubt not but our great queen has been acquainted with our long and tedious war, 
 in conjunction with her children against her enemies, the French, and that we have been 
 as a strong wall, for their security, even to the loss of our best men. We were mightily 
 rejoiced when we heard our great queen had resolved to send an army to reduce Canada ; 
 and immediately, in token of friendship, we hung up the kettle, and took up the hatchet, 
 and with one consent, assisted Colonel Nicholson, in making preparations on this side the 
 lake : but at length, we were told our great queen, by some important affairs, was prevented 
 in her design at present, which made us sorrowful, lest the French, who had hitherto dreaded 
 us, should now think us unable to make war against them. The reduction of Canada is 
 of great weight to our free hunting ; so that if our great queen should not be mindful of us, 
 we must, with our families, forsake our country, and seek other habitations, or stand neuter, 
 either of which will be much against our inclinations. 
 
 " In token of the sincerity of these nations, we do, in their names, present our great 
 queen with these belts of wampum, and in hopes of our great queen's favor, leave it to her 
 most gracious consideration." 
 
OUTLINE UISTOST. 25 
 
 Palatines, and one thousand Indians, who commenced their march 
 towards Canada on the 28th of August A fleet, under the command 
 of Admiral Walker, sailed from Boston with a land force of six thou- 
 sand four hundred men, with the intention of joining Colonel Nich- 
 olson before Quebec. The admiral arrived in the St. Lawrence 
 early in August, but owing to fogs and tempestuous weather, eight or 
 nine transports, with about a thousand men, were lost by shipwreck. 
 This put an end to the expedition, and the admiral sailed for Eng- 
 land. Nicholson, who had proceeded as far as Lake George, was 
 compelled to retreat. The peace of Utrecht, signed March, 1713, 
 put an end to hostilities, and continued till 1739. 
 
 Governor Hunter, after a wise and popular administration, left the 
 province in 1719, and the command devolved on Colonel Peter Schuy- 
 ler. In September, 1 720, William Burnet, son of the celebrated Bishop 
 Burnet, arrived as the successor of Governor Hunter. His administra- 
 tion of seven years was prosperous. Soon after his arrival, for the 
 purpose of securing the trade and friendship of the Six Nations, he 
 erected a trading-house at Oswego, in the country of the Senecas. 
 The great merit of (governor Burnet's administration consisted in his 
 effectual efforts to diminish the trade and influence of the French 
 with the northern Indians. He failed, however, in his endeavors to 
 prevent the establishment of a French fort at Niagara, by which they 
 secured to themselves the possession of the west end of Lake Ontario, 
 as they had previously that of the east by the erection of Fort Fron- 
 tinac many years before. The persecutions in France at this period, 
 which ensued the revocation of the edict of Nantz, drove many of the 
 protestant subjects of Louis XIV. into foreign countries. Many fled 
 to this province. The most wealthy settled in the city : others planted 
 New Rochelle on the East river, and a few seated themselves at 
 New Paltz in Ulster county. 
 
 In 1728, Colonel John Montgomery received from Governor Bur- 
 net the seal of the province, and assumed the government. His short 
 administration, terminated by his death in 1731, was one of tranquillity, 
 and not distinguished by any important event. During his term, in 
 1731, the boundary between New York and Connecticut was finally 
 settled ; and a tract of land upon the Connecticut side, of 60,000 
 acres, called the Oblong, was ceded to the former in consideration of 
 another near the Sound, surrendered to the latter. 
 
 Governor Montgomery was succeeded by Rip Van Dam, the old- 
 est member of the council, and an eminent merchant of the city, who 
 held the government until August, 1732, when William Cosby ar- 
 rived, with a commission to govern this, and the province of New 
 Jersey. The French, during this year, erected Fort Frederic at 
 Crown Point, which gave to them the command of Lake Champlain. 
 The finances at this period were much embarrassed ; while the fre- 
 quent calls for supplies imposed a heavy burden upon the colony. 
 
 In 1734, the establishment of a court of equity was agitated in the 
 assembly. The governors had previously exercised the office of chan- 
 cellor, which had at times exched the jealousy, and produced much 
 
26 O0TUNE HISTORY. 
 
 controversy among the colonists. The court party insisted that the 
 governor was, ex officio, chancellor of the colony, while the popular 
 party warmly opposed this position. After the close of the session, 
 there appeared in the paper called " Zenger's New York Weekly 
 Journal," severe animadversions on the government. Several printed 
 ballads likewise appeared, which ridiculed some of the members of 
 the legislature. The governor and council considering the subject 
 worthy of notice, voted that the obnoxious numbers of Zenger's 
 paper, and two printed ballads, were derogatory to the dignity of his 
 majesty's government, and tended to raise sedition and tumult. They 
 likewise voted that said papers and ballads should be burnt by the 
 common hangman. Zenger was imprisoned for eight months, and 
 much ferment was produced in the colony. 
 
 Governor Cosby died in March, 1736. One of his last acts was the 
 suspension of Rip Van Dam from his seat as councillor of the pro- 
 vince. After Cosby's death, the council immediately convened, and 
 George Clarke, the senior councillor, next after Rip Van Dam, was 
 declared president, and assumed the government. A powerful party, 
 however, was formed in favor of Mr. Van Dam, as his suspension 
 from the council was by many declared illegal. The sharp contro- 
 versy on this point was ended in October, when Mr. Clarke received 
 his commission as lieutenant-governor. 
 
 During the administration of Governor Clarke, the colony was 
 embroiled in controversies principally relating to the prerogatives of 
 the governor on one hand, and the rights of the people on the other. 
 In their second session, 1737, the house departed from their accus- 
 tomed mode of proceeding, and instead of voting to take the govern- 
 or's speech into consideration, voted that his honor the lieutenant- 
 governor be addressed. This address is a remarkable production 
 for the times in which it was formed. On the suliject of the revenue, 
 the house adopted the following bold and energetic language: 
 
 " The true causes of the deficiency in the revenue, we believe are too well known to 
 your honor, to make it necessary for us to say much on that head. Had the conspicuous 
 loyalty of tlie inhabitants of this province met with a suitable treatment in return, it is not 
 unUkely that we should now be weak enough to act like others before us, in being lavish 
 beyond our abilities, and raising sums unnecessary to be given, and continued the donation 
 like them for a longer time than what was convenient for the safety of the inhabitants ; but 
 experience has shown the imprudence of such a conduct ; and the miserable condition to 
 which the province is reduced, renders the raising of large sums very difficult if not imprac- 
 ticable. We therefore beg leave to be plain with your honor, and hope you will not take it 
 amiss when we tell you, that you are not to expect that we will raise sums unfit to be 
 raised, or put what we shall raise into the power of a governor to misapply, if we can pre. 
 vent it ; nor shall we make up any other deficiencies than what we conceive are fit and 
 just to be paid, or continue what support or revenue we shall raise for any longer time than 
 one year ; nor do we think it convenient to do even that, until such laws are passed as we 
 conceive necessary for the safety of the inhabitants of this colony, who have reposed a trust 
 in us for that only purpose, and which we are sure you will think it reasonable we should 
 act agreeable to, and by the grace of God, we shall endeavor not to deceive them." 
 
 In 1738, Captain Norris, of the ship Tartar, then lying in the city of 
 New York, made application to the mayor for liberty to impress thirty 
 seamen to man his vessel. The governor and council ordered the 
 mayor to cause the impressment to be made. The mayor refused to 
 
OUTLINE HISTO£Y. 27 
 
 obey the order, and the governor and council prudently declined ta- 
 king measures to enforce obedience. At the close of Clarke's admin- 
 istration, the finances of the colony were in a depressed condition. 
 " The duties on negro slaves, v^ine, rum, brandy, cocoa, and dry 
 goods, from September, 1741, to September, 1742, amounted to 
 £2,197 7s. l|d. only ; while the expenses of government, for about 
 the same period, amounted to upwards of £4,600." 
 
 In 1743, George Clinton, the son of the Earl of Lincoln, was ap- 
 pointed to supersede Mr. Clarke as governor of the colony. His 
 arrival was highly gratifying to the colonists, and a spirit of harmony 
 prevailed. In 1744, war was declared between France and England, 
 and great preparations were made on both sides, to carry it on with 
 vigor. A similar spirit prevailed in their respective colonies in Amer- 
 ica. Large appropriations were made by the assembly of New York 
 to carry on the war. In 1745, the English colonies united in an ex- 
 pedition against Louisburg, on Cape Breton Island. This important 
 fortress was surrendered in June. Eight thousand pounds was voted 
 by the assembly for the promotion of this enterprise. 
 
 The country north of Albany was kept in a continued state of 
 alarm by Indian warriors, who ranged in small parties, marking their 
 course by conflagration and indiscriminate slaughter. The fort at 
 Hoosic was captured by M. De Vaudreuil, in August, 1746 ; and the 
 settlements at Saratoga were surprised, and many of the inhabitants 
 killed or carried into captivity. These events caused much distress, 
 and occasioned much alarm even in Ulster and Orange counties. The 
 plan of the war, in 1746, was, that a squadron under the command 
 of Admiral Warren, with a body of land forces, should proceed up 
 the St. Lawrence ; while the troops from New York, and other colo- 
 nies at the south, should be collected at Albany, and proceed against 
 Crown Point and Montreal. The assembly of New York entered 
 with great zeal upon this design : they levied a tax of £40,000, to re- 
 deem bills issued for the occasion. In July, a congress of the Six 
 Nations was held with the governor, at Albany, who was attended 
 by Dr. Colden, Mr. Livingston, and Mr. Rutherford, members of the 
 council. The indisposition of the governor prevented him from open- 
 ing the council in person, and that duty fell upon Dr. Colden. The 
 Indians formally renewed their pledge to unite zealously in the war 
 against the French. The efforts of the colonies were, however, 
 rendered nearly useless by the failure of the promised assistance from 
 England. 
 
 In April, 1748, the preliminaries of peace were signed at Aix-la- 
 Chapelle, and hostilities soon after ceased. After the close of the 
 war, the colony enjoyed a period of general tranquillity. The in- 
 hauitants vigorously pursued the arts of peace, and by industry, 
 economy, and enterprise, repaired, in a great measure, the losses sus- 
 tained in the preceding war. In 1750, the entries at New York were 
 two hundred and thirty-two, and the clearances two hundred and 
 eighiy-six. Above six thousand tons of provisions, chiefly flour, were 
 exported, besides large quantities of grain. 
 
28 OUTLINE HISTORY. 
 
 Governor Clinton having resigned, Sir Danvers Osborne arrived as 
 his successor, in October, 1753. " Clinton is represented to have been 
 mercenary ; to have used every plausible device, for enhancing the 
 profits of his government ; to have sold offices and even the rever- 
 sions of such as were ministerial ; and to have amassed a fortune, 
 during his administration of ten years, of more than £80,000 sterling. 
 He became, afterward, governor of Greenwich Hospital." The ad- 
 ministration of Sir Danvers Osborne endured but a few days only. 
 Five days after his arrival, he was found suspended by the neck in 
 the garden of Mr. Murray, with whom he resided. This unfortu- 
 nate gentleman is supposed to have committed suicide on account 
 of grief for the loss of his wife, and by the embarrassments which 
 he apprehended would attend the exercise of his office as gov- 
 ernor. 
 
 James de Lancey, who had been appointed lieutenant-governor by 
 one of the last acts of Governor Clinton, on the death of Osborne 
 assumed the administration of government. At this period, the Eng- 
 lish and French extended their settlements in the colonies, and each 
 were anxious to secure the most eligible situations for trading-houses 
 and forts. Mutual complaints of aggression were soon followed by 
 open acts of hostility. 
 
 In 1754, a convention of delegates from New Hampshire, Massa- 
 chusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, and Maryland, 
 with the lieutenant-governor and council of New York, was held at 
 Albany, for the purpose of uniting upon some scheme for the com- 
 mon defence. The plan for a political union, drawn up by Dr. Frank- 
 lin, a delegate from Pennsylvania, was adopted on the 4th of July. 
 This plan had the singular fortune to be rejected by the provincial 
 assemblies, because it gave too much power to the crown ; and, at 
 the same time, to be rejected by the crown, because it gave too much 
 power to the people. 
 
 In September, 1755, Sir Charles Hardy, a distinguished naval offi- 
 cer, arrived in New York with commission of governor. Being 
 ignorant of civil affairs, he put himself into the hands of Mr. De 
 Lancey, and was guided altogether by his counsels. Early in the 
 spring of this year, the colonies made preparations for vigorous exer- 
 tions against the enemy. An expedition was planned against the 
 French in Nova Scotia, another against the French on the Ohio, a 
 third against Crown Point, and a fourth against Niagara. The first 
 expedition resulted in the reduction of Nova Scotia. That against 
 the French on the Ohio failed by the defeat of General Braddock, 
 who was drawn into an ambuscade of French and Indians near Fort 
 du Quesne. The expedition against Crown Point, commanded by 
 Gren. Wm. Johnson, though unsuccessful in its main object, served, in 
 a measure, to dispel the gloom occasioned by the defeat of BraddocL 
 Governor Shirley, of Massachusetts, took the command of the expe- 
 dition against Niagara. He advanced to Oswego, where, being poorly 
 supplied with provisions, the expedition was abandoned, and the troops 
 returned to Albany. During the winter and spring following, ma- 
 
OUTLINE HISTORY. 29 
 
 rauding parties of western Indians committed many atrocities in the 
 counties of Orange and Ulster. 
 
 In the plan of operations for the campaign of 1756, Niagara and 
 Crown Point, then in possession of the French, were the principal 
 points of attack. Owing to the improvidence of Gen. Abercrombie, 
 then in command, in the absence of Lord Loudon, nothing of import- 
 ance was effected by the English forces. In August, Marquis de 
 Montcalm, commander of the French troops in Canada, captured the 
 two forts at Oswego, which he demoUshed, took 1,600 men prisoners, 
 with 120 cannon, 14 mortars, two sloops-of-war, 200 boats and bat- 
 teaux, with a large quantity of stores and provisions. The campaign 
 of 1 757 was equally unsuccessful on the part of the English. Fort 
 William Henry, on Lake George, with a garrison of 3,000 men under 
 Col. Munro, was compelled, after a brave defence, to surrender to 
 Montcalm. This event gave the French the command of the lake 
 and the western frontier. 
 
 In 1758, the celebrated William Pitt, Lord Chatham, now placed at 
 the head of the British ministry, gave a new tone to their measures, 
 and a fresh impulse to the colonies. The tide of success was soon 
 turned in favor of the English, which continued, vyith few exceptions, 
 till Canada was subjected to their arms. The plan for this year com- 
 prehended three expeditions, viz, Louishurg, Ticonderoga, and Fort 
 du Quesne. Louisburg surrendered to Gen. Amherst in July. Gen. 
 Abercrombie, with an army of 16,000 men, passed Lake George and 
 made an attack on Ticonderoga. After a contest of four hours, he 
 was compelled to retire with the loss of nearly two thousand in 
 killed and wounded. Abercrombie, after his defeat, sent Col. Brad- 
 street, with 3,000 men, against Fort Frontenac, on the northeastern 
 side of the outlet of Lake Ontario. Bradstreet sailed down the lake, 
 landed within a mile of the fort, and in two days compelled it to 
 surrender.* The garrison at Fort du Quesne, unsustained by their 
 savage allies, on the 24th of November abandoned and burnt this 
 fortress on the approach of the British army under Gen. Forbes. 
 
 Great Britain, having resolved to annihilate the French power in 
 
 • The expedition under Col. Bradstreet consisted of the following troops : — Regulars, 
 135 ; Royal artillery, 30 ; New York provincials, 1,112 ; Massachusetts do., 675 ; New Jer. 
 Bey do., 412 ; Rhode Island do., 318 ; batteau.men, 300 ; and about GO rangers ; in all 
 3,035. The regulars were commanded by Capt. Ogilvie, and the artillery by Lieut. Brown, 
 The New York troops consisted of two detachments. The first commanded by Lieutenant, 
 colonel Charles Clinton, of Ulster, amounting in the whole to 440, under Capts. Ogden, of West. 
 Chester, Peter Dubois, of New York, Samuel Bladgely, of Dutchess, and Daniel Wright, oi 
 Queens. The second was commanded by Lieutenant-colonel Isaac Corse, of Queens, and 
 Major Nathaniel Woodhull, of Suffolk, amounting to 668, under Captains Elias Hand, of Suf- 
 folk, Richard Hewlett, of Queens, Thomas Arrowsmith, of Richmond, Wilham Humphrey, 
 of Dutchess, Ebenezer Seeley, of Ulster, and Peter Yates and Goosen Van Schaick, of Al. 
 bany. The troops left Fort Stanwix, August 14th, 1758, and the fort capitulated on the 
 27th. The commander of the fort was exchanged for Col. Peter Schuyler. Col. Corse, 
 who had distinguished himself in the three preceding campaigns, with a part of his troops, 
 volunteered to erect a battery, in the night of the 26th, in the midst of the enemy's fire, 
 which in the morning commanded their fort, and led to an immediate surrender. The 
 colonel received a slight woimd, but not so severe as to unfit him for duty. The detach ■ 
 ment returned to Fort Stanwix the 10th of September." — Gordon's Gaz. of New York, 
 
30 OUTLINE HISTOEY. 
 
 America, made adequate preparations for the campaign of 1759. 
 The colonies now displayed that zeal with which men pursue their 
 interests when animated with well-founded hopes of success. The 
 legislature of New York authorized a levy of 2,680 men, and issued 
 the sum of £100,000 in bills of credit, bearing interest, and redeem- 
 able in 1768, by the proceeds of an annual tax. The impositions, in 
 the space of five months of the year 1759, amounted to #625,000. 
 At the instance of Gen. Amherst, a loan of £150,000 was made to 
 the crown, which was paid in specie. 
 
 The contemplated points of attack, in 1759, were Ticonderoga, 
 Crown Point, Niagara, and Quebec. Gen. Amherst took Ticonde- 
 roga, and proceeded to Crown Point, which surrendered without op- 
 position. In July, Gen. Prideaux invested Niagara, but was slain by 
 the bursting of a cohort in the trenches. The fort was, however, 
 captured by Sir William Johnson, who succeeded him in command. 
 On the 13th of September, a severe battle was fought between the 
 British forces under Gen. Wolfe, and the French under Montcalm. 
 Both these commanders were killed, the French were defeated, and 
 Quebec surrendered to the British arms. In the ensuing spring of 
 ^1760, the French made a fruitless attempt to recover Quebec. On 
 ' the 8th of September, Montreal, Detroit, Michilimackinac, and all 
 other places within the government of Canada, were surrendered to 
 his Britannic majesty. 
 
 The conquest of Canada, by preventing the incursions of the French 
 and Indians into the territory of New York, removed a great obstacle 
 to the prosperity of the colony. Gov. De Lancey died suddenly, 
 July 30th, 1760. Cadwallader Colden assumed the government, as 
 president of the council, and received the appointment of lieutenant- 
 governor in August, 1761. Mr. Colden was superseded by General 
 Robert Monckton on the 26th of October. This gentleman being 
 placed at the head of an expedition against Martinique, on the 15th 
 of November, left the government of the province to Mr. Colden, 
 under an agreement for an equal division of the salary and per- 
 quisites. 
 
 In 1763, the celebrated controversy with New Hampshire, respect- 
 ing boundaries, commenced. The territory in question comprised the 
 country between Connecticut river and Lake Champlain, since known 
 as Vermont The original character of the colonies, owing to im- 
 perfect surveys of the country, were many of them extremely indefi- 
 nite, vague, and often contradictory. A grant was made in 1664 
 and 1674, by Charles II. to his brother, the Duke of York, containing, 
 among other parts of America, " all the lands, from the west side of 
 Connecticut river, to the east side of Delaware bay." This territory 
 was, however, by many supposed to fall within the limits of New 
 Hampshire, although claimed by New York, by virtue of the grant 
 made to the Duke of York. 
 
 The government of New Hampshire, in 1760, made large grants 
 of land to settlers west of Connecticut, and the settlements progressed 
 with astonishing rapidity. In 1763, one hundred and thirty-eight 
 
OUTLINE HISTORY. 31 
 
 townships had been granted by New Hampshire, extending as far 
 west as the shore of Lake Champlain, and to what was esteemed 
 twenty miles east of Hudson river. To check these proceedings, 
 Gov. Golden issued a proclamation, claiming jurisdiction as far east 
 as Connecticut river. He also commanded the sheriff of Albany 
 county to make return of all persons, who, under the New Hampshire 
 grants, had taken possession of lands west of the river. In opposi- 
 tion to this, the governor of New Hampshire issued a proclamation, 
 declaring the grant of the Duke of York to be obsolete, and that 
 New Hsunpshire extended as far west as Massachusetts and Con- 
 necticut. 
 
 Application having been made to the crown, a decision was ob- 
 tained in 1764, by which the western bank of Connecticut river was 
 declared to be the boundary line between the provinces of New 
 Hampshire and New York. The government of New York proceeded 
 to organize the new territory, and to exercise jurisdiction. The new 
 district was divided into four counties. The southwestern part was 
 annexed to the county of Albany, and the northwestern part formed 
 into a county, by the name of Charlotte ; east of the Green Moun- 
 tains were formed the counties of Gloucester and Cumberland. Courts 
 were held in these counties, the grants of land under New Hamp- 
 shire were declared illegal, and the settlers required to take out new 
 charters from New York. Some of the towns complied, and pur- 
 chased their lands the second time, but the greater part refused. Ac- 
 tions of ejectment were commenced in Albany against several of the 
 ancient settlers, which were decided in favor of the New York titles. 
 When the executive officers came to eject the inhabitants, they gene- 
 rally met with opposition, and were not allowed to proceed in the 
 execution of their offices. The militia were called out to support 
 the sheriff; but as they agreed in sentiment with the settlers, they 
 disbanded themselves on the appearance of armed opposition. As 
 the efforts of the government were continued, mobs were raised, the 
 opposition of the settlers became more bold and daring, and was fre- 
 quently characterized by acts of outrage and violence. 
 
 In 1765, much excitement was produced by the stamp act, passed 
 by the British parliament, for the purpose of raising a revenue from 
 the colonies. This act ordained that all instruments of writing, such 
 as deeds, bonds, notes, &c., among the colonies, should be null and 
 void, unless executed on stamped paper, for which a duty should be 
 paid to the crovra. In October, a congress of twenty-eight delegates, 
 from Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New 
 Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and South Carolina, was 
 held at New York, to consult on the common interest. They made 
 a declaration of the rights and grievances of the colonies, and peti- 
 tioned for redress. In Connecticut and New York originated an 
 association of persons styhng themselves the " Sons of Liberty" 
 which extended into other colonies, who bound themselves, among 
 other things, to march to any part of the continent, at their own ex- 
 pense, to support the British constitution in America : by which was 
 
32 OUTLINE HISTORY. 
 
 understood, the prevention of any attempt to carry the stamp act into 
 operation. 
 
 In New York, Peter de Lancey, James M'Evers, and other stamp 
 officers, obeyed the public voice, and renounced their commissions. 
 Gov. Golden, having taken the oath to execute the stamp act, became 
 the object of popular indignation. His effigy was carried about the 
 city and hung ; his carriage and other property were burned ; and 
 his fterson was probably preserved from violence, only by his ad- 
 vanced age. When the stamps arrived, they were lodged in the fort, 
 which the governor, contrary to the advice of his council, put into a 
 state for defence. He was obliged to surrender their custody to the 
 city corporation, on the assurance of being responsible for their value, 
 and to declare that he would take no measures to enforce the act, but 
 leave the subject to his successor, who was hourly expected. Sir 
 Henry Moore, Bart., who was commissioned governor in July, 1765, 
 met the council on the 13th of November following, and proposed at 
 once to attempt the execution of the stamp act. The unanimous ad- 
 vice of his council, and the demonstration of public feeling, induced 
 him to a more prudent course. 
 
 Gov. Moore's administration was terminated by his death, in Sep- 
 tember, 1769. During his term of service effijrts were made, unsuc- 
 cessfully, to settle the boundaries between this province and Massa- 
 chusetts, who claimed territory to the Pacific Ocean. Emigrants 
 from Massachusetts intruded into the counties along the Hudson, and 
 settled even in the manor of Rensselaerwyck. They were frequently 
 removed by force, and blood was shed more than once in the attempt. 
 Commissioners from both colonies met at New Haven, October, 1767, 
 who agreed that the western line of Massachusetts should be fixed 
 at twenty miles east from Hudson river, but difiered as to the man- 
 ner in which that line should be determined. 
 
 At the termination of Gov. Moore's administration, the supreme 
 court consisted of four judges : Daniel Horsemanden, chief justice ; 
 David Jones, second ; William Smith, third ; and Robert R. Livings- 
 ton, the fourth justice. The first received £300, and the others 
 £200 per annum. The salary of the governor had been increased, 
 from time to time, to £2,000 per annum, with a perquisite of £400, 
 granted as an appropriation for fire-wood and candles for Fort George. 
 The attorney had £150, and the colonial agent, Mr. Charles, at Lon- 
 don, £500 per annum. The colony of New York contained, at this 
 period, upwards of one hundred and sixty thousand inhabitants. 
 
 By the death of Sir Henry Moore, the government again devolved 
 on Mr. Colden. This his third administration, continued till Novem- 
 ber, 1770, when he was superseded by John, Lord Dunmore. With 
 the service of this nobleman commenced the practice of paying the 
 governor by the crown. This practice was afterward denounced 
 by most of the colonies as a serious grievance, as it made the govern- 
 or independent of the assembly. Dunmore governed the colony until 
 his removal to Virginia, when his place was supplied on the 8th of 
 July, 1771, by William Tryon, the last of the royal governors. 
 
OUTLINE HISTORY. 33 
 
 In 1772, Govemor Tryon made an unsuccessful attempt to con- 
 oiliate the minds of the settlers of the New Hampshire grants. In 
 1774, the assembly passed an act by which it was declared felony, 
 punishable by death, for any of these settlers to oppose the govern- 
 ment by force. The governor at the same time made proclamation 
 offering a reward of fifty pounds for the apprehension of Ethan Al- 
 len, Seth Warner, and six others of the most obnoxious of the settlers. 
 The inhabitants of the New Hampshire grants became still more 
 violent in their opposition. The proscribed persons, in an address to 
 the people of the county of Albany, made this public declaration : — 
 " We will kill and destroy any person or persons whomsoever, who 
 shall presume to be accessary, aiding, or assisting in taking any of us." 
 
 In the spring of 1775, an event took place in the New Hampshire 
 grants which exasperated both parties. At the time appointed for 
 the session of the court at Westminster, in the disputed territory, 
 some of the inhabitants in this and the adjacent towns took possession 
 of the courthouse, to prevent the officers under the authority of New 
 York from entering. The judges, on being refused admittance, retired 
 to their quarters. About eleven o'clock at night, the sheriff and other 
 officers, attended by an armed force, repaired to the courthouse, 
 when, being again refused admittance, some of the party fired into the 
 house, killed one man, and wounded several. The people were highly 
 inflamed by these rash proceedings. Some of the officers were seized, 
 and carried to the jail at Northampton, Massachusetts. Matters now 
 appeared about to be brought to a sanguinary crisis. But at this 
 period, an event took place, which arrested the attention of all, and 
 gave a new channel to the torrent of popular fury. The breaking 
 out of the revolutionary war at Lexington, caused a suspension of 
 local and provincial contests ; and the public mind was exclusively 
 directed to the great contest now opening between Britain and 
 America. 
 
 In May, 1775, the second continental congress was to be assembled 
 at Philadelphia. The subject of sending delegates to this body was 
 agitated in the assembly of New York ; and on the refusal of that body 
 to appoint them, a provincial convention was called by the people for 
 this purpose. The convention assembled at New York on the 22d of 
 April, and proceeded to make the appointments. This convention 
 was composed of deputies from New York, Albany, Dutchess, Ulster, 
 Orange, Westchester, Kings, and Suffolk counties. They appointed 
 Philip Livingston, George Clinton, James Duane, John Alsop, Simon 
 Boerum, William Floyd, John Jay, Henry Wisner, Philip Schuyler 
 Lewis Morris, Francis Lewis, and Robert R. Livingston, Jr., dele- 
 gates to the continental congress, who, or any five of them, were 
 intrusted with full power to concert with the other colonies, and adopt 
 those measures best adapted to sustain their rights. 
 
 The news of the battle of Lexington, (19th of April, 1775,) caused 
 
 a violent agitation in the city of New York, which prevailed for some 
 
 days, until a new committee of superintendence, consisting of one 
 
 hundred of the most respectable citizens, was formed at the instance 
 5 
 
34 OUTLINE HISTORY. 
 
 of the " committee of observation." It was resolved that a provincial 
 congress ought to be speedily assembled, to assume the government 
 of the colony, to prepare for defence, &c. It submitted at the same 
 time the form of an association, to be signed by the inhabitants, de- 
 claratory of their rights and liberties, and of their determination to 
 sustain them. This association was signed by the whigs with great 
 cordiality, and by the tories under the fear of, or by actual constraint. 
 The inhabitants generally began to arise under the direction of com- 
 mittees. Six hundred stands of arms were seized in the city arsenal 
 and distributed among the people : another parcel was taken from 
 the soldiery by Colonel Willet, when on the way to the harbor to be 
 exported to Boston. 
 
 It was deemed of importance, in order to put the country in a pos- 
 ture of defence, to secure the fortresses at Ticonderoga and Crown 
 Point. On the 10th of May, Colonel Ethan Allen took possession of 
 Ticonderoga by surprise : on the same day. Crown Point was sur- 
 rendered to Colonel Warner ; a third party surprised Skeensborough, 
 (now Whitehall.) The capture of an armed sloop at St. Johns soon 
 after, gave to the Americans the entire command of Lake Champlain. 
 Governor Tryon, who had been absent on a visit to Europe, returned 
 to New York on the 24th of June. He was much esteemed by 
 many of the citizens, and received a complimentary address from the 
 city authorities. His exertions to promote the royal cause, soon ren- 
 dered him extremely unpopular. In October, he became alarmed for 
 his personal safety, and retired on board of the Halifax packet. 
 
 On the 22d of May, 1775, a provincial congress, consisting of about 
 seventy members, convened at New York. The proceedings of the 
 convention were determined by counties ; New York having four, 
 Albany three, and each of the others two votes. Two regiments 
 were authorized to be levied ; bounties were offered for the manufac- 
 ture of gunpowder and muskets in the province ; fortifications were 
 projected at Kingsbridge, and the Highlands ; and Philip Schuyler 
 and Richard Montgomery were recommended, the first as major- 
 general, the second as brigadier, to be appointed by the continental 
 congress. 
 
 Upon the adjournment of the congress, in September, for a month, 
 they delegated their powers to a " Committee of Safety ;" and this ex- 
 pedient was resorted to upon every subsequent adjournment. Ordina- 
 rily, this committee was composed of three members from the city, 
 and one from each of the other counties. When on the re-assembling 
 of the congress, and at other times, a quorum was not present, the 
 members resolved themselves into a " committee of safety," and thus 
 the public business was never interrupted. The committee was em- 
 powered to execute the resolves of the provincial and general con- 
 rcsses, to superintend the military affairs of the province, to appro- 
 ;".;.!te money for the public service, and to convene the congress 
 vvlien and where they deemed necessary. 
 
 While General Washington was engaged in organizing the main 
 body of the American army in Massachusetts, an important expedi- 
 
OUTLINE HISTOEY. 35 
 
 tion was planned against Canada, the command of which was assign- 
 ed to Generals Schuyler and Montgomery. General Schuyler havmg 
 retired on account of ill health, Montgomery, with a force of one 
 thousand men, proceeded to Montreal, and from thence led his gallant 
 little army to Quebec. During his progress. Colonel Arnold, with a 
 boldness and perseverance rarely surpassed, passed up the Kennebec 
 river and pursued his course through a trackless wilderness of three 
 hundred miles, and joined Montgo'mery at Quebec. On the last day 
 of the year, (1775,) General Montgomery, with a force of less than 
 eight hundred, attempted to take Quebec by storm. This brave com- 
 mander fell in the assault, and the Americans were repulsed with the 
 loss of about half their number. Arnold, now in the command, en- 
 camped about three miles from Quebec, where he maintained his 
 position till spring. He was afterward compelled to make a disas- 
 trous retreat, and by the 1st of July the whole army was driven from 
 Canada. 
 
 Congress being informed that a large number of the inhabitants of 
 Tryon county were disaffected to the American cause, and, under the 
 direction of Sir John Johnson, were making military preparation, re- 
 sol ve'd to disarm them. General Schuyler, to whom this business 
 was committed, in January, 1776, called out seven hundred of the 
 Albany militia, and commenced his march. But such was the enthu- 
 siasm of the people that, on his arrival at Caghnewaga, his force 
 amounted to near three thousand, including nine hundred of the 
 Tryon county militia. The approach of this formidable body awed 
 the royalists into submission. The whole number disarmed was 
 supposed to amount to about six hundred. About the same time, a 
 considerable number were entrenching themselves on Long Island, 
 in order to support the royal cause. A detachment of the Jersey 
 militia was sent over, by whom they were disarmed, and their lead- 
 ers secured. 
 
 The fourth provincial congress convened at White Plains on the 
 9th of July. This body took the title of " The Representatives of the 
 State of New York," and exercised all the powers of sovereignty, 
 until the establishment of the government under the constitution. On 
 the first day of their meeting, they received from the continental con- 
 gress The Declaration of Independence. They immediately passed 
 an unanimous resolution, fully approving of the measure, and express- 
 ing their determination at all hazards to support it. The convention, 
 on the 16th of July, on the motion of Mr. Jay, declared that all per- 
 sons abiding in the state, and who were entitled to the protection of 
 the laws, who should aid or abet its enemies, should on conviction 
 Buffer death. 
 
 In 1776, it was expected that the enemy would make New York 
 their principal point of attack. Gen. Washington arrived in the city 
 on the 14th of April, and great exertions were made for putting the 
 place in a posture of defence. On the 22d of August, Lord Howe 
 landed a force, estimated at 24,000 men, on Jjong Island, at Gravesend 
 bay. The Americans, amounting to 15,000, under the command of 
 
36 OUTLINE HISTORY. 
 
 Gen. Sullivan, were encamped on a peninsula near the village of 
 Brooklyn. On the 27th, an obstinate battle was fought, and the Ameri- 
 cans were compelled to retire to their entrenchments with great loss. 
 On the night of the 30th, a safe retreat was effected from the island. 
 On the 15th of September, the British took possession of New York, 
 the AmericEm troops having retired to Harlaem and King's Bridge. 
 A few days after the British took possession, a fire broke out, in which 
 about one thousand houses were Sestroyed, being about one fourth 
 part of the city. 
 
 A large proportion of the distinguished and wealthy inhabitants of 
 the city of New York, and many in the adjacent country, were loy- 
 alists, and, of course, enemies to American independence. On the 
 arrival of the British army, the disaffected in this part of the state 
 and the neighboring parts of New Jersey, embodied themselves under 
 officers selected by themselves. Oliver de Lancey was appointed a 
 general, with authority to raise a brigade of tories, and a like com- 
 mission was given to Courtland Skinner, of New Jersey. These 
 troops committed many murders and robberies on both sides of the 
 Hudson river, but more especially in Westchester county. The pro- 
 vincial congress now adopted energetic measures. The " Council of 
 Safety" were empowered to send for persons and papers, and to em- 
 ploy military force. By its dread power numerous arrests, imprison- 
 ments, and banishments, were made throughout the state. Many 
 tories and their families were sent into New York, others expelled the 
 state, others required to give security to reside within prescribed 
 limits; and occasionally the jails, and even the churches, were crowded 
 with its prisoners, and many were sent for safe-keeping to the jails 
 of Connecticut. The personal property of those who had joined the 
 enemy was confiscated. 
 
 The American army being in point of numbers greatly inferior to 
 that of the British, General Washington drew off the main body of 
 his army from York Island, and encamped at White Plains. Lord 
 Howe advanced upon him with 15,000 men. An engagement ensued 
 on the 28th of October, but no decisive advantage was obtained ; the 
 Americans retired to a strong position on the heights of North Cas- 
 tle, which the enemy declined to attack. General Washington, leav- 
 ing about 7,500 men under General Lee to defend North Castle, 
 crossed the Hudson and continued his retreat to the southward. The 
 American army continuing to retire from New York, Sir William 
 Howe embraced the opportunity of reducing Fort Washington and 
 Fort Lee, on the Hudson. While these operations were going on in 
 the southern part of the state, the northern division of the army, under 
 General Gates, was engaged at the north in putting Ticonderoga in 
 a state of defence, and made preparations to secure the command of 
 Lake Champlain. General Arnold, who commanded the American 
 fleet, being pursued, was obliged to blow up his vessels, and, after 
 firing the fortress at CrovvTi Point, retreated to Ticonderoga. The 
 British general, Carlton, after reconnoitering the latter place, deemed 
 it prudent on the approach of winter to return to Canada. 
 
OUTLINE HISTORY. 3 
 
 The state convention, driven froift New York, convened from time 
 to time at Harlaem, King's Bridge, Philip's Manor, Fishkill, White 
 Plains, Poughkeepsie, and Kingston. On the 1st of August, 1776, a 
 committee was appointed to report a constitution. The draft of this 
 instrument, which was prepared by Mr. Jay, was reported on the 
 12th of March, and finally adopted on the 20th of April, 1777. It 
 was amended by convention in October, 1801, and superseded by the 
 present constitution in November, 1821. The constitution of 1777 
 was republican in its character. The supreme executive power was 
 vested in a governor and lieutenant-governor, who was to preside 
 over the senate, and perform the duties of the governor in case of 
 vacancy. The legislative power was vested in the senate and house 
 of assembly, who were to hold at least one session every year. The 
 governor and members of the senate and house of assembly, were 
 to be elected by the freeholders of the state of New York. 
 
 The returns of the first elections under the new constitution were 
 made to the Council of Safety, July 9th, 1777. General George 
 Clinton was chosen governor, and was sworn into office on the 30th 
 of the same month, at Kingston, being then in the active command of 
 the New York militia. He did not quit the field until after the defeat 
 of Burgoyne, but discharged such civil duties as devolved on him, by 
 correspondence with the Council of Safety. At the adoption of the 
 constitution, the state was divided into fourteen counties : New York, 
 Richmond, Kings, Queens, Suffolk, Westchester, Dutchess, Orange, 
 Ulster, Albany, Tryon, Charlotte, Cumberland, and Gloster ; the two 
 last form part of the present state of Vermont. The first six (except 
 part of Westchester and part of Orange) remained in possession of 
 the enemy until the peace, the highlands forming the great barrier to 
 his farther advance from the south. 
 
 The principal object of the British in the campaign of 1777, was 
 to open a communication between the city of New York and Canada, 
 and to separate the New England from the other states. The plan 
 consisted of two parts : General Burgoyne, with the main body of, 
 the army from Canada, was to advance by the way of Lake Cham- 
 plain, and eflfect a junction, at Albany, with the royal army from New 
 York. A detachment of British soldiers and a large body of Indians, 
 under Colonel St. Leger, with a regiment of New York loyalists, 
 under Sir John Johnson, were to ascend the St. Lawrence to Lake 
 Ontario, and penetrate towards Albany by way of the Mohawk river. 
 General Burgoyne, with an army of more than 7,000 men, exclusive 
 of a corps of artillery and a large body of Indians, invested Ticon- 
 deroga on the 30th of June. This fortress was abandonded by 
 General St. Clair, on the approach of the enemy. The rear-guard 
 of the American army, consisting of 1,000 men, under Colonel War- 
 ner, was overtaken and defeated at Hubbardston. General Schuyler, 
 who commanded at Fort Edward, was obliged to retire to Saratoga 
 before the superior force of the enemy. While the British were en- 
 camped at Fort Edward, a detachment, under Colonel Baum, was 
 sent to take possession of the American stores at Bennington, in the 
 
38 OUTLINE HISTORY. 
 
 New Hampshire grants. General Stark collected the militia in that 
 vicinity, and an obstinate engagement took place, in which the British 
 were totally defeated. On the 3d of August, St. Leger, with about 
 1,800 men, invested Fort Schuyler, under the command of General 
 Gansevoort. He had a severe conflict with General Herkimer, who 
 was advancing to the relief of the garrison, and was obliged to aban- 
 don the siege and return to Montreal. General Burgoyne, having 
 advanced as far as Saratoga, found himself surrounded by a brave 
 army, from which he endeavored in vain to effect a retreat. In this 
 extremity, on the 17th of October, he was compelled to surrender his 
 whole army, consisting of more than 5,700 men, to General Gates. 
 
 During the operations at Saratoga, Sir Henry Clinton, with three 
 thousand men, proceeded up the Hudson, with the view of effecting 
 a diversion in favor of Burgoyne. On the 6th of October, he made 
 an attack on forts Montgomery and Clinton. These works were car- 
 ried at the point of the bayonet, but most of the garrisons escaped. 
 Forts Independence and Constitution were evacuated, and General 
 Putnam, who had the command on the Hudson, retreated to Fishkill. 
 General Tryon on the following day burned Continental Village, 
 where considerable stores wei'e deposited ; General Vaughan with a 
 strong detachment, proceeding up the river, devastated the settle- 
 ments along its banks, burned the village of Kingston, and then em- 
 barked for IVew York. 
 
 In the campaigns of 1778 and 1779, nothing decisive was effected ; 
 the British engaged in no enterprise of much importance, and appear 
 to have aimed at little more than to plunder and devastate the unpro- 
 tected parts of the country. Many acts of cruelty were committed, 
 and a great amount of public and private property destroyed. The 
 main body of the American army was concentrated near West Point, 
 for the protection of that important fortress. General Clinton, having 
 seized the works at Verplanck's Neck and Stoney Point, General 
 Washington formed a design for their recovery. The reduction of 
 the fortress at Stoney Point by Gen. Wayne, by assault, on the 16th 
 of July, 1779, was one of the most bold and daring enterprises which 
 occurred during the war. 
 
 The Indians of the Six Nations (with the exception of the Oneidas 
 and a few others) had been induced by the presents and promises of 
 Sir John Johnson, and with the desire of plunder, to invade the fron- 
 tiers, and wherever they went they carried slaughter and devasta- 
 tion. To put a stop to these incursions, congress, in August, 1779, 
 sent General Sullivan with an army against them. Sullivan, with a 
 force of 3,000 men, marched from Easton, Pennsylvania, to Tioga 
 Point, where he was joined by General Clinton, who marched from 
 the Mohawk with a force of about one thousand men. The Indians 
 collected their forces, and took a strong position near NewtowTi, Tioga 
 county, determining to resist the advance of Sullivan. They stood 
 a cannonade for more than two hours, during which time they repelled 
 several assaults ; they were, however, compelled to give way and 
 abandon their works. Generals Sullivan and Clinton penetrated with- 
 
OUTLINE HISTORY. 39 
 
 out obstruction into the heart of the Seneca country, and spread deso- 
 lation on every gide. Eighteen towns and villages, besides hamlets 
 and detached habitations, were burnt. All their fields of corn, their 
 orchards and gardens, were entirely destroyed. By this summary 
 proceeding the ardor of the Indian warriors was damped, and their 
 inroads became much less frequent and destructive. 
 
 At the period of this expedition, different parts of the state suffered 
 severely from the depredations of detached parties of Indians. In 
 July, Colonel Brandt, with a party of Indians and royalists, burned 
 the Minisink settlement and took several prisoners. In August, the 
 Indians with their tory associates destroyed the settlements at Cana- 
 joharie, and burnt a number of houses at Schoharie and Norman's 
 creek. In October, these irruptions were renewed, a great extent of 
 country about the Mohawk was laid waste, and many of the settlers 
 were killed or made prisoners. 
 
 During the year 1780 and 1781, the operations of the war were 
 chiefly conducted in the southern states, the British occupying the 
 city of New York and its vicinity. In 1780, a plot, fraught with im- 
 minent danger to the American cause, was happily discovered. Gen- 
 eral Arnold having solicited and obtained the command of West 
 Point, entered into a negotiation with Sir Henry Clinton, to deliver 
 that important fortress into the hands of the enemy. To facilitate 
 the correspondence, John Andre, the adjutant-general of the British 
 army, proceeded up the Hudson in the Vulture sloop-of-war, as near 
 West Point as practicable, without exciting suspicion. On the night 
 of September 21st, Andre went on shore in a boat, and met Arnold 
 on the beach. Failing to get on board the Vulture again, Andre at- 
 tempted to return to New York by land, in disguise. Receiving a 
 passport from Arnold, he passed the guards and outposts without 
 suspicion. When about thirty miles from New York, he was met 
 by three militia-men, Paulding, Williams, and Van Wert, who, re- 
 fusing the bribes which Andre offered, carried him to their command- 
 ing officer. He was tried as a spy by a board of officers, condemned, 
 and executed. 
 
 The capture of Comwallis at Yorktown, Virginia, convinced the 
 British government of the impracticability of conquering the United 
 States. The provisional articles of peace between the two countries 
 were signed at Paris, November 30th, 1782. On the 19th of April, 
 1783, a formal proclamation of the cessation of hostilities was made 
 throughout the army, and the definitive treaty, acknowledging the 
 independence of the United States, was signed on the 30th of Sep- 
 tember. The British troops evacuated New York on the 25th of 
 November, and the Americans took possession the same day. 
 
 The termination of the revolutionary war, and the adoption of the 
 federal constitution in 1788, gave a new aspect to the affairs of the 
 country. During the war a considerable portion of New York was 
 in possession of the enemy, and many of its most fertile tracts open 
 to their ravages : many of the new settlements were broken up. On 
 the return of peace these wore resumed, and many others commenced. 
 
40 OUTLINE HISTORY. 
 
 which progressed with astonishing rapidity. Commerce, also, expe- 
 rienced a rapid revival on the return of peace. In J 791, the exports 
 to foreign ports amounted to above two milhon five hundred thousand 
 dollars. In 1793, six hundred and eighty-three foreign vessels, and 
 one thousand three hundred and eighty-one coasting vessels, entered 
 the port of New York. 
 
 The controversy relative to the New Hampshire grants still con- 
 tinued. Frequent application had been made by both parties to the 
 general congress for the interference of that body, but no decisive 
 result was obtained. In 1789, the legislature passed an act in order 
 to settle this controversy, and acknowledging the territory as an in- 
 dependent state. Commissioners were mutually appointed, and in 
 1790, after a controversy of twenty-six years, the subject was brought 
 to an amicable adjustment. In 1791, the new state was admitted into 
 the Union, with the name of Vermont. 
 
 In 1786, the state of New York, to quiet or put at rest certain an- 
 tiquated claims of Massachusetts to a portion of her territory, granted 
 that state large tracts of vacant lands. These lands consisted of two 
 parts : one part comprehended all that part of the state lying west 
 of a line beginning at the north at the mouth of Great Sodus bay, 
 on Lake Ontario, and running thence southerly to the north line of 
 Pennsylvania, except one mile on the east side of Niagara river, and 
 the islands in that stream. This tract consisted of six millions one 
 hundred and forty-four thousand acres, and was called the Genesee 
 Country. The other tract comprehended ten or twelve townships, 
 of six square miles each, embraced in the counties of Broome and 
 Tioga. These cessions embraced about 10,000 square miles, nearly 
 one fourth of the state. New York ceding every thing, save sove- 
 reignty, to Massachusetts without an equivalent. The government 
 of Massachusetts sold the first tract to Oliver Phelps and Nathaniel 
 Gorham, for one million of dollars, and the other to John Brown 
 and others, for three thousand three hundred dollars and some cents. 
 
 The " Military Lands" as they were called, were set apart by the 
 legislature, in 1782, for the officers and soldiers of the state of New 
 York, who should serve in the army of the United States till the end 
 of the war, according to law. The military tracts contained about 
 one million eight hundred thousand acres, comprehending, generally 
 speaking, the counties of Onondaga, Cortlandt, Cayuga, Tompkins, 
 and Seneca, and parts of the counties of Oswego and Wayne. Pre- 
 vious to the cession made to Massachusetts, and the grant made to 
 the soldiers, the Indian title was not extinguished. Messrs. Phelps 
 and Gorham, and the government of New York, had to extinguish 
 these before settlements could be made. The first permanent settle- 
 ment made in the western territory was by Hugh White, in 1784, in 
 company with four or five families from Connecticut, who seated 
 themselves at Whitestown, near Utica. 
 
 A party of emigrants, in 1790 or 1791, made a road through the 
 woods from the settlements of Whitestown to Canandaigua. Emigra- 
 tion now increased from year to year. The winter was the season 
 
OUTUNE HISTORY. 41 
 
 usually chosen for emigrating from New England to the -western 
 country. Then, as the country was shaded by forest trees, there was 
 commonly snow enough for sleighing. In 1796, the British evac- 
 uated forts Oswegatchie and Oswego, and immediately afterward set- 
 men ts were begun at these places. In 1797 and 1798, settlements 
 were commenced at Lowville, Watertown, and Brownville, in the 
 counties of Lewis and Jefferson. Settlements were now rapidly ex- 
 tended on every side. The settlements along the great road from 
 Utica to Genesee river, were mostly connected by the year 1800, and 
 from that year the western country began to attain consequence in 
 the councils of the state. 
 
 In 1795, Governor Clinton, having for eighteen years discharged 
 the office of governor, declined a re-election on account of sustaining 
 the republican principle of rotation in office. He was succeeded by 
 John Jay, who continued in the office till 1801, when Mr. Clinton 
 again accepted a re-election. In 1796, the legislature granted the 
 Oneida Indians an annuity of $5,552, in lieu of all former stipulations 
 for lands purchased in 1795 ; $2,300 to the Cayugas ; and $2,000 to 
 the Onondagas. A general organization act was passed in 1801, 
 dividing the state into thirty counties. Mr. Clinton, having been 
 elected vice-president of the United States, Morgan Lewis succeeded 
 him as governor, in 1804. Mr. Lewis was succeeded by Daniel 
 D. Tompkins, in 1807. Albany, the same year, was made the capi- 
 tal of the state. 
 
 In 1810, an act was passed by the legislature "for exploring the 
 route of an inland navigation from Hudson's river to Lake Ontario 
 and Lake Erie." Commissioners were appointed for this purpose, 
 who made a report the following year.* The subject now began to 
 excite general interest, and a bill being introduced by Mr. Clinton, an 
 act was passed, " to provide for the improvement of the internal navi- 
 gation of the state." Commissioners were again appointed to solicit 
 
 * The first legislative movement with reference to a communication like the present 
 canal between the Hudson and Lake Erie, was brought about by the exertions of Mr. 
 Joshua Forman, then a member of assembly from Onondaga county, who proposed to the 
 House, February 4th, 1808, that " a joint committee be appointed, to take into consideration 
 the propriety of exploring and causing an accurate survey to be made of the most eligible 
 and dire'it route for a canal, to open a communication between the tide waters of the Hud. 
 ton and Lake Erie, to the end diat congress may J)e enabled to appropriate such sums aa 
 may be necessary to the accomplishment of that great object." " The proposition," saya 
 Gordon, in his very able Gazetteer, " was received by the House ' with such expressions of 
 surprise and ridicule, as are due to a very wild and foolish project.' It was fortunately, 
 however, firmly sustained by the proposer and his friends, and finally sanctioned upon the 
 principle, ' that it could do no harm and might do some good.' But the joint committee, pre. 
 possessed in favor of the Oswego route, directed the surveyor-general to cause a survey of 
 the rivers, streams, and ivaters in the utual route between Hudson river and Lake Erie, and 
 tueh other route a» he might deem proper : shifting to the surveyor-general the responsi. 
 bility of countenancing a project deemed absurd. Six hundred dollars, only, could be pro. 
 
 cured for the exploration When in January, 1809, Mr. Forman waited upon 
 
 President JefTereon, and informed him that in view of his proposal to expend the surplus 
 revenues of the nation in making roads and canals, the state of New York had explored 
 the route of a canal from the Hudson to Lake Erie, and had found it practicable ; and when 
 he had described all the advantages anticipated, the president replied, ' that it was a yetj 
 fine project, and might be executed a century hence.' " 
 
 6 
 
42 ODTIJNE HISTORY. 
 
 aid from the congress of the United States. De Witt CHnton and 
 Govemeur Morris were appointed to lay the subject before the gen- 
 eral government. They proceeded to Washington, and presented a 
 memorial to congress ; but were unsuccessful in their application to 
 that body for assistance. In March, 1812, the commissioners again 
 made a report to the legislature, and insisted that now soxmd pohcy 
 demanded that the canal should be made by the state on her own 
 account. The subject was, however, soon after suspended by the 
 breaking out of the war with Great Britain. 
 
 War having been declared in 1812, the attention of the Americans 
 was early directed to the invasion of Canada, and troops to the num- 
 ber of eight or ten thousand were collected along the line for this 
 purpose. They were distributed into three divisions ; the northwest- 
 em army, under General Harrison ; the army of the centre, under 
 General Stephen Van Rensselaer, at Lewiston ; and the army of the 
 north, in the vicinity of Plattsburg, under General Dearborn, the 
 commander-in-chief. Great exertions were also made in preparing a 
 naval force upon the lakes, the command of which was intrusted to 
 Commodore Chauncey. About the 1 st of October, Commodore Chaun- 
 cey, with a body of seamen, arrived at Sacketts Harbor ; several 
 schooners which had been employed as traders on the lake were 
 purchased, and fitted out as vessels of war. Lieutenant Elliot was 
 despatched to Black Rock, to make arrangements there for building a 
 naval force superior to that of the enemy on Lake Erie. 
 
 On the 13th of October, a detachment of one thousand men under 
 Colonel Van Rensselaer crossed the Niagara river at Lewiston, and 
 attacked the British on the heights of Queenston. They succeeded 
 in dislodging the enemy, but not being reinforced from the American 
 side, as was expected, were afterward repulsed, and compelled to 
 surrender. During the ensuing winter, the operations of the war on 
 the New York frontier were mostly suspended. Some skirmishing 
 took place along the St. Lawrence ; but the opposing enemies being 
 divided by a barrier of ice, not sufficiently strong to admit of the 
 transportation of artillery, no enterprise of importance was attempted. 
 In April, 1813, General Dearborn made dispositions for a descent 
 upon York, the capital of Upper Canada. The enterprise was com- 
 mitted to a detachment of one thousand seven hundred men, under 
 the command of General Pike, assisted by the fleet under the com- 
 mand of Commodore Chauncey. General Pike was killed in the 
 attack, but the place, with large quantities of military stores, fell into 
 the hands of the Americans. Commodore Chauncey having returned 
 with the fleet to Fort Niagara, it was immediately resolved to make a 
 descent upon Fort George, situated upon . the opposite shore. An 
 attack was made on the 27th of May, and after a short contest the 
 place fell into the hands of the Americans. 
 
 During these operations of the Americans, several enterprises were 
 undertaken by the enemy. About the last of May, a detachment of 
 about one thousand British soldiers, under Sir George Prevost, made 
 an attack on Sacketts Harbor, but were j-epulsed with considerable 
 
OUTLINK BISTORT. 48 
 
 loss. On the 10th of September, Commodore Perry captured the 
 British fleet on Lake Erie. The operations on Lake Ontario were 
 less decisive. During the latter part of summer and autumn, frequent 
 skirmishes took place, but no important advantage was obtained by 
 either party. After the victory on Lake Erie, great preparations 
 were made for the conquest of Montreal. This object was to be 
 effected by two divisions under Generals Wilkinson and Hampton, 
 who were to effect a junction on the St. Lawrence. The division 
 under Wilkinson moved down the river early in November ; on the 
 11th, a severe but indecisive engagement with the enemy took place 
 at Williamsburg. General Hampton made a short incursion into 
 Canada, but no junction was effected. The enterprise against Mon- 
 treal was abandoned, and the troops retired to winter quarters at 
 French Mills, near St. Regis. Fort George was evacuated and blown 
 up by the Americans. In December, the British crossed over above 
 Fort Niagara, and took that place by storm. After the capture of the 
 fort, they proceeded up the river and burnt Lewiston, Youngstown, 
 Manchester, and the Indian village of Tuscarora. On the 30th, a de- 
 tachment of the British crossed over near Black Rock. They were 
 feebly opposed by the militia, who soon gave way, and were totally 
 routed. Having set fire to Black Rock, the enemy advanced to 
 Buffalo, which they laid in ashes, thus completing the desolation of 
 the Niagara frontier. 
 
 Early in July, 1814, Fort Erie was taken by the Americans, and 
 during the same month sanguinary battles were fought at Chippewa 
 and Bridgewater. On the 11th of September, Sir George Prevost, 
 with an army of fourteen thousand men, made a descent upon Platts- 
 burg, and after a severe engagement was compelled to retire with 
 great loss. The British fleet, under Commodore Downie, was cap- 
 tured by Commodore Macdonough, on the same day. The war 
 was terminated by the treaty of Ghent, signed by the commissioners 
 of both countries, December 24th, 1814, and ratified by the president 
 and senate on the 17th of the following February. 
 
 On the termination of the war, the consideration of the great plan 
 for the internal navigation of the state was resumed. During the 
 session of 1817, a memorial was presented, signed by upwards of 
 one himdred thousand citizens, calling upon the legislature to pass 
 laws for the commencement and execution of the proposed canals. 
 An act was accordingly passed, and large appropriations nlade for 
 this purpose. The Erie and Champlain canals were immediately 
 commenced and vigorously prosecuted. The Erie canal, from Al- 
 bany to Buffalo, was completed in 1825, at an expense of about eight 
 millions of dollars, and is one of the most magnificent works of the 
 kind ever constructed. The Champlain canal, seventy-one miles in 
 length, was completed in 1823, at an expense of $875,000. 
 
 In 1817, Governor Tompkins was chosen vice-president of the Uni- 
 ted States, and De Witt Clinton was elected to succeed him as gov- 
 ernor of New York. In 1822. Mr. Clinton declining a re-election, he 
 was succeeded by Joseph C. Yates. Dining this year, (1822,) the 
 
44 ALBANY COUNTY. 
 
 constitution of the state having been revised by a convention at Al- 
 bany the preceding year, was accepted by the people in January. In 
 1824, De Witt Clinton was again re-elected to the office of governor. 
 He died suddenly, February 11th, 1828, and the duties of his office 
 devolved on Nathaniel Pitcher, the lieutenant-governor. Martin 
 Van Buren was next elected governor. He entered on the duties of 
 the office on the 1st of January, 1829, which, after holding for three 
 months, he resigned. He was succeeded by Enos T. Tbroop, who 
 exercised the office of governor from 1829 to 1833, when he was suc- 
 ceeded by William L. Marcy. Governor Marcy was succeeded in 
 the office of governor by William H. Seward, in 1837. 
 
 In the year 1839, an outbreak took place among the tenants on the 
 Rensselaer estate. A body of the Anti- Renters, (as they were call- 
 ed,) convened at Berne on the fourth of July, and determined to 
 refuse the payment of rent. The Sheriff, and some other public of- 
 ficers were resisted, and in some instances barely escaped with their 
 lives. The Anti-Renters while engaged in these proceedings were 
 disguised as Indians and great difficulty was found by the officers of 
 justice in identifying the persons of these disturbers of the public 
 peace. A military force was called out, and the difficulties were ap- 
 parently suppressed. But the rebellious spirit was only smothered 
 for a short period. The Anti-Renters soon met as usual, and efifected 
 a kind of organised resistance to the execution of the laws. 
 
 In 1843, Gov. Seward was succeeded in the office of Governor, by 
 William C.-Bouck. During his administration, on the 20th of De- 
 cember, two persons were killed by the Anti-Renters in Rensselaer 
 County. In 1845, Gov. Bouck was succeeded in office by Silas 
 Wright. The Anti-Renters still continued their disturbances and on 
 the 7th of August, 1845, Dep. Sheriff Steele was murdered at Andes, 
 while serving a process of law. Gov. Wright now declared Dela- 
 ware County to be in a state of insurrection ; a military force was 
 ordered on to the scene of disorder ; a large number of the Anti-Ren- 
 ters were seized and imprisoned. Two of the ring leaders were 
 sentenced to death ; but subsequently this punishment was commut- 
 ed to imprisonment for life. 
 
 In June 1846, a convention elected by the people to revise and amend 
 the Constitution of the State, commenced its session at Albany, and in 
 October following, reported one which was adopted by the people in No- 
 vember by a majority of more than '20,000 votes. In 1847, John Young 
 was Governor, he was succeeded in office by Hamilton Fish, who was 
 succeded in 1851 by Washington Hunt. The great work, the New York 
 and Erie Railroad, was completed at an expense of about twenty.three 
 millions of dollars, in 185L 
 
ALBANY COUNTY. 
 
 ALBANY COUNTY, 
 
 Albany county was originally organized in 1683 ; but its limits 
 have since been greatly altered. In the year 1768, there were but ten 
 counties in the state, viz : New York, Westches^, Dutchess, Orange, 
 Ulster, Albany, Richmond, Kings, Queens, and Suffolk. This county 
 then embraced the whole of the territory of New York lying north of 
 Ulster and west of the Hudson river, as well as all northward of Dutch- 
 ess on the east side of the Hudson. Its greatest length now is 28, and 
 greatest breadth 21 miles. 
 
 The surface and soil are very much diversified. Along the Hudson 
 are alluvial flats, nowhere exceeding a mile in width, susceptible in 
 some places of high cultivation. From these flats, the surface rises 
 abruptly 140 feet, and thence gradually westward to the mountains. 
 On the Mohawk, the land is broken, rugged, and naturally sterile ; on 
 the west are the Helderberg Hills, precipitous and craggy, with a soil 
 of calcareous loam. Centrally the county consists of undulating 
 grounds and plains, with small marshes and tracts of cold, wet sands 
 and clay, but which of late years have been greatly fertilized by gjrp- 
 sum, converting the piny and sandy desert into fragrant clover and 
 fruitful wheat fields. Still, large tracts in this county are unimproved 
 and perhaps unimprovable ; but the greater portion is productive of 
 wheat, of which a large surplus is annually sent to the New York 
 market. The country is well watered by streams which, flowing 
 from the highlands, empty into the Hudson, affording valuable hydrau- 
 lic power. 
 
 In many parts of the county both limestone and graywacke are ex- 
 tensively quarried for building ; and many of the locks on the Erie ca- 
 nal, near Albany, are constructed of the former. Mineral springs 
 abound. At the village of Coeymans is one containing sulphate of 
 magnesia, muriate of lime, iron, sulphureted hydrogen, and carbonic 
 acid- gas. Sulphureted hydrogen springs abound in every direction. 
 The county is divided into 10 towns, viz : 
 
 Albany city, Coeymans, New Scotland, Westerlo. 
 Berne, Guilderland, RensselaerviUe, 
 
 Bethlehem, Knox, Watervliet, 
 
 Albany, the capital of New York, and the oldest city, and next to 
 Jamestown the earliest European settlement within the original thir- 
 teen United States, lies in 42° 39' 3" N. lat., and 3° 12' E. Ion., from 
 Washington. It received its present name in the year 1664, in honor 
 of James, duke of York and Albany, who afterward mounted the 
 ihrone of England as James II. Its original Indian name was 
 Scagh-negh-ta-da, signifying " the end of the pine woods" and this 
 
46 ALBANY COUNTT. 
 
 name for the same reason was applied by the aborigines to the site 
 of the city of Schenectady, where it is yet retained with a slight va- 
 riation in the orthography. The Dutch named Albany "Beaver- 
 wyck," [i. e. Beaver-town,] and afterward, " Willemstadt." It was 
 never known as Fort Orange, or Urania, as has been asserted ; but 
 the fort only was called Fort Orange.* Albany was probably never 
 visited by a white man till Sept., 1610, when Hendricke Chrystance, 
 who was sent up the river by Henry Hudson to explore the country, 
 first landed here; and as far as can be learned from tradition and 
 some documentary ^idence, he landed somewhere in the present 
 North Market street. In that or the succeeding year, a party of 
 the Dutch built a blockhouse on the north point of Boyd's Island, a 
 short distance below the Albany ferry. 
 
 This house was erected for a two-fold purpose ; first, to open a 
 trade with the Indians for furs ; the next, to secure themselves against 
 any sudden attack from the savages. But it was soon demolished, 
 for the next spring's freshet and ice swept the whole of it away. 
 This party then chose a hill, subsequently called " Kiddenhooghten,"-\ 
 within two miles of Albany, for the erection of another trading- 
 house. The Indians called this hill " Ta-wass-a-gun-shee," or the 
 " Look-out Hill." Not long afterward, this spot was abandoned, 
 and a more convenient post selected. The place last chosen was in 
 the vicinity of the house now called " Fort Orange Hotel," in South 
 Market street. The Dutch there erected a Fort, " mounting eight 
 stone pieces,"X and called it " Fort Orange." 
 
 Until after the year 1625, the Dutch did not contemplate making 
 any permanent settlements in this state. They merely visited the 
 country in the autumn and winter, with a view to the fur trade 
 with the Indians, returning in the spring to Holland, or "Vader- 
 landt." But in that year, the Dutch West India Company first en- 
 tertained the idea of colonizing their newly discovered territories in 
 America, and accordingly offered large appropriations of land to 
 such families as should " settle" in their colony of New Netherlands. 
 This soon brought many over, and from that period till 1635, several 
 of our most respectable Dutch families arrived ; among them were the 
 ancestors of the Van Schelluyne, Quackenboss, Lansing, Bleeker, 
 Van Ness, Pruyn, Vein Woert, Wendell, Van Eps, and Van Rensse- 
 laer families. 
 
 It does not appear that any stone or brick building was erected 
 here (the fort excepted) until the year 1647, when, according to 
 
 • For most of the statements given respecting the early history of Albany, the authors 
 ftre indebted to the " Historical Reminiscences," published in the American Journal, 1835. 
 
 t Kiddetiheoghten, or Kidda-heights or kill, received its name about the year 1701; and, 
 according to tradition, in memory of the pirate Kidd, so celebrated " in song and story," 
 who it is supposed concealed much of his ill-gotten treasure in the vicinity. It is, however, 
 doubted whether Kidd ascended the Hudson as far as Albany. 
 
 t According to Mr. Vander Kempt, the translator of ova Ehitch records, they were called 
 " Stien-gestocken," or stone pieces, because they were loaded with »Ume instead of iron 
 ball. They were formed of long and strong iron bare, longitudinally laid, and bound with 
 iron hoops, and were of immense caliber. 
 
ALBANY COUNTY. 
 
 47 
 
 a "letter from Commissary De la Montagnie" to the Dutch gov- 
 ernor at New Amsterdam, (New York,) a stone building was erected 
 near the fort, and he complains of the " enormous libations" upon 
 the occasion of celebrating its completion : " No less" (he says) 
 "than 8 ankers (128 gallons) of brandy were consumed." 
 
 About 100 years since, Albany was protected against sudden ir- 
 ruptions from the Indians by the erection of palisades,* part of the 
 remains of which were visible within the last forty years. Barrack 
 (now Chapel) street, was the principal place for business. The gov- 
 ernment of the city was extremely rigid, and often cruel ; it bore 
 the character more of a military despotism than that of a civil po- 
 hce ; heavy penalties were imposed for the least infraction of the 
 laws regulating the trade with the Indians, and many families conse- 
 quently ruined. This severity drove some of the "traders" to the 
 Schenectady flats, where they intercepted a considerable portion of 
 the fur on its way to Albany, and which occasioned for many years 
 the most bitter animosities between the inhabitants of both places. 
 The circulating medium then in use consisted principally of sewant, 
 or wampum. 
 
 Ministers of the reformed religion were regularly sent out from 
 Holland to the colony. In 1657, the Rev. Gideon Schaats sailed 
 from Amsterdam for this colony, and about the same time the Dutch 
 West India Company wrote a letter, stating that they would send a 
 hell and a pulpit, " for the inhabitants of Fort Orange, and of the vil- 
 lage of Beaverwick, for their newly constructed little church." In 
 
 Ancient Dutch Church, Albany. 
 
 1715, this church became too small for the congregation, and the 
 proprietors adopted a singular mode of enlarging it. Beyond and 
 on every side of the ancient building, they sunk a new stone wall ; 
 
 * These palisades consisted of large pieces of timber in close contact with each other, 
 driven endwise into the ground, and gates or openings were ir.ade at suitable intervals, 
 which were closed at night. 
 
48 ALBANY COUNTY. 
 
 on this foundation they raised a larger structure. Having thus com- 
 pletely enclosed the first church, they took it down and removed the 
 whole, with only the loss of public worship for three sabbaths. The 
 new edifice, which had been constructed in this manner, was one 
 story high, of Gothic appearance, having its windows richly orna- 
 mented with coats of arms. This church, of which the preceding en- 
 graving is a representation, stood about ninety-two years in the open 
 area formed by the angle of State, Market, and Court streets. It 
 was taken down in 1806, and the stone of which it was constructed 
 was used in the erection of the South Dutch Church, between Hud- 
 son and Beaver streets. Fort Orange, on the river bank, appears to 
 have been but a slight fortification. In 1639, a complaint was 
 made by the commandant of the fort to Gov. Stuyvesant, stating 
 " that the fort was in a miserable state of decay, and that the hogs 
 had destroyed a part of it." A later work built of stone was erected 
 on the river hill, at the west end of State-street. The English Church 
 was just below it, at the west end of a market. 
 
 As has been stated, the government of Beaverwick, or Albany, 
 while under the Dutch rule was rigid and arbitrary. It was in the 
 hands of three or more " commissaries," appointed by the governor 
 and council, who usually held their offices for one year. Without the 
 permission of the commissaries, no one was allowed to build houses, 
 buy or sell, or to establish manufactories, stores, shops, taverns, or 
 beer-houses. In 1647, Jan La Battle applied for permission "to 
 build a brewery," which was granted " on his paying yearly six heav- 
 ers, a duty of perhaps of about eighty dollars. The duties were 
 generally farmed out, or sold at auction ; and during this year and 
 several years afterward, the duties on beer in Beaverwick exceeded 
 eight hundred dollars. The fines imposed for the violation of ordi- 
 nances were generally distributed in the sentence in this way : " one 
 third to the church, one third to the public, and one third to the 
 attorney-general." 
 
 " Professor Kalm, who visited Albany in 1749, has left ua some facts. All the people 
 then understood Dutch. AU the houses stood gable end to the street ; the ends were of 
 brick, and the side walls of planks or logs. The gutters on the roofe went out almost to 
 the middle of the street, greatly annoying travellers in their discharge. At the stoopea 
 (porches) the people spent much of their time, especially on the shady side ; and in the 
 eyenings they were filled with both sexes. The streets were dirty by reason of the cattle 
 possessing their fi-ee use during the summer nights. They had no knowledge of stoves, 
 and their chimnies were so wide that one could drive through them with a cart and horses. 
 Many people still made wampum to sell to Indians and traders. Dutch manners every, 
 where prevailed ; but their dress in general was after the English form. They were re- 
 garded as close in traffic ; were very frugal in their house economy and diet. Their 
 women were over-nice in cleanliness, scouring floors and kitchen utensils several times a 
 week ; rismg very early and going to sleep very late. Their servants were chiefly negroes. 
 Their breakfast was Ua without milk, using sugar by putting a small bit into the mouth. 
 Their dianer was buttermilk and bread ; and if to that they added sugar, it was deemed 
 delicious." — Wataon'a Sketches of Olden Times in New York. 
 
 Albany was incorporated as a city, under Governor Dongan's 
 administration, in 1686. The charter limits were one mile on the 
 river, and extended northwest to the north line of the manor of Rens- 
 selaer, and retaining that width thirteen and a half miles ; the fee simple 
 
i, !l-,'.- 
 
 
 
 iJiifei ■: 
 
 1 ^ 
 
 '1 
 
 .^ 
 
 1 V 
 
 ^ 
 
ALBANY COUNTY. 
 
 49 
 
 of which was vested in the corporation. Its bounds were enlarged 
 by the addition of part of the small town of Colonic, in 1815, which 
 now forms the fifth ward. The government of the city is now lodged 
 in a mayor, recorder, ten aldermen, and ten assistant aldermen, who 
 are annually elected on the first Tuesday of May. The i)lat on which 
 the city is built is uneven. A low alluvial flat extends along the river 
 Irom fit'tecn to one hundred rods wide ; west of whicli rises abruptly 
 a hill of clay and sand, in the first half mile one hundred and fifty- 
 three feet, and in the next about sixty-seven feet high ; from this 
 summit the country extends in nearly an even plain to Schenectady. 
 The position of Albany, necessarily makes it a great thoroughfare. 
 The completion of the canals has given it a great commercial im- 
 portance, making it the entrepot for a great proportion of the pro- 
 ducts desthied ibr the New York market. To accommodate this 
 trade, a Ijasin has been constructed by the citizens on the river, in 
 which all the northern and western canal boats are received. It 
 consists of part of the river included between the shore and a pier 
 eighty feet wide, and four thousand three hundred feet long. The 
 pier contains about eight acres, on which stores have been built, and 
 where immense quantities of lumber and other articles of trade are 
 deposited. The basin has an area of thirty-two acres. 
 
 State and City Halls, Albany. 
 
 The above is a west view of the State and City Halls, the fronts 
 of which face the Academy Park, a small section of which appears 
 on the left. The building on the right is the City Hall, constructed 
 of white marble, hewed out by the state prisoners, at Sing Sing, and 
 distinguished above all other edifices in this country by its gilded 
 dome, like the Invalides at Paris. It was completed in December, 1832. 
 In the rotunda of this building there is a statue of Hamilton, a copy 
 of that by Greenough, in the Merchants' Exchange, destroyed by the 
 great fire in New York, in 1835. There are also two designs in bass- 
 relief executed by W. Coffee, at the cost of the citizens, commemora- 
 tive of De Witt Clinton and Sir Walter Scott. A bust of each is 
 
50 
 
 ALBANY COUNTY. 
 
 introduced in the dcsi;;^ns ; that of Clinton is surrounded by figures, 
 representing Commerce, Agriculture. Science, a canal lock, &;c. The 
 bust of Scott is accompanied with a female iigure, presenting a volume 
 inscribed '' Marmion ;" the words " ^linstrel" and " Waverly" iippear 
 on a scrcjll below ; the Cenius of Ilistnj-y, i'amc. and the emblems of 
 death aiul immnrtalil \", are also introduced. The iXew State Hall. [)ar- 
 tially srcii 1)11 the Icll. was commenced in 183.5. Jt (;overs an area oi 
 one huiiflred and tliirt}"-eight by eight\'-eiglit feet, and is sixty-live feet 
 in height. The materials uf the liuililing are hri(;k and stone ; the 
 exterior biced with mai'ble, from Mount Pleasant ; the ceilings are 
 arched with brick, and the whole lire-|iidot. This edifice contains 
 the offices of the secretary of state, comptroller, treasurer, uttoniey- 
 general, surveyor-general, ikc. 
 
 East View of the Capitol at Albany. 
 
 The above is an eastern view of the capitol. situated at the head 
 iif State-street, one hundi'ed an(i thirty feet above the level of the 
 river. It is substantially built of stone, at an expense of $120,000, of 
 which the city corporation paid 834,000. The hall of the repre- 
 sentatives and the senate chamber, each contain full length portraits 
 of Washington, and of several govcrnoi-s >A the state. The Academy 
 is on the north side fif the public square ; is a fine building, cori- 
 strucled (jf iXyac stone, three stories high and ninety feet^front; 
 cost, at the city charge, -SttO.OOO. exclusive of the site and some im- 
 portant donations. The Albany Inslititte has commodious apartments 
 in the Academy. Its library contains about two thousand volumes, 
 and Its museum more than ten thousand specimens in geology, 
 mineralogy, botany, coins, eiii^n-avings, casts. tVc. Jt jiublishes Vts 
 transactions from time to time, and has a high rejiutation abroad. 
 The Albany Female Academy, is a beautiful buildina-. erected by a 
 company incorporated February, 1821 : this institution has a high 
 reputation. The Exchange, Stanwix Hall, the Museum, and several 
 
ALBANY COUNTY. 51 
 
 of the churches, are fine buildings. The Atheneum was established 
 in 1827 ; the Albany Library, established in 1792, and now connected 
 with the Atheneum, has about nine thousand volumes. 
 
 There are six banks, viz : — Bank of Albany, incorporated in 1792 
 capital, $240,000. New York State Bank, incorporated 1803 ; capi 
 tal, $369,600. Mechanics and Farmers' Bank, incorporated 1811, 
 capital, $442,000. Commercial Bank, incorporated 1825; capital, 
 $300,000. Canal Bank, incorporated 1829; capital, $.300,000. Al- 
 bany City Bank, incorporated 1834 ; capital, $500,000. The Albany 
 Savings Bank was incorporated in 1820. 
 
 There are 30 churches : among which are 5 Presbyterian; 3 Dutch 
 Reformed ; 4 Methodist Episcopal ; 1 Protestant Methodist ; 1 Color- 
 ed do. ; 3 Baptist ; 1 Colored do. ; 2 Catholic ; 3 Episcopalian ; 1 
 Friends ; 1 Universalist. Population 50,771. Albany is distant from 
 New York 148 miles ; from Washington city, 376 ; Philadelphia, 
 237; Boston, 171; Hartford, 92; Montreal, 247; Quebec, 394; 
 Detroit, 664 ; BufTalo via Utica by land, 296 ; via Cherry Valley, 282 ; 
 by the canal, 363. 
 
 Upon the northern bounds of the city is the mansion house of the 
 late Stephen Van Rensselaer, Esq., the patroon of the manor of Rens- 
 selaerwyck. It is almost entirely surrounded by a thick forest of trees, 
 giving it an unusually retired aspect. " The na.n\e of this gentleman 
 can scarcely be mentioned without a passing tribute to his merit. 
 Blessed with great wealth, which so frequently leads to selfish egotism 
 and exclusiveness, he has through life been distinguished as an active 
 and efficient public man ; bestowing his personal services and his for- 
 tune, to the encouragement of every species of improvement in litera- 
 ture, science, and art. His name, as a benefactor, is associated with 
 most of the charitable and scientific institutions of the state ; and he 
 has perhaps done more than any other citizen to foster agriculture 
 and internal improvements." 
 
 Rensselaerville is a village of about 1,000 inhabitants, 150 houses, 
 4 churches, and 7 stores, 24 miles SW. of Albany. Coeymans vil- 
 lage, 12 miles below Albany, contains 2 churches, 100 dwellings, and 
 about 700 inhabitants. There are several extensive brick yards in this 
 place, which has a convenient steamboat landing. 
 
 The flourishing manufacturing village of Cahoes is situated near 
 the falls, on the bank of the Mohawk, within a short distance of the 
 junction of the Erie and Champlain canals. The water-power devel- 
 oped here is very great, and the advantages of this position for manu- 
 facturers are among the best in the state. 
 
 " The Cahoes Falls, in full view of the village, and seen with special advantage from 
 the bridge, have a total descent of 78 feet, and a perpendicular pitch of about 40. Above 
 the cataract, the bank on the left has nearly 100 feet perpendicular elevation, and below, 
 170 feet On the right above the pitch, the bank is low ; but below it, the shore is be- 
 tween 80 and 90 feet high ; below the falls the river runs in a deep, rocky, and broken 
 bed for a short distance, expanded into the placid pool formed by the state dam, and glides 
 over that dam in one lovely sheet of about ^ of a mile in length, whose gentle fall of 7 
 feet makes a pleasant contrast with the great cataract above- In floods, the whole bed 
 It the latter is covered with water, which descends in one unbroken torrent about 900 feet 
 vide. At such seasons, the high rocky barriers which confine the stream, the roar of the 
 
52 ALBANY COUNTY. 
 
 cataract, the dashing of the troubled waters as they descend the rapids, and the striking 
 assimilation of the torrent with the wilderness above, give to the scene unusual sub- 
 limity." 
 
 West Troy, incorporated in 1836, comprising Gibbonsville, Wa- 
 tervliet, and Port Schuyler, is situated upon the Hudson, opposite 
 Troy. A communication is constantly kept up with it by ferries, and 
 a fine macadamized road 6 miles in length along the river connects it 
 with Albany. A valuable water-pow^er is derived from the Junction 
 canal, and used at the arsenal and other works. The village has, by 
 the census of 1840, a population of 4,607; and enjoying all the ad- 
 vantages of navigation possessed by Troy, grows rapidly. The Uni- 
 ted States arsenal, located here, comprises several extensive buildings 
 of stone and brick, in which there are a large quantity of arms, with 
 workshops for their repair. Among the cannon are some pieces 
 taken at Saratoga and at Yorktown ; others, presented to the United 
 States by Loiiis XVI., with some cast in New York and Philadelphia 
 during the revolution. A suburb of Troy, called North Troy, has been 
 laid out upon Tibbet's island, upon which is the railroad depot. 
 
 At Niska3runa there is a small society of Shakers, which was 
 established here in September, 1776, by Ajin Lee. They own 2,000 
 acres of good land, well cultivated, and divided into four farms, on 
 each of which is a family, the whole amounting to about 80 persons 
 of both sexes and all ages. From a very small beginning, the society 
 has grown into several communities, the largest of which is established 
 at New Lebanon, Columbia county. 
 
 Ann Lee, or " Mother Ann" (as she is usually called,) was bom 
 at Manchester, England. About the year 1758, she joined herself to 
 the society of Shakers, so called from the singular tremblings and 
 shakings with which these people were affected at their religious 
 meetings. According to the account given by her biographer, she 
 passed through great trial and distress of mind for the space of nine 
 years, during which period she had many visions and revelations. 
 She set herself up as a religious teacher, and soon collected a num- 
 ber of followers, who believed her to be the " elect lady," spoken 
 of in the 2d of John. After having been imprisoned in England and 
 confined in a madhouse, she set sail for America, in the spring of 
 1774, with a number of her followers ; particularly, Abraham Stan- 
 ley, her husband, William Lee, her brother, James Whitaker, and 
 John Hocknell ; and arrived at New York the following August. It 
 appears that Mother Ann remained in New York nearly two years, 
 and then went to Albany, and thence, in the following September, to 
 Niskayuna. In 1781, she began a progress through various parts of 
 the country, particularly of New England, which lasted, we are told, 
 about two years and four months. She died in 1784. 
 
ALLEGANY COUNTY. 
 
 53 
 
 ALLEGANY COUNTY. 
 
 Allegany cotjnty was taken from Genesee in 1806. It is 44 
 miles long, 28 wide, being part of the tract ceded to Massachusetts. 
 The two western tiers of towns are within the Holland Land Com- 
 pany's purchase. The Genesee river flows through the county by a 
 deep channel, depressed from five hundred to eight hundred feet below 
 the higher hills. By an act passed in 1828, this river was decided 
 a public highway from Rochester to the Pennsylvania line. The soil 
 is of a good quality, there being extensive tracts of alluvion, and the 
 uplands embrace a variety. The northern part is best for grain, but 
 as a whole it is belter for grazing. Wheat and corn thrive well in 
 the valley and on the river flats. Of the former, twenty-five bushels 
 an acre are an average crop, and of the latter forty. On the upland, 
 corn, rye, potatoes, oats, and buckwheat, are productive crops. The 
 growth of forest trees being heavy, lumbering is carried on exten- 
 sively. The Rochester and Olean canal, chartered in 1836, and now 
 constructing, enters the county at Portage and terminates at Olean, in 
 the adjoining county of Cattaraugus. The line of the Erie railroad 
 also passes through it. The county contains 30 towns, viz., 
 
 Alfred, 
 
 Bolivar, 
 
 Genesee, 
 
 Pike, 
 
 Allen, 
 
 Burns, 
 
 Granger, 
 
 Portage, 
 
 Almond, 
 
 Caneadea, 
 
 Grove, 
 
 Rushford, 
 
 Amity, 
 
 Centerville, 
 
 Hume, 
 
 Scio, 
 
 Andover, 
 
 Clarksville, 
 
 Independence, 
 
 West Almond, 
 
 Angelica, 
 
 Cuba, 
 
 New Hudson, 
 
 Wirt. 
 
 Belfast, 
 
 Eagle, 
 
 Nunda, 
 
 
 Birdsall, 
 
 Friendship, 
 
 Ossian, 
 
 
 Angelica village, 52 miles S. from Batavia, and 250 W. from Albany, 
 is the county seat. The village contains about 130 dwellings, 4 
 churches, a bank, and 2 printing offices. About three miles SW. of 
 the village is the seat of Philip Church, Esq., the first settler of the 
 county in 1804. The town and village are named after his mother, 
 Mrs. Angelica Church, the eldest daughter of Gen. Philip Schuyler. 
 
 The village of Nunda Valley, about 18 miles NE. from Angclic:a, 
 on the line of the Genesee Valley canal, contains upwards of 100 
 dwellings, 3 churches, and 10 stores. This place was first settled 
 about 1826, and is located in a fertile country. Cuba village, about 
 15 miles SW. of Angelica, contains about 100 dwellings. Portage- 
 ville, on the west side of the Genesee, near the " Fails," contains about 
 100 dwellings, 4 churches, and 8 or 10 stores, a number of mills, (Sec. 
 This place is situated in the vicinity of the gorge of the Genesee, 
 celebrated for its wild grandeur, also for the exhibition of enterprise 
 and skill in the construction of a tunnel for the canal through the solid 
 rock, which here bounds the valley of the Genesee. " There are 
 three distinct falls on the river, respectively sixty, ninety, and one 
 hundred and ten feet high, within the space of two miles, each diff"er- 
 
54 
 
 ALLEGANY COUNTY. 
 
 ing in cliaracter, and each having peculiar beauties. Although the 
 cascades are highly admirable, they are almost disregarded \u the 
 wonder and fear caused by the stupendous perpendicular walls of the 
 river, rising to four hundred feet in height, and extending along the 
 .stream for three miles, with almost as much regidanty as if constructed 
 by art. To this great depth the river has worn its bed in the solid 
 rock, in turns as short and graceful, as if wuidmg through the soltest 
 meadow." 
 
 Pass of the Genesee at Portage Falls. 
 
 The above is a representation of the gorge, at that point where the 
 river, coming from the south, takes a sudden and abrupt bend to the 
 cast. It is situated below the middle and upper falls ; both of which 
 are in lull sight from near this point. The spectator is supposed to 
 be standing m the valley, and looking easlwardly in the direotion of 
 the lower falls, which are about a mile and a half distarU. Imme- 
 diately in front rise massy, jjerpcndicular rncks, to the height of four 
 hundred feet, their sumniils cr<nvned with giiiaiitie pines and jieni- 
 
ALLEGANY COUNTY. 55 
 
 locks, the aged sentinels of an hundred years. In the perspective, 
 the river meanders along its rocky bed, until finally lost to the view 
 behind projecting precipices. Far in the distant horizon is seen the 
 hills of the Cashaqua, and to the right " Hornby Lodge," standing on 
 the verge of the precipice, resembling an ancient chateau ; its rude, 
 gothic architecture in keeping with the wildness of the situation. 
 The sketch for the above engraving was taken at the close of the 
 year. Winter had thrown her snowy mantle upon the face of na- 
 ture. The huge evergreens and naked limbs of the other forest trees 
 were enveloped in their drapery of white ; immense icicles hung 
 from the rocks ; while the blue of the distant hills, contrasting with 
 the icy splendor and sublimity of the foreground, combined to render 
 it a scene of indescribable grandeur. Some years since, a party of 
 surveyors cut down an immense pine, standing on the verge of the 
 precipice. It turned one somerset in its descent, and struck its butt 
 perpendicularly upon the rocky bottom of the gorge. Every limb 
 fell to the earth with the shock. It stood for a moment, a tall, limb- 
 less trunk, quivered, and fell with a crash. 
 
 The tunnel, eleven hundred and eighty feet in length, to which al- 
 lusion has been made, commences at a point on the southern side of 
 the gorge, about six hundred feet east of the lodge, and has a south- 
 western termination near the middle falls. The following description 
 of this work, and the •' lodge," is from an interesting series of letters, 
 entitled " Midsummer Rambles," published in the New York Com- 
 mercial Advertiser in the summer and autumn of 1840. " The trunk 
 of the tunnel is to be twenty-seven feet wide and twenty feet high. 
 Fortunately, the character of the rock (sandstone) is favorable to the 
 progress of the work. The contractor for this section is Elisha 
 Johnson, Esq., formerly mayor of Rochester, and one of its most 
 enterprising citizens. Mr. Johnson commenced this vast excavation 
 last year, first running a shaft or ' heading' five and a half feet near- 
 est the roof, and of the entire width required, through the whole length 
 of the tunnel. One of the lateral drifts, for the introduction of air 
 and light from the river brink to the main tunnel, had also been pre- 
 viously completed," the opening to which is seen in the engraving 
 on the rock in front of the " Lodge." 
 
 " The entire excavation of this tunnel, including the gallery, shaft, 
 and lateral drifts, will amount to more than twenty-five thousand cubic 
 yards, for which the price paid is four dollars per yard. This, how- 
 ever, will not, by a great amount, cover the entire cost of the tunnel ; 
 for since the excavation has been commenced, such is the character 
 of the rock — thrown together apparently by nature in loose masses 
 and blocks — that it now appears that the entire roof and sides of the 
 tunnel will require arching with solid mason work. Indeed, tempo- 
 rary arches of wood have been found necessary during the progress 
 of almost every successive yard of the work. It is by far the great- 
 est undertaking of the kind that has been attempted in our country. 
 
 " Perceiving, at the outset, that his contract would require a long 
 time for its completion, Mr. Johnson, whose daily presence was 
 
56 BROOME COUNTY. 
 
 necessary, wisely determined to surround himself by his family. He 
 accordingly prepared ' a lodge' for them in the ' wilderness.' The site 
 selected is wild and picturesque in a high degree. It stands upon a 
 small plain or table, upon the highest verge of the precipitous bank of 
 the river so often adverted to, a few yards only from the edge, which 
 juts out, and almost impends over the abyss, threatening to descend 
 and overwhelm all that may be below. The site of the building is 
 near the southwestern entrance of the tunnel. Facing that direction, a 
 full view is presented of the chasm of the river, and the upper and mid- 
 dle falls ; the roar of which is incessant, and the ascending clouds of 
 vapor of which form objects of ever-varying and incessant interest and 
 beauty. ' Hornby Lodge' is the name of Mr. Johnson's castle, and the 
 grounds around it — purposely kept as wild as nature herself has made 
 them — are called ' Tunnel Park.' 
 
 BROOME COUNTY. 
 
 Broome county, named after Lieut. Gov. Broome, was taken from 
 Tioga in 1806. Length, on the Pennsylvania line, 37 miles ; breadth, 
 on the Tioga boundary 28, on the Delaware 13, and midway 17 miles. 
 Centrally distant from New York, northwest, 252, and from Albany, 
 southwest, 145 miles. The surface of the country is broken and 
 mountainous. Among its principal elevations are the Cookquago, the 
 Oquago, and the Randolph mountains. The valleys bordering on its 
 numerous streams are extensive and fertile, producing large quantities 
 of wheat. The soil is generally better adapted to grazing than the 
 culture of grain. Fruit succeeds well. The inhabitants are principally 
 farmers, and its agriculture is respectable. The Chenango canal en- 
 ters the county on the north, follows down the valley of the Chenango 
 river, and enters the Susquehannah river at Binghamton. The line of 
 the Erie railroad passes through the county. The county is divided 
 into 11 towns, viz. : 
 
 Barker, Conklin, Sandford, Vestal, 
 
 Chenango, Lisle, Triangle, Windsor. 
 
 Colesville, Nanticoke, Union, 
 
 The village of Binghamton, formerly called" Chenango Point, the 
 shire village of the county, was incorporated in 1813, 1824, and 1834. 
 It derived its present name from William Bingham, a munificent bene- 
 factor of the village in its infant state. This gentleman was possessed 
 of a large estate, and was the proprietor of a large patent of land lying 
 on both sides of the Susquehannah, including the site of the village. 
 Mr. Bingham was a native of England, and came to this country when 
 a young man, and went into the mercantile business in Philadelphia. 
 He was a member of congress for some years while it held its sessions 
 at Philadelphia. His two daughters married, the one Alexander, the 
 other Henry Baring, two noted bankers in London. Mr. Bingham 
 died in London in 1804. 
 
BROOME COUNTY. 
 
 Western View of Binghamton. 
 
 The above shows the appearance of the village as it is entered 
 from the west side of Chenango river, by the red bridge, (so called,) 
 which is 600 feet long. The village is principally on the east side 
 of the Chenango, and contains about 500 houses, 50 stores, and 3,000 
 inhabitants. There are six churches, viz : 1 Episcopal, 2 Methodist, 
 1 Presbyterian, 1 Congregational, 1 Baptist, and 1 Catholic. There 
 are two female seminaries, a large school for boys, two printing- 
 offices, the courthouse and prison ; two banks — the Broome County 
 Bank incorporated 1831, with a capital of $100,000, and the Bing- 
 hamton Bank, which commenced its operations in 1839, with a capital 
 of $100,000, and the privilege of extending it to one million. The 
 village of Binghamton is 150 miles from Albany, 90 from Utica, 40 
 from Norwich, 22 from Owego, and 7 from the Pennsylvania line. 
 The great medium of transportation to the place is by the Chenango 
 canal. This canal, which terminates at Binghamton and Utica, is 
 95 miles long, 46 feet wide, and Ah deep. The number of locks ia 
 the whole route is 105. The canal was commenced in 1834 and 
 completed in 1837, and cost nearly two millions of dollars. 
 
 The tract of country in which Binghamton is situated, became 
 first known to the whites by the expedition of Gen. Sullivan against 
 the Indians in 1779. Upon the site of Binghamton, a brigade of 
 American troops under the command of Gen. James Clinton, the 
 father of De Witt Clinton, encamped for one or two nights on their 
 way to join the main body under SuUivan, then penetrating westward. 
 The first white man who made a permanent settlement in what is 
 claimed for the village vicinity, was Capt. Joseph Leonard, who was 
 originally from Plymouth, Massachusetts. He first emigrated to 
 Wyoming, Pennsylvania. He owned a farm in that place, and was 
 under arms there at the time of the massacre, though not on the field 
 of action. He moved from Wyoming in 1787, with a young wife and 
 two little children. His wife and children were put on board a 
 
 8 
 
S8 BROOME COUNTY. 
 
 canoe, with what goods he brought up, and the canoe rowed by a hired 
 man ; while he himself went up on land with two horses, keeping the 
 shore, and regulating his progress by that of his family on the river. 
 A Capt. Baldwin, who settled on the Chemung river, moved up at the 
 same time in company with him. 
 
 Previous to the settlement of these first emigrants, a number of 
 persons from Massachusetts came on an exploring tour to this region ; 
 on their return they obtained a grant from the legislature of Massa- 
 chusetts of a large tract, which they afterward purchased of the In- 
 dians. This tract contained 2.30,000 square acres, for which the 
 company paid to the state £1,500. It appears that when the agents 
 of the company came on, they found that patents had already been 
 granted to Bingham, Wilson, and Cox, by the state of New York, 
 which interfered with their grants. This claim of Massachusetts to 
 this part of the state, originating in some ancient colonial claims, was 
 finally satisfied by the grant of the right of pre-emption to certain 
 lands in western New York. 
 
 The valley of Oquago was settled by the whites about the year 
 1788. The most of the earher inhabitants were from Waterbury and 
 Watertown, in Connecticut. The Rev. Mr. Buck was the first min- 
 ister who preached in the place. He was called by the first settlers 
 Major Buck, as he had held that office during the revolutionary war. 
 Mr. Williston, a missionary from Connecticut, appears to have been 
 the next. Soon after the formation of the Presbyterian church. Rev. 
 Seth Sage became the settled pastor, and remained such till his death. 
 The Episcopal church was organized in 1803, by Bishop Chase, then 
 a missionary in Western New York. 
 
 Oquago, now Windsor in this county, about 16 miles from Bing- 
 hamton, was the residence of a tribe of Indians. It appears to have 
 been a half-way resting-place for the " Six Nations" as they passed 
 south of Wyoming, and also for the tribes of the Wyoming valley as 
 they passed north. Jonathan Edwards, the celebrated divine, while a 
 minister at Stockbridge, Mass., took a deep interest in the welfare of 
 the Indians in this place. He procured a missionary for them. Rev. 
 Mr. Hawley, and three other persons, Mr. Woodbridge, Mr. and Mrs. 
 Ashley. The three latter returned. Mrs. Ashley, it appears, was 
 employed during her stay as an interpreter. Mr. Hawley remained 
 their missionary until the commencement of the French war, when it 
 was considered unsafe for him to remain longer. About one year pre- 
 vious to this time, Mr. Edwards sent one of his sons, a lad of about 
 nine years of age, to Oquago, under the care of Mr. Hawley, to learn 
 the Indian language, in order to become an Indian missionary. When 
 the war commenced, a faithful Indian, who had special care of the 
 lad, took him and conveyed him to his father, part of the way on his 
 back. This lad was afterwards President of Union College. 
 
CAYUGA COUNTY. 69 
 
 CAYUGA COUNTY. 
 
 Cayuga county was formed from Onondaga in 1799 ; but other 
 counties have since been taken from it. Greatest length N. and S. 
 55, greatest breadth E. and W. 23 miles. From Albany, W., 156 
 miles, from New York, 301. Upon the S. the surface rises into 
 ridges, along the Cayuga lake, the Owasco lake and inlet, and the 
 Skaneateles lake. The principal streams are the Salmon and Fall 
 creeks, tributaries of the Cayuga lake ; the inlet and the outlet of the 
 Owasco lake, and the Seneca river, which is the eventual recipient of 
 all these waters. The river flows through a plain in which its sluggish 
 course is scarce perceptible, and the marshes which it waters, extend 
 to the western border of the county ; in its way it passes through 
 Cross lake, a basin 5 miles long by 2 wide, lying on the eastern boun- 
 dary, in a low swampy district, whose surface is 370 feet above tide. 
 
 The disposition of the waters shows an irregular surface. The 
 Poplar ridge, E. of the Cayuga lake, rises in some places to 600 
 feet above, but has a gentle slope towards the lake, displaying 
 finely-cultivated farms. The eastern declivity of this and other 
 hills is more abrupt. On the N. of Auburn, the country is com- 
 paratively level, yet has a rolling appearance from the many large 
 gravel hills scattered over the plain, assuming in many places the 
 semblance of stupendous mounds formed by art. This gravel has 
 much limestone, and produces excellent wheat. Few portions of the 
 state possess more fertile lands, or can boast of higher cultivation. 
 In all the fruits of the climate, this -county is prohfic. About two 
 thirds of the land is under improvement. The southern portion is 
 most thickly settled. The Cayuga lake, which forms a large part of 
 the western boundary, is a beautiful sheet of water, 36 miles long, 
 and from 1 to 4 broad. The county is divided into 22 towns : 
 
 Auburn, 
 
 Genoa, 
 
 Niles, 
 
 Sterling, 
 
 Aurelius, 
 
 Ira, 
 
 Owasco, 
 
 Summer Hill, 
 
 Brutus, 
 
 Ledyard, 
 
 Scipio, 
 
 Venice, 
 
 Cato, 
 
 Locke, 
 
 Sempronius, 
 
 Victory. 
 
 Conquest, 
 
 Metz, 
 
 Sennet, 
 
 
 Fleming, 
 
 Moravia, 
 
 Springport, 
 
 
 The town of Auburn, taken from Aurelius in 1823, is 3 miles by 
 2, comprehending 6 lots of the old military tract, included within the 
 chartered limits of the village. The compact part of the village lies 
 2i miles from Lake Owasco, on the outlet of that name. It is on 
 the line of the Western Railroad, 156 miles from Albany, 314 from 
 New York, 7 from Weedsport on the Erie canal, and 339 from Wash- 
 ington. Pop. 9,548. There are 7 churches, a state prison, court- 
 house, theological seminary, an academy, two banks, 4 pnnting-offices, 
 and a number of splendid hotels. Auburn is one of the most thriving 
 and beautiful villages in the state. Its principal streets are adorned 
 with lofty buildings of brick and limestone. 
 
60 
 
 CAYUGA COUNTY. 
 
 Eastern part of Genesee-street, Auburn. 
 
 Auburn was first settled in 1793, by Col. John L. Hardenbergh, 
 and was for many years called " HardenbergKs Corners.'" It became 
 a post village in 1800, and in 1805 the county town ; and received its 
 present name from Dr. Crosset. At this time, the village consisted 
 of but a few log dwellings, a store or two, a grist-mill, &c., all situ- 
 ated near the bank of the creek, not far from the spot occupied by 
 the establishment. of Messrs. Leonard & Warden. 
 
 In 1807, the building of the courthouse was commenced, and the 
 county courts removed to this place from Aurora. In 1811, the vil- 
 lage is supposed to have contamed about .300 inhabitants ; the court- 
 house was the only public buildnig ; even this was in an unfinished 
 state. The construction of an academy, a three-story brick building, 
 and a neat little Episcopal church were commenced, and a Presby- 
 terian society formed durnig this year. 
 
 In 1815, Auburn was incorporated a village, at which time it con- 
 tained 1,000 inhabitants. From this period, its improvement became' 
 more rapid and uniform ; walks were now put down on the principal 
 streets, which before were muddy and uneven. In 1816, the state 
 prison was founded in this place ; the first Presbyterian church in 
 North-street was commenced, and the Bank of Auburn, capital 
 $200,000, was chartered. In April, 1817, the village contained 
 1,506 inhabitants, 148 dwellings, 20 stores, and 40 mechanic shops. 
 
CAYUGA COUNTY. 
 
 61 
 
 Auburn Theological Seminary. 
 
 The Auburn Theological Seminary was established by the synod 
 of Geneva m 1S19, and by the act of incorporation, in 1820, was placed 
 under commissioners, chosen by the synods of Genesee, Geneva, and 
 Oneida. There are four professors in the institution. Over 300 cler- 
 gymen have been educated since its establishment. In 1839, the num- 
 ber of slndents was 71. The principal building is of stone, presenting 
 a front of 200 feet. The library exhibits a valuable collection of choice 
 theological works, and contains upwards of 5,000 vols. 
 
 The following is a representation of the state prison as viewed from 
 the N. ; the cupola of the courthouse is seen in the distance. The 
 
 State Prison at Auburn. 
 
 erection of this prison commenced m 1816. " It occupies a plot of 
 ground forming a square 600 feet each way, enclosed with a boundary 
 wall 2,000 feet in extent, 30 feet high, aiid 4 feet thick at the base. 
 A small river or creek runs along the S. side of the boundary, and 
 Mifticicnt power from the stream is obtained, by means of a water- 
 wheel and shaft liirough ihe wall, to work the machinery within tlie 
 prison. The prison buildings stand back about 80 ieet from the 
 
62 CAYUGA COUNTY. 
 
 road, and fomi three sides of a square ; the front part being about 
 280 feet long ; each of the return wings is 240 feet long and 45 in 
 depth." The cost of erecting the prison was more than $500,000. 
 The usual number of prisoners of late years has been between 6 and 
 700. The earnings of the prison during the year ending Sept. 1839, 
 was $60,161.46 ; the expenditures during the same period, $51,671.21. 
 Religious instruction is regularly given by the chaplain. Sunday 
 schools are instituted in the prisons, in which the students in the the- 
 ological seminary and other pious persons assist ; the younger portion 
 of the convicts, if illiterate, are taught to read, write, and cast ac- 
 counts. 
 
 " The building contained originally 550 cells. More, we believe, 
 have lately been added. They are principally distributed into four 
 tiers or stories, and constructed on each side of the block or wing. 
 The cells are each 7 feet long, 7 feet high, and 3^ wide. They are 
 sufficiently lighted, well warmed, and ventilated. The area between 
 the cells and the parallel walls, 10 feet wide, is open from the ground 
 to the roof; and of this interval, 3 feet adjoining the cells are occu- 
 pied by the galleries. This space in front of the cells forms a com- 
 plete sounding-gallery, so that the watchman in the open area on the 
 ground can hear even a whisper, from a distant cell in the upper 
 story. 
 
 " Such are the provisions and precautions for the separate confinement of the prisonere 
 at night. In the daytime, they are compelled to labor together, in an orderly and peni- 
 tential manner. Soon after daylight, on a signal given by the prison bell, the turnkey un- 
 locks the doors of the cells, when the convicts, each with his night tub, water can, and 
 mush kid, march out ; and having disposed of these articles according to the order of the 
 prison, proceed to the workshops, where they commence the labor of the day. At a fixed 
 hour another bell is rung, when they form again in line, and march in silence, with closed 
 files, to the mese-room, where they breakfast at narrow tables, so arranged that they are 
 unable to exchange even looks or signs. After an interval of 30 to 30 minutes, they re- 
 turn in the same manner to the workshops. At 12 o'clock, they dine under the same care 
 to prevent intercourse. On the approach of night, they wash their faces and hands, and 
 at the ringing of the bell, form a line according to the number of their cells, march out of 
 the shops to their tubs, and at the word of command take them up, step forward and 
 empty into the drain the water which had been placed in them in the morning to purify 
 them. They then proceed, with closed files, the tubs hanging on their arms, to the wash- 
 room, adjoining the kitchen, where their mush and molasses in a kid, and water in a can 
 for drinking, have been placed together, in rows, by the cooks ; and, without breaking 
 their step, they stoop and take up the can and kid, march to their respective galleries, 
 enter their cells as they arrive at them, and pull the doore partly shut. Each gallery is 
 occupied by one company, which is marched and locked up by one turnkey, with two 
 keys, differing from each other, and from all the rest. The convicts then eat supper in 
 their respective cells. At an early hour they are required, by the ringing of a bell, to take 
 off their clothes and go to bed, upon their canvass hammocks ; when well, they are not 
 permitted to lie down before the bell rings, nor to get up again, but from necessity, until the 
 ringing of the morning bell. During the night, turnkeys are constantly moving round the 
 galleries, wearing woollen socks on their feet, and walking so noiselessly that the convicts 
 are not able to discover their presence or absence ; and thus the whole wing, containing 
 several hundred convicts, is preserved in perfect stillness and order. It is obvious that no 
 communication can take place between the convicts at night, without the connivance or 
 negligence of the turnkeys, which is guarded against by the visits of the keeper and hia 
 deputies at different hours." 
 
CAYUGA COUNTY. 
 
 63 
 
 Cayuga Bridge. 
 
 The above view of Cayuga Bridge, which crosses the Cayuga 
 lake 'on the great western turnpike, was taken on the western bank, 
 and shows on the opposite side of the lake a portion of the little vil- 
 lage of Cayuga. The large building on the right is the well-known 
 tavern of Mr. Titus, having superior accommodations. This bridge, 
 so famous in political estimates, was commenced in May, 1799, and 
 finished in September, 1800. It was built by the Manhattan Com- 
 pany of New York, and cost $150,000. Its length is one mile. 
 "This bridge is the longest in America, perhaps in the world, and 
 yet five years ago," says a traveller in 1800, " the Indians possessed 
 tlie shores of the lake, imbosomed in almost impenetrable woods." 
 The first bridge was built on mud sills— the second on piles — the 
 third and last was erected in 1833, and cost about $15,000. 
 
 Wccdsport, on the line of the Erie canal, consists of upwards of 
 100 dwellings, 2 churches; is 7 miles N. from Auburn, and 26 W. 
 from Syracuse. Aurora, 18 miles S.W from Auburn, is a most beau- 
 tiful village on the east bank of Cayuga lake. It contains about 80 
 dwellings, 3 churches, and the Cayuga Academy. Port Byron, on the 
 Eric canal, 8 nnles W. from Auburn, has about 150 dwellings, 3 
 ciiurches, and an extensive flouring and other mills. Montezuma vil- 
 lage, 10 miles from Auburn, at the junction of the Seneca, Cayuga, 
 and Erie canals, consists of about 80 dwellings. In 1839, the state 
 was successful m sinking a shaft about 300 feet, from which issues a 
 large quantity of the best saltwater in the state. The salt made from 
 it IS remarkably free from impurities, and the facilities for its manu- 
 facture are great, the ground being good and fire-wood plenty. No 
 lime is used in the manufacture of salt from these springs. The 
 Montezuma marshes commence about a mile westward of the village ; 
 they are gradually drying away, and it is believed that the healthful- 
 ness of this town is now equal to that of any in the vicinity. 
 
64 
 
 CATTARAUGUS COUNTY. 
 
 CATTARAUGUS COUNTY. 
 
 Cattaraugus couNTy, taken from Genesee in 1803 ; centrally dis- 
 tant from New York via Catskill, 384; from Albany, 292; from 
 Buffalo, SE., 50 miles. Length, E. and W., 39, and greatest breadth 
 N. and S. 36 miles. It derives its name from the Indian word Gah- 
 ta-ra-ke-ras, signifying stinking shore or beach, originally applied to 
 Lake Erie, and thence extended over the adjacent country. This 
 county is highly elevated, being from 500 to 1200 feet above Lake 
 Erie. Its surface is broken by some hills of no mean pretensions to 
 the character of mountains, but in general it is but moderately uneven, 
 and in some parts quite level. In the S., along the Allegany river, 
 there are broad belts of white pine, behind which there are marshes ; 
 excepting these, the lands are generally firm, and timbered with a 
 variety of trees of lofty growth. No region of this state, and proba- 
 bly none of any other in the Union, was originally covered with an 
 equal amount of valuable timber. Some of the trees have measured 
 230 feet in height, and five of them have been known to furnish a 
 hundred "lumberman's" logs. Shingles and boards for the supply 
 of the whole western world, have been manufactured in the shingle- 
 shanties and saw-mills upon the Allegany and its tributaries. The 
 lands in the northern part are warmer and better adapted to grain and 
 grass crops than in the south, except at the SW. comer. This 
 county formed part of the Holland Land Company's purchase, who 
 originally owned it all excepting the Indian reservations. About one 
 eighth of the county is under improvement. The county is divided 
 into 26 towns, viz. : 
 
 Ashford, 
 
 Franklinville, 
 
 Lyndon, 
 
 Perrysburgh, 
 
 Burton, 
 
 Freedom, 
 
 Machias, 
 
 Persia, 
 
 Cold Spring, 
 
 Great Valley, 
 
 Mansfield, 
 
 Portville, 
 
 Conewango, 
 
 Hinsdale, 
 
 Napoli, 
 
 Randolph, 
 
 Dayton, 
 
 Humphrey, 
 
 New Albion, 
 
 Yorkshire 
 
 Ellicottville, 
 
 Leon, 
 
 Olean, 
 
 
 Farmersville, 
 
 Little Valley, 
 
 Otto, 
 
 
 Ellicottville, the county seat, is 292 miles from Albany, 50 W. from 
 Angehca, and 50 SW. from Buffalo. Besides the county buildings, 
 it contains 2 churches, about 90 dwellings, 2 pointing and 2 extensive 
 land offices. Olean, at the»junction of Olean creek with Allegany 
 river, is the oldest place in the county. The village contains about 
 100 dwellings, 2 churches. A large amount of lumber is annually 
 sent to market down the Allegany, and thence to the Ohio, from this 
 place. Lodi, 25 miles NW. from Ellicottville, on both sides of Cat- 
 taraugus creek, lies partly in Erie county. The village consists of 
 about 100 dwellings, 2 churches, printing office, and a number of mills 
 and factories. The water-power at this place is abundant. 
 
CHATAUQUE COUNTY. 65 
 
 CHATAUQUE COUNTY. 
 
 CHATAuauE COUNTY, the southwestern county of the state, was 
 formed from Genesee in 1808. The name is a corruption of the In- 
 dian word Ots-ha-ta-ka, which signifies a foggy place, and was ap- 
 plied to the country around the head of the Chatauque lake, even now 
 famous for its fogs. Its greatest length N. and S. is 40, and greatest 
 breadth E. and W. 36 miles ; centrally distant from Albany, W., 
 330, and from New York, by way of Cattskill, NW., 428 miles. 
 The soil generally is strong clay loam, very productive of large crops 
 of wheat) barley, and corn ; the last is however destroyed sometimes 
 by the early frosts to which the country is subject. The plain upon 
 tlie lake is highly fertile, and produces the finest fruits adapted to the 
 climate. 
 
 This county, though bordering on Lake Erie, is situated on the 
 elevated ground known as the " Chatauque Ridge," which divides the 
 waters of the northern lakes from those of the Allegany river. This 
 ridge is generally from 5 to 10 miles from the shore of Lake Erie, 
 and elevated from 790 to 1400 feet above it. The general surface 
 of the county, though hilly, is not mountainous, and the highest hills 
 are arable to their summits, and frequently adorned with valuable farms. 
 The soil along the shore of Lake Erie, from 1 to 4 miles wide, is a 
 border of rich alluvion, and along the margin of the rivers. The up- 
 land is generally a moist loam. Grain is raised in considerable quan- 
 tities, and the county is generally well adapted to grazing. Fruit, such 
 as apples, pears, and plums, succeeds well. 
 
 Chatauque lake is a fine sheet of water 16 miles long, and from 1 
 to 4 wide. Its elevation is 1,305 feet above the ocean, and it is navi- 
 gated by steamboats. This county formed part of the Holland Land 
 Company's purchase ; and wild lands were offered by them at $1,50 
 to #4 per acre ; but a company from Batavia bought their interest in 
 the wild land of the county. More than three quarters of the county 
 are yet unimproved. The county is divided into 24 towns, viz. : 
 
 Ripley, 
 
 Sheridan, 
 
 Sherman, 
 
 Stockton, 
 
 Villenova, 
 
 Westfield. 
 
 MayviUe, the county seat, incorporated in 1830, is 66 miles SW. 
 from Buffalo, and 33 W. of Albany ; contains about 80 dwellings, 4 
 churches ; beautifully situated at the head of Chatauque lake. There 
 is a steamboat plies between this place and Jamestown, 22 miles dis- 
 tant, during the season of navigation. 
 
 Jamestown, the principal village in the county, is on the Chatauque 
 outlet, 4 miles below the lake, and contains about 200 dwellings. 
 
 9 
 
 Arkwright, 
 
 Clymer, 
 
 Hanover, 
 
 Busti, 
 
 EUery, 
 
 Harmony, 
 
 Carroll, 
 
 Ellicott, 
 
 Mina, 
 
 Charlotte, 
 
 EUington, 
 
 Poland, 
 
 Chatauque, 
 
 French Creek, 
 
 Pomfret, 
 
 Cherry-creek, 
 
 Gerry, 
 
 Portland, 
 
66 
 
 CHATAUQUE COUNTY. 
 
 Southey-Ji view of Jamestoiun. 
 
 The above view was taken near the sawmill on the Chatauque out- 
 let, seen in front, and shows the principal portion of the place. The 
 spire in the centre of the view, is that of the Congregational church. 
 The steeple on the left is the rresljyicrian, and thai on the right the 
 Academy. There arc also a M/3lhodist and a Baj)tist church, and 
 2 weekly newspaper offices in the ])hice. A steamboat plies on the 
 lake between here and Mayville. James Pendergrast, Esq., from 
 Piltstown, Rensselaer co., established hmiself here in IHll or '12, 
 and laid the foundation of the village. 'J'lic first tavern was built 
 shortly after by Jacob Kenton. But few dwellings wi'ie erected till 
 1816, when the place rapidly increased by emigrants, principally from 
 the eastern j)art of the stale. 
 
 Fredonia village is situated upwards of 2 miles E. from Lake Erie, 
 45 SW. from Buffalo. It is the oldest village in the county, incor])o- 
 rated in 1829. It contains about l()(/() inhabitants, 1.50 dwelhngs, 5 
 churches, and an incor])oratcil academy. In the immediate vicinity 
 are situated the Chalouque Gas Springs, near the bed of Canadavva 
 creek : the gas, which escapes from the same in great quantities, is 
 suilalile for lighting streets and for domestic purposes. 
 
 Dunkirk, formerly owned by the Dunkirk Land Company, is 
 pleasantly situated on J.ake Erie, and is destined to be a place of 
 great importance from its being the terminating point of the line of 
 till' .\e\\ \oik and Erie railroad. The distance from Buffalo is 44 
 miles, and to Pieniiont, on the Hudson, (about 22 miles N. of New 
 York,) by the line of the railroad, 446 miles. This whole distance 
 from Dunkirk to New York, on the completion of the road, will be 
 accomplished in from 20 to 24 hours. The U. S. government, vicw- 
 inii the growing importance of the ],lace, has expended large sums in 
 the iiiqirovenient ol its harbor. This port is occasionally open many 
 day^, and even weeks, earlier in the spring and later in the fall, than 
 that ot Buffalo. The following view was taken ahonl a mile from the 
 village, seen on the left. 'Jdie larLrc cujiola is that of the hotel, a 
 capacious brick siructure ; tiie steeple next to it is that of the Presby- 
 terian church, and the smaller one the Academy. The opposite shore 
 
CHEMUNG COUNTY. 
 
 67 
 
 Nortlieasternvicto of Dunliirk Harbor. 
 
 of the Imrbor is seen beautifully curving around in the distance, and 
 is luied to near the water's edge with a fine growth of forest trees. 
 Van Burcn is the name of a place laid out as a city 2 miles above 
 Dunkirk, where there is a good harbor. 
 
 Wcslficld village, 6 miles NW. from Mayville, and 60 from Buflfalo, 
 conlams upwards of 100 dwellings, 3 churches, and an incorporated 
 Academy, 12 slorcs, 2 flouring and 4 sawmills. Barcelona, or Port- 
 land, on Lake Eric, about one mile from Wcstfield, contains about 40 
 dwellings. It is a port of entry, and is a }.ilacc of considerable trade. 
 It ha.s a light-house which is lighted by gas issuing from the bed of a 
 creek about a mile distant, and is carried to the light-house by pipes. 
 The French, at an early period, had a military post at this place. 
 
 CHEMUNG COUNTY. 
 
 Chemung countv was formed from the western part of Tioga in 
 1836. Greatest length, N. and S., 28 ; greatest breadth, E. and W., 
 20 miles. The surface of the county is inlly. The soil consists gen- 
 erally of sandy and gravelly loam, interspersed with patches of marl 
 and clay. Tiie uplands are commonly better adapted to grass than 
 grain ; but the valleys give fine crops of wheat and corn ; oats, 
 beans, barley, peas, and hops thrive almost ever^'where. The pine 
 plains, principally in the towns of Elmira and Big Flats, formerly 
 considered almost worthless, are now deemed highly valuable ; pro- 
 ducing, by treatment with plaster, and due succession of crops, abun- 
 dant returns in wheat, Indian corn, and clover. The Chemung canal, 
 connecting Elmira with Cayuga lake, is about 20 miles in length. 
 The New York and Erie railroad passes through the towns of Che- 
 mung, Southport, Elmira, and Big Flats. Chemung county is divided 
 into ten towns, viz. : 
 
 Big Flats, 
 Catherines, 
 
 Catlin, 
 Cayuta, 
 
 Chemung, 
 Dix, 
 
 Elmira, 
 Erin, 
 
 Southport, 
 Veteran. 
 
68 
 
 CHEMUNG COUNTY. 
 
 Elmira village is situated at the confluence of Newtown creek with 
 the Chemung river. It was formerly the half-shire village of Tioga 
 county, and is now the seat of justice for Chemung county. It was 
 incorporated in 1815 by the name of Newtown, which was changed 
 to Elmira in 1 828 : its ancient Indian name was Conewawah, a word 
 signifying " a head on a pole." 
 
 Distant view of the Village of Elmira. 
 
 The above view was taken near the Sullivan mill,* about a mile 
 eastward of the village, near the junction of Newtown creek with the 
 Chemung river. The first spire on the right is that of the Presbyte- 
 rian church, the next lo the left the courthouse ; the others are those 
 of the Episcopal and Baptist churches. The bridge seen extending 
 across the Chemung is 600 feet in length. 
 
 Elmira is admirably situated for the purposes of trade, in the midst 
 of a fertile valley, eight to ten miles in extent from N. to S., and from 
 twelve to fifteen miles E. and W. The place is connected with Penn- 
 sylvania and Maryland, in trade, by the Chemung and Susquehannah 
 rivers, and with almost every portion of the state by means of the 
 Chemung canal, which leads through Seneca lake, and thence by the 
 Seneca to the Erie canal. The village contains about 300 dwellings, 
 and upwards of 2000 inhabitants, 4 churches, 2 newspaper establish- 
 ments, 1 bank, and a number of select schools. The village is on the 
 line of the Erie railroad. 
 
 The section of country in which Elmira is situated became known 
 to the whites during the revolutionary war. When Gen. Sullivan 
 was penetrating into the Indian country, in 1779, the Indians under 
 Brant, and the tones under Colonels Butler and Johnson, made a 
 
 * So called from its being only a few rods above Sullivan's landing-place, where he en- 
 camped, both on the advance of, and return from his expedition against the Indians. Tha 
 Bite of the fortress whiph Sullivan built, can be distinctly seen from the south windows of 
 this mil'.. 
 
CHEMUNG COUNTY. 69 
 
 Stand to oppose his progress at the SE. point of this town. They 
 intrenched themselves by a breastwork of about a half a mile in 
 length, so covered by a bend in the river as to expose only their front 
 and one of their flanks to attack. On Sullivan's approach, Aug. 29th, 
 an action commenced which is sometimes called the " Battle of the 
 Chemung ;" the force of the Indians and tories has been estimated 
 from 800 to 1500, while that of the Americans was between 4000 
 and 5000. The following account of the battle is extracted from the 
 2d vol. of " Stone's Life of Brant." 
 
 " The enemy's position was discovered by Major Parr, commanding the advance guard, 
 at about 11 o'clock in the morning of tlie 29th of August. General Hand immediately 
 formed the light infantry in a wood, at the distance of about 400 yards from the breast- 
 work, and waited until the main body of the army arrived on the ground. A skirmishing 
 was, however, kept up by both sides — the Indians sallying out of their works by small par- 
 ties, firing, and suddenly retreating — making the woods at the same time to resound with 
 their war-whoops, piercing the air from point to point as though the tangled forest were 
 alive with their grim-visaged warriors. Correctly judging that the hill upon his right wag 
 occupied by the savages. Gen. Sullivan ordered Poor's brigade to wheel off, and endeavor 
 to gain their left Sank, and, if possible, to surround them, while the artillery and main body 
 of the Americans attacked them in front. The order was promptly executed ; but as Poor 
 climbed the ascent, the battle became animated, and the possession of the hill was bravely 
 contested. In front, the enemy stood a hot cannonade for more than two hours. Both 
 tories and Indiaus were entitled to the credit of fighting manfully. Every rock, and tree, 
 and bush, shielded its man, from behind which the winged messengers of death were 
 thickly sent, but with so little effect as to excite astonishment. The Indiaus yielded ground 
 only inch by inch ; and in their retreat, darted from tree to tree with the agility of the pan- 
 ther, often contesting each new position to the point of the bayonet — a thing very unusual 
 even with militiamen, and stilt more rare among the undisciplined warriors of the woods. 
 Thayendanegea was the animating spirit of the savages. Always in the thickest of the fight, 
 he used every effort to stimulate his warriors, in the hope of leading them to victory. Until 
 the artillery began to play, the whoops and yells of the savages, mingled with the rattling of 
 musketry, nad wellnigh obtained the mastery of sound. But their whoops were measur- 
 ably drowned by the thunder of the cannon. This cannonade * was elegant,* to adopt the 
 phraseology of Sullivan himself, in writing to a friend, and gave the Indians a great panic. 
 JStill, the battle was contested in front for a length of time with undiminished spirit. But 
 the severity of fighting was ou the flank just described. As Poor gallantly approached the 
 point which completely uncovered the enemy's rear. Brant, who had been the first to pene- 
 trate the design of the American commander, attempted once more to rally his forces, and 
 with the assistance of a battalion of the rangers, make a stand. But it was in vain, al- 
 though he exerted himself to the utmost for that purpose — flying from point to point, seem- 
 ing to be everywhere present, and using every means in his power to reanimate the flag- 
 ging spirits, and reinvigorate the arms of his followers. Having ascended the steep, and 
 gained his object without faltering, the enemy's flank was turned by Poor, and the fortunes 
 of the day decided. Perceiving such to be the fact, and that there was danger of being 
 surrounded, the retreat-halloo was raised, and the enemy, savages and white men, precipi- 
 tately abandoned their works, crossed the river, and fled with the utmost precipitation — 
 the Indiaus leaving their packs and a number of their tomahawks and scalping-knives 
 behind them. The battle was long, and on the side of the enemy bloody. Eleven of their 
 dead were found upon the field — an unusual circumstance with the Indjans, who invariably 
 exert themselves to the utmost to prevent the bodies of their slain from falling into the 
 hands of their foes. But being pushed at the point of the bayonet, they had not time to 
 bear them away. They were pursued two miles, their trail affording indubitable proof that 
 a portion of their dead and wounded had been carried off. Two canoes were found cov- 
 ered with blood, and the bodies of 14 Indian warriors were discovered ])artially buried 
 among the leaves. Eight scalps were taken by the Americans during the chase. Consid- 
 ering the duration of tjie battle, and the obstinacy with which it was maintained, the loss 
 of the Americans was small almost to a miracle. Only 5 or 6 men were killed, and be- 
 tween 40 and 50 wounded. Among the American officers wounded, were Maj. Titcomb, 
 Capt. Clayes, and Lieut. Collis — the latter mortally. All the houses of the contiguous 
 Indian towu wete burnt, and the cornfields destroyed." 
 
70 CHENANGO COUNTY. 
 
 Havanna is a thriving village of about 700 inhabitants, 18 miles N. 
 from Elmira, on the line of the Chemung canal, 3 miles S. of Seneca 
 lake. It contains 2 churches, 10 stores, and a number of mills of va- 
 rious kinds. The village was founded in 1836, and incorporated in 
 1839, and is in the limits of the town of Catherines, so named from 
 its having been the residence of Catherine Montour, the wife of an 
 Indian sachem, or king. She has sometimes been called Queen Esther. 
 This remarkable woman, it is said, was a native of Canada, a half- 
 breed, her father being one of the French governors, probably Count 
 Frontenac. During the wars between the Six Nations and the French 
 and Hurons, Catherine was taken prisoner, when she was about ten 
 years old, and carried into the Seneca country, and adopted as one of 
 their children. At a suitable age she was married to a distinguished 
 chief of her tribe, by whom she had several children. Her husband 
 was killed in battle about 1730. She is represented as having been a 
 handsome woman when young, genteel, and of good address. She 
 frequently accompanied the chiefs of the Six Nations to Philadelphia, 
 and other places where treaties were holden. On account of her 
 character and manners, she was much caressed by the American la- 
 dies of the first respectability, and invited and entertained at their 
 houses. Her residence was at the head of Seneca lake. She has 
 been accused of perpetrating some savage atrocities at the massacre 
 at Wyoming, but the account does not appear to be well authenti- 
 cated. At the period of the revolutionary war, Catherine's town con- 
 sisted of thirty houses, cornfields, orchards, &c. ; these were all de- 
 stroyed by Gen. Sullivan, Sept. 3, 1779, in his expedition into the In- 
 dian country. 
 
 CHENANGO COUNTY. 
 
 Chenango county was formed from Herkimer and Tioga counties 
 in 1798 ; the northern part of which was erected into Madison county 
 in 1806. Its form is irregular ; the greatest length N. and S., 35 
 miles ; greatest width, 28. The general surface of the county is 
 broken and hilly, though not mountainous. Its valleys are extensive, 
 rich, and fertile, producing large crops of grain ; while the uplands 
 are well adapted to grazing. Its agriculture is respectable, and its 
 inhabitants are generally farmers. Live-stock is one of their prin- 
 cipal exports. The Susquehannah river crosses the SE. corner of the 
 county. The Chenango river, one of its principal branches, flows 
 southerly through the centre of the county. The Unadilla river 
 forms most of the eastern bounds of the county. The numerous 
 streams in this county furnish abundance of fine mill sites. The 
 Chenango canal passes through the county in the valley of the Che- 
 nango river. This county was principally settled by emigrants from 
 the eastern states. It originally included the twenty townships of 
 
CHENANGO COUNTY. 
 
 71 
 
 the " Governor's purchase," a part of which are now in Madison 
 county. The county is divided into 19 tow^ns, viz. : 
 
 Bainbridge, 
 Columbus, 
 
 Coventry, 
 
 German, 
 
 Greene, 
 
 Guilford, 
 
 Lincklean, 
 
 Macdonougli, 
 
 Nevv-Berlui, 
 
 Norwich, 
 
 Otsehc, 
 
 Oxford, 
 
 Pharsaha, 
 
 Pitcher, 
 
 Plymouth, 
 
 Preston, 
 Sherbourne, 
 Smitliville, 
 Smyrna. 
 
 Norwich village, the county seat, is delightfully situated upon the 
 Chenango river, 110 miles from Albany. Its site is much adnnred by 
 travellers. It is surrounded by lands in a high state of cultivation, 
 
 Courthouse and other buildings in Norivich. 
 
 and well supplied with pure and wholesome water. There is a min- 
 eral spring near the village, resorted to for cutaneous diseases. The 
 above view shows the courthouse in the centre of the engraving ; the 
 building ■v^ith a spire on the left, is the Presbyterian church. The 
 courthouse has been but recently erected. It is built of freestone, and 
 is one of the most splendid structures of the kind in the state. Be- 
 sides the above, there are in the village 1 Episcopal, 1 Baptist, and 1 
 Methodist church, 2 weekly newspaper offices, the Chenango Bank, 
 several manufactories, and about 200 dwelhngs. 
 
 The village of Oxford, on the Chenango canal, 8 miles S. from 
 Norwich, contains about 170 dwehings, 4 churches, a flourishing 
 Academy, 2 printing offices, 20 stores, and various manufacturing es- 
 tablishments. New Berlin village, 13 mdes NE. from Norwich, on 
 the west bank of Unadilla river, contains upwards of 100 dwellings, 
 4 churches, and several large manufacturing estabhshments. Sher- 
 burne village, on the line of the Chenango canal, 12 miles N. of Nor- 
 wich, contains about 100 dwellings, 4 churches, and an Academy. 
 Greene, 20 miles SW. of Norwich, contains about 90 dwellings and 4 
 churches. 
 
72 
 
 CLINTON COUNTY. 
 
 CLINTON COUNTY. 
 
 Clinton county lies on the western shore of Lake Champlain, at 
 the northeastern extremity of the state, about 170 miles N. from Al- 
 bany. Soon after the conquest of Canada, in 1759, the shores of Lake 
 Champlain were visited by speculators in quest of pine and oak tim- 
 ber, but no permanent settlements were made until about the close of 
 the revolution. Its greatest length N. and S. is 40| miles, greatest 
 breadth 37 miles. The northern boundary being latitude 45°, indi- 
 cates the rigors of a cold northern country. 
 
 The natural advantages enjoyed by this county have been undervalued. Along the 
 whole eastern border, adjoining the shore of Lake Champlain, a wide tract of land ex- 
 tends, moderately uneven or quite level, with a pretty strong inclination or depression 
 eastward, averaging 8 miles in width, of no inferior quality. It amply repays the labor of 
 the husbandman. The western part is mountainous, but these mountains are covered 
 with timber, and the county with rapid streams and mill sites, and abounds with the rich- 
 est and best of iron ores, already extensively manufactured. The soil is of various quali- 
 ties. On the broad belt of comparatively level land above noticed, it is principally a 
 clayey with some tracts of a sandy loam. The streams supply a profusion of good 
 natural sites for al! sorts of hydraulic work. With these advantages, this county looks 
 forward with confidence to increased sources of business and profit. 
 
 About one fifth part is settled. The county is divided into 10 towns : 
 Au Sable, Black Brook, Chazy, Mooers, Plattsburg, 
 
 Beekmantown, Champlain, Ellenburgh, Peru, Saranac. 
 
 View of Plattsburg. 
 
 Plattsburg, an incorporated village and county seat, is distant from 
 New York 319, from Albany 164, from Whitehall 112, and from Og- 
 densburg, E. 120 miles. The accompanying view was taken on the 
 eastern bank of the Saranac, about 30 rods above the bridge. The 
 first steeple on the left is that of the Presbyterian church, the second 
 the Methodist, the third the courthouse, the fourth the Episcopal, and 
 the fifth the Catholic. Besides the abovementioned public buildings, 
 there is an academy, the Clinton county bank, and about 300 buildings. 
 
CLINTON COUNTY. 73 
 
 Plattsburg is rendered memorable as the place of the victory of 
 Com. McDonough and Gen. Macomb, over the British naval and 
 land forces, in. Sept., 1814. The foUovying account of the military 
 movements on the land are copied from the statements given by Maj. 
 A. C. Flagg and Gen. St. J. B. L. Skinner, who both were actors in 
 the scenes described. 
 
 " ' On the 31st Aug., (says Maj. Flagg,) the advance of the British army under Gen. 
 Brisbane entered Champlain, and encamped on the north side of the great Chazy river, 
 and on the same day Maj. Gen. Mooers ordered out the militia of the counties of Clinton 
 and Essex,' en masse. ' The regiment from Clinton co., under Lieut. Col. Miller, imme- 
 diately assembled, and on the 2d Sept. took a position on the west road near the village 
 of Chazy ; and on the 3d, Gen. Wright, with such of his brigade as had arrived, occu- 
 pied a position on the same road, about 8 miles in advance of this place. On the 4th, the 
 enemy having brought up his main body to Champlain, took up his line of march for 
 Plattsburg. The rifle corps, under Lieut. Col. Appling on the lake road, fell back as far 
 as Dead creek, blocking up the road in such a manner as to impede the advance of the 
 enemy as much as possible. The enemy advanced on the 5th, within a few miles of Col. 
 Appling's position, and finding it too strong to attack, halted, and caused a road to be 
 made west into the Beekmantown road, in which the light brigade under Gen. Powers 
 advanced ; and on the morning of the 6th, about 7 o'clock, attacked the militia, which 
 had at this time increased to nearly 700, under Gen. Mooers ; and a small detachment of 
 regulars under Maj. Wool, about 7 miles from this place. After the first fire, a consider- 
 able part of the militia broke and fled in every direction. Many, however, manfully 
 stood their ground, and with the small corps of Maj. Wool, bravely contested the ground 
 against five times their number, falluig back gradually, and occupying the fences on each 
 side of the road, till they arrived within a mile of the town, when they were reinforced 
 by two pieces of artillery under Capt. Leonard ; and our troops occupying a strong position 
 behind a stone wall, for some time stopped the progress of the enemy.' 
 
 " At this point, one of the finest specimens of discipline ever exhibited, was shown by 
 the British troops on the occasion of the opening Capt. Leonard's battery upon them. The 
 company to which I was attached, formed a part of the left flank of our little army, and 
 was on the rise of ground west of the road leading from Mr. Halsey's comer to Isaac C. 
 Piatt's, and about midway between the artillery and the bead of the British column ; and 
 the whole scene was open to our view. Here, (at Halsey's comer,) was a battery of two 
 field-pieces, so perfectly masked by a party of the infantry, that the enemy probably was 
 not aware of it, until it opened upon him. There a dense column of men, with a front 
 equal to the width of the road, and extending nearly half a mile in length, pressed on with 
 a buoyancy and determination of spirit, betokening an expectation that they would be per- 
 mitted to walk into our works without much opposition. How sad the disappointment to 
 the victorious veterans of so many bloody fields of Europe ! So perfect was the motion of 
 the troops in marching, that they seemed a great mass of living matter moved by some 
 invisible machinery. Yet I can now almost fancy we could hear them cracking their 
 jokes, and each claiming for himself the honor of being the first to make a lodgment in 
 the Yankee forts ; when suddenly, with the noise of thunder, the sound of a cannon 
 came booming through the air. It sent forth a round shot which took effect near the centre 
 of the front platoon, about breast high, and ploughed its way through, sweeping all before 
 it, the whole length of the column, opening a space apparently several feet wide, which, 
 however, was unmediately closed, as if by magic ; and on the column pressed as if nothing 
 had happened. A second shot was fired with the like effect, and similar consequences ; 
 but when the third discharge came, with a shower of grape-shot, there was a momentary 
 confusion. Immediately, however, the charge was sounded by some dozen British bugles ; 
 which through the clear and bland atmosphere of a bright September mornmg, was the 
 most thrilling and spirit-stirring sound that could greet a soldier's eais. In an instant of 
 time, the men forming the advance of the column had thrown their knapsacks on either 
 side the road, and bringing their pieces to the charge, advanced in double quick time upon 
 our miniature battery. 
 
 " Our troops being at length compelled to retire, contested every inch of ground, until 
 they reached the south bank of the Saranac, where the enemy attempted to pursue them, 
 but was repulsed with loss. The loss of the British ui this skirmish, was Col. Wellington, 
 
 10 
 
74 CLINTON COUNTY. 
 
 and a Lieut, of the 3d Buffs, and two Lieuts. of the S8th, killed ; and one Capt. and one 
 Lieut, of the 58th light company wounded, together with about 100 privates killed and 
 wounded, while that on our part did not exceed 25. The corps of riflemen under Col. 
 AppUng, and detachment under Capt. Sproul, fell back from their position at Dead creek 
 in time to join the miUtia and regulars just before they entered the village, and fought with 
 their accustomed bravery. The British got possession of that part of the village north of 
 the Saranac about 11 o'clock, but the incessant and well-directed fire of our artillery and 
 musketry from the forts and opposite banks, compelled them to retire before night beyond 
 the reach of our guns.' The bridge in the village was defended during this day by Capt. 
 Martin I. Aikin's company* of volunteers, who were stationed in the saw-mill on the south 
 bank of the river for that purpose. The enemy arrived towards night with his heavy artil- 
 lery and baggage on the lake road, and crossed the beach, where he met with a warm re. 
 ception from our row-galleys ; and it is believed, suffered a heavy loss in killed and wound, 
 ed. On our side, Lieut. Duncan of the navy lost an arm by a rocket, and 3 or 4 men were 
 killed by the enemy's artillery. The enemy encamped on the ridge west of the town, his 
 right near the river, and occupying an extent of nearly 3 miles, his left resting on the lake 
 about a mile north of the village. From the 6th until the morning of the 11th, an almost 
 continual skirmishing was kept up between the enemy's pickets and our miUtia and volun- 
 teers stationed on the river, and in the mean time both armies were busily engaged — oura 
 in strengthening the works of the forts, and that of the enemy in erecting batteries, collect, 
 ing ladders, bringing up his heavy ordnance, and making other preparations for attacking 
 the forts. On the morning of the 7th, a body of the enemy under Capt. Noadie, attempted 
 to cross at the upper bridge about 7 miles west of the village, but were met by Capt. 
 Vaughn's company of about 25 men, and compelled to retire with the loss of two killed, and 
 several wounded. On the morning of the 11th, the enemy's fleet came round the Head 
 with a tight breeze from the north, and attacked ours which lay at anchor in Cumberland 
 bay, two miles from shore east of the fort. 
 
 " ' The enemy commenced a simultaneous bombardment of our works from 7 batteries, 
 from which several hundred shells and rockets were discharged, which did us very little 
 injury ; and our artillery had nearly succeeded in silencing them all before the contest on 
 the lake was decided. 
 
 " ' The enemy attempted at the same time to throw his main body in the rear of the fort, 
 by crossing the river 3 miles west of the town, near the site of Pike's cantonment. He 
 succeeded in crossing, after a brave resistance by the Essex mihtia and a few of the Ver- 
 mont volunteers, in all about 350, stationed at that place, who retired back a mile and a 
 half from the river, continually pouring in upon them an incessant fire from behind every 
 tree, until Lieut. Sumpter brought up a piece of artillery to their support, when the enemy 
 commenced a precipitate retreat. 
 
 " ' The Vermont volunteers, who had hastened to the scene of action on the first alarm, 
 fell upon the enemy's left flank, and succeeded in making many prisoners, including 3 officers. 
 
 " ' Had the British remained on the south side of the river 30 minutes longer, he must 
 have lost nearly the whole detachment that crossed. Our loss in this affair was five killed 
 and eight or ten wounded, some mortally. 
 
 " ' Immediately on ascertaining the loss of the fleet. Sir George Prevost ordered prepara. 
 tions to be made for the retreat of the army, and set off himself, with a small escort, for 
 Canada, a little after noon. The main body of the enemy, with the artillery and baggage, 
 were taken off in the afternoon, and the rear guard, consisting of the light brigade, started at 
 daybreak and made a precipitate retreat ; leaving their wounded and a large quantity of pro. 
 visions, fixed ammunition, shot, shells, and other public stores, in the different places of 
 deposit about their camp. They were pursued some distance by our troops, and many 
 prisoners taken ; but owing to the very heavy and incessant rain, we were compellad to 
 return. The enemy lost upon land more than 1,000 men, in killed, wounded, prisoners, 
 and deserters, while our aggregate loss did not exceed 150.' " 
 
 The following account of the naval action is from " Perkins' His- 
 tory of the late War." 
 
 " The American fleet, under Commodore McDonough, lay at anchor in the bay, on the 
 right flank of the American Unes, and two miles distant. Great exertions had been made 
 
 * " This company was composed of young men and boya of the village, most of whom were not subject to 
 military duty, who volunteered after the militia had gone out on the Chazy road, offered their services to 
 Gen. Macomb, who accepted their offer, armed the company with rifles, and ordered them to repair to tho 
 head-quarters of Gen. Mooeis, and report for duty." Three only, it a said, of the membeia of this corps 
 were over 18 yean of age. 
 
CLINTON COUNTY. 75 
 
 by both parties to produce a superior naval force on this lake ; the Americans at Otter 
 creek, and the British at the Isle aux Noix. On comparing their relative stren^h on the 
 11th of September, the American fleet consisted of tlie Saratoga, flag-ship, mounting 36 
 guns ; Eagle, 20 guns ; Ticonderoga, 17 guns ; Preble, 7 guns ; 6 galleys, of 2 guns each, 
 12 guns; 4 of 1,4 guns: making in the whole 86 guns, and 820 men. The British 
 fleet consisted of the frigate Coniiance, flag-ship, mounting 39 guns ; Linnet, 16 guns ; 
 Cherub, 11 guns ; Finch, 11 guns ; 5 galleys of 2 guns each, 10 guns ; 8 of 1, 8 guns : 
 making in the whole 95 guns, and 1,020 men. 
 
 " The British land forces employed themselves from the 7th to the 11th, in bringing up 
 their heavy artillery, and strengthening their works on the north bank of the Saranac. 
 Their fortified encampment was on a ridge a little to the west of the town, their right near 
 the river, and their left resting on the lake, 1 mile in the rear of the village. Having deter- 
 mined on a simultaneous attack by land and water, they lay in this position on the morning 
 of the 11th, waiting the approach of their fleet. At 8 o'clock, the wished-for ships appear- 
 ed under easy sail, moving round Cumberland head ; and were hailed with joyous acclama- 
 tions. At 9, they anchored within 300 yards of the American squadron in line of battle ; 
 the Coufiance opposed to the Saratoga, the Linnet to the Eagle ; 13 British galleys to the 
 Ticonderoga, Preble, and a division of the American galleya The Cherub assisting the 
 Confiance and Linnet, and the Finch aiding the galleys. In this position, the weather 
 being perfectly clear and calm, and the bay smooth, the whole force on both sides became 
 at once engaged.* At an hour and a half after the commencement of the action, the star- 
 board guns of the Saratoga were nearly all dismantled. The commandant ordered a stem 
 anchor to be dropped, and the bower cable cut, by means of which the ship rounded to, 
 and presented a fresh broadside to her enemy. The Confiance attempted the same ope- 
 ration and failed. This was attended with such powerful eflTects, that she was obliged to 
 surrender in a few minutes. The whole broadside of the Saratoga was then brought to 
 bear on the Linnet, and in 15 minutes she followed the example of her flag-ship. One of 
 the British sloops struck to the Eagle ; 3 galleys were sunk, and the rest made off; no ship 
 in the fleet being in a condition to follow them, they escaped down the lake. There was 
 no mast standing in either squadron, at the close of the action, to which a sail could be 
 attached. The Saratoga received 55 round shot in her hull, and the Confiance 105. The 
 action lasted without any cessation, on a smooth sea, at close quarters, 2 hours and 30 
 minutes. lu the American squadron 52 were killed, and 58 wounded. In the British, 84 
 were killed, and 110 wounded. Among the slain was the British commandant. Com. 
 Downie. This engagement was in full view of both armies, and of numerous spectators 
 collected on the heights, bordering on the bay, to witness the scene. It was viewed by the 
 inhabitants with trembling anxiety, as success on the part of the British would have opened 
 to them an easy passage into the heart of the country, and exposed a numerous population 
 on the borders of the lake to British ravages. When the flag of the Confiance was struck, 
 the shores resounded with the acclamations of the American troops and citizens. The 
 British, when they saw their fleet completely conquered, were dispirited and confounded." 
 
 " A short distance from the village, are the ruins of the cantonment and breastworks 
 occupied by Gen. Macomb and his troops. A mile north, is shown the house held by Gen. 
 Prevost, as his head-quarteis, during the siege ; between which and the village the marks 
 of cannon-shot on the trees and other objects are still visible. Further onward about 5 
 miles, on a hill overlooking the village of Beekmantown, is the spot where a sauguinary 
 engagement took place between the American and British troops, which resulted in the 
 death of the British Col. Wellington, and several men of both armies." — Gordon's Gaz. 
 
 * " I will mention one circumstance for the purpose of showing the frame of mind in which the brave 
 McDonough entered the battle, and in whom he put his trust for success. After the enemy's fleet hove in 
 sight, the men of his ship were assembled on the quarternleck, when he kneeled down, and in bumble, 
 and fervent prayer, commended himself, his men, and the cause in which they were engaged, to the God 
 of Battles, and arose from that posture, with a calmness and serenity depicted on his brow, which 
 showed he had received comfort and assurance from above. One other little incident, and 1 will proceed 
 with my subject. During the hottest part of the battle, the ben-coop was shot away, when a cock es- 
 caped and flew up into the rigging, flapped his wings, and crowed most manfully ! The sailors consid- 
 ered this as a sure omen of success, and, cheering from one end of the ship to the other, went to their 
 work of dealing death to the enemy with redoubled exertion. The cock remained in the rigging during 
 the whole of the engagement, ever and anon cheering the men on to a greater exertion by his clear 
 shrill voice." — Qsn, Skinner's account of the Battle of Ptattsburg. 
 
76 COLUMBIA COUNTY. 
 
 COLUMBIA COUNTY. 
 
 Columbia county, taken from Albany in 1786 : its greatest length 
 on the E. line 36, medium breadth 18 miles. Centrally distant N. 
 from New York 125, from Albany, SE., 34 miles. The surface of 
 the county is considerably diversified, though no part can be called 
 mountainous. Ranges of small hillocks are interspersed with exten- 
 sive plains or valleys, and much of rich alluvion. There are some 
 excellent lands, and much of the larger portion may be, by judicious 
 culture, rendered highly productive. Nature, in the abundant beds of 
 lime, has furnished the means, as if by a special providence, of tem- 
 pering the cold and ungrateful constituents of the clay ; and in many 
 places the hme in the form of marl does not require burning to become 
 a stimulant. Scarce any portion of the slate is better adapted to the 
 raising of sheep, and the profits from this source, already great, are 
 yearly increasing. This county is famed for the quantity and quality 
 of its Indian corn. Lead and iron ore are found in this county. It is 
 divided into 19 towns : 
 
 Ancram, Clermont, Greenport, New Lebanon, 
 
 Austerlitz, Copake, Hillsdale, Stockport, 
 
 Canaan, Gallatin, Hudson City, Stuyvesant, 
 
 Chatham, Germantown, Kinderhook, Taghkanic. 
 
 Claverack, Ghent, Livingston, 
 
 Hudson, the capital of Columbia county, is situated on the E. bank 
 of Hudson river, 116 miles from New York, 29 from Albany, and 28 
 from West Stockbridge, Mass. Lat. 42° 14' N., long. 14' E. from 
 New York. The city is finely situated on an elevation of about 50 
 feet above the Hudson, the western part of which is a bold cUflf or pro- 
 montory prdecting into the river, more than 60 feet high. The prin- 
 cipal part of the city is built on a street one mile long, extending in a 
 straight line from the foot of Prospect Hill, to the promenade on the 
 extremity of the cliif. Nearly all the streets intersect each other at 
 right angles, except near the river, where they conform to the shape 
 of the ground. The promenade at the western extremity, and fronting 
 the principal street, commands a beautiful view of the river, the vil- 
 lage of Athens opposite, the country beyond, and the towering Catskill 
 mountains. The bay south of the city is locked in by a lofty emi- 
 nence, anciently termed Rorabuck, now called Mount Merino, in con- 
 sequence of there being a sheep farm established here some years 
 since. The city contains 5 churches — 1 Presbyterian, 1 Episcopal, 1 
 Baptist, 1 Methodist, and 1 Universalist. There is an academy, a 
 number of classical schools, the Hudson Lunatic Asylum, a private 
 hospital for the reception and cure of lunatics, 1 bank, and 3 pnnting- 
 offices. An elegant courthouse has been recently erected. Water is 
 brought in subterranean pipes from the foot of Becraft's mountain for 
 the use of the city. Pop. in 1850, 6,214. 
 
I I, 
 
 «ir 
 
 > )t 
 
 1-1 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 
 o 
 
 = S 
 
 5 
 
 
 i^ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 — • C5 
 
 V^ 
 
 a 
 
 
 
 ^H 
 
 oi '3 
 
 
 
 
 ^-, C! 
 
 H 
 
 2 3 
 
 H 
 
 ^ o 
 
 o 
 
 G S 
 
 
 
 fe 
 
 ? lii 
 
 o 
 
 >73 
 
 sis 
 
 G 
 
 .Zi o 
 
 D 
 
 - OJ 
 
 ^ 
 
 -= ja 
 
 
 VjD^ 
 
 
 C •" 
 
 O 
 
 ^ o 
 
 t» 
 
 - '-0 
 
 s 
 
 O hH 
 
 
 .— ' '"' 
 
 
 
 r" 
 
 C OJ 
 
 
 
 [2; 
 
 O w 
 
 
 ^ "o 
 
 H 
 
 i=r_!ji 
 
 M 
 
 c e: 
 
 <; 
 
 "^ i5 
 
 W 
 
 t^i^ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 '" ? 
 
 O 
 
 o ^ 
 
 CO 
 
 Jr 
 
COLUMBIA COUNTY. 77 
 
 Hudson was founded in 1783, by enterprising men of property from 
 Rhode Island and Nantucket, of the names of Jenkins, Paddock, Bar- 
 nard, Coffin, Thurston, Greene, Mintum, Lawrence, and others, in all 
 thirty persons. About twenty of this company, in the early part of 
 1783, sailed up the Hudson to find some navigable situation on whicji 
 to commence a new settlement. They selected and purchased the site 
 on which the city now stands, which at that time was occupied as a 
 farm, with a single store-house on the bank of the river. In the fall of 
 this year, two families arrived and commenced a settlement. In the 
 spring of 1784, the other proprietors arrived, bringing with them seve- 
 ral vessels ; they were soon followed by other emigrants from the east- 
 ward. Between the spring of 1784 and that of 1786, there were 150 
 dwelling-houses erected, besides wharves, warehouses, shops, barns, 
 &c., and several works connected with manufactures ; and the popu- 
 lation had increased to 1,500 persons. In 1795, Mr. Ashbel Stoddard 
 removed from Connecticut, established a printing-office, and issued a 
 weekly paper, the " Hudson Gazette." 
 
 Hudson was incorporated a city in 1785. At this period about 
 twenty-five vessels were owned in the place, which were mostly em- 
 ployed in the West India trade ; a few were engaged in the whale and 
 seal fishery, which was carried on with considerable success, and Hud- 
 son rapidly increased in wealth and population. During the revolu- 
 tionary struggle in France, and the long protracted war in Europe, such 
 was the demand for neutral vessels, and such the high prices of freight, 
 that the vessels owned here were engaged in the carrying trade. This 
 trade was not long enjoyed, for British orders in council and French 
 decrees swept many of them from their owners. Other losses follow- 
 ed by shipwreck, and the embargo, non-intercourse, and the war 
 which succeeded, almost finished the prosperity of Hudson. The city 
 was a port of entry till 1815. The immense losses at sea produced 
 much embarrassment and many failures, and kept the place in a state 
 of depression for a considerable period. From this depression it is 
 gradually and steadily advancing. The Hudson and Berkshire rail- 
 road proceeds from this city, across the route of the New York and 
 Albany railroad, 31 miles to the west line of Massachusetts at West 
 Stockbridge, whence it is continued for two miles, till it unites with 
 the great western railroad of that state. 
 
 Valaiie is a large manufacturing village 14 miles N. from Hudson, 
 at the junction of the Valatie and Kinderhook creeks. It has 4 exten- 
 sive cotton mills, besides other manufacturing establishments ; it con- 
 tains about 300 dwellings, and 1,700 inhabitants. The village of Kin- 
 derhook is 12 miles N. of Hudson, 5 E. from the river, and is finely situ- 
 ated on a level plain. It has several churches, an academy in high 
 repute, a bank, and upwards of 100 dwellings. It is distinguished as 
 the birthplace and residence of ex-president Van Buren. 
 
78 
 
 COLUMBIA COUNTY. 
 
 Lebanon Springs village is 25 miles from Albany, 32 NE. from 
 Hudson. There are here about 35 dwellings, and several taverns for 
 the accommodation of visiters at the spring. The spring is ten feet in 
 diameter and four deep, and discharges water sufficient to turn several 
 mills near its source. The water is tasteless, inodorous, and soft, and 
 is deemed beneficial in internal obstructions, salt-rlicum, and cutaneous 
 affections generally. The place is much resorted to for health and 
 amusement. The surrounding country is salubrious and picturesque. 
 New Lebanon is a small settlement, one mile and a half SE. of the 
 spring. 
 
 Shaker Buildinsrs in New Lebanon. 
 
 New Lebanon, Shaker village, called by its inhabitants the village 
 of the " Millennial Church'' is two and a half miles S. of the spring, 
 on the western side of the Taghkanic mountain, and contains about 
 six hundred inhabitants. The annexed view shows one of their 
 dwellings, (containing a family of 150 persons,) and their meeting- 
 house, which was erected in 1823. This place of worship is some- 
 what singular in its construction. It is eighty feet long by sixty-five 
 wide, all in one room, without beams or pillars, having a domical roof 
 covered with tin ; and a porch thirty-four by twenty-seven feet, rooted 
 and covered the same way. The building is of wood, but the founda- 
 tion and flights of steps are of marble. 
 
 " This edifice," says a visiter, " stands in a beautiful grass plat, in 
 the centre of the village. Tiiere are no seats in the house, except for 
 spectators of their worship. Their stone walls and other fences are 
 constructed with the utmost regularity and precision, and their gate- 
 posts are of massive marble columns, of many tons weight. They 
 manufacture a great variety of articles for sale, which are remarka- 
 ble for their neatness and durability ; and, in short, their farms, their 
 gardens, their manufactories, and houses, all exhibit the pleasing effects 
 of industry and rural economy. Indeed, they are one independent 
 community ; — tlieir property is all held in common, and ' nowhere,' 
 says Professor Silliman, ' in any community, can the moralist, the 
 philosopher, oj the statesman, see such a demonstration of the power 
 
COLUMBIA COUNTY. 79 
 
 of industry and economy.' They cheerfully pay their proportion of 
 the public taxes, and share all the burdens of government except the 
 bearing of arms, which they deem to be unlawful. They never ask 
 charity for any purpose, but always have hands and hearts to give. 
 We were conducted through the whole establishment in every de- 
 partment. Their internal domestic arrangement is excellent. Their 
 standing motto seems to be, to save lime and labor, and all their va- 
 rious machines and utensils are constructed to this end. We visited 
 their extensive dairy, their washing-house, mills and manufactories, 
 all of which evinced the most consummate skill and nicely. We also 
 visited their school, consisting of about one hundred hearty, rosy- 
 cheeked, and contented children, from eight to fifteen years of age. 
 They underwent a very creditable examination in the various branches 
 of astronomy, grammar, reading, spelling, arithmetic, &c., and gave 
 us the most satisfactory proof that they are not trained up in igno- 
 rance As far as our observation extended, they are as willing 
 
 to let others think for themselves, as they are to cherish their own 
 peculiarities ; and, surely, if they are tolerant, we should not be in- 
 tolerant. They are, indeed, a most singular people, but they have 
 many, very many, excellent qualities. They are plain in their de- 
 portment and manners, close though honest in their dealings, but kind, 
 benevolent, and hospitable ; and they remember and treasure up 
 every kindness shown to them. In short, they are inoffensive, quiet, 
 and valuable citizens ; and notwithstanding the idle, and even abomi- 
 nable stories that have been put forth against them, after close obser- 
 vation for many years past, it is our dehberate conviction that among 
 themselves they strictly live up to their professions, and that their con- 
 duct and morals are irreproachable." 
 
 The society own about 2,000 acres of land in this town, and about 
 half as much more in Hancock, Mass., the adjoining town. Within 
 a few years after " Mother Ann," as she is usually called, made an 
 establishment at Neskayuna, another was begun at New Lebanon, 
 which is now the principal Shaker establishment in the state. Their 
 religious tenets must, of course, necessarily affect the order of their 
 societies, by producing an entire separation of the men from the wo- 
 men. 
 
 The leading characteristic in the worship of this people, is their 
 dancing. This they describe as the involuntary result of the exhilirat- 
 ing and overpowering delight received through the outpouring of di- 
 vine grace upon their hearts. The evolutions and changes in the 
 dance, by constant practice, become as precisely correct as the ma- 
 noeuvres of a regiment of experienced soldiers ; it becomes, in fact, a 
 mechanical movement. No one ever makes a mistake, or throws the 
 rank in disorder from inattention or inexperience ; but every thing is 
 conducted in the most exact order, as if every step and movement of 
 the body was directed by a gauge and rule. Dances are sometimes 
 held in private houses, when variations are frequently introduced. 
 On some occasions, it is said, their movements are so rapid, that the 
 eye can scarce follow or keep pace with their swift motions. 
 
80 
 
 CORTLAND COUNTY. 
 
 CORTLAND COUNTY. 
 Cortland county, taken from Onondaga in 1808, was named in 
 honor of Gen. Pierre Van Cortlandt, who was a large landholder 
 here : centrally distant NW. from New York, 200, and from Al- 
 bany, W., 145 miles. This county forms part of the high central 
 section of the state. It has the dividing ridge between the northern 
 and southern waters across its northern and western borders. It is 
 consequently elevated. Its surface is composed of easy hills and 
 broad valleys, giving it a gently waving and diversified aspect. The 
 soil is generally a gravelly loam, rich and productive. This county 
 comprises four whole and two half townships of the tract granted by 
 the state to the soldiers of the revolution, and is settled chiefly by 
 emigrants from the eastern states. It is divided into 1 1 towns, viz. : 
 Cincinnatus, Homer, Scott, Virgil, 
 
 Cortlandville, Marathon, Solon, WiUett. 
 
 Freetown, Preble, Truxton, 
 
 Public buildings in Cortland. 
 
 Cortland, the county seat, is 140 miles from Albany. The first 
 building on the right is the Methodist church, the second the Academy, 
 the third the Presbyterian, the fourth the Baptist, and the last the 
 Universalist church. The courthouse is seen on the opposite side of 
 the street. The village is pleasantly situated, and laid out in regular 
 squares. There are here two weekly newspaper offices and about 120 
 dwelhngs, some of them being fine edifices. 
 
 Homer village, the largest in the county, is beautifully situated upon 
 a plain, upon the W. bank of the Tioughnioga river ; from Albany 
 138 miles, 40 N. from Owego, 30 S. from Syracuse, 22 N. from Cort- 
 land village. The Cortland Academy is a highly flourishing institu- 
 tion, having a collection of philosophical apparatus and a cabinet of 
 minerals. The public buildings are upon a square of 6 acres. Homer 
 was incorporated in 1825, and has about 200 dwellings and 4 churches. 
 
DELAWARE COUNTY. 81 
 
 DELAWARE COUNTY. 
 
 Delaware county, formed from Ulster and Otsego counties in 
 1797, is centrally distant from New York, via Cattskill, 166, SW. from 
 Albany, 77 miles. Greatest length NE. and SW. 60 ; greatest breadth 
 SE. and NW. 37 miles. 
 
 The county has a broken and diversified surface — from the rugged, 
 lofty, and barren mountain side and summit, to the subsiding hill and 
 the high and low plain, with the rich valley, and the low and fertile 
 alluvion. Its climate is subject to sudden and great changes of tem- 
 perature, yet not unfriendly to health and longevity. It is princi- 
 pally watered by the northeastern sources of the Delaware river. 
 The east branch of the Susquehannah, another large stream of Penn- 
 sylvania, forms a part of the northeastern boundary, as does the Del- 
 aware a part of- its southwestern. The Cookquago branch of the 
 Delaware, or the true Delaware, as it ought to be called, runs nearly 
 centrally through the county from NE. to SW. ; the Popacton branch 
 runs nearly parallel with this, a short distance to the south of it. 
 These streams with their branches, and many smaller streams, spread 
 plentifully over the whole county, and supply a vast profusion of fine 
 sites for mills. The quality of the soil is as various as the surface. 
 On the upland there is a large proportion of chocolate-colored loam, 
 and the valleys and alluvial flats have a rich mould. The whole may 
 be pronounced a good country for farming, well watered by small 
 sprin'gs and rivulets. The heavy trade of this county follows the 
 course of its lumber, which goes in rafts by the Delaware and Sus- 
 quehannah rivers to Philadelphia and Baltimore ; while considerable 
 traffic is carried on with the towns on the Hudson, to which there 
 are turnpikes in various directions. The value of the wild lands in 
 the county is from two to three dollars an acre, and the improved 
 lands in the valleys average about 30 dollars, while those on the hills 
 are worth about 5 dollars the acre. West of the Mohawk branch 
 of the Delaware, the county was divided into several patents ; but 
 east of it was included in the Hardenburgh patent. In 1768, William, 
 John, Alexander, and Joseph Harper, with eighteen others, obtained 
 a patent here for 22,000 acres of land, and soon after the Harpers 
 removed from Cherry Valley, and made a settlement which was 
 called Harpersfield, but which was broken up by the Indians and 
 tories during the revolutionary war. About one quarter of the county 
 is under improvement. The county has 18 towns, viz. 
 
 Andes, 
 
 Bovina, 
 
 Colchester, 
 
 Davenport, 
 
 Delhi, 
 
 The annexed view of Delhi village, the county seat, was taken on 
 the eastern bank of the Delaware. This village was incorporated in 
 1821. The building with a steeple seen on the extreme right is a 
 
 11 
 
 Franklin, 
 
 Masonville, 
 
 Stamford, 
 
 Hamden, 
 
 Meredith, 
 
 Tompkins, 
 
 Hancock, 
 
 Middletown, 
 
 Walton. 
 
 Harpersfield, 
 Kortright, 
 
 Roxbury, 
 Sidney, 
 
 
82 
 
 DELAWARE COUNTY. 
 
 Eastern vieio of Delhi Village. 
 
 factory — the spire near the centre of the view is that of the Episcopal 
 church, the one to the left the Presbyterian, and the cupolas are re- 
 spectively those of the Courthouse, Jail, and Academy. The village 
 contains about 100 dwellings, situated about 70 miles w^esterly from 
 Kingston and CattskiU. 
 
 Franklin village is pleasantly situated 16 miles W. of Delhi, 60 S. 
 from Utica ; has 3 churches and about 100 dwellings, and ^' The Dela- 
 ware Literary Tnstitute^^^ incorporated in 1835, which is a flourishmg 
 institution. Deposit, 40 miles SW. of Delhi, is a village of about 100 
 dwelhngs, on Delaware river, and is a place where great quantities of 
 lumber are deposited to float down the river to market. 
 
 The following is extracted from Mr. Campbell's interesting and val- 
 uable work, entitled *' Annals of Tryon County." 
 
 " In 1768, William, John, Alexj^nder, and Joseph Harper, with eighteen other individuals, 
 obtained a patent for twenty-two thouBand acres of land lyiiif? in the now county of Dela- 
 ware. The Harpers removed from Cherry Valley soon after, and made a settlement there 
 which was called Harpersfield. This settlement had begun to flourish at the commence- 
 ment of the war. Col. John Harper had command of one of the forts in Schoharie. 
 
 " The followincr account of a successful enterprise of Co!. Harper, was furnished by the 
 Rev. Mr. Fenn, who received the information from him. He informed me that in the year 
 1777, he had the command of the fort in Schoharie, and of all the frontier stations in this 
 region. He left the fort iu Schoharie, and came out through the woods to Harpersfield in 
 the time of making sugar, and from thence laid his course for Cherry Valley to investigate 
 the state of things there ; and as he was pursning a blind kind of Indian trail, and was as- 
 cending what are now called Decatur Hilis, he cast his eye forward, and saw a company of 
 men coining directly towards him, who had the appearance of Indians. He knew that if 
 he attempted to flee from them they would shoot him down ; he resolved to advance right 
 up to them, and make the best shift for himself he could. As soon as he came near enough 
 to discern the white of their eyes, he knew the head man and several others ; the head 
 man's name was Peter, an Indian with whom Col. Harper had often traded at Oquago be- 
 fore the revolution began. The colonel had his great-coat on, so that his regimentals were 
 concealed, and he was not recognised ; the first word of address of Col. Harper was, 
 ' How do you do, brothers?' The reply was, ' Well — how do you do, brother? Which 
 way are you bound, brother?' ' On a secret expedition : and which way are you bound, 
 brothers ?' ' Down the Susquehannah, to cut otF the Johnston settlement.' (Parson John- 
 ston and a number of Scotch families had settled down the Susquehannah, at what is 
 now called Sidney's Plains, and these were the people whom they were about to destroy.) 
 
DELAWARE COUNTY. 83 
 
 Says the colonel, ' Where do you lodge to-night 7' ' At the mouth of Schenevaa creek,' 
 was the reply. Then shaking hands with them, he bid them good speed, and proceeded 
 on his journey. 
 
 " He had gone but a little way from them before he took a circuit through the woods, a 
 distance of eight or ten miles, on to the head of Charlotte river, where were a number of 
 men making sugar ; ordered them to take their arms, two days' provisions, a canteen of 
 ruin, and a rope, and meet him down the Charlotte, at a small clearing called Evans's place, 
 at a certain hour that afternoon ; 4heu rode with all speed through the woods to Harpers- 
 field ; collected all the men wbo were there making sugar, and being armed and victualled, 
 each man with his rope laid his course for Charlotte ; when he arrived at Evans's place, he 
 found the Charlotte men there, in good spirits ; and when he mustered his men, there were 
 fifteen, including himself, exactly the same number as there were of the enemy ; then the 
 colonel made his men acquainted with his enterprise. 
 
 " They marched down the river a little distance, and then bent their course across the 
 hill to the mouth of Schenevas creek ; when they arrived at the brow of the hill where 
 they could overlook the valley where the Schenevas flows, they cast their eyes down upon 
 the flat, and discovered the fire around which the enemy lay encamped. ' There they 
 are,' said Col. Harper. They descended with great stillness, forded the creek, which was 
 breast-high to a man ; after advancing a few hundred yards, they took some refreshment, 
 and then prepared for the contest. Daylight was just beginning to appear in the east. 
 When they came to the enemy, they lay in a circle with their feet towards the fire, in a 
 deep sleep ; their arms and all their implements of death, were all stacked up according to 
 the Indian custom when they lay themselves down for the night : these the colonel se- 
 cured by carrying them off a distance, and laying them down ; then each man taking his 
 rope in his hand, placed himself by his fellow ; the colonel rapped his man softly, and said, 
 ' Come, it is time for men of business to be on their way ;' and then each one sprang upon 
 his man, and after a most severe struggle they secured the whole of the enemy. 
 
 " After they were all safely bound, and the morning had so far advanced that they could 
 
 discover objects distinctly, says the Indian Peter, ' Ha ! Col. Harper ! now I know thee 
 
 why did I not know tliee yesterday ?' ' Some policy in war, Peter.' • Ah, me find em 
 60 now.' The colonel marched the men to Albany, delivered them up to the commanding 
 officer, and by this bold and well-executed feat of valor he saved the whole Scotch settle- 
 ment from a wanton destruction. 
 
 " Early in the spring of 1 780, a party of tories and Indians, under the command of Brant, 
 destroyed Harpersfield. The inhabitants had generally left the place ; but a few of the 
 men were at the time engaged in making maple sugar. Nineteen were taken prisoners, 
 and several killed. A consultation was held in the Indian language in presence of the 
 prisoners relative to a contemplated attack upon the upper fort, in Schoharie ; the Indians, 
 satisfied with the booty and prisoners already obtained, were unwilling to risk any thing 
 in an uncertain expedition ; some of the tories represented the plan as promising success, 
 and advised the Indians to kill the prisoners, that they might not be encumbered with them. 
 Brant came up to Capt. Alexander Harper, one of the prisoners, and drawing his sword, 
 asked him if there were any troops in the fort : saying his life should be taken if he did 
 not inform him correctly. Harper knew enough of the Indian language to have learned 
 the subject of the foregoing conversation, and immediately answered that it was well gar- 
 risoned, believing that they would all be killed should he answer differently. Another pris- 
 oner, not knowing the determination of the Indians, and fearing their vengeance should the 
 falsehood be detected, stated truly that there were few if any troops in the fort. Harper 
 insisted that his statement was true ; he was believed, and they returned to Niagara. 'The 
 last night of their journey they encamped a short distance from the fort. In the morning 
 the prisoners were to run the gauntlet. Harper, knowing the hostility of the Indians to- 
 wards him, and fearing they might take his life, requested Brant to interfere and protect 
 him, which he promised to do. The Indians arranged themselves in two parallel lines, 
 facing inward, with clubs and whips in their hands. 
 
 " Harper was selected first ; he was a tall, athletic man, and on the first signal sprang 
 from the mark with extraordinary swiftness. An Indian near the end of the line, fearing 
 he might escape with little injury, stepped before him ; Harper struck him a blow with his fist, 
 and then springing over him, ran towards the fort ; the Indians, enraged, broke their ranks 
 and followed him. The garrison, who had been apprized of the movements of the Indians, 
 were upon the walls when they saw Harper approaching ; they threw open the gate, and 
 he rushed in, when they immediately closed it. It was with difficulty they could keep 
 the Indians back. The other prisoners took different courses, and got into the fort without 
 passing throngh this, if not fiery, yet bloody ordeal." 
 
84 DUTCHESS COUNTY. 
 
 DUTCHESS COUNTY, 
 
 Dutchess county was organized in 1683. It is on the E. side of 
 the Hudson river, 75 miles S. of Albany, and 74 N. of New York. 
 Greatest length N. and S. 38, greatest breadth E. and W. 26 miles. 
 This county is one of the most opulent in the state, though its area 
 has been reduced by the erection of the small county of Putnam from 
 Its southern end. Along the eastern border towns there are ranges 
 of hills called the Fishkill or Matteawan mountains. Along the west- 
 ern borders of these, the surface is tossed into ridges and valleys, 
 knolls and dales, fancifully diversified, producing a great variety of 
 
 fiosition, of soil and aspect, and a multitude of brooks and springs. 
 n the southern part are some of the highest peaks of the Highlands. 
 That called the Old Beacon, two miles from Matteawan village, and 
 three from Fishkill Landing, raises its crest 1,471 feet, and the New 
 Beacon, or Grand Sachem, half a mile southward, towers 1,685 above 
 tide. Their names are derived from the Beacons placed on their 
 summits during the revolution. From the top of the latter, the view 
 on the S. embraces the country upon the Hudson, for 25 miles to 
 Tappan bay ; on the SE. includes Long Island and the Sound ; and 
 upon the NE. and W. comprehends in the diameter of a circle, 50 
 miles in extent, scenery of every diversity, blending the beauties of 
 cultivation with the stern and unchangeable features of nature.. The 
 principal streams are the Hudson river on its western boundary. Ten 
 Mile, Fishkill, and Wappinger's creeks. As a whole, the county is 
 highly fertile, producing abundantly wheat, rye, corn, oats, and grass, 
 and an immense amount of produce is annually exported to New York. 
 This county is divided into 18 towns, viz. : 
 
 Amenia, 
 
 Hyde Park, 
 
 Pine Plains, Stanford, 
 
 Beekman, 
 
 La Grange, 
 
 Pleasant Valley, Union Vale, 
 
 Clinton, 
 
 Milan, 
 
 Poughkeepsie, Washington 
 
 Dover, 
 
 Northeast, 
 
 Redhook, 
 
 Fishkin, 
 
 Pawhngs, 
 
 Rhinebeck, 
 
 Poughkeepsie was organized in 1788 : its name is said to have 
 been derived from the Indian word Apokeepsing, signifying safe har- 
 bor. The face of the country along the Hudson river is somewhat 
 broken, but the general surface is but moderately uneven. Pop. 
 10,006. The village of Poughkeepsie, one of the most thriving and 
 substantial places in the state, was first founded by a number of 
 Dutch families somewhere about the year 1700. Being situated 
 about half way between New York and Albany, it occasionally be- 
 came, in early periods of its history, the place of legislative deliberations. 
 The convention which met to deliberate on the Federal Constitution, 
 and voted for its adoption, met in this place in 1788. The annexed 
 engraving, taken from one published in the Family Magazine, Dec. 
 1838, is a representation of the first house erected in this place. It 
 
^i ^ 
 
 ^7 M 
 
 _ - X 
 
DUTCHESS COUNTY. 
 
 85 
 
 Van Kleek House. 
 
 was built in the year 1702, by Myndert Van Kleek, one of the earliest 
 settlers of Dutchess county. The house and grounds attached are 
 still in possession of his descendants. It belonged to Matthew Vas- 
 sar, Esq., in 183.5, the year in which this house was demolished. 
 The distant building seen on the left, is that of the old brewery : this 
 ancient edifice exhibited its port-holes, a feature so common in tlie 
 buildings of the early settlers, ihey being necessary for defence against 
 the original possessors of the soil. In 17&7, this building, then a 
 public house of some note, was used as a stadt-house ; the eleventh 
 session of the legislature of this state was held therein. George 
 Clinton was then governor of the slate, and Pierre Van Cortlandt, 
 afterward mayor of New York, lieutenant-governor. 
 
 Poughkeepsie is by the river, 70 miles from Albany, 75 from 
 New York, 18 from Kingston, 14 from Newburg, and 42 from Hud- 
 son. Population of the vdlage in 1840, was 7,710. The central part 
 of the village is nearly a mile from the landing place on the Hudson, 
 standing on an elevated plain about 200 feet from the river. Several 
 roads conveniently graded, and the principal one paved, lead from 
 the shore to the plain above, which, on the north, is overlooked by a 
 beautiful slate hill, from which is a commanding prospect of the adja- 
 cent country. The Fall creek or kill meanders through the plain on 
 which the village is built, and finally passes into the Hudson by a 
 succession of cataracts and cascades, which together fall more than 
 160 feet, affording water-power for a number of mills and factories. 
 There are 13 churches, viz. : 1 Dutch Reformed, 2 Episcopal, 2 Meth- 
 odist, 2 Friend, 1 Baptist, 1 Catholic, 1 Congregational, 1 Presbyte- 
 rian, 1 Universalist, and 1 African. There are 3 banks, 5 newspaper 
 offices, and a variety of manutacturing establishments. W^ithin the 
 limits of the village are 12 male and female schools, all of which are 
 of a superior order. Pop. in 1S50, 13,044. 
 
66 
 
 DDTCHESS COUNTY. 
 
 Poughkeepsie Collegiate School. 
 
 The above is a representation of the Poughkeepsie Collegiate 
 School, erected on the summit of an elevated hill about a mile from 
 the Hudson, and half a mile northward from the business part of the 
 village. This structure is modelled after the Parthenon at Athens, and 
 is 35 by 115 feet in size, exclusive of the colonnade ; inclusive, 77 by 
 137 feet. It cost, exclusive of the ground, about forty thousand dol- 
 lars. This institution was opened for the reception of pupils in Nov., 
 1836, under the superintendence of Mr. Charles Bartlett, assisted by 
 eight competent teachers. During the first term, there were 50 pu- 
 pils ; the second, M ; the third, 94 ; and the fourth term, 108. " Its 
 situation is truly a noble one ; standing on an eminence commanding 
 an extensive view of almost every variety of feature necessary to the 
 perfection of a beautiful landscape. From the colonnade, which en- 
 tirely surrounds it, the eye of the spectator can compass a circuit of 
 nearly fifty miles : on the south, at a distance of twenty miles, the 
 Highlands terminate the view, within which an apparent plain stretches 
 to their base, covered with highly cultivated farms, neat mansions, and 
 thriving villages. Similar scenery meets the eye on the east, but more 
 undulating. On the west and north, the Hudson rolls on in its pride 
 and beauty, dotted with the sails of inland commerce and numerous 
 steamboats, all laden with products of industry and busy men. In the 
 dim distance, the azure summits of the Cattskill, reared to the clouds, 
 stretch away to the north, a distance of forty miles, where the far-famed 
 ' Mountain House' is distinctly seen, like a pearl, in its mountain crest, 
 at an elevation of nearly three thousand feet above the river. At our 
 feet, like a beautiful panorama, lies the village of Poughkeepsie, with 
 its churches, its literary institutions, and various improvements in view, 
 indicating the existence of a liberal spirit of well-directed enterprise." 
 The Dutchess Couniy Academy was erected in 1836, in the southeast 
 part of the village, at an expense of about $14,000. The average 
 number of its pupils is about one hundred. "The objects of this institu- 
 tion are to prepare young men for college, for 'teachers of common 
 schools, for the counting-house, or any of the active pursuits of life." 
 
 Matteawan is a large manufacturing village on Fishkill creek, up- 
 wards of a mile from the landing on Hudson river, about 10 miles S. 
 of Poughkeepsie. It was founded in 1814, by Messrs. Schenck and 
 Leonard, about which time the Matteawan company was formed. 
 
BRIE COUNTY. 87 
 
 There axe here several large cotton mills, and factories of various de- 
 scriptions. There are about 2,000 persons connected with and em- 
 ployed in the works. There are many neat dwellings, and two beau- 
 tiful churches, one Presbyterian and one Episcopalian, at whose 
 sabbath schools 250 children attend. No intoxicating liquors are per- 
 mitted to be sold, and almost the whole population have pledged 
 themselves to abstain from their use. " The deep valley, with its cas- 
 cades and rapids ; the village, with its neat white dwellings, magnifi- 
 cent factories, and ornamental churches, overhung by the stupendous 
 mountain, render this one of the most beautiful scenes in the state, 
 where enlightened, cheerful, and persevering industry is reaping its 
 due reward. It attracts much attention, and is greatly resorted to in 
 the summer season." 
 
 Glenham, Franklinville, and Rocky Glen, are small manufacturing 
 villages. Fishkill village, on the creek, 5 miles from the Hudson 
 river, and 16 from Poughkeepsie, is situated upon a beautiful plain, in 
 a fertile country, and has about eighty dwellings, an academy, one 
 Episcopal, and one Dutch church. A portion of the American army 
 were located here in the revolutionary war. Their barracks were 
 about half a mile south of the village. Pleasant Valley, 7 miles NE. 
 from Poughkeepsie, is a manufacturing village on Wappinger's creek 
 of about 100 dwellings and 4 churches. Hyde Park village and land- 
 ing, about 7 miles N. of Poughkeepsie, has about 80 dwellings and 3 
 churches. The seat of the late Dr. Hosack is in this place. The vil- 
 lage of Rhinebeck Flats, about 9 miles from New York, 2 miles from 
 the landing, contains upwards of 100 dwellings, 3 churches, and an 
 academy. 
 
 ERIE COUNTY. 
 
 Erie county was taken from Niagara county in 1821. Greatest 
 length N. and S. 44, and greatest breadth E. and W. 30 miles. Cen- 
 trally distant from New York 357, from Albany W., 298 miles. Lake 
 Erie and the Niagara river form its western boundary, the Tonawanta 
 creek its northern, and the Cattaraugus its southern. The many 
 streams which enter into Lake Erie furnish fine mill sites. The Erie 
 canal enters the Tonawanta creek on the northern border ; from which 
 a towing path has been constructed along the bank of the creek, which 
 is used as a canal 12 miles to the Tonawanda village, a short distance 
 above its junction with Niagara river, near Grand Island. A railroad 
 connects Buffalo with the village at Niagara Falls, and one with the 
 Black Rock ferry. The surface in the northern part of the county is 
 level or gently undulating ; the southern is more diversified, but no 
 part is hilly. Generally the soil is good ; consisting in the northern 
 half, of warm, sandy, and gravelly loam, occasionally mixed with 
 clay, and adapted to wheat ; in the southern, clay prevails, and is pro- 
 
88 ERIE COUNTY. 
 
 ductive of grass. Both portions yield excellent and various fruits. 
 About one third of the land is under improvement. The whole county 
 was within the Holland Land Company's purchase, excepting a strip 
 a mile wide on the Niagara river. The county has 21 towns. 
 
 Alden, Buffalo City, Eden, Sardinia, 
 
 Amherst, Chictawaga, Evans, Tonawanda, 
 
 Aurora, Clarence, Hamburgh, Wales. 
 
 Black Rock, Colden, Holland, 
 
 Boston, Collins, Lancaster, 
 
 Brandt, Concord, Newstead, 
 
 Buffalo city is situated at the outlet of Lake Erie, at the head of 
 Niagara river, at the mouth of the Buffalo creek, and at the western 
 extremity of the Erie canal ; Lat. 42° 53' N., long. 2° west from 
 Washington. Distant from Albany by the great western road 298 
 miles ; by the Erie canal, 364 ; from New York, by Albany and 
 Utica, 445 ; by Morristown, N. J., Owego, and Ithaca, 357 ; from 
 Rochester, 73 ; from Niagara Falls, 22 ; from Erie, Penn., 90 ; from 
 Cleveland, Ohio, 103 ; from Detroit, Mich., 290 ; from Toronto, U. 
 C, 72 ; from Montreal, L. C, 427 ; and from Washington City, 376 
 miles. Buffalo is the port of entry for the Niagara district, including 
 Silver Creek, Dunkirk, and Portland, and all above the falls. It is 
 an entrepot for the great and growing trade between New York and a 
 large portion of Upper Canada and the great west. 
 
 Buffalo was originally laid out in 1801, by the Holland Land Com- 
 pany, on a bluff or terrace rising 50 feet above the water, and partly 
 on the low and marshy ground extending from the terrace to the creek 
 and lake. This marsh has been drained, and a large portion of the 
 business part of the city lies upon it. The Erie canal from Tone- 
 wanda village is continued along the margin of Niagara river and the 
 shore of the lake to the city. A mole or pier of wood and stone, 
 1,500 feet long, extends from the south side of the mouth of the creek, 
 forming a partial breakwater to protect the shipping from the gales 
 which are felt here. For the better accommodation of trade, a ship 
 canal, 80 feet wide and 13 deep, was completed in 1833, across the 
 harbor near the mouth of the creek, a distance of 700 yards. A 
 lighthouse built of limestone stands on the end of the pier, 46 feet in 
 height. 
 
 From the time of the foundation of this place to 1812, it increased 
 slowly. In that year it became a military post, and in December, 
 1813, every building in it was burnt save two, by the British and In- 
 dians. Many of the inhabitants were taken prisoners to Montreal. 
 The place was soon rebuilt, and by 1817, it contained 100 houses, 
 some of which were large and elegant. It was incorporated as a 
 village in 1822, and, in 1823, had the courthouse and jail, and up- 
 wards of 300 buildings. It had then felt in advance the influence of 
 the Erie canal, and much improvement was made in anticipation of 
 the completion of that great work. In 1829, it had 400 houses, and 
 more than 2,000 inhabitants. It was incorporated as a city in 1832, 
 
ERIE COUNTY. 
 
 89 
 
 and contains at this time about 4,000 houses, and 42,266 inhabitants. 
 There are 25 churches, a hterary and scientific academy, incorporated 
 in 1827, 7 banks, 8 newspapers, and many hotels and taverns, required 
 for the great concourse of strangers liere. Tlie buildings, public and 
 private, are generally good, many of them four stories high, among 
 which are fine specimens of architecture. An enterprising citizen, 
 Mr. Rathbun, during the year 1835, erected 99 buildings, at an aggre- 
 gate cost of about $500,000 ; of these, 52 were stores of the first 
 class, 32 dwellings, a theatre, &c." 
 
 Distant view of Black Rock and vicinity. 
 
 The village of Black Rock is in two divisions, the upper and lower. 
 The post-office, which is in the south part, is 3 miles from Buffalo, 
 opposite the village of Waterloo on the Canada side. 
 
 The foregoing is a distant northern view of part of the village of 
 Black Rock ; the Canada side, on which is the village of Waterloo, 
 is seen on the right, and Lake Erie in the extreme distance. A ferry 
 boat plies between Waterloo and the south part of Black Rock vil- 
 lage. Niagara river at this point is three fourths of a mile wide, 20 
 feet deep, and runs with a current of 6 miles an hour. The harbor 
 of Black Rock is 4,565 yards long from N. to S., and from 88 to 220 
 yards broad, containing an area of 136 acres. It begins in the lake 
 opposite Buffalo, at Bird island, and is continued, by a mole of double 
 wooden cribs fihed in with stone, 18 feet wide and 2,915 yards long, 
 to Squaw island, and is raised from 1 to 4 feet above the surface of 
 the river, rising gradually towards the north. A dam at the end of 
 Squaw island, connecting it with the main land, raises the water aoout 
 41 feet to the level of the lake. The average depth of the water in 
 this harbor is 15 feet. By means of the dam, great water-power is 
 obtained, and mills of various kinds are established at the lower vil- 
 lage. The village of Black Rock contains about 350 dwellings, and 
 2,000 inhabitants. 
 
 Black Rock, in common with other places on the Niagara fron- 
 tier, was ravaged and burnt by the enemy in December, 1813. On 
 the 11th of July previous, the British made an attack on the place. 
 The following particulars of this event are compiled from the Buffalo 
 Gazette. 
 
 12 
 
90 ERIE COUNTY. 
 
 " The British troops which crossed over at Black Rock on the 10th inst. were commanded 
 by Cols. Bishop and Warren. They crossed the Niagara below Squaw island, and marched 
 far above the navy yard before any alarm was given. The detached militia being surprised, 
 retreated op the beach, and left the enemy in quiet possession of the village, who proceeded 
 to burn the sailors' barracks and block-houses at the great battery. They then proceeded 
 to the batteries, dismounted and spiked three 12 pounders, and took away 3 field-pieces 
 and one 12 pounder ; they took from a storehouse a quantity of whiskey, salt, flour, pork, 
 &c., which, with four citizens, they took across the river. At the first moment of the alarm, 
 Gen. Porter left Black Rock for Buffalo, at which place he assembled a body of volunteers 
 and a few regulars, which, with 100 militia and 25 Indians, formed a junction about a mile 
 from the enemy. After being formed with the militia and Indians on the flanks and the 
 volunteers and the regulars in the centre, they attacked, and the enemy, after a contest of 
 20 minutes, retreated in the utmost confusion to the beach, embarked in several of our 
 boats, and pulled for the opposite shore ; all the boats got oiT without injury, except the last, 
 which sutfered severely from our fire, and from appearance, nearly all the men in her were 
 killed or wounded. The British lost 8 killed on the field, besides those killed and wounded 
 in the boats. We took 15 prisoners, who were sent to Batavia. Capt. tsaunders, of the 
 British 49th, was wounded while stepping into his boat ; he was conveyed to Gen. Porter's 
 house. He states that Col. Bishop was badly wounded and carried into the boat, and says 
 also, that several killed and wounded were carried into the boats. On our side. Sergeant 
 Hartman, Jonathan Thompson, and Joseph Wright were killed, and 5 wounded, 2 of whom 
 were Indians. The Indians behaved well and committed no act of cruelty. They fought 
 because they were friendly to the United States, and because their own possessions, which 
 are very valuable, were in danger of invasion. They are opposed to crossing the river 
 to fight, but are ready to meet the enemy at the threshold in defence of the country which 
 protects them. Maj. King was at Black Rock overnight, and was present and assisted in 
 the action. Two hundred regulars have arrived from Erie at Black Rock, where they are 
 to be stationed." 
 
 Fort Erie, about a mile S. from the ferry at Waterloo on the Can- 
 ada side, was a post of much importance during the last war. After 
 tlie battle at Niagara, the Americans fell back to Fort Erie, of which 
 they jiad previously taken possession. This fortress is situated on 
 the margin of the lake, at its outlet into the Niagara river ; being 
 nearly a horizontal plain 15 feet above the level of the water, it pos- 
 sesses no natural advantages. On the 13th of Aug. 1814, the British 
 troops, having invested the fort, opened a brisk cannonade, which was 
 returned from the American batteries. At sunset on the 14th, one 
 of iheir shells lodged in a small magazine, which blew up without any 
 injurious effects. The following account of the assault which took 
 place a few hours afterward, is taken from " Perkins' History of the 
 Lute War." 
 
 " Gen. Gaines, expecting an assault in the course of the night, kept his men constantly 
 at tlieir posts. The night was dark, and the early part of it rainy ; at 2 o'clock in the 
 morning, the British columns, enveloped in darkness, were distinctly heard approaching the 
 American lines. The infantry under Maj. Wood, and Capt. Towson's artillery, opened 
 a brisk fire upon them. The sheet of fire from this corps, enabled Gen. Gaines to discover 
 this column of the British, 1,500 strong, approaching the American left. The infantry were 
 protected by a line of loose brush representing an abattis bordering on the river. The 
 British, in attempting to pass round this, plunged into the water breast high. The com- 
 manding general was about to order a detachment of riflemen to support Maj. Wood, but 
 was assured by him that he could maintain his position without a reinforcement. The 
 British columns were twice repulsed, and soon afterward fled in confusion. On the right, 
 the lines were lighted by a brilliant discharge of musketry and cannon, which announced 
 the approach of the centre and ieft columns of the enemy. The latter met the veteran 9lh 
 regiment, and Burton's and Harding's companies of volunteers, aided by a 6 pounder, and 
 were repulsed. The centre column, under Col. Drummond, approached at the same time 
 the most assailable points of the fort, and with scaling ladders ascended the parapet, but 
 were driven back with great carnage. The assault was twice repeated, and as often check- 
 ed ; this column, concealed by the darkness of the night and the clouds of smoke which 
 
ERIE COUNTY. 91 
 
 rolled from the cannon and musketry, then passed round the ditch, repeated their charge, 
 reascended their ladders, and with their pikes, bayonets, and spears, fell upon the artillerists. 
 Most of the officers, and many of the men, received deadly wounds. Lieut. McDonough 
 being severely wounded, and in the' power of the enemy, surrendered and demanded quar- 
 ter ; Col. Drummond, refusing it, drew a pistol and shot him dead. In a moment after- 
 ward, as he was repeating the order to give no quarters, Col. Drummond was shot through 
 the heart. The bastion was now in the possession of the British. The battle raged with 
 increased fury on the right ; reinforcements were ordered and promptly furnished from Maj. 
 Wood's corps on the left. Capt. Fanning kept up a spirited and destructive tire from his 
 artillery on the enemy as they were approaching the fort. Majs. Hindman and Trimble, 
 failing to drive the British from the bastion, with the remaining artillerists and infantry, 
 and Capt. Birdsall's detachment of riflemen, rushed in through the gateway, to the assist- 
 ance of the right wing, and made a resolute charge. A detachment, under Maj. Hall, was 
 introduced over the interior of the bastion, for the purpose of charging the British, who still 
 held possession, but the uarrownessof the passage, admitting only 2 or 3 abreast, prevented 
 its accomplishment, and they were obliged to retire. At this moment, every operation was 
 arrested by the explosion of the principal magazine, containing a large quantity of cartridges 
 and powder, in the end of a stone building adjoining the contested bastion. Whether this 
 was the eifect of accident or design, was not known. The explosion was tremendous, and 
 its effects decisive. The British in possession of the bastion were destroyed in a moment. 
 As soon as the tumult occasioned by that event had subsided, Capt. Biddle posted a field- 
 piece so as to enfilade the exterior plain, and the salient glacis. Fanning's battery at the 
 same time opened on the British who were now retuniing. In a few minutes they were all 
 driven from the works, leaving 222 killed, 174 wounded on the field, and 186 prisoners. 
 To these losses are to be added those killed on the left flank by Maj. Wood's infantry and 
 Towson's artillery, and flouted down the Niagara, estimated in the ofiicial reports at 200. 
 The American loss during the bombardment of the 13th and 14th, was 9 killed, and 36 
 wounded, and in the assault of the night of the 14th, 17 killed, 56 wounded, and 11 missing." 
 
 The British troops still continuing their investment of Fort Erie, 
 on the 17th of September a part of the American garrison made a 
 sortie, and took the British works about 500 yards in front of their 
 line. The British had two batteries on their left, which annoyed the 
 fort, and were about opening a third. Their camp was about 2 miles 
 distant, sheltered by a wood ; their works were garrisoned with one 
 third of their infantry, from 1,200 to 1,500 men, and a detachment of 
 artillery. 
 
 " Early on the morning of the 17th, General Porter, with a large detachment, was order- 
 ed to penetrate through the woods by a circuitous route, and get between the British main 
 body and their batteries ; while General Miller was directed to take a position in the ravine, 
 between the American lines and the batteries, and attack them in front. The advance of 
 Gen. Porter's command consisted of two hundred riflemen, under Colonel Gibson. The 
 right column, of 400 infantry, commanded by Col. Wood ; the left, under Gen. Davis, of 
 500 militia, designed to act as a reserve, and to hold in check any reinforcements f^om 
 the British main body. Gen. Porter's corps ceirried the blockhouse in the rear of the third 
 battery by storm, the magazine was blown up, and the garrison made prisoners. The 
 leaders of the 3 divisions under Gen. Porter, all fell nearly at the same time ; Col. Gib- 
 son, at the head of the riflemen, at the second battery, and Gen. Davis and Col. Wood in 
 an assault upon the first. While these transactions were taking place in the rear of the 
 enemy's works, General Miller in front penetrated between the flrst and second batteries, 
 and, aided by the operations of Gen. Porter in the rear, succeeded in carrying them. With- 
 in 30 minutes from the commencement of the action, 2 batteries, 2 blockhouses, and the 
 whole line of intrenchments were in possession of the Americans ; and immediately after- 
 ward, the other battery was abandoned by the British. Gen. Ripley was now ordered up 
 with the reserve, and at the close of the action, was dangerously wounded in the neck. 
 Strong reinforcements from the British main body arrived while the Americans were en- 
 gaged in destroying the works, and took part in the action. The object of the sortie being 
 fully accomplistied, the American troops were ordered to return to the fort During the 
 action. Gen. Porter, in passing from the right to the left column of his detachment, accom- 
 panied with only 2 or 3 officers, suddenly found himself within a few yards of a body of 
 60 British soldiers, who had just emerged from a ravine, and were hesitating which way to 
 
92 ERIE COUNTY. 
 
 go. The general immediately advanced, and ordered them to surrender; approaching the 
 first man on the left, he took his musket, and pushed him towards the American lines : in 
 ► this way he proceeded nearly through the whole company, most of the men voluntarily 
 throwing down their arms, and retiring towards the fort: when on a sudden, a soldier, 
 whose musket the general was about to seize, presented the bayonet to his breast, and de- 
 manded his surrender. Gen. Porter seized the musket, and was about wrenching it from 
 him, when he was seized by a British officer, and 3 or 4 men who stood in the ranks, and 
 thrown on the ground. He succeeded in gaining his feet, when he found himself sur- 
 rounded by 15 or 20 men, with their guns presented at him, demanding his surrender. By 
 this time, several American officers with a number of men were advancing to the scene 
 of action. Gen. Porter, now assuming an air of composure and decision, told tliem they 
 were now surrounded and prisoners, and if they fired a gun they should all be put to the 
 sword. By this time a company of Cayuga riflemen had arrived, and after a momentary 
 Bcene of confusion and carnage, the whole British party were killed, or made prisoners." 
 
 The American loss was 79 killed, 432 wounded and missing. The 
 British loss, as estimated by the American commander, was 500 in 
 killed and wounded : 385 prisoners were taken, and their advance 
 works were destroyed. On the night of the 21st, Gen. Drummond, 
 after an investment of 56 days, broke up his camp, and retired to his 
 intrenchments behind Chippewa river. 
 
 House of Red Jacket, on the Buffalo Reservation. 
 
 The above is the eastern view of the cabin of the celebrated Indian 
 chief, RedJacket, and the house of Wm. Jones, about four miles from 
 Buffalo. The cabin of Red Jacket is seen on the left, the house of 
 Jones, which is a fair specimen of the better sort of Indian houses, on 
 the right. The Seneca mission church is about 80 rods east ftom 
 this place. RedJacket died Jan. 20th, 1832, and has a monument 
 erected to his memory a few rods from the church. 
 
 Red Jacket was born in 1756. His birthplace is supposed to have been at a place for- 
 merly called " Old Caste," about 3 miles west of Geneva, in the present limits of the town 
 of Seneca. His Indian name was Sa-go-you-wai-ha, a word signifying one who keeps 
 awake by magical influence. During the revolution, the Senecas fought under the British 
 standard. Although quite young, his activity and intelligence attracted the attention of 
 the British officers. By them he was presented with a richly embroidered scarlet jacket. 
 This he wore on all occasions, and from this circumstance arose the name by which he is 
 known among the whites. During the revolution he took little or no part as a warrior, 
 but his personal activity and transcendent talents won the esteem of his tribe. A gentle- 
 man who knew hirn intimately for more than 30 years, in peace and in war, speaks of him 
 in the following terms. " Red Jacket was a perfect Indian in every respect, in costume, 
 in his contempt of the dress of the white men, in his hatred and opposition to the mission- 
 
ERIE COUNTY. 93 
 
 aries, and in his attachment to, and veneration for the ancient customs and traditions of 
 his tribe. He had a contempt for the English language, and disdained to use any other 
 than his own. He was the finest specimen of the Indian character that I ever knew, and 
 sustained it with more dignity than any other chief. He was second to none in authority 
 in his tribe. As an orator he was unequalled by any Indian I ever saw. His language 
 was beautiful and figurative, as the Indian language always is, and delivered with the 
 greatest ease and fluency. His gesticulation was easy, graceful, and natural. His voice 
 was distinct and clear, and he always spoke with great animation. His memory was very 
 strong. I have acted as interpreter to most of his speeches, to which no translation could 
 do adequate justice." 
 
 The following interesting anecdotes are illustrative of his peculiar points of character, as 
 well as of his ready eloquence. At a council held with the Senecas, a dispute arose be- 
 tween Gov. Tompkins and Red Jacket, connected with a treaty of some years standing. 
 The governor stated cue thing, and the Indian chief insisted that the reverse was true. 
 But, it was rejoined, " you have forgotten — we have written it down on paper." " The 
 paper then tells a lie," was the confident answer ; " I have it written here," continued the 
 chief, placing his hand with great dignity upon his brow. " You Yankees are born with a 
 feather between your fingers ; but your paper does not speak the truth. The Indian keeps 
 his knowledge here — this is the book the Great Spirit gave us — it does not lie." A refer- 
 ence was initnediately made to the treaty in question, when, to the astonishment of all 
 present, and to the triumph of the tawny statesman, the document confirmed every word 
 that he had uttered. 
 
 It happened during the revolution that a treaty was held with the Indians, at which 
 Lafayette was present, the object of which was to unite the various tribes in amity with 
 America. The majority of the chiefs were friendly, but there was much opposition made 
 to it, especially by a young warrior, who declared that when an alliance was entered into 
 with America, lie should consider that the sun of his coimtry had set forever. In his travels 
 tlirough the Indian country, when last In America, it happened at a large assemblage of 
 chiefs, that Lafayette referred to the treaty in question, and turning to Red Jacket, said, 
 " Pray tell me, if you can, what has become of that daring youth who so decidedly op- 
 posed all propositions for peace and amity ?" " I myself am the man," replied Red 
 Jacket ; " the decided enemy of the Americans, so long as the hope of successfully op- 
 posing them remained, but now their true and faithful ally until death." 
 
 During the late war, Red Jacket with his tribe enlisted on the American side. He 
 fought through the whole war, and displayed the most undaunted intrepidity ; while in no 
 instance did he exhibit the ferocity of the savage, or disgrace himself by any act of inhu- 
 manity. 
 
 Red Jacket was the foe of the white man. His nation was his god ; her honor, preser- 
 vation, and liberty, his religion. He hated the missionary of the cross, because he feared 
 some secret design upon the lauds, the peace, or the independence of the Senecas. He 
 never understood Christianity. Its sublime disinterestedness exceeded his conceptions. 
 He was a keen observer of human nature ; and saw that among white and red men, sor- 
 did interest was equally the spring of action. He therefore naturally enough suspected 
 every stranger who came to his tribe, of some design on their httle and dearly prized do- 
 mains. His tribe was divided into two factions, one of which, from being in favor of the 
 missionaries, was called the Christian, and the other, from their opposition, the pagan 
 parly. His wife, who would attend the religious meetings of the Christian party, re- 
 ceived much persecution from him on this account. During his last sickness there seemed 
 to be quite a change in regard to his feelings respecting Christianity. He repeatedly re- 
 marked to his wife, that he was sorry that he had persecuted her, — that she was right 
 and he wrong, and, as his dying advice, told her, " Persevere in your religion, it is the 
 right way .'" 
 
 A few days before his decease, he sent for Mr. Harris, the missionary ; but he was at- 
 tending an ecclesiastical council, and did not receive the message until after the death of 
 the chief. In his last wandering moments it is said that he directed that a vial of cold 
 water should be placed in his coffin, so that he might have something with which to fight 
 the evil spirit. A considerable number of people from Bufialo attended his funeral, some 
 of whom wished him buried in the ancient or pagan style. He was, however, interred in 
 the Christian manner, in accordance with the wishes of his relatives. He left two wives, 
 but none of his children survived him. Two of his sons are supposed to have died Chris- 
 tians. Rev. Jabez B. Hyde, a teacher to the Senecas before the war of 1812, states that 
 one of the sons of Red Jacket was the first convert to Christianity from this tribe. 
 
 For some mouths previous to his death, time had made such ravages on his constitution 
 
94 ERIE COUNTY. 
 
 as to render him fully sensible of his approaching dissolution. To that event he often ad- 
 verted, and always in the language of philosophic calmness. He visited successively all 
 his most intimate friends at their cabins, and conversed with them upon the condition of 
 the nation in the most atfecting and impressive manner. He told them that he was pass- 
 ing away, and his counsels would soon be heard no more. He ran over the history of his 
 people from the most remote period to which bis knowledge extended, and pointed out, as 
 few could, the wrongs, the privations, and the loss of character, which almost of them- 
 selves constituted that history. " I am about to leave you," said he, " and when I am 
 gone, and my warning shall no longer be heard or regarded, the craft and the avarice of 
 the white man will prevail. Many winters have I breasted the storm, but I am an aged 
 tree, and can stand no longer. My leaves are fallen, my branches are withered, and I am 
 shaken by every breeze. Soon my aged trunk will be prostrate, and the foot of the ex- 
 ulting foe of the Indian may be placed upon it in safety ; for I leave none who will be 
 enabled to avenge such an indignity. Think not I mourn for myself. I go to join the 
 spirits of my fathers, where age cannot come ; but my heart fails when I think of my 
 people, who are soon to be scattered and forgotten." 
 
 Tonewanda village, having about 100 dwellings, lies at the mouth 
 and en both sides of Tonewanda creek, the portion lying on the nortli 
 side of the creek being in Wheatfield, Niagara co. It is 16 miles 
 SW. from Lockport, 11 N. from Buffalo, on the lines of the Buffalo 
 and Niagara railroad and the Erie canal, which latter here runs in the 
 Tonewanda creek. Grand Island, called by the Indians Owanungah, 
 in the Niagara river, commences about 5 miles below the termination 
 of Lake Erie, runs down 8 miles, and ends within 3 of Niagara Falls. 
 Its breadth varies from 3 to 6 miles. Originally this, with the small 
 islands of Strawberry, Snake, Squaw, and Bird, belonged to the 
 Senecas, and were purchased of them by the state for $1,000, and 
 an annuity of $500. " The state, in 1833, sold Grand Island to the 
 East Boston Co., who have erected upon it, on the site of the pro- 
 posed Jewish city of Ararat, opposite to the mouth of the Tonewanda 
 creek, the village of White Haven, (named after Mr. Stephen White, 
 who resides upon Tonewanda island nearly opposite,) where they 
 have a steam grist-mill and saw-mill 150 feet square, with room for 
 15 gangs of saws, said to be the largest in the world, several dwell- 
 ings, a building used for a school and church, a commodious wharf, 
 several hundred feet long, and a spacious dock of piles for storing and 
 securing floating timber. The principal object of the company is to 
 
 J)repare timber for vessels on the lakes and the ocean, fitting the 
 rames to the models given ; in which they avail themselves, not only 
 of their special resources on the island, but of all which the vast 
 region around the ujjper lakes affords." The operations of this com- 
 pany are at present suspended. 
 
 " In 1816 and '17, a number of persons from the United States and Canada went on 
 this island. They marked out the boundaries of their different possessions ; elected magis- 
 trates and other officers from among themselves ; and gave out that they were amenable 
 to neither government, but an independent community. After the question of boundary 
 was settled, the state of New York passed a law to drive them oif ; but that was not ef- 
 fected till the severe measure was resorted to of destroying their houses, which was done by 
 the sheriff and posse of Erie county. Grand Island was selected by Major Noah, (now of 
 the city of New York,) on which to build a city, and establish a colony of Jews, with the 
 view of making it the Ararat, or resting-place of that dispersed people. There it was antici- 
 pated that their government would be organized/' and thence the laws would emanate which 
 again were to bruig together the children of Israel, and re-establish them as a nation upon 
 the earth. The European Rabbi did not sanction the scheme, and it vanished as a day- 
 dream of the learned and worthy projector." — Steele's Book of Niagara Falls. 
 
ESSEX COUNTY. J>? 
 
 ESSEX COUNTY. 
 
 Essex county, formed from Clinton in 1799, was originally settled 
 from New England. Its greatest length N. and S. 43, greatest breadth 
 E. and W. 41 miles ; centrally distant from New York 271, and from 
 Albany 126 miles. " The surface of this county is decidedly moun- 
 tainous, in which respect it bears a striking contrast to the St. Law- 
 rence. In addition to this, it may be remarked, that the hills, as well 
 as the mountains, are steep and abrupt, and almost uniformly present, 
 on one side, a precipice nearly perpendicular. In this county there 
 are no long and gradual slopes, or gentle risings towards the mountain 
 summit, but they are always bold and difficult of ascent. A surface 
 of country thus characterized, combined also with great height, both 
 of the general surface and especially of numerous peaks, alters to a 
 very great extent its agricultural character. By this combination, the 
 mean temperature of the county is reduced so low, that the cultivation 
 of some of the most useful vegetables is prevented, or they are crops 
 so uncertain, on account of late springs and early autumnal frosts, 
 that little inducement is held out for trying them even as matters of 
 experiment. 
 
 " The whole of this county lies within the northern primitive dis- 
 trict, except a strip of lower secondary, which borders the lake for 
 many miles, and which has generally a surface of rock lime. Iron ore 
 of the best quality abounds everjrwhere on the hills ; marble is appa- 
 rent in Moricih ; plumbago in several districts ; ochres, from which 
 paint is made, in Ticonderoga ; and some copper, it is said, has been 
 discovered in the northern part of the county." — The county is di- 
 vided into 15 towns, viz. : 
 
 Chesterfield, 
 
 Jay, 
 
 Moriah, 
 
 Westport, 
 
 Crown Point, 
 
 Keene, 
 
 Newcomb, 
 
 Willsborough, 
 
 Elizabethtown, 
 
 Lewis, 
 
 Schroon, 
 
 Wilmington. 
 
 Essex, 
 
 Minerva, 
 
 Ticonderoga, 
 
 
 KeesviUe, situated on both sides of Au Sable river, 16 miles S. 
 from Plattsburg and 4 from Port Kent, contains about 300 dwellings, 
 4 churches, a bank, several large manufacturing establishments, and 
 is a center of business for iron and lumber. Elizabethtown, where 
 the covmty buildings are located, is a village of some 30 or 40 dwell- 
 ings. Crown Point, whence the name of the town and ancient fort 
 is derived, is situated at the NE. extremity, and is formed by an 
 extensive deep bay on the west, skirted by a steep mountain, and on 
 the north and east by the body of the lake. Fort Frederick, at this 
 place, was built by the French in 1731. This fortress was a star 
 work, being in the form of a pentagon, with bastions at the angles, 
 and surrounded by a ditch walled in with stone. This post secured 
 the command of Lake Champlain, and guarded the passage into Cana- 
 da. It was through this lake, by the route of Crown Point, that the 
 
96 
 
 ESSEX COUjVTT. 
 
 parties of French and Indians made their bloody incursions upon the 
 frontiers of New England and New York. This fort was subse- 
 quently blown up ; and its site is now marked by a heap of ruins. 
 I'his place being abandoned by the French, in 1759, to Gen. Am- 
 herst, fort Crown Point was afterward erected, about a quarter ot a 
 mile from the shore, and has at a distance something the appearance 
 of Ticonderoga. The walls were of wood and earth, 16 feet high, 22 
 thick, enclosing an area of 1,500 yards square, surrounded by a deep 
 broad ditch cut into granite. There were here a double row of stone 
 barracks, and on the north, a gate with a drawbridge and covered way 
 leading to the lake. These works and those adjoining, which were 
 extensive, are now mostly heaps of rubbish. Crown Point fell into 
 the hands of the Americans at the time of the capture of Ticonde- 
 roga, in May, 1775, but was evacuated the next year. The disastrous 
 expedition against Canada was terminated near this place, by the 
 destruction of the lake fleet under the command of Gen. Arnold, Oct. 
 13th, 1776. Arnold, on his retreat from Canada, on board his fleet, 
 was pursued by the enemy so closely, that he was obliged to run his 
 vessel on shore and blow up five gondolas. The British soon estab- 
 lished themselves, with their army and fleet, at Crown Point, and 
 strengthened the fortifications ; but ere long they abandoned the sta- 
 tion and retired to Canada. 
 
 Ruins of Fort Ticonderoga. 
 
 The above is a representation of the ruins of Fort Ticonderoga, 96 
 miles from Albany, the fortress so celebrated in colonial and revolu- 
 tionary history. These ruins are situated on a peninsula of about 500 
 acres, elevated upwards of 100 feet above Lake Champlain, at the 
 mouth of Lake George's outlet. This fortress was originally erected by 
 the French in 1756, and was called by them Carillon, and was a place 
 of much strength by nature and art, surrounded on three sides by water, 
 and having half the fourth covered by a swamp, and the only approach- 
 able point defended by a breastwork. It was, however, commanded 
 by Mount Defiance on the south side of the creek or outlet, which 
 
ESSEX COUNTT. 97 
 
 towers 750 feet above the lake. It was on the summit of this moun- 
 tain that Gren. Burgoyne's troops showed themselves on the morning 
 of July 4th, 1777, with a battery of heavy cannon, which they had 
 drawn up along the ridge dui;ing the night. The distance from the 
 summit to the fort, in a straight line, is about a mile. The position was 
 so commanding that they could count all the men in the fort, and 
 fully justified Gen. St. Clair in ordering an immediate retreat of the 
 garrison. Mount Independence, connected in history with Ticonde- 
 roga, lies in Vermont, one mile from the fort on the east side of the 
 lake. There are here also remains of military works. 
 
 The following account of the defeat of Gen. Abercrombie before 
 Ticonderoga, July 8, 1758, is from the 3d volume of MacauleVs His- 
 tory of New York : 
 
 " The expedition against Ticonderoga and Crown Point was conducted by Abercrombie 
 in person. In the beginning of July he embarked his forces, amounting to nearly seven 
 thousand regulars and ten thousand provincials, on liake George, on board of nine hundred 
 batteaux, and one hundred and tiiirty-five whale boats, with provisions, artillery, and ammu- 
 nition. Several pieces of cannon were mounted on rafts, to cover the proposed landing at 
 the outlet of the lake. Early the next morning he reached the landing place, which was 
 in a cove on the west side of the lake near its issue, leading to the advanced guard of the 
 enemy, composed of one battalion, in a logged camp. He immediately debarked his 
 forces, and after having formed them into three columns, marched to the enemy's advanced 
 post, which was abandoned with precipitation. He continued his march with the army to. 
 wards Ticonderoga, with the intention of investing it ; but the route Ijdng through a thick 
 wood that did not admit of any regular progression, and the guides proving extremely ig- 
 norant, the troops were bewildered, and the coliunns broken by falling in one on another. 
 Lord Howe being advanced at the head of the right centre column, encountered a French 
 detachment, that had likewise lost its way in the retreat from the advanced post, and a 
 warm skirmish ensuing, the enemy were routed with considerable loss ; and one hundred 
 and forty-eight were taken prisoners. This advantage was purchased at a dear rate. Lord 
 Howe, and one other officer, besides privates, were killed. The former is spoken of in 
 very high terms for his bravery.* Abercrombie perceiving the troops were greatly fatigued 
 and disordered, deemed it advisable to fall back to the landing place. Then he detached 
 Lieutenant-colonel Bradatreet, with a detachment, to take possession of a saw.mill in the 
 vicinity of Ticonderoga, which the enemy had abandoned. This post being secured, 
 Abercrombie advanced again towards Ticonderoga, where, he understood from the prisoners, 
 the enemy had assembled eight battalions, with a body of Canadians and Indians, amount- 
 ing in all to six thousand men. The actual number, however, was considerably less, not 
 exceeding four thousand men, as was afterward ascertained. These, they said, being en- 
 camped before the fort, were employed in making a formidable intrenchment, where they 
 intended to wait for a reinforcement of three thousand men, who had been detached, under 
 the command of M. de Levi, to make a diversion on the side of the Mohawk ; but upon 
 Intelligence of Abercrombie's approach,were now recalled for the defence of Ticonderoga. 
 This information induced Abercrombie to strike, if possible, some decisive blow before the 
 Junction could be effected. He therefore early next morning sent his engineer to recon. 
 noitre the enemy's intrenchments ; and he, upon his return, reported that the works being 
 still unfinished, might be attempted with good prospect of success. A disposition was 
 made accordingly for the attack, and after proper guards had been left at the saw-mill and 
 the landing place, the whole army was put in motion. The troops advanced with great alacrity 
 towards the intrenchments, which, however, they found altogether impracticable. The 
 breastwork was raised eight feet high, and the ground before it covered with an abattis, 
 
 * " This young officer was the idol of the anny. From his first arrival in America, be had accnrnmodated 
 himeelf and bis regiment lu (he peculiar nature of the service. He cut his lialr short, and induced the regi- 
 ment to foJlow the example. He fasiiioned tbeir clothing for the activity of service, and divested himself 
 and them of every article of superfluous baggage. When near Ticonderoga, major, afterward Gen. Putnam, 
 with about 100 men, advanced in front of the army as a kiiid of scouting party. Pumam endeavored to 
 
 f>revent Lord Howe from accompanying him, saying, < My Lord, if I am killed, the loss of my life will be of 
 ittle consequence, but the preservation of youis is of infinite importance to this army.' The only answer 
 was, ' Putnam, your life is as dear to you, as mine is to me : I am determined to go.' "They soon met the Icll 
 flaaJc of the enemy's advance, by wliose fint fire taia lordsliip fell." — HuTRphrey't Life of Putnam. 
 
 13 
 
98 ESSEX COUNTY. 
 
 or felled trees, with their boughs pointing outward, and projecting in such a manner as to 
 render the intrenchment almost inaccessible. Notwithstanding these discouraging difficnl 
 ties, the troops marched up to the assault with an undaunted resolution, and sustained a 
 terrible fire. They endeavored to force their way through these embarrassments, and some 
 nf them even mounted the parapet ; but the enemy were so well covered, and defended 
 their works with so much gallantry, notwithstanding their greatly inferior numbers, that no 
 impression could be made ; the carnage became fearfully great, and the assailants began to 
 fall into great confusion, after several attacks, which lasted several hours. Abercrombie by 
 this time saw plainly that no hope of success remained ; and in order to prevent a total de. 
 feat, sounded a retreat, leaving about two thousand men on the field. Every corps of the 
 army behaved, on this unfortunate day, with remarkable intrepidity ; the greatest loss sus- 
 tained among the corps, was that of the regiment of Lord John Murray." 
 
 The seizure of the fortress of Ticonderoga, by Col. Ethan Allen, 
 on the 10th of May, 1775, is thus related by Ramsay, in his history 
 of the American Revolution : 
 
 " It early occurred to many, that if the sword decided the controversy between Great 
 Britain and her colonies, the possession of Ticonderoga would be essential to the security 
 of the latter. Situated on a promontory, formed at the junction of the waters of Lake 
 George and Lake Champlain, it was the key of all communication between New York and 
 Canada. Messrs. Deane, Wooster, Parsons, Stevens, and othets of Connecticut, planned 
 a scheme for obtaining possession of this valuable post. Having procured a loan of ] ,800 
 dollars of public money, and provided a sufficient quantity of powder and ball, they set off 
 for Bennington, to obtain the co-operation of Colonel Allen of that place. Two hundred 
 and seventy men, mostly of that brave and hardy people who are called green mountain 
 boys, were speedily collected at Castleton, which was fixed on as the place of rendezvous. 
 At this place Colonel Arnold, who, though attended only with a servant, was prosecuting 
 the same object, unexpectedly joined them. He had been early chosen a captain of a vol- 
 unteer company by the inhabitants of New Haven, among whom he resided. As soon as 
 he received news of the Lexington battle, he marched off with his company for the vi. 
 cinity of Boston, and arrived there, though 150 miles distant, in a few days. Immediately 
 after his arrival he waited on the Massachusetts committee of safety, and informed them, 
 that there were at Ticonderoga many pieces of cannon and a great quantity of valuable 
 stores, and that the fort was in a ruinous condition, and garrisoned only by aliout 40 men. 
 They appointed him a colonel, and commissioned him to raise 400 men, and to take Ti- 
 conderoga. The leaders of the party which had previously rendezvoused at Castleton, ad- 
 mitted Colonel Arnold to join tliem, and it was agreed th&t Colonel Allen should be the 
 commander in chief of the expedition, and that Colonel Arnold should be his assistant. 
 They proceeded without delay, and arrived in the night at Lake Champlain, opposite to Ti- 
 conderoga. Allen and Arnold crossed over with 83 men, and landed near the garrison. 
 They contended who should go in first, but it was at last agreed that they should both go 
 in together. They advanced abreast, and entered the fort at the dawning of day. A sentry 
 snapped his piece at one of them, and then retreated through the covered way to the pa- 
 rade. The Americans followed, and immediately drew up. The commander, surprised in 
 his bed, was called upon to surrender the fort. He asked. By what authority ? Colonel 
 Allen replied, ' / demand it in the name of the great Jehovah, and of the continental 
 congress.' No resistance was made, and the fort, with its valuable stores and forty-eight 
 prisoners, fell into the hands of the Americans. The boats had been sent back for the re- 
 mainder of the men, but the business was done before they got over. Colonel Beth War- 
 ner was sent off with a party to take possession of Crown Point, where a sergeant and 12 
 men performed garrison duty. This was speedily effected. TJie next object, calling for 
 the attention of the Americans, was to obtain the command of Lake Champlain, but to ac. 
 complish this, it was necessary for them to get possession of a sloop of war, lying at St. 
 Johns, at the northern extremity of the lake. With the view of capturing this sloop it 
 was agreed to man and arm a schooner lying at South Bay, and that Arnold should com. 
 mand her, and that Allen should command some batteaux on the same expedition. A fa. 
 vorable wind carried the schooner ahead of the batteaux, and Colonel Arnold got immedi. 
 ate possession of the sloop by surprise. The wind again favoring him, he returned with 
 his prize to Ticonderoga, and rejoined Colonel Allen. The latter soon went home, and the 
 former with a number of men agreed to remain there in garrison. In this rapid manner 
 he possession of Ticonderoga and the command of Lake Champlain were obtained, with, 
 out any loss, by a few determined men." 
 
ESSEX COUNTY. 99 
 
 The following account of the evacuation of Ticonderoga by Gen- 
 eral St. Clair, on July 6, 1777, and some of the events which follow- 
 ed, is from the 3d volume of Macauley's History of New York : 
 
 " From Crown Point, the British army advanced on both sides of the lake ; the naval 
 force keeping its station in the centre ; the frigate and gun-boats cast anchor just out of 
 cannon-shot from the American works. On the near approach of the right wing, which 
 advanced on the west side of the lake, on the second of July, the Americans abandoned 
 and set fire to their works, block-houses and saw-mills, towards Lake George ; and with- 
 out attempting any serious opposition, suffered General Phillips to take possession of Mount 
 Hope. This post commanded the American lines in a great degree, and cut off their com. 
 munication with Lake George. The enemy charged the Americans, on this occasion, with 
 Bupineness and want of vigor ; but this charge seems not well-founded ; they had not men 
 enough to make any effectual opposition to the powerful force which threatened to enclose 
 them. 
 
 " In the mean time, the British army proceeded with such expedition in the construction 
 of their works, the bringing up of their artillery, stores, and provisions, and the estabUsh. 
 ment of posts and communications, that by the fifth, matters were so far advanced as to 
 require but one or two days more to completely invest the posts on both sides of the lake. 
 Mount Defiance had also been examined, and the advantages which it presented were so 
 important, that it had been determined to take possession, and erect a battery there. This 
 work, though attended with extreme difficulty and labor, had been carried on by General 
 Phillips with much expedition and success. A road had been made over very rough 
 ground, to the top of the mount ; and the enemy were at work in constructing a level for a 
 battery, and transporting their cannon. As soon as this battery should be ready to play, 
 the American works would have been completely invested on all sides. 
 
 " The situation of General St. Clair was now very critical. He called a council of war, 
 to deliberate on measures to be taken. He informed them that their whole effective num- 
 ber was not sufficient to man one half of the works ; that as the whole must be constantly 
 on duty, it would be impossible for them to endure the fatigue for any considerable length 
 of time ; that General Schuyler, who was then at Fort Edward, had not sufficient forces to 
 relieve them ; and that, as the enemy's batteries were nearly ready to open upon them, and 
 the place would be completely invested in twenty-four hours, nothing could save the troops 
 but an immediate evacuation of the posts. 
 
 " It was proposed that the baggage of the army, with such artillery stores and provisions 
 OS the necessity of the occasion would admit, should be embarked with a strong detach. 
 ment on board of two hundred batteaux, and despatched under co^oy of five armed gal- 
 leys, up the lake to Skeensborough, (Whitehall,) and that the main body of the army should 
 proceed by land, taking its route on the road to Castleton, which was about thirty miles 
 southeast of Ticonderoga, and join the boats and galleys at Skeensborough. It was thought 
 necessary to keep the matter a secret till the time should come, when it was to be ex. 
 ecuted. Hence, the necessary preparations could not be made, and it was not possible to- 
 prevent irregularity and disorder, in the different embarkations and movements of the 
 troops. 
 
 " About two o'clock in the morning of July the sixth, General St. Clair left Ticonderoga 
 and about three, the troops at Mount Independence were put in motion. The house which 
 had been occupied by General de Fermoy was, contrary to orders, set on fire. This afforded 
 complete information to the enemy of what was going forward, and enabled them to see 
 every movement of the Americans — at the same time, it impressed the latter with such an 
 idea of discovery and danser, as precipitated them into great disorder. About four o'clock, 
 Colonel Francis brought olf the rear-guard, and conducted their retreat in a regular man. 
 ner ; and soon after, some of the regiments, through the exertions of their officera, recov. 
 ered from their confusion. When the troops arrived at Hubbardton they were halted for 
 nearly two hours, and the rear.guard was increased by many who did not at first belong to 
 it, but were picked up on the road, having been unable to keep up with their regiments. 
 The rear-guard was here put under the command of Colonel Seth Warner, with orders to 
 follow the army, as soon as the whole came up, and to halt about a mile and a half short 
 of the main body. The array then proceeded to Castleton, about six miles further — Colonel 
 Warner, with the rear-guard and stragglers, remaining at Hubbardton. 
 
 " The retreat of the Americans from Ticonderoga and Moimt Independence, was no 
 sooner perceived by the British, than General Frazer began an eager pursuit with his bri. 
 gade. Major-general Reidesel was ordered to join in the pursuit with the greater part of faia 
 Germans. General Frazer continued the pursuit through the day, and having received in- 
 
100 FRANKLIN COUNTY. 
 
 telligence that the rear of the American army was at no great distance, oidered his men 
 to lie that night upon their arms. On July 7th, at five in the morning, he came up with 
 Col. Warner, who had about one thousand men. The British advanced boldly to the 
 attack, aud the two bodies formed within sixty yards of each other. The conflict was 
 fierce and bloody. Colonel Francis fell at the head of his regiment, fighting with great 
 galleintry. Warner was so well supported by his officers and men, that the assailante 
 broke and gave way. They soon, however, recovered from their disorder, formed again, 
 and charged the Americans with the bayouet, when they, in their turn, were put mto dis- 
 order ; these, however, rallied and returned to the charge, and the issue of the battle be- 
 came dubious. At that moment. Gen. Reidesel appeared with the advance party of his 
 Germans. These being led into action, soon decided the fortune of the day, and the 
 Americans had to retreat. The loss in this action was very considerable on the American 
 side. Col. Hale, who had not brought his regiment, which consisted of militia, into action, 
 although ordered so to do, in attempting to escape by flight fell in with an inconsiderable 
 party of the enemy, and surrendered himself, and a number of his men, prisoners. In 
 killed, wounded, and prisoners, the Americans lost in this action three hundred and twenty- 
 four men, and the British one hundred and eighty-three in killed and wounded." 
 
 FRANKLIN COUNTY. 
 
 Franklin county, taken from Clinton in 1808, is centrally distant 
 from New York 287, from Albany NW. 142 miles. Greatest length 
 60, greatest breadth 30 miles. The high northern latitude sufficiently 
 indicates the rigors of the chmate. The forests are very dense, con- 
 sisting of trees of immense size. In the southwestern part are some 
 lofty ridges of mountains, but of all the rest a large portion is rather 
 level than hilly. The settlements are almost wholly in the northern 
 part, extending about 15 miles S. from the N. line, and even here are 
 sparse ; much the larger portion of the county being as yet covered 
 with the primitive forests. The soil is a sandy loam, occasionally 
 mixed with clay, and stony. The fields commonly among thrifty farm- 
 ers are fenced with stones gathered from the surface. Some wheat 
 is TEiised, but it is an uncertain crop, whilst grass, oats, barley, com, 
 &c., generally are very productive. No portion of the state is per- 
 haps better adapted to the sugar-beet. Grazing and lumbering are 
 the chief pursuit of the inhabitants, who find their market upon the 
 St. Lawrence river. The county is divided into 13 towns, viz. : 
 
 Bangor, Chateaugay, Fort Covington, Westville. 
 
 Belmont, Constable, Franklin, 
 
 Bombay, Dickinson, Malone, 
 
 Brandon, Duane, Moira, 
 
 Malone, the county seat, is 51 miles W. from Plattsburg, and 212 
 from Albany. It is a village of about 100 dwellings, 3 churches, the 
 Franklin Academy, a bank, and a number of manufacturing establish- 
 ments. It is situated on both sides of Salmon river, and is well sup- 
 plied with water power. Fort Covington, formerly called French 
 Mills, is a village of about 130 dwellings, on Salmon river, 5 miles 
 from the St. Lawrence, 223 miles from Albany. It contains 4 
 
FRANKLIN COUNTY. 101 
 
 churches, an academy, and a number of extensive factories and 
 mills. 
 
 The Indian village of St. Regis lies on the left bank of the St. Regis 
 river, upon the northern boundary of this county. The present or late 
 chief of the St. Regis Indians, is or was a descendant of the daughter 
 of the Rev. John Williams, the minister of Deerlield, Mass., who was 
 with most *of his family and neighbors taken prisoner to Canada in 
 1704. Mr. Williams was carried to Lake Champlain, and from thence 
 to Montreal and Quebec. In 1706, a flag-ship was dispatched to the 
 latter place, and Mr. Williams and 57 other captives were redeemed 
 and sent to Boston : all his children returned with the exception of his 
 daughter Eunice, who, at the age of 10 years, was left behind. She 
 adopted the manners of the Indians, to one of whom she was married, 
 and became converted to the Catholic faith. Some time after the war, 
 she, with her husband, visited her relations at Deerfield, dressed in the 
 Indian Gostume ; and though every persuasive was in vain tried to in- 
 duce her to abandon him and remain among her connections, she still 
 persisted in wearing her blanket and counting her beads, and returned 
 to Canada, where she ended her days. Her descendants still continue 
 to visit their relatives in New England, by whom they are hospitably 
 received. One of them, by the name of Eleazer Williams, has been 
 educated by his friends in New England, and employed as a mission- 
 ary to the Indians at Green Bay. Mr. Williams some years since, 
 when on a visit to Canada, found the Bible of his great-grandfather, 
 the Rev. John Williams, with his name in it. He states, that when 
 Deerfield was destroyed, the Indians took a small church bell, which 
 is now hanging in the Indian church at St. Regis. It was conveyed 
 on a sledge as far as Lake Champlain and buried, and was afterward 
 taken up and conveyed to Canada. 
 
 The first standard captured from the enemy in the late war was 
 taken at this place by Major Guilford Dudley Young, on the 22d of 
 Oct., 1812. The following account of this event is extracted from 
 newspapers published at the time : 
 
 " Major Young, of the Troy militia, commandant of a detachment stationed at French 
 Mills, on the St. Regis river, having received information that a party of the enemy had 
 arrived at the village of St. Regis, and that more were shortly expected, formed a resolu- 
 tion to take them before they were reinforced. For this purpose, he marched a detach- 
 ment, at 11 o'clock OD the night of the Slst of October, crossed the river at Gray's Mills 
 about 3, and at 5 in the morning arrived within half a mile of the village unexpected by 
 the enemy. Here the major made such a judicious disposition of his men, that the enemy 
 were entirely surrounded, and after a few discharges, surrendered themselves prisoners 
 with the loss of 5 killed. The result of this aiTair was the capture of 40 prisoners with 
 their arms, equipments, &c., one stand of colors and two batteaux, without a man of our 
 party being hurt They got safe back to camp at 1 1 o'clock in the morning. The 
 prisoners were sent off to Plattsburg. Major Young has thus bad the honor of taking the 
 first standard from the enemy in the preeeut war.'' 
 
102 
 
 FULTON COUNTY. 
 
 FULTON COUNTY. ' 
 
 Fulton county was taken from the northern part of Montgomery 
 county in 1838 ; NW. from Albany 40 miles ; length E. and W. .32 
 miles, breadth N. and S. 17. The surface of the northern part of this 
 county is hilly, with some ranges of a mountainous character. The 
 Kayaderosseras range of mountains enters the county on the NE., but 
 sinks to the general level in the town of Northampton. The county is 
 well watered and contains several small lakes. It is divided into 9 
 towns. 
 
 Bleecker, Johnstown, Oppenheim, 
 
 Broadalbin, Mayfield, Perth, 
 
 Ephratah, Northampton, Stratford. 
 
 Southern view of Johnstown. 
 
 Johnstown, originally named Caughnawaga, was founded about the 
 year 1770, by Sir William Johnson, who resided here during the lat- 
 ter period of his life, essentially in the rank, and with much of the 
 splendor of a nobleman. Sir William and his family, by various 
 means, became possessed of vast tracts of valuable land in this section 
 of the country, and had many tenants and retainers under them. 
 Their great possessions, however, were confiscated during the revo- 
 lutionary war, on account of their adherence to the British cause. 
 The village of Johnstown is about 4 miles N. of Fonda, the seat of 
 justice for Montgomery county, and 44 from Albany. The accom- 
 panying engraving shows the appearance of the village as viewed 
 from the first elevation south, on the road to Caughnawaga or Fonda 
 village. The courthouse is the first building seen on the left with a 
 spire ; Mayfield mountains appear m the extreme distance. The vil- 
 lage contains a bank, an academy, 4 churches — 1 Presbyterian, 1 
 Episcopal, 1 Dutch Reformed, and 1 Methodist — and about 250 
 
FULTON COUNTY. 103 
 
 dwellings. It is situated on a handsome plain, skirted on the N. 
 and W. by Cayadutta creek, and on the S. by a hill of moderate ele- 
 vation. It was regularly laid out by Henry Oothoudt, Jeremiah Van 
 Rensselaer, and Christopher P. Yates, state commissioners, in 1784, 
 and was incorporated in 1807. 
 
 About three fourths of a mile from this village is a house built by 
 Sir William Johnson, called " Johnson Hall." This was the place of 
 resort for the sachems of the Six Nations, and all the Mohawks re- 
 paired thither to receive their presents from the British government. 
 
 William Johnson was born in Ireland, about the year 1714; he 
 was a nephew of Sir Peter Warren, the naval commander who dis- 
 tinguished himself at the siege of Louisburg in 1745. Sir Peter hav- 
 ing married a sister of Chief-justice De Lancey of New York, pur- 
 chased a large track of land on the Mohawk, and about the year 
 1734, sent for his nephew to come to America and superintend this 
 estate. Young Johnson first established himself at the mouth of the 
 Schoharie, afterward erected a house in the town of Amsterdam, 
 and subsequently the hall at Johnstown. To fulfil the duties of his 
 commission, he learned the language of the Indians, studied their 
 manners and cultivated their acquaintcince. His situation between 
 Albany and Oswego, presented a fine opportunity for trade, and he 
 carried on a large trafiic with them, supplying them with goods, and 
 receiving in return beaver and other skins. By a course of sagacious 
 measures, he obtained an influence over the Indians greater than was 
 ever possessed by any other white man. 
 
 " Sir William Johnson possessed considerable talents as an orator, 
 and his influence over the Indians was not a little owing to the im- 
 pression made upon them by means of his elocution He had 
 
 wives and concubines, sons and daughters, of diffierent colors." By 
 Lady Johnson he had 3 children — 1 son and 2 daughters. His son. 
 Sir John Johnson, took side with the British, in the revolutionary 
 war, and became the scourge of the Mohawk valley. One of the 
 daughters married Col. Claus, and the other Sir Guy Johnson. Sir 
 William died suddenly, at Johnson H»ll, July 11th, 1774, aged 60 
 years ; and was succeeded by his son in his title, and also to his post 
 as major-general of the militia. 
 
 The following anecdote respecting Sir William, seems to evince, that in his dealings 
 with the Indians, who have a good reputation for cunning, he was not outwitted. Hen- 
 drick, the chief of the Mohawks, was at the bouse of Sir William when he received 
 several rich suits of laced clothes. Soon after, the chief came to him and said, " I 
 dream." " Well ! what did you dream ?" " I dream you give me one suit of clothes." 
 This hint could not be mistaken or well avoided, and accordingly Hendrick received a 
 suit. Some time afterward Sir William, meeting Hendrick, said to bim, " I dreamed last 
 night." " Did you ! What did you dream 7" "I dreamed you gave me a tract of 
 land," describing it. Hendrick at first paused at the enormity of the demand, but at 
 length said, " You may have the land ; but we no dream again, you dream too hard for 
 me." The tract of land thus obtained, is stated to have been 12 miles square, in the 
 present county of Herkimer ; the title to it was confirmed by the king, and was called 
 the " Royal Grant." 
 
 The power which Sir William Johnson acquired over the Indians 
 
104 FULTON COUNTY. 
 
 descended to his son and to his nephew, Col. Guy Johnson, who suc- 
 ceeded him in the agency of Indian affairs. As the family had de- 
 rived most of their wealth and consideration from the crown, they 
 were, as might be supposed, devoted loyalists. In 1775, Gen. Schuy- 
 ler prevailed upon the Indians to agree to be neutral in the coming 
 conflict. It appeared, however, that the influence of the Johnson 
 family prevailed with the Indians, and induced them to join the 
 British cause. It also appeared that Sir John was fortifying his 
 house and arming the Scotch Highlanders, his tenants and adherents. 
 Congress having heard of these movements, sent Gen. Schuyler to 
 disarm these persons, and take other measures to secure the tranquillity 
 of Tryon county. Schuyler set out on this mission with 700 militia, 
 but before he reached Caughnawaga his force had increased to three 
 thousand. At Schenectady a deputation of Mohawks under the in- 
 fluence of the Johnsons met him, and with much artfulness endea- 
 vored to dissuade him from advancing. On the 16th of January, 
 1776, Gen. Schuyler despatched a letter to Sir John, requesting him 
 to meet him on the morrow ; they accordingly met, and after some 
 subsequent delay, he and the Scotch gentlemen agreed to make a 
 delivery of the arms of the inhabitants. Sir John likewise agreed 
 that he would not go westward of German Flats and Kinsland dis- 
 trict, and that six Scotch inhabitants might be taken as hostages. On 
 the 19th, Schuyler marched into Johnstown and drew up his men in 
 a line ; the Highlanders were drawn up facing them, and grounded 
 their arms. The military stores were surrendered : and this service 
 being performed, Schuyler and the militia returned. It was found 
 afterward that the Highlanders had not delivered up their broad- 
 swords or ammunition. 
 
 Gen. Herkimer was left by Gen. Schuyler to complete the disarm- 
 ing of the hostile inhabitants. Sir John, notwithstanding his word of 
 honor, continued his hostile intrigues with the Indians, and otherwise 
 forfeited his promises. It was foimd necessary to secure him, and in 
 May, 1776, Col. Dayton was sent on this duty. The tories in Al- 
 bany gave notice to Sir John«of his approach, and the knight and his 
 followers fled to the woods, and escaped to Canada, arriving at Mon- 
 treal after nineteen days of suffering and starvation. He left his re- 
 sidence in much haste : an iron chest with the family Bible and papers 
 were buried in the garden. On arriving in Canada, the baronet was 
 commissioned a British colonel, and raised the regiment of tories called 
 the Royal Greens. By his adherence to the British, his immense estate 
 was forfeited, and this appears to have inspired him with implacable 
 revenge. On Sunday, the 21st of May, 1780, at dead of night. Sir 
 John Johnson, with a force of about 500 men, part of whom were 
 Indians, made an incursion into Johnstown. He had penetrated the 
 country by way of Lake Champlain to Crown Point, and thence 
 through the woods to the Sacondaga river. The following account 
 of this incursion is from a newspaper published June 15th, 1780. 
 
 " By the latest intelligence from Schenectady, we are informed that Sir John Johnson, 
 (who styles himself Lieut, colonel commanding the King's Royal Yorkers, in the parcels 
 
FULTON COUNTY. 105 
 
 given to some of the prieanerB,) on Lord's day evening, tlie 2lBt ulL, made his fint appearance 
 at Johnson Hall, undiscovered by any but his friends, who no doubt were in the secret. 
 On Monday, about daybreak, they began to bum all the houses except those of the tories, 
 beginning at Aaron Putnam's, below Tripe's Hill, and continued burning to Anthony's 
 Nose, or Acker's house, except a few which by the vigilance of the people were put out 
 after the enemy had set them on fire. There have been burnt 33 houses and out-houses 
 and a mill ; many cattle were killed in the field, and 60 or 70 sheep burnt in a bam. 
 Eleven persons were killed. Col. Fisher [Visscher] and his two brothers fought with great 
 bravery, when the two brothers were killed and scalped ; the colonel went up stairs and there 
 defended himself, but being overpowered, was knocked down and scalped, on which they 
 plundered the house, set it on fire, and then went off. The colonel recovering a httle, though 
 he was left by the enemy for dead, he pulled one of his dead brothers out of the house then 
 in flames ; the other was consumed in the house. It is said that the doctors have hopes 
 that Col. Fisher will recover. His mother had a narrow escape for her life, being knocked 
 on her head by an Indian ; but she is like to do well. Capt Hansen was killed by an In- 
 dian, who had formerly been used by him with kindness, and professed much gratitude. 
 Old Mr. Fonda was cut iu several parts of his head with a tomahawk. Had it not been 
 for the alertness of Mr. Van Vrank, probably more would have been butchered by their 
 savage hands ; he alarmed the people along the way to Caughnawaga, who by crossing 
 the river saved their lives. Having done all the mischief to the distressed inhabitants they 
 possibly could, they returned to Johnson Hall in the afternoon ; when Johnson dug up his 
 plate, and about sundown marched for the Scotch Bush, about four miles that evening. He 
 has 15 or 20 of his negroes who had been sold ; several of his tenants and others have gone 
 with him. He has permitted some of his prisoners to return on parole. His whole force 
 when he landed at Crown Point, is said to be about 500 men, 200 of them British, part of 
 his own regiment, and Indians. Capt. Putnam and four men followed them in their retreat 
 four days, on their way to Lake Champlain. He saw him 24 miles from Johnson Hall. 
 Some think they will take their route to Oswagatchie ; but this seems improbable, as they 
 have not provisions sufficient with them. His excellency the governor has collected a 
 body of militia to intercept their way to Lake Champlain ; a number have also marched 
 from the New Hampshire grants for the same purpose : Col. Van Scbaick, with 800 men, 
 is in pursuit of him by the way of Johnstown. We hear that the enemy had their feet 
 much swelled by their long march ; and being greatly fatigued, it is hoped our people may 
 come up with and give a good account of the Lieut colonel and his murdering banditti." 
 
 In the summer of 1781, another expedition was sent against Johns- 
 town. This was conducted with so much secrecy, that on the 24th 
 of Oct., the enemy, about one thousand in number, under Majors Ross 
 and Butler, were upon the settlement at Warrensbush before their 
 approach was suspected. Col. Willet, who was at Fort Rensselaer 
 about twenty miles distant, on hearing the news, immediately marched 
 for Fort Hunter, which he reached early on the following morning 
 with all the forces he could muster, being but 416 men in all. When 
 he arrived here, he learned that Ross and Butler had the preceding 
 day crossed the river some distance below Tripe's Hill, and arrived 
 at Johnstown about the middle of the day, killing and taking the peo- 
 ple prisoners, destroying buildings and cattle on their way. Having 
 effected the passage of the river. Col. Willet pushed on in pursuit of 
 the enemy. Having ascertained their position, he detached Major 
 Rowley, of Massachusetts, with part of his force, by a circuitous 
 march, to fall upon the rear of the enemy while he attacked them in 
 front, a short distance above the Hall. The battle became spirited 
 and general, but the militia under Col. Willet gave way, and ran in 
 the utmost confusion to the stone church in the village. Here the 
 colonel succeeded in bringing them to a halt. But the defeat would 
 have been complete, had not Major Rowley, at this period of the ac- 
 tion, emerged from the woods and fell upon the enemy's rear in the 
 
 14 
 
106 
 
 FULTON COUNTY. 
 
 very moment of their exultation at their easy victory. The fight 
 was now maintained on both sides with obstmacy till near sunset, 
 when Willet was enabled to collect a respectable force, with which 
 he returned to the field, and again mingled in the fight. The battle 
 was kept up till dark, when the enemy, pressed on all sides, fled in 
 disorder to the woods — nor stopped short of a mountain six miles 
 distant. The loss of the Americans in this conflict was about forly. 
 The enemy lost about the same number killed, and about fifty pris- 
 oners. 
 
 " Major Ross retreated up tlie north side of the Mohawk, inarchhig all night, after the 
 battle. In the inorninir he was pnrsued by Co\. Willet, but was not overtaken. The re- 
 gion of country over which lioss retreated, after he had passed the settlements, lies twenty 
 or thirty miles north of Fort Schuyler, and at that time was uncultivated and desolate. 
 His army sulVered much from hunn;er. — It was on this retreat that Walter Butler was 
 killed ; lie was pursued by a small party of Oneida Indians ; when he arrived at West 
 Canada creek, about J, 5 miles above Herkirner, he swam his horse across the stream, and 
 then turnini^ round, defied his pursuers, who were on the opposite side. An Oneida imme- 
 diately discharged his rifie and wounded liim ; he fell. Throwing down his rifle and his 
 blanket, the Indian phtnged into the creek and swam across ; as soon as he had gained 
 the opposite bank, he raised his tomahawk, and with a yell, sprang like a tiger upon his 
 fallen foe. Butler supplicated, thougli in vain, for mercy ; the Oneida, with his uplifted 
 axe, shouted in his broken English, ' Sherry Valley ! remember Sherry Valley .'' and 
 then buried it in his brains : he tore the scalp from the head of his victim still quivering 
 in the agonies of death, and ere the remainder of the Oneidas had joined him, the spirit 
 of Walter Butler had gone to give up its account. The place where he crossed is called 
 Butler^s Ford to this day." — CampbelVs Annals of Tryon County. 
 
 The above is a copy of a kind of diploma, in possession of the 
 New York Historical Society, which it would seem the Johnson fam- 
 ily were m the habit of giving to those Indians in whom they confided. 
 In the vignette, a British officer is seen presenting a medal, or some- 
 thing resembling it, to an Indian dressed in the aboriginal style, — 
 the council fire, the pi])e of peace, the chain of friendship, &c., are 
 all represented. 
 
 " By the Honorable Sir William Johnson, Bart., His Majesty's sole Agent and Super- 
 
GKNESEE COUNTY. 107 
 
 intendent of Indian Afiairs for the Northern Department of North America, Colonel of 
 the Six United Nations, their Allies and Dependants, &.c. &.c. 
 
 " To Whereas, I have received repeated proofs of your attachment to his 
 
 Britannic Majesty's Interests and Zeal for his service upon sundry occasions, more par- 
 ticularly 1 do therefore give you this public Testimonial thereof, as a proof 
 of his Majesty's Esteem and Approbation, Declaring you, the said to be a 
 of your and recommending it to all his Majesty's Subjects and faithful Indian Al- 
 lies to Treat and consider you upon all occasions agreeable to your character. Station and 
 services. Given under my hand and seal at Arms at Johnson Hall the day of 17 
 
 By Command of Sir W : Johnson. 
 
 GENESEE COUNTY. 
 
 Genesee county was taken from Ontario in 1802, and has since 
 been much reduced by the formation of several counties from it; 
 centrally distant from New York 321, from Albany 258 miles. This 
 county pertains to the great plain of the west, and forms with Wyo- 
 ming the highest portion of it. Upon the west, the streams run to 
 Lake Erie, and on the east to the Genesee river : as in hmestone 
 countries generally, the streams are subject to much fluctuation. 
 The soil is generally highly fertile, and produces as fine crops of 
 wheat as any part of the state. By the recent erection of Wyoming 
 county from the southern portion, this county is reduced to twelve 
 towns, viz. : 
 
 Alabama, 
 
 Bergen, 
 
 Darien, 
 
 Pavilion, 
 
 Alexander, 
 
 Bethany, 
 
 Elba, 
 
 Pembroke, 
 
 Batavia, 
 
 Byron, 
 
 Le Roy, 
 
 Stafford. 
 
 Batavia, the shire village, is by the railroad 283 miles W. of Al- 
 bany. It contains about 300 houses, mostly on a single street up- 
 wards of a mile long, the county buildings, the state arsenal, the of&ce 
 of the Holland Land Company, 5 churches, 2 banks, 3 printing 
 offices, and a female seminary. This place has acquired some 
 celebrity from its being the place from whence William Morgan was 
 abducted in 1826, for attempting to reveal the secrets of Free-Ma- 
 sonry. 
 
 The following is an eastern view of the office of the Holland Land 
 Company in Batavia, about 80 rods northward from the court- 
 house. The state of New York, in 1786, granted the state of Massa- 
 chusetts more than six million acres of her western territory, which 
 that state sold to Oliver Phelps and Nathaniel Gorham for one mil- 
 lion of dollars. These gentlemen soon after extinguished the In- 
 dian title to a part of this territory ; they surveyed it into tracts, de- 
 nominated ranges and townships, and sold large parcels to specu- 
 lators and actual settlers. In 1790, they sold nearly the whole of the 
 residue of the survey, 1 ,204,000 acres, to Robert Morris, of Philadel- 
 phia, for eight pence the acre, who resold it to Sir William Pullney. 
 Phelps and Gorham being unable to fulfil their contract in full with 
 Massachusetts, compromised and surrendered that part of the land to 
 
108 
 
 GREENE COUNTY. 
 
 Office of the Holland Land Company. 
 
 which the Indian title was unextinguished ; in consideration of which, 
 the state rehnquished two-thirds of the contract price. In 1796, Rob- 
 ert Morris purchased frona the state this portion also — extinguished the 
 Indian title — sold off several large tracts upon the east side, and along 
 the Genesee, and mortgaged the residue to Wilhem Willink, of Am- 
 sterdam, and 1 1 associates, called the " Holland Land Company." 
 This company, by the foreclosure of the mortgage, acquired full title 
 to the land, surveyed it, and opened their first land-office in Batavia in 
 1801. " Having sold a large proportion of the country, they, in 1805, 
 conveyed the residue of the wild lands to several companies, who have 
 undertaken to retail them." 
 
 Le Roy village, on Allen's creek, 10 miles E. of Batavia, was 
 founded in 1810, by Mr. Le Roy, and incorporated in 1834. It 
 contains about 250 dwellings, 4 churches, and a female seminary. Al- 
 exander, 8 miles S. of Batavia, is a village of about 80 dwellings, 2 
 churches, a bank, and a flourishing incorporated classical school. 
 
 GREENE COUNTY. 
 
 Greene county, on the west side of the Hudson river, was taken 
 from Ulster and Albany counties in 1800 ; greatest length 42 miles ; 
 greatest breadth on the Hudson 28 miles ; centrally distant from 
 New York 130, and from Albany 35 miles. The surface is every- 
 where hilly, and the larger portion mountainous. The Caltskill 
 mountains, after following the southern boundary of the county in an 
 easterly direction to the southeast angle, turn north and northwest, and 
 pass nearly through the centre of the county into Schoharie. The 
 general elevation of this range is from 2,000 to 2,500 feet above the 
 adjacent country ; while many of the peaks are elevated from 3,000 to 
 3,800 feet above the level of the Hudson. Round Top has an eleva- 
 tion of 3.718 feet. High Peak 3,804, and Pine Orchard 3,000 feet. 
 The whole southwestern part of the county is hilly and mountainous, 
 
GREENE COUNTY. 
 
 109 
 
 yet it affords a fine soil for pastures, with some arable land. The 
 northeastern and eastern parts of the county are less hilly, and have 
 many valleys, rich and extensive. Much altenlion is paid to agricul- 
 ture, and more leather is manufactured in this than in any olher county 
 in the state. The county was originally settled by the Dulch. A large 
 ))ro))ortion, however, of the present iiihal)itants are of New England 
 descent, and are noted for morality and industry. 1'lie counly is di- 
 vided into 1 1 towns : 
 
 Athens, 
 
 Cairo, 
 
 Catlskill 
 
 Coxsackie, 
 
 Durham, 
 
 Greenville, 
 
 Hunter, - 
 
 Lexington, 
 
 New-Baltimore, 
 
 Pratlsville, 
 Windham. 
 
 Northwestern view of Catskill. 
 
 The village of Catskill was incorporated in 1806, and is the seat ol 
 justice for the county. The village is principally built in the deep 
 valley of the Catskill, between which and the Hudson is a bluff 150 
 feet in height. The annexed engraving is a NW. view of the village, 
 as seen from an elevation called Ashley Hill, at its northern extremity. 
 The drawbridge over the Catskill is seen on the right, and will admit 
 the passage of sloops some distance above it. The mouth of the creek 
 makes a good harbor for sloops ; and a long and broad dike, walled 
 with stone, connects the shore with an island in the river, affording a 
 place for buildings, and a commodious landing for steamboats. The 
 principal street in the village is about half a mile in extent, having 
 quite a business-like appearance. The steamboat landing is about one 
 mile distant. There are in the village 1 Dutch Reiormed, 1 Episco- 
 pal, 1 Presbyterian, 1 Baptist, and 1 Methodist church. There are 2 
 banks, 2 newspaper estabhshments, and about 300 dwellings. Distant 
 6 miles from Hudson, 111 miles from New York, and 33 from Al- 
 bany. 
 
 " Although not in the town, yet as connected by name and many 
 relations with Catskill, we may describe here the Pine Orchard and 
 Mountain House, noted attractions to tourists. They are in Hunter, 
 
110 
 
 GREENE COUNTY. 
 
 near its eastern boundary, 12 miles west from Catskill village. The 
 road from the village to the foot of the mountain, 9 miles, has little 
 of interest. The ascent of the mountain is by a good though circui- 
 tous road of 3 miles, b>it which, often running upon the brink of a deep 
 ravine, or beneath frowning precipices, excites an unwelcome degree 
 of terror. The hotel, erected by ' The Kaatskill Mountain Associa- 
 tion,' at the cost of $22,000, is on a circular platform of rock, 140 feet 
 by 24, 4 stories high, with piazzas in front, and a wing for lodging 
 rooms, and is duly fitted and furnished for the accommodation ot its 
 numerous guests. %, 
 
 
 • ST 
 
 Catskill Mountain House. 
 
 " The prospect from this rock is more extensive and diversified 
 than, perhaps, from any other point in the United States. Petty ine- 
 qualities disappear, and the whole surrounding country is spread out 
 as a plain. The eye roves, in endless gratification, over farms, vil- 
 lages, towns, and cities, stretching between the Green mountains of 
 Vermont on the north and the Highlands. The Hudson river, with its 
 green isles and thousand sheets of white canvass, becomes visible for 
 60 miles in a clear atmosphere. At times, a thick curtain of clouds 
 of ever-changing form, veils the region of lower earth from sight ; and 
 in their respective seasons, storms of rain and snow spend their force 
 in mid air, beneath the rays of a bright sun which gilds the mountain 
 above them. The scene, when gradually unfolded with the day, is 
 most enchanting. 
 
 " A few years since this delightful position was almost unknown and 
 rarely visited ; but the reports of the extent, beauty, and grandeur of 
 its prospects, and the salubrity of its atmosphere, at length fixed pub- 
 lic attention. The number of visiters at each successive seaSon in- 
 
HAMILTON COUNTY. Ill 
 
 creased, until the temporary buildings at first erected gave place to the 
 edifice we have described. The following heights on the mountain 
 have been given by Capt. Partridge : Mountain house, 2,212 feet 
 above the Hudson ; 1,882 feet above Lawrence's tavern ; 1,547 feet 
 above the turnpike gate, at the foot of the mountain, and 947 above 
 Green's bridge. 
 
 " Two miles from the hotel are the Kaaterskill Falls, upon a stream 
 flowing from two lakes, each about a mile and a half in circumference, 
 and about a half mile in the rear of the house. After a west course of 
 a mile and a half, the waters fall perpendicularly 175 feet, and paus- 
 ing, momentarily, upon the ledge of a rock, precipitate themselves 85 
 feet more, making the whole descent of the cataract 260 feet. Below 
 this point, the current is lost in the dark ravine or clove through which 
 its seeks the valley of the Catskill. The water-fall, with all its bold- 
 ness, forms, however, but one of the interesting features of this scene. 
 From the edge of the first falls is beheld a dreary chasm, whose steep 
 sides, covered with dark ivy and thick summer foHage, seem like a 
 green bed prepared for the waters. Making a circuit from this spot, 
 and descending about midway of the first fall, the spectator enters an 
 immense natural amphitheatre behind the cascade, roofed by a magnifi- 
 cent ceiling of rock, having in front the falling torrent, and beyond it 
 the wild mountain dell, over which the clear blue sky is visible. The 
 falls on the west branch of Kaaterskill have a perpendicular descent 
 bf more than 120 feet, and the stream descends in rapids and cascades 
 400 feet in 100 rods. The Kaaterskill has a devious and very rapid 
 course of about 8 miles, to the Catskill, near the village. The falls 
 are best seen from below ; and the view from the Pine Orchard is 
 better between 3 o'clock, P. M. and at sunset, than in the middle of 
 the day." 
 
 Athens village was incorporated in 1805. It lies on the west bank 
 of the Hudson, opposite the city of Hudson; from New York 116, 
 from Albany 29 miles. It is beautifully situated, extending along the 
 shore about a mile and a half, and is viewed advantageously from the 
 city of Hudson. [See view of Hudson.^ The northern section of the 
 village was laid out about 1790, by Edward Livingston, Brockholst 
 Livingston, Elihu Chauncey Goodrich, and associates ; the southern 
 in 1801, by Isaac Northrop, Alexander Alexander, Patrick Hamilton, 
 and others. The village now contains several churches, and about 
 150 dwellings. It is a place of much business, and its natural advan- 
 tages are such, that in time it must be one of considerable importance, 
 A ferry plies constantly between it and Hudson. 
 
 HAMILTON COUNTY. 
 
 Hamilton county was provisionally erected, in 1816, from the N. 
 end of Montgomery county, but not organized. It remained attached 
 to Montgomery county until 1838 ; when, by the division of Mont- 
 
112 HERKIMER COUNTY. 
 
 gomery, it became attached to Fulton county. It is not yet separately 
 organized ; though probably from its flourishing condition it will soon 
 become detached from Fulton. It is 62 miles long N. and S., and 
 with an average breadth, E. and W., of 30 miles ; centrally distatnt 
 from New York 250, and from Albany, westerly, 105 miles. This 
 county contains 7 towns : 
 
 Arietta, Hope, Long Lake, Wells. 
 
 Gilman, Lake Pleasant, Morehouse, 
 
 The whole middle and northern section of this county is yet an un- 
 broken wilderness. It has a number of lakes abounding with trout and 
 other fish of a delicious flavor, and they are becoming a place of much 
 resort to the angler and sportsman. Its mineral resources are as yet 
 little known, but there is no doubt of the existence of iron ore, and 
 many other valuable minerals. 
 
 HERKIMER COUNTY. 
 
 Herkimer county was originally constituted in 1791. Greatest 
 length N. and S. 90, greatest breadth E. and W. 23 miles. Centrally 
 distant from New York 260, from Albany 115 miles. This county 
 has a broken and diversified aspect. South of the Mohawk, within 
 this county, is the great dividing ridge separating the waters of the 
 Mohawk from those of the Susquehannah. A high range of hills 
 extends across the valley of the Mohawk at the Little Falls, and the 
 whole county north of the Mohawk is of a mountainous character. 
 Most of the county south of the Mohawk, and for many miles north 
 of it, is under cultivation, which the greater portion of the hills will 
 admit of to their summits. There is a variety of soil, but the greater 
 part of the county is better adapted for grass than grain. The exten- 
 sive alluvial valley of the Mohawk, and those of some of the smaller 
 streams, are among the finest grain lands in the state. The northern 
 part of the county is elevated, and covered with extensive forests of 
 evergreens and marshes, and is of a cold and sterile soil. The Mo- 
 hawk river runs across its whole width. 
 
 The lands of this county were originally granted in large tracts ; 
 such were the " Royal Grant," to Sir William Johnson, embracing the 
 country between the East and West Canada creeks ; the " Jerserfield 
 patent," covering a larger portion of the northern part of the county, 
 made in 1770 ; the " German Flats patent," granted in 1725, and 
 others. The county has 19 towns, viz. : 
 
 Columbia, Herkimer, Norway, Starks, 
 
 Danube, Litchfield, Ohio, Warren, 
 
 Fairfield, Little Falls, Russia, Wilmurt, 
 
 Frankfort, Manheim, Salisbury, Winfield. 
 
 German Flats, Newport, Schuyler, 
 
HERKIMER COUNTY. 
 
 113 
 
 The following shows the appearance of the village as seen from an 
 elevation rising from the south bank of the Mohawk and the Erie 
 
 View of Herkimer, from the Erie Canal. 
 
 canal, about a mile distant. The village was incorporated in 1807- 
 1825, and is built on a gravelly plain elevated some 10 or 15 feet 
 above the surrounding fiats, occupying the site of the ancient Fort 
 Dayton. The village consists of upwards of 100 dwellings, the county 
 buildings, 1 Dutch Reformed and 1 Methodist church, a printing office, 
 &c. The principal street runs N. and S., and is about half a mile in 
 extent ; the railroad passes through the village at its southern extremi- 
 ty. Dist. from Albany 80, Little Falls 6 miles. 
 
 The following account of the destruction of this place by the tories 
 and Indians in 1778, is from Stone's Life of Brant. 
 
 " At the time of which we are writing, the settlement on the south side of the river 
 numbered 34 dwelling-houses, and there were about an equal number upon the north side, 
 together with as many barns and otlier outbuildings, and several mills. The population, 
 for the number of houses, was numerous. The lands, rich by nature, and well cultivated, 
 had that year brought forth by handfuls ; so that the bams were amply stored with their 
 products. 
 
 " It was at the close of August, or early in the month of September, that this fine dis- 
 trict was laid waste by the Indians under the direction of Brant. Most providentially, 
 however, the invasion was attended with the loss of but two lives — one man being killed 
 outright, and another, named McGinnis, perished in the flames. The particulars of this 
 hostile irruption were these : — Entertaining some suspicions of Brant, who was at Una- 
 dilla, a scout of four men had been dispatched into that vicinity for observation. Three 
 of these men were killed at the Edmeston settlement. The fourth, .Tohn Helmer, sue. 
 ceeded in making his escape, and returned to the Flats at half an hour before sun-down, 
 just in time to announce that Brant, with a large body of Indians, was advancing, and 
 would, in a few hours, be upon them. All was, of course, terror and alarm through the 
 settlement ; and the inhabitants — men, women, and children — were gathered into forts 
 Dayton and Herkimer for security. In flying to those defences, they gathered up the 
 most valuable of their stuff*, and by means of boats and canoes upon the river, succeeded, 
 in the course of the evening, in collecting a large portion of their best articles of furniture. 
 But they had no time to look after their flocks and herds. 
 
 " Early in the evening Brant arrived at the edge of the settlement, but as the night 
 came on excessively dark and rainy, he halted with his forces in a ravine, near the house 
 of his tory friend Shoemaker, where the younger Butler and his party were captured the 
 
 15 
 
114 
 
 HERKIMER. COUNTY. 
 
 preceding year. Here the chieftain lay with hie warriors until the storm broke away to- 
 wards morning — unconscious that his approach had been notified to the people by the 
 scout in season to enable them to escape the blow of his uplifted arm. Before the dawu 
 he was on foot, and his warriors were sweeping through the settlement ; so that the torch 
 might be almost simultaneously applied to every building it contained. Just as the day 
 was breaking in the east, the fires were kindled, and the whole section of the valley, was 
 speedily illuminated by the flames of houses and barns, and all things else combustible. 
 The spectacle, to the people in the forts, was one of melancholy grandeur. Every family 
 saw the flames and smoke of its own domicil ascending to the skies, and ever)' farmer the 
 whole product of his labor for the season dissolvnig into ashes. 
 
 *' Having no fire-arms larger than their rifles, the Indians avoided even a demonstra- 
 tion against the forts, notwithstanding their chagrin that neither scalps nor prisoners were 
 to grace their triumph. But as the light of day advanced, their warriors were seen singly, 
 or in small groups, scouring the fields, and driving away all the horses, sheep, and black 
 cattle that could be found. Nothnig upon which they could lay their hands was left ; and 
 the settlement, which, but the day before, for ten miles had smiled in plenL)'and in beauty, 
 was now houseless and destitute. Happily, however, of human life there was no greater 
 sacrifice than has already been mentioned. After the Indians had decamped with their 
 booty, a force of between 300 and 400 militia-men collected, and went in pursuit — follow- 
 ing as far as Edmeston's plantation on the UnadiUa river, where the bodies of the three 
 scouts were found and buried. But no other results attended this expedition." 
 
 Southern view of part of the Village of Little Falls. 
 
 The engraving shows a southern view of part of the village as 
 seen from a point about 20 rods below the aqueduct over the Mo- 
 hawk. The village consists of upwards of 300 dwellings, 5 churches 
 — viz., ] Presbyterian, 1 Baptist, I Episcopal, 1 Methodist, and 1 Cath- 
 olic — a bank, an academy, 2 newspaper printing offices, and various 
 manufacturing estabhshnients. The village is supplied with water 
 brought from a spring in the granite mountain, 300 feet above the 
 tops of the houses. The singular building with a spire, seen in the 
 engraving on the left, on elevated ground, is the oldest church in the 
 village, formerly used by the Scotch Presbyterians, but now occupied 
 by the Catholics. 
 
 " This spot is remarkable for the passage of the Mohawk river 
 through the mountain barrier ; for its wild and picturesque scenery ; 
 uiui loi- ihi; dihiculties which have been overcome in cuiislnicting li.e 
 Uric cunul lliroiigii the pass. It receives ihe name uf the LiLlle i'alls, 
 
HERKIMER COUNTY. 115 
 
 in contradistinction to the Great Falls at Cahoes. The falls extend 
 upon the river about three fourths of a mile, descending in that dis- 
 tance 42 feet, and consist of two long rapids, separated by a stretch 
 of deep water, occupying each about the fourth of a mile. The up- 
 per rapids are most considerable. Above them a dam across the 
 stream renders it placid, over which the waters, separated by a small 
 island, form beautiful low cascades, falling into a deep pool beneath, 
 whence the current rushes, murmuring and foaming, over ridges and 
 amorphous masses of granite and gneiss rock, flowing with compar- 
 ative gentleness beneath the overarching bridge and aqueduct, and 
 thence hurrying, with new impetuosity, over the stony bed below. 
 
 " This waterfall would be beautiful anywhere ; but it acquires 
 grandeur here from the high hills which confine it, and which the 
 slightest observation teaches us have been cut down by its ever en- 
 during and irresistible force. The defile is two miles long, with a 
 medial breadth of one hundred rods. On either bank, the hill, on 
 which deciduous and evergreen trees are pleasingly intermingled, 
 rises from 360 to 400 feet, and the fall, over which may have once 
 poured the waters of Lake Ontario, may have had a very little infe- 
 rior altitude. A mound, raised here to the height of 70 feet, would 
 now cause the waters to overflow the Rome sunmiit, and send them 
 again by Wood creek and the Oneida lake to Ontario. 
 
 " The Erie canal descends this pass by 5 locks, 40 feet in the distance 
 of one mile, and the time of the passage permits the traveller in boats 
 to view, leisurely, the natural scenery and artificial improvemenls." 
 
 The village of Fairfield, 8 miles N. of Little Falls, has about 50 
 dwelhngs, 3 churches, the Fairfield Academy, one of the oldest in the 
 state, and the Medical College of physicians and surgeons of the 
 Western District. Newport village, about 10 miles N. of Herkimer, 
 is a flourishing place, having upwards of 60 dwellings. 
 
 About 2 miles eastward of Little Falls is the house of Gen. Herki- 
 mer, where he died after the battle of Oriskany : he was buried a few 
 rods from his house, in a family burying-ground, without a monument 
 to tell where he lies. 
 
 The battle of Oriskany was fought on the 6th of Aug., 1777 ; and 
 Gen. Herkimer did not long survive his wound. The following ac- 
 count of his last moments, and his character, is taken from Col. 
 Stone's interesting account in his Life of Brant, vol. L 
 
 " He was conveyed to his own house near the Mohawk river, a few miles below the 
 Little Falls ; where his leg, which had been shattered 5 or 6 inches below the knee, was 
 amputated about ten days after the battle, by a young French surgeon in the army of Gen. 
 Arnold, and contrary to the advice of the general's own medical adviser, the late Dr. Pe- 
 trie. But the operation was unskilfully performed, and it was found impossible by his 
 attendants to stanch the blood. Col. Willet called to see the general soon after the opera- 
 tion. He was sitting up in his bed, with a pipe in his mouth, smoking, and talking in ex- 
 cellent spirits. He died the night following that visit. His friend, Col. John Roff, was 
 present at the amputation, and affirmed that he bore the operation with uncommon fortitude. 
 He was likewise with him at the time of his death. The blood continuing to flow — there 
 being no physician in immediate attendance — and being himself satisfied that the time of 
 his departure was nigh, the veteran directed the Holy Bible to be brought to him. He then 
 opened it and read, in the presence of those who surrounded his bed, with all the composuis 
 
116 JEFFERSON COUNTY. 
 
 which it was possible for any man to exhibit, the 38th psalm — applying it to his own situa- 
 tion. He soon afterward expired ; and it may well be questioned whether the annals of 
 man furnish a more striking example of Christian heroism — calm, deliberate, and firm in 
 the hour of death — than is presented in this remarkable instance. Of the early history of 
 Gen. Herkimer, but little is known. It has been already stated that his family was one of 
 the first of the Germans who planted themselves in the Mohawk valley. And the massive 
 stone mansion, yet standing at German Flatts, bespeaks its early opulence. He was an 
 uneducated man — with, if possible, less skill in letters, even than Gen. Putnam, which is 
 saying much. But he was, nevertheless, a man of strong and vigorous undeistanding — 
 destitute of some of the essential requisites of generalship, but of the most cool and dauntless 
 courage. These traits were all strikingly disclosed in the brief and bloody expedition to 
 Oriskany. But he must have been well acquainted with that most important of all books — 
 The Bisle. Nor could the most learned biblical scholar, lay or clerical, have selected a 
 portion of the Sacred Scriptures more exactly appropriate to the situation of the dying sol- 
 dier, than that to which he himself spontaneously turned. If Socrates died like a philoso- 
 pher, and Rousseau like an unbelieving sentimentalist. Gen. Herkimer died like a Chris- 
 tian Hero. Congress passed a resolution requesting the governor and council of New 
 York to erect a monument, at the e:tpen8e of the United States, to the memory of this 
 brave man, of the value of five hundred dollars. 
 
 " Sixty years have since rolled away, and the journal of Congress is the only monument, 
 and the resolution itself the only inscription, which as yet testify the gratitude of the re- 
 pubUc to GEtiEBAL Nicholas HERKiuEa." 
 
 JEFFERSON COUNTY. 
 
 Jefferson county, taken from Oneida in 1805, is situated at the 
 E. end of Lake Ontario, and on the St. Lawrence river, comprising 
 Chaumont bay, and most of the islets called the " Thousand Isles," 
 and is a territory having as many natural advantages as any portion of 
 the interior of the state. It is centrally distant NW. from New York 
 305, and from Albany 160 miles. Length N. and S. 48 miles ; great- 
 est breadth E. and W. .36. This county in its surface is either quite 
 level or agreeably diversified, waving in gentle undulations. Gener- 
 ally, the soil is of a sandy loam of a superior quality, with some gravel 
 and clay, and yields abuiidant crops. The natural growth of timber is 
 luxuriant. Originally it was covered with trees of an enormous height. 
 The many and very rapid streams of this county furnish an abundance 
 of hydraulic power. The cattle sent to market from this county ex- 
 ceed 4,000 head per annum. Its horses are equal to any in the state, 
 and their sale is a source of much revenue. The raising of sheep is a 
 growing business. The roads in the county are numerous and good ; 
 among which may be noticed a turnpike from Brownville to Cape Vin- 
 cent, 21 miles, the St. Lawrence and Ogdensburg turnpikes, and the 
 great militaiy road between Sacketts Harbor and Plattsburg, on Lake 
 Champlain. About one half of the exports descend to Montreal. It 
 is divided intq 19 towns, viz. : 
 
 Adams, Clayton, Lorraine, Rodman, 
 
 Alexandria, Ellisburgh, Lyme, Rutland, 
 
 Antwerp, Henderson, Orleans, Watertown, 
 
 Brownville, Hounsfield, Pamelia, Wilna. 
 
 Chafnpioi), Le Ray, Philadelphia, 
 
JEFFERSON COUNTY. 117 
 
 The village of Watertown, the county seat, is situated on the S. side 
 of Black river, 176 miles from Albany, 81 from Utica. It is connected 
 with the villages of Williamstown and Juhelville by bridges ; number- 
 ing altogether about 700 houses, and 4,000 inhabitants. There are 7 
 churches, 3 banks, a state arsenal, and the Black River Literary and 
 Religious Institute. The water power at this place is very great, and 
 is improved by mills and factories of various kinds. 
 
 In March, 1800, this town was first settled by Henry Coffin, who 
 originally came from New Hampshire, and built his log cabin on the . 
 brow of the hill about 3 rods easterly from the front door of the 
 American Hotel. Soon after, he was joined by Zechariah Butterfield, 
 who built his cabin on the ground now occupied by Davenport's tav- 
 ern. Both of these individuals brought with them their families. 
 The unevenness and apparent unproductiveness of the soil were more 
 than counterbalanced, in the discerning minds of these pioneers, by the 
 immense hydraulic power appropriable, from the numerous falls and 
 rapids of Black river at this point, which in the space of about a mile 
 amount to nearly 1 00 feet descent. In this, as well as the richness 
 and fertility of the adjacent country, they wisely believed that they 
 discovered the elements of future prosperity and greatness. 
 
 Hart and Isaiah Massay, who came from Windsor, Vermont, joined 
 them in the succeeding year. In 1802, the first tavern was opened by 
 Isaiah Massay, and the first saw-mill erected on the present site of W. 
 Pattridge's woollen factory. The high reputation of the Black river 
 country now began to be sounded abroad, and the number of settlers 
 rapidly augmented. Among the other earliest emigrants were Aaron 
 Bacon, Jonathan Cowan, two brothers by the name of Thornton, 
 Jesse Doolittle, M. Canfield, Aaron Keyes, D. Huntington, William 
 Smith, John Paddock, Chauncey Calhoun, Philo Johnson, and John 
 Hathway. 
 
 Adams, 14 miles S. from Watertown, 149 from Albany, contains 
 upwards of 100 dwellings, 2 churches, a seminary for young ladies. 
 It has a number of mills and manufacturing establishments. Brown- 
 ville, on the right bank of Black river, 3 miles from its mouth, 4 miles 
 below Watertown, has upwards of 100 dwellings, 3 churches, and is a 
 place of considerable manufacturing business. 
 
 Sacketts Harbor was incorporated in 1821, on the SW. side of Black 
 river bay, on Lake Ontario. The settlement of this town was com- 
 menced in 1802, by Augustus Sackett, Esq., agent for the owners, 
 who came from New York and settled at the harbor which derives 
 its name from him. The first house built here, erected by Judge 
 Sackett, is now standing in Baird-street, and is occupied by Mrs. 
 McGwin. The progress of the settlement was slow until 1812. After 
 the declaration of war this spot became an important military and naval 
 position. The harbor is the best on the lake for shipbuilding and as a 
 naval depot. The above view was taken from the military hospital. The 
 small building on the point of the harbor, on the right of the engraving, 
 is the old blockhouse which stands near, or on the site of old Fort 
 Tompkins. The large building on a rocky island a few yards from the 
 
]1S 
 
 JEFFERSON COUNTY. 
 
 Northern view of Sacketts Harbor, N. Y. 
 
 shore, is a ship-liouse, which covers the frame of the "New Orleans," 
 a 110 gun ship commenced during the late war. The steeple on the 
 left is that of the Presbyterian church. There is also an Episcopal and 
 a Methodist church in the place, and about 1,800 inhabitants. This is 
 an important military station, 185 miles from Albany, and 35 from 
 Kmgston, U. Canada. The United States have erected at this place 3 
 extensive stone barracks, an hospital, &c. A considerable trade is car- 
 ried on here by the lake and St. Lawrence river, and by the Oswego, 
 Erie, and Welland canals. After the late war, business very much 
 decreased, but it has since grown with the general improvement of the 
 country. 
 
 The troops destined for the attack upon York, (U. C.,) embarked 
 from this place. The following account of the expedition is from 
 Thompson's History of the late war ; 
 
 On the 22d and 23d of April, 1813, acrreeably to previous arrangement with Commo- 
 dore Chauncey, who had the command of the lleet on Lake Ontario, General Dearborn 
 and his suite, witlj a force of seventeen hundred men, embarlted on this expedition, but the 
 prevalence of a violent stonn prevented the sailing of the squadron until the 25tli. On 
 that day it moved into Lalte Ontario, and bavins^ a favoraljle wind, arrived safely at 7 
 o'clock, on the morning of the 27th, about one mile to the westward of the ruins of Fort 
 Toronto, and two and a half from the town of York. The execution of that part of the 
 plan which applied immediately to the attack upon York, was confided to Col. Pike, of 
 the 15th regiment, who had then been promoted to the rank of brigadier-general, and the 
 position which had been fixed upon for landing the troops, was the site of the old fort. 
 The approach of the fleet being discovered from the enemy's garrison. General Shealfe, 
 the British commandant, hastily collected liis whole force, consisting of upwards of seven 
 hundred and fifty regulars and militia, and one hundred Indians, and disposed them in the 
 best manner to resist the landing of the American force. A body of British grenadiers 
 -■ f paraded on the shore, and the Glengary fencibles, a corps which had been disciplined 
 \ uncommon pains since the commencement of the war, were stationed at another 
 p Bodies of Indians were observed in groups in different directions, in and about the 
 
 s below the site of the fort, and numbers of horsemen were stationed in the clear 
 J d surrounding it. These were seen moving into the town, where strong field works 
 
 1 een thrown up to oppose the assailants. The Indians were taking post at stations, 
 
 A 1 were pointed out to them by the British officers with great skill, from which they 
 c annoy the Americans at the point where the water and the weather would compel 
 
 tl to land. Thus posted, tliey were to act as tirailleurs. The regulars were discov- 
 ei 10 be moving out of their works in open columns of platoons, and marching along tha 
 b:. . in that order into the woods. 
 
JErFEESON COUNTY. 119 
 
 " At 8 o'clock the debarkation commenced ; at ten it was completed. Major Foraythe 
 and his riflemen in several large batteaux, were in the advance. They pulled vigorously 
 for the designated ground at the site, but were forced by a strong easterly wind a consid- 
 erable distance above. The enemy being within a few feet of the water, and completely 
 masked by the thickness of a copse, commenced a galling fire of musketry and rifle. To 
 have fallen further from the clear ground at which he was first ordered to land, would have 
 subjected, not only his own corps, but the whole body of the troops, to great disadvantages ; 
 and by landing at a greater distance from the town, the object of the expedition might be 
 frustrated. Major Forsythe therefore determined upon making that part of the shore on 
 which the enemy's principal strength was stationed, and desired his men to rest a moment 
 on their oars, until his riflemen should return the shot. General Pike was at this moment 
 hastening the debarkation of the infantry, when, as he was standing on the ship's deck, he 
 observed the pause of the boats in advance, and springing into that which had been reserved 
 for himself and his staff", he called to them to jump into the boat with him, ordered Major 
 King of the 15th (the same who had distinguished himself in carrying the enemy's batteries 
 opposite Black Rock,) to follow him instantly with three companies of that regiment, and 
 pushed for the Canadian shore. Before he reached it, Forsythe had landed and was already 
 engaged with the principal part of the British and Indian force, under the immediate com- 
 mand of General Sheaffe. He contended with them nearly half an hour. The infantry 
 under Major King, the light artillery under Major Eustis, the volunteer corps commanded 
 by Colonel M'Clure, and about thirty men, who had been selected from the 15th at Platts- 
 burg, trained to the rifle, and designed to act as a small corps of observation, under Lieu- 
 tenant Riddle, then landed in rapid succession, and formed in platoons. General Pike took 
 command of the first, and ordering the whole body to prepare for a charge, led them on to 
 the summit of the bank, from which the British grenadiers were pouring down a volley ot 
 musketry and rifle shot. The advance of the American infantry was not to be withstood, 
 and the grenadiers yielded their position and retired in disorder. The signal of victory was 
 at the same instant heard from Forsythe's bugles, and the sound bad no sooner penetrated 
 the ears of the Indians, than they gave a customary yell and fled in every direction. The 
 Glengary corps then skirmished with Forsythe's, whibt a fresh body of Grenadiers, sup- 
 posed to have been the 8th or King's regiment, made a formidable charge upon the Amer- 
 ican column, and partially compelled it to retire. But the ofliceis instantly rallied the 
 troops, who returned to the ground, and impetuously charged upon, and routed the grena- 
 diers. A reinforcement of the remainder of the 15th then arrived, with Captain Steel's 
 platoon and the standards of the regiment, and the Americans remained undisputed mas- 
 ters of the ground. A fresh front, however, was presented by the British at a distance, 
 which gave way and retired to the garrison, as soon as the American troops were again 
 formed by Major King, for the charge. The whole body of the troops being now landed, 
 orders were given by General Pike to form in platoons, and to march in that order to the 
 enemy's works. The first line was composed of Forsythe's riflemen, with front and flank 
 guards ; the regiments of the first brigade, with their pieces ; and three platoons of reserve, 
 under the orders of Major Swan ; Major Eustis and his train of artillery were formed in 
 the rear of tliis reserve, to act where circumstances might require. The second line was 
 composed of the 21st regiment, in six platoons, flanked by Col. M'Clure's volunteers, di- 
 vided equally as light troops, and all imder command of Colonel Ripley. Thus formed, an 
 injunction was given to each officer, to suffer no man to load ; when within a short distance 
 of the enemy, an entire reUance would be placed upon the bayonet ; and the column moved 
 on, with as much velocity as the streams and ravines which intersected the road along the 
 lake would permit. One field-piece, and a howitzer, were with difficulty passed over one 
 of these, the bridges of which had been destroyed, £md placed at the head of the column, 
 in charge of Lieiitenant Fanning, of the 3d artillery. As the column emerged from the 
 woods, and came immediately in front of the enemy's first battery, two or three 24 pound, 
 ers were opened upon it, but without any kind of effect. The columr^ moved on, and the 
 enemy retreated to his second battery. The guns of the first were immediately taken, and 
 Lieutenant Riddle, having at this moment come up with his corps to dehver the prisoners 
 which he had made in the woods, was ordered to proceed to take possession of the second 
 battery, about one hundred yards ahead, the guns of which. Lieutenant Fraser, aid-de-camp 
 to the general, reported to have been spiked by the enemy, whom he discovered retreating 
 to the garrison. General Pike then led the column up to the second battery, where he 
 halted to receive the captured ammunition, and to learn the strength of the garrison. But 
 as every appearance indicated the evacuation of the barracks, he suspected the enemy of 
 an intention to draw him within range of the shot, and then suddenly to show himself in 
 great force. Lieutenant Riddle was sent forward with his corps of observation, to discover 
 if there were any, and what number of troops, within the garrison. The barracks were 
 
120 JEFFERSON COUNTY. 
 
 three hundred yards distant from the second battery, and whilst this corps was engaged in 
 reconnoitering, General Pike, after removing a wounded prisoner from a dangerous situa. 
 ation, had seated himself upon a stump, and commenced an examination of a British ser. 
 geant, who had been taken in the woods. Riddle having discovered that the enemy had 
 abandoned the garrison, was about to return with this information, when the magazine, 
 which was situated outside the barrack yard, blew up, with a tremendous and awful ezplo. 
 sion, passed over Riddle and his party, without injuring one of his men, and killed and 
 wounded General Pike, and two hundred and sixty of the column. The severity of Gen. 
 eral Pike's wounds disabled him from further service, and the command of the troops de- 
 volved upon Colonel Pearce of the 16th regiment, who sent a demand to the town of York 
 for an immediate surrender. The plan of the contemplated operations was known only to 
 General Pike, and, as General Dearborn had not yet landed, the future movements of the 
 troops would depend upon the will of their new commander. He ordered them immedi- 
 ately to form the column, and to march forward and occupy the barracks, which Major 
 Forsythe, who had been scouring the adjoining wood, had already entered. Meanwhile 
 the British regulars were retreating across the Don, and destroying the bridges in their rear. 
 After the explosion, which killed about fifty of the enemy who had not retired in time from 
 the garrison, Lieutenant Riddle with his party, then reinforced by thirty regulars under 
 Lieutenant Horrel of the 16th, pursued the enemy's route, and annoyed his retreating guard 
 from the wood. This was the only pursuit which was made. Had a more vigorous push 
 followed the abandonment of the enemy's garrison, his whole regular force must have been 
 captured, and the accession of mihtary stores would have been extensively great. The 
 majority of the officers were well aware of this, and as it was known that the stores were 
 deposited at York, they urged the necessity of the immediate approach of the whole column, 
 to prevent their removal. Colonel Pearce then marched towards the town, which was dis. 
 tant three-quarters of a mile. About half way between York and the garrison, the column 
 was intercepted by several officers of the Canadian militia, who had come out with terms of 
 capitulation. Whilst these were discussing, the enemy was engaged in destroying the mil- 
 itary storehouse, and a large vessel of war then on the stocks, which in three days might 
 have been launched, and added to the American squadron on Ontario. Forsythe, who was 
 on the left in advance, being aware of this, despatched Lieutenant Riddle to inform Col- 
 onel Pearce. Colonel Ripley was at the same time urging a rapid march, and the troops 
 again proceeded. Colonel Pearce enjoined the observance of General Pike's orders, that 
 the property of the inhabitants of York should be held sacred, and that any soldier who 
 should so far neglect the honor of his profession, as to be guilty of plundering, should, on 
 conviction, be punished with death. At 4 o'clock in the afternoon, the Americans were in 
 possession of the town, and terms of capitulation were agreed upon, by which, notwith. 
 standing the severe loss which the army and the nation had sustained by the death of the 
 general ; the unwarrantable manner in which that loss was occasioned ; and the subtlety 
 with which the militia colonels offered to capitulate at a distance from the town, so that the 
 column might be detained until General Sheaffe should escape, and the destruction of the 
 public property be completed, although one of its articles stipulated for its delivery into the 
 hands of the Americans ; the militia and inhabitants were freed from all hardship, and not 
 only their persons and property, but their legislative hall and other pubUc buildings were 
 protected. The terms of the capitulation were, ' that the troops, regular and militia, and 
 the naval officers and seamen, should be surrendered prisoners of war. That all public 
 stores, naval and military, should be immediately given up to the commanding officers of 
 the army and navy of the United States, and that all private property should be guaranteed 
 to the citizens of the town of York. That all papers belonging to the civil officers should 
 be retained by them, and that such surgeons as might be procured to attend the wounded 
 of the British regulars and Canadian militia, should not be considered prisoners of war.' 
 Under this capitulation, one lieutenant-colonel, one major, thirteen captains, nine lieuten- 
 ants, eleven ensigns, one deputy adjutant-general, and four naval officers, and two hundred 
 and fifty-one non-commissioned officers and privates, were surrendered. The American 
 infantry were then ordered to return to, and quarter in the barracks, while the riflemen 
 were stationed in the town. 
 
 " When General Pike's wound was discovered to be mortal, he was 
 removed from the field, and carried to the shipping with his wounded 
 aids. As they conveyed him to the water's edge, a sudden exclama- 
 tion was heard from the troops, which informed him of the American 
 having supplanted the British standard in the garrison. He expressed 
 his satisfaction by a feeble sigh, and after being transferred from the 
 
RED JACKET, 
 The Seneca Chief, from au original (Ir.iwiMg. 
 
 DEATH OF GEN. PIKE, 
 At York, (U. C.) on the 27th of April, 1813. 
 
JEFFERSON COUNTY. 121 
 
 Pert schooner to the commodore's ship, he made a sign for the British 
 flag, which had then been brought to him, to be placed under his 
 head, and expired without a groan. Thus perished in the arms of 
 victory, by the ungenerous stratagem of a vanquished foe, a soldier 
 of tried valor and invincible courage, — a general of illustrious virtues 
 and distinguished talents. 
 
 " When the British general saw the American column advancing 
 from the woods, he hastily drew up the articles of capitulation, and 
 directed them to be delivered to a colonel of the York militia. This 
 colonel was instructed to negotiate the terms, after the regulars 
 should have retreated. General SheafTe, therefore, considered the 
 garrison to be as much surrendered, as if the articles had been act- 
 ually agreed upon and signed. Yet he treacherously ordered a train 
 to be laid, which was so calculated, that the explosion of the maga- 
 zine should be caused at the time when the Americans would arrive 
 at the barracks. Had not General Pike halted the troops at the en- 
 emy's second battery, the British plan would have attained its con- 
 summation, and the destruction of the whole column would have been 
 the natural consequence. The train had been skilfully laid, and the 
 combustibles arranged in a manner to produce the most dreadful 
 effect. Five hundred barrels of powder, several cart loads of stone, 
 and an immense quantity of iron, shells, and shot, were contained in 
 the magazine. The calamity which followed the explosion, caused 
 no discomfiture among the troops. A number of their officers of 
 high rank, and of equal worth, were either killed or wounded, and 
 they became actuated by a desire to revenge their fall. ' Push on, 
 my brave fellows, and avenge your general^ were the last words of 
 their expiring commander. They instantly gave three cheers, formed 
 the column, and marched on rapidly. Had they been led directly to 
 York, the issue of the expedition would have been fruitful with ad- 
 vantages. As it was, however, the enemy's means were crippled, his 
 resources cut off, and the military stores of the captors extensively 
 multiplied. Most of the guns, munitions of war, and provisions, ne- 
 cessary to carry on the campaign by the enemy, had been deposited 
 at York, and notwithstanding the firing of the principal storehouse, 
 an immense quantity fell into the hands of the Americans. The 
 baggage and private papers of General SheafTe were left at York, in 
 the precipitation of his flight, and proved to be a valuable acquisition 
 to the American commander. These and the public stores were the 
 only articles of capture. The conduct of the troops needed no re- 
 straint. Though their indignation was highly excited, by the circum- 
 stance of a scalp having been found suspended near the speaker's 
 chair, in the legislative chamber, neither the ornaments of the cham- 
 ber, the building itself, nor the public library, was molested. A large 
 quantity of flour, deposited in the pubHc stores, was distributed among 
 the inhabitants, on condition that it should be used for their own con- 
 sumption ; and those whose circumstances were impoverished, were 
 supplied with many other articles of the captured provisions. The 
 balance was taken on board the fleet, with the naval stores, or de- 
 stroyed upon the shore. jg 
 
122 JEFFERSON COUNTY. 
 
 " Immediately after the fall of General Pike, the commander-in-chief landed with his 
 staff, but he did not reach the troops until they had entered York. He there made arrange, 
 raenta to expedite their departure for the other objects of the expedition, and they were 
 Boon after re-embarked. 
 
 " The co-operation of the squadron was of the greatesUmportance in the attack upon the 
 enemy's garrison. As soon as the debarkation was completed. Commodore Chauncey di. 
 rected the schooners to take a position near the forts, in order that the attack of the army 
 and navy might, if possible, be simultaneous. The larger vessels could not be brought up, 
 and in consequence of the wind, the schooners were obliged to beat up to their intended 
 position. This they did, under a very heavy fire from the enemy's batteries, and having 
 taken their station within six hundred yards of the principal fort, opened a galling fire, and 
 contributed very much to its destruction. The loss on board the squadron, was three killed 
 and eleven wounded. Among the killed were midshipmen Thompson and Hatfield, the 
 latter of whom, in his dying moments, had no other care than to know if he had performed 
 his duty to his country. 
 
 " In the action the loss of the American army was trifling ; but in consequence of the 
 explosion, it was much greater than the enemy's loss in killed and wounded. Fourteen 
 were killed and thirty-two wounded in battle, and thirty.eight were killed and two hundred 
 and twenty-two wounded by the explosion, so that the total American loss amounted to 
 320 men. Among those who fell by the explosion, besides General Pike, were seven cap- 
 tains, seven subalterns, one aid-de-camp, one acting aid, and one volunteer aid. The en- 
 emy's loss in killed and wounded amounted to two hundred, and in prisoners to five hun- 
 dred and fifty. His wounded were left in the houses on the road leading to and in the 
 neighborhood of York, and were attended to by the American army and navy surgeons. 
 The prisoners were all paroled, and the troops withdrawn from York immediately after its 
 capture." 
 
 The following is an account of the attack on Sackett's Harbor 
 by the British, May, 1813 : 
 
 " Whilst the troops were preparing to embark at York, for the expedition against Fort 
 George, the British at Kingston, having gained intelligence of their absence from Sackett's 
 Harbor, of the batteries at that place having been principally dismantled, and of the small- 
 ness of the force which had been left for its protection, hastily collected all their disposables, 
 and embarked on board their fleet, under the command of Sir George Prevost. The fleet 
 was commanded by Sir James Yeo. On the night of the 27th day of May, five hours after 
 the capture of Fort George, the British appeared off the entrance to the harbor. The 
 American force consisted of two hundred invalids, and two hundred and fifty dragoons, 
 then newly arrived from a long and fatiguing march. Two small vessels, imder Lieutenant 
 Chauncey, were stationed at its mouth, and gave instant signals of alarm, at the approach 
 of the British squadron. Expresses were immediately forwarded to General Brown, then 
 at his seat, eight miles fi-om the harbor, and he immediately repaired thither, to take the 
 command. 
 
 " The tour of duty of the militia of his brigade had expired many weeks before, but he 
 had been requested by General Dearborn to take the command of the harbor, at any time 
 when the enemy should approach it, and to provide for its defence. Immediately on his 
 arrival, dispositions were made to that effect. The movements of the enemy indicated his 
 intention to land on the peninsula, called Horse Island. General Brown, therefore, deter, 
 mined on resisting him at the water's edge, with the Albany volunteers, under Colonel 
 Mills, and such mihtia as could be instantly collected. Alarm guns were therefore fired, 
 and expresses sent out for that purpose. Lieutenant-colonel Backus, of the first regiment 
 of United States dragoons, who commanded at Sackett's Harbor in the absence of the 
 officers who had proceeded to Fort George, was to form a second line with the regulars. 
 The regular artillerists were stationed in Fort Tompkins, and the defence of Navy Point 
 was committed to Lieutenant Chauncey. 
 
 " On the 28th, the Wolfe, the Royal George, the Prince Regent, the Eari of Moira, and 
 one brig, two schooners, and two gun.boats, with thirty-three flat-bottomed boats and 
 barges, containing in all twelve hundred troops, appeared in the offing, at five miles dis. 
 tance. They were standing their course for the harbor, when, having discovered a fleet of 
 American barges, coming round Stony Point with troops from Oswego, the whole of their 
 boats were immediately despatched to cut them off. They succeeded in taking twelve of 
 them, after they had been run on shore and abandoned by their crews, who arrived at the 
 harbor in the night. The remainder, seven in number, escaped from their pursuers, and 
 got safely in. The British commanders, being llien under an impression that other bargea 
 
JEFFERSON COUNTY. 123 
 
 would be aailing from Oswego, stood into South bay, and despatched their armed boats to 
 waylay them. In this they were disappointed ; and during the delay which was caused by 
 this interruption of their intended operations, the militia from the neighboring counties col- 
 iected at the harbor, and betrayed great eagerness to engage in the contest with the in- 
 vading enemy. They were ordered to be etafloned on the water side, near the island on 
 which Colonel Mills was posted with his volunteers. The strength at that point was near- 
 ly five hundred men. But the whole force, including the regulars, effectives and invalids, 
 did not exceed one thousand. The plan of defence had been conceived with great skill, 
 and if the conduct of the militia had proved to be consistent with their promises, it would 
 have been executed with equal ability. Disposed of as the forces were, in the event of 
 General Brown's being driven from his position at Horse Island, Colonel Backus was to ad. 
 Vance with his reserve of regulars, and meet the head of the enemy's column, whilst the 
 general would rally his corps, and fall upon the British flanks. If resistance to the at. 
 tack of the enemy should still fail. Lieutenant Chauncey was to destroy the stores at Navy 
 Point, and to retire with his two schooners, and the prize schooner, the Duke of Gloucester, 
 which had been a few weeks before captured from the enemy, to the south shore of the 
 bay, and east of Fort Volunteer. In this fort the regulars and militia were to shut them- 
 selves up, and make a vigorous stand, as their only remaining resort. Every tiling being 
 thus ordered. General Brown directed his defensive army to lay upon their arms, whilst he 
 continued personally to reconnoitre the shores of the harbor, during the whole night of the 
 28th. At the only favorable point of landing, he had caused a breast-work to be thrown 
 up, and a battery en barbette to be erected. Behind this most of the militia were stationed. 
 " At the dawn of the 29th, the enemy was discovered with his vessels drawn up in Une, 
 between Horse Island and Stony Point ; and in a few minutes, all his boats and barges 
 approached the shore, under cover of his gun-boats, those being the heaviest of his vessels 
 which, in consequence of the lightness of the winds, could be brought up. The troops 
 with which the boats were filled, were commanded by Sir George Prevost, in person. 
 Commodore Yeo directed the movements of the barges. General Brown instantly issued 
 his orders, that the troops should lay close, and reserve their fire until the enemy should 
 have approached so near, that every shot might take effect. This order was executed, and 
 the fire was so destructive, that the enemy's advance boats were obliged to make a tempo, 
 rary pause, and numBers of their ofRcers and men were seen to fall. Encouraged by the 
 desired effect of the first fire, the militia loaded their pieces with the utmost quickness, and 
 the artillery was ordered to be opened at the moment of their second. But, before the 
 second round had been completely discharged, the whole body of the militia, none of whom 
 had ever seen an enemy imtil now, and who were entirely unaccustomed to subordination, 
 though they were well protected by the breastwork, rose from behind it, and abandoning 
 those honorable promises of noble daring which they had made but a little while before, 
 they fied with equal precipitation and disorder. A strange and unaccountable panic seized 
 the whole line ; and with the exception of a very few, terror and dismay were depicted in 
 every countenance. Colonel Mills, vainly endeavoring to rally his men, was killed as he 
 was reminding them of the solemn pledges which they had given ; but the fall of this brave 
 officer served rather to increase their confvision, than to actuate them to revenge it. 
 
 " General Brown seeing that his plan was already frustrated, and 
 fearing his inability to execute any other without the vigorous co-op- 
 eration of the militia, hastened to intercept their retreat ; and, finding 
 one company, of about one hundred men, who had been rallied by 
 the active and zealous conduct of Capt. M'Nitt, of that corps, he 
 brought them up, and ordered them to form in line with the regulars 
 and volunteers, who had continued to keep their ground. 
 
 " In the interval which had thus elapsed, the enemy had effected 
 his debarkation, with little opposition; and drawing up his whole 
 force on Horse Island, he commenced his march for the village ; on 
 the road to which, he was met by a small party of infantry, under 
 Major Aspinwall, and a few dismounted dragoons under Major Laval, 
 who opposed him with much gallantry. Two of the gun-boats 
 ranged up the shore, and covered the field with grape. This handful 
 of troops then gradually retired in good order, from an immense su- 
 periority of numbers, and occupied the intervals between the barracks. 
 
124 JEFFESSON COUNTY. 
 
 " Lieutenant-colonel Backus, with his reserve of regulars, first en 
 gaged the enemy, when the militia company of Captain M'Nitt was 
 formed on his flank ; and in the vigorous fight which then followed, 
 this company behaved with as much gallantry as the bravest of the 
 regulars. The whole force was compelled to fall back, however, by 
 the superior strength of the enemy's column, and resorting to the 
 barracks for what shelter they could afford, they posted themselves 
 in the unprotected log houses, and kept up an incessant and effective 
 fire. From these, the most violent assaults, and the repeated and 
 varying efforts of the British, were incompetent to dislodge them. 
 Colonel Gray, the quartermaster-general of the enemy's forces, ad- 
 vanced to the weakest part of the barracks, at the head of a column 
 of regulars, and after exchanging shots with an inferior party of mili- 
 tia and regulars, led his men on to the assault. A small boy, who 
 was a drummer in Major Aspinwall's corps, seized a musket, and lev- 
 elling it at the colonel, immediately brought him to the ground. At 
 that moment Lieutenant Fanning, of the artillery, who had been so 
 severely wounded by the explosion at Little York, and was yet con- 
 sidered to be unable to do any kind of duty, leaned upon his piece 
 whilst it was drawn up, and having given it the proper elevation, dis- 
 charged three rounds of grape into the faces of the enemy, who im- 
 mediately fell back in disorder. At this instant, Lieutenant-colonel 
 Backus fell, severely wounded. 
 
 " Whilst the battle was raging with its greatest violence, informa- 
 tion was brought to Lieutenant Chauncey, of the intention of the 
 American forces to surrender. He therefore, in conformity to his 
 previous orders, relating to such an event, fired the navy barracks, 
 and destroyed all the property and public stores, which had pre- 
 viously belonged to the harbor, as well as the provisions and equip- 
 ments which nad been brought from York. The destruction of these 
 buildings, and the conflagration which was thence produced, was 
 thought to have been caused by the troops of the enemy, and although 
 the undisciplined militia and volunteers, and the invalid regulars, were 
 suspicious of being placed between the fire of two divisions of the 
 enemy, they continued to fight on, regardless of their inferiority, or 
 the consequences of their capture. 
 
 " General Brown wa« all this time actively superintending the operations of his little 
 army. He now determined on making a diversion in its favor, which, if it should be suc- 
 cessful, would be the only means of saving the place, or of relieving his exhausted troops. 
 Having learned that the militia, who had fled from their stations in the early part of the en. 
 gagement, had not yet entirely dispersed, and that they were still within a short distance 
 of the scene of action, he hastened to exhort them to imitate the conduct of their brave 
 brethren in arms. He reproached them with shameful timidity, and ordered them instantly 
 to form and follow him, and threatened with instant death the first man who should reftise. 
 His order was obeyed with alacrity. He then attempted a stratagem, by which to deceive 
 the enemy, with regard to the forces against which he was contending. Silently passing 
 through a distant wood, which led towards the place at which the enemy had landed, Gen. 
 eral Brown persuaded the British general of his intention to gain the rear of his forces, to 
 take possession of the boats, and eflectually to cut off their retreat. 
 
 " This was done with such effect, at the moment when the fire of Lieutenant Fanning'a 
 piece had caused the destruction in the British line, that General Sir George Prevost was 
 well convinced of the vast superiority of the American force to his own. He gave up all 
 thought! of the rapture of the place, and hurrying to bis boats, put off immediately to the 
 
JEFFERSON COUNTY. 125 
 
 British squadron. He was not puisued, because, if the real number of the American 
 troops had been exposed to his view, he would have returned to the contest, might easily 
 have outflanked, and in all human probability, would still have captured the army and the 
 village. 
 
 " But the precipitation of his flight was such, that he left not only the wounded bodies of 
 his ordinary men upon the field, but those of the dead and wounded of the most distin. 
 guished of his officers. Among these were Quartermaster-general Gray, Majors Moodie 
 and Evans, and three captains. The return of his loss, as accurately as it has been ascer. 
 tained, amounted to three field ofiicers, one captain, and twenty.five rank and file, found 
 dead on the field ; two captains and twenty rank and file found wounded ; and two cap. 
 tains, one ensign, and thirty.two rank and file made prisoners. In addition to which, many 
 were killed in the boats, and numbers had been carried away previously to the retreat. 
 The loss of the Americans was greater in proportion, as the number of their men engaged 
 were less. One colonel of volunteers, twenty regulars, privates, and one volunteer private, 
 were killed ; one Ueutenant-colonel, three Ueutenants, and one ensign of the regulars, and 
 seventy.nine non-commissioned officers and privates, were wounded ; and twenty-six non- 
 commissioned officers and privates were missing. Their aggregate loss was one hundred 
 and ten regulars, twenty-one volunteers, and twenty-five miUtia ; making a total of one 
 hundred and fifty-six. It was severe, because of the worth, more than of the number of 
 those who fell. The injury in pubUc stores, sustained at Sackett's Harbor, though not by 
 any act of the invading enemy, was extensive ; but the gallantry of several individuals 
 prevented its being more so. Lieutenant Chauncey was no sooner apprized of the error of 
 the report which had been brought to him, than he made every exertion to save as much of 
 the public property as it was possible to rescue from the increasing conflagration, and to 
 that eflect, he ran the Fair American and the Pert up the river. The new fiigate, the Gen 
 eral Pike, which was then on the stocks, was saved ; and Lieutenant Talman, of the army, 
 at the imminent risk of his life, boarded the prize schooner the Duke of Gloucester, which 
 was then on fire, with a considerable quantity of powder in her hold, extinguished the fire, 
 and brought her from under the flames of the storehouses. 
 
 " Notwithstanding this signal repulse, the British commanding officers attempted to play 
 off the stratagem which Sir James Yeo afterward adopted at the Forty Mile Creek. They 
 sent in a flag with a peremptory demand for the formal surrender of the post, which was as 
 peremptorily refused." 
 
 The British colonel, Gray, fell near the present residence of Mr. 
 John Hall, in Hill-street, and the stump against which he reposed his 
 head, is still to be seen by the sidewalk. He was a noble-looking 
 man, about six feet in height, and about forty years of age. Beside 
 him was a Glengarian officer, mortally wounded. A private named 
 David Johnson, from Berkshire county, Mass., lay near, wounded in 
 a most horrible manner. This young man was a widow's only son. 
 At the time of his enlistment at Greenbush, his mother requested the 
 sergeant to take good care of him. His face was carried away by a 
 side shot from below his forehead, downward, including his eyes, 
 nose, upper jaw, tongue, and some of the teeth of the lower jaw. He 
 notwithstanding had his reason. Being requested by the bystanders, 
 if he wanted water to lift up his right hand, he did so. A soldier 
 who was shot by a musket ball through the abdomen, informed his 
 captain, who gave him permission to leave the ground, with the ex- 
 pectation that he would fall before he had got many rods distant. An 
 hour or two after the battle, the officer was astonished to meet the 
 man quietly walking in the streets of the village. He asked him 
 where he had been 1 " To get some milk," was the reply. It appears 
 that he had not eaten any thing for thirty hours previous to the ac- 
 tion, and the ball was thus enabled to pass through the intestines 
 rfithout mortal injury. 
 
126 
 
 KINGS COUNTV. 
 
 KINGS COUNTY. 
 
 Kings county was organized in 1683, by an act of the colonial as- 
 sembly dividing ilie province, and abolishing the ridings which previ- 
 ously existed. Its greatest length is 12, and greatest breadth 7 miles. 
 The county includes Coney and Barren islands, and all other islands 
 south of the town of Gravesend. The surlace on the NE. for three 
 or four miles back from the river is hilly and ridgy. Upon the SE. a 
 plain of sandy loam and sand extends to the ocean. The soil for the 
 most part is light, warm, and when properly manured, fertile. It is 
 generally well improved, and supplies a large portion of the vegetables 
 sold m New York. The first settlement m the county was made at 
 Brooklyn in 1625. In 1641, the Dutch government permitted some 
 English settlers to locate themselves at Gravesend. All the other towns 
 of the county appear to have been seltled b}' the Dutch. The county 
 courts were originally held at the village of Gravesend ; they were re- 
 moved in 1686 to Flatbusli, where they were held till 1832, when they 
 were removed to Brooklyn. Tlic county contains seven towns : 
 
 Brooklyn city, Flalbush, (iravesend, Williamsburg. 
 
 Busliwick, Flatlands, Nevv-Ulrecht, 
 
 Northern view of the Navy-yard at Brooklyn. 
 
 The most compact part of Brooklyn was incorporated into a village 
 in 1816, which, although much opposed by a portien of the population, 
 gave a new impulse to the spirit of improvement, which has resulted in 
 raising it to be the second city in point of population in the state of 
 New York. In April, 1834, the whole territory of the town was incor- 
 porated under the name of the "City of Brooklyn." It is divided into 
 9 wards ; the powers of the corporation are vested in a mayor, and a 
 board of aldermen, composed of two elected from each ward. Brook- 
 lyn contains 28 churches, viz : 6 Episcopalians, 2 Dutch Reformed, 7 
 Presbyterian, 2 Baptist, 4 Episcopal Methodist, 1 Centenary Episco- 
 pal Methodist, 1 Primitive Methodist, 1 Wesleyan Methodist, 2 Ro- 
 man Catholic, 1 Unitarian Congregational Church, and 1 Friends 
 
KINGS COUNTY. 127 
 
 meeting-house. Population in 1820, 7,175; in 1825, 10,790; in 
 1830, 15,394; in 1835, 25,312; in 1840, 36,233 ; in 1850, 96,850. 
 
 The engraving shows the appearance of the buildings, shipping, &c., 
 at the navy-yard, Brooklyn, as seen from Corker's Hook. The 
 United States possess about forty acres at this spot, including the old 
 mill-pond. Here have been erected a spacious navy-yard, public 
 stores, machine shops, and two immense edifices, in which the largest 
 ships arc protected from the weather, while building. On the east 
 side of the Wallabout bay, opposite the navy-yard, stands the U. S. 
 Naval Hospital, a magnificent structure. The Wallabout was the 
 scene of the heart-rending sufferings of many thousand American pris- 
 oners confined in the prison ships stationed in the bay. The following, 
 relating to these vessels, was written by Jeremiah Johnson, Esq., of 
 Brooklyn, a gentleman who has filled many public offices in this place. 
 
 " The subject of the naval prisoners, and of the British prison ships stationed at the Wal- 
 labout during the revolution, is one which cannot be passed by in silence. From printed 
 journals published in New York at the close of the war, it appears that eleven thousand 
 five hundred American prisoners had died on board the prison ships. Although the num- 
 ber is very great, still, if the number who perished had been less, the commissary of naval 
 prisoners, David Sprout, Esq., and his deputy, had it in their power, by an official return, 
 to give the true number exchanged, escaped, and dead. Such a return has never appeared 
 in the United States. This man returned to America after the war, and resided in Phila- 
 delphia, where he died. He could not have been ignorant of the statement published here 
 on this interesting subject. We may therefore infer, that about that number perished in 
 the prison ships. A large transport, named the Whitby, was the first prison ship anchored 
 in the Wallabout. She was moored near ' Remsen's Mill,' about the 20th of October, 
 
 1776, and was crowded with prisoners. Many landsmen were prisoners on board this 
 vessel ; she was said to be the most sickly of all the prison ships. Bad provisions, bad 
 water, and scanted rations were dealt to the prisoners. No medical men attended the sick. 
 Disease reigned unrelieved, and hundreds died from pestilence, or were starved, on board 
 this floating prison. I saw the sand-beach between a ravine in the hill and Mr. Remsen's 
 dock become filled with graves in the course of two months ; and before the Ist of May, 
 
 1 777, the ravine alluded to was itself occupied in the same way. In the month of May of 
 that year two large ships were anchored in the Wallabout, when the prisoners were trans- 
 ferred from the Whitby to them. These vessels were also very sickly, from the causes 
 before stated. Although many prisoners were sent on board of them and were exchanged, 
 death made room for all. On a Sunday afternoon, about the middle of October, 1777, one 
 of the prison ships was burnt ; the prisoners, except a few, who, it is said, were burnt in 
 the vessel, were removed to the remaining ship. It was reported at the time that the pris- 
 oners had fired their prison ; which, if true, proves that they preferred death, even by fire, 
 to the lingering sufferings of pestilence and starvation. In the mouth of February, 1778, 
 the remaining prison ship was burnt at night ; when the prisoners were removed from her 
 to the ships then wintering in the Wallabout. In the month of April, 1778, the Old Jersey 
 was moored in the Wallabout, and all the prisoners (except the sick) were transferred to 
 her. The sick were carried to two hospital ships, named the Hope and Falmouth, anchor- 
 ed near each other about two hundred yards east from the Jersey. These ships remained 
 in the Wallabout until New York was evacuated by the British. The Jersey was the re- 
 ceiving-ship — the others, truly, the ships of Death .' It has been generally thought that all 
 the prisoners died on board of the Jersey. This is not true ; many may have died on board 
 of her who were not reported as sick : but all the men who were placed on the sick-list 
 were removed to the hospital ships, from which they were usually taken, sewed up in a 
 blanket, to their long home. 
 
 " After the hospital ships were brought into the Wallabout, it was reported that the sick 
 were attended by physicians ; few, very few, however, recovered. It was no uncommon 
 thing to see five or six dead bodies brought on shore in a single morning ; when a small 
 excavation would be made at the foot of the hill, the bodies be cast in, and a man with a 
 shovel would cover them by shovelling sand down the hill upon them. Many were buried 
 in a ravine on the hill ; some on the farm. The whole shore from Rennie's Point to Mr. 
 Remsen's dock-yard was a place of gra ;es ; as were also the slope of the hill near the 
 
128 KINGS COUNTY. 
 
 house, the shore from Mr. Renuen's barn along the mill-pond to Rapelje's farm and the 
 sandy island, between the flood-gates and the mill-dam ; while a few were buried on the 
 shore, the east side of the Wallabout. Thus did Death reign here, from 1776 until the 
 peace. The whole Wallabout was a sickly place during the war. The atmosphere seemed 
 to be charged with foul air from the prison ships, and with the effluvia of the dead bodies 
 washed out of their graves by the tides. We have ourselves examined many of the skulls 
 lying on the shore ; from the teeth, they appear to be the remains of men in the prime of 
 life. A singularly daring and successful escape was elTected from the Jersey about 4 o'clock 
 one afternoon, in December, 1780. The best boat of the ship had returned from New 
 York, was left fastened at the gangway, with the oars on board. It was stormy ; the wind 
 blew from the northeast, and the tide ran flood. A watchword was given, and a num- 
 ber of prisoners placed themselves between the ship's waist and the sentinel ; at this junc- 
 ture four eastern captains got on board the boat, which was cast off by their friends. The 
 boat passed close under the bows of the ship, and was a considerable distance from her 
 before the sentinel on the forecastle gave the alarm, and fired at her. The boat passed 
 Hell-gate, and arrived safe in Cormecticut next morning." 
 
 In 1808, a tomb was erected to the memory of these mart)n-s to 
 liberty, on the corner of Jackson-street, nearly opposite the end of 
 Front-street, in the vicinity of the navy-yard. Thirteen coffins were 
 filled with their bleached bones, and interred in it with great venera- 
 tion and respect. " The tomb is a small square frame building, sur- 
 mounted by an eagle on the point of the roof ; the interior is an ante- 
 chamber to the vault beneath, in which the coffins are deposited ; 
 there is a row of posts and rails in front of the tomb, on which the 
 names of the 13 original states of the Union are inscribed ; the area 
 around the tomb is enclosed by a rail fence, over the entrance of 
 which is the following inscription: ^Portal to the Tomb of 11,500 
 Patriot Prisoners, who died in dungeons and prison ships, in and 
 about the city of New York during the revolution.^ " 
 
 The most sanguinary part of the battle of Long Island, August 
 27th, 1T76, took place in this town. The following account is from 
 Thompson's History of Long Island. 
 
 " After the commencement of hostilities in 1776, New York being 
 situated near the centre of the colonial sea-board, and readily acces- 
 sible from the sea, was selected by the enemy as a principal point for 
 their future operations. With this view, a first division of their army 
 arrived at Staten Island in the latter part of June of that year, fol- 
 lowed, about the middle of July, by the grand armament under Lord 
 Howe, consisting of six ships of the line, thirty frigates, with smaller 
 armed vessels, and a great number of transports, victuallers, and 
 ships with ordnance. 
 
 "The Americans, anticipating the invasion of Long Island, had 
 fortified Brooklyn before the arrival of the British at Staten Island. 
 A line of intrenchment was formed from a ditch near the late Toll- 
 House of the Bridge Company at the navy-yard to Fort Green, then 
 called Fort Putnam, and from thence to Freek's mill-pond. A strong 
 work was erected on the lands of Johannis Debevoice and of Van 
 Brunt ; a redoubt was thrown up on Baemus' Hill opposite Brown's 
 mill, and another on the land of John Johnson, west of Fort Green. 
 Ponkiesburg, now Fort Swift, was fortified, and a fort built on the 
 land of Mr. Hicks, on Brooklyn heights. Such were the defences of 
 Brooklyn in 1776, while a chevaux de frise was sunk in the main 
 
0:; -■ 
 
 JX 
 
 ^ < 
 
 i^ 
 
 
 
 o 
 
 -n 
 
 
 
 
 
 z 
 
 'X 
 
 -. 
 
 r^' 
 
 
 
 
 
 '-r' 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 •-! 
 
 1^ 
 
 o 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 'i^ 
 
 r'^ 
 
 ri 
 
 <- 
 
 
 
 S^ 
 
 1—1 
 
 W 
 
 *^ 
 
KINGS COUNTY. 129 
 
 channel of the nver below New York. The troops of both divisions 
 of the British army were landed on Staten Island after their arrival 
 in the bay, to recruit their strength and prepare for the coming con- 
 flict It was not till the middle of August, that a first landing on 
 Long Island was made by them at New Utrecht. Here they were 
 joined by many royalists from the neighborhood, who probably acted 
 the infamous part of informers and guides to the enemy. General 
 Sir Henry Clinton arrived about the same time, with the troops re- 
 conducted from the expedition to Charleston. 
 
 " Commodore Hotham already appeared there with the reinforce- 
 ments under his escort ; so that in a short time the hostile army 
 amounted to about twenty-four thousand men, — English, Hessiems, 
 and Waldeckers. Several regiments of Hessian infantry were ex- 
 pected to arrive shortly, when the army would be swelled to the 
 number of thirty-five thousand combatants, of the best troops of Eu- 
 rope, all abundantly supplied with arms and ammunition, and mani- 
 festing an extreme ardor for the service of their king. The plan 
 was, first to get possession of New York, which was deemed of most 
 essential importance. 
 
 " To resist this impending storm, Congress had ordained the construction of rafts, gun- 
 boats, galftys, and floating batteries, for the defence of the port of New York and the 
 mouth of the Hudson. They had also decreed that thirteen thousand of the provincial 
 miUtia should join the army of Washington, who, being seasonably apprized of the danger 
 of New York, had made a movement into that quarter ; they also directed the organiza- 
 tion of a corps of ten thousand men, destined to serve as a reserve in the province of the 
 centre. All the weakest posts had been carefully intrenched, and furnished with artillery. 
 A strong detachment occupied Long Island, to prevent the English from landing there, or 
 to repulse them if they should eflect a debarkation. But the army of Congress was very 
 far from having all the necessary means to support the burden of so terrible a war. It 
 wanted arms, and it was wasted by diseases. The reiterated instances of the commander, 
 in-chief had drawn into his camp tlie militia of the neighboring provinces, and some regular 
 regiments from Maryland, from Pennsylvania, and from New England, which had swelled 
 his army to the number of twenty-seven thousand men ; but a fourth of these troops were 
 composed of invahds, and scarcely was another fourth famished with arms. 
 
 " The American army, such as it was, occupied the positions most suitable to cover the 
 menaced points. The corps which had been stationed on Long Island, was commanded 
 by Major-general Greene, who, on account of sickness, was afterward succeeded by Gene- 
 ral Sullivan. The main body of the army encamped on the island of New York, which, it 
 appeared, was destined to receive the first blows of the English. 
 
 " Two feeble detachments guarded Governor's Island and the point of Paulus' Hook. 
 The militia of the province, commanded by the American General Clinton, were posted 
 upon the banks of the Sound, where they occupied the two Chesters, East and West, and 
 New Rochelle. For it was to be feared that the enemy, landing in force upon the north 
 shore of the Sound, might penetrate to Kingsbridge, and thus entirely lock up all the Amer. 
 ican troops on the island of New York. Lord Howe made some overtures of peace up>on 
 terms of submission to the royal clemency, which, resulting in nothing, decided the British 
 general to attack Long Island. ' Accordingly,' says Botta, ' on the twenty-second of Au- 
 gust, the fleet approached the Narrows; all the troops found an easy and secure landing, 
 place between the villages of Gravesend and New Utrecht, where they debarked without 
 meeting any resistance on the part of the Americans. A great part of the American army, 
 under the command of General Putnam, encamped at Brooklyn in a part of the island which 
 forms a sort of peninsula. He had strongly fortified the entrance of it with moats and in. 
 trenchments ; lus left wing rested upon the Wallabout bay, and his right was covered by a 
 marsh contiguous to Gowamu)' Cove. Behind him he had Governor's Island, and the arm 
 of the sea which separates Long Island from the Island of New York, and which gave him 
 a direct communication with the city, where the other part of the army was stationed under 
 Washington himself. The commander-in-chief, perceiving the battle was approaching, 
 contiiraolly exhorted his men to kMp tbeir lanke, and lommon all their courace -. he r^ 
 
 17 
 
130 KINGS COUNTY. 
 
 minded them that in their valor rested the only hope that remained to American liberty ; that 
 upon their resistance depended the preservation or the pillage of their property by barbarians ; 
 that they were about to combat in defence of their parents, their wives, and their children, 
 from the outrages of a licentious soldiery ; that the eyes of America were fixed upon her 
 champions, and expected fi'ora then- success on this day either safety or total destruction.' 
 
 " The English having effected their landing, marched rapidly for- 
 ward. The two armies were separated by a chain of hills, covered 
 with woods, called the heights, and which, running from west to east, 
 divide the island into two parts. They are only practicable upon 
 three points : one of which is near the Narrows ; the road leading to 
 that of the centre passes the village of Flatbush ; and the third is ap- 
 proached, far to the right, by the route of another village called Flat- 
 lands. Upon the summit of the hills is found a road, which follows 
 the length of the range, and leads from Bedford to Jamaica, which is 
 intersected by the two roads last described : these ways are all in- 
 terrupted by precipices, and by excessively difficult and narrow 
 defiles. 
 
 " The American general, wishing to arrest the enemy upon these 
 heights, had carefully furnished them with troops ; so that, if all had 
 done their duty, the English would not have been able to force the 
 passages without extreme difficulty and danger. The posts, were so 
 frequent upon the road from Bedford to Jamaica, that it was easy to 
 transmit, from one of these points to the other, the most prompt in- 
 telligence of what passed upon the three routes. Colonel Miles, with 
 his battalion, was to guard the road of Flatland, and to scour it con- 
 tinually with his scouts, as well as that of Jamaica, in order to recon- 
 noitre the movements of the enemy. Meanwhile the British army 
 pressed forward, its left wing being to the north and its right to the 
 south ; the village of Flatbush was found in its centre. The Hes- 
 sians, commanded by General Heister, formed the main body ; the 
 English, under Major-general Grant, the left ; and the other corps, con- 
 ducted by General Clinton, and the two lords, Percy and Cornwallis, 
 composed the right. In this wing the British generals had placed 
 their principal hope of success ; they directed it upon Flatland. Their 
 plan was, that while the corps of General Grant, and the Hessians 
 of General Heister, should disquiet the enemy upon the two first de- 
 files, the left wing, taking a circuit, should march through Flatland, 
 and endeavor to seize the point of intersection of this road with that 
 of Jamaica ; and then rapidly descending into the plain which extends 
 at the foot of the heights upon the other side, should fall upon the 
 Americans in flank and rear. The English hoped, that as this post 
 was the most distant from the centre of the army, the advanced 
 guards would be found more feeble there, and perhaps more negli- 
 gent : finally, they calculated that, in all events, the Americans would 
 not be able to defend it against a force so superior. This right wing 
 of the English was the most numerous, and entirely composed of se- 
 lect troops. 
 
 " The evening of the twenty.sixth of August, General Clinton commanded the vanguard, 
 which consisted in light infantry ; Lord Percy the centre, where were found the grenadiers, 
 Jie artillery, and the cavalry; and Comwallis, the rear-guard, followed by the baggage 
 
KINGS COUNTY. 131 
 
 (ome regunents of infantry and of heavy artillery ; all this part of the English army put 
 itself in motion with admirable order and silence, and leaving Flatland, travereed the coun- 
 ay called New Lots. Colonel Miles, who this night performed his service with Uttle ex- 
 actness, did not perceive the approach of the enemy ; so that two hours before day the 
 English were already arrived within a half mile of the road to Jamaica, upon the heights. 
 Then General Clinton halted, and prepared himself for the attack. He had met one of the 
 enemy's patrols, and made him prisoner. General Sullivan, who commanded all the troops 
 in advance of the camp of Brooklyn, had no advice of what passed in this quarter. He 
 neglected to send out fresh scouts ; perhaps he supposed the English would direct their 
 principal efforts against his right wing, as being nearest to them. 
 
 " General CUnton, learning from his prisoners that the road to Jamaica was not guarded, 
 hastened to avail himself of the circumstance, and occupied it by a rapid movement. 
 Without loss of time he immediately bore to his left towards Bedford, and seized an im. 
 portant defile, which the American generals had left unguarded. From this moment the 
 success of the day was decided in favor of the English. Lord Percy came up with his 
 corps ; and the entire column descended by the village of Bedford from the heights into 
 the plain which lay between the hills and the camp of the Americans. During this time 
 General Grant, in order to amuse the enemy, and divert his attention from the events 
 which took place upon the route of Flatland, endeavored to disquiet him upon his right : 
 accordingly, as if he intended to force the defile which led to it, he had put himself in mo- 
 tion about midnight, and had attacked the militia of New York and of Pennsylvania, who 
 guarded it. They at first gave ground ; but General Parsons being arrived, and having 
 occupied an eminence, he renewed the combat, and maintained his position till Brigadier- 
 general Lord Stirhng came to his assistance with fifteen hundred men. The action be- 
 came extremely animated, and fortune favored neither the one side nor the other. The 
 Hessians, on their part, had attacked the centre at break of day ; and the Americans, com- 
 manded by General Sullivan in person, vahantly sustained their efibrts. At the same time 
 the EngUsh ships, after having made several movements, opened a very brisk cannonade 
 against a battery estabhshed in the little island of Red Hook, upon the right flank of the 
 Americans, who combated against General Grant. This also was a diversion, the object 
 of which was to prevent them from attending to what passed in the centre and on the left. 
 The Americans defended themselves, however, with extreme gallantry, ignorant that so 
 much valor was exerted in vain, since victory was already in the hands of the enemy. 
 General Clinton being descended into the plain, fell upon the left flank of the centre, which 
 was engaged with the Hessians. He had previously detached a small corps, in order to 
 intercept the Americans. 
 
 " As soon as the appearance of the English light infantry apprized 
 them of their danger, they sounded the retreat, and retired in good 
 order towards their camp, bringing off their artillery. But they soon 
 fell in with the party of royal troops which had occupied the ground 
 on their rear, and who now charged them with fury ; they were 
 compelled to throw themselves into the neighboring woods, where 
 they met again with the Hessians, who repulsed them upon the Eng- 
 lish ; and thus the Americans were driven several times by the one 
 against the other with great loss. They continued for some time in 
 this desperate situation, till at length several regiments, animated by 
 an heroic valor, opened their way through the midst of the enemy, 
 and gained the camp of General Putnam ; others escaped through 
 the woods. The inequality of the ground, the great numbers of po- 
 sitions which it offered, and the disorder which prevailed throughout 
 the line, were the cause that for several hours divers partial combats 
 were maintained, in which many of the Americans fell. 
 
 " Their left wing and centre being discomfited, the English, desir- 
 ous of a complete victory, made a rapid movement against the rear 
 of the right wing, which, in ignorance of the misfortune which had 
 befallen the other corps, was engaged with General Grant. Finally, 
 having received the intelligence, they retired. But, encountering 
 
132 KINOS COUNTY. 
 
 the English, who cut off their retreat, a part of the soldiers took shel- 
 ter in the woods ; others endeavored to make their way through the 
 marshes of Gowan's Cove ; but here many were drowned in the wa- 
 ters or perished in the mud ; a very small number only escaped the 
 hot pursuit of the victors, and reached the camp in safety. The total 
 loss of the Americans, in this battle, was estimated at more than three 
 thousand men in killed, wounded, and prisoners. Among the last 
 were found General Sullivan, and Brigadier-general Lord Stirling. 
 Almost the entire regiment of Maryland, consisting of young men of 
 the best famihes in that province, was cut to pieces. Six pieces of 
 cannon fell into the power of the victors. The loss of the English 
 was very inconsiderable ; in killed, wounded, and prisoners, it did not 
 amount to four hundred men. 
 
 " The enemy encamped in front of the American lines ; and on the 
 succeeding night broke ground within six hundred yards of a redoubt 
 on the left, and threw up a breastwork on the Wallabout heights, 
 upon the Debevoice farm, commenced firing on Fort Putnam, and 
 reconnoitred the American forces. The Americans were here pre- 
 pared to receive them ; and orders issued to the men to reserve their 
 fire till they could see the eyes of the enemy. A few of the British 
 officers reconnoitred the position, and one, on coming near, was shot 
 by William Van Cotts, of Bushwick. The same afternoon Captain 
 Rutgers, brother of the late Colonel Rutgers, also fell. Several other 
 British troops were killed, and the column which had incautiously 
 advanced, fell back beyond the range of the American fire. In this 
 critical stale of the American army on Long Island — in front a nu- 
 merous and victorious enemy with a formidable train of artillery, the 
 fleet indicating an intention of forcing a passage up the East river, 
 the troops lying without shelter from . heavy rains, fatigued and dis- 
 pirited — General Washington determined to withdraw the army from 
 the island ; and this difficult movement was effected with great skill 
 and judgment, and witli complete success. The retreat was to have 
 commenced at eight o'clock in the evening of the 29th, but a strong 
 northeast wind and a rapid tide caused a delay of several hours ; a 
 southwest wind, springing up at eleven, essentially facilitated its pas- 
 sage from the island to the city ; and a thick fog hanging over Long 
 Island towards morning, concealed its movements from the enemy, 
 who were so near that the sound of their pick-axes and shovels was 
 distinctly heard by the Americans. 
 
 " General Washington, as far as possible, inspected every thing 
 from the commencement of the action on the morning of the 27th ; 
 till the troops were safely across the river, he never closed his eyes, 
 and was almost constantly on horseback. After this the British and 
 their allies, the tories and: refugees, had possession of Long Island ; 
 and many distressing scenes occurred, which were never made public, 
 and can therefore never be known. The whigs, who had been at 
 all active in behalf of independence, were exiled from their homes, 
 and their dwellings were objects of indiscriminate plunder. Such as 
 could b« taken, were incarcerated in the church of New Utiecht and 
 
KINGS COtTNTY. 
 
 133 
 
 Flatlands ; while royalists, by wearing a red badge in their hats, were 
 protected and encouraged. It is believed that had Lord Howe availed 
 himself of the advantages he possessed by passing his ships up the 
 river between Brooklyn and New York, the whole American army 
 must have been almost inevitably captured or annihilated. General 
 Washington saw but too plainly the policy which might have been 
 pursued, and wisely resolved rather to abandon the island than attempt 
 to retain it at the risk of sacrificing his army." 
 
 Western view of Williamsburg, New York. 
 
 Nov. 30, 1840. 
 
 The above shoves the appearance of the central part of the village 
 of Williamsburg, as seen from the New York side of the East river. 
 This flourishing village was till within a few years an inconsider- 
 able place, although it was commenced by a few spirited individuals 
 nearly thirty years ago, by erecting a few houses and establishing a 
 ferry between it and the foot of Grand-street. In 1817, a ferry boat, 
 impelled by horse power, gave Williamsburg a new impulse, and in 
 1827, an act of incorporation was obtained. The village has a bold 
 water front upon the East river, one mile and a half in extent, and 
 a sufficient depth of water for all commercial purposes. Several 
 large and substantial wharves and docks have been constructed, 
 affording safe and convenient moorings for vessels even of the largest 
 class. Its ferry is the nearest approximation to the upper parts of 
 the city of New York from the eastern towns of Long Island, by two 
 lines of steam ferry boats. So great has been the progress of im- 
 provement that the ancient village of Bushwick can scarcely be iden- 
 tified, having been amalgamated with Williamsburg. The village has 
 now upwards of 70 streets permanently laid out, about 30 of which 
 have been graded and regulated, some paved, and one macadamized. 
 There are upwards of six hundred dwellings, 5 churches — 3 Method- 
 ist, 1 Dutch Reformed, and 1 Episcopal — a newspaper printing office, 
 and manufacturing estaWishments of various kinds. Population of 
 the village in 1840, 5,094 ; in 1845, 11,338 ; in 1850, 30,786. 
 
134 LEWIS COUNTY. 
 
 LEWIS COUNTY. 
 
 Lewis county was taken from Oneida in 1805, and named in honor 
 of Governor Morgan Lewis. Centrally distant NW. from New York 
 275, and from Albany 130 miles. Greatest length N. and S. 54; 
 greatest breadth E. and W. 3.5 miles. The whole of this county was 
 included in the patent from the state to Alexander Macomb, and was 
 sold by him to William Constable, and by the latter in parcels : the 
 portion west of the Black river, to capitalists in New York city, among 
 whom Nicholas Low, Richard Harrison, and Josiah Ogden Hoffman, 
 were principal purchasers ; and the portion on the east of the Black 
 river, to a French company in Paris. From these sources the present 
 possessors derived their title. The first settlements commenced here 
 in 1795, by pioneers from Massachusetts and Connecticut, who, with 
 characteristic enterprise and perseverance, entered the wilderness with 
 a determination to surmount the most formidable obstacles. There 
 were at this time small settlements at Utica and Fort Stanwix, (now 
 Rome,) whence the settlers made their way into this county, by a line 
 of marked trees, to the High Falls, on Black river ; and thence floated 
 with the stream to the town of Lowville, where they established them- 
 selves. Their families followed in the succeeding winter, shod with 
 snow shoes ; mothers making their way with infants in their arms, 
 whilst their husbands and fathers trod paths through the snow for their 
 cattle and teams. It was not unusual, some time after, for farmers to 
 go forty miles to mill, and to carry the grist upon their shoulders. 
 
 The Black river divides the county into two not very unequal por- 
 tions. Upon this river are broad alluvial flats, of easy cultivation and 
 highly productive. Of the Black river we may observe here, that be- 
 low the High Falls at Leyden, which are 63 feet in altitude, it has a 
 tranquil course of nearly 40 miles through the country ; in all which it 
 is navigable for steamboats. The Black river canal, the construction 
 of which was authorized in May, 1836, commences at Rome in Oneida 
 county. 
 
 The county is at present thinly inhabited, but it merits attention from 
 the great forests of useful timber which encumber the soil, the beds of 
 iron ore which lie beneath it, and the vast water-power which the 
 streams supply. The staple products are wheat, rye, Indian corn, peas, 
 beans, oats, and barley, and the whole country is adapted to grass. It 
 is divided into 12 towns : 
 
 Croghan, Greig, Lowville, Turin, 
 
 Denmark, Harrisburgh, Martinsburgh, Watson, 
 
 Diana, Leyden, Pinckney, West Turin. 
 
 Lowville, on the great road from Utica to Sacketts Harbor, 3^ miles 
 from Martinsburg, in a pleasant valley, handsomely laid out in squares, 
 is the largest village in the county, and contains 4 churches, a flourishing 
 incorporated academy, a printing oflSce, publishing a weekly paper, 
 1 large grist and saw-mill, and 60 neat dwellings. Martinsburg, post 
 
UVINGSTOU COUNTY. 135 
 
 village and county town, is situated upon a high and commanding site, 
 contains a court-house and prison of wood, 1 cotton and 1 woollen fac- 
 tory, 40 dwelhngs, the Lewis County Bank, and a printing office. 
 
 About two miles from Martinsburg there is a remarkable chasm near 
 the junction of two forks of Whetstone creek, a tributary of Black 
 river. It is about 200 feet in depth, and of a bowl-like shape. It is 
 known by the name of Chimney Point Gulf. 
 
 LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 
 
 Livingston county was taken from Ontario and Genesee counties 
 in 1821. Greatest length N. and S. 30 ; greatest breadth E. and W. 
 28 miles. Centrally distant NW. from I^ew York 360, and from 
 Albany W. 224 miles. The surface of the country is in some parts 
 hilly, in others quite level, or but gently undulated. Flats of rich al- 
 luvion border the Genesee river in its course through the county from 
 1 to 2 miles in width, but a gravelly loam predominates on the upland. 
 The great staples are wheat, pork, and cattle. Of the first, it is esti- 
 mated that there is an annual surplus of over a million of bushels. 
 
 The Avon Springs, in the village of Avon in this county, about 10 
 miles from Geneseo, have acquired considerable celebrity. The first, 
 called the New Avon Bath Spring, was discovered in 1835. Its depth 
 is about 36 feet, and the formation through which the water passes is 
 limy slate. Analysis and experience have fully tested the sanative prop- 
 erties of these waters ; they are found peculiarly efficacious in disorders 
 of the digestive organs, rheumatic complaints, and gout, and in many 
 of the most formidable cutaneous aifections. 
 
 The Genesee Valley canal enters the county at Caledonia, and follow- 
 ing the valley of the Genesee, crosses the same near Mount Morris, and 
 passing along the valley of the Cashqua creek, leaves the county in the 
 southern portion of Mount Morris. Four miles south of Mount Morris 
 village a branch runs to Dansville. The county is part of the tract 
 ceded to Massachusetts, and is divided into 12 towns. 
 
 Sparta, 
 
 Springwater, 
 
 York. 
 
 The village of Geneseo, the seat of justice of Livingston county, 
 about one mile from the river, was incorporated in 1832. It contains 
 about 120 dwellings, the county buildings, 3 churches, the Livingston 
 county high school, 2 newspaper printing offices, and a bank. Distant 
 from Albany 226, from Washington 345, and from Rochester about 27 
 miles. " The village is pleasantly situated upon a site sloping to the 
 west, and enjoys a delightful prospect, stretching across the valley, and 
 including the town of Leicester. The landscape, embracing an area 
 
 Avon, 
 
 Geneseo, 
 
 Lima, 
 
 Caledonia, 
 
 Groveland, 
 
 Livonia, 
 
 Conesus, 
 
 Leicester, 
 
 Mount Morris, 
 
136 UVINGSTON COnWTY. 
 
 of perhaps fifteen miles in diameter, agreeably undulated with gentle 
 hills and valleys — rich in the garniture of fields, agreeably interrupted 
 by masses of woods, and enlivened by villas, bespeaking the comforta- 
 ble circumstances of their owners — forms a prospect of matchless 
 beauty. It is rendered still more picturesque by the river, which flows 
 lazily through the valley, but disclosing only here and there a section 
 of the stream, breaking through the bower of trees and clustering vines 
 by which its bright waters are overarched. 
 
 " This town was first settled by WiUiam and James Wadsworth in 
 1790. Lands being cheap, and they being gentlemen of sagacity, who 
 foresaw the rapid growth of the country in no distant prospective, they 
 were enabled to accumulate splendid estates. The former, Gen. Wil- 
 liam Wadsworth, served with his militia command upon the Niagara 
 frontier during the last war with England, and acquitted himself with 
 gallantry. Mr. James Wadsworth (recently deceased) may be consid- 
 ered the patriarch of the Genesee country. The whole valley of the 
 Genesee was studded with Indian towns, when the white men made 
 their advances thither, and the country was full of Indians when he 
 planted himself down among them. His mansion, the abode of refine- 
 ment and elegant hospitality, is finely situated at the southern extrem- 
 ity of the principal street of the village, embosomed in groves of orna- 
 mental trees, thickly sprinkled, among which are the elm, locust, and 
 willow, and looking out upon a princely domain of his own, including 
 a broad sweep of flats Adjacent to the mansion is a large gar- 
 den, rich with every description of fruit which the climate will allow, 
 and adorned with flowers of every variety and class of beauty. 
 
 " .... It was at this point that the memorable campaign of Gen- 
 eral Sullivan in 1779 was brought to a close. In setting this expedi- 
 tion on foot, it was the intention of Washington that the American 
 forces should pass through to the great Indian and loyalist rendezvous 
 at Niagara ; but having ravaged the most populous portions of the In- 
 dian country, Sullivan, for reasons never fully explained, proceeded no 
 further than Genesee — sending a detachment across the river, however, 
 to Little Beardstown, (now the town of Leicester.) The Indian town 
 of Genesee, lying on the eastern side of the river, was the largest of 
 their populous places, containing, according to Sullivan's oflicial report, 
 ' one hundred and thirty-eight houses, most of them very elegant. It 
 was beautifully situated, almost encircled with a clear flat, extending 
 for a number of miles ;on which extensive fields of corn were growing, 
 together with every kind of vegetable that could be conceived.' This 
 and the neighboring towns, together with thousands of acres of corn, 
 were destroyed. The Indians were disposed to make a stand for the 
 protection of their towns, but the numbers and disciphne of Sullivan's 
 army were too much for them." 
 
 During Sullivan's expedition, Lieut, Boyd with a scouting party had 
 a severe battle with a superior force of Indians in this vicinity. Boyd 
 and a man named Parker were taken prisoners, and the former tortured 
 in the most horrible manner. The following account is from Wilkin- 
 son's Annals of Binghamton : 
 
LIVINGBTON COUNTY. 137 
 
 " From CanandaiguB the anny proceeded to Honeoye which they destroyed ; and passing 
 by Hemlock Lake, they came to the head of Connisaius Lake, where the army encamped 
 for the night, on the ground which is now called Henderson's Flats. 
 
 " Soon after the army had encamped, at the dusk of evening, a party of twenly-one men, 
 under the command of Lieut. William Boyd, was detached from the rifle corps, which was 
 commanded by the celebrated Morgan, and sent out for the purpose of reconnoitering the 
 ground near the Genesee river, at a place now called Williamsburgh, at a distance from the 
 place of encampment of about seven miles, and under the guidance of a faithful Indian 
 pilot. The place was then the site of an Indian village ; and it was apprehended that the 
 Indians and rangers, as their allies were called, might be there, or in its vicinity. 
 
 " When the party arrived at Williamsburgh, they found that the Indians had very re- 
 cently left the place, as the fires in their huts were still burning. The night was so far spent 
 when they got to the place of their destination, that the gallant Boyd, considering the fatigue 
 of his men, concluded to remain quietly where he was, near the village, sleeping upon their 
 arms, till the next morning, and then to despatch two messengers with a report to the camp 
 Accordingly, a little before daybreak, he sent two men to the main body of the army with 
 information that the enemy had not been discovered, but were supposed to be not far dis- 
 tant, from the fires they fouhd burning the evening before. 
 
 " After daylight, Lieut. Boyd and his men cautiously crept from the place of their con. 
 cealment, and upon getting a view of the village, discovered two Indians lurking about the 
 settlement. One of whom was immediately shot and scalped by one of the riflemen, by 
 the name of Murphy. Lieut. Boyd — supposing now that rf there were Indians near they 
 would be aroused by the report of the rifle, and possibly by a perception of what had just 
 taken place, the scalping of the Indian — thought it most prudent to retire and make his best 
 way back to the main army. They accordingly set out, and retraced the steps they had 
 taken the evening before. 
 
 " On their arriving within about one mile and a half of the main army, they were sur. 
 prised by the sudden appearance of a body of Indians, to the amount of five hundred, un. 
 der the command of Brant, and the same number of rangers, commanded by the infamous 
 Butler, who had secreted themselves in a ravine of considerable extent, which lay across 
 the track that Lieut. Boyd had pursued. These two leaders of the enemy had not lost 
 sight of the American army since their appalling defeat at the narrows above Newtown, 
 though they had not shown themselves till now. With what dismay they must have wit- 
 nessed the destruction of their towns and the fruits of their fields, that marked the progress 
 of our army ! They dare not, however, any more come in contact with the main army, 
 whatever should be the consequence of their forbearance. 
 
 " Lieut. Boyd and his Uttle heroic party, upon discovering the enemy, knowing that the 
 only chance for their escape would be by breaking through their hnes, an enterprise of 
 most desperate undertaking, made the bold attempt. As extraordinary as it may seem, the 
 first onset, though unsuccessful, was made without the loss of a man on the part of the 
 heroic band, though several of the enemy were killed. Two attempts more were made, 
 which were equally unsuccessful, and in which the whole party fell, excepting Lieut. Boyd 
 and eight others. Boyd and a soldier by the name of Parker, were taken prisoners on the 
 spot ; a part of the remainder fled, and a part fell on the ground apparently dead, and were 
 overlooked by the Indians, who were too much engaged in pursuing the fugitives to notice 
 those who fell. 
 
 " When Lieut. Boyd found himself a prisoner, he solicited an interview with Brant, 
 preferring, it seems, to throw himself upon the clemency and fidelity of the savage leader 
 of the enemy, rather than trust to his civilized colleague. The chief, who was at that mo. 
 ment near, immediately presented himself, when Lieut. Boyd, by one of those appeals and 
 tokens which are known only by those who have been initiated and insOucted in certain 
 mysteries, and which never fail to bring succor to a distressed brother, addressed him as the 
 only source from which he could expect respite from cruel punishment or death. The ap. 
 peal was recognised, and Brant immediately, and in the strongest language, assured him 
 that his life should be spared. 
 
 " Boyd and his fellow.prisoner were conducted immediately by a party of the Indians to 
 the Indian village called Beardstown, after a distinguished chief of that name, on the west 
 side of the Genesee river, and in what is now called Leicester. After their arrival at 
 Beardstown, Brant, being called on service which required a few hours' absence, left them 
 in the care of Col. Butler. The latter, as soon as Brandt had left them, commenced an in 
 terrogation, to obtain from the prisoners a statement of the nimiber, situation, and intentions 
 of the army under Sullivan ; and threatened ihem, in case they hesitated or prevaricated 
 in their answers, to deliver them up immediately to be massacred by the Indians ; who, in 
 Brant's absence, and with the encouragement of their more savage commander, Butler, 
 
 18 
 
138 
 
 LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 
 
 were ready to commit the greatest cruelties. Relying probably upon the promises which 
 Brant had made them, and which he most likely intended to fulfil, they refused to give 
 Butler the desired iuformatiou. Upon this refusal, burning with revenge, Butler hastened 
 to put his threat into execution. He delivered them to some of their most ferocious ene- 
 mies, among which the Indian chief Little Beard was distinguished for his inventive fe- 
 rocity, lu this, that was about to take place, as well as in all the other scenes of cruelty 
 that were perpetrated in his town. Little Beard was master of ceremonies. The stoutest 
 heart quails under the apprehension of immediate and certain torture and death ; where, 
 too, there is not an eye that pities, nor a heart that feels. The sufTering lieutenant was 
 first stripped of his clothing, and then tied to a sapling, when the Indians menaced his 
 life by throwing their tomahawks at the tree directly over his head, brandishing then 
 scalping-knives around him in the most frightful manner, and accompanying their cere- 
 monies with terrific shouts of joy. Having punished him sufiiciently ui this way, they 
 made a small opening in his abdomen, took out an intestine, which they tied to a sapling, 
 and then unbound him from the tree, and by scourges, drove him around it till he had 
 drawn out the whole of his intestines. He was then beheaded, and his head was stuck 
 upon a pole with a dog's head just above it, and his body left unburied upon the ground. 
 Throughout the whole of his sufieriugs, the brave Boyd neitlftr asked for mercy, nor ut- 
 tered a word of complaint 
 
 " Thus perished William Boyd, a young officer of heroic virtue and of rising talents ; 
 and in a manner that will touch the sympathies of all who read the story of his death. Hia 
 fellow-soldier, and fellow-sufferer, Parker, was obliged to witness this moving and tragical 
 scene, and in full expectation of passing the same ordeal. According, however, to our in- 
 formation, in relation to the death of these two men, which has been obtained incidentally 
 from the Indian account of it, corroborated by the discovery of the two bodies by the 
 American army, Parker was only beheaded. 
 
 Western view of Mount Morris village, Livingston county. 
 
 Mount Morris village, incorporated in 1835, is at the head of the 
 boat navigation on Genesee river, 36 miles S. of Rochester, and by 
 the Genesee valley canal 38i, from Geneseo SW. 6 miles. The site 
 is beautiful, being elevated above the fertile flats which border the 
 river. The annexed v\e^ was taken rear the residence of Mr. Jo- 
 seph Starkey. The three churches seen in front are respectively 
 the Episcopal, Baptist, and Methodist ; the spire on the kft is that of 
 the Presbyterian church. The hills in the distance are on the op- 
 posite side of the Genesee flats. The village contains about 150 
 dwellings. 
 
 Dansville, at the southern extremity of the county, 18 miles hiij. 
 
LONG ISLAND. 139 
 
 from Geneseo, 45 from Rochester, and 231 from Albany, is a flourish- 
 ing village of upwards of 200 dwellings, 4 churches, a bank, and an 
 academy. Within a circle of 6 miles there are about 60 saw-mills. 
 The Dansville Branch of the Genesee Valley Canal commences at 
 this place, and unites with the main canal about 11 miles distant. 
 Lima village is a scattered village of about 100 neat dwellings, and is 
 the seat of the Genesee Wesleyan University, a flourishing institution. 
 Avon, the seat of the medicinal springs, about 10 miles from Geneseo, 
 is a finely-situated village of about 90 dwellings. 
 
 LONG ISLAND. 
 
 " Long Island may be described as the southeasterly portion of the 
 state of New York, and extending from about 40° 34' to 41° 10' north 
 latitude, and from 2° 58° to 5° 3' east longitude from Washington 
 city ; being in length from Fort Hamilton, at the Narrows, to Mon- 
 tauk Point, nearly one hundred and forty miles, with a mean range 
 north, 80° 44' east. Its breadth from the Narrows, as far east as the 
 Peconic bay, varies from 12 to 20 miles in a distance of ninety miles." 
 A ridge or chain of hills commences at New Utrecht, in Kings county, 
 and extends with occasional interruptions to near Oyster Pond Point, 
 in Suff'olk county. The surface of the island north of the ridge is 
 in general rough and broken, while the surface south of the range is 
 almost a perfect plain, with scarce a stone exceeding in weight a few 
 ounces. 
 
 On the south side of the island is the gre^t South bay, extending 
 from Hempstead to the eastern boundary of Brookhaven — a distance 
 of more than seventy miles of uninterrupted inland navigation. It 
 varies in width from two to five miles, con)municating with the sea 
 by a few openings in the beach, the principal of which is opposite 
 the town of Islip, called Five Island Inlet. In this bay are very exten- 
 sive tracts of salt marsh, and islands of meadow furnishing immense 
 quantities of grass ; while its waters contain great quantities of shell 
 and scale fish. Wild-fowl of many kinds and in almost countless 
 numbers are found here, and many hundreds of people are engaged 
 in taking them for the New York markef. The north shore of the 
 island is very irregular, and where not protected by masses of rock 
 and stone, has been worn away by the sea to a considerable extent. 
 The soil on the north side generally consists of loam, on the south 
 side it consists more of sand, while through the middle of the island it 
 consists chiefly of sand and gravel. The soil on the high grounds is 
 in most cases better than that upon the plains, yet that found upon the 
 necks or points on both sides is better than either. The soil in the 
 vicinity of New York is highly productive and valuable, but in the 
 greater part of the island it is naturally light and poor. Much of the 
 land in the central part of the island is covered with a vast pine forest, 
 in which wild deer are still to be found. 
 
140 MADISON COUNTY. 
 
 Long Island was claimed by the Dutch and English nations re- 
 spectively by right of discovery. The Dutch commenced their set- 
 tlements as early as 1625, at the west end of the island. In 1623, 
 the Plymouth company, by order of Charles I., issued letters patent 
 to William Alexander, Earl of Stirling, for the whole of the island. 
 The English made settlements at the east end of the island, but they 
 were for a season resisted by the Dutch. The settlements, both at 
 the E. and W. end, were nearly cotemporary. In the Dutch towns, 
 the Indian title was bought by the governor, and the lands granted to 
 individuals by him ; in the English towns lands were obtained under 
 the license of the agent of Lord Stirling, and after his death, by the 
 people of the several towns for their common benefit. The line of 
 division between the two nations was a source of much contention and 
 many complaints. The several English towns united themselves with 
 the colonies of Connecticut and New Haven. After Connecticut re- 
 ceived her royal charter, in 1 662, she exercised jurisdiction, and gave 
 each of the towns who united with her, permission to send a deputy 
 to the general court. But before these measures could be fully com- 
 pleted, they were frustrated by the grant of Long Island to the Duke 
 of York. Long Island is divided into three counties — Kings, Queens, 
 Suffolk. 
 
 MADISON COUNTY. 
 
 Madison county was taken from Chenango county in 1806, and 
 named after James Madison, president of the United States. Great- 
 est length N. and S. 33, greatest breadth E. and W. 32 miles. Cen- 
 trally distant ffopi New York 250, from Albany 108 miles. The 
 surface of the county is much diversified. The middle and southern 
 towns are inore or less uneven and hilly ; but the northern is more 
 level. In the northern ])art much wheat is produced : the southern is 
 better adapted to grass. The county is generally well watered. The 
 route of the Chenango canal follows up the Oriskany, and crosses 
 thence into the Chenango valley. The Erie canal runs westerly 
 through fhe northern towns of Leijox and Sullivan. The county is 
 divided into 14 towns. 
 
 Brookfield, 
 
 Fenner, 
 
 Lenox, 
 
 Stockbridge, 
 
 Cazenovia, 
 
 Georgetown, 
 
 Madison, 
 
 Sullivan. 
 
 De Ruyter, 
 
 Hamilton, 
 
 Nelson, 
 
 
 Eaton, 
 
 Lebanon, 
 
 Smithfield, 
 
 
 Morrisville, the county seat, 102 mjles from Albany, and 15 S. of 
 the Erie canal, was founded in 1803, by Thopias Morris from Con- 
 necticut: The village consists of about 1 00 dwellings, the county 
 buildings, 3 chprches, and an academy. 
 
MADISON COUNTY. 
 
 141 
 
 Southwestern view of Cazenovia. 
 
 Cazenovia village was founded by Col. Linklaen, about 1795, and 
 incorporated in 1800. 
 
 It is situated upon the margin of Cazenovia lake and its outlet, and 
 upon Chittenango creek, 8 miles S. of the Erie canal, 11 from Mor- 
 risville, 40 from Utica, and 113 from Albany. The above engraving 
 is a SW. view of the village as seen from the bridge, at the outlet of 
 the lake. The village contains upwards of 200 dwellings, 1 Presby- 
 terian, 1 Methodist, 1 Baptist, and 1 Congregational church, a bank, 
 2 printing offices, and the " Oneida Conference Seminary," incorpo- 
 rated in 1825. This institution was established under the patronage 
 of the Methodist denomination, and has ever maintained a higli 
 standin<T. 
 
 Northern view of Hamilton village, Madison county. 
 
 Hamilton village is 8 miles SW. of Morrisville, 28 from Utica, and 
 06 from Albany ; it contains upwards of 300 dwelhngs, 1 Baptist, 1 
 
142 MADISON COUNTY. 
 
 Presbyterian, and 1 Methodist church, and a newspaper printing 
 office. The above engraving showrs the appearance of the village as 
 seen from a point near the burying-ground. The buildings of the 
 " Hamilton Literary and Theological Seminary" are seen on the ele 
 vated ground on the left. This institution was incorporated in 1819, and 
 commenced operations in 1820. The principal building, which was 
 erected in 1827, is of stone, 100 by 60 feet, 4 stories, containing -34 
 rooms for study, 34 lodging rooms, a reading room, library, and a 
 large chapel. Another large stone edifice, 100 feet by 60, was erect- 
 ed in 1834. There is a boarding-house, a joiner's shop, and a farm 
 of 130 acres belonging to the society. The regular course of studies 
 is six years ; four in the collegiate, and two in the theological depart- 
 ment. This seminary was established under the patronage of the 
 Baptists, and it is said to be the largest theological institution of that 
 denomination in the world. " The institution is open to young men 
 having the ministry in view from every denomination of evangelical 
 Christians." 
 
 De Ruyter village, 17 miles SW. of Morrisville, has about 75 
 dwellings, and the De Ruyter Institute, a literary seminary, established 
 under the patronage of the Seventh-day Baptists. Chittenango, 1 
 mile S. of the Erie canal, 2 from the railroad, 34 from Utica, is a vil- 
 lage of 100 dwellings, 3 churches, a large woollen factory, and several 
 other manufacturing establishments. Canastota on the line of the 
 Erie canal and railroad, has upwards of 100 dwellings, 3 churches, 
 and is an active place of business. 
 
 MONROE COUNTY. 
 
 Monroe county was taken from Ontario and Genesee in 1821. 
 Distant from New York by way of Albany NW. 365, and from 
 Albany W. 219 miles. Greatest length E. and W. 34, greatest 
 breadth N. and S. 24 miles. The surface is level, or gently wav- 
 ing. The mountain ridge, a high terrace of land nearly parallel with 
 Lake Ontario, extends across the county, as also the alluvial way, 
 supposed to have been formed by the action of the waters of that 
 lake at some former period. The soil is generally a rich mould and 
 very productive. " It is said that an analysis of the Genesee wheat, 
 for which this county is so celebrated, exhibits more saccharum than 
 that of the southern states ; whilst the latter combines with a larger 
 portion of water in the composition of bread. This may explain why 
 southern flour is more acceptable to the baker, and Genesee to the 
 consumer. It is common for extensive farmers to sow from 50 to 
 200 acres with wheat, and to reap an average crop of 20 bushels to 
 the acre. The product is sometimes 30, 40, and even 50 bushels to 
 the acre." The long level of the Erie canal continues 2| miles E. 
 of the Genesee river. In the towns of Rochester, Mendon, and Gates, 
 there are sulphur springs. " The towns of Parma, Ogden, Chili, Riga, 
 
MONROE COUNTY. 148 
 
 Gates, and Greece, E. of the Triangle, belonged to the great tract of 
 Phelps and Gorham, together with that portion of the county E. of 
 the Genesee river. Clarkson and Sweden, part of the Triangle, and 
 Wheatland, were of the tract purchased by Robert Morris from Mas- 
 sachusetts. Phelps and Gorham sold out Greece and Gates, in frac- 
 tional parts to settlers ; and Parma, Ogden, Riga, and Chili, in mass 
 to Robert Morris. The lands on the east side of the river were sold 
 by them in parcels, consisting of whole and parts of townships. The 
 county was settled chiefly by emigrants from New England, with a 
 few from Pennsylvania and the lower parts of New York." It con- 
 tains the city of Rochester and 19 towns, viz. : 
 
 Brighton, 
 
 Henrietta, 
 
 Penfield, ' ' 
 
 Rush, 
 
 Chili, 
 
 Irondequoit, 
 
 Perrinton, 
 
 Sweden, 
 
 Clarkson, 
 
 Mendon, 
 
 Pittsford, 
 
 Webster, 
 
 Gates, 
 
 Ogden, 
 
 Riga, 
 
 Wheatland- 
 
 Greece, 
 
 Parma, 
 
 Rochester, 
 
 
 Rochester, one of the most remarkable instances of a rapid and vig- 
 orous growth as a village or city in this country, is situated in lat. N. 
 43°, long. W. 40' ; distant from Albany 217 miles, Buffalo 73, Canan- 
 daigua 28, Batavia 33, S. from Lake Ontario 7, and 361 miles from 
 Washington. In the year 1810 there was not a house where Roch- 
 ester now stands. The first allotments for a village were made in 
 1812, when Nathaniel Rochester, Charles H. Carroll, and William 
 Fitzhugh, surveyed the hundred-acre tract for a settlement, under the 
 name of " Rochester," after the senior proprietor. This tract was a 
 " mill-lot," bestowed by Phelps and Gorham on a semi-savage called 
 Indian Allen, as a bonus for building mills to grind com and saw 
 boards for the few settlers in this region at the time. The mills de- 
 cayed, as the business of the country was insufficient to support them, 
 and Allen sold the property to Sir William Pulteney, whose estate 
 then included a large section of the " Genesee country." The sale 
 to Rochester, Fitzhugh, and Carroll, took place in 1802, at the rate 
 of $15.50 per acre, or $1,750 for the lot, with its "betterments." 
 Some of the land on the east side of the Genesee in Rochester, (the 
 hundred-acre tract being on the west side,) was sold by Phelps and 
 Gorham in 1790, for eighteen pence an acre. 
 
 The last war with Great Britain, which produced much distress in 
 this frontier region, impeded the progress of Rochester to such a de- 
 gree, that the population at the commencement of 1816 amounted to 
 only 331. By the opening of the Erie canal, Rochester became the 
 great thoroughfare between the seaboard and the inland waters. On 
 the incorporation of the village in 1817, about 750 acres were includ- 
 ed within its limits. The city charter, in 1834, extended the bounds 
 so as to embrace upwards of 4,000 acres. The staple product of the 
 fertile valley of the Genesee is wheat, remarkable for its quantity as 
 well as its quality. Its celebrity is increased by the skill with which 
 it is prepared for market. By the immense water-power formed by 
 the falls of the Genesee, Rochester is the largest as well as the best 
 
144 
 
 MONROE COUNTY. 
 
 flour manufactory in the world. There are now within the city 20 
 mills, (exclusive of grist-mills,) with nearly 100 runs of stone. These 
 mills are capable of manufacturing 5,000 barrels of Hour daily, and 
 when in full operation, require about 20,000 bushels of wheat daily. 
 About half a million barrels of flour are yearly manufactured. There 
 are 12 saw-mills, and various other establishments that use the water- 
 power, such as turning, stone-cutting, grinding dye-woods and bark. 
 There are 1 cotton and 3 woollen mills. Carpets, edge tools, and va- 
 rious other articles are here manufactured. The business portion of 
 the city is compactly built, and contains many splendid houses and 
 stores four stones high. The east and west portions of the city are 
 connected by several bridges, and by the great aqueduct of the Erie 
 canal, upwards of 800 feet long. There are about 2000 dwelling- 
 houses, the county buildings, 2 public markets, 6 banking houses, 5 
 Presbyterian, 2 Episcopal, 2 Baptist, 2 Methodist,2 Catholic, 2 Friends, 
 1 Covenanters, 1 Universalist, 1 Lutheran, and 1 Christian churches, 
 24 hotels and taverns, 6 newspapers, and numerous religious, benevo- 
 lent, and literary associations. Population in 1850 was 36,588. 
 
 Genesee Falls at Rochester. 
 
 The following is a view of the middle or main falls, as seen from 
 the east bank of the Genesee. The Rochester and Auburn railroad 
 bridge is viewed a few rods north of the falls. The perpendicular fall 
 of the water at this place is 96 feet ; towards the right of the engra- 
 ving is seen a small tabular projection from the general line of the 
 verge of the precipice. From this projection, in the fall of 1829, 
 Sam Patch took a last leap, and perished, not much unlike many oth- 
 ers before him, 
 
 " seeking the bubble reputation, even in the cannon's mouth." 
 
 The river below this fall is broad and deep, with occasional rapids 
 for a mile and a half to the Lower Falls, the first 25, the other 84 feet, 
 making a total descent of 109 feet in a few rods. Just below this place 
 
MONROE COUNTY. 145 
 
 Stood the celebrated Carthage bridge, remarkable in its fate as in its 
 construction. It was completed in February, 1819; it consisted of 
 an entire arch, the chord of which was 352 feet, and the versed sine 
 64 feet. Its entire length was 718 feet, and the width 30 ; the sum- 
 mit of the arch was 196 feet from the water. " The most lofty single 
 arch at present in Europe, is 116 feet less in length than this was, 
 and the arch not as high by 96 feet." This daring work stood but 
 one year and one day ; which latter period saved tlie builders from 
 loss, as they guarantied that the structure should endure for one year. 
 It contained about 70,000 feet of timber, running measure, besides 
 64,620 feel of board measure. " The immense weight of timber press- 
 ing unequally upon the arch, threw up the centre from its equilibrium, 
 and the whole tumbled into ruins." A port of entry was established 
 at what is now known as the harbor of Rochester, in 1805; when 
 Samuel Latta, residing at the junction of the river and lake, was ap- 
 pointed the first collector. The Rochester or Genesee revenue dis- 
 trict has a frontier of about 70 miles on Lake Ontario, extending 
 westward from Sodus bay, Wayne county. The port of Rochester, 
 at the Ontario steamboat landing, is situated at the north line of the 
 city, about five miles from the lake. The largest vessels on the lake 
 can ascend the river to this point. There are three railways for facili- 
 tating the business between the vessels and the warehouses on the 
 upper banks, which are here about 160 feet high. 
 
 Brockport village was incorporated in 1829. It is situated on the 
 Erie canal, 20 miles NW. from Rochester, and 239 from Albany. 
 The village consists of about 300 dwellings, some of them three and 
 four stories high, built of brick or freestone. The citizens have erect- 
 ed a noble stone building five stories high, for a collegiate institution, 
 at an expense of $25,000. Large quantities of wheat have been pur- 
 chased in this village for the Rochester mills ; 451,000 bushels were 
 bought here in 1835. The first buildings in the village were erected 
 in 1820. 
 
 Scottsville, on Allen's creek, 12 miles SW. from Rochester, near 
 Genesee river, contains several churches, and upwards of 100 dwell- 
 ings. The water-power here has been lately much improved by a 
 canal one mile in length, taken from the creek to the Genesee river, 
 by which a head of about 16 feet is obtained. Indian Allen, so called, 
 was the first settler at the mouth of the creek which goes by his 
 name. In the year 1800, Isaac Scott located himself where the vil- 
 lage is now built. From this pioneer of the wilderness the village 
 derives its name. There are within three miles of this place the re- 
 mains of four ancient fortifications. Trees have grown on these 
 mounds indicating a lapse of from four to five hundred years since 
 they were constructed. 
 
 Pittsford, on the line of the Erie canal, is a village of about 100 
 dwellings, 6 miles E. from Rochester, and was incorporated in 1827. 
 
 19 
 
146 
 
 MONTGOMERY COUNTY. 
 
 MONTGOMERY COUNTY. 
 
 Montgomery county was named after the lamented Gen. Montgom- 
 ery, who fell at the attack on Quebec, in the revolution. Its greatest 
 length is 34 E. and W., greatest breadth N. and S. 13 miles. It was 
 originally taken from Albany, and named in honor of William Tryon, 
 then governor of the provnice. Its name was changed in 1784. It 
 embraced all that part of the state lying west of a line running north 
 and south nearly through the centre of the present county of Schoharie. 
 It was divided into five districts — subdivided into precincts. The Mo- 
 hawk district included Fort Hunter, Caughnawaga, Johnstown, and 
 Kingsboro' ; Canajoharie district embraced the present town of that 
 name, with all the country southward, comprehending Cherry Valley, 
 of Otsego, and Harpersfield of Delaware counties ; Palatine district, 
 north of the Mohawk, extended over the region so called, and Stone 
 Arabia, &c. ; German Flats district and Kingsland covered the most 
 western settlements. The Erie canal crosses the county on the south 
 side of the Mohawk, and the Schenectady and Utica railroad on the 
 north side. The Erie canal passes the Schoharie creek through a 
 pond formed by a dam across the stream below. Its fall within this 
 county is 86 feet, by 12 locks. The county is divided into ten towns : 
 
 Amsterdam, Florida, Minden, St. Johnsville. 
 
 Canajoharie, Glenn, Palatine, 
 
 Charleston, Mohawk, Root, 
 
 East view of the Courthouse and Hotel in Fonda. 
 
 The above is an engraving of the courthouse and hotel recently 
 erected in the new village of Fonda. The railroad passes between 
 these two buildings. The central part of the village of Caughnawaga 
 is about half a mile eastward of the courthouse, and consists of about 
 30 dwelling-houses, on the north side of the Mohawk, 40 miles from 
 Albany, and 4 miles S. from Johnstown. The village occupies the site 
 of an ancient Indian village, one of the principal towns of the Mohawk 
 tribe. 
 
MONTGOMERY COUNTY. 
 
 147 
 
 The annexed is a representation of 
 the ancient Dutch church in Caughna- 
 waga. It is a massive stone structure, 
 and is beheved to have been erected in 
 1763. The following is a copy of the 
 inscription on the stone tablet which 
 was formerly placed over the door : 
 
 " Komt lactt ons op gaen tot den 
 Bergh des Heeren, to den huyse des 
 Godes Jacobs, op dat hy ons leere van 
 syne wegen, en dat wy wandele in 
 syne paden." 
 
 [" Come ye, and let H9 gp up to the mountain 
 of the Lord ; to the house of the God of Jacob, 
 and he will lf"ach us his ways, and we will walk 
 in hie paths."] 
 
 Ancient Church, Mohawk. 
 
 Southern view of Sir Guy Johnson's house, Amsterdam. 
 
 Amsterdam village, incorporated in 1830, upon the Mohawk river 
 and turnpike and Ulica railroad, 16 miles W. of Schenectady, contains 
 4 churches, an academy, a female seminary, a banking-house, and 
 many manufacturing establishments, and about 1700 iiihabitanls. The 
 Erie canal is on the south side of the river, over which there is a com- 
 modious briilge. 
 
 The above shows the appearance of the mansion house of Colonel 
 Guy Johnson, as seen from the opposite side of the river. It is built 
 of stone, on the north bank of the Mohawk, about a mile from Amster- 
 dam village. The western railroad now passes a few rods north, and 
 in front. It is a beautiful situation, and was formerly called " Guy 
 Park." The house occupied by Sir John Johnson is further to the 
 west, on the opposite side of the road. These men lived here essen- 
 tially m the rank and splendor of noblemen, till their possessions were 
 confiscated by the state for their adherence to the British cause. Sir 
 John was not as popular as his father. Sir W;!!:am Johnson, being less 
 
148 
 
 MONTGOMERY COUNTY. 
 
 social and less acquainted with human nature. He accompanied his 
 father on some of his military expeditions, and probably saw considera- 
 ble service. After his flight from Johnstown to Canada, he, in the 
 month of January, 1777, found his way into New York, then in pos- 
 session of the British troops. " From that period he became not only 
 one of the most active, but one of the bitterest foes of his own coun- 
 trymen of any who were engaged in the war, and repeatedly the scourge 
 of his own former neighbors. He was unquestionably a loyalist from 
 principle, else he would scarcely have hazarded, as he did, and ulti- 
 mately lost, domains larger and fairer than probably ever belonged to a 
 single proprietor in America, William Penn only excepted." 
 
 After the flight of Sir John from Johnson Hall, [see Fulton co.,] 
 lady Johnson, his wife, was removed to Albany, where she was re- 
 tained as a kind of hostage for the good conduct of her husband. " She 
 wrote to Gen. Washington complaming of this detention, and asking 
 his interference for her relief; but the commander-in-chief left the 
 matter with Gen. Schuyler and the Albany committee. After the con- 
 fiscation of the property of Sir John, tiie furniture of the hall was sold 
 at auction at Fort Hunter. The late lieutenant-governor of New York, 
 John Taylor, purchased several articles of the furniture ; and among 
 other things, the Bible mentioned in the text. Perceiving that it con- 
 tained the family record, which might be of great value to Sir John, 
 Mr. Taylor wrote a civil note to Sir John, offering its restoration. 
 Some time afterward a messenger from the baronet called for the Bi- 
 ble, whose conduct was so rude as to give offence. ' I have come for 
 Sir William's Bible,' said he, ' and there are four guineas which it 
 cost.' The Bible was delivered, and the runner was asked what mes- 
 sage Sir John had sent. The reply was, ' Pay four guineas and take 
 the book !'" — Stone'' s Life of Brant. 
 
 Eastern view of Canajoharie. 
 
 The village of Canajoharie was incorporated in 1829. It is situa- 
 ted ^\ the ponfliience of Bowman's preek with the Mohawk, and on the 
 
MONTGOMERY COUNTY. 149 
 
 Erie canal, 55 miles from Albany. It consists of about 100 houses, a 
 Lutheran church, and an academy. The Radii, a newspaper, edited 
 and printed by Mr. L. S. Backus, a deaf and dumb person, is published 
 in this place. " The Canajoharie and Palatine manufacturing com- 
 pany" was incorporated in 1833. The accompanying engraving shows 
 the appearance of the village as viewed from the elevated bank of the 
 Mohawk, a lew rods from the bridge seen passing over the river, con- 
 necting the village of Palatine Bridge with Canajoharie. 
 
 In the spring of 1780, the Indians again made their appearance in 
 the Mohawk valley. Gen. Clinton hearing of their movements, sent 
 orders to Col. Gansevoort, on the 6lh of June, to repair to Fort Plank 
 with his regiment, to take .charge of a quantity of stores destined for 
 Fort Schuyler. These stores were to be transported in batteaux, 
 and carefully guarded the whole distance. Joseph Brant, the cele- 
 brated chieftain, at the head of four or five hundred Indians, was in 
 the vicinity, and he artfully caused a rumor to be circulated that he 
 intended to capture the batteaux, in order to divert attention from 
 other points of attack. This artifice proved too successful ; the mili- 
 tia of the lower section of the county were drawn off to guard the 
 convoy. Brant now made a circuit through the woods, and coming in 
 the rear of them, laid waste the whole country around Canajoharie. 
 On the first approach of Brant in Canajoharie a few miles eastwardly 
 of the fort, the alarm was given by a woman, who fired a cannon for 
 that purpose. The following account of this incursion is given by 
 Col. Samuel Clyde, in a letter to Gov. George Clinton, dated at Can- 
 ajoharie, Aug. 6,' 1780 : — 
 
 " I here send you an account of the fate of onr district. On the second day of this 
 instant, Joseph Brant, at the bead of about four or five hundred Indians and tories, broke 
 in upon the settlements, and laid the best part of the district in ashes, and killed sixteen 
 of the inhabitants that we have found ; took between fifty and sixty prisoners, mostly 
 women and children, twelve of whom they have sent back. They have killed and drove 
 away with them upwards of three hundred head of cattle and horses ; have burnt fifty- 
 three dwelling-houses, besides some out-houses, and as many bams, one very elegant 
 church, and one grist-mill, and two small forts that the women fled out of. They liave 
 burnt all the inhabitants' weapons and implements for husbandry, so that they are left in 
 a miserable condition. They have nothing left to support themselves but what grain they 
 have growing, and that they cannot get saved for want of tools to work with, and very 
 few to be got here. 
 
 " This affair happened at a very unfortunate hour, when all the militia of the county 
 were called up to Fort Schuyler to guard nine batteaux about half laden. It was said 
 the enemy intended to take them on their passing to Fort Schuyler. There was scarce 
 a man left that was able to go. It seems that every thing conspired for our destruction 
 in this quarter ; one whole district almost destroyed, and the best regiment of militia in 
 the couuty rendered unable to help themselves or the public. This I refer you to Gen. 
 Rensselaer for the truth of. 
 
 " This spring, when we found that we were not likely to get any assistance, and knew 
 that we were not able to withstand the enemy, we were obliged to work and build our- 
 selves forts for our defence, which we had nearly completed, and could have had our lives 
 and elFncts secure, had we got liberty to have made use of them. But that must not be, 
 we must turn out of them ; not that we have any thing against assisting the general to 
 open the communication to Fort Schuyler, but still doubted what has happened while we 
 were gone. But it was still insisted on, that there was no danger when we were all out ; 
 that in my opinion there never has been such a blunder committed in the county since the 
 '.var commenced, nor the militia so much put out ; and to send generals here without men, 
 IB like sending a man to the woods to chop without an axe. I am sensible had the general 
 
p.^^^ 
 
 
 150 MONTGOMERY COUNTY. 
 
 had sufHcient men, that he would have been able to have given satisfaction both to the 
 public and inhabitants here." 
 
 The parents of Joseph Brant, the celebrated Mohawk chieftain, re- 
 sided at the Canajoharie castle, the central of the three castles of the 
 Mohawks, in their native valley. He appears to have been born in 
 the year 1742, on the banks of the Ohio, while his parents were on a 
 
 hunting excursion in that part of 
 the country.* In July, 1761, he 
 was sent, by Sir William John- 
 son, to the " Moor's Charity 
 school," at Lebanon, Connecti- 
 cut, established by the Rev. Dr. 
 Fa^.iM,.fBra^:.ip^tur,. Whcclock, which was afterward 
 
 removed to Dartmouth, and became the foundation of Dartmouth Col- 
 lege. The following mention of him is made in the memoirs of that 
 gentleman : — 
 
 " Sir William Johnson, superintendent of Indian affairs in North 
 America, was very friendly to the design of Mr. Wheelock, and, at 
 his request, sent to the school, at various times, several boys of the 
 Mohawks to be instructed. One of them was the since celebrated 
 Joseph Brant ; who, after receiving his education, was particularly 
 noticed by Sir William Johnson, and employed by him in public busi- 
 ness. He has been very useful in advancing the civilization of his 
 countrymen, and for a long time past has been a military officer of 
 extensive influence among the Indians in Upper Canada." 
 
 In confirmation of these statements it may be added, that he trans- 
 lated into the Mohawk language the gospel of St. Mark, and assisted 
 the Rev. Mr. Stewart, the Episcopal missionary, in translating a num- 
 ber of religious works into the Indian tongue. Brant being a neigh- 
 bor, and under the influence of the Johnson family, he took up arms 
 against the Americans in the revolutionary contest. " Combining the 
 natural sagacity of the Indian with the skill and science of the civil- 
 ized man, he was a formidable foe. He was a dreadful terror to the 
 frontiers. His passions were strong. In his intercourse he was affa- 
 ble and polite, and communicated freely relative to his conduct. He 
 often said that during the weur he had killed but one man in cold blood, 
 and that act he ever after regretted. He said, he had taken a man 
 prisoner, and was examining him ; the prisoner hesitated, and as he 
 thought, equivocated. Enraged at what he considered obstinacy, he 
 struck him down. It turned out that the man's apparent obstinacy 
 arose from a natural hesitancy of speech. 
 
 " In person, Brant was about the middling size, of a square, stout 
 build, fitted rather for enduring hardships than for quick movements. 
 
 * The Indian name of Brant was T/iaymdanegea, a word signifying, it is said, two- 
 aticka-of-wmd-bound-together, denoting strength. The life of Brant, in two octavo vol- 
 umes, has been recently written by the late William L. Stone, Esq., editor of the Com- 
 mercial Advertiser, New York. This valuable and highly interesting work is one of great 
 research, and embraces a full history of the border wars of the revolution, and much 
 other matter connected with Indian history. 
 
MONTGOMERY COUNTY. 151 
 
 His complexion was lighter than that of most of the Indians, which 
 resulted, perhaps, from his less exposed manner of living. This cir- 
 cumstance, probably, gave rise to a statement, which has been often 
 repeated, that he was of mixed origin. He was married in the winter 
 of 1779 to a daughter of Col. Croghan by an Indian woman. The 
 circumstances of his marriage are somewhat singular. He was pres- 
 ent at the wedding of Miss Moore from Cherry Valley, who had been 
 carried away a prisoner, and who married an officer of the garrison at 
 Fort Niagara. 
 
 " Brant had lived with his wife for some time previous, according to 
 the Indian custom, without marriage ; but now insisted that the mar- 
 riage ceremony should be performed. This was accordingly done by 
 Col. Butler, who was still considered a magistrate. After the war 
 he removed, with his nation, to Canada. There he was employed in 
 transacting important business for his tribe. He went out to England 
 after the war, and was honorably received there. He died about ten 
 or fifteen years since, at Branlford, Haldiman county. Upper Canada, 
 where his family now reside. One of his sons, a very intelligent man, 
 has been relumed to the Colonial Assembly." 
 
 The following is an account of the taking of the three Mohawk cas- 
 tles, which were situated in this vicinity, by the French and Indians, 
 in the early settlement of the country. It is drawn from Colden's His- 
 tory of the Six Nations. 
 
 In January, 1692-3, a large body of French and Indians, amount- 
 ing to six or seven hundred, started on an expedition from Canada, for 
 the purpose of punishing the Five Nations, who had the previous sum- 
 mer carried the war into Canada, and in small parties had ravaged 
 the whole country. Count de Frontenac chose the winter season 
 for this incursion, when the enemy could not, without great hardship, 
 keep scouts abroad to discover them, or their allies, the English, give 
 assistance. 
 
 On the 15th of January, they set out from la Prairie de Magda- 
 leine, and endured innumerable hardships. The ground was at that 
 time covered with a deep snow, and the foremost, marching on snow- 
 shoes, beat a track for those which followed. At night the army was 
 accustomed to divide itself into small groups, and each party to dig 
 a hole in the snow, throwing up the snow all around, but highest to- 
 wards that side from whence the wind blew. The ground was then 
 covered with the small branches of fir-trees, and each man, wrapped 
 in his cloak, with his feet pointed towards a fire in the centre, would 
 thus pass the night. 
 
 They passed by Schenectady on the 8th of February. The two 
 first forts of the Mohawks being in the neighborhood of the EngUsh 
 settlements, were not fortified, and were therefore easily taken. At 
 the last Mohawk fort, which was strongly garrisoned, they met with 
 considerable resistance, and the French lost thirty men before the In- 
 dians submitted. The Indians at Schenectady having obtained infor- 
 mation of the capture of their castles, sent to Albany for assistance 
 
152 
 
 MONTGOMERY COUNTY. 
 
 to pursue the enemy. Col. Peter Schuyler, with a body of militia, 
 regulars, and Indians, pursued the enemy on their retreat, and had a 
 severe skirmish with them. On the 20th, Col. Schuyler was obliged 
 to give up the pursuit, the weather being very cold, and provisions 
 scarce. Schuyler lost only 8 men killed and 14 wounded. The 
 French lost 59 men in killed and wounded, besides several by desertion. 
 
 The French arrived at their settlements in a state of starvation, 
 having been obliged to eat their shoes on their march. 
 
 The village of Fort Plain is situated on the Mohawk river and Erie 
 canal, 15 miles from Fonda, 12 miles from Cherry Valley, 22 from 
 Cooperstown, and 60 from Albany : it consists of about 80 houses, 2 
 churches, a banking house, printing office, and a number of mills. 
 
 Ancient Blockhouse, Fort Plain. 
 
 The above is said to be a correct representation. of Fort Plain, from 
 which the village derives its name. 
 
 " The fort was situated on the brow of the hill, about half a mile nortliwest of the vil- 
 la;Te. so as to commaud a full view of the valley, and the rise of the ground, for several 
 miles iu any direction ; and hence it doubtless derived its name, because its beautiful loca- 
 tion commanded a * plain' view of the surrounding country. It was erected by the gov- 
 ernment, as a fortress, and place of retreat and safety for the inhabitants and families in 
 case of incursions from the Indians, who were then, and, indeed, more or less during the 
 whole revolutionary war, infesting the settlements of this whole region. Its form was an 
 octagon, having port-holes for heavy ordnance and muskets on every side. It contained 
 three stories or apartments. The first story was thirty feet in diameter ; the second, forty 
 feet ; the third, fifty feet ; the last two stories projecting five feet, as represented by the 
 drawing aforesaid. It was constructed throughout of hewn timber about fifteen inches 
 square ; and, besides the port-holes aforesaid, the second and third stories had perpendicu- 
 lar port-holes through those parts that projected, so as to afford the regulars and militia, or 
 settlers garrisoned in the fort, annoying facilities of defence for themselves, wives, and 
 children, in case of close assault from the relentless savage. Whenever scouts came- in 
 with tidings that a hostile party was approaching, a cannon was fired from the fort as a 
 signal to tlee to it for safety. 
 
 " In the early part of the war there was built, by the inhabitants probably, at or near 
 the site oi the one above described, a fortification, of materials and construction that ill com- 
 ported with the use and purposes for which it was intended. This induced government to 
 erect another, (Fort Plain,) under the superintendence of an experienced French engineer. 
 As a piece of architecture, it was well wrought and neatly finished, and surpassed all the 
 forts in that region. Aft^T the termination of the revolutionary' war, Fort Plain was used 
 for BOme years as a deposile of military stores, under the direction of Captain B. Hudson 
 These stores were finally ordered by the United Status government to be removed to Al- 
 
MONTGOMERY COUNTY. 153 
 
 bany. The fort is demolished. Nothing of it remains except a circnmvallation or trench, 
 which, although nearly obliterated by the plough, still indicates to the curious traveller 
 sufficient evidence of a fortification in days by-gone." — Fort Plain Journal, Dec. 26, 1837. 
 
 Hendrick, a celebrated Indian chieftain, lived in this town. He is 
 sometimes called old King Hendrick, and the great Hendrick. 
 
 " ' The site of his house,' says Dr. Dwight, ' is a handsome elevation, commanding a 
 considerable prospect of the neighboring country. It will be sufficient to observe here, 
 that for capacity, bravery, vigor of mind, and immoveable integrity united, he excelled all 
 the aboriginal inhabitants of the United States of whom any knowledge has come down to 
 the present time. A gentleman of very respectable character, who was present at a coun- 
 cil held with the Six Nations, by the governor of New York, and several agents of distinc- 
 tion from New England, informed me that his figure and countenance were singularly im- 
 pressive and commanding ; that his eloquence was of the same superior character, and that 
 he appeared as if bom to control other men, and possessed an air of majesty unrivalled 
 within his knowledge.' In the French wars he led forth his Mohawk warriors and fought 
 side by side with Sir William Johnson. Through sill the intrigues of the French he re- 
 mained faithful to his alliance." 
 
 Fultonville, on the canal, 1 mile S. from Fonda, 57 miles from Al- 
 bany, is a village of about 60 dwellings. St. Johnsville, 77 miles from 
 Albany, on the line of the railroad, has about 40 dwellings. Stone 
 Arabia, a small village 3 miles N. of Canajoharie, is the place where 
 a small stockade was erected during the revolutionary war, called Fort 
 Paris. When Sir John Johnson was ravaging the valley of the Mo- 
 hawk, in 1780, this fort was in command of Col. Brown, with a gar- 
 rison of one hundred and thirty men. Gen. Van Rensselaer, who 
 was pursuing Sir John up the valley, having received information that 
 he intended to attack Fort Paris on the 19th of Oct., despatched or- 
 ders to Col. Brown to march out and check his advance, while he fell 
 upon his rear. Col. Brown accordingly sallied forth, and gave Sir 
 John battle near the site of a former work, called Fort Keyser. Van 
 Rensselaer having failed to advance at the appointed time. Brown's 
 force was too feeble to check the progress of the enemy. Col. Brown 
 fell gallantly at the head of his little division, of which from forty to 
 forty-five were also slain, and the remainder sought safety in flight.* 
 
 * Colonel Brown was a brave soldier of high moral worth. He was early in the service, 
 and was engaged in the disastrous campaign in Canada. Col. Stone, in his Life of Brant, 
 states that Col. Brown detected, or believed he detected, a design on the part of Gen. Ar- 
 nold to play the traitor when the American army was at Sorel, by an attempt to run off 
 with the American flotilla and sell out to Sir Guy Carleton. During the winter of 1776-7, 
 while Arnold and many other officers were quartered in Albany, a difficulty arose between 
 him and Col. Brown. The latter published a handbill severely reflecting on Arnold, and 
 concluded with these remarkable words — " Money is this man's God, and to get enough 
 of it he would sacrifice his country." This publication produced quite a sensation among 
 the officers. Arnold was greatly excited ; he applied a variety of coarse and harsh epithets 
 to Col. Brown, calling him a scoundrel, and threatened to kick him wherever he should 
 meet him. This coming to the ears of the latter, he proceeded to the dining place of Ar- 
 nold, where a company of officers were assembled ; going directly up to Arnold, he stopped, 
 and looked him in the eye. After a pause of a moment, he observed : " / understand, sir, 
 that you have said you would kick me ; I now present myself to give you an opportunity 
 to put your threat into execution .'" Another brief pause ensued. Arnold opened not his 
 lips. Brown then said to him — " Sir, you are a dirty scoundrel .'" Arnold still remained 
 silent. Col. Brown, after apologizing to the gentlemen present for his intrusion, left the 
 room. Arnold appears to have kept an unbroken silence on this occasion, which can only 
 be accounted for on the supposition that he feared to provoke inquiry on the charges of 
 Col. Brown. A monument to the memory of CoL Brown has recently been erected by 
 his son, at Stone Arabia. 
 
 20 
 
154 
 
 NEW YORK COUNTY. 
 
 NEW YORK COUNTY. 
 
 The county and city of New York are of the same extent, com- 
 prising the whole of New York, or Manhattan Island, about 14^ miles 
 long, varying from half a mile to two miles in width ; area 21 1 square 
 miles, or 13,920 acres. It is bounded on the north and east by Haer- 
 lem and East rivers, south and west by the Hudson, or by New York 
 bay and the state of New Jersey. The legal subdivisions of the county 
 and city are the wards, 19 in number, of various extent, according to 
 local convenience. Agreeably to the charter of New York, its jurisdic- 
 tion extends to the lands under the adjoining waters as far as to low- 
 water mark on the opposite sides. The compact part of the city is at 
 the southern part of the island, and covers about one-sixth part of its 
 surface. Its latitude and longitude, reckoned from the City Hall, were 
 determined in 1817, by order of the corporation, as follows : N. lat. 
 40° 42' 43" ; W. long, from Greenwich, England, 73° 59' 46", and E. 
 long, from the city of Washington 3° 1' 13". 
 
 " The number of buildings in the compact part of the city of New York is 33,116 ; of 
 which there are used as breweries, distilleries, tanneries, and the like, 46 ; as dwelling 
 housea exclusively, 16,458 ; as dwellings with shops, 6,614; as stores and offices exclu- 
 sively, 3,855 ; as taverns and private boarding-houses, 736 ; as baths, 9 ; as factories, with 
 engines equal to 1100 horee-power, 74 ; as large factories, with labor-saving power, 172 ; 
 as private stables, 2,603 ; as livery stables, 137 ; as dairy stables, 57 ; miscellaneous, 1,355. 
 
 " The valuation of real estate in the city, as corrected by the board of supervisors in 
 1840, is $187,222,714 ; and of personal estate, $65,013,801. Aggregate, $252,235,515. 
 
 " Brom 1810 to 1841, the corporation has expended for opening, widening, and improv- 
 ing streets, &c., $6,275,317. 
 
 " The total amount derived from the city, by the state, from auction duties, from 1816 
 to 1840, inclusive, is $4,249,527. 
 
 " The receipts into the general treasury during the year 1840, from the ordinary reve- 
 nues of the city, from the negotiation of its stocks, and from the management of its ' trust 
 accounts,' including the cash on hand at the commencement of the year, amounted to 
 $6,004,610 12. 
 
 " The amount of warrants drawn upon the Treasurer, for the ordinary expenses of the 
 city government, the payment of its pre-existing debts, for its disbursements on the public 
 works, and on its ' trust accounts,' including the warranto outstanding at the commence- 
 ment of the year, amounted to $6,007,260 S4; from which is to be deducted the warrants 
 outstanding and unclaimed at the close of the year, amounting to $176,829 50. The te- 
 Bult showing the actual amount paid by the Treasurer, during the year, to be $5,830,431 
 04 ; and the cash balance in the treasury January 1st, 1841, to be $174,179 08." 
 
 Population of the itveral Wards in the city of New York in 1845 and 1850. 
 
 
 1850. 
 
 1845. 
 
 
 1850. 
 
 1845. 
 
 l«t ward, 
 
 19,755 
 
 12,230 
 
 11th ward. 
 
 43,772 
 
 27,259 
 
 Sd ward. 
 
 6.616 
 
 6,962 
 
 12th ward. 
 
 10,453 
 
 13378 
 
 3d ward. 
 
 10,356 
 
 12,900 
 
 13th ward. 
 
 28,244 
 
 22,411 
 
 4th ward. 
 
 23^50 
 
 21,000 
 
 14th ward. 
 
 25,206 
 
 21,103 
 
 5th ward, 
 
 22,691 
 
 20,263 
 
 15ih ward. 
 
 22,564 
 
 19,432 
 
 6th ward. 
 
 24,699 
 
 19,343 
 
 16th ward. 
 
 52,887 
 
 40,337 
 
 7th ward. 
 
 32,697 
 
 25,502 
 
 17tb ward. 
 
 43,780 
 
 27,147 
 
 8th ward. 
 
 34,413 
 
 36,846 
 
 18th ward. 
 
 41 ,357 
 
 
 9th ward. 
 
 40,675 
 
 30,907 
 
 19th ward, 
 
 18,463 
 
 
 lOtb ward, 
 
 23,316 
 
 20 993 
 
 
 51534 
 
 371.102 
 
NEW YOEK COUNTY. 
 
 155 
 
 The bay of New York spreads to the southward, and is about 8 
 miles long, and from 1^ to 5j broad. It is one of the finest harbors 
 in the world, generally open for vessels at all seasons of the year, 
 but is, at rare intervals, obstructed for a few days in very severe 
 winters by ice. The currents in the bay are rapid and strong, cir- 
 cumstances that are of great importance in keeping the port of New 
 York open, while others further to the south are obstructed by frost. 
 The usual tides at New York are about six feet, and the depth of 
 water sufficient for the largest ships. The bay contains Governor's, 
 Bedlow's, and Ellis' islands, upon which are strong fortifications 
 guarding the approach to the city. There are also fortifications on 
 Long and Staten islands, commanding the narrows. 
 
 Stadt Huys, built 1642 — razed 1700. 
 
 New York derives its origin from the colonizing and commercial 
 spirit of the Hollanders, and the general spirit of adventure which 
 prevailed among the maritime nations of Europe after the discovery 
 of the western continent by Columbus. The Dutch immediately 
 after the discovery of Hudson in 1609, began to avail themselves of 
 the advantages which his discoveries presented to their view. In 
 1614 or 1615, a kind of fort and trading-house was erected on the 
 southwest point of Manhattan or New York Island, which was named 
 New Amsterdam. In 1614, an expedition from South Virginia, under 
 Capt. Argal, was sent out by Sir Thomas Dale, and took possession 
 of New Amsterdam. At that time there were only four houses out- 
 side of the fort. But an arrangement was soon after made with the 
 English government, by which the Dutch remained in possession of 
 Manhattan Island, and of the trade of the neighboring country for 
 fifty years. 
 
 The above is a representation of the ancient " Stadt Huys,'' or 
 City Hall, which was built early in the Dutch dynasty, in 1642. It 
 was built of stone at the head of Coenties slip, facing Pearl-street. 
 About the year 1700, it became so weakened and impaired, that it was 
 sold, and a new one erected by the head of Broad-street, which was 
 afterward the Congress Hall, on the corner of Wall-street. 
 
156 
 
 NEW YORK COUNTY. 
 
 The city was laid out in streets, some of them crooked enough, in 
 1656. It then contained by enumeration ' 120 houses, with extensive 
 garden lots,' and 1000 inhabitants. In 1677 another estimate of the 
 city was made, and ascertained to contain-'i 368 houses. In the 
 year 1674, an assessment of ' the most wealthy inhabitants' having 
 been made, it was found that the sum total of 134 estates amounted 
 to £95,000. 
 
 Nieuw Amsterdam, in 1659. 
 
 [ A, the fbrL B, the church. C, the wind-mill. D, the flag, which is hoisted when vessels arrive in port 
 C, the prison. F, the house of the general. G, the place of execution. H, Uie place of expose or piUory.] 
 
 During the military rule of Governor Colve, who held the city for 
 one year for the states of Holland, after its re-capture from the British, 
 every thing partook of a military character, and the laws still in 
 preservation at Albany show the energy of a rigorous 'discipline. 
 Then the Dutch mayor, at the head of the city militia, held his daily 
 parades before the City Hall, (Stadt Huys,) then at Coenties slip ; and 
 every evening at sunset, he received from the principal guard of the 
 fort, called the hoofd-wagt, the keys of the city, and thereupon pro- 
 ceeded with a guard of six to lock the city gates ; then to place a 
 Burger-wagt — a citizen-guard — as night-watches at assigned places. 
 The same mayors also went the rounds at sunrise to open the gates, 
 and to restore the keys to the officer of the fort. All this was surely 
 a toilsome service for the domestic habits of the peaceful citizens of 
 that day, and must have presented an irksome honor to any mayor 
 who loved his comfort and repose. 
 
 " It may amuse some of the present generation, so little used to Dutch names, to learn 
 some of tiie titles once so familiar in New York, and now so little understood. Such as — 
 De Heer Officier, or Hoofd-Schout — High.Sheriff. De Fiscael, or Procureur Gen. — Attor 
 ney General. Wees-Meesters — Guardians of orphans. Jioy-Meesters — Regulators of 
 fences. Grooi Burgerrecht and Klein Burgerrecht — The great and small citizenship, 
 which then marked the two orders of society. Eyck-Meester — The Weigh Master. The 
 Schout, (the Sheriff.) Bourgomastera and Schepe-ns then ruled the city ' as in all cities of 
 the Fatherlaad.' Geheim Schryver — Recorder of secreta." — WaisQn'» Olden Times, 
 New York. 
 
lit! 
 
NEW YORK COUNTY. 157 
 
 The preceding cut shows the principal building standing on the 
 present site of the city of New York in 1659. The following de- 
 scription of New York at about that period, is copied from " Ogilby's 
 America," a large folio volume illustrated by engravings, published in 
 London in 1671. This work contains a view of Novum Amsteroda- 
 mum, (as it is called,) similar to the engraving from which the annexed 
 cut is copied. 
 
 " It is placed upon the neck of the Island Manhatana looking towards the Sea ; encom. 
 pass'd with Hudson's River, which is six Miles broad, the town is compact and oval, with 
 very fair streets and several good Houses ; the rest are built much after the manner of 
 Holland, to the number of about four hundred Houses, which in those parts are held con. 
 siderable : Upon one side of the Town is James-Fort, capable to lodge three hundred soul- 
 diers and Officers ; it hath four bastions, forty Pieces of Cannon mounted ; the Walls of 
 Stone, lined with a thick Rampart of Earth, well accommodated with a spring of Fresh 
 Water, always fumish'd with Arms and Ammunition against Accidents : Distant from the 
 Sea seven Leagues, it affords a safe entrance, even to unskilfiil Pilots ; under the Town 
 side, ships of any burthen may ride secure against any Storms ; the Current of the River 
 being broken by the interposition of a small Island, which lies a mile distant from the Town. 
 
 " About ten Miles from New York is a place call'd Hell Gate, which being a narrow pas- 
 sage, there runneth a violent Stream both upon Flood and Ebb ; and in the middle lie some 
 Rocky Islands, which the Current sets so violently upon, that it threatens present Ship- 
 wrack ; and upon the Flood is a large Whirlwind, which continually sends forth a hideous 
 roaring ; enough to affright any Stranger from passing farther ; and to wait for some Charon 
 to conduct him through ; yet to those who are acquainted little or no danger : It is a place 
 of great Defence against any Enemy coming in that way, which a small Fortification would 
 absolutely prevent, and necessitate them to come in at the West End of Long Island by 
 Sandy Hook, where Statten Island forces them within the Command of the Fort at New 
 York, which is one of the best Pieces of Defence in the North parts of America. It is 
 built most of Brick and Stone and cover'd with Red and Black Tyle, and the Land being 
 high, it gives at a distance a most pleasing prospect to the Spectators. The inhabitants 
 consist most of English and Dutch, and have a considerable trade with Indians for Beaver, 
 Otter and Rackoon Skins.with other Furrs ; as also for Bear, Deer, and Elke-Skins ; and 
 are supply'd with Venison and Fowl in the winter, and Fish in the Summer by the Indians, 
 which they buy at an easie Rate ; and having the Countrey round about them, and are 
 continually fumish'd with all such provisions as are needful for the Life of Man, not onely 
 by the English and Dutch within their own, but Ukevrise by the adjacent Colonies. 
 
 " The Manhattans, or Great River being the chiefest, having with two wide Mouths 
 wash'd the mighty Island Watonwaks, falls into the Ocean. The Southern Mouth is call'd 
 Port May, or Godyns Bay. In the njiddle thereof lies an Island call'd ' The States Island ; 
 and a httle higher the Manhattans, so call'd from the Natives which on the East side of the 
 River dwell on the Main Continent. They are a cruel people, and enemies to the Holland, 
 ders, as also of the Sarhians which reside on the Western Shore. Farther up are the 
 Maekwaes and Mahikans which continually War, one against another. In like manner 
 all the Inhabitants on the West Side of the River Manhattan, are commonly at enmity 
 with those that possess the Eastern Shore ; who also us'd to be at variance with the Hoi. 
 landers, when as the other People at the Westward kept good correspondency with them. 
 On a small Island near the Shore of the Maekwaes, lay formerly a Fort, provided with two 
 Drakes and eleven Stone Guns, yet was at last deserted." 
 
 " The settlement and fort continued to bear the name of Nieuw 
 Amsterdam, by the Dutch, down to the time of the surrender by 
 Governor Stuyvesant to the English, in 1664. Then for ten years 
 under the rule of Cols. NicoUs and Lovelace, acting for the Duke of 
 York, it was called New York ; but in August, 1673, a Dutch fleet, in 
 time of war, re-captured it from the British, and while exercising 
 their rule for their High Mightinesses of Holland, to the time of the 
 peace in 1674, they called the place New Orange, in compliment to 
 the prince of Orange, and the fort they called Willem Hendrick. 
 
 " The city being restored to the British by the treaty, was re-deliv- 
 
158 NEW YORK COUNTY. 
 
 ered to the British in October, 1674. The fort then took the name 
 of Fort James, being built of quadrangular form, having four bastions, 
 two gates, and 42 cannon. The city again took the name of New 
 York, once and forever. 
 
 The following extracts are from a pamphlet publication by J. W. 
 Moulton, Esq., entitled "View of the city of New Orange (now New 
 York) as it was in the year 1673." 
 
 " Fort Amsterdam, grnaamt James-Fort by de EngeUche. Fort Amsterdam, otherwise 
 called James-Fort by the English. The name ofEcially given to the fort in 1673, was ' fort 
 Willem Hendrick.' It was first erected and finished in 1635, by Gov. Van Twiller, neg. 
 lected by Governor Kieft, repaired and surrounded by a stone wall by Governor Stuyve. 
 Bftnt, and demolished, and the ground levelled in 1790 and '91. It was situated directly 
 south of the Bowling green, on high ground, was in shape of a regular square, with four 
 bastions, had two gates, and mounted forty.two cannon. 
 
 " Gereformeerde Kerch. The reformed Dutch church was erected within the fort, by 
 Governor Kieft, in 1642. It was of stone, and covered with oak shingles, which exposed 
 to the weather, soon resembled slate. The motives that induced Governor Kieft to become 
 the founder of the first church in this city, may be best related in the words of captain Da. 
 vid Pietersz de Vriez ' artillery meester van 't noorder Quartier,' who performed three voy. 
 ages to New Netherlands, associated vrith Killiaen Van Rensalaer and others, in 1630, to 
 colonize this region, attempted a colony at the Hore.Kill on the Delaware, in the time of 
 Van Twiller, and another on ' Staaten Eylandt,' which he sustained till the troubles with 
 the Indians in the latter time of Kieft drove him to abandon the country. De Vriez ob. 
 serves : ' As I was every day with Commander Kieft, dinmg generally at his house when I 
 happened to be at the fort, he told me one day that he had now made a fine tavern, huilt 
 with ttone, for the English, by whom, as they passed continually with their vessels from 
 New England to Virginia, he had suffered much, and who now might take lodgings there. 
 I told him this was very good for travellers, but that we wanted very badly for our people 
 a church. It was e shame that when the Enghsh passed, they should see nothing but a 
 mean ham, in which we performed our worship ; on the contrary, the first thing that they 
 in New England did, when they had built fine dwellings, was to erect a fine church : we 
 ought to do the same, it being supposed that the West India Company were very zealous in 
 protecting the Reformed church (Calvinist) against the Spanish tyranny, that we had good 
 materials for it, fine oak wood, fine building stone, good lime made of oyster shells, being 
 better than our lime in Holland. Kieft asked me then who would like to attend to this 
 building ? I repUed the lovers of the reformed religion, as certainly some of them could be 
 found. He told me that he supposed I myself was one of them, as I made the proposition, 
 and he supposed I would contril)ute a hundred guilders ! I replied that I agreed to do so, 
 and that as he was Governor, he should be the first. We then elected Jochem Pietersz 
 Kuyter, who having a set of good hands, woiJd soon procure good timber, he being also a 
 devout Calvinist. We elected also Jan Claesz Damen, because he lived near the fort, and 
 thus we four " Kerk meesters" formed the first consistory to superintend the building of the 
 church. The governor should furnish a few thousand guilders of the company's money, 
 and would try to raise the remainder by subscription. The church should be built in the 
 fort, where it would be free from the depredations of the Indians. The building was soon 
 started of stone, and was covered by English carpenters with slate, spUt of oakwood,' (that 
 is, with oak shingles, which by rain and wind soon became blue, and resembled slate.) 
 
 " The contract for the erection of this church is tipon record. It was made in May, 
 1642, before the secretary of the New Netherlands, between 'William Kieft, church, 
 warden, at the request of his brethren, the church-wardens of the church in New Nether- 
 land, and John Ogden of Stanford, and Richard Ogden, who contracted to build the church 
 of rock-stone, 72 feet long, 52 broad, and 16 feet high above the soil, for 2,500 guilders 
 (X416 13 4) " in beaver, cash or merchandize, to wit, if the church-wardens are satis- 
 fied with the work, so that, in their judgment, the 2,500 guilders shall have been earned — 
 then said church-wardens will reward them with one hundred guilders (£16 13 4) more," 
 in the mean time assist them whenever it is in their power, and allow them the use, for a 
 month or six weeks, of the Company's boat, to facilitate the carrying of the stone thither.' 
 
 " The church was not completely finished until the first year of Governor Stuyvesant'a 
 administration. In July, 1647, he and two others were appointed kerk-meesters, (church, 
 wardens,) to superintend the work, and complete it the ensuing winter. 
 
 " Tbs town bell was removed to this church. Besides the office of calling the devout to 
 
NEW YORK COUNTY. 159 
 
 meeting, and announcing the hour of retirement at night, the bell waa appropriated fo.' 
 various Bingolar uses. In October, 1638, a female, for slandering the Rev. E. Bogardus, 
 was condemned to appear at fort Amsterdam, and before the governor and council, ' to 
 declare in public, at the sounding of the bell, that she knew the minister was an honest 
 and pious man, and that she hed falsely.' 
 
 " In 1639, all mechanics and laborers in the service of the Company commenced and 
 left work at the ringing of the bell, and for every neglect forfeited double the amount of 
 their wages, to the use of the attorney-general. 
 
 "In 1647, all tavern keepers were prohibited, by the placards of Governor Stuyvesant 
 and council, from accommodating any clubs, or selling any ardent Uquor, after the ringing 
 of the bell, at nine o'clock in the evening. 
 
 In 1648, two runaways were summoned into court by the ringing of the bell, fo defend 
 themselves. And in 1677, an ordinance was passed by the common council of New York, 
 imposing a fine of six shillings on any members of the corporation and jmymen, who should 
 neglect to appear in court at the third ringing of the bell. The bell-ringer was an- 
 ciently the court messenger. In 1661, amid his multifarious official duties, he was to 'as- 
 sist in burying the dead and attend to toll the bell.' 
 
 " The proclamation of governor Lovelace, issued December 10, 1672, is a document too 
 curious to be omitted. It was in the following words : — 
 
 " ' Whereas it is thought convenient and necessary, in obedience to his Sacred Majesty's 
 Commands, who enjoynes all his subjects, in their distinct colonyes, to enter into a strict 
 Allyance and Correspondency with each other, as likewise for the advancement of Nego- 
 tiation, Trade and Civill Commerce, and for a more speedy Intelligence and Dispatch of 
 affajTes, that a messenger or Post bee authorised to sett forth from this City of New-Yorke, 
 monthly, and thence to travaile to Boston, from whence within that month hee shall re. 
 tume againe to this City : These are therefore to give notice to all persons concerned. 
 That on the first day of January next (1673) the messenger appointed shall proceed on his 
 Journey to Boston : If any therefore have any letters or small portable goods to bee con- 
 veyed to Hartford, Connecticott, Boston, or any other parts in the Road, they shall bee 
 carefully delivered according to the Directions by a swome Messenger and Post, who is 
 purposely imployed in that Affayre ; In the Interim those that bee dispos'd to send Letters, 
 lett them bring them to the Secretary's office, where in a lockt Box they shall bee preserv'd 
 till the Messenger calls for them. AH persons paying the Post before the Bagg bee seald 
 up. Dated at New Yorke this 10th day of December 1672.' 
 
 " Stuyvesant Huyt. Governor Stuyvesant's house or dwelling was built about four 
 years before he surrendered his government to the English. It fronted the public wharf and 
 stood on the west side of the present WhitehaU.street, nearly opposite the commencement 
 of the present Water-street. 
 
 " The public wharf and harbor or dock, were built by the burgomasters of the city about 
 the year 1658. Here vessels loaded and unloaded, and a wharfage duty was exacted at 
 first of eight stivers per last. The harbor was constructed to accommodate vessels and 
 yachts, in which, during winter, the barques stationed there might be secured against the 
 floating ice ; for which large vessels paid annually ' one beaver, and smaller in proportion, 
 to the city, to keep it in order.' This wharf and harbor are now a part of Whitehall-street, 
 Whitehall shp having since been formed into the river. 
 
 " De Waegh. The weigh, or balance. This was erected in 1653, by Governor Stuy- 
 vesant, and the standard weight end measure kept in the balance-house, was according to 
 those of the city of Amsterdam. To this standard merchants were obliged to conform, and 
 to pay the eyck-meester for marking their weights and measiu'es. Goods were here also 
 brought in bulk and weighed, before they were stored in the public store-houses. 
 
 " In front of the City.Hall were also the stocks and whipping-post. The ducking-stool, 
 or radier cucking-stool, was not yet erected, notwithstanding the Lutheran minister in 1673 
 pleaded in bar to a pubUc prosecution against him for striking a female that she ' provoked 
 him to it iy scolding.' The Dutch had the credit of introducing the wooden-horse, but the 
 cucking-stool was reserved for the superior ingenuity of the EngUsh, who deriving a sanc- 
 tion for their want of gallantry from the immemorial authority of theb Common Law, or. 
 dered in February, 1692, ' at a meeting of a grand Committee of the Conunon Council, a 
 pillory, cage and ducking-stool to be forthwith built.' " 
 
 The following relation from Knickerbocker's New York, of the 
 manners and customs of the early Dutch inhabitants of this city, al- 
 though humorously exaggerated, is by no means devoid of historical 
 truth. 
 
160 NEW YORK COUNTY. 
 
 " I will not grieve their patience, however, by describing minutely the increase and im. 
 provement of New Amaterdam. Their own imaginations will doubtless present to them 
 the good burghera, like so many pains-taking and persevering beavers, slowly and surely 
 pursuing their labors — they will behold the prosperous transformation from the rude log-hut 
 to the stately Dutch mansion, with brick front, glazed windows, and tiled roof — from the 
 tangled thicket to the luxuriant cabbage garden ; and from the skulking Indian to the pon- 
 derous burgomaster. In a word, they will picture to themselves the steady, silent, and un- 
 deviating march to prosperity, incident to a city destitute of pride or ambition, cherished by 
 a fat government, and whose citizens do nothing in a hurry. 
 
 " The sage council, as has been mentioned in a preceding chapter, not being able to de- 
 termine upon any plan for the building of their city — the cows, in a laudable fit of patriot- 
 ism, took it under their peculiar charge, and as they went to and from pasture, established 
 paths through the bushes, on each side of which the good folks built their houses ; which 
 is one cause of the rambling and picturesque turns and labyrinths, which distinguish certain 
 streets of New York at this very day. 
 
 " The houses of the higher class were generally constructed of wood, excepting the gable 
 end, which was of small black and yellow Dutch bricks, and always faced on the street, as 
 our ancestors, like their descendants, were very much given to outward show, and were 
 noted for putting the best leg foremost. The house was always furnished with abundance 
 of large doors and small windows on every floor ; the date of its erection was curiously 
 designated by iron figures on the front, and on the top of the roof was perched a fierce 
 little weathercock, to let the family into the important secret, which way the wind blew. 
 These, like the weathercocks on the tops of our steeples, pointed so many different ways, 
 that every man could have a wind to his mind ; — the most stanch and loyal citizens, how. 
 ever, always went according to the weathercock on the top of the governor's house, which 
 was certainly the most correct, as he had a trusty servant employed every morning to climb 
 up and set it to the right quarter. 
 
 " In those good days of simplicity and sunshine, a passion for cleanliness was the leading 
 principle in domestic economy, and the universal test of an able housewife, — a character 
 which formed the utmost ambition of our unenlightened grandmothers. The front door 
 was never opened except on marriages, fimerals, new year's days, the festival of St. Nich. 
 olas, or some such great occasion. It was ornamented with a gorgeous brass knocker, 
 curiously wrought, sometimes in the device of a dog, and sometimes of a Uon's head, and 
 was daily burnished with such religious zeal, that it was ofttimes worn out by the very 
 precautions taken for its preservation. The whole house was constantly in a state of inun. 
 dation, under the discipUne of mops and brooms and scrubbing brushes ; and the good 
 housewives of those days were a kind of amphibious animal, dehghting exceedingly to be 
 dabbling in water — ^insomuch than an historian of the day gravely tells us, that many of his 
 townswomen grew to have webbed fingers like unto a duck ; and some of them, he had 
 little doubt, could the matter be examined into would be found to have the tails of mer- 
 maids—but this I look upon to be a mere sport of fancy, or what is worse, a wilfiil misrep. 
 resentation. 
 
 " The grand parlor was the sanctum sanctorum, where the passion for cleaning was 
 indulged without control. In this sacred apartment no one was permitted to enter, except, 
 ing the mistress and her confidential maid, who visited it once a week, for the purpose of 
 giving it a thorough cleaning, and putting things to rights — always taking the precaution of 
 leaving their shoes at the door, and entering devoutly on their stocking feet. After scrub- 
 bing the floor, sprinkling it with fine white sand, which was curiously stroked into angles, 
 and curves, and rhomboids with a broom — after washing the windows, rubbing and polish- 
 ing the furniture, and putting a new bunch of evergreens in the fireplace — the window 
 shutters were again closed to keep out the flies, and the room carefully locked up until the 
 revolution of time brought round the weekly cleaning day. 
 
 " As to the family, they always entered in at the gate, and most generally lived in the 
 kitchen. To have seen a numerous household assembled around the fire, one would have 
 imagined that he was transported back to those happy days of primeval simplicity, which 
 float before our imaginations like golden visions. The fireplaces were of a truly patriarchal 
 magnitude, where the whole family, old and young, master and servant, black and white, 
 nay, even the very cat and dog, enjoyed a community of privilege, and had each a right to 
 a comer. Here the old burgher would sit in perfect silence, pufiing his pipe, looking in 
 the fire with half-shut eyes, and thinking of nothing for hours together ; the goede vrouw 
 on the opposite side would employ herself diligently in spinning yam, or knitting stockings. 
 The young folks would crowd around the hearth, hstening with breathless attention to 
 some old crone of a negro, who was the oracle of the family, and who, perched like a raven 
 in a comer of the chimney, would croak forth for a long vrinter afternoon a string of iik 
 
NEW YOEK COUNTY. 161 
 
 credible etories about New England witches — grisly ghosts — ^hoises without heads — and 
 hairbreadth escapes and bloody encounters among the Indians. 
 
 " In those happy days a well-regulated family always rose with the dawn, dined at eleven, 
 and went to bed at sundown. Dinner was invariably a private meal, and the fat old 
 burghers showed incontestible symptoms of disapprobation and uneasiness at being surprised 
 by a visit from a neighbor on such occasions. But though our worthy ancestors were thus 
 singularly averse to giving dinners, yet they kept up the social bands of intimacy by occa- 
 sional banquetings, called tea parties. 
 
 " These fashionable parties were generally confined to the his/her classes, or noblesse, that 
 is to say, such as kept their own cows, and drove their own wagons. The company com. 
 monly assembled at three o'clock, and went away about six, unless it was in winter time, 
 when the fashionable hours were a little earher, that the ladies might get home before dark. 
 The tea table was crowned with a huge earthen dish, well stored with slices of fat pork, 
 fried brown, cut up into morsels, and swimming in gravy. The company being seated 
 around the genial board, and each furnished with a fork, evinced their dexterity in launch- 
 ing at the fattest pieces in this mighty dish — in much tlie same manner as sailors harpoon 
 porpoises at sea, or our Indians spear salmon in the lakes. Sometimes the table was graced 
 with immense apple pies, or saucers full of preserved peaches and pears ; but it was always 
 sure to boast an enormous dish of balls of sweetened dough, fried in hog's fat, and called 
 doughnuts, or oly koeks — a delicious kind of cake, at present scarce known in this city, 
 excepting in genuine Dutch families. 
 
 " The tea was served out of a majestic delft teapot, ornamented 
 with paintings of fat little Dutch shepherds and shepherdesses tending 
 pigs — ^with boats sailing in the air, and houses built in the clouds, 
 and sundry other ingenious Dutch fantasies. The beaux distinguish- 
 ed themselves by their adroitness in replenishing this pot from a huge 
 copper tea-kettle, which would have made the pigmy macaronies of 
 these degenerate days sweat merely to look at it. To sweeten the 
 beverage, a lump of sugar was laid beside each cup — and the com- 
 pany alternately nibbled and sipped with great decorum, until an 
 improvement was introduced by a shrewd and economic old lady, 
 which was to suspend a large lump directly over the tea table, by a 
 string from the ceiling, so that it could be swung from mouth to 
 mouth — an ingenious expedient, which is still kept up by some fami- 
 lies in Albany ; but which prevails without exception in Communi- 
 paw, Bergen, Flat Bush, and all our uncontaminated Dutch villages. 
 
 " At these primitive tea parties the utmost propriety and dignity of 
 deportment prevailed. No flirting nor coquetting — no gambolling of 
 old ladies nOr hoyden chattering and romping of young ones — no 
 self-satisfied struttings of wealthy gentlemen, with their brains in 
 their pockets — ^nor amusing conceits, and monkey divertisements, of 
 smart young gentlemen, with no brains at all. On the contrary, the 
 young ladies seated themselves demurely in their rush-bottomed 
 chairs, and knit their own woollen stockings ; nor ever opened their 
 lips, excepting to say, yah Mynher, or yah ya Vrouw, to any question 
 that was asked them ; behaving, in all things, like decent, well-edu- 
 cated damsels. As to the gentlemen, each of them tranquilly smoked 
 his pipe, and seemed lost in contemplation of the blue and white tiles 
 with which the fireplaces were decorated ; wherein sundry passages 
 of scripture were piously portrayed — Tobit and his dog figured to 
 
 freat advantage ; Haman swung conspicuously on his gibbet, and 
 onah appeared most manfully bouncing out of the whale, like Har- 
 lequin through a barrel of fire. 
 
 21 
 
162 NEW YORK COUNTY. 
 
 " The parties broke up without noise and without confusion. They 
 were carried home by their own carriages, that is to say, by the ve- 
 hicles nature had provided them, excepting such of the wealthy as 
 could afford to keep a wagon. The gentlemen gallantly attended 
 their fair ones to their respective abodes, and took leave of them with 
 a hearty smack at the door ; which, as it was an established piece of 
 etiquette, done in perfect simplicity and honesty of heart, occasioned 
 no scandal at that time, nor should it at the present — if our great 
 grandfathers approved of the custom, it would argue a great want of 
 reverence in their descendants to say a word against it. 
 
 " In this dulcet period of my history, when the beauteous island of 
 Manna-hatta presented a scene, the very counterpart of those glowing 
 pictures drawn of the golden reign of Saturn, there was, as I have 
 before observed, a happy ignorance, an honest simplicity prevalent 
 among its inhabitants, which, were I even able to depict, would be but 
 little understood by the degenerate age for which I am doomed to 
 write. Even the female sex, those arch innovators upon the tranquil- 
 lity, the honesty, and greybeard customs of society, seemed for a 
 while to conduct themselves with incredible sobriety and comeliness. 
 
 " Their hair, untortured by the abominations of art, was scrupu- 
 lously pomatomed back from their foreheads with a candle, and cov- ' 
 ered with a little cap of quilted calico, which fitted exactly to their 
 heads. Their petticoats of linsey woolsey were striped with a va- 
 riety of gorgeous dyes — though I must confess these gallant garments 
 were rather short, scarce reaching below the knee ; but then they 
 made up in the number, which generally equalled that of the gentle- 
 men's small-clothes ; and what is still more praiseworthy, they were 
 all of their own manufacture — of which circumstance, as may well 
 be supposed, they were not a little vain. 
 
 " These were the honest days, in which every woman staid at home, 
 read the Bible, and wore pockets — ay, and that too of a goodly size, 
 fashioned with patch-work into many curious devices, and ostenta- 
 tiously worn on the outside. These, in fact, were convenient recep- 
 tacles, where all good housewives carefully stored away such things 
 as they wished to have at hand ; by which means they often came 
 to be incredibly crammed — and I remember there was a story cur- 
 rent when I was a boy, that the lady of Wouter Van Twiller once 
 had occasion to empty her right pocket in search of a wooden ladle, 
 and the utensil was discovered lying among some rubbish in one cor- 
 ner — but we must not give too much faith to all these stories ; the 
 anecdotes of those remote periods being very subject to exaggera- 
 tion. 
 
 " Besides these notable pockets, they likewise wo^e scissors and 
 pincushions suspended from their girdles by red ribands, or among 
 the more opulent and showy classes, by brass, and even silver chains 
 — indubitable tokens of thrifty housewives and industrious spinsters. 
 I cannot say much in vindication of the shortness of the petticoats ; 
 it doubtless was introduced for the purpose of giving the stockings a 
 chance to be seen, which were generally of blue worsted with mag- 
 
NEW YORK COUNTY. 163 
 
 nificent red docks — or perhaps to display a well-turned ankle, and 
 a neat, though serviceable, foot, set olT by a high-heeled leathern 
 shoe, with a large and splendid silver buckle. Thus we find that 
 the gentle sex in all ages have shown the same disposition to infringe 
 a little upon the laws of decorum, in order to betray a lurking beauty, 
 or gratify an innocent love of finery. 
 
 " From the sketch here given, it will be seen that our good grandmothers differed consid- 
 erably in their ideas of a fine figure from their scantily dressed descendants of the present 
 day. A fine lady, in those times, waddled under more clothes, even on a fair summer's 
 day, than would have clad the whole bevy of a modern ball-room. Nor were they the less 
 admired by the gentlemen in consequence thereof. On the contrary, the greatness of a 
 lover's passion seemed to increase in proportion to the magnitude of its object — and a vo. 
 luminous damsel, arrayed in a dozen of petticoats, was declared by a Low Dutch sonnetteer 
 of the province to be radiant as a sunflower, and luxuriant as a full blown cabbage. Cer- 
 tain it is, that in those days, the heart of a lover could not contain more than one lady at a 
 time ; whereas the heart of a modern gallant has often room enough to accommodate half 
 a dozen. The reason of which I conclude to be, that either the hearts of the gentlemen 
 have grown larger, or the persons of the ladies smaller — this, however, is a question for 
 physiologists to determine. 
 
 " But there was a secret charm in these petticoats, which no doubt entered into the oon. 
 sideration of the prudent gallants. The wardrobe of a lady was in those days her only for- 
 tune ; and she who had a good stock of petticoats and stockings, was as absolutely an 
 heiress as is a Karnschatka damsel with a store of bear skins, or a Lapland belle with a 
 plenty of reindeer. The ladies, therefore, were very anxious to display these powerful 
 attractions to the greatest advantage ; and the best rooms in the house, instead of being 
 adorned with caricatures of dame nature, in water colors and needlework, were always 
 hung round with abundance of homespun garments, the manufacture and the property of 
 the females — a piece of laudable ostentation that still prevails among the heiresses of our 
 Dutch villages. 
 
 " The gentlemen, in fact, who figured in the circles of the gay world in these ancient 
 times, corresponded, in most particulars, with the beauteous damsels whose smiles they 
 were ambitious to deserve. True it is, their merits would make but a very inconsiderable 
 impression upon the heart of a modem fair ; they neither drove their curricles nor sported 
 their tandems, for as yet those gaudy vehicles were not even dreamt of — neither did they 
 distinguish themselves by their brilliancy at the table, and their consequent rencontres with 
 watchmen, for our forefathers were of too pacific a disposition to need those guardians of 
 tlie night, every soul throughout the town being sound asleep before nine o'clock. Neither 
 did they establish their claims to gentility at the expense of their tailors — for as yet those 
 oflfenders against the pockets of society, and the tranquillity of all aspiring young gentle- 
 men, were unknown in New Amsterdam ; every good housewife made the clothes of her 
 husband and family, and even the goede vrouw of Van Twiller himself thought it no dis. 
 paragement to cut out her husband's linsey woolsey galligaskins. 
 
 " Not but what there were some two or three youngsters who manifested the first dawn, 
 ings of what is called fire and spirit. Who held all labor in contempt ; skulked about docks 
 and market places ; loitered in the sunshine ; squandered what little money they could pro. 
 cure at hustle-cap and chuck-farthing, swore, boxed, fought cocks, and raced their neigh, 
 bor's horses — in short, who promised to be the wonder, the talk, and abomination of the 
 town, had not their stylish career been unfortunately cut short by an affair of honor with a 
 whipping.post. 
 
 " Far other, however, was the truly fashionable gentleman of those days — ^his dress, 
 which served for both morning and evening, street and drawing-room, was a Unsey wool, 
 sey coat, made, perhaps, by the fair hands of the mistress of his affections, and gallantly 
 bedecked with abundance of large brass buttons. — Haifa score of t)reeches heightened the 
 proportions of his figure — ^his shoes were decorated by enorii)Ous copper buckles — a low. 
 crowned broad-brimmed hat overshadowed his burly vjs^ge, and his hair dangled down 
 his back in a prodigious queue of eel skin. 
 
 " Thus equipped, he would manfully sally forth with pipe in mouth to besiege some fair 
 damsel's obdurate heart — not such a pipe, good reader, as that which Acis did sweetly tune 
 in praise of his Galatea, but of one of true delft manufacture, and furnished with a charge 
 of fragrant tobacco. With this would he resolutely set himself down before the fortress, 
 and rarely failed, in the process of time, to smoke the fair enemy into a surrender, upon 
 honorable terms. 
 
164 NEW YORK COUNTY. 
 
 " Such was the happy reign of Wouter Van Twiller, celebrated in many a long.forgotten 
 Bong as the real golden age, the rest being nothing but counterfeit copper-washed coin. In 
 that delightful period, a sweet and holy calm reigned over the whole province. The bur. 
 gomaster smoked bis pipe in peace — the substantial solace of his domestic cares, after her 
 daily toils were done, sat soberly at the door, with her arms crossed over her apron of 
 snowy white, without being insulted by ribald street walkers or vagabond boys — those 
 unlucky urchins, who do so infest our streets, displaying under the roses of youth the 
 thorns and briers of iniquity. Then it was that the lover with ten breeches, and the dam- 
 sel with petticoats of half a score, indulged in all the innocent endearments of virtuous love 
 without fear and without reproach ; for what had that virtue to fear, which was defended 
 by a shield of good linsey woolseys, equal at least to the seven bull hides of the invincible 
 Ajax. 
 
 " Ah, blissful, and never to be forgotten age ! when every thing was better than it has 
 ever been since, or ever will be again — when Buttermilk Channel* was quite dry at low 
 water — when the shad in the Hudson were all salmon, and when the moon shone with a 
 pure and resplendent whiteness, instead of that melancholy yellow light which is the conse- 
 quence of her sickening at the abominations she every night witnesses in this degenerate 
 city! 
 
 " Happy would it have been for New Amsterdam could it always have existed in this 
 state of blissful ignorance and lowly simplicity ; but alas ! the days of childhood are too 
 sweet to last ! Cities, like men, grow out of them in time, and are doomed alike to grow 
 into the bustle, the cares, and miseries of the world. Let no man congratulate himself, 
 when he beholds the child of his bosom or the city of his birth increasing in magnitude and 
 importance — let the history of his own life teach him the dangers of the one, and this ex- 
 cellent little history of Mannahatta convince him of the calamities of the other." 
 
 THE NEQBO PLOT. 
 
 The celebrated I^egro Plot, 1741, occurred when there were about ten thousand inhabi. 
 tants in this city, of which one sixth part were negro slaves. 
 
 " After a lapse of a century, we look back with astonishment on the panic occasioned by 
 the Negro Plot, and the rancorous hatred that prevailed here against the Roman Catholics. 
 To judge from tradition, and the journal of the proceedings against the conspirators, no 
 doubt can be had of the actual existence of a plot; but its extent could never have been so 
 great as the terror of those times depicted. The very mode adopted to discover abettors 
 by mutual criminations and confessions, tended in the progress of the trials to inculpate 
 every negro slave in the city. We accordingly find, that the number of conspiratois daily 
 increased. As it was impossible to prove all equally guilty, the ringleaders only were ex. 
 ecuted ; and those who, to save their lives, plead guilty, and threw themselves on the mercy 
 of the court, were transported. 
 
 " Insurrections and conspiracies were at this juncture frequent in the West India islands, 
 and great apprehensions were entertained of an invasion by the French and Spaniards, 
 These circumstances aggravated the horror of a domestic plot to such a degree, that the 
 white inhabitants, regarding every negro slave as an incendiary and an assassin, carried 
 their apprehensions and resentment beyond all bounds. 
 
 " A holy hatred of the Roman Catholics was at that period inculcated by church and 
 state. Our Dutch forefathers, glowing with all the zeal of the early reformers, emigrated 
 to this country shortly after the emancipation of the United Netherlands from the Spanish 
 yoke, and fostered all the rancor of their race against Papists and Spaniards. It was the 
 policy of the English government, after the conquest, to cherish this animosity, and those 
 of our readers vyho were born and educated before the American revolution, will recollect 
 how religiously thpy were taught to abhor the Pope, Devil, and Pretender. The act of our 
 Provincial Assembly, against Jesuits and Papist priests, passed 2d William and Mary, and 
 which continued in full force until our independence, was owing, not only to these preju- 
 dices, but to the exposed situation of the colony, the northern frontier of which was bounded 
 by Canada, at that time in possession of France, the natural and ever-daring enemy to Eng- 
 land. The intolerant spirit of this act shows the horror and detestation in which the Roman 
 Catholics were held, and will account why so few of this profession existed in this city and 
 colony before the revolution. 
 
 •In olden times the channel was but a little preek which separated the mainland from 
 Govemots Island. 
 
NEW YOEK COUNTY. 165 
 
 " In esdmating this singular event in our colonial history, the circumstances of the times 
 should be duly considered, before we too hastily condemn the bigotry and cruelty uf our 
 predecessors. The advantages of a Uberal, indeed of the plainest education, was the happy 
 lot of very few. Intercourse between the colonies and the mother country, and between 
 province and province, was very rare. Ignorance and illiberal prejudices universally pre- 
 vailed. Their more favored and enlightened posterity will therefore draw a veil of filial 
 affection over the involuntary errots of their forefathers, and emulating their simple virtues, 
 endeavor to transmit a brighter example to their successors." — Hist, of Negro Flat, 8vo. 
 JV«io York, 1810. 
 
 " The first suspicion of a plot among the negroes, and which subsequently led to a full 
 investigation and discovery, was caused by frequent alarms of fire, and a robbery committed 
 at a Mr. Hogg's, ' from whence were taken divers pieces of linen, and other goods, and 
 several silver coins, chiefly Spanish, and medals, and wrought silver, &c., to the value, in 
 the whole, of sixty pounds and upwards.' The scene of this famous robbery was in a house 
 in Broad street. On Wednesday, the 18th March, 1740, about 1 o'clock, a fire broke out 
 of the roof of His Majesty's house, at Fort George, within this city, near the chapel, on the 
 east side, and the wind blowing a violent gale at southeast, it soon became impossible to stop 
 its progress. The citizens and engines assembled promptly on the ringing of the chapel 
 bell, and assisted in saving the records and papers in the office of the Secretary of State, 
 over the fort gate, which fortunately were preserved, although in the hurry they were tossed 
 out at the windows, and the papers blown and scattered. An alarm being given, the peo- 
 ple were soon after fearful of an explosion, and stood aloof, although assured by the Gov. 
 emor that it was groundless. In one hour and a quarter, the Governor's house, and the 
 venerable old Dutch Church, were thus consumed. A plimiber had that morning been at 
 work, with his pot of coals and soldering iron, to mend a leak in the gutter, between the 
 house and the chapel, and the high wind had no doubt blown some sparks on the dry shin- 
 gles, or under the eaves. On the 25th of March, a week after the fire at the fort, another 
 broke out at the southwest end of the town, and on the 1st of April, another at the east 
 end of the town, at Van Zandt's, corner of Burling's shp and Water-street. On the 4th of 
 April, two other alarms were made, and fire discovered ; and on the 5th, being Sunday, 
 Mr. Murray's haystack, standing near some stables and houses in Broadway, had some live 
 coals put under it, which went out of themselves. On Monday, three more fires occurred, 
 and the panic commenced. Many negroes were arrested, and the investigations were long 
 and intricate. By the course of the evidence, it appeared that the city was destined to be 
 fired, and the inhabitants massacred on coming out of the EngUsh Church in Broadway. 
 
 " St. Patrick's night was selected to begin the bloody scene, and many Irish Catholics, 
 lately arrived, enlisted in the gang, were even detected as being concerned. The negroes 
 were led on by a villian named Hughson, at whose house they were freely entertained, 
 and brought their stolen goods, and were sworn to secrecy. Ury, a priest, was also deeply 
 concerned. 
 
 " It is somewhat remarkable, that London has had its Popish Plot and fire ; Boston and 
 Salem its delusions of witchcraft, and New York its Negro Plot : and there can be no doubt 
 that some innocent persons were at those times accused, and suffered. 
 
 " One hundred and fifty-four negroes, and twenty white persons, were committed to pri- 
 son, of which fifty-five were convicted, and seventy-eight confessed. Thirteen negroes 
 were burnt at the stake, at a place then out of town, but situated near the present in- 
 tersection of Peari and Chatham streets, where there formerly was a hollow place, as recol- 
 lected by one of our oldest citizens, who was present at the execution, and declares that 
 the horrible shrieks and cries of the miserable victims still dwell on his memory. Twenty 
 were hung, (one in chains, ' on the island, by the powder-house,' where the Arsenal now 
 is, in Elm street.) Seventy were transported to foreign parts, viz. Newfoundland, Madeira, 
 Hispaniola, Cape Fran9ois, Currasoa, Surinam, &c., &c., and fifty were discharged. 
 
 " Although the black population has increased from that period to the present, in this 
 city, yet the proportion they now bear to the whites is much leas than at that time, being 
 only one-twelfth part ; then they were one-sixth." 
 
 The following extracts are from newspapers published previous to 
 and during the revolution : they will serve to throw light on the his- 
 tory of the times. 
 
 " New York, November 4, 1765. — The late extraordinary and unprecedented prepara. 
 tions in Fort George, and the securing of the Stamped Paper in that garrison, having greatly 
 alarmed and displeased the inhabitants of this city, a vast number of them assembled last 
 Friday evening in the commons, from whence they marched down the Fly, preceded by a 
 
166 NEW YORK COUNTY. 
 
 number of lights, and having stopped a few minutes at the Coffee House, proceeded to the 
 
 Fort Walls, where they broke open the stable of the L — t G r, took out his coach, and 
 
 after carrying the same through the principal streets of the city, in triumph marched to the 
 commons, where a gallows was erected ; on one end of which was suspended the efiigy of 
 the person whose property the coach was. In bis right hand he held a stamped Bill of 
 Lading, and on his breast was affixed a paper with the following inscription, ' The Rebel 
 Drummer in the year 1715 :' at his back was aiExed a drum, the badge of his profession ; 
 at the other end of the gallows hung the figure of the devil, a proper companion for the 
 other, as 'tis supposed it was entirely at his instigation he acted : after they had bung there 
 a considerable time, they carried the effigies, with the gallows entire, being preceded by 
 the coach, in a grand procession to the gate of the fort, where it remained for some time, 
 from whence it was removed to the Bowling Green, under the muzzles of the fort guns, 
 where a bon-fire was immediately made, and the drummer^ devil, and coach, &.C., were 
 consumed amidst the acclamations of some thousand spectators, and we make no doubt, 
 but the L — t G r, and his friends, had the mortification of viewing the whole proceed- 
 ing from the ramparts of the fort : But the business of the night not being yet concluded, 
 the whole body proceeded with the greatest decency and good order to Vauxhall, the house 
 of M — r J s , who, it was reported, was a fiiend to the Stamp Act, and had been over 
 officious in his duty, ftom whence they took every individual article to a very considerable 
 amount ; and having made another bon-fire, the whole was consumed in the flames, tu the 
 great satisfaction of every person present ; after which they dispersed, and every man went 
 to his respective habitation. The whole affair was conducted with such decorum, that not 
 the least accident happened. 
 
 " The next evening another very considerable body assembled at the same place, having 
 
 been informed that the Ii — t G r had quahfied himself for the distribution of the Stamped 
 
 paper, were determined to march to the fort, in order to insist upon his delivering into their 
 hands, or to declare that he would not undertakctto distribute the same ; but before this 
 
 resolution could be executed, the minds of the people were eased by the L — t G r'a 
 
 sending the following declaration from the fort, viz ;— ' 
 
 "TT^HE Lieut. Governor declares he will do nothing in Relation to the Stamps, but leave 
 
 J- it to Sir Henry Moore, to do as he pleases on his arrival. Council Chamber, New 
 York, Nov. 2, 1765. By Order of His Honor. Ww. Banyab D. CI. Con. 
 
 " ' We can assure the Gentlemen of the neighboring Provinces, That every Importer of 
 European Goods in this City, have agreed not to Import any Goods from England next 
 Spring, unless the Sugar Act, and the Oppressive and Unconstitutional Stamp Act are 
 repealed.' " 
 
 " New York, Jan. 8th, 1763. — Thursday next is appointed to celebrate the birth of the 
 Prince of Wales, when there is to be a treble discharge of all the artillery in this place, and 
 the evening is to be concluded with the play of the Fair Penitent, by the officers of the 
 Army, in a theatre built for that pivpose." 
 
 " New Ytrk, Dec. 13, 1765. — ^We are credibly informed that there were married last 
 Sunday evening, by the Rev. Mr. Auchmuty, a very respectable couple, that had been pub. 
 listed at diree different times in Trinity church. A laudable example and worthy to be 
 followed. If this decent, and for many reasons, proper method of publication was once 
 generally to take place, we should hear no more of clandestine marriages, and save the ex. 
 j)ense oflieeiMes, no inconsiderable sum these hard and distressing times," 
 
 •^'New Yurie, Hatch 13th, 1766.^.Upon a supposition that the cannon upon the Battery 
 lin this city w*re sjpiked by order of Lieutenant-governor Golden, his effigy was exhibited 
 ;la.«t Thursday^ siting upon a piece of ordnance, properly mounted with a drill constructed 
 rin fluoh a manner as to be continually working ; at his back hung a drum as a badge of his 
 jformer jirofesaion ; 'On his breast was fixed a paper on which were the following lines : 
 ' fjo deceived by the devil and left in the lurch ; 
 And am forced to do penance, tho' not in the church.' 
 
 "After it 'had ajipeaoied in the principal streets of the city attended by many thousand 
 spoetators, (although it xained great part of the time,) it was carried to the common, where 
 a taie was immediately oiade, and the whole consumed by 5 o'clock in the afternoon, 
 
 araiilct the acclamationB of the multitude, who dispersed directly thereafter The 
 
 affair was .conducted .with .luch order and decorum, that no person sustained the least 
 ^lamage- 
 
NEW YORK COUNTY. 167 
 
 " N. B. The public are desired to take notice, that the cannon still remain spiked ; and 
 it is expected that no further hint will be necessary." 
 
 " iVeio York, May 3, 1766.— The play advertised to be acted last Monday evening, 
 having given offence to many of the inhabitants of this city, who thought it highly improper 
 that such entertainments should be exhibited at this time of public distress, when great 
 numbers of poor people can scarce find means of subsistence, whereby many persons might 
 be tempted to neglect their business, and squander that money which is necessary to the 
 payment of their debts and support of their families, a rumour was spread about the town 
 on Monday, that if the play went on, the audience would meet with some disturbance from 
 the multitude. This prevented the greatest part of those who intended to have been there 
 from going ; however, many people came and the play was begun : but soon interrupted by 
 the multitude, who burst open the doors, and entered with noise and tumult. The audi- 
 ence escaped in the best manner they could ; many lost their hats and other parts of dress. 
 A boy had his skull fractured, and was yesterday trepanned ; his recovery is doubtful : several 
 others were dangerously hurt, but we heard of no lives lost. The multitude immediately 
 demolished the house, carried the pieces to the common, where they consumed them in a 
 bonfire." 
 
 From the New York Gazette of August 3, 1769. 
 
 " Extract of a letter to a gentleman in the city from a correspondent in the country, dated 
 July 20, — ' Sir : As a sincere friend I give you a caution now to be particularly on your 
 guard against the importation of English goods ; for I fear you will not get them sold at any 
 rate, as it appears quite plain from this hint of facts, you may depend upon. Within these 
 few weeks I happened to be present at several meetings of some towns here, when among 
 other things, they took into their most serious consideration the affair of buving English 
 goods from your merchants, and it was strongly reasoned thus : We have gone (said they) 
 these several years past clearing new lands and raising grain only, and have foolishly neg. 
 lected the raising of sheep and flax, because we vainly thought we could buy them cheaper 
 at the stores than make them at our houses ; until now our cash is wholly carried to Eng- 
 land for their fineries, and here it has got so scarce, that in a whole town one guinea is 
 scarcely seen in a year's time : so that when a man goeth to buy any necessaries at a mer- 
 chant's shop, instead of his purse, he must take a wagon load of grain, and sell it to the mer- 
 chant's and take his English goods at whatever price he pleases to ask. 
 
 " Wherefore they unanimously and firmly resolved, 1st. That for them to buy any more 
 Scotch or English goods from merchants, was in fact a sure wicked way to qualify Britain 
 tyrannically and inflexibly, from time to time to impose upon Americans whatsoever new 
 laws, new admiralty courts, or bishop's courts they pleased, to take away our civil and re. 
 ligious liberties piecemeal, until we and our posterity were finally enslaved as deep as any 
 Spaniard or African. 
 
 "2d. That therefore, whosoever of their town, duist presume to buy any more of said 
 British goods, before the restoring of our liberty, should be held, reputed, deemed, and 
 treated by all his neighbors as an open enemy to all the civil and religious interests of their 
 country, &.c. &c. 
 
 " 1 have heard that a great many towns, through the inland parts of this, and the other 
 provinces, are beginning to be greatly alarmed with the fears of their new admiralty courts, 
 and bishop's courts, &c., and therefore are forming reiohes of the same nature. Now if 
 you do in these circumstances import goods, you will be ruined. Look round and see 
 how many merchonts have been sent to jail, and their families ruined by importing English 
 goods, and not getting them sold to any advantage. Yours, &c." 
 
 Prmn the Neto York Gazette, March 29, 1770. 
 " Last Saturday night about 11 o'clock, 14 or 15 soldiers were seen about the liberty, 
 pole in this city, which one of them had ascended, with an intent to take off and carry 
 away the topmast and vane ; as soon as they were discovered, five or six young men who 
 were accidentally crossing the green at that time made up towards the pole, to see what 
 they were about, but they were immediately attacked and driven off the green by the sol- 
 diers ; who, finding that they were discovered, and being apprehensive that the inhabitants 
 would be alarmed, they made off. Soon after some persons went into town and acquainted 
 their friends with the proceedings of the soldiers, upon which 14 or 15 persons came up to 
 the green, and going to the pole were there surrounded by 40 or 50 eoldicrs. with their cut 
 
168 NEW YORK COUNTS 
 
 lasaes drawn ; upon which 4 or 5 of them retreated to the house of Mr. Bicker, and were 
 followed by part of the soldiers, who immediately called out for the soldiers from the bar. 
 racks ; upon which they were joined by a very considerable body who came over the bar. 
 rack fence. Mr. Bicker seeing himself and family in danger, and exposed to the insults of 
 a licentious and brutal soldiery, stood with his bayonet fixed, determined to defend himself 
 to the last extremity, and declared that he would shoot the first man that should attempt to 
 enter ; they several times attempted to force the under door, the uppei door being open, 
 which Mr. Bicker kept shut by fixing the point of his bayonet against it, while they kept 
 cutting and hacking the barrel of his gun, in attempting to cut hira down with their cut. 
 lasses, — but he soon after got the upper door shut and barred ; upon which they strove to 
 break open the front windows, which were also shut, one of which they forced open, broke 
 the panes of glass, and cut all the frame to pieces, in order to get into the house. Some 
 people who were in the house seeing the imminent danger to which Mr. Bicker and his 
 family were exposed, got out the back way and ran to alarm the citizens. The chapel bell 
 was immediately rung, upon the bearing of which, the soldiers retreated precipitately. A 
 number of the citizens were up all night and under arms, which probably prevented any 
 mischief being done, as they repeatedly swore that they would set fire to the house, and 
 burn or destroy every person in it. Col. Robertson, the commanding officer of the regi. 
 ment, repaired to the barracks, as soon as he had notice of the disturbance ; he immediately 
 ordered the centinels to be confined, and remained up all night to prevent any further mis- 
 chief being done ; and as a number of inhabitants nightly guarded the pole, till the Trans- 
 ports with the soldiers were sailed, they were disappointed in effecting their designs 
 against it, although they positively swore that they would carry off some part of it with them." 
 
 Frmn the tame, December 24, 1767 
 " To be disposed of — the remaining time, being about three years, of three German ser. 
 vants, one a baker by trade, one a butcher, and the other a laborer. They are very in- 
 dustrious good men, whose honesty has been tried, and may be had on reasonable terms. 
 Inquire of the printer hereof." 
 
 " Last Thursday being the anniversary of His Majesty's birth-day, when he entered his 
 30th year, the same was observed here with great solemnity. About 11 o'clock the de- 
 tachment of the train, with the 17th and 46th regiments, were paraded on the battery, and 
 marched in order by, and saluted his Excellency, General Gage ; at the same time his Ex- 
 cellency, Sir Henry Moore, the members of His Majesty's council for this province, his 
 worship the mayor, and the rest of the corporation, and most of the other gentlemen of 
 the city, were assembled in Fort George, where his Majesty's and many other loyal healths 
 were drank, under the discharge of a Royal Salute from the Fort, which was immediately 
 followed by a salute of 21 guns from the Libebtt Pole, on which was suspended a Union ; 
 these were answered by three vollies from the troops, five of His Majesty's ships, and many 
 other vessels in our harbor, which with their colors displayed made a very grand and beautiful 
 appearance ; the two regiments then returned to their barracks and the train to the Green, 
 and there grounded their arms. Elegant entertainments were given at Fort George, and 
 Head Quarters, by their Excellencies Sir Henry Moore and General Gage, at which were 
 present all the gentlemen of the army and navy, and most of the principal gentlemen of 
 this place. In the evening the most magnificent fire-works ever seen in America were 
 played off before a very great number of spectators. Over the gate of Fort George a 
 number of lamps were disposed in such a manner as to represent a Regal Crown with a 
 Laxjrel Tree on each side, and before the door of his Excellency Gen. Gage, was exhib- 
 ited, by lamps properly placed, a large and elegant appearance of the Rotal Arms ; there 
 being a general illumination throughout the city. The fire-works were conducted in such 
 a manner as showed great skill and judgment in the projectors and operators, every part be. 
 ing played off with the greatest ease imaginable, in the following order, viz : — 
 
 First Set. — Two signal rockets, royal salutes of 21 marons, 12 sky rockets, a single 
 vertical wheel, a Chinese fountain, a line rocket of three changes and a swarm box, 3 
 gerbs, 2 air balloons of crackers and serpents, a Chinese piece with a horizontal wheel, a 
 yew tree with a brilliant fire, a nest of serpents. 
 
 " Second Set. — Two signal rockets, a salute of 19 marons, 12 sky rockets, a double 
 vertical wheel, an illuminated globe, a fire tree and swarm box, 2 air balloons with crack, 
 ers and stars, 3 fixed pieces with double vertical wheels, a range of fountains, a yew tree of 
 brilliant fire, 2 nests of serpents. 
 
 " TMrd Set. — Two signal rockets, a salute of 17 marons, 12 sky rockets, 2 signal ver. 
 
NEW YORK COUNTY. 169 
 
 deal wheels, a cascade of brilliant fire, a line rocket of three changes and swerm box, a 
 range of fountains, two air balloons with serpents and stars, a Chinese piece with a hori- 
 zontal wheel, an illuminated yew tree, u star with brilliant rays and glory. Concluaion^^ 
 A flight of rockets." 
 
 From the same, January 29th, 1767. 
 " Wednesday last several gentlemen arrived here from Quebec, in Canada, in 12 days. 
 They came over the mountains on snow-shoes to Crown Point, and from thence down 
 Lake George on the ice. The river St. Lawrence was not frozen over at Quebec when 
 they came away ; and we are told in the hardest weather it seldom is frozen there before 
 the month of February." 
 
 " New Tm-k, May 7, 1772. — On Saturday last Mr. Montanny's negro man who had mis- 
 behaved, and was a remarkable drunkard, was sent to Bridewell, and underwent the usual 
 ducipline of the house for such offences, viz. a plentiful dose of warm water and salt to op. 
 erate as an emetic, and of lamp oyl as a purge, in proportion to the constitution of the pa- 
 tient. Of these he took about 3 quarts of the one, and 24 spoonfuls of the other, also a 
 gill of Neu) England rum, which operated very powerfully, attended with a violent sick- 
 ness which obhged him to lye down, and between 8 and 9 at night he was discovered to be 
 dead. He had been drunk three times that day before he was brought to Bridewell, and 
 was not sober when the disciphne began. Several physicians and surgeons attended, the 
 body of the negro was opened and no marks of violence external or internal appeared : the 
 coroner's inquest brought in their verdict that he died of excessive drinking, co-operating 
 with the effects of the medicine he had taken. But that Mr. Dobbs, (the operator,) was 
 innocent of his death." 
 
 " Neui York, December 24, 1773. — His Excellency the Governor having sent to White- 
 head Hicks, Esq., Mayor of this city, the sum of two hundred pounds, which he most mu- 
 nificently ordered to be applied in reheving the properest objects of distress confined in the 
 city gaol. We have the pleasure to inform the public that near thirty persons have been 
 entirely release* from imprisonment, and those whose debts were too large to be cleared by 
 this gracious bounty have had a very comfortable provision made in wood, &c., to carry 
 them through the winter." 
 
 " We hear from Dutchess County that the High Sheriff, having received the sum of fifty 
 pounds from his Excellency Governor Tryon, to be distributed for the reUef of debtors 
 confined in his gaol, has applied that money in the manner prescribed, and cheered many 
 indigent men whose misfortunes had reduced them to melancholy durance. The gratitude 
 of these unhappy persons on this gracious attention to them cannot be described." 
 
 By His Eicellenct William Cosby, Esq., Captain General and Govemour in Chief of the 
 Provinces of New York, New Jersey, and Territories thereon depending, in America, 
 Vice Admiral of the same, and Colonel in His Majesty's Army, &.C. 
 
 To any Protestant Minister. 
 Whereas there is a Mutual Purpose of Marriage between Jacob Glenn, of the City of 
 Albany, Merchant, of the One Party, and Elizabeth Cuyler of the same City, Spinster, of 
 the other party, for which they have desired my Licence, and have given Bond upon Condi- 
 tions, That neither of them have any Lawful Let or Impediment of Pre-Contract, Affinity 
 or Consanguinity to hinder their being joyned in the Holy Bands of Matrimony : these are 
 therefore, to Authorize and Impower you to Joyn the said Jacob Glenn and Elizabeth Cuy. 
 ler in the Holy Bands of Matrimony, and them to Pronounce Man and Wife. 
 Given under my Hand and Perogative Seal, at Port George, in New i^ork, the Sixteenth 
 Day of October, in the Sixth Year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord GEORGE the 
 Second, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, France and Ireland, KING, Defender 
 of the Faith. Annoq : Domini 1733. 
 
 W. COSBY. 
 HENDK. MORRIS, D. Secry. 
 
 From the Connecticut Journal, Nov. 20, 1775. 
 " On the 20th of this month sixteen respectable inhabitants of this town, (New Haven,) 
 in company with Capt. Sears, set out from this place for East and West Chester, in ths 
 Provmce of New York, to disarm the principal tories there, and secure the persons or Par- 
 
 22 
 
170 NEW YORK COUNTY. 
 
 Bon Seaburjr, Judge Fowler, and Lord Underbill. On their way thither they were joined 
 by Captains Scilhck, Richards, and Mead, with about 80 men. At Marrineck they burnt 
 a small sloop, which was purchased by government for the purpose of carrying provisions 
 on board the Asia. At East Chester they seized Judge Fowler, and then repaired to West 
 Chester and secured Seabury and Underbill. Having possessed themselvss of these caitiffs, 
 they sent them to Connecticut under a strong guard. The main body, consisting of 75, then 
 proceeded to New York, which they entered at noon-day on horseback, with bayonets 
 fixed, in the greatest regularity went down the main street, and drew up in close order be- 
 fore the printing office of the infamous James RIVINGTON. A small detachment enter, 
 ed it, and in about three quarters of an hour brought off" the principal part of his types, for 
 which they offered to give an order on Lord Dunmore. They then faced and wheeled to 
 the left and marched out of the town to the tune of YANKEE DOODLE. A vast con- 
 course of people assembled at the coffee-house bridge, on their leaving the ground, gave 
 them three hearty cheers; 
 
 " On their way homcj they disarmed all the tories that lay on their route, and yesterday ar- 
 rived here escorted by great number of gentlemen from the westward, the whole making a 
 very grand procession. Upon their entrance into town they were saluted with the discharge 
 of two cannon, and received by the inhabitants with every mark of approbation and re. 
 spect. The company divided into twi^parties, and concluded the day in festivity and inno- 
 cent mirth. Captain Sears returned in company with the other gentlemen, and proposed 
 to spend the winter here unless public business should require his presence in New York. 
 Seabury, Underbill, and Fowler, three of the dastardly protesters against the proceedings 
 of the Continental Congress, and who it is believed had concerted a plan for kidnapping 
 Capt. Sears, and conveying him on board of the Asia man-of-war, are (with the types and 
 arms) safely lodged in this town : where it is expected Lord Underbill will have leisure to 
 form the scheme of a lucrative lottery, the tickets of which cannot be counterfeited ; and 
 Parson Seabury sufEcient time and opportunity to compose sermons for the next Continent, 
 al Fast." 
 
 After the Americans were defeated on Long Island, August 26, 
 1776, New York fell into the hands of the British troops, who kept 
 possession of it during the revolutionary war. The annexed account 
 of the military movements on New York island is from Colonel 
 Humphrey's Life of General Putnam. 
 
 " The unfortunate battle of Long Island, the masterly retreat from 
 thence, and the actual passage of part of the hostile fleet in the East 
 river, above the town, preceded the evacuation of New York. A 
 promotion of four major-generals, and six brigadiers, had previously 
 been made by congress. After the retreat from Long Island, fhe 
 main army, consisting, for the moment, of sixty battalions, of which 
 twenty were continental, the residue levies and militia, was, conform- 
 ably to the exigencies of the service, rather than to the rules of war, 
 formed into fourteen brigades. Major-general Putnam commanded 
 the right grand division of five brigades, the Majors-general Spencer 
 and Greene the centre of six brigades, and Major-general Heath the 
 left, which was posted near Kingsbridge, and composed of two 
 brigades. The whole never amounted to twenty thousand effective 
 men ; while the British and German forces, under Sir William Howe, 
 exceeded twenty-two thousand ; indeed, the minister had asserted in 
 pariiament that they would consist of more than thirty thousand. 
 Our two centre divisions, both commanded by General Spencer, in 
 the sickness of General Greene, moved towards Mount Washington, 
 Harlaem heights, and Horn's hook, as soon as the final resolution 
 was takai in a council of war, on the 12th of September, to abandon 
 the city. That event, thus circumstanced, took cfiect a few days 
 after. 
 
NEW YORK COUNTY. [71 
 
 " On Sunday, the 15th, the British, after sending three ships of war 
 up the North river, to Bloomingdale, and keeping up, for some hours, 
 a severe cannonade on our lines, from those already in the East river, 
 landed in force at Turtle bay. Our new levies, commanded by a 
 state brigadier-general, fled without making resistance. Two bri- 
 gades of General Putnam's division, ordered to their support, notwith- 
 standing the exertion of their brigadiers, and of the commander-in- 
 chief himself who came up at the instant, conducted themselves in 
 the same shameful manner. His excellency then ordered the heigiits 
 of Harlaem, a strong position, to be occupied. Thither the forces in 
 the vicinity, as well as the fugitives, repaired. In the mean time. 
 General Putnam, with the remainder of his command, and the ordi- 
 nary outposts, was in the city. After having caused the brigades to 
 begin their retreat by the route of Bloomingdale, in order to avoid 
 the enemy, who were then in the possession of the main road leading 
 to Kingsbridge, he galloped to call off" the pickets and guards. 
 Having myself been a volunteer in his division, and acting adjutant to 
 the last regiment that left the city, I had frequent opportunities, that 
 day, of beholding him, for the purpose of issuing orders, and encour- 
 aging the troops, flying, on his horse covered with foam, wherever 
 his presence was most necessary. Without his extraordinary exer- 
 tions, the guards must have been inevitably lost, and it is probable 
 the entire corps would have been cut in pieces. When we were not 
 far from Bloomingdale, an aid-de-camp came from him at full speed, 
 to inform that a column of British infantry was descending upon our 
 right. Our rear was soon fired upon, and the colonel of our regiment, 
 whose order was just communicated for the front to file ofi to the 
 left, was killed on the spot. With no other loss we joined the army, 
 after dark, on the heights of Harlaem. 
 
 " Before our brigades came in, we were given up for lost by all our 
 friends. So critical indeed was our situation, and so narrow the gap 
 by which we escaped, that the instant we had passed, the enemy 
 closed it by extending their line from river to river. Our men, who 
 had been fifteen hours under arms, harassed by marching and coun- 
 termarching, in consequence of incessant alarms, exhausted as they 
 were by heat and thirst, (for the day proved insupportably hot, and 
 few or none had canteens, insomuch, that some died at the brooks 
 where they drank,) if attacked, could have made but feeble resistance. 
 
 "... That night our soldiers, excessively fatigued by the sultry 
 march of the day, their clothes wet by a severe shower of rain that 
 succeeded towards the evening, their blood chilled by the cold wind 
 that produced a sudden change in the temperature of the air, and 
 their hearts sunk within them by the loss of baggage, artillery, and 
 works in which they had been taught to put great confidence, lay 
 upon their arms, covered only by the clouds of an uncomfortable sky. 
 
 "... Next morning several parties of the enemy appeared upon 
 the plains in our front. On receiving this intelligence, General Wash- 
 ington rode quickly to the outposts, for the purpose of preparing 
 against an attack, if the enemy should advance with that design. 
 
172 NEW YORK COUNTY. 
 
 Lieutenant-colonel Knowlton's rangers, a fine selection from the 
 eastern regiments, who had been skirmishing with an advanced par- 
 ty, came in, and informed the general that a body of British were 
 under cover of a small eminence at no considerable distance. His 
 excellency, willing to raise our men from their dejection by the splen- 
 dor of some little success, ordered Lieuteuant-colonel Knowlton, with 
 his rangers, and Major Leitch, with three companies of Weedon's 
 regiment of Virginians, to gain their rear ; while appearances should 
 be made of an attack in front. As soon as the enemy saw the party 
 sent to decoy them, they ran precipitately down the hill, took pos- 
 session of some fences and bushes, and commenced a brisk firing at 
 long-shot. Unfortunately, Knowlton and Leitch made their onset 
 rather in flank than in rear. The enemy changed their front, and 
 the skirmish at once became close and warm. Major Leitch having 
 received three balls through his side, was soon borne from the field ; 
 and Colonel Knowlton, who had distinguished himself so gallantly at 
 the battle of Bunkerhill, was mortally wounded immediately after. 
 Their men, however, undaunted by these disasters, stimulated with 
 the thirst of revenge for the loss of their leaders, and conscious of 
 acting under the eye of the commander-in-chief, maintained the con- 
 flict with uncommon spirit and perseverance. But the general, seeing 
 them in need of support, advanced part of the Maryland regiments 
 of Griffith and Richardson, together with some detachments from 
 such eastern corps as chanced to be most contiguous to the place of 
 action. Our troops this day, without exception, behaved with the 
 greatest intrepidity. So bravely did they repulse the British, that 
 Sir William Howe moved his reserve, with two field-pieces, a battal- 
 ion of Hessian grenadiers, and a company of Chasseurs, to succor his 
 retreating troops. General Washington, not willing to draw on a 
 general action, declined pressing the pursuit. In this engagement 
 were the second and third battalions of light infantry, the forty-second 
 British regiment, and the German Chasseurs, of whom eight officers, 
 and upwards of seventy privates were wounded, and our people 
 buried nearly twenty, who were left dead on the field. We had 
 about forty wounded ; our loss in killed, except of two valuable offi- 
 cers, was very inconsiderable. 
 
 " An advantage so trivial in itself produced, in event, a surprising 
 and almost incredible effect upon the whole army. Amongst the 
 troops not engaged, who, during the action, were throwing earth 
 from the new trenches, with an alacrity that indicated a determina- 
 tion to defend them, every visage was seen to brighten, and to as- 
 sume, instead of the gloom of despair, the glow of animation. This 
 change, no less sudden than happy, left little room to doubt that the 
 men, who ran the day before at the sight of an enemy, would now, 
 to wipe away the stain of that disgrace, and to recover the confidence 
 of their general, have conducted themselves in a very diflTerent man- 
 ner." 
 
 The following is Mr. Grim's account of the great fire, 21st of Sep- 
 tember, 1776. 
 
NEW YORK COUNTY. 
 
 *' The fire of 1776 commenced in a small wooden house, on the wharf, near the White. 
 haU slip. It was then occupied by a number of men and women, of a bad character. The 
 fire began late at night. There being but a very few inhabitants in the city, in a short 
 time, it raged tremendously. It burned all the houses on the east side of Whitehall slip, 
 and the west side of Broad^treet to Beaver^street. A providential and happy circumstance 
 occurred at this time ; the wind was then southwesterly. About two o'clock that morning, 
 the wind veered to the southeast ; this carried the flames of the fire to the northwestward, 
 and burned both sides of Beaver-street to the east side of Broadway, then crossed Broadway 
 to Beaver-lane, and burning all the houses on both sides of Broadway, with some few 
 houses in New-street, to Rector-street, and to John Harrison, Esq.'s three story brick house, 
 which house stopped the fire on the east side of Broadway ; from thence it continued bum. 
 ing all the houses in Lumber-street, and those in the rear of the houses on the west side of 
 Broadway to St. Paul's church, then continued burning the houses on both sides of Parti, 
 tion-street, and all the houses in the rear (again) of the west side of Broadway to the North 
 river. The fire did not stop until it got into Mortkile-street, now Barclay-street. The 
 college yard and the vacant ground m the rear of the same, put an end to this awful and 
 tremendous fire. Trinity church being burned, was occasioned by the flakes of fire that 
 fell on the south side of the roof. The southerly wind fanned those flakes of fire in a short 
 time to an amazing blaze, and it soon became out of human power to extinguish the same, 
 the roof of this noble edifice being so steep that no person could go on it. St. Paul's church 
 was in the like perilous situation. The roof being flat, with a balustrade on the eaves, a 
 number of the citizens went on the same, and extinguished the flakes of fire as they fell on 
 the roof. Thus happily was this beautiful church saved from the destruction of this dread, 
 fill fire, which threatened the ruin thereof, and that of the whole city. The Lutheran 
 church being contiguous to houses adjoining the same fire, it was impossible to save it from 
 destruction. This fire was so fiirious and violently hot, that no person could go near it, 
 and there were no fire engines to be had at that time in the city. 
 
 " The nimiber of houses that were burned and destroyed in this city at that awful confla. 
 gration, were thus, viz. — From Mortkile-street to Courtlandt-street, 167 ; from Courtlandu 
 street to Beaver.street, 175 ; from Beaver-street to the East river, 151. "Total, 493. There 
 being very few inhabitants in the city at the time, and many of those were afraid to venture 
 at night in the streets, for fear of being taken uj) as suspicious persons. An instance to my 
 knowledge occurred. A Mr. White, a decent citizen and housccarpenter, rather too vio. 
 lent a loyalist, and latterly, had addicted himself to liquor, was, on the night of the fire, 
 hanged on a tavern signpost, at the corner of Cherry and Roosevelt.street. Several of the 
 citizens were sent to the provost guard for examination, and some of them remained there 
 two and three days, until they could give satisfactory evidence of their loyalty. 
 
 "Mr. Hugh Gain, in his Universal Register for the year 1787, page 119, says. New 
 York is about a mile and a half in length, and half a mile broad, containing, before the fires 
 on the 21st of September, 1776, and 3d of August, 1778, about 4,200 houses, and 30,000 
 inhabitants." 
 
 The following annexed account of the incidents of the revolutiona- 
 ry war in New York, is from Watson's Sketches of Olden Times in 
 New York city. 
 
 " After the war had commenced and New York was expected to be captured, almost all 
 the Whig families, who could sustain the expense, left their houses and homes to seek pre. 
 carious refuge where they could in the country. On the other hand, after the city was 
 possessed by the British, all the Tory families who felt unsafe in the country made their 
 escape into New York for British protection. Painfully, family relations were broken ; 
 famihes as well as the rulers took difierent sides, and ' Greek met Greek' in fierce encoun. 
 ter. 
 
 " Mr. Brower, who saw the British force land in Kip's bay as he stood on the Long 
 Island heights, says it was the most imposing sight his eyes ever beheld. The army crossed 
 the East river, in open flat boats, filled with soldiers standing erect ; their arms all gUtteriug 
 in the sunbeams. They approached the British fleet in Kip's bay, in the form of a crescent, 
 caused by the force of the tide breaking the intended hne of boat after boat. They all 
 closed up in the rear of the fleet, when all the vessels opened a heavy cannonade. 
 
 " All the Presbyterian churches in New York were used for military purposes in some 
 form or other. I suspect they were deemed more whiggish in general than some of the 
 other churches. The cleigjTnen of that order were in general, throughout the war, said to 
 be zealous to promote the cause of the revolution. The Methodists, on the contrary, then 
 few in number, were deemed loyaUsts, chiefly from the known loyalism of their founder. 
 
NEW YORK COUNTY. 
 
 Mr. Wesley. Perhaps to thia cause it was that the society in John street enjoyed so mucb 
 indulgence as to occupy their church for Sunday night service, while the Hessians had it in 
 the morning service for their own chaplains and people. 
 
 " The British troops were quartered in any empty houses of the 
 Whigs which might be found. Wherever men were billeted, they 
 marked it. 
 
 " The middle Dutch church in Nassau-street, was used to imprison 
 3,000 Americans. The pews were all gutted out and used as fuel. 
 Afterward they used it for the British cavalry, wherein they exer- 
 cised their men, as a riding school ; making them leap over raised 
 windlasses. At the same place they often picketed their men, as a 
 punishment, making them bear their weight on their toe on a sharp 
 goad. At the same place, while the prisoners remained there, Mr. 
 Andrew Mercein told me he used to see the ' dead cart' come every 
 morning, to bear off six or eight of the dead. The old sugar-house, 
 which also adjoined to this church, was filled with the prisoners taken 
 at Long Island ; there they suffered much, they being kept in an 
 almost starved condition. This starving proceeded from different 
 motives ; they wished to break the spirit of the prisoners, and to 
 cause their desertion, or to make the war unwelcome to their friends 
 at home. On some occasions, as I shall herein show, the British 
 themselves were pinched for supplies ; and on other occasions the 
 commissaries had their own gain to answer, by withholding what 
 they could from the prisoners. I could not find, on inquiry, that 
 Americans in New York were allowed to help their countrymen 
 unless by stealth. I was told by eye-witnesses of cases, where the 
 wounded came crawling to the openings in the wall, and begging 
 only for one cup of water, and could not be indulged, the sentinels 
 saying, we are sorry too, but our orders have been, ' suffer no com- 
 munication in the absence of your officer.' 
 
 " The north Dutch church in William-street was entirely gutted of 
 its pews, and made to hold 2,000 prisoners. The Quaker meeting in 
 Pearl-street was converted into an hospital. The old French church 
 was used as a prison. Mr. Thomas Swords told me they used to 
 bury the prisoners on the mount, then on the corner of Grace and 
 Lumber streets. It was an old redoubt. 
 
 " Cunningham was infamous for his cruelty to the prisoners, even 
 depriving them of life, it is said, for the sake of cheating his king and 
 country by continuing for a time to draw their nominal rations ! The 
 prisoners at the Provost, (the present debtors' prison in the Park,) 
 were chiefly under his severity, (my father among the number for a 
 time.) It was said he was only restrained from putting them to 
 death, (five or six of them of a night, back of the prison-yard, where 
 were also their graves,) by the distress of certain women in the neigh- 
 borhood, who, pained by the cries for mercy which they heard, went 
 to the commander-in-chief, and made the case known, with entreaties 
 to spare their lives in future. This unfeeling wretch, it is said, came 
 afterward to an ignominious end, being executed in England, as was 
 published in Hall and Sellers' paper in Philadelphia. It was there 
 
NEW YOEK COUNTY. 175 
 
 said, that it came out on the trial that he boasted of having killed 
 more of the king's enemies by the use of his own means than had 
 been effected by the king's arms ! — he having, as it was there stated, 
 used a preparation of arsenic in their flour ! 
 
 " Loring, another commissary of prisoners, was quite another man, 
 and had a pretty good name. Mr. Lennox, the other, being now a 
 resident of New York, I forbear any remarks. 
 
 " There was much robbing in the city by the soldiery at times. In 
 this. Lord Rawdon's corps and the king's guards were said to have 
 been pre-eminent. 
 
 '' The British cast up a line of intrenchments quite across from 
 Corlear's hook to Bunker's hill, on the Bowery road, and placed gates 
 across the road there. The Hessians, under Knyphausen, were en- 
 camped on a mount not far from Corlear's hook. 
 
 •' Mr. Andrew Mercein, who was present in New York when most 
 of the above-mentioned things occurred, has told me several facts. 
 He was an apprentice with a baker who made bread for the army, 
 and states, that there was a time when provisions, even to their own 
 soldiery, was very limited. For instance, on the occasion of the 
 Cork provision fleet over-staying their time, he has dealt out six 
 penny loaves, as fast as he could hand them, for ' a hard half dollar 
 a-piece !' The baker then gave $20 a cwt. for his flour. They had 
 to make oatmeal bread for the navy. Often he has seen 7s. a pound 
 given for butter, when before the war it was but 2d. 
 
 " When Cornwallis was in difficulties at Yorktown, and it became 
 necessary to send him out all possible help, they took the citizens by 
 constraint and enrolled them as a militia. In this service Mr. Mer- 
 cein was also compelled, and had to take his turns at the fort. There 
 they mounted guard, &c. in military attire, just lent to them for the 
 time and required to be returned. The non-commissioned officers 
 were generally chosen as Tories, but often without that condition. 
 Mr. Mercein's sergeant was whiggish enough to have surrendered if 
 he had had the proper chance. There were some independent com- 
 panies of Tories there. 
 
 " It was really an affecting sight to see the operations of the final 
 departure of all the king's embarkation ; the royal band beat a fare- 
 well march. Then to see so many of our countrymen, with their 
 women and children, leaving the lands of their fathers because they 
 took the king's side, going thence to the bleak and barren soil of 
 Nova Scotia, was at least affecting to them. Their hearts said, * My 
 country, with all thy faults I love thee still.' 
 
 " In contrast to this, there followed the entry of our tattered and 
 weather-beaten troops, followed by all the citizens in regular platoons. 
 
 " ' Oh ! one day of such a welcome sight, 
 
 Were worth a whole eternity of lesser years.' 
 
 " Then crowded home to their ovm city, all those who had been 
 abroad, reluctant exiles from British rule ; now fondly cherishing in 
 their hearts, ' this is my own, my native land.' 
 
176 NEW YORK COUNTY. 
 
 " The Hessian troops were peculiarly desirous to desert so as to 
 remain in our country, and hid themselves in every family where they 
 could possibly secure a friend to help their escape. 
 
 "... Captain Graydon of Philadelphia, who has left us amusing 
 and instructive memoirs of sixty years of his observing life, having 
 been among the officers and men (3,000) captured at Fort Washing- 
 ton near New York, and held prisoners, has left us many instructive 
 pages concerning the incidents at New York while held by the Brit- 
 ish, which ought to be read by all those who can feel any interest in 
 such domestic history as I have herein endeavored to preserve. 
 
 " After our capture, (says he,) we were committed, men and offi- 
 cers, to the custody of young and insolent officers ; we were again 
 and again taunted as 'cursed rebels,' and that we should all be 
 hanged. Repeatedly we were paraded, and every now and then 
 one and another of us was challenged among our officers as deserters ; 
 affecting thereby to consider their common men as good enough for 
 our ordinary subaltern officers. Unfortunately for our pride and 
 self-importance, among those so challenged was here and there a 
 subject fitted to their jibes and jeers. A little squat militia officer, 
 from York county, with dingy clothes the worse for wear, was ques- 
 tioned with ' What, sir, is your rank ?' when he answered in a chuff 
 and firm tone, ' a keppun, sir ;' an answer producing an immoderate 
 laugh among ' the haughty Britons.' There was also an unlucky 
 militia trooper of the same school, with whom the officers were 
 equally merry, obliging him to amble about for their entertainment 
 on his old jade, with his odd garb and accoutrements. On being 
 asked what were his duties, he simply answered, ' it was to jlank a 
 little and bear tidings' 
 
 " At this beginning period of the war, most things on the American 
 side were coarse and rough. Maryland and Philadelphia county put 
 forward young gentlemen as officers of gallant bearing and demean- 
 or ; but New England, and this, then seat of war, was very deficient 
 in such material. In many cases subaltern officers at least could 
 scarcely be distinguished from their men other than by their cock- 
 ades. It was not uncommon for colonels to make drummers and 
 filers of their sons. Among such the eye looked around in vain for 
 the leading gentry of the country. General Putnam could be seen 
 riding about in his shirt sleeves, with his hanger over his open vest : 
 and Colonel Putnam, his nephew, did not disdain to carry his own 
 
 i)iece of meat, saying, as his excuse, ' it will show our officers a good 
 esson of humility.' 
 
 "... The American officers took full latitude of their parole, in traversing the streets in 
 all directions with a good deal of purposed assurance. One of thera, on one occasion, 
 wearing his best uniform, i ~ 'he great gaze and wonderment of many, actually ventured 
 disdainfully to pass the coffee ^louse, then the general resort of the British officers. At 
 other times, when the Kolch water was frozen over, and was covered with British officeis, 
 ■who thought themselves proficients in skating, it was the malicious pleasure of some of our 
 officers to appear and eclipse them all. The officers occasionally met with cordial civihtics 
 and genteel entertainment from British officers with whom they came in contact ; for, in 
 truth, the latter valued their personal gentility too much to seem to be in any degree defi- 
 
NEW YOKK COUNTY. 177 
 
 cient in politeneas and courtesy when they met with those whom they thought sufficiently 
 polished to appreciate their demeanor. 
 
 "... The residence of Admiral Kgby, and indeed of all naval officers of distinction nr. 
 riving on the station, was Beekman's house, on the northwest corner of Sloate-lane and 
 Hanover square. There dwelt, under the guardianship of Admiral Digby, Prince Willaim 
 Henry, the late king of England. What associations of idea must be produced in the 
 minds of those who can still remember when he walked the streets of New York in the 
 common garb of a midshipman's ' roundabout,' or when they saw him a knocked-kneed lad, 
 joining the boys in skating on the Kolch pond !" 
 
 The annexed is a description of some of the principal British officers. " Sir William 
 Howe was a fine figure, full six feet high, and admirably well proportioned. In person he 
 a good deal resembled Washington, and might have been mistaken for him at a distance. 
 His features, though good, were more pointed, and the expression of his countenance was 
 less benignant. His manners were polished, graceful, and dignified. He lived at N. 
 Prime's house, at the south end of Broadway, near the battery. 
 
 " Sir Henry Clinton was short and fat, with a full face, prominent nose, and animated in- 
 •elligent countenance. In his manners he was polite and courtly, but more formal and 
 distant than Howe ; and in his intercourse with his officers, was rather punctilious and not 
 inclined to intimacy. 
 
 " Lord Comwallis in person was short and thick setj but not so corpulent as Sir Henry. 
 He had a handsome aquiline nose, and hair, when young, light and rather incHned to san. 
 dy ; but at the time of his leaving here it had become somewhat gray. His face was well 
 formed and agreeable, and would have been altogether fine had he not blinked badly with 
 his left eye. He was uncommonly easy and affable in his manners, and always accessible 
 to the lowest of his soldiers, by whom he was greatly beloved. With his officers he used 
 the utmost cordiality. 
 
 " General Knyphausen, who commanded the Germans, was a fine-looking German, of 
 about five feet eleven, straight and slender. His features were sharp, and his appearance 
 martial. 
 
 " Tarleton was below the middle size, stout, strong, heavily made, with large legs, but 
 uncommonly active. His eye was small, black, and piercing ; his face smooth, and his 
 complexion dark ; he was quite young, probably about twenty.five. 
 
 " Colonel Abercrombie, who afterward gained so much eclat in Egypt, where he fell, 
 was one of the finest built men in the anny ; straight and elegantly proportioned. His 
 countenance was strong and manly, but his face was much pitted by the small-pox. When 
 here he appeared to be about forty." 
 
 CAPT. NATHAN HALE. 
 " This eminent mart]fr to American liberty was the son of Deacon Richard Hale, of 
 Coventry, Connecticut, where he was bom June 6, 1755 ; and graduated at Yale College in 
 1773. Possessed of genius, taste, and ardor, he early became distinguished as a scholar, 
 and being endowed in an eminent degree with those gifts and graces which alwa^^s add a 
 new charm to youthful excellence, he gained the respect and confidence of all that knew 
 him. Being a patriot from principle, and enthusiastic in a cause which appealed equally to 
 his sense of justice and his love of liberty, he was among the first to take up arms in de- 
 fence of his country, whose soil had been invaded by a hostile force, and its citizens subjected 
 to the alternative of determined retiatance or humiliating submission. The life of Captain 
 Hale was short, but eventful. Its termination was under rare circumstances of intrepidity 
 and cruelty. His case has been deemed parallel with that of Major Andre, and in some 
 respects it was soothe nature of the service was identical. Both were young, well edu- 
 cated, ardent and brave ; one for his king, the other for his country ; and each fell a victim 
 to the rigor of mihtary law. The news of the battle of Lexington roused his martial spirit, 
 and summoned him to the tented field. Before arriving at the age of twenty-one, a cap. 
 tain's commission was tendered him, and he soon became an efficient officer in the conti- 
 nental army; where his activity, zeal, and patriotism, obtained universal approbation. The 
 company under his command, participating in the same spirit, submitted to a system of disci- 
 pline before unknown to the army ; and which produced very beneficial results. He entered as 
 a captain in the light infantry regiment commanded by Colonel Knowlton, of Ashford, and 
 was with the army on its retreat from Long Island, in August, 1776. The American forces 
 :ook refuge in the city of New York, and afterward at the heights at Harlaem ; and it be. 
 came a matter of the utmost importance, in the opinion of the commander in-chief, to as. 
 certain the numerical force and contemplated operations of the enemy ; for on that know- 
 
 23 
 
178 NEW YORK COUNTY. 
 
 ledge depended the safety of the American army, and perhaps the nation also. A council 
 of officers was assembled, and resulted in a determination to send some one competent to 
 the task into the heart of the enemy's camp, and Colonel Knowlton was charged with the 
 selection of an individual to perform the delicate and hazardous service. On being inform- 
 ed of the views and wishes of Washington, Hale, without hesitation, volunteered his ser. 
 vices, saying that he did not accept a commission for fame alone ; that he had been some- 
 time in the army without being able thus far to render any signal aid to his country ; and 
 that he now felt impelled, by high considerations of duty, to peril his hfe in a cause of so vital 
 importance when an opportunity presented itself of being useful. The arguments of his 
 friends were unavaiUng to dissuade him from the undertaking ; and having disguised him- 
 self as well as he could, he left his quartets ai Harlaem Heights, and having an order from 
 the commander-in-chief to all the American armed vessels to convey him to any point which 
 he should designate, he was enabled to cross the sound from Fairfield to Long Island, and 
 arrived at Huntington about the middle of September, 1776. When he reached Brooklyn, 
 the British army had taken possession of New York. He examined with the utmost cau. 
 tion the fortifications of the enemy, and ascertained as far as passible their number, posi- 
 tion, and future intentions ; and having satisfactorily accomplished the objects of his mission, 
 he again reached Huntington for the purpose of re-crossing the sound. While waiting for 
 a passage, a boat came on shore, which he at first supposed to be fi'om Connecticut, but 
 proved to be from a British vessel, the Cerberus, lying in the sound ; and on board this boat, 
 it is said, was a relative of Capt. Hale, a tory refugee, who recognised and betrayed him. 
 He had,.assumed a character which did not belong to him, that of pretending to be what he was 
 not. That he was a spy, could no longer be concealed, and he was immediately sent to 
 General Howe at New York. Here the parallel between his case and that of Andre ceases 
 The latter was allowed time and an impartial trial before officers of honorable rank and 
 character, and his last moments were soothed by tenderness and sympathy. Not so with 
 the former ; he was delivered into the possession of the infamous provost-marshal, Cim- 
 ningham, and ordered immediately for execution, without even the formality of a trial 
 The order was performed in a brutal manner on the twenty.first of September, 1776, and 
 his body was buried on the spot where he breathed his last. He was, indeed, permitted to 
 consecrate a few previous moments in writing to his family ; but as soon as the work of 
 death was done, even this testimony of affection and patriotism was destroyed, assigning 
 as the cause, ' that the rebels should never knoiB they had a man in their army who could 
 die with such firmness.' In this Lying hour the use of a bible and the attendance of a 
 minister, which he desired, were also denied him. Thus unknown to those around him, 
 with no eye to pity, or a voice to administer consolation, fell one of the most noble and 
 amiable youths which America could boast ; with this his dying observation, ' that he only 
 lamented he had but one life to lose for his country.' Though the manner of his execution 
 will be abhorred by every friend of humanity, yet there cannot be a question but that the 
 sentence of death was conformable to the practice of all civilized nations. It is, however, 
 but common justice to the character of Captain Hale to state, that his motives for engaging 
 in this service were entirely different from those which sometimes influence others in like 
 cases. Neither expectation of promotion or pecuniary reward induced the attempt. A 
 high seye of public duty, and a hope ■ of being in this way useful to his country, and the 
 opinion which he had adopted, that every kind of service became honorable by being ne- 
 cessary, were the motives which prompted him to this hazardous, and, to him, fatal enter- 
 prise. To see such an one, in the bloom of youth, influenced by the purest intentions, and 
 emulous of doing good to his beloved country, fall a victim to the poUcy of nations, must 
 have been wounding even to the feelings of his enemies. 
 
 " Among other causes of distress in 1776, the want of provisions and clothing was se. 
 verely felt by the American army. Just previous to the battle of Long Island it was as- 
 certained that an English sloop, with supplies of these essential articles, had arrived in the 
 East river, and lay there under the protection of the ship Asia, of ninety guns. Captain 
 Hale conceived the bold project of capturing this sloop, and bringing her into the port of 
 New York, and found a sufficient number of bold hearts and stout hands to make the at- 
 tempt. At an hour concerted, they passed in a boat to a point of land nearest the sloop, 
 where they lay till the moon was down ; and when all was quiet, except the voice of the 
 watchman on the quai ler-deck of the Asia, they pulled for the sloop, and in a few minutes 
 were on board. She became their prize, and the goods were distributed to those who 
 Deeded them in our army. 
 
 " A meeting of the citizens of Coventry and the neighboring towns was held on the 25th 
 of November, 1836, at which a society was formed called the Hale Monument Associa» 
 TION, for the purpose of taking measures to erect a suitable memorial to the memory of 
 the subject of this notice. An eloquent address was delivered on the occasion, by An- 
 
NEW YOSE COUNTY. 179 
 
 drew T. Judson, Eaq., to whom we are indebted for much of the information contained in 
 this brief memoir. 
 
 " The following poetical tribute to the lamented Hale, ia from the pen of the late Presi. 
 dent Dwight : — 
 
 ' Thus, while fond virtue wished in vain to save, 
 Hale, bright and generous, found a hapless grave ; 
 With genius' living flame his bosom glow'd. 
 And science charmed him to her sweet abode ; 
 In worth's fair path, adventured far, 
 The pride of peace, and rising grace of war.' 
 
 " As yet no monument has been erected, nor have his ashes ever been recovered. A 
 select committee of congress, on the 19th of January, 1836, recommended an appropria. 
 tion of one thousand dollars from the treasury of die United States towards carrying the 
 object into eifect ; but no action was ever had upon it afterward, and it is much to be 
 feared so praiseworthy a design will be suflered to sleep, perhaps forever." — Thompeon't 
 History of Long Island. 
 
 The annexed account of the evacuation of Npw York by the Brit- 
 ish, and the entrance of the American troops, under Washington, is 
 extracted from Thatcher's Military Journal. 
 
 "November 25th, 1783. — The British army evacuated New York, 
 and the American troops under General Knox, took possession of the 
 city. Soon after, General Washington and Governor Clinton, with 
 their suite, made their public entry into the city on horseback, fol- 
 lowed by the lieutenant-governor and the members of council, for 
 the temporary government of the southern district, four abreast; 
 General Knox and the officers of the army, eight abreast ; citizens 
 on horseback, eight abreast ; the speaker of the assembly and citizens 
 on foot, eight abreast. The governor gave a public dinner, at which 
 the commander-in-chief, and other general officers were present. 
 The arrangements for the whole business were so well made and 
 executed, that the most admirable tranquillity succeeded through the 
 day and night. On Monday the governor gave an elegant enter- 
 tainment to the French ambassador, the Chevalier de la Luzerne ; 
 General Washington, the principal officers of New York state, and 
 of the army, and upwards of a hundred gentlemen were present. 
 Magnificent fireworks, infinitely exceeding eyery thing of the kind 
 before seen in the United States, were exhibited at the Bowling 
 Green, in Broadway, on the evening of Tuesday, in celebration of 
 the definitive treaty of peace, '^hey commenced by a dove descend- 
 ing with the olive branch, and setting fire to a marron battery. On 
 Tuesday noon, December 4th, the principal oflicers of the army as- 
 sembled at Francis' tavern, to take a final leave of their much loved 
 commander-in-chief. Soon after, his excellency entered the room. 
 His emotions were too strong to be concealed. Filling a glass, he 
 turned to them and said, ' With a heart full of jove and gratitude, I 
 now take leave of you. I most devoutly wish that your latter days 
 may be as prosperous and happy as your former ones have been 
 glorious and honorable.' Having drank, he added, ' I cannot come 
 to each of you to take my leave, but shall be obliged to you, if each 
 of you will come and take me by the hand.' General Knox being 
 nearest, turned to him. Incapable of utterance, Washington, in tears. 
 
180 NEW YOEK COUNTY. 
 
 grasped his hand, embraced and kissed him. In the same affection- 
 ate manner he took leave of each succeeding officer. In every eye 
 was the tear of dignified sensibility ; and not a word was articulated 
 to interrupt the eloquent silence and tenderness of the scene. Leav- 
 ing the room, he passed through the corps of light infantry, and 
 ■walked to Whitehall, where a barge waited to convey him to Paulus' 
 Hook. The whole company followed in mute and solemn proces- 
 sion, with dejected countenances, testifying feelings of delicious mel- 
 ancholy which no language can describe. Having entered the 
 barge he turned to the compar.y, and waving his hat, bid them a silent 
 adieu. They paid him the same affectionate compliment, and after the 
 barge had left them, returned in the same solemn manner to the place 
 where they had assembled. The passions of human nature were never 
 more tenderly agitated than in this interesting and distressful scene." 
 The following, respecting the prevalence of the yellow fever at 
 various times in New York, is from a publication written by James 
 Hardie, A. M., prmted in New York in 1822. 
 
 " The yellow fever, in our times, was first observed in this city in the year 1791, when 
 General Malcolm and some other very respectable citizens fell victims to its fiiry. The 
 late respectable Dr. James Tillary, at a meetinff cf a number of physicians, explained the 
 symptoms of the disease, described its character, and gave it its true name. To all present, 
 excepting two, the doctor spoke in a language which was past their comprehension, as he 
 had described a disease which they had never seen, and of which they had not the most 
 distant conception. But it was well remembered by the late venerable Dr. John Carleton 
 and Dr. Samuel Bard, who had seen the same fell destroyer, spreading havoc and destruc- 
 tion in this city, about forty years before that period. Since that time, it has repeatedly 
 made its appearance amongst us, and every physician in this city as well as in most other 
 maritime cities in the United States has had repeated opportunities of seeing it and of de. 
 vising, in his own mind, what he might deem the most effectual means of its prevention 
 and cure. 
 
 " As the sickness, which occurred in the year 1798, was by far more fatal than any 
 which has happened since that time, I shall endeavor to give as brief an account as possi- 
 ble of its origin, progress, and termination. 
 
 " Its first victim, in all probability, was Mr. Melancton Smith, who died on the 28th or 
 29th of July, after an illness of a few days. His case was said to have been attended with 
 the most malignant symptoms ; but such was the general opinion of the inhabitants with 
 respect to the healthiness of our city, that his death excited little or no alarm. It was be- 
 Ueved that Mr. Smith had been taken sick at his store, in Front-street, near Coenties-slip, 
 and a few days after his death, several persons were attacked with sickness in that vicinity. 
 The symptoms of their disorders, however, appeared to be similar to that of a common cold. 
 They were, therefore, negligent in obtaining medical aid ; hence the disease got the as- 
 cendancy before they were aware of their danger, and the assistance of physicians was 
 called for when it was too late. 
 
 " Whether any case of pestilential fever existed in the earlier part of August, remote 
 from the place where it was believed to have originated, was not, at the time, ascertained 
 to a certainty ; but of this there was no doubt, viz. that about the 20th of the month, cases 
 of a highly malignant nature appeared ii) different parts of the city on the same day, and in 
 the course of six or eight days in different streets very remote from one another. In par. 
 ticular, it began to rage with great violence at the New-slip ; in Cliff-street and John-street ■ 
 but more especially in Rider-street and Edcn's-alley, ^yhere not a family escaped it, nor 
 was there a house, except two, in which it did not tejimaaXe fatally to one or more indi. 
 viduals. 
 
 " The Health Commissioners began to be apprehensive respecting the appearance of this 
 pestilence so early as the 6th of August, on which day they addressed a letter to the 
 Mayor. It was to the following purport, viz. that ' the unfinished state of the docks in 
 Front-street, between Coenties and the Old slips, generally, had been, in their opinion, a 
 source of disease, in that neighborhood, last year, and had occasioned the death of several 
 valuable citizens, T^^t they cannot sufHciently regret th^t they had reason to renew their 
 
NEW YORK COUNTY. 181 
 
 remonatrances on thia subject, and that its present situation was likely to be productiTe of 
 still greater evils than those of last year.' They added, that several persons had sickened 
 in the neighborhood of these unfinished grounds within a week, and with symptoms strik. 
 ingly characteristic of yellow fever; and they recommended that the common council 
 would appoint two of their members, with whom they (the commissioners) would meet, 
 at an early hour on the ensuing morning, to concert measures adapted to the emergency 
 of the case. The board very cheerfully complied with this recommendation, and such 
 measures were immediately adopted as were deemed most likely to check the progress of 
 the growing malady ; but it had now taking so deep root, that it could neither be eradi- 
 cated nor checked by human means. 
 
 " On the same day (6th August) the commissioners issued an advertisement, notifying 
 their determination to put the laws in force against those who should neglect to keep the 
 streets clean before their respective doors, &c., adding that the street inspectors were di. 
 rected to report all offences of this nature to the police, and that the penalty against offend- 
 ers would be rigidly exacted. 
 
 " On the 12th, 13th and 14th of August, there were heavy showers of rain ; that on the 
 14th commenced at four in the morning, and continued without intermission until nine, 
 with considerable thunder. The quantity which fell during these five hours, was supposed 
 to have been greater than had at any time fallen, during the same space of time, for many 
 years. The streets were covered with water in many places knee-deep, and a vast num- 
 ber of cellars were filled with it. 
 
 " It was at the time generally believed, that this excessive rain and thunder would 
 have so purified the air, that the city would, in a few days, be totally exempt from any 
 cases of this disorder ; but, alas ! our expectations were dreadfully disappointed. It is well 
 known, that stagnant water in confined places, during hot weather, will, in a few days, ex- 
 hale a pestilential vapor, which, if it does not generate, will certainly propagate or throw 
 into more extensive circulation dangerous diseases which have already made their appear- 
 ance. To prevent an occurrence of this kind, the citizens were repeatedly and most earn- 
 estly entreated by the Health Commissioners to cause the water to be removed, and Ume 
 afterward to be liberally scattered in their cellars. Although it might have been reasona- 
 bly expected, that a regard to self-preservation would have produced a prompt compliance 
 with this recommendation, it is well known that many neglected it, and of those not a few 
 were amongst the first victims to the disease. From this time, the number of deaths almost 
 daily increased. 
 
 " About the 24th of August, numbers began to leave the city, and many of those who 
 bad offices for the transaction of business towards the East river, moved to Broadway, 
 which was deemed more healthy. The customhouse, in Mill-street, and the Insurance 
 Office, in Water-street, were fixed, for the time, in the Tontine City Tavern, in Broadway. 
 
 " During the whole month of August, the number of deaths amounted to three hundred 
 and twenty-nine. As particular attention was not paid by the sextons, during this month, 
 to distinguish those who fell victims to the fever from those who had died of other disor- 
 ders, it was difficult to ascertain their precise numbers. It was believed, however, that by 
 fixing -it at one hundred, it would not be far from the truth. On the 15th of August, the 
 deaths were 14 — from which day the number continued to progress, so that on the 1st of 
 September they amounted to 23. The daily averages during August was about 12. 
 
 " On the 15th of September the number of funerals was 38, on the 19th they were no 
 less than 63, and on each of the two following days they were reduced to 40 — from which 
 circumstance hopes were entertained that our mortal foe was about to leave us ; but we 
 were again disappointed, for the next four days it kept fluctuating between 41 and 50, and 
 on the 26th rose up to 60. The total number of deaths during this month was eleven 
 hundred and fifty-two, of whom nine hundred and fifty-four died of fever. The daily aver, 
 age through the month was about 38. 
 
 " The number of the dead on the 1st of October was 43, and this was the greatest num. 
 ber during the whole month. On the 18th it was reduced to 16, and on the 21st it only 
 amounted to 9. After this the number of deaths on any one day, during the existence of 
 the calamity, did not exceed 15 ; and it is ahnost certain, that had our absent citizens at- 
 tended to the advice of the Health Committee, dissuading them from a premature return, 
 the death warrant of the disorder might have been dated from that day. The whole num- 
 ber of funerals in October was five hundred and twenty.two, of whom four hundred and 
 thirty-one died of fever. The average of the deaths, during this month, was about 17. 
 
 " On the 10th of November the deaths were 5, and on each of the preceding days they 
 were only 4. The total number during these ten days were 83, of whom thirty-nine d-ed 
 of yellow fever. The following address of the Committee to the public now made il« 
 appearance. 
 
182 NEW TOEK COUNTY. 
 
 " ' The Health Committee for the relief of the sick and indigent in the city of New York, 
 beg leave to congratulate their fellow-citizens, that under Divine Providence, this long 
 afflicted city is once more restored to its usual state of general health, and, with the most 
 heartfelt pleasure, inform those who yet remain in exile, that although a few cases of the 
 pestilential fever exist, yet that by the late cold weat?ier and frost, the contagion is so far 
 destroyed, as to render the return of their families to the city perfectly safe, provided they 
 take the necessary previous measures of cleansing and ventilating their long unaired dwell, 
 ings, and purifying the bedding and clothing, which may have been left therein during the 
 prevalence of the fever. 
 
 " ' It would have afforded the Committee much satisfaction, could they have given this 
 invitation at an earlier period, but they did not conceive themselves warranted by the then 
 existing circumstances. There have, until the present moment, been several new cases 
 of fever, particularly among those citizens loho returned earlier than the committee thought 
 prudent, many of whom 'have fallen victims to the devouring pestilence. This, among 
 other circumstances, has induced the committee, to withhold this invitation until the pre. 
 sent time, &,c.' 
 
 " The whole number of deaths during this awful calamity, was two thousand and eighty- 
 six, viz. eleven hundred and ten men, five hundred and eighty-nine women, and eight hun- 
 dred and eighty-five children. Of these, if we admit that one hundred died of the fever in 
 August, its victims would amount to one thousand five hundred and twenty-four. A great 
 many of our citizens, too, who fled, were likewise cut ofi' by it. Hence it is probable, that 
 the whole number of deaths would be between 2,400 and 2,500, An awful number in- 
 deed ; particularly if we consider that more than one third, some suppose that one half, of 
 the inhabitants had left the city. 
 
 " An opinion generally prevailed, that the progress of the disease varied according to the 
 state of the atmosphere ; but from my observations on this subject, in the years 1798, 1799, 
 1800, 1803, 1805, and also in the present year, I am much inclined to doubt its accuracy. 
 The pestilence walketh in darkness, and the wisest of men, as yet, know very Uttle of the 
 nature of its progress. Of this, however, we may be certain, that cool mornings and even- 
 ings, accompanied by hot days, contribute greatly to spread infection ; that in case of yel- 
 low fever having for some time existed in a city, it is extremely dangerous for those who 
 have fled to return to their houses till the hard frost shall set in, and that a keen black frost 
 has uniformly and almost instantaneously put an end to the further progress of the disorder." 
 
 The following is an account of the yellow fever in 1803, as given 
 in an official letter by Dr. Miller. 
 
 " The commencement of the disease took place about the 20th of July, and from that 
 time, it continued to prevail, in a greater or less degree, till the end of October. The num. 
 ber of deaths, in this city, amounted to five hundred and three ; those at the Hospital of 
 Bellevue, to one hundred and three, and those at the Marine Hospital on Staten Island, to 
 sixty-eight, making a total of six hundred and seventy.four. To this should be added an 
 indefinite number, about fifty or sixty, who fled from the city, and died of this disease in 
 the neighboring country and villages. 
 
 " The first public alarm arose from some fatal cases at the Coflee-House Slip, and in that 
 neighborhood. About the same time, the disease was discovered in many other parts of 
 the city, without any known intercourse or communication between the persons who fell 
 sick. Although the number of cases, even at the worst periods of the epidemic, could not 
 be pronounced to be great, especially if compared with some preceding seasons, they were 
 certainly more generally difliised, and left fewer parts of the city exempt than on any former 
 occasions. Broadway and some of the adjacent parts of the town retained their healthy 
 character. The streets lying near the margins of the two rivers, and some of those in the 
 upper part of the city, which are principally inhabited by indigent, uncleanly, and dissolute 
 classes of the community, suffered the worst ravages of the disease. The alarm of the in- 
 habitants was very suddenly produced, and the suspension of business and the desertion of 
 the city far exceeded what had been ever experienced in former seasons." 
 
 The following respecting the yellow fever in 1805, is extracted 
 from a letter from Dr. E. Miller to Gov. Lewis. 
 
 " In former seasons, it has been usual to observe sporadic cases ol this disease, for several 
 weeks, before the commencement of the epidemic. This was remarkably verified in the 
 late season ; and such cases deserve the more attention, as they furnish the best means of 
 calculating the probabiUty of approaching pestilence. Accordingly, one case ol a decidedly 
 malignant character was observed in the month of June ; several took place in July ; a still 
 greater number in August : and at the beginning of September, they had become so nu 
 
NEW YORK COUNTY. 183 
 
 meroua as to ascertain the existence of the epidemic. Throughout September and October, 
 the disease continued to prevail with more or less severity, according to the fluctuating 
 state of the weather ; but towards the close of the latter month, the coldness of the season 
 had evidently checked its progress ; and at the beginning of November, the city was nearly 
 restored to its usual health. 
 
 " During the early period of the epidemic, nearly all the cases took place on the eastern 
 side of the city, in Front, Water, and Pearl streets, and principally below Burling.Slip. 
 They afterward became more generally diffused. About the 20th of September, they 
 began to prevail near the North river. On the whole, the low grounds on the margin of 
 the two rivers certainly produced a chief part of the cases. The number of deaths in the 
 city amounted to about two hundred ; those at the Bellevue Hospital to 52, and those in 
 the Marine Hospital, sent from the city, to twenty.eight. The number of cases of malig- 
 nant fever reported to the Board of Health, amounted to six hundred. It is proper, like, 
 wise, in estimating the extent of the epidemic, to notice an unascertained number, proba- 
 bly about forly, who after their flight from the city died in various parts of the country. 
 
 " The source of this disease forms a most interesting subject of inquiry ; on the success 
 of which must depend all rational and adequate means of preventing and eradicating the 
 evil. After a long and careful investigation of the subject, I cannot hesitate to conclude, 
 that a pernicious exhalation or vafovrfiaating in the atmosphere, is the primary and essen. 
 Hal cause of this disease." 
 
 The yellow fever in 1822, made its appearance in a different 
 quarter from that in which it had commenced its depredations in 
 former years. It had uniformly begun somewhere on the East river ; 
 but now it was first seen in Rector-street towards the North river, a 
 part of the city which had been heretofore deemed peculiarly un- 
 healthy. The disease was first formiiily noticed by the Board of 
 Health on the 31st of July. The Board again met at 12 o'clock, 
 having agreed to meet every day at that hour during the prevalence 
 of fever. From the 13th of July to the 2d of November, twelve 
 hundred and thirty-six persons died. 
 
 " On the same day, Saturday, the 24th August, our city presented the appearance of a 
 town besieged. From daybreiik till night, one Une of carts, containing boxes, merchandise, 
 and effects, were seen moving towards Greenwich Village and the upper parts of the city. 
 Carriages and hacks, wagons and horsemen, were scouring the streets and filling the roads ; 
 persons with anxiety strongly marked on their countenances and with hurried gait were 
 bustling through the streets. Temporary stores and offices were erecting, and even on the 
 ensuing day (Sunday) carts were in motion and the saw and hammer busily at work. 
 Within a few days thereafter, the Customhouse, the Poat-office, the Banks, the Insurance ofB. 
 ces, and the printers of newspapers, located themselves in the village or in the upper part of 
 Broadway, where they were free from the impending danger, and these places almost in- 
 stantaneously became the seat of the immense business usually carried on in this great 
 metropolis. 
 
 Friday, the 11th of October, was observed as a day of public hu- 
 miliation and prayer on account of the pestilence. 
 
 " Immediately after the address of the Board to their fellow-citizena on the 26th October, 
 the absentees began t(i return to their respective abodes with a precipitation almost unpar. 
 alleled. Forty or fifty carts and wagons could be seen in a line transporting goods, wares, 
 merchandise, and household fiirniture from the village of Greenwich and places in the 
 outskirts of the city, to the stores and houses from which they had been taken several 
 weeks before. On the 5th November, the Customhouse, Post-office, Banks, Insurance 
 offices. Printing offices, Vendue Masters, Merchants, &c., returned to their former habita. 
 tions. About this time, the places of worship, which had been so long shut, in the lower 
 part of the city, were re-opened, vessels came to our docks as usual, and a bustle again be- 
 came visible at the former places of trade and commerce." 
 
 In July, 1832, the asiatic cholera made its appearance in this city. 
 The following table is extracted from the New York Observer. It 
 includes all the deaths from July 2d, at about the time of its com- 
 mencement, until Oct 19th, when the pestilence had almost ceased. 
 
184 NEW YORK COUNTY. 
 
 CiTT Inspector's 
 
 Report. 
 
 OtJR Estimate. 
 
 Week ending 
 
 July 7 
 
 " 14 
 
 " 21 
 
 Burials. 
 
 191 
 
 510 
 
 887 
 
 879 
 
 580 
 
 467 
 
 444 
 
 391 
 
 324 
 
 355 
 
 291 
 
 238 
 
 180 
 
 137 
 
 129 
 
 94 
 
 Of Cholera. 
 
 56 
 
 336 
 
 716 
 
 686 
 
 383 
 
 281 
 
 222 
 
 178 
 
 138 
 
 201 
 
 128 
 
 72 
 
 50 
 
 24 
 
 14 
 
 11 
 
 Deaths by 
 
 pestilence. 
 
 81 
 
 Average pe, 
 day. 
 11 
 
 400 
 
 777 
 
 57 
 
 Ill 
 
 " 28 
 
 Aug. 4 
 
 " 11 
 
 " 18 
 
 •• 25 
 
 Sept. 1 
 
 " 8 
 
 " 15 
 
 769 
 
 470 
 
 110 
 
 67 
 
 357 
 
 334 
 
 281 
 
 214 
 
 245 
 
 181 
 
 51 
 
 48 
 
 40 
 
 30 
 
 35 
 
 26 
 
 " 22 
 
 " 29 
 
 Oct. 5 
 
 " 12 
 
 " 19 ... . 
 
 128 
 
 70 
 
 27 
 
 19 
 
 11 
 
 18 
 
 10 
 
 4 
 
 2 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 
 Total.. 
 
 ....6,097 
 
 3,496 
 
 4,364 
 
 
 The annexed description of New York in 1800, was taken from a 
 series of historical articles relating to the city, now being published in 
 the New York Express commenced two years since. 
 
 " The fashionable part of the city, or wrat end of the town, was in Wall and Pine streets, 
 between Broadway and Pearl, — Pearl from Hanover square, (now part of Old slip,) to 
 John-street, along State-street and a part of Broadway, below Wall-street. Then the city 
 hall was not built, and on the site where it now stands was the rear of the almshouse — the 
 hog.pen of which enclosed the ground now the most beautiful part of the Park. The 
 change is truly astonishing. In Wall-street, for example, there now is but one family 
 residing in the whole street, and that is over a bank. Hardly an old building remains, 
 and not one that is not so altered as to be totally different from what it was then. At 
 the corner of Nassau-street, stood the venerable Federal hall, since torn down — a splendid 
 row of dwellings was afterward put up, which were subsequently torn down to give place 
 to the new customhouse, now building. Next below stood the elegant mansion of Mr. 
 Verplanck, the brick of which were brought from Holland, and in its stead is the Bank of 
 the State of New York. Next was the residence of John Keese, now the Union Bank — less 
 changed than any other building. This, however, on the first of May, is to be levelled with 
 the ground, and a new banking-house to be puc up. Between it and William-street were 
 the residences of Francis B. Winthrop and Charles Wilkes — in the place of which are the 
 Dry Dock Bank, and Bank of America. On the lot where the United States Bank now 
 stands was the elegant mansion of Gen. John Lamb, first collector of the port, and father 
 of Alderman Lamb. This was considered not only the finest house, but was believed to 
 be the grandest house that could be built. On the opposite side, where is now going up 
 the massive new Merchants' Exchange, stood the residence of Thomas Buchanan, Mrs. 
 White, and William C. Leffingwell. Mr. Jauncey, an English gentleman who lived in 
 great style, occupied the building now rented by Messrs. Dykers & Alstyne — his stable is 
 the same building now used by the Board of Brokets. The very room in which millions 
 of stock are sold every week was then a hay-loft. 
 
 " The watch-house was kept at the comer of Broad-street, now used by Robinson for 
 the sale of his caricatures. Baker's tavern, one of the most noted public houses, was at the 
 comer of New-street — a club met there nightly for more than half a century. Pine-street 
 has undergone still greater changes, — from Water-street to Broadway, every house has been 
 demolished. Then not a store was to be seen. The old French church, the sanctuary of 
 the Huguenots, stood at the corner of Nassau, — its surrounding burying yard contained the 
 ashes of many of the most valued citizens. The Walcotts, Jays, Waddingtons, Radclifis, 
 Brinkerhoffs, Wells, and a host of others, resided in this street, without a thought that in 
 less than 40, and even 30 years, not one brick then standing, would remain on another. 
 In Pearl-street were the fashionable residences of Samuel Denton, John Ellis, John J. 
 Glover, John Mowett, Robert Lenox, Thomas Cadle, John Glendenning, John B. Murray, 
 Governor Broome, Andrew Ogden, Govemor Geoige CUnton, Richard Varick, and a great 
 
iN'EVV YORK COUVTY. 
 
 1S5 
 
 number of others. Nearly all of these gentlemen are dereased. We noticed a few daya 
 since, one of the number, Wi. Demon, fur a loui,' time past a resident of Tennessee. He 
 remarked that he was ubsohitcly a stranger ; knew no one, and could hardly identify a sin- 
 gle spot. In Hanover square, stood a block of buildings fronting Old slip and Pearl-street. 
 They have all been removed. The city consisted of seven wards, now increased to seven- 
 teen." 
 
 View of the City Hall, New York. 
 
 The city hall* is one of the most prominent buildings in New 
 York, standing near the centre of the park, an area of about four 
 acres. Situated in this spacious area, it is seen to great advantage 
 in every direction. 
 
 " The building is of a square form, two stories in height, besides a 
 basement story. It has a wing at each end, projecting from the, front, 
 and in the centre the roof is elevated to form an attic story. The 
 whole length of the building is 216 feet, the breadth 105, and the 
 height 51 feet. Including the attic story, it is 65 feet in height. The 
 front and both ends, above the basement story, are built of native 
 white marble, from Stockbridge, Massachusetts ; and the rest of the 
 buildincr is constructed of brown freestone. The roof is covered 
 with copper, and there is a balustrade of marble entirely round the 
 top. Rising from the middle of the roof, is a cupola, on which is 
 placed a colossal figure of Justice, holding in her right hand, which 
 rests on her forehead, a balance, and in her left, a sword pointing to 
 the ground. Justice is not blindfold, as she is represented in Europe. 
 
 " There are four entrances to the building ; one in front, one in the 
 
 * The above engraving was copied from a drawing taken some years ago. Since then, 
 the cupola has been slightly altered, and a clock placed in it. A small cupola has also 
 been added in the rear, on which hangs the city fire-bell. The city is divided into five fire 
 districts, and when there is a fire the particular district in which ii is located is indicated by 
 the number of times which the bell tolls. For instanre, when it is in the first it tolls once, 
 in the second, twice in succession, and so on, excepting in the liflh, which is indicated by 
 a continual tolling. ^, . 
 
186 NEW YORK COUNTY. 
 
 rear, and one in each end. The front, which is the principal, is on 
 the first story, to which there is access by a flight of 12 marble steps, 
 rising from which there are 16 columns supporting a portico imme- 
 diately over the entrance, also composed of marble. In the centre 
 of the rear of the building, there is a projecting pediment. The en- 
 trance in this quarter is also on the first story, by a flight of freestone 
 steps. The first story, including the portico, is of the Ionic, the second 
 of the Corinthian, the attic of the Fancy, and the cupola of the Com- 
 posite orders. 
 
 " The foundation stone of this building was laid on 26th Septem- 
 ber, 1803, during the mayoralty of Edward Livingston, Esq., and at 
 a time when the yellow fever prevailed in the city. It was finished 
 in 1812, and the expense, exclusive of the furniture, amounted to half 
 a million of dollars." 
 
 " Fifty dollars," says the New York Express, " were appropriated 
 to defray the expenses of the ceremony of laying the corner-stone. 
 These were the times when expenses of this sort were dealt out 
 with a most sparing hand. No corporation dinners were allowed 
 and two to three thousand dollars expended. When the corner- 
 stone was laid, and long after, the long building now standing on 
 Chamber-street, and in which various courts arc held, was the alms- 
 house. The paupers of that day numbered less than four hundred ; 
 now, our Bellvue estabhshment has more inmates than the number 
 of many of our most flourishing cities. Three to four thousand are 
 the permanent inhabitants of the almshouse, besides quadruple that 
 number who receive temporary relief from the commissioners. The 
 space between the almshouse and city hall, was then a pig-pen, and 
 contained hundreds of pigs, fattened by the wash of the almshouse, 
 debtor's prison, and bridewell. It will be seen that the hall is mainly 
 built of marble ; the first design was that the whole should be built 
 of that material. At that time, marble was high, and it was desira- 
 ble to make a saving. It was maintained that the population would 
 never, to any extent, settle above Chamber-street, and therefore, as 
 the rear of the hall would not be seen, it was concluded to build the 
 same of red freestone. This accounts for the difference between the 
 front and rear." 
 
 The following shows the Egyptian building, embracing the halls of 
 justice, as it appears fronting Centre-street. The police courts are 
 held here at all hours of the day ; the justices relieving each other 
 in their sittings. This place may be considered as the head-quarters 
 of the police officers or constables, who are constantly seen going 
 after, and returning with criminals of every grade, from the genteel 
 and accomplished rascal, to his brother in crime, the coarse and bru- 
 tal villain. Perhaps in no other part of the country are seen such 
 degraded and disgusting exhibitions of fallen humanity, as in this 
 place. Here many culprits of both sexes are literally dragged up 
 to the tribunal of justice. While some are making complaints, others 
 are being " examined," " sentenced," " bound over," or " reprimand- 
 ed," as the case may be. While this is going on, the officers may 
 
NEW YORK COUNTY. 
 
 187 
 
 Southern view of the Halls of Justice, Centre-street. 
 
 be seen leading off some to the prisons, or tomhs, (as they are famil- 
 iarly called,) in another part of the building. The court of sessions 
 is held in an adjoining part of the building, at which the recorder 
 presides. 
 
 " This edifice now occupies the whole of the block bounded by 
 Leonard, Elm, Franklin, and Centre streets, (formerly the corpora- 
 tion }ard,) and is 253 feet 3 inclies in length, by 200 feet 5 inches 
 in width. 
 
 " The interior combines accommodntions for the courts of sessions, 
 police, grand jury, house of detention, records, city watch, district 
 attorney, sheriff, clerk of the court, and other officers belonging to 
 the different branches of the institution, together with the necessary 
 offices for cooking, washing, watering, wanning, &c. The whole 
 designed by Mr. .lohn Haviland. 
 
 " The four lacades. as well as the entrance hall, are executed in 
 the Egyptian style of architecture, with Hallowcll granite. 
 
 " The princi])a! fnjnt has a distyle portico of four columns, with 
 palm-lea^'t'd capitals. Above the capitals are square dies, upon 
 which rests the architrave, ornamented with a large winged globe 
 encircled by serpents. The architrave is surnKjunted b}' a cornice, 
 composed of a bold Scotia, enriched with reeded TrigK'phs and a 
 banded Torus : and which, being of the same beiglit with that of the 
 similarly embellished wings, forms with them one continued line. 
 Moreover, the banded moulding of the cornice descends in the form 
 of a roller on all the external angles of the edifice. Both the wings 
 are perforated with five lofty windows, extending the height of two 
 stories, and finished with diminished pilasters, which support a cor- 
 nice over each, composed simply of a bold Scotia, enriched with a 
 winged globe and serpents. 
 
 " The lateral fronts on Leonard and Franklin streets have each 
 two jirojccting pylones or porches, witli two columns; the one on 
 Leonard-street adjoining the principal froiit, is the entrance to the 
 
188 NEW YORK COUNTY. 
 
 debtors' ward, and the opposite one on Franklin-street is the entrance 
 to the police ward ; the other two corresponding porches next to 
 Elm-street, form the carriage entrance to the house of detention. 
 These porches are 54 feet wide, and their columns and entablatures 
 correspond with those of the principal front, but the caps and shafts 
 of the columns are less enriched. The recess in both these lateral 
 fronts is six feet, and is relieved by five windows corresponding in 
 character with those of the principal front, but of less proportion and 
 enrichment, the Scotia being finished with reeded Triglyphs only, 
 instead of the winged globe and serpents. The approach to the 
 windows on these fronts is guarded against by a neat railing in keep- 
 ing with the architecture. The rear or front on Elm-street having 
 no entrance or windows, is simply relieved by seven narrow recesses 
 in imitation of embrasures, and a railing in the same style as those 
 on the lateral fronts. 
 
 " A terrace surrounds the whole enclosure, raised ten feet above the 
 level of Centre-street, from which you ascend eight steps of a trun- 
 cated and pyramidal form, to the platform of the portico, from which 
 you ascend also twelve steps, between the intercolumniation of the 
 rear columns to the entrance hall. This hall is 50 feet square and 
 25 feet high, supported by eight columns, ranged between two rows 
 with their antse placed on the opposite walls. These columns bear 
 the character or an order taken from the colonnade of the temple of 
 Medynet Abou. Attached to the antes opposite these columns, the 
 architect originally designed to place the Egyptian caviatides, so 
 highly spoken of by the French artists in Napoleon's great work on 
 Egypt, published by Pauckonche ; and he feels assured that the 
 Board will yet be of his opinion, and finally adopt these splendid and 
 imposing figures in this entrance hall, as nothing else will be wanting 
 to perfect the edifice ; their capitals are ornamented with the leaves 
 and flowers of the Lotus. The floors are arched and laid in mosaic 
 of an Egyptian character, governed in form by the compartments in 
 the ceiling to which each belongs. 
 
 " The principal courts, jury, witness, and other business rooms, are 
 connected with, and lead into the entrance hall. On the left side 
 are doors and passages communicating with the grand jury room, 
 offices for register, clerk of the court, district attorney, and sheriff", 
 debtors' ward and vyfitness' rooms ; and on the right side are disposed 
 the magistrates' offices, court, and witness' rooms, watchmen's dor- 
 mitories, police court, officers' rooms, and cells for nightly commit- 
 ments. The centre leads to the court of sessions, (including two jury 
 rooms, and separate gallery capable of containing an audience of 
 300 persons ;) the whole \yell ventilated and lighted, and in a situa- 
 tion the least liable to be disturbed by the noise of the adjoining streets. 
 
 " The house of detention is a distinct and isolated building, 142 
 feet in length by 45 in width. It contains 148 cells, divided into four 
 distinct classes for prisoners, including baths, and rooms for male and 
 female, white and black vagrants. The lower ceils are G feet 9 
 inches widpj Jl feet high, and 13 feet long, diipinishing 18 inches in 
 
jVEVV \'ORK COUNTY. 
 
 ]Kn 
 
 length in each story ; tliey are provided with cast-iron water closets, 
 hydrant, water cock, ventilators, and arc warmed by Perkins' hot 
 water pipes, (introduced and now in successlid operation in the new 
 penitentiaries at I'luladelphia and Trenton, by J. Havdand. architect.) 
 The floors, and cedings, and galleries are loriued of slabs irom the 
 North river flagging ; the doors and window jambs of iron ; and the 
 entire cells are otherwise finished on the most approved plan lor se- 
 curity, seclusion, ventilation, economy of supervision and watchino-. 
 The corridors are ten feet wide below, and widen at each story To 
 19 teet at the summit, aflbrding a free ventilation and uninterrupted 
 view of every cell door, from the observatory. A bridge leads across 
 I'rom the house of detention to the prisoners' scat in the courthouse. 
 By reference to the specifications and drawings, it will be seen that 
 every part of the building is calculated to be executed in the most 
 substantial and approved manner, with the best materials of their 
 kind : and that no pains or expense is spared to efl(3ct all the desired 
 objects of the institution, with the aid, experience, and best talent 
 that the country affords. 
 
 " The building is generally fire-proof by ceilings and floors of 
 arched masonry. 
 
 "The site on which the building is erected, is formed of made 
 ground, every precaution having been used to render the foundation 
 secure by the introduction of iron tics, inverted arches, and heavy 
 timbering. The whole area was excavated several feet below the 
 water level, large timbers were placed together, and rano-e timbers 
 at right angles with these laid several feet wider than the respective 
 walls. 
 
 " This edifice was commenced in 1836, and finished durin" the 
 summer of 1838." — New York in 1840. '^ 
 
 View of the Penitentiary on BlackweWs island. 
 
 The above is a view of the penitentiary on Blackwell's island, 
 about four miles NE. of the city hall. It is an immense stone edifice, 
 recently erected, partly by convicts. The main building is four stories 
 high, surmounted by a square tower; the two wings, each extend- 
 ing upwards of 200 tijct from the centre building, are also liiur stories 
 high. The interior is fitted up with rooms for tlie accommodation 
 of the keepers, workshops in which the prisoners are obliged to labor, 
 
[90 NEW YORK COUNTY. 
 
 and numerous cells ; the whole being constructed in the most sub- 
 stantial and secure manner. Bridewell is situated at Bellvue, being 
 part of the building now used as the female penitentiary. Criminals 
 convicted of petit larceny, &c., are confined here ; also prisoners 
 before trial. The house of refuge is situated about 2h miles N. of 
 the city hall, and is under the control of the ' Society for the Re- 
 formation of Juvenile Delinquents.' It was incorporated in 1825. 
 
 " Banks. — There are now in the city of New York twenty-three 
 incorporated banks, with an aggregate capital of $20,361,200. There 
 are also incorporated in the state of New York seventy-five other 
 banks, with an aggregate capital of $16,740,260, making in all ninety- 
 eight banks, with a total capital of $37,101,468. All but eight of the 
 above banks are subject to the Safety Fund Act ; the exceptions are 
 the Manhattan, Dry Dock, Fulton, North River, and Chemical banks, 
 in the city of New York ; the Long Island Bank, Brooklyn ; Com- 
 mercial Bank, Albany ; and Bank of Rochester, in the city of Roch- 
 ester. The Safety Fund now amounts to $500,000, which is the 
 maximum provided by law. This fund was created by an annual 
 tax upon the Safety Fund Banks, and in case of the failure of any 
 one or more of them, it is liable to be drawn on for the deficit. 
 
 " The banks are open every day in the year, from 10 A. M. to 3 
 P. M., except Sundays, Christmas day, New Year's day, the Fourth 
 of July, and general holidays appointed by legal authority, and the 
 Bank of New York on Good Fridays. In 1851 , 40 bks, cap. 35 millt?. 
 
 " The rate of discount is 6 per cent, per annum, (calculating 360 
 days to the year,) excepting when notes have over 60 days to run. 
 Three days' grace are allowed on all notes, and the discount taken 
 for the same. When notes have over 60 days to run, the banks have 
 the privilege of charging 7 per cent." In 1851, 209 biiks. iti the State. 
 
 The following is an account of the great fire in 1835, by which it 
 is estimated that about twenty millions worth of property was de- 
 stroyed. 
 
 " One of the most alarming and destructive fires ever known in this hemisphere, broke 
 out on Wednesday evening, December 16th, 1835, in the premises of Messrs. Crawford &. 
 Andrews, situate No. 25 Merchant-street, in this city, which in a short time raged with 
 such intensity as to defy the exertions of the firemen, and others, who with equal zeal and 
 prompitude were quickly on the spot for the purpose of stopping its ravages. The inutility 
 of all aid was, however, soon perceptible, and all that could be done, was to remove what 
 could in haste be got together, to such places as were deemed beyond the reach of the de- 
 vouring element. With this impression, an immense quantity of goods were placed, for 
 safety from buildings in the immediate vicinity of tlie fire, in the Merchants' Exchange and 
 Reformed Dutch Church, where it was presumed they would remain free from danger : 
 alas ! the futility of human speculation ; but a short time had elapsed from the time of such 
 deposit to the whole being enveloped in flames, and these splendid buildings were soon 
 reduced to a heap of ashes. The power of man was fruitlessly employed in attempts to 
 Btay its impetuosity, which every minute increased in the most alarming manner, spreading 
 in all directions, and causing the utmost dismay and consternation through the whole city 
 Any attempt to convey to the mind a faithful description of the awfully grand scene that pre- 
 sented itself to the view of those who were witnesses of this dreadful catastrophe, must oi 
 necessity be very feeble. 
 
 " The morning of the 17th of December, 1835, opened upon New York with a scene 
 of devastation around, sufficient to dismay the stoutest heart. The fine range of buildings 
 end splendid stores in Exchange place. Merchant-street, and all the adjoining streets down 
 
NKW YORK COUNTY. 191 
 
 to the river, lay literally levelled to the earth, with their cotj^ents co.isumed; the Mer. 
 chants' Exchange and PosUoffice entirely destroyed — the whole one heap of smoking ruins. 
 
 " A tolerably correct idea of the extent of the devastation may be formed from the fol. 
 lowing account, which appeared the next morning in the Courier and Enquirer. 
 
 " South.street is burned down from Wall-street to Coenties slip. FronUstreet is burned 
 down from Wall-street to Coenties slip. Pearl.street is burned down from Wall-street to 
 Coenties alley, and was there stopped by blowing up a building. Stone.street is burned 
 down from William-street to No. 32 on the one side and No. 39 on the other. Beaver- 
 street is burned down half way to Broad-street. Exchange place is burned down from 
 Hanover-street to within three doors of Broad-street ; here the flames were stopped by 
 blowing up a house. William-street is burned down from Wall-street to South-street, both 
 sides of the way. Market-house down. Wall-street is burned down on the south side, 
 from William-street to Soutli-strcet, with the exception of 51, 53, 65, 57, 59, 61, opposite 
 this office. All the streets and alleys within the above limits are destroyed. 
 
 " The following will be found a tolerably accurate statement of the number of houses and 
 stores now levelled with the ground : 26 on Water-street, 37 on South-street, 80 on Front- 
 street, 62 on Exchange place, 44 on William-street, 16 on Coenties slip, 3 on Hanover 
 square, 20 on Gouverneur's lane, 20 on Cuyler's alley, 79 on Pearl-street, 76 on Water- 
 street, 16 on Hanover-street, 31 on Exchange-street, 33 on Old slip, 40 on Stone-street, 
 23 on Beaver-street, 10 on Jones' lane, 38 on Mill-street ; — Total, 674. 
 
 " Six hundred and seventy-four tenements. By far the greater part in the occupacy of 
 our largest shipping and wholesale drygoods merchants, and filled with the richest products 
 of every portion of the globe. How estimate the immense loss sustained, or the fearful 
 consequences to the general prosperity ? 
 
 " Of the Merchants' Exchange nothing but its marble walls remain standing. 
 
 "Three or four vessels lying at the wharves on South-street were slightly injured in their 
 yards and rigging. They were all hauled out into the river as soon as practicable. 
 
 " A detachment of marines fi-om the navy-yard under Lieut. Reynolds, and of sailors 
 under Capt. Mix of the navy, arrived on the spot at two o'clock in the morning. They 
 rendered most valuable service. The gunpowder brought from the magazine at Red hook 
 was partly under their charge. 
 
 *' The cold during the whole time was excessive ; the thermometer at zeio. It may be 
 easily supposed that this greatly paralyzed the exertion of the firemen. One sank under 
 its effects, and was with diflficulty resuscitated. 
 
 " Two companies, with their engines, arrived here from Newark, and rendered very 
 material assistance. 
 
 " The passengers in the steamboat coming down the river, saw the flames from the 
 Highlands, forty-five miles distant, and such was the violence of the gale, during the preva- 
 lence of tlie fire, that burning embers were carried across the East river to Brooklyn and 
 set fire to the roof of a house there, which was however speedily extinguished. 
 
 " Strong bodies of cavalry and volunteer infantry were patrolling the streets near the fire, 
 and preserved perfect order for the purpose of preventing depredations." 
 
 Columbia college, (formerly King's college,) is situated on a beau- 
 tiful square between Murray, Barclay, Church, and Chapel streets, 
 in the city of New York. It was established under a royal charter 
 in 1754, which has been confirmed by various acts of the legislature 
 since the revolution. 
 
 " There are two literary societies connected with the college, 
 composed of students and graduates — viz, the Peithologian and the 
 Philolexian societies. 
 
 " There is also connected with the college, a grammar school, 
 subject to the control of the trustees, and under the direction of Pro- 
 fessor Anthon, as rector. The school is composed of upwards of 
 200 hundred scholars, and instruction is given in all branches neces- 
 sary for admission into any college, or for the counting-house. 
 
 " Eight instructers are constantly employed, besides one teacher in 
 French, one in Spanish, and one in German and Italian. There is 
 also a primary school attached to this institution, in which boys from 
 five to ten years are prepared for the more advanced classes. 
 
1<J2 
 
 NEW YORK COUNTY. 
 
 View of the Customhouse, Wall-street. 
 
 " By a statute of Columbia college, the corporation of the city of 
 New York, the trustees of the A^evv York Public School Society, the 
 trustees or directors of the Clinton Hall Association, of the Mercantile 
 Library Association, and of the jMechnnic and Scientific Institutions, 
 the General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen, and such other 
 societies as the board of trustees may fi-om time to time desicrnate, 
 are each entitled to have always two students educated in the college 
 free of all charges of tuition. Every religious denomination in the 
 city is also entitled to have one student, who mn_\' be designed for the 
 ministry, educated free of all charges. And every school, i'rom 
 which there shall be admitted in any one year mto the college four 
 students, have the privilege of sending one scholar, to be educated 
 gratuitously. In order to give effect to the privilege in regard to 
 the common schools in the city, twelve scholars at one time receive 
 gratuitous instruction in the grammar school preparatory to their 
 entering the college." 
 
 The above is a view of the new customhouse as seen from Wall- 
 street. This structure surpasses any building of its size in the 
 world, both in the beauty of its design and the durability of its con- 
 struction. It is in the form of a parallelogram, 200 feet long, by 90 
 wide ; and about SO feet in height I'rom the bottom of the foundation 
 wall to the top. Brick, granite, and marble are used in the construc- 
 tion; all the inside walls are of brick, with the exception of those in the 
 rotunda, which are of marble. The steps and stairs throughout are 
 of a light-colored granite, employed for the sake of durability. At 
 the extremity of the entrance hall is the rotunda, or large circular 
 apartment to be used as the collector's office. This is a most splen- 
 did room ; thereof is supported by 16 beautiful marble columns, high- 
 ly polished with Corinthian capitals, 30 leei high, and 2 feet 8 inches 
 in diameter. The diameter of the rotunda is 60 feet in the clear, 
 and 80 feet in the recesses. The largest blocks of marble used in 
 
STATUE OF GEORGE III, 
 Demolished on the Declaration of Independence in New Tort, 1770. 
 
 INAUGURATION OF WASHINGTON, 
 In the gallery of Federal Hall, New York, 30th April, 1789. 
 
NEW YORK COUNTY. 193 
 
 the building weigh thirty-three tons. The marble slabs for the roof 
 weigh 300 or 400 pounds, and lap over each other eight inches with 
 an upper and an under lip, to allow of the expansive power, and to 
 keep out the least particle of water. The entire outside of this 
 splendid edifice is of marble, with the exception of the granite steps. 
 There is not a particle of wood work in any part of the building, 
 and it is probably the only structure in the world that has been erect- 
 ed so entirely fire-proof This elegant edifice was commenced in 
 May, 1834, and finished in May, 1841. The cost, ground inclusive, 
 was $1,175,000 — building alone, $950,000. The architect is Mr. 
 John Frazee, and it will probably remain for ages a monument of his 
 skill. 
 
 The number of officers employed in the customhouse is 354, of 
 whom nearly 200 are inspectors. The amount of duties received for 
 the last three years has been as follows, viz : — 
 
 1838 $10,494,055 34 
 
 1839 13,970,332 49 
 
 1840 7,557,441 36 
 
 The old city or Federal Hall stood on the present site of the Cus- 
 tomhouse. It was in its gallery on Wall-street, on April 30th, 1789, 
 that George Washington was inaugurated the first President of the 
 United States. The annexed account of this ceremony is from Sparks' 
 Life of Washington : — 
 
 " A committee of congress, consisting of three members of the 
 Senate and five of the House of Representatives, was appointed to 
 meet him in New Jersey and attend him to the city of New York. 
 To Elizabethtown Point came many other persons of distinction, and 
 the heads of the several departments of government. He was there 
 received in a barge, splendidly fitted up tor the occasion, and rowed 
 by thirteen pilots in white uniforms. This was followed by vessels 
 and boats, fancifully decorated, and crowded with spectators. When 
 the President's barge came near to the city, a salute of thirteen guns 
 was fired from the vessels in the harbor, and from the battery. At the 
 landing he was again saluted by a discharge of artillery, and was 
 joined by the governor and other officers of the state, and the cor- 
 poration of the city. A procession .was then formed, headed by a 
 long military train, which was followed by the principal officers of 
 the state and city, the clergy, foreign ministers, and a great con- 
 course of citizens. The procession advanced to the house prepared 
 for the reception of the President. The day was passed in festivity 
 and joy, and in the evening the city was brilliantly illuminated. 
 
 " The first public act of the President was that of taking the oath 
 of office. It was decided by congress, that this should be done with 
 some ceremony. In the morning of the day appointed, April 30th, 
 at 9 o'clock, religious services suited to the occasion were performed 
 in all the churches of the city. At twelve the troops paraded before 
 the President's door, and soon afterward came the commfittees of 
 congress and the heads of departments in carriages, to attend him to 
 the Federal Hall, where the two houses of congress were assembled. 
 
 25 
 
194 
 
 ,\EW YORK COUNTY. 
 
 The procession moved forward with the troops in front, next the 
 committees and heads of departments, then the President hi a coach 
 alone, followed by the foreign ministers, civil othcers of the state, and 
 citizens. Arrived at the hall, he ascended to the senate chamber, 
 and passed thence to a balcony in front of the house, where the oath 
 was administered to him in presence of the people by Chancellor 
 Livmgstijn. The President returned to the senate chamber, in the 
 midst of loud acclamations from the surrounding throng of spectators, 
 and delivered to the two branches of congress his inaugural speech. 
 He then went on loot to St. Paul's church, where prayers were read 
 by the bishop, and the ceremonies were closed. Tokens of joy were 
 everywhere exhibited, as on the day of his arrival, and at night there 
 was a display of illuminations and hre-works." 
 
 3Ierchant's Exchange, Wall-street. 
 
 This structure, now erecting and nearly completed, is in part on 
 the site of the Exchange building destroyed by the great lire of De- 
 cember, 1835, and embraces all the ground between William and Wall 
 streets. Exchange place, and Hanover-street, covering the entire block. 
 The dimensions are 198 feet on Wall-street, 171 on William-street, 
 144 on Hanover-street, and I'M feet on Exchange place. It is 77 feet 
 high to the top of the cornice, and 124 feet from the foundation wall 
 to the top of the dome. 
 
 The building when finished will be of the Grecian Ionic style of 
 architecture, the exterior of which will be constructed of blue Quin- 
 cy granite, in the most chaste and durable manner. In front, on 
 Wall-street, will be a recessed portico, with 18 massive columns. 38 
 feet in height. The process of quarrying is curious. The quarry is in 
 in the side of a hill ; the ends of a block of granite are cleared, a row of 
 holes are drilled in a straight line, wedges are inserted, and an enormous 
 piece of stone weighing from 300 to 400 tons is thus wedged ofTwith 
 ease. Each of the columns for the portico weigli about 90 tons in 
 the rough, and five men with a simple appnratus draw it out of tlib 
 quarry in two or three days to the pilace v\liere the worknien stand 
 
NEW YORK COUNTY 
 
 195 
 
 View of the New York University. 
 
 ready to hammer-dress it. The fair market price of one of these 
 columns is $6,000 ; but the Exchange company pay only S3,000 for 
 them, delivered in New York. These columns with but one excep- 
 tion, (that of a church at St. Petersburg,) arc the largest in the world, 
 being 38 feet in height, and 4 feet 4 inches in diameter ; and each of 
 the columns, including the base, cap, and shaft, Aveighs 43 tons. The 
 exchange room or rotunda is a most magniiicent apartment, in the cen- 
 tre of the building. The height of it to the sprmg of the dome is 51 
 feet, and above this the dome is 30 feet high ; the whole to be sur- 
 mounted by a lantern sky-light 37 leet diameter, and G feet high. The 
 floor is to be of tine marble — its diameter is 80 leet in the clear, and 
 100 feet in the recesses, for.ming an area of 7000 square feet, which 
 it is estimated will hold 3000 persons. The dome is partly support- 
 ed by eight polished Italian marble columns with Corinthian capitals, 
 executed in Italy; these are 41 I'cet in height, including the cap and 
 base, and 4 feet 8 inches in diameter. Thf^re will also be many rooms 
 for the accommodation of ])ublic and private offices, so constructed 
 as to be entirely hre-proof, under the superintendence of Mr. Isaiah 
 Rogers, the architect of the building. The cost of the structure will 
 be about $2,000,000. 
 
 The above is a view of the New York University, built in the col- 
 legiate gothic style, situated on the east side of Washington square. 
 This institution was chartered in 1831, and opened for the reception 
 of students in 1832. The number of students in 1840 was 304. 
 
 " This building has just been completed, after a labor of several 
 years ; it is one hundred feet wide, and one hundred and eighty feet 
 long. In front this oblong is divided into five parts — a central build- 
 ing, with wings flanked by towers, one rising on each of the four 
 corners of the edifice. This central building or chapel is superior to 
 the rest in breadth, height, and character ; and is somewhat similar 
 to that of King's college, Cambridge, England ; a masterpiece of 
 
196 
 
 NEW YORK COUNTY. 
 
 pointed architecture, and the model for succeeding ages. It is fifty- 
 five feet broad, and eighty-five feet deep, including the octangular 
 turrets, one of which rises at each of the lour corners. The two 
 ends arc gabled, and are, as well as the sides, crowned with an em- 
 battled parapet. The chapel will receive its principal light from a 
 window in the western end. This window is twenty-four feet wide, 
 and fifty high. It has eight lights and two embattled transoms. The 
 heads of the lights are cinque-foiled in a plain arch, and the divisions 
 above are quatre-foiled. Over the head of the window is a drip- 
 stone, with plain returns. From the central building, or chapel, wings 
 project right and left, and are four stories in height, fianked by towers 
 of five, supported by angular buttresses of two stages, running above 
 an embattled parapet, and are at the top themselves embattled. The 
 
 New York Institution for the Deaf and Dumb. 
 
 windows in the wings have square heads, witb two lights, a plain 
 transom, and the u]iper division trc-foiled. The heads of the win- 
 dows are labelled, and have plain returns. The lower range of win- 
 dows is set on a tablet, which serves as a base, and the two ranges 
 above are set on strings, which return around the turrets, and stop 
 against the buttresses. The principal entrance is under the great 
 western window, tbrongh a richly moulded and deeply recessed 
 portal, flanked by buttresses of two stages, the upper stage set di- 
 agonally, and rising above an embattled para]3et. The doors are of 
 oak, richly pannclled. and filled with tracery of open work, closely 
 studded with bronze." 
 
 " The Nfin York Iiistitiilio/i fur llic instruction of the deaf and 
 dumb, was incorporated in 18] 7, nnd coinmenccd operations under its 
 charter, by opcniing a school li^r the reception of pupils on the 12th 
 day of May, 1818. Until the spring of 1829, the school was held in 
 the building innv called the n(>w City Hall. At that time the pupils 
 were ti-ansliuTi'd to a large building crecti^d for the purposes of the 
 institution, on Fiftieth-street and the Fourth Avenue, three and a half 
 miles from the City Hall. Communication between the institution 
 and the city is rendered very casv, by the cars which pass on the 
 Harlaem railroad, (Fourth Avenue,) every fifteen or twenty minutes 
 in both directions. 
 
NEW YORK COUNTY, 197 
 
 " The principal building occupied for the purposes of the institution, 
 is one hundred and ten feet by sixty, in the dimensions of its plan, 
 and five stories in height, including the basement. It accommodates, 
 with some inconvenience, the number of pupils which the institution 
 embraces at present, with the teachers, the family of the principal, 
 and such other persons as are needed to assist in conducting the affairs 
 of the estabhshment. 
 
 " The original charter of the institution being about to expire by 
 limitation on the first day of April, 1837, it was extended by the le 
 gislature, in the spring of 1836, for a period of twenty-five years. 
 
 " The number of pupils who were members of the institution in 
 1840, was one hundred and fifty-two. One hundred and fourteen of 
 these are supported at the expense of the state of New York, six 
 at the expense of the state of New Jersey, twelve by the city au- 
 thorities, one by the supervisors of the county of Dutchess, twelve 
 by the funds of the institution, and the rest by their parents or friends." 
 
 The New York institution for the blind. — This institution contains 
 about fifty blind pupils, who, in addition to the school exercises, are 
 employed in making baskets, mats, rugs, carpeting, and in braiding 
 palm-leaf hats. They are also taught instrumental and vocal music. 
 
 The New York Historical Society, established in 1809, by private 
 contribution and legislative assistance, possesses a library of about 
 10,000 volumes, valuable manuscripts, coins, &c. The Stuyvesant 
 Institute was organized in 1834, for the diffusion of knowledge by 
 means of popular lectures, to establish a cabinet of natural history, 
 library, &c. The American Lyceum, for the promotion of education, 
 was founded in 1831. The New York Society Library was estab- 
 lished in 1754, and has 35,000 volumes. The Apprentices' Library 
 was established by the General Society of Mechanics and Trades- 
 men in 1821, and has about 12,000 volumes. 
 
 The Mercantile Library Association. — This noble institution was es- 
 tablished in 1821, since which time it has gone on gradually and 
 steadily increasing, until it now numbers 3,500 members, and a splen- 
 did library of 22,500 volumes, with an annual income of about $8,000. 
 Connected with the library are extensive reading-rooms, which are 
 supplied with all the principal American and foreign periodicals. 
 Lectures are regularly given by those distinguished in the various 
 departments of science or literature. Classes are also formed for 
 instruction, and the facilities here given at a trifling expense to the 
 clerk for acquiring a finished mercantile education, are unequalled 
 perhaps by any similar institution in the world. 
 
 The College of Physicians and Surgeons was formed in 1807, by 
 the legislature of New York, at the recommendation of the regents 
 of the University, by whose immediate government it is controlled. 
 The New York Eye Infirmary was founded in 1820 ; since this 
 period about 17,000 persons have for a longer or shorter period been 
 under the care of the surgeons of this institution. The New York 
 Hospital was founded in 1771, by the earl of Dunmore, the governor 
 of the colony. This institution has an annual revenue from various 
 
198 
 
 NEW YORK COUNTY. 
 
 sources of about $68,000, the larger portion of which is annually 
 expended. The Bloomingdale Asylum for the insane is pleasantly 
 situated near the banks of the Hudson river, distant 7 miles from the 
 city, and has attached to it 40 acres of land, laid out in gardens, 
 pleasure grounds, &c., well adapted for the unfortunate inmates. 
 
 The American Academy of Fine Arts, in Barclay-street, was incor- 
 porated in 1808. Napoleon, while first consul, presented Mr. Liv- 
 ingston, our ambassador to France, with a valuable collection of 
 casts, engravings, &c., for this institution, which may be seen by the 
 public during the season of exhibition. The National Academy of 
 Design was instituted in 1826. It is enriched with many produc- 
 tions of American art. It has professorships of Painting, Anatomy, 
 Sculpture, and Mythology. 
 
 The number of churches in 1851 was two hundred and thirty-three, 
 named in the annexed list. 
 
 Presbyterian 49 
 
 Congregationalist 9 
 
 Dutch Reformed 18 
 
 Episcopalian ,. . 40 
 
 Baptist 30 
 
 Methodist 38 
 
 Catholic 20 
 
 Friends 4 
 
 Lutheran _6 
 
 Universalist 4 
 
 Unitarian 2 
 
 Jews 10 
 
 New Jerusalem 2 
 
 Moravian 1 
 
 Miscellaneous 7 
 
 Gothic {late Masonic) Hall, Broadway. 
 
 184], 
 
 This building, lately the head-quarters of the Whig party in this 
 city, is situated on the east side of Broadway, about CO rods north of 
 the Park. The foundation was commenced on .St. John's day, 24th 
 June, 1826; when the corner-stone was laid with all due ceremony 
 by the craft, in presence of thousands of citizens. It was finished in 
 the subsequent year ; the whole cost being #50,000. The building 
 has lately undergone some alterations internally, and the name been 
 changed to that of Gothic Hall. 
 
NEW YOKK COUNTV. 
 
 199 
 
 11111.""'* "^ 
 
 
 
 T7eio o/" Tammany Hall* and the adjoining buildings. 
 
 Dec, 1840. 
 
 The above shows the appearance of Tammany Hall and the adja- 
 cent buildings as they appear from the southern wing of the City 
 Hall. Tammany Hall has acquired considerable celebrity from 
 being the head-quarters of the democratic party. The other build- 
 ings seen on this block are mostly newspaper establishments : " The 
 Sun," " New Era," " Brother Jonathan," the " Tattler," and some 
 others are published here. The office of the Sun, a daily paper, is 
 on the corner of the block. This is the oldest penny paper in the 
 city, having been commenced towards the close of 1833, on a medium 
 sheet, by Day and Wisner. Two or three months afterward the 
 Transcript was begun of the same size, by Hayward, Lynde, and 
 Stanley. The Herald, by J. G. Bennet, was the next living penny 
 publication: it was started in 1835. The New Era, by Locke and 
 Price, followed in 1836. From 5,000 to 30,000 copies of some of the 
 penny papers are sold daily. A large proportion of these go into the 
 hands of those who take no other paper ; and who, were it not for their 
 
 * This name is derived from an Indian chief or saint, who is supposed to have been 
 alive as late as the year 1680. Mr. Heckwelder, in his History, says that all that is known 
 of him is *' that he was a Delaware chief, who never had his equal. The fame of this 
 great man extended even among the whites, who fabricated numerous legends respecting 
 him, which I never heard, however, from the mouth of an Indian, and therefore believe to 
 be fabulous. In the revolutionary war, his enthusiastic admirers dubbed him a saint, and 
 he was established, under the name of St. Tammany^ the patron saint of America. His 
 name was inserted in some calendars, and his festival celebrated on the first day of May in 
 every year. On that day a numerous society of his votaries walked together in procession 
 through the streets of Philadelphia, their hats decorated with bucks* tails, and proceeded to 
 a handsome rural place out of town, which they called the wigwam; where, after a long 
 talkf or Indian speech had been delivered, and the calumet of peace and friendship had 
 been duly smoked, they spent the day in festivity and mirth." 
 
200 
 
 NEW YORK COUNTY. 
 
 cheapness, would be destitute, in a great measure, of correct informa- 
 tion respecting public events. It is estimated that about 620,000 
 newspapers are issued in the city every week, and in the course of 
 the year upwards of thirty-two millions. 
 
 The Battery, and Castk Garden. 
 
 " The Battery. — This beautiful promenade is situated at the south- 
 west end of the island, and junction of the North and East rivers, 
 and possesses attractions unsurpassed, perhaps, by any other similar 
 place of resort in the world, justly commanding the admiration of 
 every visiter. It is in full view of the bay and surrounding scenery 
 of Long Island, Staten Island, New Jersey, and the islands in the 
 harbor. From no one point can a better idea be fornred of the mag- 
 nitude of the commerce of the city ; the numerous ships, steam- 
 boats, and small vessels, that are constantly entering and departing 
 from the port, forming a scene of stirring interest. Of the bay itself, 
 we deem it appropriate in this place to quote the language of a late 
 English tourist. 
 
 " ' I have never seen the bay of Naples, I can therefore make no 
 comparison ; but my imagination is incapable of conceiving any thing 
 more beautiful than the harbor of New York. Various and lovely 
 are the objects which meet the eye on every side ; but the naming 
 them would only be to give a list of words, without conveying the 
 faintest idea of the scene. I doubt if even the pencil of Turner could 
 do it justice, bright and glorious as it rose upon us. We seemed to 
 enter the harbor of New York upon waves of liquid gold ; and as 
 we dashed past the green isles which rise from its bosom like guar- 
 dian sentinels of the fair city, the setting sun stretched his horizontal 
 beams further and further, at each moment, as if to point out to us 
 some new glory in the landscape.' 
 
 " The Battery extends somewhat in the form of a crescent, from 
 the termination of Broadway, Greenwich, and Washington streets, on 
 the northwest, to Whitehall-street, on the east, covering an area of 
 
NEW YORK COUNTY. 201 
 
 nearly 1 1 acres, and laid out in grass-plots and gravel walks, shaded 
 with trees. The exterior, fronting the harbor, is built up with hewn 
 stone ; and on this side is a paved walk, with stone posts connected 
 with a neat open railing. An expensive iron railing, with gateways, 
 extends along the interior front." 
 
 " Originally this point of land was fortified by the Dutch, who 
 threw up embankments, upon which they placed some pieces of 
 cannon. ' In process of time,' says Knickerbocker, ' it came to be 
 pleasantly overrun by a verdant carpet of grass and clover, and 
 their high embemkments overshaded by wide-spreading sycamores, 
 among whose foliage the little birds sported about, rejoicing the ear 
 with their melodious notes. The old burghers would repair of an 
 afternoon to smoke their pipes under the shade of their branches, 
 contemplating the golden sun, as he gradually sunk in the west, an 
 emblem of that tranquil end towards which themselves were hasten- 
 ing ; while the young men and the damsels of the tovpn would take 
 many a moonlight stroll among these favorite haunts, watching the 
 chaste Cynthia tremble along the calm bosom of the bay, or light up 
 the white sail of some gliding bark, and interchanging the honest 
 vows of constant affection. Such was the origin of thafrenoTtned 
 walk, the Battery, which though ostensibly devoted to the purposes 
 of war, has ever been consecrated to the sweet delights of peace : 
 The favorite walk of declining age ; the healthful resort of the feeble 
 invalid ; the Sunday refreshment of the dusty tradesman ; the scene 
 of many a boyish gambol ; the rendezvous of many a tender assigna- 
 tion ; the comfort of the citizen ; the ornament of New York, and 
 the pride of the lovely islsmd of Mannahatta.' " 
 
 " Castle Garden. — On a mole, connected with the Battery by a 
 bridge, is situated Castle Garden, originally erected for a fortification, 
 and used for that purpose until 1823, when it was ceded by the 
 United States to the corporation of this city, since which it has been 
 leased for a place of public amusement or recreation. On the top of 
 the walls, a walk, covered by an awning, has been constructed, from 
 whence a fine view of the harbor and adjacent scenery is obtained. 
 Within the walls over ten thousand people may be accommodated, 
 and concerts and fireworks are occasionally given." 
 
 " Vauxhall Garden — Is situated near the junction of the Bowery 
 and Broadway, fronting on the former, and is at present a place of 
 great resort in summer. On the evenings of public days, fireworks 
 and other entertainments are exhibited ; but by the late improve- 
 ments in that part of the city, particularly by the extension of Lafay- 
 ette place through the garden, its dimensions have been much les- 
 sened. 
 
 NiBLo's Garden — Is one of the most fashionable places of resort 
 in the city, during the summer months. It has been laid out with 
 great taste, and when open to the public, is handsomely lighted, and 
 decorated with paintings, mirrors, &c. The walks are bordered 
 with shrubbery and flowers in great variety. Fireworks are coca- 
 
 26 
 
202 NEW YORK COUNTY. 
 
 sionally exhibited ; and in the saloon, which is a very tasteful am 
 airy building, theatrical and musical entertainments are given." 
 
 "American Museum. — This excellent institution was founded in 
 1810, by the late John Scudder, by whose arduous efforts, and the 
 persevering exertions of its more recent proprietors, it has arose to 
 its present high standing. It continues daily to improve in every de- 
 partment, by extensive and valuable additions of the works of nature 
 and artificial curiosities, from all parts of the world. Its immense 
 collections are well arranged and beautifully displayed in four spa- 
 cious saloons, each one hundred feet in length ; in addition to which 
 another apartment has recently been added of still larger dimensions. 
 The Grand Cosmorania of this establishment is truly a most splendid 
 affair, which for extent of glasses and magnificence of views, is not 
 surpassed in this or any other country. The views embrace a great 
 variety of subjects, and were all executed expressly by Italian artists 
 of eminence in their profession. No labor or expense has been 
 spared to render this establishment well deserving a continuance of 
 that liberal and distinguished patronage it has always received. 
 The building is very high, and from its observatory may be enjoyed 
 some of the finest views in the city, and of the beautiful bay and sur- 
 rounding country. The halls are well warmed and ventilated, and 
 at evening brilliantly lighted with gas, altogether forming a very in- 
 viting, agreeable lounge, and at the same time, a place for serious 
 contemplation and amusement, to those who delight in the study of 
 the wonderful works of nature. 
 
 " Peale's Museum and Gallery of Fine Arts. — This establish- 
 ment was founded in the year 1825, and has increased with aston- 
 ishing rapidity. It contains four spacious apartments, which are 
 arranged in the following order: The 1st contains specimens of 
 Natural History in all its branches, and its beauty of arrangement, 
 and the exquisite style in which the articles are mounted, renders it 
 one of the most interesting places of public amusement in the country. 
 The 2d is a large and valuable collection of Paintings, by eminent 
 artists, amongst which may be particularly mentioned a Portrait of 
 Napoleon, by Le Fevre ; a Magdalen, by Le Bron, together with 
 Portraits of at least 150 celebrated citizens and foreigners. The 3d 
 contains a very superior Cosmorama, several Wax Figures of good 
 workmanship. Fossils, Shells, Minerals, and Miscellaneous Curiosities." 
 
 There are five theatres in the city, viz : Park Theatre, Bowery, 
 Chatham, Little Drury, and Olympic. The National Theatre was 
 burnt down the present year, (1841.) 
 
 The following is a list of the periodical publications issued in the 
 city ol New York. 
 
 "Quarterly publications. — Literary and Theological ' Review, 
 Naval Magazine, New York Review and Quarterly Church Journal, 
 New York Quarterly Magazine, Quarterly Anti-Slavery Magazine, 
 Quarterly Christian Spectator, Tailors' Magazine, United Brethren's 
 Missionary Intelligencer. 
 
NEW YORK COUNTY. 
 
 203 
 
 "Monthly publications. — American Monthly Magazine, Anti- 
 Slavery Record, Children's Magazine, Home Missionary and Pastor's 
 Journal, Human Rights, Journal of the American Institute, Knicker- 
 bocker Magazine, Ladies' Companion, La Revue Francais, (French) 
 Mechanics' Magazine, Missionary Herald, Mothers' Magazine, Mer- 
 chants' Magazine, National Preacher, New York Farmer and Amer- 
 ican Gardner's Magazine, Parley's Magazine, Sailor's Magazine, 
 Sunday School Visiter, Tract Magazine, Youth's Friend, Family 
 Magazine. 
 
 View of the Asior House, Broadway. 
 
 This splendid hotel, furnished with magnificence and taste, corres- 
 ponding to its grandeur and simplicity, is the largest in the country, 
 if not in the world. It was erected by John Jacob Astor, at an ex- 
 pense of about a million of dollars, and opened May 3Ist, 1836. It 
 is built of Quincy granite, in a style remarkably massive, simple, and 
 chaste, fronts 201 feet on Broadway, directly opposite the park, 154 
 on Barclay-street, and 1464 on Vesey-street. It is 77 feet in height. 
 The dining-room on Barclay-street is 100 feet by 40, and 19J high. 
 The house contains at times about 500 persons, and the basement is 
 distributed into stores ; and thus the establishment forms of itself, like 
 the Palais Royal of Paris, an almost independent colony. 
 
 The annexed account of the completion of the Erie Canal, Octo'ber 
 20th, 1825, and the celebration of the event in New York city, is ex- 
 tracted from newspapers published at the time. 
 
 " The canal connecting the great lakes of North America with the Atlantic Ocean, ia 
 finished. On Wednesday, at 10 o'clock, A. M., the waters of Lake Erie were admitted at 
 Buffalo, and the first boat from the lake commenced its voyage to New York. This joyful 
 event waa announced to the citizens of the state by the roar of cannon planted in a contin- 
 ued line along the banks of the canal and of the Hudson, at intervals of about eight miles, 
 Snd extending from Buffalo to Sandy Hook, a distance of about 544 miles. The cannon 
 were fired in succession, commencing at Buffalo at the moment of the entrance of the boat 
 into the canal, and the intelligence thus communicated, reached this city precisely at twenty 
 minwtes past eleven o'clock, at which time a national salute was fired from the battery, and 
 this aeknawledgement that lye had received the intelligence was then immediately returned 
 by the samp lin? of cannon to pufTalo. Thus the work ia finished ; the longest canal in 
 
204 NEW YORK COUNTY. 
 
 the world is completed, and completed in the short space of eight years, by the single state 
 of New York, a state which seventy yeara ago was a wilderness, thinly peopled by a little 
 more than 100,000 souls." 
 
 CANAL CELEBRATION. 
 
 " The splendid exhibition in honor of the completion of the Erie Canal took place on 
 Friday of last week, Nov. 4th. For several days previous, strangers from every part of the 
 surrounding country had been crowding into the city to witaess the interesting event. The 
 day was remarkably pleasant, and favorable for the display. The following account 
 of the ceremonies which took place is from the Daily Advertiser : — 
 
 " The Societies. — The procession formed agreeably to arrangement, and about half.past 
 ten, moved down the west side of Greenwich.street to the battery, where it wheeled and 
 passed up the east side of Greenwich-street, &c., in the following order : 
 
 " At the head were four buglemen on horseback, who preceded the — Agricultural and 
 Horticultural Societies, many of whose members wore nosegays. — The Journeymen Tai. 
 lors. — The Butchers, mounted and wearing aprons, with the banners of their society, and 2 
 cars, each drawn by 4 horses. The first was covered with a roof, decorated, and contained 
 a calf and a sheep ; the other a fine white oz and 4 large sheep, and over it, on a second 
 stage, a stuifed ox, with several butchers' boys. — The Tanners' boys. — The Tanners had a 
 car drawn by four horses, in which were several men at work tanning and currying leather, 
 with hides hanging overhead. The Skirmers followed with » banner, and then came 
 another baimer with four horses, where a number of morocco dressers were at work on 
 skins of all colors. — The Cordwainers had also a car drawn by 4 horses, on which were 6 
 or 8 men seated at their benches, making shoes. — The Hatters' Society had a large banner 
 with a portrait of St. Clement, and a car drawn by six horses, containing a shop, in which 
 eight men were at work at the kettle, and others employed in the difierent operations of 
 hat.making. A great number of small banners succeeded, bearing the names of the 
 western Lakes, great and small, and those of the principal towns in the western part of the 
 state and country ; S4 boys marching under the banners bearing * Washington,' the ' United 
 States of America,' imd a portrait of Gov. Clinton, represented the states of the Union. 
 In a barouche rode the two oldest hatters and journeymen hatters in the city. Banner — 
 ' The heart is devoted to our country.' — The Bakers, with white hats. — The Journeymen 
 Masons came next, and then the Coopers, with a car in which men were at work on bar- 
 rels, &c. — The Chairmakers had a large chair over their banner, with two eagles following, 
 one large and gilt, with a miniature chair in his mouth. — The Potters came next, and then 
 the Saddlers, with a pair of horses in harness, and 3 fine white ones with ladies', gentle- 
 men's, and miUtary saddles, all of the most superb workmanship. The horses were led by 
 blacks in rich Moorish costumes — the insignia, implements, &c., followed, with a rocking- 
 horse saddled and bridled. — The Shipwrights had the model of a fine of battle ship, mount- 
 ed on wheels, and drawn by eight horses. The ofiicers and crew were represented by boys 
 in gay dresses, and flags and ensigns were hoisted on board. A banner bore ' Commerce i» 
 ours;' and a great number of others succeeded, on which were the names of our distin- 
 guished naval commanders. — The Boat-builder's Association had a model of a boat borne 
 by a carrier, and another drawn by horses. A car drawn by four horses, contained two 
 half-finished boats of considerable size, at which the workmen were employed, while 
 smoke was coming from the chimney where they warped their plank and timber. — The 
 Rope.makers had a ropewalk, in which a number of men and boys were employed in spin- 
 ning and laying, all drawn by four horses. — The Comb-makers had also a shop, and men at 
 work, &c., and after them came the General Society of Mechanics ; the Cabinet-makers 
 with specimens of furniture, and the Apprentices' Library Association. — The New York 
 Fire Department was represented by eight companies, Nos. 20, 42, 15, 13, 41, 32, 7, and 
 4, with their engines, and several hook and ladder companies, with their implements raised 
 aloft, and handsomely decorated. — The Printers' Society had a car drawn by horses, on 
 which were mounted two presses. These were kept in operation, striking off copies of 
 an Ode, which were distributed to the people from the car. — The Book-binders had a large 
 volume bound in red morocco and gilt, labelled ' Erie Canal Statistics.' — After a full band 
 of musicians in dresses of scarlet and gold, came the members of Columbia College, dress- 
 ed in their Academic gowns ; and then a great number of military officers, and soldiers 
 from the different city companies, followed by the Society of Free Masons. — The Tin Plate 
 Workers had a car drawn by four gray horses, with a model of some of the locks on the 
 canal, — a Canal boat, barge, &c., made of tin. 
 
 " Aquatic Procession. — At eight o'clock the citizens were seen crowding in all directions 
 on board the various steamboats which were announced to compose the fleet which was to 
 jiroceed to tfie ocean, f he steamboat Washington, under the command of Capt. Bunker, 
 
NEW YORK COUNTY, 205 
 
 took the lead, on board of which the Hon. the Corporation, with the society of Cineinnati, 
 the Rev. Clergy, of all denominations, the Army and Naval officers — all the consuls of 
 Foreign nations — the judges of all our courts and many other citizens and strangers were 
 guests. The steamboats Fulton, James Kent, Chancellor Livingston, and several others 
 were also employed by the corporation to receive other guests, all which were filled with 
 our most distinguished citizens — The safety barges Lady Clinton and Lady Van Rensse 
 laer, were most tastefully festooned with evergreens and flowers, and were exclusively ap 
 propriated to the ladies. At about 10 o'clock the signal was given for departure, and the 
 boats all proceeded up the East river, and formed in a line, accompanied by the canal boats, 
 when they wore round and proceeded down the bay. As the fleet passed the Battery they 
 were saluted by the miUtary, the revenue cutter, and the castle on Governor's Island. AJ 
 they proceeded, they were joined by the ship Hamlet, which had previously been dressed 
 for the occasion with the flags of all nations, and on board of which were the Marine and 
 Nautical societies, composed of all our most respectable shipmasters. As the fleet passed 
 the Narrows, they were saluted by Forts Lafayette and Tompkins. They then proceeded 
 to the United States schooner Dolphin, moored within Sandy Hook, where Guv. Clinton 
 went through the ceremony of uniting the waters, by pouring that of Lake Erie into the 
 Atlantic ; upon which he dehvered the following address : — 
 
 " ' This solemnity at this place on the first arrival of vessels fi-om Lake Erie, is intended 
 to indicate and commemorate the navigable communication, which has been accomplished 
 between our Mediterranean seas and the Atlantic Ocean, in eight years, to the extent of 
 more than four hundred and twenty-five miles, by the wisdom, pubUc spirit, and energy of 
 the people of the state of New York ; and may the God of the Heavens and the earth smile 
 most propitiously on the work, and render it subservient to the best ioterests of the human 
 race.' Dr. Mitchell then poured the contents of several vials, which he stated contained 
 the waters of the Elbe, &c. &c., and delivered a long addre^, but the crowd was so great 
 that but few were able to hear any part of it. The Hon. Mr. Colden presented to bis honor 
 the Mayor, a memoir which contains a brief history of the canal from its commencement 
 to the present day. Salutes were then fired from the revenue cutter, the pilot boats, and 
 several of the steamboats, and the procession returned to the city. 
 
 " On the return from the exclusion to Sandy Hook, the atmosphere was nearly clear, and 
 the appearance of the steamboats was truly magnificent. Here were 36 of these vessels, 
 splendidly equipped and decorated, moving in the most majestic manner, all crowded with 
 passengers, and arranged in the most striking order. The packet ship Hamlet, which was 
 generously offered by Capt. Chandler for the use of the Marine and Nautical societies, made 
 a splendid appearance, towed along in the line by steamboats, vrith her masts and rigging 
 decorated by a fine display of flags of all nations. 
 
 " Persons abroad may judge of the splendor of the celebration, when it is stated that 
 there were displayed among the difiisrent societies, upwards of 200 banners and standards 
 — many of them extremely splendid, and a large number painted expressly for the occasion. 
 
 " It is with pleasure we state that the two British packets now at anchor in our port, sa- 
 luted and cheered the line of steamboats as they passed ; instances of good feeling of this 
 description should not be omitted to be recorded. The band in return played ' God save 
 the king.' The whole line of steamboats landed their passengers at 3 o'clock, in time for 
 them to form and join the procession of their fellow-citizens. 
 
 " The festivities were concluded by fireworks in the evening, at the Battery„City Hall, 
 and Vauxhall Garden, and by illuminations of some of the principal buildings in the city, — 
 the City Hall, City Hotel, Theatre, Sikes' Hotel, &c. A large transparency was exhibited 
 at the City Hall, representing the introduction of Neptune to the Lady of the Lakes by 
 the Genius of America. 
 
 " We cannot help expressing our gratification, at observing among the thousands we saw 
 in the streets during the day and evening, hardly a single instance of intoxication, and not 
 one of unpleasant disturbance ; and so far as we could learn, no accident happened to mar 
 the festivities of the day." 
 
 Cboton AQTJEDncT. — This great work, designed for the supply of the city of New York 
 with pure and wholesome water, is at present constructing. Its whole length is 40i miles. 
 It is a long brick vault stretching from Croton to New York, descending at the rate of 
 nearly 14 inches to the mile. Its dimensions are about 6 feet at bottom, 7 feet at top, and 
 from 8 to 10 feet in height. The foundation is of stone, well laid, and the interstices filled 
 up with rubble, and over this a bed of concrete composed of cement, broken stone and 
 gravel, in due proportions, well mixed and combined together, except where the earth ia 
 of a compact and dry consistence, when the stone foundation is omitted, and the bed of 
 concrete laid on the earth foundation. The side walls are of good building stone, 3& 
 
206 NEW YORK COUNTY. 
 
 inches thick at bottom, and 27 inches at top. These walla are laid in regular courses. The 
 bottom of the aqueduct is an inverted arch, and the roof a semicircle ; both arches are 
 formed of brick. All the materials used are the most perfect of their kind, and every pos- 
 sible pains taken in the construction. 
 
 The work commences at Croton, about 5 miles above the mouth of the river. Here is to 
 be the dam which will back the river for several miles, and will cover, exclusive of its pres- 
 ent bed, 5 or 600 acres, and thus form the great reservoir, which will contain 100,000,000 
 of gallons for each foot in depth from the surface. Inasmuch as the aqueduct is to 
 maintain a uniform descent, extensive excavations or tunnels in passing through hills and 
 heavy embankments, with culverts in crossing valleys, are required. Several of the tunnels 
 are cut through solid rock at an enormous expense. The longest tunnel is the Manhattan 
 hill tunnel near the village of Manhattanville, on New York Island ; it is 1,215 feet in 
 length. 
 
 In crossing the Harlaem river the aqueduct encounters its most formidable impediment. 
 " Owing to the great depression of the stream below the grade line, and the peculiar in. 
 clinations of its banks, the length of the aqueduct bridge will greatly exceed the width of 
 the strait at its surface, (620 feet.) The bridge vrill be 1,420 feet in length, between the 
 pipe chambers at either end ; 18 feet in width, inside of the parapet walls ; and 27 feet be- 
 tween the outer edges of the coping ; 16 piers, bdilt of stone laid in coiuses of uniform 
 thickness. Of these, 6 will be in the river, and 10 on the land, (S of which will be on the 
 Westchester side of the strait.) The river piers will be 20 by 40 feet at base, and 84 feet 
 in height, to the spring of the arch ; diminishing as they rise in height. The arches will 
 have a span of 80 feet. The land piers will be proportionably less in size, their height va- 
 rying according to the slope of the banks, and the span of these arches will be 50 feet each. 
 
 " The central height of the arches over the stream is to be 100 feet above high-water 
 level, in the clear ; and the distance from high tide to the top of the parapet walls will be 
 116 feet. The total elevation of the structure, from its base at the bottom of the strait to 
 the top of the parapet, will be about 138 feet. The piers and abutments will be carried up 
 with pilasters to the top of the parapet, with a projection of two feet beyond the face of 
 the work. Those piers to be erected in the water, will commence with soUd rock, upon 
 which the earthy bed of the stream reposes. The estimated cost of this structure is 
 $755,130. 
 
 " The bridge is intended for the support of iron pipes ; and these will be laid down, in 
 the first instance, two or three feet diameter, which it is supposed will be adequate for the 
 supply of water to the city, for many years to come. The work however will be so ar. 
 ranged, as to admit the introduction, at any time hereafter, of two four.feet pipes, whose 
 capacity will be equal to that of the grand trunk. The pipes will be protected from the 
 action of the frost, by a covering of earth four feet in depth, well sodded on the surface. 
 The aqueduct will discharge its water into the northern pipe chamber, whence it will pass 
 over the bridge into the southern chamber, where the aqueduct resumes its course towards 
 the city. At the distance of half a mile, the line crosses a ravine of 30 feet to the top Une 
 of the embankment ; and at a short distance beyond, it enters the Jumel tunnel, 234 feet 
 in length ; and 6J miles from the city. A ravine is passed soon after leaving the tunnel, 
 25 feet below the grade Hne ; and soon after, another, still more formidable, presents itself; 
 which required a foundation of 30 feet to elevate it to the grade. 
 
 " The water will be conducted over the Manhattan valley by means of iron pipes or in. 
 verted syphons. The depression of the valley is 105 feet below the grade hne, and ar- 
 rangements of pipe chambers, on each side of the valley, similar to that at Harlaem strait, 
 will be adopted here. The pipes are to be laid on a foundation of stone, covered with a 
 course of concrete masonry, six inches thick. After the pipes are laid, concrete is to be 
 worked under them, as a support, 18 inches wide, and 12 high ; and the whole is to be 
 protected with a covering of earth, to guard against frost and other injury. The aqueduct 
 having terminated at one pipe chamber, on Manhattan hills, it re-commences at another on 
 the Asylum Hill ; and after proceeding a short distance southward, enters the Asylum Hill 
 tunnel 640 feet in length, which is the last. About three miles from the southern terminus 
 of this Herculean work, the aqueduct commences its passage over several streets, the grading 
 of which has a mean depression below that of the aqueduct, of about 40 feet ; this vale is 
 to be passed by a bridge of a corresponding height. The hne of aqueduct runs 100 feet 
 east of the Ninth avenue ; and on the land, extending from one street to the other, a 
 foundation wall is to be built of sufBcient vndth and height to support the aqueduct. Over 
 the carriage way and sidewalks of each street, there will be circular arches turned. Nine- 
 ty.sixth street, being 100 feet wide, will have two arches of 27 feet span, for the carriage 
 way ; and one arch of 14 feet span, on each side, for the side-walks. The other streets 
 Doing oiJy 60 feet in width, will each have an arch of 30 feet span for the carriage way 
 and one on each side of 10 feet span. The breadth over the arches to be 24 feet. 
 
NEW YORK COUNTY. 207 
 
 " On me whole line there will be ventilators placed at intervals of one mile apart ; and 
 between each, triangular cavities, designed for the erection of additional ventilators, are 
 left, covered with flag stone, and their location indicated by marble slabs. Some of the 
 ventilators can be used as waste weirs and as entrances into the aqueduct. The next im. 
 portant work is the receiving reservoir, 38 miles by the line of the aqueduct from its north, 
 ern terminus. It covets 35 acres of ground, divided into two sections. The north section 
 to have 20 feet of water when full, and the south 25 feet ; the whole reservoir will con- 
 tain about 160,000,000 of gallons. From this reservoir the water will be conveyed through 
 the Fifth avenue to the distributing basin, of about 5 acres, holding 20,000,000 of gallons, 
 at Munay Hill, in Forty-second street, by means of pipes 30 inches in diameter. From 
 Murray Hill the water will be conveyed to the city by the ordinary distributing pipes. The 
 difi'erence of level between the basin at Murray Hill and the pool at Croton, is about 46 
 feet, being a fraction less than 14 inches to the mile. 
 
 " About 26 miles of the aqueduct are now (April, 1840,) completed, and several other 
 detached sections are nearly so. It must not, however, be inferred that the work still to be 
 done is of but small amount ; on the contrary, the most difficult and expensive portions of 
 it remain to be performed. According to the engineer's report, the whole work, with the 
 e.xccptionof the bridge over Harlaem strait, will be completed and ready for use in the 
 spring of 1842. The completion of the bridge cannot be expected before the close of 
 1843 ; and it may and will probably be still further delayed. To diminish this delay, it is 
 proposed to erect u temporary conduit pipe of suitable dimensions, as soon as the coffer 
 dams at Harlaem will admit of it, by which means the city may have the benefit of the 
 water, two or three years before a supply could be had by the Harlaem aqueduct bridge. 
 
 " The original estimate of cost of this great work, was $4,718,197 ; but it will not fall 
 short of $10,000,000;— $3,924,650 08 having been expended at the date of the last re- 
 port, January 1st, 1840." 
 
 Northern view of Harlem Tunnel. 
 
 Harlem 8, YorJcville 5, and Manhattanville 9 miles from the City 
 Hall, are small villages on Manhattan Island, and included within the 
 city limits. The New York and Harlem railroad commences at the 
 City Hall and extends to Fordham in Westchester county, 12j miles 
 from the city. By a late act of the legislature, (May 7, 1841,) the 
 company have the privilege of extending it to the north line of West- 
 chester county. " The road is laid with a double track, and is tra- 
 versed for nearly three-fourths of its length, by steam power. Owing 
 to the peculiar nature of the ground and the necessity for maintain- 
 ing a nearly level grade, for a considerable part of the line, long and 
 
208 NEW YORK COUNTY. 
 
 neavy cuts and embankments were required, which augmented the 
 cost of construction far beyond that of any other similar work in 
 this country. The whole cost of the work, including depots, motive 
 and other power, &c., amounted to $1,100,000 or $137,500 per mile. 
 The receipts for fare by the company, during the year ending De- 
 cember 31st, 1839, were $99,811. Notwithstanding the great num- 
 ber of persons conveyed on this road, about 1,200,000 annually, the 
 directors have not as yet declared a dividend, and up to the 1st of 
 January, 1840, the stockholders had not received a dollar from the 
 work. The tunnel through which the line passes, is the most costly 
 portion, as well as the most attractive feature of the road. Among 
 the thousands who are almost daily conveyed through it, a vast ma- 
 jority is impelled by a desire to examine the ' tunnel' which, though 
 excavated at an immense cost, ($90,000,) contributes, in no small de- 
 gree, to increase the revenues of the company. The tunnel is cut 
 through solid rock, which chiefly consists of quartz and hornblende 
 of such a compact texture, that masonry is entirely dispensed wdth, 
 even at the ends. It extends along the Fourth Avenue from 91st to 
 94th streets, and is 595 feet in length, 24 in width, and 21 in depth 
 from the crown of the arch. The fare on this road is as follows : to 
 27th street, 6\ cents ; to Yorkville, 5 miles, 12i cents ; to Harlem, 8 
 miles, 18a cents ; and to Fordham, 12i miles, 25 cents." 
 
 " Peter Sttitvesant, 
 the last of the Dutch gov- 
 ernors in New York, de. 
 serves to be kept in re- 
 membrance. He began 
 bis administration in 1647 ; 
 and he exerted all his en- 
 ergies to prevent the en- 
 croachments of the Eng- 
 FacrsimiU of PbUt Stuyvamet ngnature. Ijsh and Swedes, on the 
 
 territory under bis command. He was more successful with the latter than the former. In 
 1655, he obUged the Swedes, at a place in Delaware bay, now called New Castle, to swear 
 allegiance to the Dutch authority. But in 1664, Colonel Nichols, with an English fleet, 
 arrived at New York, then called New Amsterdam, and compelled Governor Stuyvesant 
 and his whole colony to surrender to their invaders. He however remained in the country 
 until his death." — Blake's Biographical Dictionary. 
 
 " His remains ' rest in hope' near by, in the family vault, once constructed within the 
 walls of the second built Reformed Dutch church, which, for pious purposes, he had built at 
 his personal expense on his own farm. The church is gone, but the place is occupied by 
 the present church of St. Mark. On the outside wall of this latter church is the original 
 stone designating the body of him whose rank and titles stood thus described, to wit : 
 
 ' In this vault, lies buried 
 
 PETRUS STUYVESANT, 
 
 late Captain General and Commander-in-chief of Amsterdam, 
 
 in New Netherland, now called New York, and the 
 
 Dutch West India Islands. 
 
 Died in August, A.D. 1682, aged eighty years.' " 
 
 " PHiLrp LivniGSTOH was bom at Albany, in January, 1716. He was educated at Yale 
 College, in Connecticut, where he graduated in 1737. He then directed his attention to 
 commercial pursuits ; and, by bis integrity, sagacity, and comprehensive views, laid tha 
 foundation, and erected the superstructure of extraordinary prosperity. 
 
NEW YORK COUNTY. 209 
 
 "He commenced his career in public life in 1754, as an aldennan of the east ward of 
 the city of New York ; and, in 1759, was returned by the freeholders of this city as a 
 member of the assembly. In this body, he soon became conspicuous for hia talents and 
 devotedness to the interests of the people. In 1769, he declined an election for New York, 
 and was returned a member of the house for the manor of Livingston. His liberal views, 
 and powerful exertions in defending the rights of the citizens, soon after rendered him obi 
 noxious to the governor ; and, as a majority of the assembly were now under the influence 
 of the crown, his seat in the house was vacated, by a vote of that body, on the plea of 
 non-residence. 
 
 " Mr. Livingston was chosen a member of the first congress, which met at Philadelphia, 
 1774. He was, the following year, appointed president of the provincial congress, assem- 
 bled at New York. In 1776, in conjunction with his colleagues, he affixed his signature 
 to the Declaration of Independence, in behalf of the state of New York. 
 
 "During the recesses of the general congress, he rendered important services in the or. 
 ganization of the state government. In May, 1778, he took his seat in congress for the 
 last time. Although feeble in body, and low in health, he consented to forego all consider, 
 ations but those of patriotism ; and, at a distance from his family, wiUingly devoted to his 
 country the last hours of his life. He expired on the 12th of June, at the age of sixty-two 
 years." 
 
 . jj ^ " WmuAM Livingston, L L. D., governor 
 
 ^^y X^ ..^^ ^ f * Cm/^I^ of New Jersey, was bom in the city of New 
 
 //X^C^Q ^ i^t-t-' ^^7r York about the year 1723, and was graduated 
 
 ■■, , „,„. ... at Yale College, in 1741. He studied law, 
 
 /•ocmzie OS miham Livingston's .ignature. ^1,^ possessing an understandmg of great en. 
 
 ergy, a brilHant imagination, and a retentive memory, and devoting himself assiduously to 
 
 the cultivation of his mind, he soon rose to distinction in the profession. He early exhib. 
 
 ited himself an able and zealous advocate of civil and religious liberty, and employed his 
 
 pen in vindicating the rights of the colonies against the arbitrary claims of the British. 
 
 After enjoying several important offices in New York, he removed to New Jersey, and as 
 
 B representative of that state was one of the most distinguished of the congress of 1774. 
 
 On the formation of a new constitution for that state in 1776, he was appointed the first 
 
 governor, and was annually re-elected to the office till his death in 1790. He was charac. 
 
 terized by simplicity in his manners, and ease, amiableness, and wit in his social intercourse. 
 
 His writings display uncommon vigor, keenness, and refinement, and are often eloquent. 
 
 He devoted himself, during the revolution, ardently to the cause of his country, and did 
 
 much by the shrewdness and severity of his writings both to encourage his countrymen and 
 
 exasperate the British. 
 
 " Robert Fulton, eminent 
 as the inventor of steamboats, 
 was bom in the town of Little 
 Britain, Lancaster county, 
 Pennsylvania, 1765. His pa. 
 rents, who were Iriah, were 
 respectable, and gave him a 
 common English education at 
 Lancaster. He early exhibited 
 Vac-iimiU of Robert FultonS signature. ^ superior talent for mechan. 
 
 ism and painiing, and in his eighteenth year eatabUshed himself in the latter employment in 
 Philadelphia, and obtained much credit and emolument by his portraits and landscapes. 
 On entering his 22a year he went to England, for the purpose of improving his knowledge 
 of that art, and was received into the family of Mr. West, with whom he spent several 
 years, and cultivated a warm friendship. After leaving that family, he employed two years 
 » in Devonshire as a painter, and there became acquainted with the duke of Bridgewater 
 and Lord Stanhope, the former famous for his canals, and the latter for his love of the me. 
 chanic arts. He soon turned his attention to mechanics, particularly to the improvement 
 of inland navigation by canals, and the use of steam for the propelling of boats ; and in 
 1 794 obtained patents for a double inclined plane, to be used for transportation, and an in. 
 stniment to be employed in excavating canals. He at this time professed himself a civil 
 engineer, and published a treatise on canal navigation. He soon after went to France, 
 luid obtained a patent from the government for the improvements he had invented. He 
 ipeat the succeeding seven years in Paris, in the family of Mr. Joel Barlow, during which 
 
 27 
 
210 NEW YOEK COUNTY 
 
 period he made himself acquainted with the French, Italian, and German languages, and 
 soon acquired a knowledge of the high mathematics, physics, chemistry, and perspective. 
 He soon turned his attention to submarine navigation and explosion, and in 1801, under 
 the patronage of the first consul, constructed a plunging boat, and torpedoes, (differing ma- 
 terially from Bushnel's invention, with which he was acquainted,) with which he performed 
 many experiments in the harbor of Brest, demonstrating the practicability of employing 
 subaquatic explosion and navigation for the destruction of vessels. These inventions at. 
 traded the attention of the British government, and overtures were made to him by the 
 ministry which induced him to go to London, with the hope that they would avail them, 
 selves of his machines; but a demonstration of their efficacy which he gave the ministry, 
 by blowing up a vessel in their presence, led them to wish to suppress the invention rather 
 than encourage it ; and accordingly they declined patronising him. During this period he 
 also made many efforts to discover a method of successfully using the steam engine for the 
 propelling of boats, and as early as 1793, made such experiments as inspired him with great 
 confidence in its practicability. Robert R. Livingston, Esq., chancellor of New York, and 
 minister of the United States to the French court, on his arrival in France, induced him to 
 renew his attention to this subject, and embarked with him in making experiments for the 
 purpose of satisfying themselves of the possibility of employing steam in navigation. Mr. 
 Fulton engaged with intense interest in the trial, and in 1803, constructed a boat on the 
 river Seine, at their joint expense, by which he fully evinced the practicability of propelhng 
 boats by that agent. He immediately resolved to enrich his country with this invaluable 
 discovery, and on returning to New York in 1806, commenced, in conjunction with Mr. 
 Livingston, the construction of the first Fulton boat, which was launched in the spring of 
 1807 from the ship-yard of Charles Browne, New York, and completed in August. This 
 boat, which was called the Clermont,* demonstrated on the first experiment, to a host of, 
 at first incredulous, but at length astonished spectators, the correctness of his expectations, 
 and the value of his invention. Between this period and his death he superintended the 
 erection of fourteen other steam vesseb, and made great improvements in their construction." 
 " I myself," says Judge Story, " have heard the illustrious inventor relate, in an animated 
 and affecting manner, the history of his labors and discouragements : — ' When,' said he, ' I 
 was building my first steamboat at New York, the project was viewed by the pubhc either 
 with indifference or with contempt as a visionary scheme. My friends indeed were civil, 
 but they were shy. They Ustened with patience to my explanations, but with a settled 
 cast of incredulity on their countenances. I felt the full force of the lamentation of the 
 poet, — 
 
 " Truths would you teach, to save a sinking land. 
 All shun, Tione aid you, and few understand." 
 As I had occasion to pass daily to and from the building yard while my boat was in pro. 
 gress, I have often loitered unknown near the idle groups of strangers gathering in little 
 circles, and heard various inquiries as to the object of this new vehicle. The language was 
 uniformly that of scorn, sneer, or ridicule. The loud laugh rose at my expense, the dry 
 jest, the wise calculation of losses and expenditures ; the dull but endless repetition of the 
 Fulton folly. Never did a single encouraging remark, a bright hope, or a warm wish, 
 cross my path. Silence itself was but politeness veiling its doubts or hiding its reproaches. 
 At length the day arrived when the experiment was to be got into operation. To me it 
 tea* a most trying and interesting occasion. I invited many friends to go on board to wit- 
 ness the first successful trip. Many of them did me the favor to attend as a matter of per- 
 sonal respect ; but it was manifest they did it with reluctance, fearing to be partners of my 
 mortification and not of my triumph. I was well aware that in my case there were many 
 reasons to doubt of my own success. The machinery (like Fitch's before him) was new 
 and ill made ; and many parts of it were constructed by mechanics unacquainted with such 
 work, and unexpected difficulties might reasonably be presumed to present themselves fi-om 
 other causes. The moment arrived in which the word was to be given for the vessel to 
 move. My friends were in groups on the deck. There was anxiety mixed with fear 
 unong them. They were silent, sad, and weary. I read in their looks nothing but disaster, 
 and almost repented of my efforts. The signal was given, and the boat moved on a short < 
 distance and then stopped, and became immovable. To the silence of the preceding mo- 
 ment now succeeded murmurs of discontent, and agitations, and whispers, and shrugs. I 
 could hear distinctly repeated, " / told you it was so ; it is a foolish scheme ; I wish we 
 were well out of it." I elevated myself upon a platform and addressed the assembly. I 
 stated that I knew not what was the matter ; but if they would be quiet, and indulge mo 
 
 • So named from the seat of the Livingston family. ( :f : Clermont, Columbia cotmty.) 
 
NEW YORK COUNTY. 
 
 211 
 
 for half an hour, I would either go on or abandon the voyage for that time. This short 
 respite was conceded without objection. I went below and examined the machinery, and 
 discovered that the caue^e was a slight maladjustment of some of the work. In a short 
 period it was obviated. The boat was again put in motion. She continued to move on, 
 AH were still incredulous. None seemed willing to trust the evidence of their own senses. 
 We lett the fair city of New York ; we passed through the romantic and ever-varying 
 scenery of the Highlands; we descried the clustering houses of Albany; we reached its 
 shores; and then, even then, when all seemed achieved, I was the victim of disappoint- 
 ment. Imagination superseded the influence of fact. It was then doubted if it could be 
 done again ; or if done, it was doubted if it could be made of any great value.' " 
 
 ** The Clermont," Fulton* s first American Steamboat. 
 
 " Fulton obtained a patent for his inventions in navigation by steam in February, 1809, and 
 another for some improvements in 1811. In the latter year he was appointed by the legis- 
 lature of New York, one of the commissioners to explore a route for a canal from the great 
 lakes to the Hudson, and engaged with zeal in the promotion of that great work. On 
 the commencement of hostilities between the United States and Great Britain in 1812, he 
 renewed his attention 'to submarine warfare, and contrived a method of discharging guns 
 under water, for which he obtained a patent. In 1814 he contrived an armed steam-ship 
 for the defence of the harbor of New York, and also a submarine vessel, or plunging boat, 
 of such dimensions as to carry 100 men, the plans of which being approved by government, 
 he was authorized to construct them at the public expense. But before completing either 
 of those works, he died suddenly, February 24th, 1815. His person was tall, slender, and 
 well formed, his manners graceful and dignified, and his disposition generous. His attain, 
 ments and inventions bespeak the high superiority of his talents. He was an accomplished 
 painter, was profoundly versed in mechanics, and possessed an invention of great fertility, 
 and which was always directed by an eminent share of good sense. His style as a writer 
 was perspicuous and energetic. To him is to be ascribed the honor of inventing a method 
 of successfully employing the steam engine in navigation, an invention justly considered 
 one of the most important which has been made in modern ages, and by which he rendered 
 himself both a perpetual and one of the greatest benefactors of mankind. He was not in- 
 deed the first who conceived it to be possible ; others had believed its practicability, and 
 made many attempts to propel boats by steam, but having neither his genius, his knowledge, 
 nor his perseverance, they were totally unsuccessful. Mr. Fulton was famiharly acquainted 
 with many of the most distinguished hterary and political characters both of the United 
 States and of Europe, was a director of the American academy of fi.ne arts, and a member 
 of several hterary and philosophical societies." 
 
 " Brockholst Livingston, judge of the supreme court of tne United States, was the son 
 of William Livingston, governor of New Jersey, and was born in the city of New York, 
 November 25th, 1757. He entered Princeton college, but in 1776 left it for the field, and 
 became one of the family of General Schuyler, commander of the northern army. He was 
 
212 
 
 NEW YOEK COUNTY. 
 
 afterward attached to the suite of general Arnold, with the rank of major, and shared in 
 the bonois of the conquest of Burgoyne. In 1779 he accompanied Mr. Jay to the court 
 of Spain as his private secretary, and remained abroad about three years. On his return 
 he devoted himself to law, and was admitted to practice in April, 1783. His talents were 
 happily adapted to the profession, and soon raised him into notice, and ultimately to emi- 
 nence. He was called to the bench of the supreme court of the state of New York, Jan- 
 uary 8th, 1802, and in November, 1806, was transferred to that of the supreme court of 
 the United States, the duties of which station he discharged with distinguished faithfulness 
 and ability until his death, which took place during the sittings of the court at Washington, 
 March 18th, 1823, in the 66th year of his age. He possessed a mind of uncommon acute. 
 nesa and energy, and enjoyed the reputation of an accomplished scholar, an able pleader and 
 jurist, an upright judge, and a liberal patron of learning. 
 
 ^/^ 
 
 FacMmile of Eiehard Montgomery's lignature. 
 
 " RiCEAKD MoNTQOMiRT, a major-general in the army of the United States, was born in 
 the north of Ireland, in 1737. He possessed an excellent genius, which was matured by a 
 fine education. Entering the army of Great Britain, he successfully fought her battles, with 
 Wolfe, at Quebec, in 1759 ; and on the very spot where he was, afterward, doomed to fall, 
 when fighting against her, under the banners of freedom. 
 
 " He early imbibed an attachment to America ; and, after his arrival in New York, pur. 
 chased an estate, about one hundred miles from the city, and married a daughter of Judge 
 Livingston. When the struggle with Great Britain commenced, as he was known to have 
 an ardent attachment to hberty, and had expressed his readiness to draw his sword on the 
 side of the colonies, the command of the continental forces, in the northern department, 
 was intrusted to him and Gen. Schuyler, in the fall of 1775. 
 
 " By the indisposition of Schuyler, the chief command devolved upon him in October. 
 After a succession of splendid and important victories, he appeared before Quebec. In an 
 attempt to storm the city, on the last of December, this brave commander fell, by a dis. 
 charge of grape-shot, both of his aids being killed at the same time. In his fall, there was 
 every circumstance united, that could impart fame and glory to the death of a soldier." 
 
 " General Montgomery was gifted with fine abiUties and had received an excellent educa- 
 tion. His military talents especially were great ; his measures were taken with judgment 
 and executed with vigor. The sorrow for his loss was heightened by the esteem which his 
 amiable character had gained him. At the period of his death he was only thirty-eight 
 years of age." 
 
 ^7^tJ/^€^y^ , 
 
 " William .4.leian. 
 DER, LoBD Stixliso, a 
 major-general in the 
 service of the United 
 States during the revo. 
 lutionary war, was bom 
 in the city of New 
 Fac-nvuU of Lmd Stirling; rigvMure. York, but passed a 
 
 ponion of his life in New Jersey. He was generally styled through courtesy Lord Stirling, 
 in consequence of being considered by many as the rightful heir to the title and estates of 
 an earldom in Scotland, from which country his father came, though the government re. 
 fused to acknowledge the son's claim when he repaired to Great Britain in pursuit of this 
 inheritance. He was early remarkable for his fondness for mathematics and astronomy, in 
 which sciences he made considerable progress. — Throughout the revolution he acted an im. 
 portant part, and distinguished himself particularly in the battles of Long Island, German- 
 town, and Monmouth. In the first, he was taken prisoner, after having, by a bold attack 
 upon a corps commanded by Comwallis, effected the escape of a large part of his detach, 
 ment. In the second, his division, with the brigades of Generals Nash and Maxwell, formed 
 the corps de reserve; and in the last he commanded the left wing of the American army. 
 He was always warmly attached to General Washington, and the cause which he had es- 
 poused. He died at Albany, Jan. 15th, 1783, aged 57 years, leaving behind him the repu. 
 
NEW YORK COUNTY. 213 
 
 tation of a brave, discerning, and intrepid officer, and an honest and a learned man,"— 
 Enclyclopedia Americana. 
 
 CS^^^ ^^C^^^j^^^^^^ 
 
 Facsimile of Alexander Hamilton's signature. 
 
 " Alexander Hamilton was bom in 1757, in tlie island of Nevis, West Indies. Hij 
 father was a native of England, and his mother of the island. At the age of sixteen, he 
 became a student of Columbia college, his mother having emigrated to New York. Ha 
 had not been in that institution more than a year, before he gave a brilliant manifestation 
 of the powers of his mind in the discussion concerning the rights of the colonies. In sup. 
 port of these he pubhshed several essays, which were marked by such vigor and maturity 
 of style, strength of argument, and wisdom and compass of views, that Mr. Jay, at that 
 time in the meridian of life, was supposed to be the author. When it had become neces- 
 sary to unsheath the sword, the ardent spirit of young Hamilton would no longer allow him 
 to remain in academic retirement ; and before the age of nineteen he entered the American 
 army in the rank of captain of artillery. In this capacity he soon attracted the attention 
 of the commander-in-chief, who appointed him his aid-de-camp, with the rank of lieutenant, 
 colonel. This occurred in 1777, when he was not more than twenty years of age. From 
 this time he continued the inseparable companion of Washington during the war, and was 
 always consulted by him, and frequently by other public functionaries, on the most impor. 
 tant occasions. He acted as his first aid-de-camp at the battles of Brandywine, German, 
 town, and Monmouth, and at the siege of Yorktown he led, at his own request, the detach, 
 ment that carried by assault one of the enemy's outworks, October 14, 1781. In this affair 
 he displayed the most brilliant valor. 
 
 " After the war. Col. Hamilton, then about twenty-four, commenced the study of the law, 
 as he had at that time a wife and family depending upon him for support. He was soon 
 admitted to the bar. In 1782, he was chosen a member of congress from the state of New 
 York, where he quickly acquired the greatest influence and distinction, and was always a 
 member and sometimes chairman of those committees to which were confided such subjects 
 as were deemed of vital interest to the nation. The reports which he prepared are remait- 
 able for the correctness and power which characterize every effort of his pen. At the end 
 of the session he returned to the practice of his profession in the city of New York, and 
 became eminent at the bar. In 1786, he was chosen a member of the legislature of his 
 state, and was mainly instrumental in preventing a serious collision between Vermont and 
 New York, in consequence of a dispute concerning territorial jurisdiction. He was elected 
 a delegate from New York to the convention which was to meet at Philadelphia, in order 
 to form a constitution for the United States. As the doors of the convention were closed 
 during its sitting, and its records were never given to the world, it is not possible to state 
 the precise part which he acted in that body. It is well ascertained, however, that the 
 country is at least as much indebted to him for the excellences of the constitution as to any 
 other member of the illustrious assembly. Hamilton and Madison were the chief oracles 
 and artificeis. After the adoption of the constitution by the convention, be associated him- 
 self with Mr. Madison and Mr. Jay, for the purpose of disposing the public to receive it 
 with favor. The essays which they wrote with that design, addressed to the people of 
 New York during the years 1787 and 1788, are well known under the name of the Fed. 
 eralist, and contributed powerfully to produce the effect for which they were composed. 
 The larger portion of them was written by Hamilton. In 1788, he was a member of the 
 State convention of New York, which met to deliberate on the adoption of the federal 
 constitution, and it was chiefly in consequence of his efforts that it was accepted. On the 
 organization of the federal government in 1789, he was appointed to the office of secretary 
 of the treasury. This was a situation which required the exercise of all the great powers 
 of his mind, for the public credit was at that time at the lowest state of depression ; and as 
 no statistical account of the country had ever been attempted, its fiscal resources were 
 wholly unknown. But before Hamilton retired from the post, which he did after filling it 
 ■omewhat more than five years, he had raised the pubUc credit to a height altogether un. 
 
214 NEW YORK COUNTY. 
 
 precedented in the history of the country ; and by the admirable Bystem of finance which he 
 established, had acquired the reputation of one of the greatest financiers of the age. His 
 official reports to congress are considered as masterpieces, and the principles which he ad- 
 vocated in them still continue lo exercise a great influence in the revenue department of 
 the American government. Whilst secretary of the treasury, he was ex officio one of the 
 cabinet counsellors of President Washington ; and such was the confidence reposed by 
 that great man in his integrity and abiUty, that he rarely ventured upon any executive act 
 of moment without his concurrence. He was one of the principal advisers of the procla. 
 mation of neutrality issued by Washington in 1793, in consequence of the attempt made 
 by the minister of France to cause the United States to take part with his country in the 
 war then raging between it and England. This measure he defended in a series of essays, 
 under the signature of Pacificiu, which were successful in giving it popularity. In 1795, 
 Hamilton resigned his office and retired to private life, in order to be better able to support 
 a numerous family by the practice of his profession. In 1798, however, when an invasion 
 was apprehended from the French, and a provisional army had been called into the field, 
 his public services were again required. President Adams had ofiered the chief command 
 of the provisional army to Washington, who consented to accep* in case Hamilton should 
 be chosen second in command, with the title of inspector-general. This was accordingly 
 done, and in a short time he succeeded in bringing the organization and disciphne of the 
 army to a high degree of excellence. On the death of Washington in 1799, he succeeded 
 of course to the chief command. The title of Ueutenant.general, however, to which he was 
 then entitled, was from some unexplained cause never conferred on him. 
 
 " When the army was disbanded after the cessation of hostiUties between the United 
 States and France, General Hamilton returned again to the bar, and continued to practise 
 with increased reputation and success until 1804. In June of that year he received a note 
 from Col. Burr, — ^between whom and himself a political had become a personal enmity, — 
 in which he was required, in oflensive language, to acknowledge or disavow certain ex- 
 pressions derogatory to the latter. The tone of the note was such as to cause him to refuse 
 to do either, and a challenge was the consequence. July 11, the parties met at Hoboken, 
 opposite New York, on the Jersey side of the Hudson, and on the first fire Hamilton fell 
 mortally wounded, on the same spot where, a short time previously, his eldest son had been 
 killed in a duel. He lingered until the afternoon of the following day, when he expired. 
 The sensation which this excited throughout the United States had never been exceeded 
 on this continent. Men of all parties felt that the nation was deprived of its greatest orna- 
 ment. His transcendent abilities were universally acknowledged. Every citizen was ready 
 to express confidence in his spirit of honor and his capacity for public service. Of all the 
 coadjutors and advisers of Washington, Hamilton was undoubtedly the one in whose 
 sagacity and judgment he reposed the greatest confidence, whether in the military or in the 
 cjvil career ; and of all the American statesmen he displayed the most comprehensive un- 
 derstanding, and the most varied ability, whether applied to subjects practical or speculative. 
 A collection of his works was issued in New York in three octavo volumes, some years 
 after his death. His style is nervous, lucid, and elevated ; he excels in reasoning founded 
 on general principles and historical experience. General Hamilton was regarded as the 
 head of the Federalists in the party divisions of the American repubUc. He was accused 
 of having preferred in the convention that framed the Federal constitution, a government 
 more akin to the monarchical ; he weakened the federal party by denouncing President 
 Adams, whose administration he disapproved, and whose fitness for office he questioned. 
 But his general course and his confidential correspondence, show that he earnestly desired 
 to preserve the constitution, when it was adopted, and that his motives were patriotic in 
 his proceedings towards Mr. Adams. Certain it is, that no man labored more faithfully, 
 
 skilfully, and efficiently in organizing and putting into operation the federal government." 
 
 Ettcyciofedia Americana. 
 
NIAGARA COUNTY. 215 
 
 NIAGARA COUNTY. 
 
 Niagara county was taken from Genesee in 1808. Greatest length 
 E. and W. 30 ; breadth N. and S. 21 miles. The word Niagara 
 is of Indian origin, and signifies across the neck or strait. The 
 streams are few, and with the exception of Eighteen Mile, Johnson's, 
 and Tonawanta creeks, and Niagara river, are inconsiderable. In 
 1796, exclusive of the occupants of Forts Niagara and Schlosser, 
 there was but one white family in the territory now forming this 
 county. The proposed line for a ship canal, from the Niagara river 
 above the Falls to Lewiston, lies wholly within the county, com- 
 mencing near Gill creek and the site of old Fort Schlosser. A rail- 
 road runs from Lockport and another from Buffalo to the Niagara 
 Falls. A branch has been made from Lewiston to intersect the 
 Lockport and Niagara Falls raiboad, a distance of about 2 miles. The 
 Erie canal enters Tonawanta creek near its mouth. The creek 
 is used for 12 miles as a canal by a tow-j>ath on its bank. At Pen- 
 dleton village, the canal leaves the creek and turns in a northeasterly 
 direction across the mountain ridge, with a deep cut of about three 
 miles through rock averaging 20 feet ; and then descending 60 feet, 
 by five double combined locks of 12 feet each, it passes out of the 
 county south of the Ridge road. The county is divided into 12 
 towns, viz. : . 
 
 Cambria, 
 
 Lockport, 
 
 Pendleton, 
 
 Somerset, 
 
 Hartland, 
 
 Newfane, 
 
 Porter, 
 
 Wheatland, 
 
 Lewiston, 
 
 Niagara, 
 
 Royalton, 
 
 Wilson. 
 
 Lockport village, incorporated in 1829, was founded in the spring of 
 1821, by Mr. Sherard Comstock, deceased, who surveyed his farm of 
 100 acres into town lots. The first house was erected by Joseph 
 Langdon, additions were soon made to the village plat, and in 1822 it 
 became the county town. It is 30 miles E. of Buffalo, 20 from 
 Niagara Falls, and 333 by the canal route from Albany. 
 
 The following is a view of the five double locks on the Erie canal, 
 (from which the village derives its name,) and part of the buildings 
 in the vicinity. A new set of locks by the side of those represented 
 in the engraving are now constructing, which will give increased 
 facility to the passage of boats. The village contains about 700 
 houses, 10 churches, and, according to the census of 1850, 12,285 
 inhabitants. Its buildings, both public and private, are mostly built 
 of the excellent stone which is here quarried. There are 2 banks 
 and two female seminaries. The manufacture of flour is an im- 
 portant branch of business in this place. The great abundance of 
 water derived from Lake Erie, which is brought through the deep 
 cut to the brow of the ridge, and all around the basin, is used for 
 various mills and factories. The waste water of these mills, and of 
 the locks of the sixty f»et mountain ridge, after it has fulfilled its hy- 
 draulic operations in its descent to the basin, is there retained by a dam 
 
216 
 
 NIAGARA COUNTY. 
 
 Northeastern view of the locks at Lockport. 
 
 across the ravine, and forms the head or fountain to fill the long, or 
 sixty-five mile level, and as such is chiefly relied on, though the Oak 
 orchard, the Genesee, and other feeders are useful in their place. 
 
 " The upper part of the village is about 80 feet above the level of 
 the basin and long level of the canal. In moving up in a boat to the 
 head of the basin to enter the chain of double locks, which are arranged 
 in the most massive style side by side, in huge chambers, with stone 
 steps in the centre, guarded by iron railings for safety and convenience, 
 the gates of the lock are closed after the boat is in the chamber, and 
 the roaring and sudden influx of the water from the lock above, in three 
 or four minutes raises the boat to the level of the lock above ; and this 
 is repeated five times, the adjoining side lock being, perhaps, employed 
 in letting a boat pass down the lock to the basin and canal. The boat 
 having in this manner risen up 60 feet in five lifts, the passenger finds 
 before him a vista of several miles, bounded on either hand by walls 
 of the solid limestone rock, 25 to 30 feet high, and very appropriately 
 called the ' Deep rock cutting at Lockport.' " 
 
 Lewiston village, upon the river, was surveyed in 1813 ; it is 7 miles 
 N. of Niagara Falls, 27 from Buffalo, 7 S. of Lake Ontario, 18 W. of 
 Lockport, 80 from Rochester. It hes opposite Queenston, U. C. It 
 is the port of entry for the Niagara collection district, and is on the 
 Ridge road, elevated about a hundred feet above the river, at the foot 
 of the mountain ridge portage, and at the head of the navigation, and 
 contains about 70 dwellings. The chief export is lumber. Steam- 
 boats from the lake touch daily at the landing. There is a ferry across 
 the river at Queenston, the passage of which, though safe, is someVhat 
 appalling by reason of the rapidity and eddies of the stream. In the 
 
NIAGARA COUNTY. 
 
 217 
 
 central part of this town, now intersected by tlie Niagara Falls and 
 Lockport railroad, " 8 miles below the falls and 3 miles back from 
 the river, is the reservation of the Tuscarora Indians, containing 2 miles 
 in width by 4 in length, (about 5,000 acres,) of very excellent land. 
 They consist of about 300 souls ; have a Presbyterian church of 50 
 members, a resident clergyman, and a school teacher, and a temper- 
 ance society of more than 100 members. 'J'hey are under the care of 
 the American Board of Foreign Missions. Their village is delightfully 
 situated on a high bank, commanding an extensive prospect of the sur- 
 rounding country and of Lake Ontario. These Indians came from 
 North Carolina about the year 1712, and joined the confederacy of the 
 Five Nations, themselves making the sixth. '^I'liey formerly held a 
 very valuable interest in land in North Carolina, but have recently sold 
 it and divided the proceeds equally among themselves. Many of them 
 are in very prosperous circumstances; in 1^34, one man raised and 
 gathered 50 acres of wheat. Visiters at the falls have been in the habit 
 of going, sometimes in crowds, to this village on the Sabbath ; but the 
 Indians, with their missionary, have often expressed their desire that 
 visiters would not interrupt them at that time." 
 
 Lewiston Landing, and Queenston Heights, U. C. 
 
 The above is a northern view taken near the steamboat landing at 
 Lewiston, showing in tiie distance Queenston Heights, distinguished 
 as the battle-ground during the war of 1812. On llie summit of the 
 elevated ground, 370 feet above the river, is seen Gen. Brock's mon- 
 ument, constructed of freestone, at the expense of the provincial gov- 
 ecnment. The base is 20 feet square, and the shaft rises 126 ieet 
 from the ground ; from this eminence the country around, including 
 the picturesque lake and river scenery, may be seen tor fifty miles. 
 The following is the inscription on the monument. 
 
 " Ttie legislaUirc of Upper Canada has dedicated this monument to the many civil and 
 militarv services of the late Sir James Brock, Knight commander of the Most Honorable 
 Order of tlie Bath, Provmcial Lieutenant Governor and Major-gsneral, commanding His 
 Majesty's forces therein. He fell in action, on the 13th of October, 1812, honored and 
 
 28 
 
218 NIAGARA COUNTY. 
 
 beloved by those whom he governed, and deplored by his Sovereign, to who»e services his 
 life had been devoted. His remains are deposited in this vault, as also his Aid-de-camp, 
 Lieutenant-colonel John McDonald, who died of his wounds the 14 of October, 1812, 
 received the day before in action." 
 
 Gen. Brock was killed at a spot about 80 rods down the hill, in a 
 northwestern direction from the monument, near a cherry-tree. He 
 was a brave officer, and fell at the head of his men while cheering 
 them on to action. It is stated that when leading on his men, he laid 
 his hand on his breast, exclaiming, " Here is a breast for your yankee 
 balls — shoot me if you can ;" when mortally wounded, soon after, he 
 took off his cravat, and told one of his aids to deliver it to his sister. 
 He was at first interred in the northeastern bastion of Fort George, 
 and a 24 pound American cannon, captured with Hull, placed at his 
 head. His remains were removed to Queenston Heights, on one of 
 the anniversaries of the battle. — On the night of the 17th of April, 
 1840, some evil-minded and unknown persons endeavored to blow up 
 the monument by gunpowder. This disgraceful attempt was partially 
 successful; the keystone over the door was thrown out, and the. struc- 
 ture itself was cracked up to nearly two-thirds of its height. — The 
 following account of the battle of Queenston is from the Albany Ga- 
 zette; Oct. 20th, 1812. 
 
 " At four o'clock in the morning of the 13th inst.. Col. Solomon Van Rensselaer, at the 
 head of 300 militia, and Lieut. Col. Christie, at the head of 300 regulars of the 13th regi- 
 ment, embarked in boats to dislodge the British from the heights of Queenston. They 
 crossed under cover of a battery of two eighteen and two six pounders. Their movement 
 was discovered almost at the instant of their departure from the Americau shore. The 
 detachments landed under a heavy fire of artillery and musketry. Col. Van Rensselaer 
 received a wound through his right thigh soon after landing, but proceeded on until he 
 received two other flesh wounds in his thigh and the calf of one of his legs, and a severe 
 contusion on one of his heels, when he ordered the detachments to march on and storm 
 the first battery, and was himself carried ofT the field. The order for storming was gal- 
 lantly executed, aud a severe conflict ensued. Lieut. Col. Christie received a severe wound 
 in his hand, but got over the works. At this time both parties were reinforced. The en- 
 emy soon gave way, and fied in every direction. Maj. Gen. Van Rensselaer crossed over 
 to sustain the attack, and ascended the heights of Queenston, where he was attacked with 
 great fury by several hundred Indians, who however were soon routed and driven into the 
 woods. The reinforcements ordered over from the American side began to move tardily, 
 and finally stopped. This induced the major-general to return, in order to accelerate their 
 movements. He mounted a horse, and used every exertion in his power to urge on the 
 reinforcements, but in vain ; whereupon the general perceiving that a strong reinforcement 
 was advancing to support the British, ordered a retreat, but before the order reached Brig. 
 Gen. Wadsworth, the battle was renewed by the enemy with great vigor and increased 
 numbers, which compelled the Americans, whose strength and ammunition were nearly 
 exhausted by hard fighting for eleven hours, and with very little intermission, to give way. 
 The number of killed is considerable on both sides, but the Americans have lost many 
 prisoners, including about 60 oflicers, most of whom are wounded. Among the prisoners 
 are Lieut. Cols. Scott, Christie, and Fenwick, of the United States troops : Gen. Wads- 
 worth and Col. Stranahan of the militia. Idaj. Gen. Brock, of the British, is among the 
 slain, and his aid-de-camp mortally wounded. The whole number of Americans said k> 
 have been engaged is about 1,600, of which 900 were regular troops and 700 militia.^ 
 On the 14th, an arrangement was made between Maj. Gen. Van. Rensselaer anjl Gen. 
 Sheafe for the liberation of all the militia prisoners on parole, not to serve during the war." 
 
 The following from the Albany Register, Extra, contains some ad- 
 ditional particulars. 
 
 " A large body of the enemy got behind a stone guard-house, in which was mounted a 
 pair of heavy ordnance. Two eighteen pounders were directed against it, which raked 
 them severely ; and at the 8th shot tumbled up a heap of men and dismounted one gun. 
 
NIAGARA COUNTY. 219 
 
 They fled behind Judge Hamilton's store-house ; but our eighteens raked them from thence 
 and they fled. By this time, about ten o'clock, the enemy's fire, except one gun out of 
 reach, was silenced, and victory seemed complete. The general had passed over to the 
 heights, but seut back to urge on the troops which were passing over to head the columns. 
 At this time, however, the enemy received a reinforcement of several hundred of Chippe- 
 way Indians, and commenced an attack with great fury. The rifle and the bayonet had 
 scarcely put them to rout, and drove them to the woods, when they were joined by a large 
 reinforcement of regulars from Fort George. They renewed the attack, and the conflict 
 became tremendous. It lasted about half an hour, when our valiant Spartan band, who 
 had waded through blood anticipating victory, being exhausted in strength and ammuni- 
 tion, were obliged to yield the day. They had fought eleven hours without intermission." 
 
 The loss of the Americans in this affair in killed, wounded, and 
 missing, was estimated at 1,000 ; of this number about 90 are sup- 
 posed to have been killed. The militia, previous to the action, insist- 
 ed on being led on against the enemy to drive them from the Niagara 
 peninsula, so that they could return home. Many of them threatened 
 to leave the camp unless led to immediate action. After the com- 
 mencement of the battle, the sight of the wounded, as they were 
 brought across the river covered with blood, and the groans of the dy- 
 ing, cooled their military ardor. They now appeared to have made 
 the discovery that the constitution did not require them to go beyond 
 the limits of the United States. Rather than cross over to an enemy's 
 country, be shot at, with a chance of being killed, or made cripples for 
 life, they determined to forego their chance of obtaining militaiy honors. 
 It is said that several hundred of the militia, after they had crossed 
 over to the Canadian shore, availed themselves of the darkness and 
 other facilities to hide themselves in the clefts of the rocks, where 
 they remained in concealment during the day, and were only dragged 
 by the legs from their lurking places by the British troops, after the 
 surrender of the fighting part of the Americans. 
 
 The village of Niagara Falls is situated at the celebrated Falls of 
 Niagara river, lat. 'AS'^ 6' N., long. 2° 6' W. The village was laid out 
 by Augustus Porter, Esq., and others, in 1805. It was at first called 
 Manchester, afterward Niagara Falls. The village contains 2 churches, 
 2 splendid hotels, and 3 other public houses, 2 pubhc schools, 80 
 dwellings of all kinds, and 500 inhabitants. Distance from Albany 
 290 miles. New York 440, Buffalo 22, Lockport 18, Chilhcothe, Ohio, 
 403, Kingston, U. C, 200, Montreal 388, Quebec 568, Detroit 332, 
 Cincinnati 468, and Washington 703 miles. Pop. 1,261. 
 
 "The river Niagara is 35 miles in length, and flows northerly; 
 about midway between the two lakes it separates into two channels, 
 forming Grand Island. A short distance below the union of these 
 channels are the falls of Niagara, the grandest cataract in the world. 
 Half a mile above the falls the river is a furious rapid, which sweeps 
 away to certain destruction every thing involved in it. The river is 
 here three quarters of a mile broad, and from this point it rushes 
 down with increased velocity to the fall, where it leaps in an immense 
 mass down a perpendicular precipice 160 feet in depth, with a roar 
 heard in favorable states of the wind and atmosphere, 5, 10, 20, or 
 even 30 miles. The cataract forms an irregular semicircle, the 
 deepest hollow of which is called Horse-shoe Fall, and is on the 
 
220 
 
 NIAGAEA COUNTY. 
 
 View of Niagara Falls from the American side. 
 
 Canada side. At the brink of the fall stands a small island, called 
 Goat Island, which separates the Canada from the American fall. A 
 bridge is thrown across the i'alls from the American side to the island. 
 On the British side, a few yards below, is a projection called Table 
 Rock, commanding a magnificent view of the falls. From this rock 
 a spiral staircase leads down to the foot of tlic cataract, where visit- 
 ers may pass under the fall between the sheet of water and the rock. 
 The path leads far under the excavated bank of the river, which in 
 some places forms a roof overlianging 30 or 40 feet. The fall of 
 such an immense mass of water produces violent whirls in the air, 
 and the spray is driven out with such force that no one can approach 
 the edge of the cataract without being drenched to the skin. It is 
 difficult even to draw a breath here, and in entering this tremendous 
 cavern, there is danger of being blinded by the strong driving showers 
 of spray. The greatest distance to which it is possible to pass within 
 this sheet of water is about J 50 feet. The hanks of the river for 
 
NIAGARA COUNTY. 221 
 
 several miles below the falls are perpendicular precipices of rock, and 
 there is every reason to believe that the cataract was formerly much 
 further down the river, the rock having gradually worn away to the 
 present spot. A cloud of spray is continually rising from the foam 
 of water, and exhibiting in the sunshine a brilliant rainbow." 
 
 The above view of the falls was taken from the ferry, and shows 
 on the left of Goat Island, and near to the spectator, the American 
 fall, and to the right of the island and in the distance, the Crescent or 
 Horse-shoe fall. The cataract on the American side is 164, and on 
 the Canada side 158 feet in height. The stone tower seen in the 
 view is connected with Goat Island by the Terrapin bridge, a struc- 
 ture 300 feet in length, and projecting 10 feet over the falls. This 
 tower, 45 feet in height, with winding steps to the top, was erected in 
 1833, from which, or from the end of the bridge, the view is awfully 
 sublime. Apart from the falls, this whole region is one of deep inter- 
 est, from the other natural curiosities and the historical reminiscences 
 with which it is connected. The visiter should not fail to visit the 
 whirlpool in the Niagara river, 3 miles below the village. " A mile 
 from the whirlpool, the road runs within a few feet of the river's 
 bank, where a deep and gloomy chasm is rent or worn out of the 
 rock. This is called the Devil's Hole, and the small stream which 
 crosses the road and falls into the chasm, is the Bloody Run." In 
 1759, during the old French and Indian war, a detachment of 100 
 British regulars, who were conveying provisions, in wagons, to Fort 
 Schlosser, were here surprised by a party of Indians in ambuscade. 
 " Many of the soldiers were killed at the first discharge, and the 
 others were thrown into hopeless confusion. The Indians fell like 
 tigers upon the drivers, tomahawked them in their seats, and threw 
 them under foot. The wagons were backed off the precipice, and 
 men and cattle fell with their loading in one dismembered and muti- 
 lated mass below. Some threw themselves from the bank, and fell 
 mangled and dying on the rocks ; others lodged in the branches of 
 the trees, where they remained, disabled, until the affray was over, 
 when the savages, at their leisure, despatched them." The brook 
 tiiat courses the bank ran red with the blood of the slain. Only four 
 escaped to relate the horrible fate of their companions. Pieces of 
 wagons and other relics of this bloody affray remained in this vicinity 
 until within a few years, but have now mouldered away. 
 
 The immediate vicinity of the falls is rendered memorable on ac- 
 count of its being the place where a number of bloody battles were 
 fought during the last war. The battle of Chippewa was fought on 
 the 6th of July, 1814, at the village of that name, on the Canada side, 
 about two miles from the falls. In July, the British and American 
 forces being near each other. Gen. Ripley ordered Gen. Scott to 
 make an advance on Chippewa. 
 
 " On the morning of the fourth, General Scott advanced with his brigade and corps of 
 artillery, and took a position on the Chippewa plain,, half a mile in front of the village, his 
 right resting on the river, and his front protected by a ravine. The British were encamped 
 in force at the village. In the evening General Brown joined him with the reserve under 
 fieneral Ripley, and the artillery commanded by Major Hindman. General Porter arrived 
 
222 NIAGAUA COUNTY. 
 
 the next morning, with the New York and Pennsylvania volunteers, and a number of In- 
 dians of the Six Nations. Early in the morning of the 5th, the British commenced a firing 
 on the pickets. Captain Trott, who commanded one of them, hastily retreated, leaving 
 one of his men wounded on the ground. General Brown instantly ordered him to retire 
 from the army, and directed Captain Biddle to assume the command of the picket, lead it 
 back to the ground, and bring off the wounded man ; which he accomplished without loss. 
 At four in the afternoon, General Porter advanced, taking the woods in order to conceal 
 his approach, and in the hope of bringing their pickets and scouting parties between his hne of 
 march and the American camp. In half an hour his advance met the light parties of the Brit, 
 ish in the woods on the left. These were driven in, and Porter, advancing near Chippewa, 
 met the whole British force approaching in order of battle. General Scott, with his brigade 
 and Towson's artillery, met them on the plain, in front of the American encampment, and 
 was directly engaged in close action with the main body. General Porter's command gave 
 way, and fled in every direction, by which Scott's left flank was entirely uncovered. Cap. 
 tain Harris, with his dragoons, was ordered to stop the fugitives, at the ravine, and form 
 them in front of the camp. The reserve were now ordered up, and General Ripley passed 
 to the woods in left of the line to gain the rear of the enemy ; but before this was effected. 
 General Scott had compelled the British to retire. Their whole line now fell back, and 
 were eagerly pursued by the Americans. As soon as they reached the sloping ground de- 
 scending towards the village, their lines broke, and they regained their works in disorder. 
 The American troops pursued until within reach of the guns from the works ; when they 
 desisted and returned to their camp. The British left two hundred dead on the ground, 
 ninety.four wounded, beside those in the early part of the action, who were removed back 
 to the camp, and fourteen prisoners. The American loss was sixty killed, and two hun- 
 dred and sixty.eight wounded and missing." — Ferkin's Hist, of the Late War. 
 
 The battle of Bridgewater or Lundy's Lane, was fought on the 
 25th of July. The principal scene of this bloody action, was at an 
 obscure road, called Lundy's Lane, about half a mile westward from 
 the Niagara cataract. " The thunder of the cannon, the roaring of 
 the falls, the incessant discharge of musketry, the groans of the dying 
 and wounded, during the six hours in which the parties were engaged 
 in close combat, heightened by the circumstances of its being in the 
 night, afforded such a scene as is rarely to be met with in the annals 
 of slaughter. The evening was calm, and the moon shone with 
 lustre when not enveloped in clouds of smoke from the firing of the" 
 contending armies." Since the retreat of the enemy from Chippewa, 
 they had received reinforcements of troops from Lord Wellington's 
 army in Spain ; and on the 25th of July, encamped on a hill, with 
 the design of attacking the Americans the next morning. 
 
 " On the 25th ult., the army under the command of Major Gen. Brown encamped above 
 Chippewa, near the battle ground of the 5th. At 4 P. M., information was received that 
 the enemy had thrown a body of troops across the Niagara, at the five-mile meadows ; but 
 our commanding general was not diverted by this movement. The 1st brigade, under Brig. 
 Gen. Scott, moved past Chippewa and halted at Bridgewater, a mile below Chippewa, in 
 plain view of Niagara Falls. Gen. Scott learnt that the enemy, under Gen. Riall, was ap- 
 proaching him. Battle was immediately given the enemy, near Mr. Wilson's, at half past 
 4 P. M. ; their cannon were planted about 200 rods from this position on an eminence. 
 The enemy's numerical force was much superior to Gen. Scott's ; his line was far extended 
 and he showed a disposition to flank. — In order to counteract these views of Gen. Riall, he 
 yitiB fought in detachments — he was charged in column; Gen. Scott being at the head of 
 his troops in almost every charge. — Capt. Towson, with his company of artillery, attached 
 to Scott's brigade, kept up his fire with great vigor and eflect. "The action was continued, 
 and the groimd maintained by Gen. Scott, for more than an hour, before the reserve under 
 Gen. Ripley, and the volunteers under Gen. Porter, were successfully brought into action. 
 
 " The ground was obstinately contested until past 9 o'clock, in the evening, when Gen. 
 Brown perceiving that the enemy's artillery was most destructive, decided to storm the 
 battery. Col. Miller,* the hero of MSgagua, was ordered to this enterprise ; he approached 
 
 • On receiving this order from Gen. Brown, Col. Miller caUnly surveyed the position, and 
 
NIAGARA COUNTY. 
 
 223 
 
 tne enemy's cannon with a quick step, and delivered his fire within a few paces of the 
 enemy's Une ; who, after receiving two or three rounds and a vigorous charge, retired to the 
 bottom of the hill, and abandoned his cannon. Only one piece was brought ofi" the field 
 for want of horses. Tlie enemy now gave way and retreated ; they were followed some 
 distance. Our army was now employed in securing the prisoners and bringing off' the 
 wounded. — The cessation however was short: Lieut. General Drummond is supposed to 
 have arrived at this interval with a reinforcement. The enemy renewed the acCioa, whilst 
 our troops were busily employed hi clearing the ground of the wounded ; but the gallant 
 Americans formed with alacrity, and after a close engagement of 20 minutes, the enemy 
 were repulsed. The army ntiw effected the removal of nearly if not all of the wounded, 
 and retired from the ground, it being nearly 12 o'clock at night; they returned to their en- 
 campment in good order. On the morning of the 28th, our forces under Generals Ripley 
 and Porter, reconnoitred the enemy near the battle ground, returned and burnt the Bridge- 
 water mills, and all the enemy's barracks, and the bridge at Chippewa, and passed up the 
 river to Fort Erie, where they made a stand. The enemy's force engaged must have been 
 nearly 5,000 ; ours short of that number. Major-Gen. Riall was wounded, and taken in 
 the rear of his army by Gapt. Ketchum, together with one of his aids, the other being killed. 
 *' Major-Gen, Brown was severely wounded in the thigh (besides a contusion on his body) 
 in the hottest of the action, but continued to command until the enemy retreated. Brig. 
 Gen. Scott was also severely wounded by a grape in the shoulder, besides a severe bruise 
 occasioned by a shell or cannon shot, having lost 2 horses, killed. Col. Brady 22d infan- 
 try ; Majors Jessup 25th, Leavenworth 9th, M'Niel 11th; Brigade-major Smith; Lieuta. 
 Campbell and Smouck, artillery; Lieut. Worth, aid to Gen. Scott; Lieut. Camp 11th; together 
 with many others, whose names we have not learnt, were wounded, some badly. — The 
 loss of the enemy in killed and wounded, was rising 800, exclusive of 200 regulars^nd 20 
 officers prisoners. Our loss in killed, wounded, and missing, is from 6 to 700. Major 
 M'Farland 23d, Capt. Ritchie, artillery, Capts. Kinney and Goodrich, Lieut. Bigelow, infan- 
 try, and several other officers, killed ; Capt. Spencer, aid to Major-Gen. Brown, supposed to 
 be mortally wounded ; Major Stanton, of the New York volunteers. Adj. Pew, of the Penn- 
 sylvania volunteers, killed. Major Camp, of the staff", lost two horses on the field, but es- 
 caped a wound. Ttie 9th, 11th, and 25th, suffered very severely." 
 
 View of Schlosser Landing, Niagara. 
 
 The above is a northern view of the steamboat landing at Porter's 
 storehouse, commonly called Schlosser Landing, upwards of two 
 
 answered, ^' I will try, sir."' which expression was afterward the motto of his regiment. 
 During the battle in the evening, Capt. Ambrose Spencer, son of the chief-justice of New 
 York, and aid to Gen. Brown, was despatched with orders to one of the regiments; when 
 about to deliver them, he suddenly found himself in contact with a British corps ; with great 
 coolness and a firm air, he inquired what regiment is this? On being answered, the Royal 
 Scots, he immediately rephed, " Royal Scots, remain as you are.'' The commandant of the 
 corps, supposing the orders came from his commanding general, immediately halted his re- 
 giment, and Captain Spencer rode off'. Captain Spencer was afterward mortally wounded^ 
 and taken prisoner. Capt. Loring, the aid of Gen. Drummond, was also taken prisoner 
 He was exchanged for the corpse of Capt. Spencer. 
 
224 NIAGARA COUNTY. 
 
 miles from the falls. The site of old Fort Schlosser is nearly a mile 
 below the landing : it was anciently a stoccade built upon banks slightly 
 raised above the plain. The steamboat Caroline, the burning of which 
 has caused so much sensation on the frontiers, lay beside the store- 
 house represented in the engraving. Part of the village of Chippewa, 
 on the opposite side of the Niagara river, is seen on the right in the 
 extreme distance. Navy Island, so celebrated as a place of resort for 
 the Canadian patriots, or rebels, as they are dternately called, is seen 
 to the left beyond the store-house. The following passages, relative 
 to the transactions on Navy Island, while in possession of the patri- 
 cts, and the burning of the Caroline, are extracted from "De Veaux's 
 Falls of Niagara." 
 
 " About the middle of the month of December, 1837, twenty-eight men, principally Ca- 
 nadians, with Rensselaer Van Rensselaer and William Lyon Mackenzie, went on Navy 
 Island. They called to them the patriots of Canada, and all others the friends of that 
 cause. In the space of three weeks, between three and four hundred responded to the 
 call : some from the United States, and some from Canada. They brought with them 
 arms and provisions. They stayed on the island for one month, and then, at their own 
 choice, left it, and not in fear of their opponents. Opposite to them were assembled five 
 thousabd men, consisting of British regulars, incorporated militia, and a body of Indians 
 and negroes. Batteries were erected, and balls and shells were, at intervals, cast upon the 
 island. The islanders were incessantly in a state of danger and alarm ; yet they would, 
 at times, provokingly return the fire ; still they remained unattacked. For a month, a 
 raw, undisciplined band of men, in the severity of winter, wit^ no shelter but such as they 
 then constructed, and miserably clad, set at defiance and laughed at the overwhelming 
 force, which lay so near to them that they frequently conversed together. 
 
 " The steamboat Caroline came from Buffalo, on the 29th of December, it was said, to 
 ply as a ferry-boat between Schlosser and Navy Island. It passed, that day, forth and 
 back several times, and before sun-down was brought to the wharf at Schlosser, and 
 moored for the night. At that place there was but one house, and that a tavern. The 
 warlike movements between the patriots and British had drawn to the frontier, through 
 motives of curiosity, a great number of persons. The tavern was crowded — lodgings could 
 not be obtained — and several persons, observing the steamboat, sought for accommoda- 
 tions on board, and were received. In the middle of the night, the watch, for a watch on 
 board steamboats is usually kept, saw something advancing on the water. He hailed, but 
 before he could give the alarm a body of armed men rushed on board, shot at the sentinel 
 and all they met, crying — • Cut thetn down !' ' Give no quarter !' No arms were on 
 board of the boat ; no attack was expected ; and no resistance was made. Some got on 
 shore uninjured ; others were severely cut and dangerously wounded. One man was 
 shot dead on the wharf, and twelve were missing, either killed, or burnt and sunk with 
 the boat. They towed the boat out in the river, and set it on fire ; the flames burst 
 forth ; it drifted slowly, and its blaze shone far and wide over the water and adjacent 
 shores. 
 
 " On the Canada side, at a distance above Chippewa, was burning a large light, as a signal 
 to those engaged in the expedition. In a short time, an astoundiug shout came booming over 
 the water : it was for the success and return of those who had performed this deed. The 
 beacon was extinguished. The Caroline still moved on, and cast its lurid light far and 
 wide, clothing the sceue in gloom and horror ; and just below the point of Iris Island, sud- 
 denly disappeared. Many of the wrecked and charred remains were, the next morning, 
 floating in the current and eddies below the falls." 
 
 Youngstown, port of delivery on the Niagara river, 1 mile above 
 Lake Ontario, 19 miles NW. from Lockport, has about 40 dwell- 
 ings. 
 
 The following is a distant view of Fort Niagara as seen from near 
 the lighthouse on the British side. The engraving from which the 
 above was copied, was published during the last war, and shows its 
 
NIAGARA COUNTY. 
 
 225 
 
 Distant view of Fort Niagara. 
 
 appearance at that period. On the 19th of Dec, 1813, a British force 
 of more than 1,200 men crossed over and took the fort by surprise. 
 The garrison consisted of but 370, and the commander was absent, 
 and the gates of the fort were open and unguarded. The result of the 
 attack was as might have been expected — sixty-five of the garrison 
 were killed ; twenty-seven pieces of ordnance and large quantities 
 of military stores were taken. The following interesting historical 
 account of this place, is taken from " De Veaux's Falls of Niagara," 
 published in 1839. 
 
 ** This fortress is in latitude 43 deg. 14 sec. N. In 1679, a small spot was enclosed by 
 palisades, by M. De Salle, an officer in the service uf France. In 1725, tlie fort waa 
 built. In 1759, it was taken by the British, under Sir William Johnson. The capture has 
 been ascribed to treachery, though there is not known to be any existing authority to prove 
 the charge. In 1796, it was surrendered to the United States. On the 19th of December, 
 1813, it was again taken by the British, by surprise ; and m March, 1815, again surren- 
 dered to the Americans. This old fort is as much noted for enormity and crime, as ior any 
 good ever derived from it by the nation in occupation. While in the hands of the French, 
 there is no doubt of its having been, at times, used as a prison ; its close and impregnable 
 dungeons, where light was not admitted, and where remained, for many years alter, clear 
 traces, and a part of the ready instruments for execution, or for murder. Daring the Ameri 
 can revolution, it was the head-quarters of all that was barbarous, unrelenting, and cruel. 
 There, were congregated the leaders and chiefs of those bands of murderers and miscreants, 
 that carried death and destruction into the remote American settlements. There, civilized 
 Europe revelled with savage America ; and ladies of education and refinement mingled in 
 the society of those whose only distinction was to wield the bloody tomahawk and scalping- 
 knife. There, the squaws of the forest were raised to eminence, and the most unholy 
 unions between them and officers of the hiirhest rank, smiled upon and countenanced. 
 There, in their stronghold, like a nest of vultures, securely, for seven years, they sallied 
 forth and preyed upon the distant settlements of the Mohawks and Susquehannahs. It waa 
 the depot of their plunder ; there they planned their forays, and there they returned to feast, 
 until the hour of action came again. 
 
 " Fort Niagara is in the state of New York, and stands on a point of land at the mouth 
 of the Niagara river. It is a traditionary story, that the mess-house, which is a very strong 
 building and the largest in the fort, was erected by stratagem. A considerable, though not 
 powerful body of French troops, had arrived at the point. Their force was inferior to the 
 surrounding Indians, of whom they were under some apprehensions. They obtained con- 
 sent of the Indians to build a wigwam, and induced them, with some of their officers, to 
 engage in an extensive hunt. The materials had been made ready, and, while the Indians 
 were absent, the French built. When the parties returned, at night, they had advanced 
 80 far with the work, as to cover their faces, and to defend 'hemselves against the savages, 
 in case of an attack. In progress of time, it became a place of considerable strength. It had 
 
 29 
 
226 ONEIDA COUNTY. 
 
 its bastions, ravines ; its ditch and pickets ; its curtains and counterscaip ; its covered way ; 
 drawbridge, raking-batteries ; its stone towers, laboratory, and magazine ; its mess-house, 
 barracks, bakery, and blacksmith shop ; and, for worship, a chapel, with a larjge ancient 
 dial over the door, to mark the hourly course of the sun. It was, indeed, a little city of 
 itself, and for a long period the greatest place south of Montreal, or west of Albany. The 
 fortifications originally covered a space of about eight acres. At a few rods from the bar- 
 rier gate was the burying ground ; it was filled with memorials of the mutability of hu- 
 man life ; and over the portals of the entrance was painted, in large and emphatic char- 
 acters, the word ' REST.' 
 
 " It is generally believed, that some of the distant fortresses of France were often con- 
 verted into state prisons, as well as for defensive purposes. There was much about Fort 
 Niagara to establish the belief that it had been used as such. The dungeon of the mess- 
 house, called the black-hole, was a strong, dark, and dismal place ; and in one comer of 
 the room was fixed the apparatus for strangling such unhappy wretches as fell under the 
 displeasure of the despotic rulers of those days. The walls of this dungeon, from top to 
 bottom, had engraved upon them French names, and mementoes in that language. That 
 the prisoners were no common persons was clear, as the letters and emblems were chis- 
 elled out in good style. In June, 1813, when an attack was momentarily expected upon 
 the fort by a superior British force, a merchant, resident at Fort Niagara, deposited some 
 valuable articles in this dungeon. He took occasion, one night, to visit it with a light ; 
 he examined the walls, and there, among hundreds of French names, he saw his own 
 family name engraved in large letters. He took no notes, and has no recollection of the 
 other names and memorials ; he intended to repeat his visit, and to extend his examina- 
 tion, but other avocations caused the subject to be neglected ; and it was not brought to 
 mind again until of late years, when all was changed. In further corroboration that Fort 
 Niagara had witnessed scenes of guilt and foul murder, was the fact that, in 1805, it be- 
 came necessary to clear out an old sink attached to the mess-house. The bones of a fe- 
 male were found therein, evidently, from the place where discovered, the victim of soma 
 atrocious crime. 
 
 " There were many legendary stories about the fort In the centre of the mees-house 
 was a well of water, but, it having been poisoned by some of the former occupants, in 
 latter years the water was not used ; and it was a story with the soldiers, and believed by 
 the superstitious, that at midnight the headless trunk of a French general officer was often 
 seen sitting on the curb of the old well, where he had been murdered, and his body thrown 
 in ; and, according to dreamers and money-diggers, large treasures, both in gold and sil- 
 ver, have been buried in many of the nooks and corners of the old fort. Many applica- 
 tions used to be made to the American officers, to dig for money, and persons have been 
 known to come from a. considerable distance for that purpose. The requests were, of 
 course, refused." 
 
 ONEIDA COUNTY. 
 
 Oneida county was taken from Herkimer in 1789 ; since much re- 
 duced by the formation of other counties. Oneida is a corruption of 
 the Indian word Oneiyuta, signifying upright or standing stone. 
 Greatest length N. and S. 47, greatest breadth E. and W. 40 miles. 
 From New York NW. 252, from Albany 107 miles. The surface 
 has just diversity and unevenness enough to form a pleasing variety, 
 and to supply brisk streams of pure water, and a salubrious atmo- 
 sphere. Hardly a farm is without perpetual streams and brooks. 
 The northeast and southern parts approach a hilly character, a wa- 
 ving surface with an easy swell ; the northwest part is tolerably level, 
 and the central richly variegated with easy undulations. The soil is 
 of veirious qualities, but everywhere rich and productive. The cot- 
 ton and woollen manufactures are carried on here more extensively 
 
ONEIDA COUNTY. 
 
 227 
 
 than in any other county in the state. The Erie canal crosses this 
 county, following the south side of the Mohawk river to Rome, and 
 there turns soulhweslward into Madison county. This section of the 
 canal is part of the long level 69^ miles in length, extending from 
 Frankfort in Herkimer county to Syracuse in Onondaga. The route 
 of the Chenaiigo canal, which unites the Susquehannah river with the 
 Erie canal, leaves the latter at Utica, passing thence into the valley 
 of the Oriskany, and thence follows the same into the county of Madi- 
 son. Another canal is also commenced, uniting the Black river with 
 the Erie canal ; it leaves the latter at Rome, and follows thence up 
 the valley of the Mohawk, and crosses- the dividing ridge between 
 the waters of the same and the Black river in the town of Boonville. 
 Parts of the Utica and Schenectady, and Utica and Syracuse rail- 
 roads, are in this county. The county buildings are located at Whites- 
 borough, Utica, and Rome. The county is divided into 25 towns and 
 the city of Utica : 
 
 Annsville, 
 
 Floyd, 
 
 Remsen, 
 
 Verona, 
 
 Augusta, 
 
 Kirkland, 
 
 Rome, 
 
 Vienna, 
 
 Boonville, 
 
 Lee, 
 
 Sangerfield, 
 
 Western, 
 
 Bridgewater, 
 
 Marcy, 
 
 Steuben, 
 
 Westmoreland, 
 
 Camden, 
 
 Marshall, 
 
 Trenton, 
 
 Whitestown. 
 
 Deerfield, 
 
 New Hartford, 
 
 Utica, 
 
 
 Florence, 
 
 Paris, 
 
 Vernon, 
 
 
 Utica city comprehends the former town and village of that name, 
 taken from Whitestown in 1817. It was incorporated a city in 1832, 
 and divided into four wards. Its population in 1830, was 8,323 ; in 
 1850, 17,742. The land on which the city is situated is a rich allu- 
 vion, rising gently from the south side of the Mohawk river, and was 
 formerly covered with a gigantic growth of forest trees. It is quite a 
 central point for roads, canals, &c., to various parts of the state. 
 Distance from Albany 96 miles, from New York 241, from Buffalo 
 202, from Rochester 140, from Oswego 76, from Sacketts Harboi 
 94, from Ithaca 96, and from Ogdensburg 145 miles. It contains 
 14 churches — 3 Presbyterian, 2 Methodist, 2 Baptist, 1 Episcopal, 1 
 Dutch Reformed, 1 Welsh Presbyterian, 1 Catholic, 1 Friends, 1 
 Bethel, and 1 Universalist. There are three banks, with an aggre- 
 gate capital of one million and a half of dollars. The buildings are 
 generally very good, the stories large and splendid. There are nine 
 periodical publications, including newspapers, 4 academies or high 
 schools, and numerous moral, religious, benevolent, and scientific as- 
 sociations. 
 
 The Schenectady and Utica Railroad was first opened on Monday, 
 25th of July, 1836. The first train of cars, drawn by a locomotive, 
 ran the whole distance twice that day. This road was constructed in 
 twenty-two months, at an expense of one and one half millions of dol- 
 lars, or $20,000 per mile ; distance 77 miles. 
 
 The first building erected within the hmits of Utica was a mud fort, 
 constructed during the old French war. It was situated between 
 
228 ONEIDA COUNTY. 
 
 Main-Street and the banks of the river, a little eastward of Second- 
 street, and named Fort. Schuyler, in honor of Col. Schuyler, an 
 uncle of Gen. Philip Schuyler of the revolution. 
 
 " The settlement of Utica commenced at an early period, but was 
 not prosecuted with the vigor that the neighboring settlements were. 
 Whitestown was regarded as the great central point of the whole 
 region up to the years 1793 or 1794. At this period quite a village 
 had grown up there, while Utica, or old Fort Schuyler, as its site 
 was then called, could boast of but three houses. About this time 
 the public attention was directed to Rome, as the probable future me- 
 tropolis of the state. Its local position favored the idea. It occupied 
 the portage or carrying place between the Mohawk and Wood creek, 
 which, discharging through Oneida lake into Lake Ontario, formed a 
 channel of communication between the Hudson and the whole chain 
 of western lakes. The connecting the two streams by a navigable 
 canal, which was projected at a very early day, and was accomplished 
 by the Western Inland Lock Navigation Company, which was char- 
 tered in 1792, encouraged the belief, that that site must become the 
 focus of the business of the country. And for several years the 
 growth of Rome warranted the expectation. The location of the 
 Seneca turnpike road first operated to change the current of business 
 and divert it to this location. This event took place in the year 1 800, 
 and the crossing of the river at this point rendered it immediately im- 
 portant as a place of deposite and of trade. A steady and healthful 
 growth ensued, and the aid and influence of enlightened and enter- 
 prising men in the various walks of life, contributed very shortly to 
 render it the leading place of business in the neighborhood. Its pres- 
 ent name was given to it in 1 798, when it was incorporated as a vil- 
 lage, and it has since then continued its municipal capacity until the 
 present day. 
 
 The first church gathered in this city was organized under 
 the care of the Rev. Bethuel Dodd, as a branch of the church at 
 Whitestown, in the year 1794. The style of the corporation was — 
 " The United Presbyterian Societies of "Whitestown and old Fort 
 Schuyler." Previous to that time, although the people of Whitestown 
 had employed a clergyman, the Rev. Dr. Hillyer, whom I have al- 
 ready mentioned, they had not settled a pastor. Mr. Dodd was or- 
 dained pastor of the United Societies. The union of the two 
 churches continued for more than twenty years, under the pastorates 
 of Mr. Dodd and his successor, the Rev. Dr. Carnahan. They were 
 the first Presbyterian churches organized west of the city of Albany, 
 those at Clinton and New Hartford being Congregational in their forms 
 of government. The Episcopal church in this city was gathered in 
 1798, and its present church edifice erected in 1803." — Tracy's Lec- 
 tures. 
 
 Rome, one of the sliiretowns of Oneida county, was incorporated 
 in 1796. The village of Rome, occupying the site of old Fort Stan- 
 wix, was incorporated in 1819. The two first white famihes who lo- 
 cated themselves at this spot, were those of two men from German Flats, 
 
ONEIDA COUNTY. 
 
 229 
 
 named Roof and Brodock. who settled at the landing place on the 
 Mohawk in the vicinity of Fort Stanwix, to gain a livelihood by 
 assisting in the transportation of goods destined for the Indian trade, 
 across the carrying place from the river to Wood creek. They held 
 no title to their lands, but occupied them under a contract for their 
 purchase from Oliver Delancy, one of the proprietors of the Oriskany 
 patent, who was afterward attainted of treason. This little outpost, 
 however, was broken up during the revolutionary war. The first 
 regular settlement of Rome was by emigrants from the New England 
 states. 
 
 Southern view of Rome. 
 
 The above is a southern view of part of the village as viewed from 
 the railroad track. The building seen on the right having four chim- 
 neys is but a few yards distant from the central part of the fortifica- 
 tions of the old fort, the cellar of which is still to be seen. The 
 Black river canal passes a few rods this side of the buildings seen in 
 the engraving ; the Erie canal is about half a mile westward of the 
 village. Mohawk river and Wood creek, at this place, approach 
 within a mile of each other ; in 1797, a canal was completed between 
 the two streams, thus connecting the waters of the Mohawk with 
 those of Lake Ontario. The village consists of upwards of 300 
 dwellings, 2 Presbyterian, 2 Baptist, 1 Episcopal, and 1 Methodist 
 church, an academy incorporated in 1835, a bank, printing office 
 and a number of select schools. The United States arsenal ana 
 barracks, sufficient for a regiment, were erected here in 1813, under 
 the direction of Maj. James Dalhba. Rome is situated on the sum- 
 mit level between the ocean and Lake Ontario, four hundred and 
 thirty-five feet above tide at Albany; lat. 43° 12'; long. 1° 27' W. 
 from New York. Distant from Albany 110, from Utica li miles. 
 Pop. 7,920. 
 
 Fort Stanwix, named from Gen. Stanwix, was originally erected 
 in the year 1758, during the French war. It occupied a position 
 commanding the carrying place between the navigable waters of the 
 Mohawk and Wood creek, and was regarded as the key to the com- 
 
230 ONEIDA COUNTY. 
 
 munication between Canada and the settlements on the Mohawk. 
 " It was originally a square fort, having four bastions surmounted by 
 a broad and deep ditch, with a covert way and glacis. In the centre 
 of the ditch a row of perpendicular pickets was planted, and another 
 horizontal row fixed around the ramparts. But although the princi- 
 pal fortress had been erected at the enormous expense for those times 
 of $266,400, yet at the commencement of the revolutionary war the 
 whole was in ruins. On the incursion of Burgoyne from Montreal 
 towards Albany, a detachment of the invading forces, under the com- 
 mand of Col. St. Leger, consisting of 200 British troops, a regiment 
 of loyalists, and a large body of Indians under Brant, the great cap- 
 tain of the Six Nations, went up the St. Lawrence, then to Oswego, 
 and from thence to Fort Stanwix. From this point it was intended 
 to pass dovm the Mohawk and join the forces of Burgoyne at Albany. 
 Gen. Schuyler, who had the command of the northwestern frontier, 
 sent Col. Dayton to repair the works at Fort Stanwix. He seems to 
 have done little towards effecting this object ; he however thought 
 proper to change its name to Fort Schuyler, which name it retained 
 during the war. Gen. Peter Gansevoort was afterward sent to 
 supply his place. On the 3d of August, Col. St. Leger arrived be- 
 fore the fort with his whole force, consisting of a motley collection 
 of British regulars, Hessians, Tories, and about one thousand Indians. 
 The garrison, under Col. Gansevoort, consisted of about 750 men. 
 Soon after his arrival, St. Leger sent a flag into the fort with a mani- 
 festo, advising submission to the mercy of the king, and denouncing 
 severe vengeance against those who should continue in their ' unnatu- 
 ral rebellion.' This manifesto produced no effect on the brave garri- 
 son, who had determined to defend the fortress to the last extremity. 
 At the time of the battle of Oriskany, [see Whitestown,] when Gen. 
 Herkimer was advancing to the relief of the fort, a diversion was 
 made in his favor, by a sortie of 250 men, under the command of 
 Col. Willet. Such was the impetuosity of Willet's movements, that 
 Sir John Johnson and his regiment, who lay near the fort with his 
 Indian allies, sought safety in flight.' The amount of spoil found in 
 the enemy's camp was so great that Willet sent hastily for wagons 
 to convey it away. The spoil thus captured, twenty wagon loads, 
 consisted of camp equipage, clothing, blankets, stores, &c., five 
 British standards, and the baggage and papers of most of the officers. 
 For this brilliant exploit, congress directed that Col. Willet should be 
 presented with an elegant sword in the name of the United States. 
 
 The siege of the fort still continued, and the situation of the garri- 
 son, though not desperate, began to be somewhat critical. Col. Wil- 
 let and Maj. Stockwell readuy undertook the hazardous mission of 
 passing through the enemy's fines to arouse their countrymen to their 
 relief. After creeping on their hands and knees through the enemjr's 
 encampment, and adopting various arts of concealment, they pursued 
 their way through swamps and pathless woods, until they arrived 
 safely at German Flats, and from thence to the head-quarters of 
 Gen. Schuyler, then commanding the American army at Stillwater 
 
ONEIDA COUNTY. 231 
 
 Gen. Arnold was immediately despatched with a body of troops to the 
 relief of Col. Gansevoort* As he was advancing up the Mohawk, 
 he captured a tory by the name of Hon-yost Schuyler, who being a 
 spy, was condemned to death. Hon-yost " was one of the coarsest 
 and most ignorant men in the valley, appearing scarce half removed 
 from idiocy ; and yet there was no small share of shrewdness in his 
 character." He was promised his life if he would go to the enemy, 
 particularly the Indians, and alarm them by announcing that a large 
 army of the Americans was in full march to destroy them, &c. Hon- 
 yost being acquainted with many of the Indians, gladly accepted the 
 offer ; one of his brothers was detained as a hostage for his fidelity, 
 and was to be hung if he proved treacherous. A friendly Oneida 
 Indian was let into the secret, and cheerfully embarked in the design. 
 Upon Hon-yost's arrival, he told a lamentable story of his being 
 taken by Arnold, and of his escape from being hanged. He showed 
 them also several shot-holes in his coat, which he said were made by 
 bullets fired at him when making his escape. Knowing the character 
 of the Indians, he communicated his intelligence to them in a mysteri- 
 ous and imposing manner. When asked the number of men which Ar- 
 nold had, he shook his head mysteriously and pointed upward to the 
 leaves of the trees. These reports spread rapidly through the camps. 
 Meantime the friendly Oneida arrived with a belt and confirmed what 
 Hon-yost had said, hinting that a bird had brought him intelligence 
 of great moment. On his way to the camp of the besiegers he had 
 fallen in with two or three Indians of his acquaintance, who readily 
 engaged in furthering his design. These sagacious fellows dropped 
 into the camp as if by accident : they spoke of warriors in great num- 
 bers rapidly advancing against them. The Americans, it was stated, 
 did not wish to injure the Indians, but if they continued with the 
 
 • A short time previous to the investment of the fortress the following singular incident 
 occurred. — " Capt. Greg virent with two of his soldiers into the woods a short distance to 
 shoot pigeons ; a party of Indians started suddenly from concealment in the bushes, shot 
 them all down, tomahawked and scalped them, and left them for dead. The captain, after 
 some time revived, and perceiving his men were killed, himself robbed of his scalp, and 
 suflering extreme agony from his numerous wounds, made an effort to move and lay his 
 bleeding head on one of the dead bodies, expecting soon to expire. A faithful dog who 
 accompanied him manifested great agitation, and in the tenderest manner licked his 
 wounds, which afforded him great relief from exquisite distress. He then directed the dog, 
 as if a human being, to go in search of some person to come to his relief. The animal, 
 with every appearance of anxiety, ran about a mile, when he met with two men fishing in 
 the river, and endeavored in the most moving manner, by whining and piteous cries, to 
 prevail on them to follow him into the woods. Struck with the singular conduct of the dog, 
 they were induced to follow him part of the way, but fearing some decoy, or danger, they 
 were about to return, when the dog, fixing his eyes on them, renewed his entreaties by hia 
 cries, and taking hold of their clothes with his teeth, prevailed on them to follow him to the 
 fatal spot. Such was the remarkable fidelity and sagacity of this animal. Capt. Greg was 
 immediately carried to the fort, where his wounds were dressed ; he was afterward re. 
 moved to our hospital, and put under ray care. He was a most frightful spectacle, the 
 whole of his scalp was removed ; in two places on the fore part of his head, the tomahawk 
 had penetrated through the skull ; there was a wound on his back with the same instru. 
 ment, besides a wound in his side and another through his arm by a musket ball. This 
 unfortunate man, after sufTeiing extremely for a long time, finally recovered, and appeared 
 to be well satisfied in having his scalp restored to him, though uncovered with hair." — 
 Thacher't HSUtary Journal. 
 
232 ONEIDA COUNTY. 
 
 British they must all share one common fate. The Indians were 
 thoroughly alarmed, and determined on an immediate flight, being al- 
 ready disgusted with the British service. Col. St. Leger exhorted, 
 argued, and made enticing offers to the Indians to remain, but all in 
 vain. He attempted to get them drunk, but they refused to drink. 
 When he found them determined to go, he urged them to move in the 
 rear of his army ; but they charged him with a design to sacrifice them 
 to his safety. In a mixture of rage and despair, he broke up his en- 
 campment with such haste, that he left his tents, cannon, and stores to 
 the besieged. The friendly Oneida accompanied the flying army, and 
 being naturally a wag, he engaged his companions who were in the se- 
 cret, to repeat at proper intervals the cry, " They are coming ! they 
 are coming !" This appalling cry quickened the flight of the fugitives 
 wherever it was heard. The soldiers threw away their packs ; and 
 the commanders took care not to be in the rear. After much fatigue 
 and mortification, they finally reached Oneida Lake ; and there proba- 
 bly, for the first time, felt secure from the pursuit of their enemies. 
 From this place St. Leger hastened with his scattered forces back to 
 Oswego, and thence to Montreal. 
 
 Hon-yost, after accompanying the flying army as far as the estuary 
 of Wood creek, left them and returned to Fort Schuyler, and gave 
 the first information to Colonel Gansevoort of the approach of Arnold. 
 From thence he proceeded to German Flats, and on presenting him- 
 self at Fort Dayton his brother was discharged. He soon after rejoin- 
 ed the British standard, attaching himself to the forces under Sir John 
 Johnson. 
 
 Whitestown was organized in 1788. It lies on the west side of 
 the Mohawk, having an undulating surface with broad and fertile val- 
 leys. It is drained by the Oriskany and Sauquoit creeks, on which 
 are numerous mills of various kinds. Oriskany, Whitesborough, and 
 Yorkmills are post villages. Whitesborough, the principal village, is 
 near the confluence of Sadaquada or Sauquoit creek with the Mohawk, 
 contains about 100 dwelhng-houses, 2 churches, an academy, and the 
 Oneida Institute. Distant 100 miles from Albany ; 4 from Utica, and 
 1 1 from Rome. Oriskany village, 7 miles from Utica, on the line of 
 the canal and railroad, is a large manufacturing village containing 
 about 200 dwellings. Oriskany Falls village, 20 miles from Utica, on 
 the line of the Chenango canal, contains about 80 dwellings. 
 
 The following is a SW. view of the Oneida Institute, as seen from 
 the Erie canal, which passes a short distance from these buildings. 
 The " Oneida Institute of Science and Industry," was founded in 1827 ; 
 incorporated in 1829. "The design of this Seminary is to furnish 
 means to obviate the evils resulting to students from the usual appli- 
 cation to a course of professional study, and the attendant depriva- 
 tion of bodily exercise. The plan that the Seminary has established 
 to effect this, is to blend productive manual labor with the course of 
 study. Three hours labor per day is required of each student in the 
 young men's department, and somewhat less of each in the juvenile 
 department. The farm consists of the flat on the left bank of the 
 
ONEIDA COUNTY. 
 
 233 
 
 Southwest view of Oneida Institute. Whitestown. 
 
 Sauquoit, and contains 114 acres. The chief building upon it when 
 purcliased, was a large two story wood house to which a wing has 
 been appended, and which is now occupied by the juvenile depart- 
 ment. »rhe other principal buildings, which are all of wood, with 
 stone basements, are as follows : two of 82 by 32 feet, and one 48 
 by 48 feet, all of three stories, including the basements. The latter 
 includes the chapel, with seats for 250 persons. The library con- 
 tains upwards of 1,000 volumes ; and in the reading-room are files 
 of newspapers from various parts of the United States. Tiie ex- 
 pense for instruction, room rent, fuel, and contingences per year, $28. 
 Board at .$1,05 per week, $54,60 per year. Total .$82,60.' 
 
 Immediately after the revolutionary war, Hugh White, a native of 
 Middletown, Conn., Zephaniah Piatt, Ezra L'Hommedieu, and Me- 
 lancthon Smith, became joint proprietors of Sadaquada Patent. It 
 was agreed among the pro])rietors, that they sliould meet on the land 
 in the summer of 1784, and make a survey and partition of it. Judge 
 White, having determined to make this place his home, he accord- 
 ingly, in the month of May in that year, left his native place, accom- 
 panied by his four sons, all of whom had arrived at manhood, a 
 daughter, and daughter-in-law. The party sailed to Albany, there 
 crossed the carrying place to Schenectady, and procuring a batteau, 
 ascended the Mohawk, and arrived in June at the mouth of the Sau- 
 quoit creek. They there erected a shanty for their temporary accom- 
 modation, while surveying and dividing the lands. Upon obtaining the 
 partition Judge White proceeded to the erection of a log house : the 
 site fixed upon was upon the bank which ibrms the eastern boundary 
 of the village green in Whitesborough, just on the right of the Indian 
 path which led from old Fort Schuyler to Fort Stanwix. He re- 
 mained at this house with his sons until winter, cutting away the 
 forest and making preparations for the ensuing season. In January, 
 he returned to Connecticut, and brought his wife and the remainder 
 of his family. Four years after this, he erected the house still standing 
 on the southeastern corner of the village green of which the annexed 
 is a representation. He continued to occupy it until a year or two 
 
 30 
 
234 
 
 ONEIDA COUNTY. 
 
 House of Judge WJiiie, Whitestown. 
 
 previous to his death, when he removed to the dvv'elHng owned by 
 him upon the hill, where he died April 16th, 1812. At the organiza- 
 tion of Herkimer county, he was appointed a judge, and afterward 
 performed the duties of the same otBce in Oneida county. • 
 
 For the first two years of Judge White's residence at Whitesbo- 
 roughjthe nearest mill was situated at Palatine, a distance of about forty 
 miles. This distance was traversed by an Indian path impassable to 
 a wheel-carriage. The want of animal food induced the first settlers 
 to salt down a barrel or tvi^o of the breasts of pigeons, which they sepa- 
 rated from the remainder of these birds, which were here caught in great 
 numbers. In the year 1780, the settlementof Whitestown had so far in- 
 creased, that its inhabitants formed a religious society, and employed 
 as a minister the Rev. Dr. Hillyer, of Orange, New Jersey, and or- 
 ganized the first Presbyterian church formed in the state west of Al- 
 bany. In 1788, when Whitestown was organized, its limits were 
 ]aid off by a line crossing the Mohawk at a small log cabin which 
 stood upon the site occupied by the railroad depot in Utica, and run- 
 ning north and south to the boundaries of the state, and comprehend- 
 ing all the state lying westward — a territory which at present is 
 inhabited by more than a million of inhabitants. The first town 
 meeting was held in a barn owned by Needham Maynard, Esq., on 
 the road leadinjr from Whitesboroucfh to Middle Settlement. 
 
 For a number of yf^ars after Judge White's arrival quite a number 
 of the Oneida Indians resided in his vicinity. The following interest- 
 ing incident, which took place during this period, is copied from 
 Tracy's Lectures. 
 
 " An old chief, named Han Yorry, who, during the war, had acted with the royal party, 
 and now resided at Ori^ikany in a log wigwam which stood on this aide of the creek, just 
 back of the house, until recently, occupied by Mr. Charles Green, one day called at Judge 
 White's with his wife and a mulatto woman who belonged to him, and who acted as his 
 interpreter. After conver^^ing wiih him a little while, die Indian asked him — Are you my 
 friend ? Yes, said he. Well, then, said the Indian, do you believe I am your friend ? 
 Yea, Han Ycrry. replied he; I believe you are. The Indian then rejoined — Well, if you 
 are my friend, and you believe I am your friend, I will tell you what I want, and then I 
 ehall know whether you speak true words. And what is it that you want ? said Mr. White. 
 
ONEIDA COUNTY. 235 
 
 The Indian then pointed to a Utile grandchild, the daughter of one of his sons, then be. 
 tween two and three years old, and said, — My squaw wants to take this pappoose home 
 with us to stay one night, and bring her home to-morrow : if you are my friend, you will 
 now show me. The feelings of the grandfather at once uprose in his busom, and the 
 child's mother started with horror and alarm at the thought of intrusting her darling prat- 
 tler with the rude tenants of the forest. The question was full of interest. On 5ie one 
 hand, the necessity of placing unlimited confidence in the savage, and intrusting the wel> 
 fare and the life of his grandchild with him ; on the other, the certain enmity of a man of 
 influence and consequence in his nation, and one who had been the open enemy of his 
 countrymen in their recent struggle. But he made the decision with a sagacity that 
 showed that he properly estimated the character of the person he was dealing with. He 
 believed that by placing implicit confidence in him, he should command the sense of honor 
 which seems pecuhar to the uncontaminated Indian. He told him to take the child ; and 
 as the mother, scarcely suffering it to be parted from her, relinquished it into the hands of 
 the old man's wife, he soothed her fears with his assurances of confidence in their promises. 
 That night, however, was a long one ; and during the whole of the next morning many and 
 often were the anxious glances cast up the pathway leading from Oriskany, if possible to 
 discover the Indians and their little charge, upon their return to its home. But no Indiana 
 came in sight. It at length became high noon : all a mother's feats were aroused : she 
 could scarcely be restrained from rushing in pursuit of her loved one. But her father re- 
 presented to her the gross indignity which a suspicion of their intentions would arouse in 
 the breast of the chief; and half frantic though she was, she was restrained. The after- 
 noon slowly wore away, and still nothing»was seen of her child. The sun had nearly 
 reached the horizon, and the mother's heart had swollen beyond further endurance, when 
 the forms of the friendly chief and his wife, bearing upon her shoulders their little visiter, 
 greeted its mother's vision. The dress which the child had worn from home had been re- 
 moved, and in its place its Indian fiiends bad substituted a complete suit of Indian gar- 
 ments, so as completely to metamorphose it into a Uttle squaw. The sequel of this adven- 
 ture was the establishment of a most ardent attachment and regard on the part of the In- 
 dian and his friends for the white settlers. The child, now Mrs. Eells of Missouri, the 
 widow of the late Nathaniel Eells of Whitesboro, still remembers some incidents occurring 
 on the night of her stay in the wigwam, and the kindness of her Indian hostess." 
 
 Oriskany village is about 3 miles NE. from Whitesborough, at the 
 confluence of Oriskany creek with the Mohawk: it has about ilO 
 dwellings, a number of mills, and 2 woollen factories, viz. the Oris- 
 kany, first incorporated in 1804, and the Dexter. The Erie canal 
 and the railroad between Utica and Syracuse pass through this vil- 
 lage. The battle of Oriskany, in which Gen. Herkimer received a 
 mortal wound, was fought about two miles in a western direction 
 from the village. 
 
 On the advance of the British forces under Lieut. Col. St. Leger 
 to the siege of Fort Schuyler, (Stanwix,) at Rome, General Herkimer 
 summoned the militia of Tryon county to the field to march to the 
 succor of the garrison. On the 5th of Aug., 1777, he arrived near 
 Oriskany with a body of upwards of 800 men, all eager to meet the 
 enemy. On the morning of the 6th of August, Gen. Herkimer de- 
 termined to halt till he had received reinforcements, or at least until 
 the signal of a sortie should be received from the fort. His officers, 
 however, were eager to press forward ; high words ensued : during 
 which his two colonels and other officers denounced their commander 
 to his face as a tory and a coward. " The brave old man calmly 
 replied that he considered himself placed over them as a father, and 
 that it was not his wish to lead them into any difficulty from which 
 he could not extricate them. Burning as they now seemed to meet 
 the enemy, he told them roundly that they would run at his first ap- 
 pearance. But his remonstrances were unavailing. Their clamor 
 
236 ONEIDA COUNTY. 
 
 increased, and their reproaches were repeated, until, stung by impu- 
 tations of cowardice and a want of fidelity to the cause, and some- 
 what irritated withal, the general immediately gave the order — 
 ' march on !' The words were no sooner heard than the troops gave 
 a shout, and moved, or rather rushed forward." Col. St. Leger 
 having heard of the advance of Gen. Herkimer, determined to attack 
 him in an ambuscade. The spot chosen favored the design. There 
 was a deep ravine crossing the path which Herkimer was traversing, 
 " sweeping towards the east in a semi-circular form, and bearing a 
 northern and southern direction. The bottom of this ravine was 
 marshy, and the road crossed it by means of a causeway. The 
 ground, thus partly enclosed by the ravine, was elevated and level. 
 The ambuscade was laid upon the high ground west of the ravine." 
 The British troops, with a largebody of Indians under Brant, disposed 
 themselves in a circle, leaving only a narrow segment open for the 
 admission of Herkimer's troops. Unconscious of the presence of the 
 enemy, Gen. Herkimer with his whole force, with the exception of 
 the rear-guard, found themselves encompassed at the onset — the 
 foe closing up the gap on their first fire. Those on the outside fled 
 as their commander had predicted ; those within the circle were 
 thrown into disorder by the sudden and murderous fire now poured 
 in upon them on all sides. Gen. Herkimer fell wounded in the early 
 part of the action, and was placed on his saddle against the trunk of 
 a tree for his support, and thus continued to order the battle. The 
 action having lasted more than half an hour, in great disorder, Her- 
 kimer's men formed themselves into circles to repel the attacks of the 
 enemy, who were now closing in upon them irom all sides. From 
 this moment their resistance was more effective. The firing in a 
 great measure ceased ; and the conflict was carried on with knives, 
 bayonets, and the butt-ends of muskets. A heavy shower of rain 
 now arrested the work of death ; the storm raged for an hour, and 
 the enemy retired among the trees, at a respectful distance, having 
 suffered severely, notwithstanding the advantages in their favor. 
 During this suspension of the conflict, Gen. Herkimer's men, by his 
 direction, formed themselves into a circle and awaited the movements 
 of the enemy. In the early part of the battle, whenever a gun was 
 fired by a militiaman from behind a tree, an Indian rushed up and 
 tomahawked him before he could reload. To counteract this, two 
 men were stationed behind a single tree, one only to fire at a time — 
 the other to reserve his fire till the Indian ran up as before The fight 
 was soon renewed, but by this new arrangement the Indians suffered 
 so severely that they began to give way. A reinforcement of the 
 enemy now came up, called Johnson's Greens. These men were 
 mostly royalist, who having fled from Tryon county, now returned 
 in arms against their former neighbors. Many of the militia and the 
 Greens knew each other, and as soon as they advanced near enough 
 for recognition, mutual feelings of hate and revenge raged in their 
 bosoms. The militia fired upon them as they advanced, and then 
 springing like tigers from their covers, attacked them with their bay- 
 
ONEIDA COUNTY. 237 
 
 onets and butts of their muskets ; or both parties in closer contact 
 throttled each other and drew their knives — stabbing, and sometimes 
 literally dying in each other's embrace." 
 
 This murderous conflict did not continue long : the Indians seeing 
 with what resolution the militia continued the fight, and finding their 
 own numbers greatly diminished, now raised the retreating cry of 
 " Oonah .'" cind fled in every direction under the shouts of the surviv- 
 ing militia, and a shower of bullets. A firing was heard in the dis- 
 tance from the fort : the Greens and Rangers now deemed that their 
 presence was necessary elsewhere, and retreated precipitately, leav- 
 ing the victorious militia of Tryon county masters of the field. — 
 " Thus ended," (says Col. Stone in his Life of Brant,) " one of the 
 severest, and, for the numbers engaged, one of the most bloody bat- 
 tles of the revolutionary war." The loss of the militia, according to 
 the American account, was two hundred killed, exclusive of wounded 
 and prisoners. The British claimed that four hundred of the Ameri- 
 cans were killed and two hundred taken prisoners. " The loss of 
 the enemy was 'equally if not more severe, than that of the Ameri- 
 cans." Gen. Herkimer, though wounded in the onset, bore himself 
 during the six hours of conflict, under the most trying circumstances, 
 with a degree of fortitude and composure worthy of admiration. 
 "At one time during the battle, while sitting upon his saddle, raised 
 upon a little hillock, being advised to select a less exposed situation, 
 he replied — ' I will face the enemy.' Thus surrounded by a few men, 
 he continued to issue his orders with firmness. In this situation, and 
 in the heat of the onslaught, he deliberately took his tinder box from 
 his pocket, lit his pipe, and smoked with great composure." After 
 the battle was over, he was removed from the field on a litter, and 
 was conveyed to his house, below the Little Falls on the Mohawk. 
 
 The following inscriptions are copied from monuments in the 
 Whitesborough grave-yard. 
 
 " Here sleep the mortal remains of Hugh White, who was born 5th February, 1733, at 
 Middletown, Connecticut, and died 16th April, 1812. In the year 1784, he removed to 
 Sedaghquate, now AVhitesborough : where he was the first white inhabitant in the state of 
 New York west of the German settlers on the Mohawk. He vraa distinguished for energy 
 and decision of character ; and may justly be regarded as a Patriarch who led the children 
 of New England into the wilderness. As a magistrate, a citizen, and a man, his character 
 for truth and integrity was proverbial. This humble monument is reared and inscribed by 
 the affectionate partner of his joys and his sorrows. May 15, 1826." 
 
 " To the memory of the Rev. Bethuel Dodd, first pastor of the United Presbyterian So. 
 ciety of Whitestown and Utica. Bom 1767, died 1804 ; and of Sarah his wife, bom 1768, 
 died 1828. In the year 1794, they emigrated from Orange, New Jersey, to this village. 
 Mr. Dodd assisted in forming the firet Presbyterian church west of Albany, and spent the 
 remainder of a short but useful career in the upbuilding of this branch of his Master's 
 kingdom." 
 
238 
 
 ONEIDA COUNTY. 
 
 Distant view of Hamilton College, Kirkland. 
 
 Clinton, the principal settlement in the town of Kirkland, is 9 miles 
 from Utica, on the Chenango canal. The village consists of about 50 
 dwellings, 1 Congregational, 1 Baptist, and 1 Universalist church, 2 
 academies, and 2 seminaries for females. Tlie annexed engraving 
 shows the appearance of the Hamilton college buildings as seen from 
 the canal in Clinton village, about one mile and a half distant, beauti- 
 fully situated on a commanding eminence westward of the Oriskany 
 valley, overlooking the village, having a delightful distant prospect 
 The college buildings consist of three stone buildings four stories high 
 for study, lodging-rooms, a chapel, President's dwelling-house, board 
 ing and servants' house, and 41 acres of land. This institution was es 
 tablished in 1812. The original cost of the college grounds and build- 
 ings was about $80,000. " The college in 1 834 raised by subscription 
 the sum of $50,000 ; forming a fund for the payment of the salaries 
 of the officers. Wm. H. Maynard, who died in Sept. 1832, bequeath- 
 ed to it $20,000, to endow a professorship of law ; and S. N. De.xter, 
 Esq., of Whitestown, in 1836, gave $15,000 for endowing a professor- 
 ship." 
 
 The Rev. Samuel Kirkland, from whom this town derives its name, was the son of 
 Rev. Mr. Kirkland, of Norwich, Connecticut. This devoted missionary was for a time a 
 member of Mr. Wheelock's school, and afterward finished his education at the college in 
 New Jersey, where he graduated in 1765. The next year, (1766,) he commenced his 
 mission among the Oneidas, laboring and living with them and endearing himself to them 
 by his attention and efforts to do them good. Upon the breaking out of the revolutionary 
 war, the Six Nations, with the exception of the Oneidas, who were mostly under the in- 
 fluence of Mr. Kirkland, joined the British cause. The intestine war which now took 
 place forced Mr. Kirkland to remove his family from this region, but he himself continued 
 his labors among the Oneidas as opportunities offered, and by his influence a firm friend- 
 ship was maintained between tliem and the Americans. During a portion of the war he 
 officiated a^ chaplain to the American forces in the vicinity ; he also accompanied the ex- 
 pedition of Gen. Sullivan, in 1779, through the western part of the state. 
 
 After the conclusion of the war, the slate of New York, in con- 
 sideration of his valuable services during the revolution, granted to 
 him the lands lying in the town of Kirkland, known as Kirkland's 
 patent, upon a portion of which, Hamilton College stands. To these 
 lands he removed his family in 1792, and fixed his residence near the 
 
ONEIDA COUNTY. 239 
 
 village of Clinton, where he continued till his death, March 28th, 
 1808, in the sixty-seventh year of his age. The labors of Mr. Kirk- 
 land among the Oneidas, were in many instances attended with hap- 
 py consequences ; a large portion of the nation ultimately professed 
 to believe in the Christian religion, and many of them appeared de- 
 voted Christians, among whom was the venerable chief Skenandoa. 
 About the year 1791, Mr. Kirkland conceived the project of estab- 
 lishing a seminary which should be accessible to the Indian youth 
 as well as the whites. Through his exertions a charter of incorpo- 
 ration was obtained for the institution in 1793, under the name of 
 "Hamilton Oneida Academy." In 1794 a building was erected, 
 which for many years afterward continued to be known as Oneida 
 Hall, till the seminary was raised to the rank of a college, with the 
 style of Hamilton college. Mr. Kirkland was a generous benefactor 
 of this institution, and expended much of his time and means in pro- 
 moting its interests. 
 
 The following account of the death of Skenandoa, the Oneida 
 chief, and the " white man's friend," was published in the Utica Pa- 
 triot, March 19th, 1816. In a few particulars it is abridged. 
 
 " Died at his residence, near Oneida Castle, on Monday, 11th inst., Skenandoa, the cel- 
 ebrated Oneida chief, aged 110 years : well known in the wars which occurred while we 
 were British colonies, and in the contest which issued in our independence, as the undevi- 
 ating friend of the people of the United States. He was very savage and addicted to 
 drunkenness* in his youth, but by his own reflections and the benevolent instruction of the 
 late Rev. Mr. Kirkland, missionary to his tribe, he lived a reformed man for more than 
 sixty years, and died in Christian hope. From attachment to Mr. Kirkland he had always 
 expressed a strong desire to be buried near his minister and father, that he might (to use 
 his own expression,) ' Go up with him at the great resurrection.' At the approach of death, 
 after Ustening to the prayers which were read at his bed-side by his great-granddaughter, 
 he again repeated the request. Accordingly, the family of Mr. Kirkland having received 
 information by a runner that Skenandoa was dead, in compUance with a previous promise, 
 sent assistance to the Indians that the corpse might be carried to the village of CUnton for 
 burial. Divine service was attended at the meeting-house in Clinton on Wednesday at 2 
 o'clock, P. M. An address was made to the Indians bv the Rev. Dr. Backus, President of 
 Hamilton college, which was interpreted by Judge Deane, of Westmoreland. Prayer was 
 then offered and appropriate psalms sung. After service, the concourse which had assem- 
 bled from respect to the deceased chief, or from the singularity of the occasion, moved to 
 the grave in the following order : — 
 
 Students of Hamilton College, 
 
 CORPSE, 
 
 Indians, 
 
 Mis. Kirkland and family. 
 
 Judge Deane, — ^Rev. Dr. Norton — Rev. Mr. Ayre, 
 
 Officers of Hamilton College, 
 
 Citizens. 
 
 "After interment, the only surviving son of the deceased, self-moved, returned thanks, 
 through Judge Deane as interpreter, to the people for the respect shown to his father on 
 the occasion, and to Mrs. Kirkland and family for their kind and friendly attention. 
 
 " Skenandoa's person was tall, well made, and robust. His countenance was intelligent, 
 
 • In the year 1755 Skenandoa was present at a treaty made in Albany. At night he 
 was excessively drunk, and in the morning found himself in the street, stripped of all his 
 ornaments and every article of clothing. His pride revolted at his self.degradation, and he 
 resolved that he would never again deUver himself over to the power of strong water. 
 
240 ONEIDA COUNTY. 
 
 and displayed all the peculiar dignity of an Indian chief. In hia youth he was a brave and 
 intrepid warrior, and in his riper years one of the noblest counsellors among the North 
 American tribes ; he possessed a vigorous mind, and was alike sagacious, active, and perse- 
 vering. As an enemy, he was terrible. As a friend and ally, he was mild and gentle in 
 his disposition, and faithful to his engagements. His vigilance once preserved from massa- 
 cre the inhabitants of the little settlement at German Flats. In the revolutionary war his 
 influence induced the Oneidas to tak^ up arms in favor of the Americans. Among the In- 
 dians he was distinguished by the appellation of the ' white man's friend.' 
 
 If Although he could speak but Ultle English, and in his extreme old age was blind, yet 
 his company was sought. In conversation he was highly decorous ; evincing that he had 
 profited by seeing civiUzed and polished society, and by mingling with good company in 
 his better days. 
 
 " To a friend who called on him a short time since, he thus expressed himself by an in- 
 terpreter: 'I am an aged hemlock. The winds of an hundred winters have whistled 
 through my branches ; I am dead at the top. The generation to which I belonged have 
 run away and left me : why I live, the Great Good Spirit only knows. Pray to my Jesus 
 that I may have patience to wait for my appointed time to die.' 
 
 " Honored Chief! His prayer was answered ; he was cheerful and resigned to the lasL 
 For several years he kept his dress for the grave prepared. Once and again, and again, he 
 came to Clinton to die : longing that his soul might be with Christ, and his body in the 
 narrow house near bis beloved Christian teacher. While the ambitious but vulgar great, 
 look principalty to sculptured monuments and to riches in the temple of earthly fame ; 
 Skenandoa, in the spirit of the only real nobility, stood with his loins girded, waiting the 
 coming of the Lord." 
 
 The following inscriptions are copied from monuments in the 
 Hamilton College grave-yard : — 
 
 " Seenakdoa. This monument is erected by the Nokthekn Missionary Society, in 
 testimony of their respect for the memory of Skenandoa, who died in the peace and hope 
 of the gospel, on the 11th of March, 1816. Wise, eloquent, and brave, he long swayed 
 the councils of his tribe, whose confidence and affection he eminently enjoyed. In the 
 war which placed the Canadas under the crown of Great Britain he was actively engaged 
 against the French : in that of the revolution, he espoused that of the colonies, and ever 
 afterward remained a firm friend to the United States. Under the ministry of the Rev. 
 Mr. Kirkland he embraced the doctrines of the gospel, and having exhibited their power in 
 a long life adorned by every Christian virtue, he fell asleep in Jesus at the advanced age of 
 one hundred years." 
 
 " H. S. E. Azel Backus, STD., vir pietate insignis omni doctrina excultus, Evangelii 
 minister fervidus et praeclarus Collegii Hamiltonensis fuit Prases semper dilligentissimus 
 et aliminis carissimus. In eo, summa in homines benevolentia, misericordia incorrupta 
 fides, nudaque Veritas : conjux superetes dolet. Et omnes quibus vivens ille fuit natus. 
 Lugent et plorant. — Memoriae Praesidis dilectissimi et venerandi, curatores Collegii Hamil- 
 tonensis : Hoc monumentum prosuerunt. — Ecclesise apud Bethlem, Conn., Pastor Annos 
 xxii. Coll. Ham. Prseses iv. — De vita decessit Die Dec. duodetricesimo. Anno Domini, 
 MDCCCXVI. jEt. LII." 
 
 [Here lies buried, Azel Backus, DD., a man of remarkable piety and learning, a zealoiu 
 minister of the gospel, a distinguished President of Hamilton College ; a man of extraor- 
 dinary dihgence, and greatly endeared to the members of the institution. In him were 
 conspicuous the highest benevolence towards his fellow men, uncorruptible integrity, and 
 uncompromising truth. His wife survives to lament his loss : and all who knew him mourn 
 also. The corporation of Hamilton College have erected this monument to the memory of 
 their beloved and venerated President. He was pastor of the church in Bethlem, Conn., 
 22 years. President of Hamilton College, 4. He departed this life December 28th, AD. 
 1816, aged 52 years.] 
 
 " H. S. Quod potuit mori Sethi Norton, A.M., Linguarum Professoris in Collegio Ham- 
 iltonensi ; Sui brevem vitae cursum Literis deditus cum magno studio Praeceptoris Peritissi- 
 mUB et carissimus cucurrit. Et in mediis laboribus maximo sui desiderio subitae morti suc- 
 cubuit Dec. 7th, 1818, ^tatis Anno 40. Linguarum fuit Professor Annos 6. Curatores 
 Collegii Hamiltonensis Hoc monumentum ponendum curaverunt." 
 
ONEIDA COUNTY. 
 
 241 
 
 The principal part of the town of Steuben, 20 miles N. of Utica, 
 was granted by the state to Baron Steuben, for his services during 
 the revolutionary war. He resided here on his farm until his death. 
 He was buried beneath an evergreen he had selected to overshadow 
 his grave. Afterward a new road was laid over the spot, and his re- 
 mains were removed to a neighboring grove in this town, situated 
 about 7 miles NW. of the Trenton Falls. 
 
 Grave of Baron Steuben. 
 
 His grave is protected by a neat monument erected in 1826 by pri- 
 vate subscription, and shown in the above engraving. On it is the 
 brief inscription, Major Ceneral Frederick William Augustus 
 Baron de Steuben. Baron Steuben resided in a log house about a 
 quarter of a mile south of his burial place. He lived there during the 
 summers and cultivated his farm, but in ihe winters resided in New 
 York. The following sketch is from Allen's Biographical Dictionary : 
 
 "Frederick William Baron de Steuben', a major-general in the American, army, 
 was a Prussian officer, wlio served many years m the armies of Frederick the Great, was 
 one of his aids, and had held tlie rank of lieutenant-general, fte arrived in New Hamp- 
 shire from Marseilles in November, 1777, with strong recommendations to congress. He 
 claimed no rank, and only requested permission to render as a volunteer what services he 
 could to the American army. He was soon appomted to the office of inspector-general, 
 with the rank of major-general. He established a uniform system of manoeuvres, and by 
 his skill and persevering mdiistry efTected, during the continuance of the troops at Valley 
 Forge, a most important improvement in all ranks of the army, fie was a volunteer in 
 the action at Monmouth, and commanded in the trenches of Yorktown on the day which 
 concluded the struggle witli Great Britain. He died at Steuben, New York, November 
 28, 1795. He was an accomplished gentleman and a virtuous citizen, of extensive know- 
 ledge and sound judgment. An abstract of his system of discipline was published in 1779, 
 and in I7H4 he published a letter on the subject of an established militia and military ar- 
 rangements." 
 
 The annexed inscription to the memory of Baron Steuben, aat:; on 
 an elegant tablet on the wall of the German Lutheran church m the 
 city of New York. 
 
 " Sacred to the memory of Frederick William Augustus Baron Steuben, a Ger- 
 man ; knight of the order of Fidelity ; aid-de-camp to Frederick the Great, king of 
 Prussia ; major-general and inspector-general in the revolutionary war ; esteemed, re- 
 spected, and supported by Washington. He gave military skill and discipline to the citi- 
 zen soldiers, who, fulfilling the decrees of heaven, achieved the independence of the 
 United States. The highly-polished manners of the baron were graced by the most noble 
 
 31 
 
242 
 
 ONEIDA COUNTY. 
 
 feelings of the heart His hand, open as day for melting charity, closed only in the strOiAg 
 grasp of death. This memorial is inscribed by an American, who had the honor to be bis 
 aid-de-camp, the happiness to be his friend. Ob. 1795." 
 
 '. -1 
 
 •,-V^?-^ 
 
 
 --'?'. 
 
 -rrP^^S*^ ■""ate' TV ^ -yH 
 
 Trenton Falls, at Trenton. 
 
 The Trenton Falls on the West Canada creek, on the east line of 
 the town and county, are highly picturesque and sublime. The river 
 descends in a high, narrow, and rocky dell, by a succession of cata- 
 racts, the most magnificent of which are the High Falls, 2 miles NW. 
 from the village of Trenton. This cataract is one hundred and nine 
 feet in height, descending by three different sheets, respectively thirty- 
 seven, eleven, and forty-eight feet fall, besides a connecting slope or 
 rapids between. The rocks that bind the stream below, rise perpen- 
 dicularly from 100 to 130 feet, capped by evergreens of spruce, fir, 
 , hemlock, and sublimely finish a landscape of uncommon beauties. 
 The rocks are of a dark limestone, and contain large quantities of pet- 
 rified marine shells, &c. &c. These falls are much visited, being 
 within two or three hours' ride from the city of Utica, and there is 
 here a hotel for the accommodation of visiters. 
 
 About one fifth of the town of Vernon belongs to the Oneida In- 
 dians, forming part of their reservation, and comprising their principal 
 settlements near the Oneida village on the Oneida creek. Oneida 
 Caslleton, 22 miles SW. from Utica and 16 from Rome, has about 25 
 dwellings, and a church liclonging to the Indians, who number about 
 200. On the south side of the turnpike road, at the entrance of the 
 village, is the ancient council grove of the Six Nations, consisting of 
 about 50 large while walnut-trees, still in full vigor. Vernon, upon the 
 8kanandoa creek, 17 miles SW. from Utica, contains an academy, a 
 female seminary, and about 80 dwellings. 
 
ONONDAGA COUNTY. 243 
 
 ONONDAGA COUNTY. 
 
 Onondag.v county was taken from Herkimer in 1794 ; bounds 
 since altered by the formation of other counties from it. Greatest 
 length N. and S. 36, greatest breadth E. and W. 28 miles. Centrally 
 distant from New York 280 miles, from Albany 135 miles. This 
 county, though not extensive, embraces a most important portion of 
 the territory of this state. Here are the salt springs, an inexhaustible 
 source of immense wealth ; beds of gypsum or plaster, of vast extent, 
 hydraulic lime, and common limestone. Surface is diversified. The 
 northern portion of the county is level ; the centre and southern roll- 
 ing, and rising in some places into hills. The soil is generally good, 
 and in some portions excellent, and under high cultivation. Large 
 crops of wheat and Indian corn are annually raised. Both are greatly 
 aided by the u«e of plaster. The principal lakes are Oneida, Skane- 
 ateles, Onondaga, and Otisco. The Rome summit, or long level of 
 the Erie canal, 69^ miles in length, has its western extremity near 
 Syracuse. The county forms part of the military tract, and settle- 
 ments were first made here in the spring of 1788, while composing 
 part of Whitestown, Oneida county. The county is divided into 18 
 towns, of which Lysander, Manlius, Marcellus, Onondaga, and Pom- 
 pey were organized by general sessions in 1789 : 
 
 Camillas, 
 
 Fabius, 
 
 Onondaga, 
 
 Spafford, 
 
 Cicero, 
 
 La Fayette, 
 
 Otisco, 
 
 Tully, 
 
 Clay, 
 
 Lysander, 
 
 Pompey, 
 
 Van Buren, 
 
 De Witt, 
 
 Manlius, 
 
 Salina, 
 
 
 Elbridge, 
 
 Marcellus, 
 
 Skaneateles, 
 
 
 The first white settler in this county was a Mr. Webster, who came 
 here in 1786, and settled in Onondaga Hollow among the Indians. 
 They gave him a tract of a mile square. He then opened a small 
 shop, married a squaw, and became domesticated among the savages. 
 In 1788, he obtained permission of the Onondagas for Messrs. Asa 
 Danforth and Comfort Tyler to establish themselves at Onondaga 
 Hollow. 
 
 " It was in this ' hollow' that the principal town and castle of the Onondaga Indians, 
 in the prouder days of that nation, stood ; and the poor remains of that once warlike and 
 haughty member of the Oquanuschioni, or the amphyctionic league of the Five Nations, 
 numbering a few hundred souls, are yet dragging out their lingering existence in the same 
 valley, a short distance to the south of the village I have just mentioned. 
 
 " The history of the Onondaga nation, to say nothing of their own legends antecedent to 
 the discovery and settlement of the country by the ' pale faces,' is full of interest. It was 
 the central nation of the great confederacy, the terror of whose arms was almost co-ex- 
 tensive with the northern and eastern division of the continent, and whose actual domain 
 at one time extended from the Sorel, south of the great lakes, to the Mississippi west, 
 thence east to the Santee, and coastwise hack to the Hudson. The great council-fire of 
 the confederacy was in the special keeping of the Onondagas, and by them was always 
 kept burning. The territory proper of the confederacy extended from Albany to Lake 
 Erie, and was called the Long Hause. The Mohawks kept the eastern door, and tba 
 Seuecas the western." 
 
244 
 
 UNOiNDAGA COUNTY. 
 
 Salina, llie shire town, is siuiated on Onondaga lake, a sheet of 
 water 6 miles lonjr, averaging!; 1 in width : the township consists prin- 
 cipally of the lands reserved by the state for the use of the salt 
 springs on the borders of the lake. 
 
 Southeastern view of Salina village. 
 
 The above is a southeastern view of the village of Salina and salt- 
 works, as viewed from an elevation called Prospect Hill, which rises 
 on the eastern side of Syracuse village. The Oswego canal, which 
 forms a junction with the Erie canal at Syracuse, is seen on the left. 
 The lake is seen in the distance. The central part of Salina is one 
 and a half miles north of Syracuse. It is probable that the two vil- 
 lages in the course of a few years, by tlie increase of population, will 
 be blended into one. Salina village lies upon a plain rising near the 
 centre of the marsh. It contains 3 churches, a bank, and 86 salt man- 
 ufactories. In ls.39 the amount of salt inspected in this village was 
 1, 283, 204 bushels, 'i'he village of Liverpool is about 4^ miles norlh 
 of Syracuse, on the lake and Oswego canal, consisting of about 60 
 dwellings ; the amount of salt inspected here in 1839, was 859,733 
 bushels. (je(klcs village was incorporated in 1832; it is pleasantly 
 situated 2 miles west from Syracuse, at the head of the lake. The 
 amount of salt insjiecled here in 1IS39, was 249,24.5 bushels. The 
 amount inspected at Syracuse, was 472,558 bushels. 
 
 The annexed is a western view iu the central part of Syracuse,* 
 
 * Syracuse is a reniarkalilc instance of liio rapidity of <rrowtli of some of our western 
 villages. The fol[o\viii<j, from Uie pcu of tlio editor of Uie i\. Y. ConirniTcial Advertiser, 
 wlio visited the place iii 18'J0, and a^ain iu 184(1. is well wortliy of perusal : — 
 
 " It was uidy iu the autmnu of L^-t), the year ui whicii the middle and lirst -construct- 
 ed section of the Erie canal was opened for navigation, that your humble servant made the 
 passage from Utica to this place, in a rude boat, alone ^vitll .Mr. Forman, a distance of 
 sixty iniks. 'I'he comitry at that tune, from liunie to .'^alina. was wild. The eanal pierced 
 the wilderness of Uome oiilv to enu'rge therefrom at this place. TIic laud almost the 
 entire distaLice was low, marshy, and cold. The forests, most of the distance evergreen, 
 were deep and dauk ; and the advancmg settlers had eschewed the icgion as unfit for cul- 
 tivation, lint the clearing for the canal let in a stretch of daylight, which enabled people 
 to see more distinctly. The marshes and swamps were to a considerable extent drained 
 by tlie canal ; and its banks, in.slead of the shades of a gloomy forest, now for the most 
 
ONONDAGA COUNTY. 
 
 ■245 
 
 Western view in the central part of Syracuse. 
 
 Sept., 1840. 
 
 showing the Erie canal, the Syracuse House, and some other build- 
 ings in the vicinity. This village, which now has a city-like appear- 
 ance, was incorporated in 1825, contains about 700 houses, the county 
 buildings, 1 Episcopal, 1 Presbyterian, 1 Methodist, and 1 Baptist 
 church, a bank, and 2 newspaper establishments. The Syracuse 
 
 I)art refresh the si^ht by the prospect of a well-sfttled country, smiling under ihc hand uf 
 well-rewarded industry. 
 
 " Mr. Forman was in one sense the father of the carwl. That is, being a member of the 
 legislature in 1807, (I think that was the year, but have not the journals by me,) he moved 
 tlie first resolution of inquiry upon the subject of opening a channel of artificial navigation 
 Irom the Hudson river to the great lakes. And from that day uncil the completion of that 
 stupendous work, in 1825, his exertions were unremitting and powerful in the cause. Pass- 
 ing as the canal does, close by the head of Onondaga lake, wiihm the toss of a biscuit of 
 some of the sah sfjrings, and withui two miles of the principal and strongest fountain, at 
 t^alina, I\lr. Forman saw the immense advantages which the site of this place presented for 
 a town; with the completion of the middle section of the canal, Syracuse was begun. At 
 the pcnod of my first visit, but a few scattered and indifferent wooden houses had been 
 erected, amid the stumps of the recently felled trees. I lodged for a night at a miserable 
 liivern, thronged by a company of salt-boilers from Salina, forming a group ot about as 
 rough-looking specimens of humanity as I had ever seen. Their wdd visages, beards thick 
 and long, and matted hair, even now rise up in dark, distant, and picturesque perspective 
 before me. I passed a restless night, disturbed by strange tancies, as I yet well remember. 
 It was in October, and a flurry of snow during the night had rendered the morning aspect 
 of the country more dreary than the evening before. The few houses I have already de- 
 scribed, standing upon low and almost marshy ground, and surrounded by trees and en- 
 tangled thickets, presented a very uninviting scene. ' Mr. Forman,' said I, * do you call 
 this a village ? Jt would male an owl weep to jiy over it ." ' Never mindy' said he m re 
 ph/, ' i/oa will live to see it a city yd.'' 
 
 " TJie^e words were prophetical. The contrast between the appearance of the town then 
 and now, is wonderful. A city it now is, in extent, and the magnitude and durability of 
 iLs buildings, albeit it may not bo:ist of a mayor and common council to oppress the people 
 by insupportable assessment, and partake of turtle and champagne for the benefit of the 
 poor. But a^ I glanced upward, and around, upon splendid hotels, and rows ot massivo 
 buildings in ail directions, and the lofty spires of churches glittering in the sun, and tra- 
 versed the extended ftiid well-built streets, thronged with people full of life and aclivitv— - 
 the canal basins crowded with boats lading and unliading at the large and lofty stone ware, 
 houses upon the wharves — the change seemed like one of enchantment." 
 
246 ONONDAGA COUNTY. 
 
 academy is a fine brick edifice 4 stories high, with an observatory, 
 spacious grounds, &c. The Syracuse House is of brick, 4 stories 
 high, and is one of the most splendid establishments of the kind in the 
 state. Syracuse is 133 miles from Alb^y, by the canal 171, 278 from 
 New York, 99 from Rochester, and from Utica 61 miles. This town 
 embraces the principal salt springs and salt-works of the state, with 
 the Onondaga or salt lake. " These salt springs were known to the 
 aboriginal inhabitants, who communicated their knowledge to the 
 white settlers. One of the latter about 50 years since, with an Indi- 
 an guide in a canoe, descended the Onondaga creek, and by the lake 
 approached the spring on mud creek. Salt water was at that time 
 obtained by lowering to the bottom, four or five feet below the sur- 
 face of the fresh water of the lake, an iron vessel ; which filling in- 
 stantly with the heavier fluid, was then drawn up. In this way, by 
 boiling the brine, a small quantity of brownish-colored and very im- 
 pure salt was obtained. With the settlement of the country the vi- 
 cinity was explored and many other sources of brine discovered. 
 Wells were then sunk, generally to the depth of 18 feet. There was 
 a great difference in the strength of water which they afforded, va- 
 rying with seasons, and diminishing in draught nearly one third. 
 With the introduction of hydraulic machinery for pumping in 1822. 
 a more rapid influx of brine was produced, and a new era in the man- 
 ufacture. A difference of opinion prevails as to the source of the 
 brine. The general opinion is, that beds of rock salt exist here as at 
 other salt springs. Borings have been made at several points ; in 
 one instance to the depth of 250 feet, without finding fossil salt. But 
 the very important fact was elicited, that the strength of the brine 
 increased with the depth of the well. The salt beds in Cheshire, 
 England, were discovered about 160 years since, in boring for coal 
 at about 125 feet below the surface ; and since have been penetrated 
 to twice that depth. But the salt mines of Wilielska, near Cravocia, 
 in Poland, are worked at the depth of 750 feet ; and those at Epe- 
 ries at 950 feet. The failure therefore to discover salt beds here 
 should not discourage further eflforts. Should beds of rock salt be 
 discovered and rendered accessible, this source of wealth must be 
 greatly enlarged. The salt beds near Norwich, England, produce 
 more than 150,000 tons annually — nearly three times as much as the 
 annual products of the Onondaga springs. The salt at Salina is 
 manufactured by evaporation by the sun, or artificially. By the 
 slower process of the former, the coarse salt is made, and the fuie by 
 the rapid evaporation produced by fire." 
 
 The following cut is a representation of a field of salt vats near 
 Syracuse for the manufacture of coarse salt. In the distance is seen 
 a pump house, from which the brine is conducted to each of the vats 
 by a succession of bored logs. The vats are about 16 feet in length, 
 by 7 in width, and are arranged in continuous rows for a great dis- 
 tance, as above represented. Between the rows alleys run sufficiently 
 wide to admit the passage of a horse and cart. On each side and 
 parallel with the vats, there is a line of light roofs which can be 
 
ONONDAGA COUNTY. 247 
 
 shoved off and on at pleasure, to permit the raj's of the sun to act 
 upon the waters or to avert the rain. As the salt precipitates, it as- 
 sumes the form of beautiful crystals, like the various trinkets fre- 
 quently made for the ladies' fairs. &c. ; the action of shovelhng the 
 salt into carts destroys the crystals, when of course the elegance of 
 form vanishes. These vats with their sheds cover enough ground in 
 the vicinity to make several moderate sized farms, and the beams 
 of the sun reflecting from their roofs cause them to appear in the dis- 
 tance not unlike the surface of a lake. 
 
 The fine salt requires more skill in the manufacture. For this pur- 
 pose rough wooden structures are erected about 70 feet in length, 
 and 25 feet in breadth. The annexed view of the inside of one of 
 these salt manufactories was taken at the entrance, and shows imme- 
 
 View of afield of salt-vats, Salina. 
 
 diately in front the commencement of the oven which runs the remain- 
 ing length of the building. On top of it are the boilers, arranged in two 
 parallel rows, generally numbering from 15 to 25 boilers in each row, 
 which are supplied with the brine by a cylindrical hollow log with 
 faucets. This log leads from a reservoir in the rear of the building, 
 which in its turn is filled by tubular logs, connecting with the pump 
 house, which in some cases is a mile or more distant. There are in 
 the whole many miles of aqueduct logs, which are generally con- 
 structed of pine. On entering one of these works at night the view 
 is interesting. Clouds of vapor are continually ascending from the 
 numerous boilers, and partially obscuring the forms of the attendants. 
 Huge piles of salt of snowy whiteness in the bins each side of the 
 building are beheld laying in contact with the rough, dingy walls, 
 while the fire from the furnace, shedding a partial light over the 
 whole, renders it a striking scene. 
 
 " There are, however, various modes of applying artificial heat in 
 the manufacture of salt, other than that employed in the ordinary 
 process of boiling in kettles. In one arrangement, tubes heated by 
 steam pass through a vat or vats of considerable extent, the brine 
 having been previously freed from its insoluble impurities, by being 
 
248 
 
 ONONDAGA COUNTY. 
 
 Internal view of a salt manv factory, Salina. 
 
 allowed to i-emain for some time in the cistern, or by the addition of 
 lime. This furnishes salt in fine cubic crystals of great purity, es- 
 pecially in those parts of the vats which are at some distance Irom 
 the immediate source of heat." 
 
 The springs from whicli the works are supplied are pierced through 
 the alluvial and terminate on gravel. The strength of the brine is 
 graduated on the following standard : fresh water being placed at 0°, 
 and water perfectly saturated with salt at 100°. According to this, 
 the "old spring" stands at 50°, and the "new" at 70°. In each cubic 
 foot of water there is about 2j ounces of "bitterns," or impure de- 
 posit composed of lime, iron, c^c. P^jurtcen pounds of salt are man- 
 ufactured from a cubic loot of the water from the strongest spring. 
 
 The salt-works are quite a source of revenue to the state, as it re- 
 ceives 2 mills a bushel for pumping the water, and cents duty on 
 the salt made. The amount annually manufactured is three millions 
 of bushels ; and the number of men employed in the four villages of 
 Geddes, Liverpool, Salina, and Syracuse, about tliree thousand. 
 
 Account of a French Colony establi-she'l at Onondaffa, in TGoG, under the auspices of 
 Le Steur JJiipuys.^ 
 
 " The Jesuit Dnblon had established himself at OnoTidaira in the character of a mission, 
 ary. He arrived here in the month of September, 1G55. In March of the fnhowing year, 
 he in company with a numerous escort of savages, made tiie voyage to Quebec for the pur- 
 pose of persuading M. de Lauson to establish a French colony at Oiiondnga. He arrived 
 there ni tlie beginning of April, and had no difficulty in getting I\I. De Lauson to enter into 
 his views. Fifty Frenchmen were selected to gu and furni the proposed establishmeni, and 
 the Sieur Dnpuys, an oflTicer of the garrison, was appointed their commandant. F'ather 
 Francis Le Mercier, Superior General of the Catholic Missions, was desirous of conducting 
 in person those whom he had destined to establish the hrst L'oipiois churcli, who were 
 Fathers Freemen, Mesnard, and Dablon. Their departure was fixed for the 7lli of May, 
 and although the crop had been lighter than usual, they gave Dupuys provisions sufficient 
 to last him a whole year, with grain enough to enable him to sow the land. 
 
 " The news of this enterpnse being spread all around, gave the Mohawks much concern, 
 
 • Copied from a MS. History, by the Rev. J. W. Adams, of Syracuse. 
 
ONONDAGA COUNTY. 249 
 
 and revived their jealousy towards the Onondagas. A general council of all the tribe waa 
 called to deliberate upon this afTair, which seemed to them of great importance, and the 
 conclusion waa, that all their resources must be put in requisition to oppose the new estab- 
 lishment. A party of 400 men was immediately raised, and orders were given them either 
 to disperse or cut to pieces the company of M. Dupuys. They failed, however, to accom- 
 plish their object, and only revenged themselves upon some straggling canoes, which were 
 pillaged, and a part of those who conducted them were wounded. After a short stay at 
 Three Rivers and at Montreal, M. Dupuys left the latter place on the 8th of June, and the 
 same day fell in with a party of Mohawks, whom he pillaged as a reprisal for the outrage 
 related above. 
 
 " On the 29th of the same month, towards 9 o'clock in the evening, they heard in the 
 camp the voice of a man groaning. The commandant ordered the drum to be beat, and im- 
 mediately they perceived a savage approaching in great distress. He was a Huron, who 
 had escaped after the expedition of the isle of Orleans. The skin of his body was half 
 roasted, and for seventeen days he had taken no nourishment, except some wild fruits 
 which he had gathered. The Onondagas who accompanied the French, made him a drink 
 which soon restored the tone of his stomach. They then gave him some provisions and 
 sent him on to Quebec. 
 
 " The remainder of the voyage was prosperous, except that they suffered from a scarcity 
 of provisions, which had been very badly managed. They had calculated as usual upon find, 
 ing an abundance of fish and game. Both however failed, and the French, who were unac- 
 customed to fasting like the Indians, would have perished with hunger, had not the Onon- 
 daga sachems sent to meet them some canoes loaded with provisions. They learnt from 
 these Indians, that a great number of the Iroquois of all the tribes, were awaiting their ar. 
 rival on the shores of the Lake Gannentaha. M. Dupuys, therefore, prepared himself to 
 make his entrance into the lake as imposing as possible. Before arriving at the place 
 where the savages were stationed, he put ashore 5 small pieces of ordnance, and had them 
 discharged. He then re-embarked, ond rowing in beautiful order, entered the lake, where 
 in less than an hour he made two discharges of all his musketry. He was received by the 
 sachems and such as were with them awaiting his arrival with the greatest apparent cor- 
 diality and respect. They were welcomed with harangues, feasts, songs, and dances, and 
 with every demonstration of joy which the savages were capable of giving. On the follow, 
 ing day, which was the 12th of July, a solemn mass was offered and the Te Deiun sung. 
 The sachems then made presents, as they were accustomed to do in treaties of aUiance, and 
 on the 16th the French all united in celebrating the Eucharist. On the day following they 
 commenced building huts, and Father Mercier went to visit the village of the Onondagas, 
 where he was received with great ceremony. On the 24th a general council was held, at 
 which the Jesuits, Mercier and Chaumont, explained the views of the French and solicited 
 their kind regards to their new neighbors. They also endeavored to enlighten their minda 
 on the subject of religion, and produced so great an impression as to render it necessary to 
 enlarge the chapel which had been built nearly a year before, more than one half. They 
 experienced in the month of August excessive heat, which produced much sickness ; but 
 by the kind attention of the savages all the disorders were eased in o short time. 
 
 " This last mark of affection from these people persuaded the more credulous of them to 
 beUeve that they might rely upon them in all cases ; but the more prudent of them thought 
 it necessary to make use of precaution at least against their inconstancy ; and these were 
 found in the end to have puisued the wisest course, for two years had not elapsed before 
 they were compelled by the perfidy of the savages to abandon their settlement and return 
 to Montreal. A conspiracy which extended itself through the Iroquois cantons was formed 
 against them, and unequivocal indications of hostility were soon given. Three Frenchmen 
 were scalped near Montreal by the confederates, and other hostihties committed, which left 
 no doubt in the minds of the French of their intention to destroy the new colony. In the 
 month of Feb., 1658, numerous bands of Mohawks, Oneidas, and Onondagas, had taken 
 the field equipped for war. Dupuys was informed of all that transpired by a converted In- 
 dian. He found himself greatly embarrassed, and indeed saw no means of extricating 
 himself from the difficulty without much trouble and at great hazard. To fortify himself 
 and sustain a siege would be only to put off his ruin and not prevent it, for he had no suc- 
 cor to hope for from Quebec, or it would not be able to reach him in time. It would be. 
 come necessary sooner or later to yield or die fighting, or at length to perish of hunger and 
 misery. u u j 
 
 " To effect his escape M. Dupuys required first to construct some canoes, for they had 
 not taken the precaution to reserve any. But to work at them publicly would be to an- 
 nounce his retreat, and thereby render it impossible. Something must be resolved on im- 
 mediately, and the commandant adopted the following plan. He immediately lent m 
 
 32 
 
250 ONONDAGA COUNTY. 
 
 express to M. D'Aillebout to inform him of the conspiracy. He then gave orders for the 
 construction of some small light batteaux ; and to prevent the Iroquois from getting wind of 
 it, he made his people work in the garret of the Jesuit's house, which was larger and more 
 retired than the others. 
 
 " This done, he warned all his people to hold themselves in readiness to depart on the 
 day which he named to them, and he supplied each one with provisions sufficient for the 
 voyage, and charged them to do nothing in the mean time to excite the suspicions of the 
 Iroquois. It only remained now to concert measures for embarking so secretly that the 
 savages should have no knowledge of their retreat until they should have advanced so far 
 as not to fear pursuit, and this they accomplished by a stratagem singular enough. 
 
 " A certain young Frenchman who had acquired great influence with the Indians, had 
 been adopted into one of their most respectable families. According to the custom of the 
 Indians, whoever was adopted by them became entitled to all the privileges that belonged 
 to native members of the family. This young man went one day to his adopted father, and 
 told him that he had on the night before dreamed of one of those feasts where the guests 
 eat every thing that is served, and that he desired to have one of the kind made for the vil- 
 lage ; and he added, that it was deeply impressed upon his mind he should die if a single 
 thing were wanting to render the feast just such a one as he described. The Indian gravely 
 replied that he should be exceedingly sorry to have him die, and would therefore order the 
 repast himself and take care to make the invitations, and he assured him that nothing should 
 be wanting to render the entertainment every way such an one as he wished. The young 
 man having obtained these assurances, appointed for his feast the 19th of March, which 
 was the day fixed upon for the departure of the French. All the provisions which the 
 families through the village could spare were contributed for the feast, and all the Indians 
 were invited to attend. 
 
 " The entertainment began in the evening, and to give the French an opportunity to put 
 their boats into the water and to load them for the voyage without being observed, the 
 drums and tnimpets ceased not to sound around the scene of festivity. 
 
 " The boats having now been laimched and every thing put in readiness for a departure, 
 the young man, at the signal agreed upon, went to his adopted father and said to him, that 
 he pitied the guests, who had for the most part asked quarter, that they might cease eating, 
 and give themselves to repose, and adding, that he meant to procure for every one a good 
 night's sleep. He began playing on the guitar, and in less than a quarter of an hour every 
 Indian was laid soundly to sleep. The young Frenchman immediately sallied forth to join 
 his companions, who were ready at the instant to push from the shore. 
 
 " The next morning a number of the Indians went, according to their custom on awaking, 
 to see the French, and found all the doors of their houses shut and locked. This strange 
 circumstance, joined to the profound silence which everywhere reigned through the French 
 settlement, surprised them. They imagined at first that the French were saying mass, or 
 that they were in secret council ; but after having in vain waited for many hours to have 
 the mystery solved, they went and knocked at some of the doors. The dogs who had been 
 left in the houses repHed to them by barking. They perceived some fowls also through 
 the palings, but no person could be seen or heard. At length, having waited until evening, 
 they forced open the doois, and to their utter astonishment found every bouse empty. 
 
 " The savages could not explain this movement. They could not comprehend how the 
 French, whom they knew to have no canoes, had got away, and there was no idle fancy 
 that did not enter into their heads rather than imagine in what manner t^e thing had hap- 
 pened. This was the fitst time in which boats had been used for such voyages. But had 
 the French possessed canoes, it would not have been possible to use them, as the rivers 
 were still covered with ice, and from this cause the Indians were prevented from success- 
 fully pursuing them. M. Dupuys took care however to leave nothing to fear from a pur. 
 suit. He used such diligence, that in spite of contrary winds which detained him a long 
 time on Lake Ontario, he arrived at Montreal in fifteen days. The pleasure of finding him- 
 self delivered from such imminent danger, could not however prevent him from feehng sen- 
 sibly, that so precipitate a flight was disgracefiil to his nation, and from regretting that for 
 the want of a trifling aid, he had been imable to sustain an establishment of so much im- 
 portance, and of giving law to a people who drew their strength and the right of insulting 
 them from their weakness. 
 
 " The Iroquois after this carried war into Canada, and in 1660, the colony was reduced 
 to extreme distress by sickness and the incursions of the savages. In the year following it 
 was ascertained that there was not less than twenty Frenchmen in Onondaga. They had 
 been taken prisoners, but were suffered to enjoy a considerable degree of Uberty. These 
 men had converted a wigwam into a chapel, where, in connection with many of the Hu- 
 rons and some of the Onondagas, they regularly assembled to say mass. It was reported 
 
ONONDAGA COUNTY. 251 
 
 also that the matrons of the Onondaga village, who are the principal eorpt d^Etat, had 
 taken no part in the conspiracy which had obliged Dupuys to retire, and that for seven days 
 successively they had wept with their children for the loss of the French priests. This re- 
 port however had no foundation in truth. The credulity of the Jesuit could not distinguish, 
 in matters of religion, between things which he only desired might be true and those which 
 were really so." 
 
 Location of the colonies of Dupuys. — It will be very natural to 
 conclude from the account which "we have now given of the colony 
 of Dupuys, that its location was contiguous to the Onondaga village. 
 Such however was not the fact, if by the village of Onondaga be 
 meant their principal village. From some incidental allusions made 
 in history to the relative position of this colony, it is to be inferred 
 that it was established upon grounds now occupied by the village of 
 Salina. In a passage of the history written by Francis Creuxius, 
 which we have already had occasion to quote, it is stated that the 
 place agreed upon for the residence of the French was distant from 
 the Indian village about four French leagues, and that this place was 
 distinguished for two remarkable springs, issuing from the same hill, 
 the one affording an abundance of salt water, the other of fresh. Me 
 states, also, that at this place there was an extensive meadow, or 
 spacious open grounds which reached down to the bank of the Lake 
 Gannentaha. It appears also from the circumstances connected with 
 the departure of the colony, that they must have been in the imme- 
 diate vicinity of the lake, as their batteaux were constructed in the 
 Jesuit's house, and launched and freighted without any allusion from 
 the historians to the time that must have been occupied or the diffi- 
 culties that must have been encountered in transporting them to the 
 place of debarkation. The reason why the narrative proceeds as 
 though the Onondaga village and the French settlement occupied the 
 same grounds, or were in (adjacent juxtaposition) to each other, is 
 this — that the Indians were distributed into different villages or en- 
 campments, one of which was in the immediate vicinity of the place 
 where Salina now stands. The main village was at Onondaga, but 
 a constant intercourse was kept up between the different encamp- 
 ments, and the French settlement was now a point of attraction 
 around which the Indians rallied ; and this explains the facility of 
 intercourse which existed between the French at Salina and the 
 Indians at Onondaga. 
 
 Skaneateles was taken from Marcellus in 1830. Pop. 3,981. 
 The village of Skaneateles is situated at the outlet or northern ter- 
 mination of the lake of that name, 18 miles SV/. from Syracuse, and 
 has about 1,500 inhabitants. It is one of the most delightful and pic- 
 turesque villages in western New York. The following shows the 
 appearance of the village of Skaneateles as viewed from the residence 
 of Mr. Joseph Barber, on the western Lake road in the vicinity of the 
 outlet of the lake, seen on the left ; the Episcopal and Presbyterian 
 churches are seen on the right. From this village the eye measures 
 about half the distance of the lake, which is 16 miles in length by an 
 average width of one mile. There is no marshy land on either shore 
 of this lake. The soil is of the best limestone quality, and the finely 
 
25;i ONONDAGA COUNTV. 
 
 Southwestern view of Skaneateles. 
 
 cultivated fields (mostly fenced with cedar posts and hemlock boards) 
 make a gradual descent for a considerable distance to the margin of 
 the lake. A railroad, 5 miles in length, has lately been constructed from 
 this village north to Elbridge, where it intersects the railroad from Al- 
 bany to Buffalo. A charter was obtained during the session of the legis- 
 lature in 1841, for extendinsr this lateral road 3 miles further north to 
 the village of Jordan, on the Erie canal, where that canal receives a 
 feeder from the Skaneateles lake, after its waters have afforded an 
 immense power for milling and manufacturing purposes, the descent 
 of the 8 miles from Skaneateles to Jordan being about 500 feet. The 
 railroad between these two villages will run near the margin of this 
 stream, affording important facilities to flouring mills and manufac- 
 turers. Goods will hereafter be carried on this road from Jordan 
 to Skaneateles, and thence through the lake to Cortland county. 
 Should a railroad be constructed from the head of the lake through 
 Homer south to the Susquehannah, (and such an enterprise is much 
 talked of) Skaneateles and Jordan will become places of exten- 
 sive business. Among the important items of transportation, will be 
 that of coal from Pennsylvania, to be more particularly distributed at 
 Jordan to various points. Previous to the making of the Erie canal, 
 the great thoroughfare for merchandise and emigration to the west 
 was through .Skaneateles. Since the completion of that work, this 
 village has not kept pace with some new towns which have grown 
 into large cities in a few years, under the peculiar advantages afford- 
 ed by the great internal improvements ; but from its unsurpassed 
 beauty of location, and its great facilities for manufacturing purposes, 
 it cannot but experience a steady and healthful growth, until at some 
 future day it will become a place of no ordinary importance. The 
 stranger who visits this beautiful village, often exjiresses surprise that 
 it has not long since been selected as the site of an extensive semina- 
 ry of learning, or some public benevolent institution. In the village 
 
ONONDAGA COUNTY. 
 
 253 
 
 are about 12 stores, a number of carriage-making establishments, an 
 extensive woollen factory, flouring mill, iron foundry, machine shop, and 
 various mechanics. The first grist-mill was erected m the village in 
 1795. About the same time the first merchant, Winston Day, estab- 
 lished himself here. Bricks were first made here in ITOT ; the first 
 tavern was erected the same year, and only two houses besides (of 
 logs) in what is now called the village. The town had been first 
 settled a few years earher on the old Genesee road. The first bridge 
 across near the outlet of the lake, was built about 1800. The first 
 church in the place was organized July 20th, 1801, and then styled 
 " The First Church of Christ in Marcellus." It was organized a Con- 
 gregational church, but subsequently changed to the Presbyterian 
 form of government. It is believed to be the first church of any de- 
 nomination that was formed in the old and formerly extensive town of 
 Marcellus. Tliere have been for many years past in the village a Bap- 
 list, Episcopal, and Methodist church, now flourishing societies. 
 
 View in the central part of Manlius. 
 
 The principal village, called Manlius after the name of the town, is 
 situated 3 miles S. of the Erie canal at Hulls landing, and about 5 
 miles from the railroad. It is 10 miles from Syracuse, and 134 from 
 Albany. Its population is estimated at between 11 and 12 hundred. 
 Annexed is a cut of the village ; the building with an attic and 
 cupola is the academy, the church to the right of it is the Presbyterian, 
 and the one on the opposite side of the street the Episcopa- 
 lian. This church is the oldest in the place, and formerly stood on 
 the top of the steep hill east of the academy, (not seen in the view,) 
 from whence it was removed on wheels to its present location a few 
 years since, with its steeple, bell, organ, &c., without jarring it so 
 much as to remove a square foot of plastering. The Baptist and 
 Methodist churches are not seen from this point. The latter was 
 originally ornamented with a spire, but as it was thought by some of 
 the congregation to betoken spiritual pride, it was torn down soon 
 after it was built, and in its place was substituted the present low tower. 
 The two story and a half building near and to the right of the acade- 
 my, was formerly a tavern, and is made up in part of the oldest frame 
 
254 ONONDAGA COUNTY. 
 
 in the village. The cupolas in the distance belong to cotton mills, of 
 which there are 3 in the place, known as the Limestone, Manlius, 
 (carried on by an incorporated company,) and Cold Spring factories. 
 There are also in this village 3 flouring mills, 3 coach factories, 2 fur- 
 naces, &c. The Manlius academy was incorporated April 13, 1835, 
 with nine trustees, who are authorized to fill vacancies in their number. 
 It has already attained the rank of fifth in the literary institutions of this 
 senate district, and received in 1840 from the regents of the univer- 
 sity $316.65, as its portion of the state literature fund. The number 
 of students during that year was 274, 62 of whom studied languages. 
 
 Fayetteville, about 2 miles N. of Manlius village, situated on a 
 feeder to the Erie canal, has about 100 dwellings, 4 churches, and an 
 incorporated academy. Marcellus, about 10 miles SW. of Syracuse, 
 contains about 80 dwellings, 3 churches, and a number of mills of vari- 
 ous kinds. Jordan, on the Erie canal, is an incorporated village, 12 
 miles W. from Syracuse, having about 150 dwellings, 3 churches, 10 
 stores, and a number of mills. Baldwinsville, a manufacturing village 
 12 miles NW. of Syracuse, is connected by the Seneca river with the 
 Oswego canal. It has upwards of 100 dwellings, and the Baldwins- 
 ville Seminaiy. 
 
 Pompey Hill, on an eminence which overlooks the country for a 
 great distance, contains about 70 dwellings, a Baptist and Presbjrte- 
 rian church, and an academy. " About two miles south of Manlius 
 square in the town of Pompey, are the remains of a tovra, which ex- 
 tended three quarters of a mile from north to south, and half a mile 
 from east to west. Large spots of black mould in regular intervals, 
 and a few paces apart, in which are ashes, mark out the sites of the 
 houses." Here were three forts of circular or elliptical forms, form- 
 ing a triangle which protected the approaches. Near Delphi, in the 
 southeast part of the town, are two falls 70 feet perpendicular ; near 
 this place are the remains of three ancient works. The largest con- 
 tains six acres, and has a triangular form. It had a ditch, rampart, 
 and gateway ; the others also have ramparts, ditches, and entrances. 
 There were many graves within the largest fort, over and around 
 which were trees 200 years old. With human bones were found axes, 
 brass kettles, gun-barrels, Spanish coins, &c. 
 
 The following account of a French colony located in this town in 
 the year 1666, is from a memoir by De Witt Clinton, on the antiqui- 
 ties of western New York. He derived the account partly from a 
 manuscript journal of one of the Jesuits, and partly from the sachems 
 of the Six Nations : — 
 
 " From the Jesuit's journal it appears that in the year 16GG, at the request of Karakon- 
 tie, an Onondaga chieftain, a French colony was directed to repair to liis village for the 
 purpose of teaching the Indians the arts and sciences, and endeavor if practicable to civil- 
 ize and Christianize them. We learn from the sachems that at this time the Indians had 
 a fort, a short distance above the village of Jamesville, on the banks of a small stream 
 near ; a little above which, it seems, the chief Karakontie would have his new friends set 
 down. Accordingly they repaired thither, and commenced the labor, in which being 
 greatly aided by the savages, a few months only were necessary to the building of a small 
 village. 
 
 " Thin little colony remained for three years hi a very peaceable and flourishing situa- 
 
ONONDAGA COUNTY. 555 
 
 tion, during which time much addition was made to the establishment, and among othen 
 a small chapel, in which the Jesuit used to collect the barbarians and perform the rites and 
 ceremonies of his church. About this time, (1669,) a party of Spaniards, consisting of 
 twenty-three persons, arrived at the village, having for guides some of the Iroquois, who 
 had been taken captives by some of the southern tribes. It appears evident that this par- 
 ty came up the Mississippi, passed Pittsburg, and on to Olean Point, where, leaving their 
 canoes, they travelled by land. They had been informed that there was a lake to the 
 north whose bottom was covered with a substance shining and white, which they took 
 from the Indians' description to be silver. 
 
 " Having arrived at Onondaga Lake and the French village, and finding no silver, they 
 seemed bent on a quarrel with the French, whom they charged with having bribed the 
 Indians, so that they would not tell them where the silver might be found. A compro- 
 mise was finally efiected, they agreed that an equal number of Spaniards and French 
 should be sent on an exploring expedition. The Indians seeing these strangers prowling 
 the woods, with various instruments, suspected some design to be in operation to deprive 
 them of their country. This jealousy was much increased by the accusation of the Eu- 
 ropeans themselves. The Spaniards told the Indians that the only object of the French 
 was to tyrannize over them. The French, on the other hand, asserted that the Spaniards 
 were laying a plan to rob them of their lands. 
 
 " The Indians by this time becoming jealous of both, determined in private council to 
 rid themselves of these intruders. Having privately obtained the assistance of the Onei- 
 das and Cayugas, they agreed upon the time and manner of attack. A little before day- 
 break on All-SainW Day, 1669, the Utile colony, together with the Spaniards, were 
 aroused from their slumbers by the discharge of fire-arms and the war-whoop of the sav- 
 ages. Every house was immediately fired or broken open, and such as attempted to es- 
 cape from the flames were killed by the tomahawk ; and not one of the colonists or Span- 
 iards was left alive to relate the sad disaster." 
 
 This history accounts, in the opinion of its author, for the appear- 
 ance at this place of a small village, the evident remains of a black- 
 smith's shop. In several other places in the county, says the Rev. 
 Mr. Adams, in his manuscript history, the remains of blacksmiths' 
 shops have been discovered, and in some instances the tools used by 
 the trade. A blacksmith's vice was found buried deep in the ground 
 on a farm in Onondaga Hollow, about three-fourths of a mile south 
 of the turnpike. But the eidstence of a fort near this spot, every ves- 
 tige of which is nearly obliterated, readily accounts for these relics 
 of civilization. In the cultivation of the lands lying upon the Onon- 
 daga creek, innumerable implements of war and of husbandry have 
 been found, scattered over a territory of four or five miles in length. 
 Swords, gun-barrels, gun-locks, bayonets, balls, axes, hoes, &c., have 
 been found. . 
 
256 ONTARIO COUNTY. 
 
 ONTARIO COUNTY. 
 
 Ontario county was taken from Montgomery in 1789, and in- 
 cluded all the land of which the pre-emptive right had been ceded to 
 the state of Massachusetts, which that state afterward sold to Phelps 
 and Gorham, and which afterward chiefly passed into the possession 
 of the Holland Land Company and the Pulteney estate. Ontario coun- 
 ty then extended from the pre-emption line a mile eastward of Geneva, 
 so as to include within its limits all the territory within the bounds of 
 this state west of that line. This was commonly known as the " Ge- 
 nesee countrv," although the title was occasionally more extensively 
 applied, and from it have been formed the counties of Steuben, Allega- 
 ny, Cattaraugus, Chatauque, Erie, Niagara, Genesee, Wyoming, Or- 
 leans, Monroe, Livingston, Yates, Wayne, in part, leaving to a tract 
 around the former chief town, (Canandaigua,) the name of Ontario. 
 In 1790, this extensive territory had only 1,075 inhabitants. The 
 surface is agreeably diversified, waving in gentle swells and valleys of 
 ample area, with tracts of champaign, and in the southern part more 
 or less hilly. The soil partakes of a considerable variety, but a wann 
 and rich mould forms the greater proportion, while along the borders 
 of Lake Ontario there are tracts of clayey loam, with but a slight ad- 
 mixture of mould. The principal streams are Fhnt creek, Canandai- 
 gua outlet, and Mud creek. The lakes are Canandaigua, Honeoye, 
 Caneadea, and Hemlock. Canandaigua lake is 14 miles long, and 
 from one to two broad, and is elevated 670 feet above the ocean. It 
 is navigable throughout. Its inlet is a small stream of some 5 or 6 
 miles long. The Honeoye,- 12 miles west, extends about 5 miles, and 
 is about a mile in breadth. The Caneadea, 2 miles W. of the Honeoye, 
 is but 3 miles long : the Hemlock is 6 miles long, varying from 1 to 2 
 in breadth. The county has 1 5 tovras : 
 
 Bristol, 
 
 Farmington, 
 
 Naples, 
 
 South Bristol, 
 
 Canadice, 
 
 Gorham, 
 
 Phelps, 
 
 Victor, 
 
 Canandaigua, 
 
 Hopewell, 
 
 Richmond, 
 
 West Bloomfield, 
 
 East Bloomfield, 
 
 Manchester, 
 
 Seneca, 
 
 
 Canandaigua village, the capital of Ontario county, is situated in N . 
 lat. 42° 48' 41", and 3° 20' W. long, from New York. Distant from 
 Albany 195 miles, from Buffalo 88, from Rochester 28, from Utica 
 111, from Sodus Bay on Lake Ontario 30, from the Erie canal at Pal- 
 myra 12, and from Washington city 365 miles. The principal part of 
 the village is built on a single street upwards of a mile in length, rising 
 by a gentle ascent from the lake. The annexed engraving shows the 
 appearance of the central part of the village as seen from the Genesee 
 road, about half a mile to the southwest. In the central part of the 
 street, (north and south,) is an open square, on the western side of 
 which are seen the courthouse, town-house, and post-office. Bios- 
 
ONTARIO COUNTY. 257 
 
 som's hotel stands on llie opposite side. Tlie railroad passes a few 
 yards westward of the courthouse. There are 4 churches — 1 Pres- 
 byterian, 1 Baptist, 1 Methodist, and 1 Episcopal — 2 banks, 2 print- 
 ing offices, a state arsenal and academy, and a female seminary. 
 The residences of the inhabitants, and the tasteful manner in which 
 their grounds are laid out, are, it is believed, not exceeded in beauty 
 in any village in this countr}'. Many of their mansions are large, 
 
 Southivest vieiv of the central part of Canandaigua.. 
 
 splendidly furnished, surrounded by trees, commodious walks, odor- 
 iferous shrubberies, beautiful gardens anil orchards adorned with 
 flowers and fruits of various kinds, giving an air of wealth and refine- 
 ment to this village rarely elsewhere to be found. The Ontario Fe- 
 male Seminary, founded by the subscriptions of the inhabitants, and 
 incorporated in 1825, is an institution of higli reputation. The num- 
 ber of pupils in 1839 was 174. 
 
 The Canandaigua academy was founded by the liberal donations of 
 Messrs. Gorham and Pheljjs. " The plan ot this school embraces a 
 thorough and extended course of English and mathematical study, 
 instruction m the Latin and Greek classics, to an advanced standing 
 of one or two years in our colleges, the teacliing of the French lan- 
 guage, and a department for the education of common school teach- 
 ers. A course of mathematical study, as extensive and as practical 
 as is usually pursued in our colleges, is taught in this academy. Sur- 
 veying and civil engineering are ably and practically taught." This 
 institution has been selected by the regents of the university as one 
 of the academies for the education of school teachers, and a depart- 
 ment for this purpose has been organized. The course adopted will 
 probably require three years, allowing the student to teach school four 
 months each year. The annual expenses of a student, for board, tui- 
 tion, room rent, and washing, are about SlOO. Many pupils, by adopt- 
 ing an economical mode of board, reduce their expenses to $60 a 
 year. 
 
 In the summer of 1788, the year after the purchase of western 
 New York by Messrs. Phelps and Gorham, Oliver Phelps left Gran- 
 ville, Mass., with men and means for the purpose of exploring and 
 surveying this extensive territory. The wilderness was penetrated 
 
 33 
 
258 ONTARIO COUNTY. 
 
 as far as Canandaigua, about 130 miles west of the German Flats, 
 then considered on the frontiers of civilization. By the assistance of 
 the Rev. Mr. Kirkland, the missionary among the Six Nations, and a 
 commissioner on behalf of Massachusetts, Mr. Phelps succeeded in 
 collecting the chiefs and warriors of those tribes whose warlike spirit 
 still rankled, on account of the chastisement inflicted by Sullivan's 
 expedition. This conference with the Indians was held on a beauti- 
 ful elevation overlooking Canandaigua lake. 
 
 " Two days had passed away in negotiation with the Indians for a cession of their lands. 
 The contract was supposed to be nearly completed, when Red Jacket arose. With the 
 grace and dignity of a Koman senator, he drew his blanket around him, and with a piercing 
 eye surveyed the multitude. All was hushed. Nothing interposed to break the silence, 
 save the rustling of the trce.tops, under whose shade they were gathered. After a long 
 and solemn, but not unmeaning pause, he commenced his speech in a low voice and sen- 
 tentious style. Rising gradually with his subject, he depicted the primitive simplicity and 
 happiness of his na'iun, and the wrongs they had sustained from the usurpations of the 
 wliite man, with such a bold but faithful pencil, that the Indian auditors were soon roused 
 to vengeance or melted into tears. 
 
 " Tile effect was inexpressible. But, ere the emotions of admiration and sympathy had 
 subsided, the while men became alarmed. They were in the heart of an Indian country, 
 surrounded by more than ten times their number, who were inflamed by the remembrance 
 of their injuries, and excited to indignation by the eloquence of a favorite chief. Appalled 
 and terrified, the white men cast a cheerless gaze upon the hordes around them. A nod 
 from the chiefs might be the onset of destruciion. At that portentous moment. Farmer's 
 Brother interposed. He replied not to his brother chief; but, with the sagacity truly abo- 
 riginal, he caused a cessation of the council, introduced good cheer, commended the elo- 
 quence of Red Jacket, and, before the meeting had reassembled, with the aid of other 
 prudent chiefs, he had moderated the fury of his nation to a more salutary review of the 
 question before them." 
 
 The reassemblage of the council in cooler blood was followed by 
 the satisfactory arrangement of the treaty, whereby the Indian title 
 to more than two millions of acres was extinguished. The following 
 account of facts connected with the operations of Phelps and Gorham, 
 arc from the Rochester Directory, published in 1827. 
 
 " After the treaty, Mr. Phelps surveyed the land into tracts, denominated Ranges, run- 
 ning north and south, and subdivided the ranges into tracts of six miles square, denominated 
 Townships, and designated each by numbers, beginning to number both ranges and town- 
 ships at the 82d mile-stone, in the southeast corner of the tract, [now the southeast comer 
 of Steuben county,] numbering the townships northwardly to the lake from one to fourteen, 
 and the ranges westwardly from one to seven. Thus, Bath is designated as township 
 number four, in the third range ; Canandaigua as township number ten, in the third range ; 
 Pittsford as number twelve, in the fifth range ; and Brighton as number thirteen, in the 
 seventh range of townships, in Gorham and Phelps' purchase. 
 
 " As the Genesee river runs about twenty-four degrees east of north below Avon, and 
 Mr. Phelps continued his seventh range of townships to the lake, the fifth range was left to 
 contain but twelve, and the sixth range but ten townships ; and, in order to square the 
 tract lying west of Genesee river, he set off two townships near the lake, which he called 
 the Short Range, now comprising the towns of Gates and Greece, [and part of Rochester;] 
 and the present towns of Caledonia, Wheatland, Chili, Riga, Ogden, and Parma, being then 
 four townships, he called the first range of townships west of Genesee river, in Gorham 
 and Phelps' purchase. 
 
 " This tract formed the counties of Ontario and Steuben for many years, until 1821, 
 when Monroe and Livingston counties were formed, except that part of it lying west of 
 the river, which was annexed to the county of Genesee at its organization in 1802, and the 
 south part of the seventh range set off from Steuben to Allegany. 
 
 " In 1789, Oliver Phelps opened a land-office in Canamlaigua — this waa the first land- 
 office in America for the sale of her furestjonds to settlers; and the system which he 
 adapted for the survey of his lands, by townships and ranges became a model for the man- 
 
ONTARIO COUNTY. . 259 
 
 ner of surveying all the new lands in the United States ; and the method of making his 
 retail sales to settlers by articles has also been adopted by all the other land-olHces of indi- 
 vidual proprietorships that have followed after him. 
 
 " The Article was a new device, of American origin, unknown in the English system 
 of conveyancing ; granting the possession, but not the fee of the land ; facilitating the fre- 
 quent changes among new settlers, enabling them to sell out their improvements and trans- 
 fer their possession by assignment, and securing the reversion of the possession to the 
 proprietor where they abandoned the premises. His land-sales were allodial ; and the other 
 land-offices following his example, have rendered the Genesee farmers all fee-simple land- 
 holders, which has increased the value of the soil and the enterprise of the people. 
 
 *' Oliver Phelps may be considered the Cecrops of the Genesee country. Its inhabitants 
 owe a mausoleum to his memory, in gratitude for his having pioneered for them the wil- 
 derness of this Canaan of the West." 
 
 Mr. Maude, who travelled through this part of the country in 
 1800, says : " Canandaigua, in 1792, was not further advanced in im- 
 provement than Geneva, as it then consisted of only two frame houses, 
 and a few log houses. It is now one third larger than Geneva, con- 
 taining 90 families, and is the county town. Canandaigua consists 
 of one street ; from this street are laid off sixty lots, thirty on each 
 side. Each lot contains forty acres, having only 22 perches, or 121 
 yards in front ; thirty lots consequently extend the town upwards of 
 two miles ; but the extremities of the present town are not more than 
 a mile and half apart. These lots are valued in their unimproved 
 state at $600 or $1,000 each. — The principal inhabitants of Canan- 
 daigua are, Thomas Morris, Esq., Mr. Phelps, Mr. Gorham, (who 
 are the greatest land-owners in Canandaigua and its neighborhood,) 
 and Judge Atwater. I was introduced also to Mr. Greig, from Mor- 
 peth, in England — a gentleman reading law with Mr. Morris." 
 
 " The settlement of this town," (Canandaigua,) says Mr. Spafford in 
 his Gazetteer, "commenced in 1790, and in 1797 I found it but 
 feeble, contending with innumerable embarrassments and difficulties. 
 The spring of that year was uncommonly wet and cold. Besides a 
 good deal of sickness, mud knee-deep, musquitoes and gnats so thick 
 that you could hardly breathe without swallowing them, rattle-snakes, 
 and the ten thousand discouragements everywhere incident to new 
 settlements, — surrounded by these, in June of that year I saw with 
 wonder that these people, all Yankees from Massachusetts, Connec- 
 ticut, and Vermont, were perfectly undismayed, ' looking forward in 
 hope, sure and steadfast.' They talked to me of what the country 
 would be, by and by, as it were history, and I received it as all fable. 
 In order to see the whole power of the county, a militia muster of 
 all the men capable of bearing arms, I waited a day or two to attend 
 the training. Major Wadsworth was the commanding officer, and, 
 including the npen who had guns and those who had not, the boys, 
 women, and children, it was supposed that near 200 persons were 
 collected. This training, one of the first, was held at Capt. Pitts's, 
 on the Honeoye, and lasted all day and all night." 
 
 The following inscriptions are copied from monuments in the grave- 
 yard in this place. 
 
 " Gideon Granger, died Dec. 31, 1822, aged 55 years. Mr. Granger was bom at Suf- 
 field, Coimecticut, on the 19th of Jtdy, 1767. Having completed his education at Yale 
 
260 
 
 ONTARIO COUNTY. 
 
 collefje. he soon appeared at the bar, where he sustained a liigh character. He early 
 minffiod in the pohtical conflicts of his country, in whose service he was engaged until a 
 short time bel'nre his death. His native state will long remember him as one of the ear- 
 liest and ablest advocates of her school fund system. For thirteen years he presided over 
 the general post-office department, with zeal and usefulness. Bold in design and ardent 
 in execution, true to his friends and liberal to his adversaries, warm in his attachments 
 and social in his habits, his life was endeared to his associates and valuable to mankind. 
 
 ' In memory of Nathaniel Gorham, who died Oct. 2lBt, 1826, aged 63 years." 
 
 " This is erected to the memory of the Hon. Oliver Phelps, Esq., who died 21st of 
 Feb. 1809. in the 60th year of his age. He was bom in the town of Windsor, in the 
 State of Connecticut. . . . On the 1st of April, 1788, the deceased, in company with 
 the Hon. Nathaniel Gorham, Esq., purchased of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 
 its pre-emptive right to the lands now comprised in the counties of Ontario, Steuben, Gen- 
 esee, Niagara, Cattaraugus, Chatauque, and Allegany. ... In March, 1802, he re- 
 ino\'pd with his family to this place, where he resided till liis death. He was ajipointed 
 the first Judge of the county of Ontario, and elected a representative in congress for the 
 district. . . 
 
 Northeastern vieiv of Geneva. 
 
 Tlie village of Geneva, one of the most beautifulh' situated places 
 in tlie state, was founded in 1794, by Messrs. Anuin and Barton, and 
 incorporated in 1812. Distant from Albany 179 miles, 98 from 
 Utica, 23 from Auburn, 106 from Buffalo, 10 from Canandaigua, 
 and r)8 N. of Elmira. Tlie Cayuga and Seneca canal connects 
 Geneva with the Erie canal at Mojilczuina, a distance of 20 miles, 
 one half canal and one half slack-water navigation. The village is 
 situated at the N\V. corner of Seneca lake, on the side and summit 
 of an eminence 120 feet above the surface of the lake. The princi- 
 pal street runs parallel with the lake shore ; the mansion houses on the 
 eastern side in the southern part of the village have terraced gardens 
 reaching down to the lake. Few, if any ])laccs in this country, can 
 be selected, which present more attractions for persons retiring from 
 business, wiio wish the enjoyments of a counti-y life, combined with 
 
ONTARIO COUNTY. 2(51 
 
 the advantages of social intercourse. The village contains about 
 480 dwellings, 1 Episcopal, 1 Presbyterian, 2 Methodist, 1 Baptist, 
 1 Associate Reformed, 1 Reformed Dutch, 1 Catholic, and 1 Univer- 
 salist church, a bank, with a capital of $400,000, and 2 newspaper 
 printing offices. 
 
 The Geneva college, in this place, was founded by the inhabitants 
 and incorporated in 1825, having a president, a professor of mathe- 
 matics and natural philosophy, a professor of the Latin and Greek 
 languages and literature, a professor of statistics and civil engineer- 
 ing, a professor of modem languages, history, and belle-letters, a profes- 
 sor of chemistry and mineralogy. There is also a medical depart- 
 ment, having four professors. " This college was one of the first, if 
 not the very first, to adopt those liberal improvements which afford 
 the advantages of a scientific and literary education to young men, 
 who, from the want of time or inclination, are averse to entering on 
 the study of the classics^ and who, were no provision made to meet 
 the exigency, would be deprived of many advantages to be derived 
 from collegiate instruction." The college buildings are situated on 
 the summit of the elevation which rises from the lake at the southern 
 extremity of Main-street, a site rarely, if ever, surpassed for beauty 
 and salubrity. 
 
 The following, relative to the early history of Geneva, is from 
 Maude's Travels through this part of the country in 1800. 
 
 " Geneva is situate at the northwest extremity of Seneca lake. It is divided into Upper 
 and Lower Town, The first establishments were on the margin of the lake, as best adapted 
 to business ; but Capt. Williamson, struck with the peculiar beauty of the elevated plain 
 which crowns the high bank of the lake, and the many advantages which it possessed as a 
 site fur a town, began here to lay out his building-lots parallel with and facing the lake. 
 These lots are three quarters of an acre deep, and half an acre in front, and valued (in 
 1800) at $375 per lot. One article in the agreement with Capt. Williamson is, that no 
 buildings shall be erected on the east side of the street, that the view of the lake may be 
 kept open. Those who purchase a lot have also the option of purchasing such land as lays 
 between their lot and the lake^a convenience and advantage which I suppose few will 
 forego — the quantity not being great, and consisting principally of the declivity of the bank, 
 which, for the most part, is not so steep as to unfit it for pasturage or gardens. 
 
 " To give encouragement to this settlement, Capt. Williamson built a very large and 
 handsome hotel, and invited an Englishman of the name of Powell to take the superintend, 
 ence of it. Capt. Williamson has two rooms in this hotel appropriated to himself; and as 
 lie resides here the greater part of the year, he takes care that Powell does justice to the 
 establishment and to his guests. From this cause it is, that, as it respects provisions, 
 liquors, beds, and stabling, there are few inns in America equal to the hotel at Geneva. 
 That part of the town where the hotel is situated is intended for a public square. At Mile- 
 point, a mile south of the hotel, Capt. WiUiamson has built a handsome brick house, 
 intended for the residence of his brother, who had an intention of establishing at Geneva. 
 
 "In 1792, Geneva did not contain more than three or four families ; but such is the 
 beauty, salubrity, and convenience of the situation, that it now consists of at least sixty 
 families, and is rapidly receiving accessions as the new buildings get finished for their re- 
 cepiion. There were at this time, (1800,) settled at Geneva, Mr. and Mrs. Colt, Messrs. 
 Johnstone, Hallet, Rees, Bogart, and Beekman ; three of these gentlemen were lawyers. 
 Here were also two doctors, two storekeepers, a blacksmith, shoemaker, tailor, hatter, hair. 
 dresser, saddler, brewer, printer, watchmaker, and cabinet-maker. A hat made entirely 
 of beaver is sold here for $10. 
 
 " Geneva is supplied with water conveyed in pipes from a neighboring spring, and also 
 by wells. From the lake, the town is plentifully supplied with a great variety of excellent 
 fish. Seneca lake is forty-four miles long, and from four to six miles wide. Its greatest 
 :!f>p!h is not known; the water is very clear and wholesome ; the bottom is sand and gravel. 
 
262 ORANGE COUNTY. 
 
 with a clear sandy beach, like the seashore, and, consequently, not infested with musqui- 
 toes, &c. This lake is navigated by a sloop of forty tons, which runs as a packet, and 
 carries on a trade between Geneva and Catherinetown, at the head of the lake." 
 
 The village of Vienna is beautifully situated at the junction of Flint 
 creek and the outlet of Canandaigua lake, on the line of the Auburn 
 and Rochester railroad, 6 miles S. of the Erie canal and 14 from Ca- 
 nandaigua. It is the principal produce market for the surrounding 
 country. There are here 4 churches, an Episcopal female seminary, 
 15 stores, 1 printing office, 5 flouring mills, which manufacture 37,300 
 barrels of flour annually, 2 grist-mills, 5 saw-mills, 5 plaster-mills, 1 
 clover-mill, 1 furnace, and many other manufacturing establishments. 
 Vienna has a population of 1,400. In the vicinity are inexhaustible 
 beds of gypsum, water and quick lime. 
 
 ORANGE COUNTY. 
 
 Orange, an original county, was organized in 1683 ; since modified 
 by the subtraction of Rockland county and additions from Ulster coun- 
 ty. Greatest length E. and W. 37, greatest breadth N. and S. 30 
 miles. Centrally distant NW. from New York 65, from Albany SE. 
 85 miles. On the east it is bounded by the Hudson, along whose banks 
 are some of the highest mountains of the Highlands. Bear mountain 
 is 1,350 feet in height, the Crow's Nest 1,418, and Butter Hill 1,530 
 feet above tide. The county is exceedingly fertile, and agriculture is 
 conducted with great skill. Large quantities of sheep and cattle are 
 raised. Its butter is celebrated. " In mineral productions this county 
 is rich ; there are vast beds of magnetic iron ore, chiefly in the town of 
 Monroe ; in no part of the state is there, in an equal area, a greater 
 quantity of this important mineral ; there is also a bed near the village 
 of Canterbury. Besides the above, hematic ore is also found in abun- 
 dance, and it will, no doubt, be of great value, whether used separately 
 or in mixtures with the magnetic ores. There are also several other 
 deposites of minerals found here." W^alkill river, a large and impor- 
 tant mill stream, on which are located extensive manufacturing estab- 
 lishments, passes through near the central part of the county, in a 
 northerly direction. It rises in New Jersey, and empties into the Hud- 
 son near Kingston, in Ulster county. The New York and Erie railroad 
 enters the SE. portion of the county and passes through the towns of 
 Monroe, Blooming Grove, Goshen, Minisink, Walkill, Mount Hope, 
 and Deer Park. It is divided into 14 towns : 
 
 Blooming Grove, Goshen, Montgomery, Walkill, 
 
 I Cornwall, Hamptonburg, Mount Hope, Warwick. 
 
 Crawford, Minisink, Newburg, 
 
 Deerpark, Monroe, New-Windsor, 
 
ORANGB COUNTY. 
 
 263 
 
 Newbitrg was organized in 1788. The township has a hilly and 
 broken surface, and a good soil, much ot" which is under high culti- 
 vation. Pop. '<A n. , 
 
 South View of Newhurg. 
 
 Newhurg, the half-shire village of Orange county, was originally 
 settled by fhe Palatines irom Germany in 1708 : it was incorporated 
 in 1800. It lies upon the steep acclivity of a hill rising from the 
 
 Washington's Head-quarters, Newhurg. 
 river to the height of about 300 feet. Being thus situated, the village 
 makes a fine ap'pearance when seen from the river. The river mar- 
 gin, about 600 feet wide, affords space for convenient quays and 
 docks. A large business centres here from the neighboring counties. 
 There are 3 banks, 3 newspaper printing offices, an incorporated 
 academy, 8 churches, and about 800 dwellings. The village is 84 
 miles from Albany, 61 from New York, 8 from West Point, 10 irom 
 Poughkeepsie, and 20 miles from Goshen, the other half-shire town. 
 
264 ORANGE COUNTY. 
 
 From the upper terrace of the village there is a fine prospect to the 
 S. of West Point, the Crow's Nest, Butter Hill, and the two Beacon 
 mountains ; on the SE. Pollopel's Island ; on the E. the picturesque 
 valleys of the Matteawan and Wappmger's creeks, and the village of 
 Fiskhill Landing. 
 
 The preceding is a northern view of the old stone house in the south 
 part of Newburg village, formerly the quarters of Washington when 
 tlie American army were in cantonment in the vicinity, at the close 
 of the revolutionary war. In the spring of 1783, when the troops were 
 about to be disbanded without their pay, there was great discontent 
 among them. At this time an anonymous letter was addressed to 
 the officers, artfully calculated to excite passion. It was dated March 
 10th, 1783. It was subsequently ascertained, (says Mr. Dunlap,) to 
 have been written by Major Armstrong, afterward secretary of war. 
 
 " The author assumes the character of a veteran who had sufTered with those he ad. 
 dressed. He tells them that to be tame in their present situation would be more than 
 weakness, and must ruin them forever. He bids them 'suspect the man who would advise 
 tu more moderation, and longer forbearance.' He then describes the high state in which 
 the country has been placed by their services. And says, 'does this country reward you 
 with tears of gratitude and smiles of admiration, or does she trample on your rights, disdain 
 your cries, and insult your distresses ?' He advised them to carry their appeal from the 
 justice, to the fears of government. 'Assume a bolder tone — say, that the slightest indig 
 nity from congress now must operate like the grave, and part you from them forever.' 
 That if peace takes place, ' nothing shall separate you from your anns but death : if war 
 continues, that you will retire to some unsettled country, with Washington at your head, 
 and mock at the distresses of government.' The insidious expression of 'courting the aus- 
 pices, and inviting the direction of their illustrious leadei',' was calculated to make the 
 army believe that Washington would join them in rebellion against his country, and was 
 certainly a bold artifice, coming, as it did, from one in constant correspondence with Gene. 
 ral Gates, and attached to him both by inclination and office. 
 
 " The commander-iu-cliief noticed the anonymous address in orders, with pointed disap- 
 probation, and requested that the general and field officers, with a proper representation 
 from the staff of the army, would assemble on the 15th instant, to hear the report of the 
 committee deputed by the army to congress. This request was seized upon, and repre- 
 sented in a second paper as giving sanction to the proceedings of the officers, and they 
 were called upon to act with energy. On the 15th of March, the commander-in-chief ad- 
 dressed the convention of officers, (Gencal Gates being the chairman,) in the language of 
 truth, feeUng, and affection. He overthrew all the artifices of the anonymous writer and 
 his friends, one of the principal of whom sat in the chair. Washington noticed the advice 
 to mark for suspicion the man who should recommend moderation. He feelingly spoke of 
 his own constant attention, from the commencement of the war, to the wants and suffer- 
 ings of the army, and then pointed out the dreadful consequences of following the advice 
 of the anonymous writer, either to draw their swords against their country, or retire, if 
 war continues, from the defence of all they hold dear. He calls to mind the scenes in which 
 they had acted together, and pledges himself to the utmost exertion for obtaining justice to 
 his fellows in arms. He requests them to rely on the promise of congress. He said, ' I 
 conjure you, in the name of our common country, as you value your own sacred honor, as 
 you respect the rights of humanity, to ecpress your utmost horror and detestation of the man 
 who wishes, under any specious pretences, to overturn the liberties of your country ; and 
 who wickedly attempts to open the floodgates of civil discord, and deluge our rising empire 
 in blood." 
 
 " The convention resolved, unanimously, among other things, that ' the army have un. 
 shaken confidence in congress, and view with abhorrence, and reject with disdain, the in. 
 famous pro-positions contained in a late anonymous address to the officers of the army.' " — 
 Surdap's Hist, of New York. 
 
 New Windsor was organized in 1788. It has an uneven surface, 
 generally fertile and well cultivated. Pop. 2,482. The village of New 
 Windsor, said to be the oldest village in the county, is situated about 
 
ORANGE COUNTY. 
 
 26.: 
 
 2 miles south Iroin A'e\vl)urg, and lies at the confluence of Cham- 
 bers' creek with the Hudson. The heud-iiuarters of Washington was 
 for a time here, iii an humble Dutch-like mansion. 
 
 Birthplace of De Witt Clinton, New Windsor. 
 
 " De Witt Clinton was bom in the village of New Windsor, March 2d, 1769. His 
 paternal ancestors were of Norman origin. His grandfather, Mr. Charles Clinton, at 
 the head of a company of associates, emigrated from Ireland in 1729, and settled in this 
 town. His father. General James Clinton, was a brave and useful officer in the French 
 and Indian wars, and in the revolutionary struggle. A short time previous to the revolu. 
 tion he married Miss Mary De Witt, a lady of Dutch descent. The fruilof this union wera 
 four sons, ol whom De Witt was the second. His early education was intrusted to the care 
 of the Rev. Mr. Moffat, the pastor of the Presbyterian church in Little Biitain. At the age 
 of thirteen he was transferred to an academy at Kingston, then conducted by Mr. John 
 Addison. Here he remained two years, when he entered the junior class of Columbia col. 
 
 Facsimile of De Witt Clinton's signature. 
 
 lege. At this institution he distinguished himself as a schuI.Tr, nnd closed his academic ca- 
 reer in 1786, when lie received the usual degree of bachelor of arts, taking, at the com- 
 mencement, the highest honor which the msiiiution could bestow. He thereupon com- 
 mcnced the siudy of the law under Samuel Jones, Esq., a celebrated counsellor. After re- 
 ceivmg the usual licences or degrees in his profession, he was abruptly called from the fur- 
 ther cuhivation of the pursuit by circumstances arising from the situation of political affairs 
 in the state. "The germs u'i the two great parties which have since divided the country, 
 were at that time beginnmg to appear. His uncle, Geurgc Clinton, then governor of the 
 state, was assailed by a combination of almost all the talents ol" that section of the country, 
 and pampliiels and newspaper essays were poured upon the public with unr-eslrained pro- 
 fusion. Mr. Ciintun, relinquishing every other pursuit, entered warmly and exclusively into 
 the vindication of the conduct and prmciples of his uncle ; and it is believed that the 
 greater part of the controversial politics on the anti-federal or democraiic side was man- 
 aged by him dunne this period of turbulence. He continued with his uncle as his secreta- 
 r>' during his adniinistraiion, wliich ended in 179."). Mr. Clinton had been honored wnile 
 with his uncle with the office of secretary of the University, and of the Board of Fortifica- 
 tions of New York. Upon the retirement of the governor he also withdrew from public 
 hfe. But his eiTorts as an individual, in rallying and supporting the party of which he 
 mi2"ht then have been considered the leader, were not for a moment remitted. To do this 
 with effect, however, it seemed necessary that he should be placed in a pubhc station ; and 
 accordingly, in 1796, he was elected a member of the assembly from the city of New York, 
 and in 1800 was chrosen a senator from the southern district, and a member (if the council 
 
 34 
 
266 OEANGE COUNTY. 
 
 of appointment. From the senate of this state, by a joint ballot of both branches of the 
 legislature, he was elected to a seat in the senate of the United States, where he took an 
 active interest in the concerns of the country, in relation to the differences then existing 
 with the Spanish authorities at New Orleans. His continuance in that august body, how. 
 ever, was short, as on receiving the appointment of mayor of New York in October, 1803, 
 it became necessary that he should resign it, the duties of the two offices being by law in. 
 compatible. This office he held by successive appointment, with the exception of twenty- 
 two months, until 1815. Notwithstanding the political change in the state in 1813, such 
 was the public confidence in him, that he was continued in office during the exciting pe. 
 riod of the late war. When President Madison received a nomination for a second term, 
 Chnton was put in opposition, and received 89 electoral votes; while Madison was elected 
 by 128. Clinton early became a strong partisan in favor of the Erie canal, and it is owing 
 to the bold stand which he took in favor of this great enterprise that his popularity in a 
 measure was owing. In the summer of 1810, he went on a tour with other commissioners 
 for exploring the route of this work. This country was then comparatively a wilderness, 
 and there was not a house where the city of Rochester now stands. In the spring of 
 1815 he was superseded in his office of mayor, and deprived of all his public employments 
 except that of canal commissioner. In 1817, he was elected governor of the state, which 
 station he held until the commencement of the year 1823. In the autumn of 1832, he de- 
 chned another nomination, and returned to the pursuits of private life, holding only the 
 office of canal commissioner; from which he was removed in the spring of 1824 by an 
 overwhelming vote of the legislature. At the time of this vote, he had for fourteen years 
 been steadily engaged in promoting the cause of the internal navigation of the state, and 
 whether in or out of office, had received no compensation for these services. The news of 
 his removal had no sooner reached the principal towns in the state, than large meetings 
 were held to express the popular indignation at this measure. In the city of New York, 
 not less than 10,000 persons assembled at the call, among whom were some of his strong 
 poUtical opponents. The consequence was, that the people rebuked this vote in a most 
 emphatic manner six months afterward by electing hiin their governor, and by the largest 
 majority ever previously known in the state, in a contested election ; which office he held 
 until his death. When the success of the canal policy was made apparent, other states 
 eagerly embarked in similar enterprises, and he was invited to visit Pennsylvania and Ohio, 
 to give the aid of his high authority to their projects of internal improvement. When the 
 canal connecting the Ohio with Lake Erie was commenced, to him was assigned the com. 
 pliment of removing the first earth of the excavation. His journey through that state, like 
 the progress of Lafayette, was one continued triumph. His popularity extended to all 
 classes. The merchants of New York of all political parties, grateful for his exertions in 
 behall of the canal, and sensible of its influence upon their prosperity, presented him with 
 two large and rich silver vases. De Witt Clinton died suddenly on the 11th of February, 
 1828, aged 59 years. This event cast a gloom throughout the state, and in public meet- 
 ings expressions were sent forth of heartfelt sorrow. Although placed in circumstances 
 where most men would have accumulated unbounded riches, he manifested an utter indif. 
 ference to money, and died in honorable poverty. Even the plate presented to him by the 
 merchants of New York was exposed to sale after his death. 
 
 " Chnton was possessed of the sterner virtues, and would not sacrifice feeling to princi. 
 pie. Although a prominent mason, his stand in relation to the abduction of Morgan is in 
 character. " The sheriff of one of the frontier counties was accused of participation in 
 this abduction. The governor forthwith propounded a series of written interrogatories re. 
 lative to his agency in the transaction, and on his refusal to answer, issued a proclamation 
 removing him from office. This person, it is to be recollected, was his steadfast friend and 
 political supporter ; but he would not allow any personal considerations to weigh against 
 the public interest. In an interview which the removed sheriff sought, he said, ' Strong as 
 is my attachment to you, I will, if you are guilty, exert myself to have you punished to the 
 extent of the laws.' To which the trembling culprit replied in faltering tones, ' I have done 
 nothing worthy of chains or death.' Unlike most American statesmen, Clinton was de. 
 voted to hterary and scientific pursuits, and was an efficient patron of learning. His wri. 
 tings place him high in the ranks of science. 
 
 " Clinton's person, in his youth and early manhood, was remarkable for its masculine 
 beauty, and as years advanced assumed a majestic character. His stature was upwards of 
 six feet, straight and finely proportioned. His eyes were a dark hazel, approaching to 
 black, and highly expressive ; his hair brown ; his complexion clear, and more florid than 
 us»al among Americans ; his teeth fine, giving a peculiar grace to his smile ; his nose 
 slightly aquiline. His habits of reflection and close study were marked in the ordinary ex- 
 pression of his countenance, which, controlled at an early period of his life to the gravity 
 
ORANGE COUNTY. 
 
 267 
 
 becoming the magistrate and the eenafor, presented an appearance of seriousness almost 
 approaching to austfrily. \Vhen speaking in public, however, his face expressed, with the 
 utmost tlexibiiity, the varying emotions to wliirli his words gave vent; while in the inter- 
 course of private life and in familiar conversation, the gravity whicii rested on his features 
 when not excited, gave way on occasion to pla^'fuIness and mirth.' He truly exhibited 
 the picture of a ' great man, an elegant and profound scholar, and a practical citizen — a 
 man of letters and the world, and a character of active worth to the present generation 
 and of suhd and permanent advantage to posterity.' " 
 
 \Vcste?'n View of tJie public buildings at Goshen. 
 
 Goshen, the half-shire village of Orange county, was founded in 
 1722, and incorporated in 1809; the first court was holden in 1727. 
 It is 20 miles W. from Newburg, 60 from New York, and 100 S. from 
 Albany. It contains a bank, 2 newspaper printing offices, 2 academies, 
 (1 for males and 1 for females,) and about 60 or 70 dwellings. In the 
 annexed engraving, the old stone courthouse, which was built about the 
 conimencement of the revolutionary war, is seen on the left : about the 
 time of Its erection the king's arms were affixed over the door, but the 
 revolutionary excitement was so great at this place, that these royal 
 emblems were destroyed the first night after they were set up. The 
 Episcopal church and the female academy are seen on the left. The 
 Presbyterian churcli is seen near the central part of the engraving. 
 
 Middletown, 7 miles NW of Goshen, is a thriving village on the fine 
 of the New York and Erie railroad. It contains 3 churches and a bank. 
 
 Montgomery village, on the E. bank of the Walkill, 10 miles N. 
 from Goshen, contains about 150 dwellings, 3 churches, and an incor- 
 porated academy, \^'alden is a manufacturing village of about 75 
 dwellings, 14 miles NE. from Goshen. " The drowned lands'' of Or- 
 ange county lie along the Walkill creek, m the towns of Minisink, 
 Warwick, and (loshen. These lands, when drained, are productive. 
 
 West Point IS romantically situated on the west bank of the Hudson 
 river, 52 miles from New York, and 94 from Albany. It is the site of 
 the United Slates Militaiy Academy, established by an act of Congress 
 in March, 1&02; and the land ceded to the United States government 
 by the state of New York in 1826. 
 
268 
 
 ORANGE COUNTY. 
 
 JSorthern view of West Point. 
 
 "West Point is a spot of peculiar interest. It has been hallowed 
 by the footsteps of a Washington, a Kosciusko, and a Lafayette; it 
 is consecrated by a nation to the Spartan-like training of a few de- 
 voted sons from every state of our wide-spread union : nor less sa- 
 credly secluded by nature as the scene of retirement and study ; it 
 seems alike calculated to please the pensive sage and the aspiring 
 youthful soldier ; while even female loveliness vouchsafes to paint its 
 memories in lines of hope and brightness, as ' the boast of a glory hal- 
 lowed land:' 
 
 ' Brii^ht are the moments liiik'd with thee, 
 Boast ot a glory liallowed land ; 
 Hope of the vahant and tlie tree, 
 
 Home of their youthful soldier band.' 
 
 " The view of West Point as you enter the Mountain Gap. after 
 you leave Newburg, is delightful. On the left is Cozzens' hotel ; beyond 
 it are the academic halls, barracks, cliapel, &c., apjiropriated to the 
 cadets; and on the right, are the comfortable dwellings occupied by 
 the othcers of the academy. C)n the left, at the angle of the plain, 
 are traces of Fort Clinton ; and on the right, towering far above 
 Camptown, (the suburb occupied by soldiers and citizens,) stands Fort 
 Putnam, on mount Independence, venerable in its ruins^' stern monu- 
 ment of a sterner age,' which survived the attempts of treason and 
 the assaults of bravery, only to yield its hallowed materials to the 
 desecration of a rapacious owner. Of the three monuments which 
 now meet your eye, the one on the right and nearest to you, on a 
 
 Srojecting tongue of land bordered with thick groves, is the Cadet's 
 lonument, erected to the memory of the deceased oliiccrs and 
 cadets of the academy. It cost $12,000. The centre one, near the 
 flag-staff, is a cenotaph, erected by Gen. Brown to the memory of 
 
ORANGE COUNTY. 269 
 
 Colonel Eleazer D. Wood, an early and distinguished graduate of the 
 academy, who fell at the sortie of Fort Erie, in 1814. And the 
 monument on the left, over the levelled redoubt or citadel of Fort 
 Clinton, is sacred to Kosciusko." 
 
 The military academy was established by act of congress, in 1802. 
 It was not however until 1812, that it was placed on an elBeient 
 basis, sufficient to meet the wants of the country. The number 
 of applicants for cadet appointments is very great. In selecting 
 these, the descendants of revolutionary officers are considered as 
 having peculiar claims to notice. The ratio of appointments is about 
 three for each congressional district in four years, and on an average 
 only about one third of those who enter graduate. The age of ad- 
 mission is limited from sixteen to twenty-one years ; and the acquire- 
 ments necessary are an acquaintance with reading, writing, and 
 the elementary principles of arithmetic. There are generally here 
 about 250 cadets who are instructed by no less than 34 gentlemen, 
 themselves graduates of the institution. 
 
 " The months of July and August in each year are devoted solely 
 to military exercises ; for which purpose the cadets leave the bar- 
 racks and encamp in tents on the plain, under the regular poUce and 
 discipline of an army in time of war. For this purpose, the cadets 
 are organized in a battalion of four companies, under the command 
 of the chief instructor of tactics and his assistants. The corporals 
 are chosen from the third class, or cadets who have been present one 
 year ; the sergeants from the second class, who have been present 
 two years ; and the commissioned officers, or captains, lieutenants, 
 &LC., are selected from the first class, or highest at the academy. All 
 the other cadets fill the ranks as private soldiers, though necessarily 
 acquainted with the duties of officers. In rotation they have to per- 
 form the duty of sentinels, at all times, day or night, storm or sun- 
 shine, in camp, and evenings and meal-times, in barracks. Cadets 
 who have been present two encampments, are allowed, if their con- 
 duct has been correct, to be absent the third, on furlough. The 
 drills or military exercises, consist in the use of the musket, rifle, can- 
 non, mortar, howitzer, sabre, and rapier, or broad and small sword ; 
 fencing, firing at targets, &c., evolutions of troops, including those of 
 the line ; and the preparation and preservation of all kinds of ammu- 
 nition and materials for war. The personal appearance of the corps 
 of cadets cannot fail to attract admiration ; especially on parade or 
 review. The uniform is a gray coatee, with gray pantaloons in 
 winter, and white linen in summer. The dress cap is black, with 
 dark pcmpoon. The splendid band of music, which, under Willis, 
 made hill and valley ring with notes of ' linked harmony long drawn 
 out,' though changed, still pleases ; and under its new leader, pro- 
 mises soon to deserve its former renown, as the best in our country. 
 
 " The cadets return from camp to barracks on the last of August, 
 and the remaining ten months of the academic year are devoted to 
 their arduous studies. The ceremony of striking the tents and march- 
 ing out of camp is so imposing, as to be well worth an effort of the 
 
270 ORANGE COUNTY. 
 
 visiter to be present on that occasion. On the previous evening, the 
 camp is brilliantly illuminated ; and being enlivened with music, danc- 
 ing, and bevies of beautiful strangers, presents quite a fairy scene. 
 
 " For the sake of more full instruction, each class is divided into 
 several sections, each having a separate instructor. Thus each cadet 
 is called upon, at almost every recitation, to explain a considerable 
 portion of the lesson ; for the morning recitations generally occupy 
 two hours each. The written or delineated demonstrations, are ex- 
 plained on a black-board in the presence of the whole section. 
 
 " The studies of the first year are algebra, geometry, descriptive 
 geometry, trigonometry, and the French language. All the mathe- 
 matical studies are practically taught and applied to numerous pro- 
 blems not in the books ; on the resolution of which greatly depends 
 the reputation and standing of each rival candidate for pre-eminence. 
 The studies of the second year, are the theory of shades, shadows, 
 and perspective, practically illustrated ; analytic geometry, with its 
 application to conic sections ; the integral and differential calculus, or 
 science of fluxions ; surveying and mensuration ; the French lan- 
 guage, and the elements of drawing, rhetoric, grammar, geography, 
 and topography with the pen. This completes the course of mathe- 
 matics, and also of French, which the cadets learn to translate freely 
 as a key to military science, but which few of them speak fluently. 
 
 " The third year is devoted to a course of natural philosophy, in- 
 cluding mechanics, optics, electricity, magnetism, and astronomy ; 
 together with chemistry, and sketching landscapes with the pencil. 
 
 " The fourth and last year is appropriated to the study of artillery 
 and infantry tactics ; the science of war, and fortification, or military 
 engineering ; a complete course of civil engineering, embracing the 
 construction of roads and bridges, railroads and canals, with the im- 
 provement of rivers and harbors, &.c. &. ; a course of mineralogy, 
 geology, and military pyrotechny ; together with moral philosophy, 
 and national and constitutional law. 
 
 " To test the progress of the cadets in these studies, semi-annual 
 examinations are held, commencing on the first Mondays of January 
 and June ; at the latter of which a board of visiters, appointed by the 
 secretary of war, is present, to make a critical official report of the 
 state of the academy. The examination of all the classes usually 
 occupies about a fortnight, and is very severe ; but still is not con- 
 sidered the full test of individual proficiency. Each instructor makes 
 a weekly class report, on which is recorded the daily performance 
 of each cadet ; those who excel being credited 3, and those who fail 
 entirely marked 0. These marks are accessible to the cadets from 
 week to week, and stimulate their exertions : finally, they are summed 
 up at the end of the term, and laid before the academic staff" and 
 visiters ; so that the standing of each cadet is influenced not only by 
 his examination, but by all his previous recitations. A certain pre- 
 scriptive proficiency being required of the cadets in each branch, 
 those who fall below this limit are necessarily discharged from the 
 service. Averaging the last ten years, where a class of one hundred 
 
ORANGE COUNTY. 
 
 271 
 
 enters the academy, it is reduced to about seventy at the end of six 
 months, sixty at the end of one year, lifty at the end of two years, 
 and forty at the end of tliree years; not more than about thirty-tive 
 graduating. 
 
 " There is a general merit-roll of every class, made out at the end 
 of each academic year ; the merit ol' each cadet being expressed by 
 a number denoting his proficiency or acquirements. But the final 
 standing of each cadet, on wliich depends his rank in the army, is 
 determined by the sum of his merit in all the difTerent branches ; and 
 this depends not only on his actual proficienc}' in any branch, but also 
 on its relative importance. This latter is thus estimated at present by 
 the academic staff, viz : Conduct 300 ; engineering 300 ; mathematics 
 300 ; natural philosophy 300 ; chemistry and mineralogy 200 ; rheto- 
 ric, ethics, and law 200; infantry tactics 200; artillery 100; French 
 100 ; and drawing 100. Hence the individual who should excel in all 
 the branches, would be credited with 2,100 on the final merit-roll ; but 
 no more than three or four such instances have ever occurred at the 
 academy. The cadet in each class having the greatest sum of merit 
 is placed first on the roll, and so onward ; and he who is deficient in 
 only one single branch is discharged, or else turned back another year 
 to receive a second probation." — Hunt's Letters about the Hudson. 
 
 The graduates of the military academy are entitled by law to a 
 preference over otl«er applicants for commissions in the army. On 
 graduating they receive the commissions of brevet, second lieuten- 
 ants, and are subsequently promoted on the occurrence of vacancies. 
 
 On the river bank at the point 
 where the Hudson turns sud- 
 denly to the souih, about 30 
 rods east of Cozzens' hotel, 
 (seen in the drawincr,) stands 
 the monument of Kosciusko. 
 It was completed in 1829, by 
 the corps of cadets, at an ex- 
 pense of about $5,000. In 
 the vicinity of the monument is 
 Kosciusko's garden, " whither 
 the Polish chieftain was accus- 
 tomed to retire for study and 
 reflection. Marks of cultivation 
 are perceptible in the disposition 
 of tile walks and trees, and the 
 beautiful seclusion of the spot still 
 Koscmsko's Monument. invite to thought and repose." 
 
 " Thaddeus Kosciusko, an officer in the American revolutionary war, was born in Li- 
 thuania, in 1756, of an ancient and noble family, and educated at the military school of 
 Warsaw. He afterward studied in France. He came to -America, recommended by 
 Franklin to Washington, by whom he was appointed an aid. He was also appointed an 
 engineer with the rank of colonel, in Oct., 1776. He fortified the camp of Gen. Gates in 
 his campaign against Burgoyne, and was afterward sent tu West Point, to erect the works 
 there. He was highly esteemed both by American anil French officers. He was admitted 
 a member of the Cincinnati, and received the thanks of congress for his services. At the 
 close of the revolutionary war, he returned to his native country, and was made major-ge- 
 neral under Poniatowski. Ho fought several battles with great bravery, but all his ellbrta 
 were destroyed by the miserable conduct of the Polish diet. In the month of April, 1794, 
 on the breaking out of a new revolution, he was made generalissimo, with the power ot a 
 
IrZ 
 
 OtlANGE COU\TV. 
 
 dictator. Hl- mnnntrcci wiih great address and bravery, until the 10th of October, when 
 bciiiy; ovcTjMiw ( rrd and wounded, hu was nindc pnsoiuT, and carried to St. Petersliurg. 
 lie w.i^ kip; MI riiKlincmcni. until ihc dcaili {>{ Catlienne, when he was rcheved [ly Paul, 
 loaded v, i;h iiunur--, and ulli, red empluynient in the Russian f--er\ice, which he declined. It 
 IS said ilia^ uliin the entperor pre-^enied hini wjib his own swurd, Kuseiusko told him, 'I 
 11(1 li.in;:! r need a --wmd — 1 ha\e no lonner a ftjiiiitry.' In 1797, be visited the Uniied 
 Siaii'>, and n. rci\cd a ijrant inun coiiL'ress tur his services. In the latler part ol Ins lile he 
 retired to Sw n/rriand, uhn-c lie i]\>-d m Ocr. 1(>, Lsl7. His rrni;iin« were taken to Cra- 
 cow, and a jjublic luncral made tur him at Wai.iaw, wheic almost dnuiu liunurs were paid 
 iuiii." — li^ucyclujosflui .line I icaiia. 
 
 Ancient view of West Point. 
 
 [The above view of West Point as it appeared during the revolution, is copied from a plate 
 in the New York Mac;a7ine, published in 179*). E.rplanaiion. A, Constitution Island, on the 
 east side of the river. B, A cham, 4-V> yard-^ in lenfith, reaching across the Hudson. G, Fori 
 Cimton, the principal fort, and intended lor the defence of the river against any naval force.] 
 
 " After the capture of forts Washiniiton and Lee, during the revolution, the British as- 
 cended the river freely in their armed ships. But in the execution of Washingtotrs design 
 of shutung up the enemy in New York, by the assistance of the French naval and military 
 forces, it became necessary to exclude him from the Hudson. Skilful engineers sent out 
 by the French monarch, selected West Point as the most advantageous position for com- 
 mandini: the river. The hill, composed of huge crags and blocks of stone, fantastically 
 heaped by nature, protrudes to the middle of the river, impelling its waters to the opposite 
 bank, and narrowing the channel to less than half a mile in widili. 
 
 " The clitl" selected for the fortress, rests against a lofty ridge broken into small emi- 
 nences, that form a species of amphitheatre, washed below by the river. It rises in terra- 
 ces, (he first of which is very narrow, and nearly level with the river ; the second, approach- 
 able by a steep ascent of 80 or 90 feet, and the third, rising 188 feet above the water, 
 spreads into a plateau of more than a mile in circumference, on which the principal works 
 were constructed ; the chief of which, was Fort Clinton. The declivity is exceedingly steep 
 nearly all around, and the only side on which the enceinte was accessible, was thickly 
 palisaded, and defended by batteries. An escalade, the sole mode of carrying the works, 
 was subjected tu extreme hazard. There were several redoubts upon the eminences, which 
 commanded Fort Clinton, of which Fort Putnam was the most important. These covered 
 each other, and the garrison and ammunition stores were under bomb proot casements. 
 The works partly hewn in the rock, and partly constructed of enormous trunks of trees, 
 felled on the spot, communicating by defiles, formed a group of strongholds, connected by 
 a common svstem of defence. The upper forts were seeured from assault by the rugged- 
 ness of the ground, thick woods, and numerous ahatis^ which made the transport of artil- 
 lery impracticable, whilst they gave full protection to the lower ones. 
 
ORANGE COUNTY. 273 
 
 " But, another work besides these impre^able fortifications, was necessary to the com- 
 mand of the river. Constitution Island divides the bed of the Hudson unequally, at the 
 bend round the Point ; the western branch being a marshy shallow. The island, a maw 
 of rock, was defended by batteries on a level with the water, and the glacis formed in the 
 rock, bade defiance to trenches. A heavy chain cramped into the rocks at either end, sup- 
 ported by buoys, stretched across the angle made by the river, and formed an effectual bar. 
 
 " The great object of the works on both sides, was to protect this chain. Twenty pieces 
 of heavy ordnance, discharging grape, menaced those who should attempt to cut a link, and 
 would have inevitably sunk their boats. If a vessel, iron beaked, impelled by wind and 
 tide, should attempt it, the chain moving on a roller would grow slack, and the shock, thua 
 broken, would be again strained to its due tension, smd the vessel, turned aside, must be 
 stranded on one or the other shore, and remain exposed to the fire of the batteries, which 
 might be poured upon all points of the Strait. These forts, provided with necessary muni- 
 tions, were defended by four thousand men. They had been built in the course of a single 
 year, almost without cost ; the soldiers who labored at them received no pay, and the 
 French engineers superintending, in the minutest detail, the execution of their own plaua, 
 had no emolument whatever. This post was much desired by the British commanders, 
 and its surrender was to have been the first fruit of Arnold's treason." — Gordon's Gazet. 
 
 The name of Little Britain is given to a district of about 4 miles 
 square, in Hamptonburg and New Windsor, settled in 1722 by Col. 
 Charles Clinton, (the progenitor of the distinguished family of Clinton,) 
 and his associate emigrants from Ireland. 
 
 " George Clinton, 
 the youngest son of Col. 
 Charles Clinton, was 
 born in Orange county, 
 July 15, 1739. His ed- 
 ucation was superin- 
 tended by his father, a 
 gentleman of a highly 
 cultivated mind, assist- 
 ed by a minister of the 
 gospel, named Daniel 
 
 Fae-simileof George Clinton's signature. Thain, who had been 
 
 educated at the university of Aberdeen. He evinced at an early age 
 that spirit of activity and enterprise which marked his after life. Du- 
 ring what was called the French war, he left his father's house, and 
 entered on board of a privateer, which sailed from the port of New 
 York; and after encountering great hardships and perils, returned 
 home, and immediately accepted a lieutenancy in a company com- 
 manded by his brother James. He was present at the capture of Fort 
 Frontenac, now Kingston, where the company to which he belonged 
 behaved with great gallantry. After the usual time of study he was 
 admitted to the bar, and practised with much success in his native 
 county, until his election to the colonial assembly, where he became 
 the head of the whig party, or minority, and uniformly opposed the 
 arbitrary course of the government. He was chosen, April 22d, 1775, 
 a delegate to the continental congress ; and in 1776, he was appointed 
 brigadier-general of Ulster county, and some time after, a brigadier in 
 the army of the United States. At the first election under the consti- 
 tution of the state, which was adopted April 20, 1777, he was chosen 
 both governor and heutenant-governor. Having accepted the former 
 office, the latter was filled by Pierre Van Cortlandt. He continued in 
 
 35 
 
274 ORLEANS COUNTY. 
 
 the chief magistracy of the state during six terms, or 18 years, when 
 he declined a re-election. In consequence of the great number of lo- 
 ries who resided in the state of New York, and its distracted condition, 
 the situation of Governor Clinton w-is more arduous and important than 
 any other in the Union, save thai of the commander-in-chief. He, 
 however, behaved with the greatest energy, not only as chief magis- 
 trate, but as an actual head of the militia ; and for a long time resisted 
 the altacks of the whole British army, commanded by Sir Henry Clin- 
 ton. By a vigorous e.\ertion of authority, in the impressment of flour, 
 on an important occasion, he preserved the army from dissolution. 
 His conduct at the storming of the forts Montgomery and Clinton, in 
 October, 1777, was particularly praiseworthy. He was greatly instru- 
 mental in crushing the insurrection under Shays, which took place in 
 Massachusetts, in 1787. 
 
 " Governor CHnton was unanimously chosen president of the con- 
 vention which assembled at Poughkeepsie June 17, 1788, to deliber- 
 ate on the new federal constitution. After remaining five years in 
 private life, he was elected a member of the state legislature, at a time 
 when the country was in an agitated and critical condition, and it is 
 affirmed that his influence was the principal cause of the great politi- 
 cal revolution which look place in 1801. At that period he was also 
 induced again to accept the station of governor, and after continuing in 
 that capacity for three years, he was elevated to the vice-presidency 
 of the United States, a dignity in which he continued until his demise at 
 Washington, April 20, 1812. He married Cornelia Tappan, of Kings- 
 ton, Ulster county, by whom he had one son and five daughters. 
 
 " The following anecdotes are related of his energy and decision : — ' At the conclusion of 
 the revolutionary war, when violence against the tories was the order of the day, a British 
 officer was placed on a cart in the city of New York, to be tarred and feathered. This 
 was the signal of violence and assassination. Governor Clinton, at this moment, rushed in 
 among the mob with a drawn sword, and rescued the victim at the risk of his life.' ' Some 
 years after, a furious assemblage of people collected, called the doctors^ mob, and raged 
 through New York, with the intention of kilting the citizens of that city, and pulling down 
 their houses, on account of their having dug up bodies for dissection. The violence of this 
 mob Intimidated the local magistrates. Governor Clinton fortunately appeared in person, 
 called out the niiiitia, and restored peace to the city.' He discharged the functions of vice- 
 president with great dignity. It was by his casting vote while in that station, that the re- 
 newal of the bank charter was negatived. In private life, he was kind and amiable, and 
 warm in his friendships ; as a public man, he is entitled to respectful remembrance." 
 
 ORLEANS COUNTY. 
 
 Orleans county was taken from Genesee in 1824. It is 24 miles 
 long E. and W., and 18 miles broad N. and S. It is centrally distant 
 from Albany 257, and from New York 302 miles. The summit of 
 the mountain ridge extends across the county at an elevation of about 
 340 feet above Lake Ontario. Parallel with this, on the alluvial way, 
 runs the ridge road. With these exceptions, the face of the country 
 is generally level. The soil, mostly clay and argillaceous loam, is 
 highly fertile. Grain is raised in considerable quantities. The Erie 
 
ORLEANS COUNTY. 
 
 275 
 
 canal passes centrally through the county. The whole county was 
 included in the grant to Massachusetts. The towns of Barre, Carl- 
 ton, Games, Ridgeway, Shelby, and Yates belonged to the Holland 
 Land Company ; while Murray, Clarendon, and Kendall belonged to 
 the Pulteney estate. The county was chiefly settled by New Eng- 
 landers, and is divided into 9 towns, viz : 
 
 Barre, Gaines, Ridgeway, 
 
 Carlton, Kendall, Shelby, 
 
 Clarendon, Murray, Yates. 
 
 View of the public buildings in Albion. 
 
 Albion, founded in 1823 by Nehemiah Ingersoll and George Stan- 
 dart, Jr., the county seat of justice, incorporated in 1828, lies near the 
 centre of the county upon the Erie canal ; from Albany, by the- canal, 
 30.5, from Rochester 35, from Buffalo 58, from Lockport 28 miles. 
 The annexed view was taken from the door of the Baptist church. 
 The first building on the right, a large brick structure, is the Albion 
 Female Seminary ; the small building in the centre of the engraving, 
 is the county clerk's oiBce. The building with a cupola is the court- 
 house, and the one partially seen in the rear, the jail. There are in 
 the village 1 Presbyterian, 1 Baptist, and 1 Methodist church, the 
 Orleans county bank, 2 weekly newspaper offices, and about 220 
 dwelhngs, many of them large, neat, and commodious. The surround- 
 ing country abounds in fruit. Medina is situated on the Erie canal, 
 10 miles W. of Albion, at the junction of the Oak Orchard creek, 
 which is used as a feeder ; the village contains upwards of 100 dwell- 
 ings and 5 churches. 
 
 OSWEGO COUNTY. 
 
 Oswego county was taken from Oneida and Onondaga counties in 
 1816 ; centrally distant from New York NW. 295, and from Albany 
 
276 OSWEGO COUNTY. 
 
 150 miles. Greatest length E. and W. 37 miles, greatest breadth N. 
 and S. 30 miles. The surface is level upon the west, ^uth, and 
 southeast ; in the interior rolling, and in the north rising into hills. 
 The soil generally is of a medium quality, some of it highly fertile, 
 better adapted to grass than grain. With the exception of the Oswego 
 river there are no large streams. " The towns west of the Oswego 
 river constituted a part of the military tract. The towns east of the 
 river constitute a part of ' Scriba's patent.' These lands were origin- 
 ally granted to Nicholas Roosevelt, of New York, who not complying 
 with the terms of sale, they were sold to George Scriba, a native of 
 Germany, and at that time a merchant in New York. The town of 
 Richland, a large part of Volney, about one half of Scriba, and the 
 town of Vienna, in the county of Oneida, upon a sale of part of Mr. 
 Roosevelt's interest by process from chancery, were jointly purchased 
 by Gen. Alexander Hamilton, John Lawrence, and John B. Church." 
 The county has 21 towns. 
 
 Albion, 
 
 Hastings, 
 
 Palermo, 
 
 Schroeppel, 
 
 Amboy, 
 
 Mexico, 
 
 Parish, 
 
 Scriba, 
 
 Boylston, 
 
 New Haven, 
 
 Redfield, 
 
 Volney, 
 
 Constantia, 
 
 Orwell, 
 
 Richland, 
 
 West Monroe, 
 
 Granby, 
 
 Oswego, 
 
 Sandy Creek, 
 
 WiUiamstown. 
 
 Hannibal, 
 
 
 
 
 Oswego village, post and half-shire town, port of entry and delivery 
 for Oswego district, is 45 miles W. from Sacketts harbor, 60 from 
 Kingston, Upper Canada, 60 from the mouth of Genesee river, 140 
 from the mouth of Niagara river, and 150 from Toronto in a straight 
 line, and 38 from Syracuse on the Erie canal. The village lies on 
 both sides of the Oswfego river, with which it is connected by a bridge 
 700 feet in length. The portion on the eastern side is within the fim- 
 its of the town of Scriba. 
 
 The facilities which its situation gives for commerce and manufac- 
 tures are great, commanding the markets of the lakes and the St. Law- 
 rence river, and connected with the interior of the state by the Oswego 
 and Erie canals. The water-power afforded by the canal and river is 
 very extensive, and upon them are many large manufacturing estab- 
 lishments. The harbor is formed at the mouth of the river by a pier 
 of wood, 30 feet broad, filled with stone, and built by the general gov- 
 ernment, extending on the west side 1,250 feet, and on the east 250, 
 between which there is an opening for vessels. Within the pier the 
 water is from 10 to 20 feet deep. The cost of this work was $93,000. 
 There is here an excellent marine railway constructed at considerable 
 expense. The village is laid out on streets 100 feet wide, running at 
 right angles. The courthouse is of wood, on the east side of the river. 
 There is also 1 Presbyterian, 1 Episcopal, 1 Methodist, 1 Baptist, 1 
 Congregationalist, and 1 Catholic church, an incorporated academy, 
 the Bank of Oswego, capital $150,000, the Commercial Bank of Os- 
 wego, incorporated in 1836, capital $150,000, and about 600 dwell- 
 ings, Pop. 12,209, 
 
IIW^^^^^^^^^^^^ 
 
OSWEGO COUNTY. 277 
 
 " The fort here was of great military importance during the colonial 
 wars. A factory was established by the New York government in 
 1722 ; and a fort erected on the west side of the river in 1727, and 
 enlarged in 1755 ; which, with Fort Ontario, built on an eminence on 
 the east in the latter year, were on the 14th of August, 1756, reduced 
 by the French, under Gen. Montcalm." The following account of 
 the investment and surrender of these forts is taken from the 26th 
 number of the London Magazine, for the year 1757. 
 
 " The works at Oswego at this time consisted of three forts — viz, the old fort on the west 
 side of the river, and two forts on the east side, situated on two eminences, which latter 
 were commenced the year previous, and were in an unfinished state. These works were 
 very weak, and the walls of insufficient strength to resist heavy artillery. The English 
 relied for a defence upon having a superior naval force upon the lake. Unfortimately, the 
 naval armament at that time fitting out was incomplete. On the 6th of August, Colonel 
 Mercer, commanding officer of the garrison, which consisted of about 1,600 men, having 
 received intelligence of a large encampment of French and Indians about twelve miles 
 distant, despatched a schooner with an account of it to Capt. Broadley, who was then on a 
 cruise with a large brigantine and two sloops, at the same time desiring him to sail as far 
 eastward as he could, and to endeavor to prevent the approach of the French on the lake. 
 The next day a violent gale of wind drove the brigantine ashore while attempting to get 
 into the harbor. The French seized this opportunity to transport their heavy cannon within 
 a mile and a half of the fort, which he would not have been enabled to have done had it 
 not been for this disaster. On the morning of the 11th, some canoes were seen to the 
 eastward, and the schooner was sent out to make a discovery of what they were ; she was 
 scarce half a mile distant before she hoisted a jack at mast head, fired a gun to leeward, 
 and stood in again for the harbor, and brought intelligence that they had discovered a very 
 large encampment, close round the opposite point; on which the two sloops, (the large 
 brigantine being still on shore,) were sent out with orders if possible to annoy the enemy. 
 They proceeded to within gun-shot of the enemy's camp, when they were fired upon from 
 a battery of four twelve pounders. This fire was briskly returned from both vessels, but to 
 no purpose, as their shot fell short of the shore, and the enemy's cannon being large and 
 well managed, hulled the vessels almost every shot. After firing several broadsides the 
 vessels returned. 
 
 " The same day the French invested the place with about 32 pieces of cannon, from 12 
 to 18 pounders, besides several large brass mortars and hoyets, (among which artillery was 
 included that taken from Gen. Braddock,) and about 5,000 men. About noon they began 
 the attack of Fort Ontario with small.arms, which was briskly returned with small-arms 
 and 8 cannon of that fort, and shells from the opposite side of the river. The garrison on 
 the west side of the river was this day employed in repairing the battery on the south side 
 of the old fort. That night the enemy were engaged in approaching Fort Ontario, and 
 bringing up their cannon against it. On the 12th, the enemy renewed then- fire of small, 
 arms on Fort Ontario, which was briskly returned. The garrison on the west side were 
 employed as the day previous. 
 
 " The French on the east side continued their approaches to Fort Ontario. Notwith. 
 standing the continued fire upon the enemy and the death of their chief engineer, by 10 
 o'clock next morning they opened a battery of cannon within 60 yards of the fort. At 12 
 o'clock. Col. Mercer sent the garrison word to destroy their cannon, ammunition, and pro- 
 visions, and to evacuate the fort. About 3 P. M., the garrison, consisting of about 370 men, 
 effected their retreat to the west side of the river without the loss of a man, and were em. 
 ployed on the night of the 12th in completing the works at the fort at the West hill. On 
 this night as well as the night before, parties of the enemy's irregulars made several unsuc. 
 cessful attempts to surprise the advanced guards and sentries on the west side of the river 
 On the night of the 13th, the enemy were employed on the east side of the river in bringing 
 np their cannon and raising a battery against the old fort. A constant fire was kept upon 
 them from the west side. The cannon which most annoyed the enemy were four pieces, 
 which were reversed on the platform of an earthen work which surrounded the old fort, 
 and which was entirely enfiladed by the enemy's battery on the opposite shore. In this 
 situation, without the least cover, the train, assisted by a detachment of 50 of Shirley's regi. 
 nient, behaved remarkably well. At daybreak, the 14th, the English renewed the fire of 
 their cannon on that part of the shore where they had the evening previous observed the 
 enemy erecting a battery. This was returned from a battery of ten 12 pounders. jVbout 
 
^278 
 
 OSWEGO COUNTY. 
 
 9 A. M., 2,500 of the enemy crossed the river in three columns. At this time Lieul Col 
 Mercer was killed by a cannon ball. About 10 o'clock, the enemy had in readiness a bat. 
 tery of mortars. All the places of defence were either enfiladed or ruined by the constant 
 fire of tiie enemy's cannon ; 2,500 French and Indians were in the rear of the works ready 
 to storm, and 2,000 regulars were rendy to laud in fnmt under cover of ihcir cannon. At 
 tlii=^ juncture, Col. Littlehales, upon whom the command now devolved, called a council of 
 war, who were, with the encrmcers, unanimously of opinion, that the works were no longer 
 tenable, and that it was by no means prudent tu risk a slorm with such unequal numbers. 
 The ^ chatnade' was accordingly ordered to be beat. The soldiers throughout the siege 
 showed great bravery, and it was with difficulty ihat they could now be restrained from con- 
 tinuinii their resistance. On beating the ' chainade,^ the firing ceased on both sides, and 
 two officers were sent to the French general, to know upon what terms he would accept a 
 surrender. Upon which Montcalm replied, that the Engfi^h were an enemy he esteemed ; 
 that none but a brave nation would have tliought of defending so weak a place so long, 
 against such a strong train of artillery and superior numbers; that they might expect what, 
 ever terms were consistent with the service of His Most Christian Majesty; he accordingly 
 sent the following proposals, viz: — 
 
 " ' The Marquis of Monealm, army and field marshal, commander-in-chief of His Most 
 Christian Majesty's troops, is ready to receive a capitulation upon the most honorable con- 
 ditions, surrendering to him ail the forts. They shaii be shown all the regard the politest 
 nations can show; I send an aid-de-camp on my part — viz, Mons. De Bougainville, captain 
 of dragoons; they need only send the capitulation to be signed; I require an answer by 
 noon ; I have kept Mr. Drake for an hostage. Montcalm. 
 
 " * Aug. 14, 1750.' " 
 
 " The terms required by the English were honorably i^ranted. 
 The victors immediately dismantled tl>e forts and carried off the gar- 
 rison, 121 pieces of cannon, 14 mortars, great qunntittes of amtnuni- 
 tion and warlike stores, two sloops of war, and 200 boats and bat- 
 teaux." 
 
 West view of Fort Oswego. 
 
 The folIoAving is the American official account of the attack upon 
 this pince during the late war, taken from a newspaper published at 
 the time. C-opy of a letter from Maj. Gen. Brown to the secretary 
 -of war, dated 
 
 *'if. Q., Sarkeits Harbor, May 12, 1814., 
 *■ Sir. — Enclosed is an abstract from tiip report of Lieut. Col. Mitchell, of the afhiir at 
 Oswegii. Being well satisfied with the manner ni which the colonel executed my orders, 
 and with ilie c\idenrc given of steady discipline and gallant conduct on the part of the 
 troops, I have noticed ihern in the general order, a copy of which is enclosed. — The ene- 
 tay's object was the naval and military stores deposited at the falls, 10 miles in the rear of 
 
OSWEGO COUNTY. 279 
 
 the fort. These were protected. The stores at the fort and village were not important. 
 I am, &.C. JicoB Brown, Mai. Gen. 
 
 "Hon. Secretary at War." 
 
 " Report.— I informed you of my arrival at Fort Oswego on the 30th ult. This post 
 being but occasionally and not recently occupied by regular troops, was in a bad state of 
 defence. Of cannon, we had but five old guns, three of which had lost their trunnions. 
 What could be done in the way of repair was effected — new platforms were laid, the gun 
 earriages put in order, and decayed pickets replaced. On the 5ih inst. the British naval 
 force, consisting of 4 large ships, 3 brigs, and a number of gun and other boats were descried 
 at reveille — beating about 7 miles from the fort. Information was immediately given to 
 ■Oapt. Woolsey of the navy (who was at Oswego village) and to the neighboring militia. It 
 Seing doubtful on what side of the river the enemy would attempt to land, and my force 
 (290 effectives) being too small to bear division, I ordered the tents in store to be pitched 
 j>n the village side, while I occupied the other with my whole force. It is probable that 
 ihis artifice had its effect and determined the enemy to attack where from appearances they 
 expected the least opposition. About 1 o'clock, the fleet approached. Fifteen boats, large 
 and crowded with troops, at a given signal moved slowly to the shore. These were pre- 
 ceded by gun-boats sent to rake the woods and cover the landing, while the larger vessels 
 opened a fire upon the fort. Capt. Boyle and Lieut. Legate, (so soon as the debarking 
 boats got within the range of our shot,) opened upon them a very successful fire from the 
 shore battery, and compelled them twice to retire. They at length returned to the ships, 
 and the whole stood off from the shore for better anchorage. One of the enemy's boats 
 which had been deserted, was taken up by us, and some others by the militia. The first 
 mentioned was 60 feet long, and carried 36 oars and 3 sails, and could accommodate 150 
 men. She had received a ball through her bow, and was nearly filled with water. — Piquet 
 guards were stationed at different points, as we lay on our arms during the night. — At day. 
 break on the 6lh, the fleet appeared bearing up under easy sail. The Wolfe, &c., took a 
 position directly against the fort and batteries, and for 3 hours kept up a heavy fire of 
 grape, &,c. Finding that the enemy had effected a landing, I withdrew my small disposa- 
 ble force into the rear of the fort, and with two companies (Romayne's and Melvin's) met 
 their advancing columns, while the other companies engaged the flanks of the enemy. 
 Lieut. Pearce of the navy, and some seamen, joined in the attack, and fought with their 
 characteristic bravery. We maintained our ground about 30 minutes, and as long as con- 
 sisted with my further duty of defending the pubUc stores deposited at the falls, which no 
 doubt formed the principal object of the expedition on the part of the enemy. Nor was this 
 movement made precipitately. I halted within 400 yards of the fort. Capt. Romayne's 
 company formed the rear-guard, and remaining with it, I marched to this place in good 
 order, destroying the bridges in my rear. The enemy landed 600 of De Wattevilles regi. 
 ment, 600 marines, two companies of the Glengary corps, and 350 seamen. — Gen. Dnim- 
 mond and Cora. Yeo, were the land and naval commanders. They burned the old bar- 
 racks and evacuated the fort about 3 o'clock in the morning of the 7th. — Our loss in killed 
 is 6, in wounded 38, and in missing 25. That of the enemy is much greater. Deserters 
 and citizens of ours taken prisoners and afterward released, state their killed at 64, and 
 wounded in proportion — among these are several land and naval officers of merit.* — I can- 
 not close this despatch without speaking of the dead and the living of my detachment. 
 Lieut. Blaney, a young man of much promise, was unfortunately killed. His conduct was 
 highly meritorious. Capt. Boyle and Lieut. Legate merit my highest approbation, and 
 indeed I want language to express my admiration of their gallant conduct. The subalterns, 
 M. Comb, Ansart, Ring, Robb, Earl, McClintock, and Newkirk, performed well their 
 several parts. — It would be injustice were I not to acknowledge and report the zeal and 
 patriotism evinced by the militia, who arrived at short notice, and were anxious to he 
 useful. 
 
 " S. Q., Sacketts Harhor, 12 May, 1814. 
 
 " General orders. — Maj. Gen. Brown has the satisfaction of announcing to the troops 
 of his division, that the detachment under the command of Lieut. Col. Mitchell of the corps 
 
 • Commodore Chauncey, in a letter about this date to the secretary of the navy, states — 
 " The enemy has paid dearly for the little booty he obtained at Oswego. From the best 
 information which I can collect, both from deserters and my agents, the enemy lost 70 
 men killed, and 165 wounded, drowned and missing — in all 235 ; nearly as many as were 
 opposed to them. Capt. Mulcaster is certainly mortally wounded ; a captain of marines 
 killed, and a number of other officers killed and wounded." 
 
280 OTSEGO COUNTY. 
 
 of artillery, have by their gallant and highly military ponduct on the 5th and 6th inst., 
 gained a name in arms worthy of the nation they serve and the cause they support. For 
 nearly two days they maintained an unequal contest against ten times their number, and 
 but yielded their post when the interest of their country made that measure necessary. 
 The companies composing this gallant detachment were Boyle's, Romayne's, Mclntire's, 
 and Pierce's, of the heavy artillery, and a few seamen under the command of Lieut. 
 Fearce of the navy, — in all less than three hundred men. The enemy's force by land 
 and water exceeded three thousand men." 
 
 Pulaski village, half-shire town, was incorporated in 1833. Cen- 
 trally situated on Salmon river, 4 miles from its confluence with Lake 
 Ontario, 36 N. of Salina, and 60 from Utica. The river at this place 
 affords considerable water-power, on which are a number of grist and 
 saw mills, and several manufacturing establishments. There are 
 about 80 dwellings, a number of churches, a courthouse and prison. 
 
 Fulton, incorporated in 1835, is a flourishing place at the Oswego 
 Falls, 10 miles frorri Oswego. It has 4 churches, an academy, about 
 200 dwellings, and 1,400 inhabitants. The centre of the village is 
 half a mile below, or north of the Oswego Falls, on the east bank of 
 the Oswego river, at a point where a dam is constructed for the use of 
 the Oswego canal. The village limits extend above the falls, and in- 
 clude the state reservation, which has been laid out as a village and 
 partly sold, called " Oswego Falls." The water-power is extensive, 
 and can be used on both sides of the river at the dam, and also at the 
 natural falls. The fall is about 12 feet at each place. 
 
 OTSEGO COUNTY. 
 
 Otsego county was taken from Montgomery in 1791. Centrally 
 distant from New York city NW. 200, and from Albany W. 66 miles. 
 Its form is very irregular. Greatest length N. and S. about 40 ; great- 
 est breadth E. and W. 35 miles. 
 
 This county is considerably elevated, though there are no distinct 
 ranges of mountains of much height. A larger portion of the soil of 
 the county is rich and productive. A large amount of capital is in- 
 vested in agriculture and manufactures. The Susquehannah river, 
 rising in the Otsego lake, flows southerly to the bounds of the county ; 
 then turning southwesterly, forms a part of the southern boundary. 
 The Unadilla bounds the county on the west. Otsego lake, 9 miles 
 long and from 1 to 3 wide, and Schuyler's lake, 5 miles long and from 
 1 to 2 wide, are beautiful sheets of water. The hills which en- 
 compass Otsego lake, have an elevation of from 400 to 500 feet above 
 its surface. The purity of its waters, and the rich and varied scenery 
 about it, render it attractive to the lovers of natural scenery. Portions 
 of this county were settled as early as 1739. The mass of the 
 settlers were emigrants from the eastern states. The county is di- 
 vided into 22 towns : 
 
OTSEGO COUNTY. 
 
 281 
 
 Burlington, 
 
 Buttermits, 
 
 Cherry Valley, 
 
 Decatur, 
 
 Edmeston, 
 
 Exeter, 
 
 Hartwick, 
 
 Laurens, 
 
 Maryland, 
 
 Middlefield, 
 
 Milford, 
 
 New Lisbon, 
 
 Oneonta, 
 
 Otego, 
 
 Otsego, 
 
 Pittsfield, 
 
 Plainfield, 
 
 Richfield, 
 
 Springfield, 
 UnadiUa, 
 Westford, 
 Worcester. 
 
 Cooperstown, the county seat, distant from New York by way of 
 Catskill 200 miles, of Albany 211 ; from Albany 66, and from Utica, 
 SE., 36 miles, is beautifully situated at the southern end of Otsego 
 lake, at the head of the Susquehannah river. 
 
 Western view of Cooperstown. 
 
 The site of the present village is said to have been a favorite place 
 of resort with the savages from a remote period, for the purpose of 
 hunting and fishing. The word "Otsego" is thought to be a com- 
 pound which conveys the idea of a spot at which meetings of the In- 
 dians were held. There is a small rock near the outlet of the lake, 
 called the " Otsego Rock," at which precise point the savages, ac- 
 cording to an early tradition, were accustomed to give each other 
 the rendezvous. 
 
 " It should also be stated, that the present site of Cooperstown is connected with an 
 event of some interest that occurred during the war of the revolution. An expedition 
 having been commanded to proceed under the orders of Major-general Sullivan, against 
 the Indians who then dwelt in the vicinity of the Seneca lake, a brigade employed in the 
 duty, under Brigadier-general .Tames Clinton, (the father of the celebrated De Witt Clm- 
 ton,) marched from Albany for that purpose. After ascending the Mohawk as far as Fort 
 Plain, this brigade cut a road through the forest to the head of Lake Otsego, whither it 
 transported its boats. Traces of this road exist, and it is still known by the name of the 
 :"ontinental Road. Embarking at the head of the lake, the troops descended to the outlet, 
 
 36 
 
282 OTSEGO COUNTY. 
 
 where they encamped on the site of the present village. General Clinton's quarters are 
 said to have been in a small building of hewn logs, which then stood in what are now the 
 grounds of the ' Hall,' and which it is thought was erected by Col. Groghan, as a place in 
 which he might hold his negotiations with the Indians, as well as for a commencement of 
 a settlement. 
 
 " This building, which was about fifteen feet square and intended for a sort of block- 
 house, was undoubtedly the first ever erected on this spot. It was subsequently used by 
 some of the first settlers as a residence, and by Judge Cooper as a smoke-house, and it was 
 standing in 1797, if not a year later. It was then taken down, and removed by Henry 
 Pace Eaton to his residence on the road to Pier's, where it was set up again as an out. 
 house. 
 
 " There were found the graves of two white men in the same grounds, which were be. 
 lieved to contain the bodies of deserters, who were shot during the time the troops were 
 here encamped. These graves are supposed to be the first of any civilized man in the 
 township of Otsego. All traces of them have now disappeared. 
 
 "As soon as encamped, the troops of Gen. Clinton commenced the construction of a 
 dam at the outlet, and when the water had risen to a suflicient height in the lake, the ob- 
 struction was removed, the current clearing the bed of the river of flood-wood. After a 
 short delay, for this purpose, the troops embarked and descended, as far as the junction 
 with the "Tioga, where they were met by another brigade, commanded by General Sulli- 
 van in person. On this occasion, the Susquehannah, below the dam, was said to be so 
 much reduced that a man could jump across it. 
 
 " Traces of the dam are still to be seen, and for many years they were very obvious. 
 At a later day, in digging the cellar of the house first occupied by Judge Cooper, a large 
 iron swivel was discovered, which was said to ha^e been buried by the troops, who found 
 it useless for their service. This swivel was the only piece of artillery used for the pur. 
 poses of salutes and merry-makings in the vicinity of Cooperstown, for ten or twelve years 
 after the settlement of the place. It is well and affectionately remembered by the name of 
 the ' cricket,' and was bursted lately in the same good cause of rejoicing on the 4th of July. 
 At the time of its final disaster, (for it had met with many vicissitudes by field and flood, 
 having actually been once thrown into the lake,) it is said there was no very perceptible 
 difference in size between its touch-hole and its muzzle." — Chronicles of Cooperstown. 
 
 An attempt was made to settle Cooperstown about 10 years before 
 the revolution, by Mr. John Christopher Hartwick, which however 
 proved abortive ; and between the years 1761 and 1770, Col. Croghan 
 with his family resided for a short time on the spot. A final settle- 
 ment was commenced in 1786, under the auspices William Cooper, 
 Esq., from Burlington, New Jersey, who purchased the tract on 
 which the village now stands. The regular commencement of the 
 village dates more properly from 1788, as at this time it was regu- 
 larly laid out. At the formation of the county, in 1791, Cooperstown 
 was designated as the county seat, Mr. Cooper being appointed the 
 first judge of the county court. 
 
 Among the incidents of this early day, the following anecdote is related of an ex-oificer 
 of the French army, a Monsieur Ebbal, who kept " bachelor's hall" on the western bank of 
 the lake. " Some wags told Monsieur Ebbal, that if chased by a bear, the most certain 
 mode of escape, was to throw away his hat, or his coat, to induce the animal to stop and 
 smell at it, and then to profit by the occasion, and climb a sapling that was too small to 
 enable his enemy to fasten its claws in it, in the way it is known to ascend a tree. The 
 advice was well enough, but the advised having actually an occasion to follow it the sue. 
 ceeding autumn, scrambled up a sapling first, and began to throw away his clothes after, 
 ward. The bear, a she one with cubs, tore to pieces garment after garment, without quit- 
 ting the spot, keeping poor Ebbal treed, throughout a cool autumnal night." 
 
 As an indication of the intelligence of the inhabitants, a newspaper, 
 the "Otsego Herald," was issued here as early as 1795. The first 
 edifice constructed for religious worship was the Presbyterian, erected 
 on the east side of West-street, in 1805, and is still occupied by that 
 denomination. There are now in the village 169 dwellings, 20 stores, 
 
OTSEGO COUNTV. 
 
 283 
 
 42 shops, 14 offices, 5 churclips, 2 weekly newspaper offices, a very 
 extensive book publishing establishment, 2 female boarding schools, 
 and a bank. Its present population is about 1,300. The private 
 dwellings of this place are many of them substantial structures of 
 stone and brick, some of which are elegant. The society is refined 
 and miclhgent. Tins, wiih the uncouniion beauty of the surrounding 
 scenery and healthiness of the climate, will ere long render it a sum- 
 mer resort fur the elite of our large cities. 
 
 Cherry Valley, so called by the iirst settlers from its abundance 
 of wild cherries, was taken from Canajoharie in 1791. Pop. 3,813. 
 Cherry Valley village, upon the Cherry Valley creek, incorporated 
 in 11S12, lies 13 miles NE. from Cooperstown, 13 S. from the canal 
 at Canajoharie, and 53 from Albany. The following view was taken 
 from the residence of Joseph Plielon, Esq. The Presbyterian church 
 
 Southivest view of Cherry Valley. 
 
 is seen on the left, and the Episcopal and Methodist churches on the 
 right. There is here a bank, a weekly newspaper office, an incor- 
 porated academy, and about 130 dwellings. The following interest- 
 ing account of the first settlement of this place is from the valuable 
 work of Wm. W. Campbell, Esq., entitled " Annals of Tryon County." 
 
 " Mr. LindesHv, havInEj obtained an assignment from the three other patentees to himself 
 and Gov. Clark, in 1739 caused the patent to be surveyed and subdivided into lots, and 
 chose for himself the farm afterward suceessivoly owned by Mr. .lohn Wells and Judge 
 Hudson, and jjave to it the name of Lindesav's liush. In tho following summer he left 
 New York with his family, consistuijr of his wife and father-in-law, Mr. Conf^reve, a lieu- 
 tenant in the British army, and a few domestics, and settled upon his farm. He was a 
 Scotch jjenlleman of some fortune and distinction, havinf!^ held several offices under govern- 
 ment, and anticipated much pleasure from a residence in this high and rolling country, 
 whose valleys and hills, and lakes, would constantly remind him of the wild and romantic 
 scenery of his native land. A luxuriant growth of beech and maple, interspersed with the 
 wild cherry, covered the valley, and extended along up the sides of the hills, whose tops 
 were crowded with cluKters of evergreen ; elk and deer were found here in great numbers, 
 as were bears, wolves, beavers, and foxes ; it was a favorite hunting ground of the Mo- 
 hawks, who erected their cabins near some httle spring, and hunted their game upon tha 
 
'284 OTSEOO COUNTY. 
 
 mountains. Mr. Lindesay, as well as all the early settlers, found it important to cultivate 
 their friendship ; he received them into his house, and treated them with such hospitality as 
 circumstances would permit: this Iiindness was not lost upon the high-minded savages, one 
 of whom gave proof of no ordinary friendship during the first winter after his removal to 
 Lindesay's Bush. Whatever of happiness and independence Mr. Lindesay may have looked 
 forward to, he knew little of the privations of the settlers of a new country, especially such 
 a country as he had selected ; his farm was 15 miles from any settlement, difficult of access 
 from that settlement, which was on the Mohawk river, by reason of its elevation above it ; 
 and the intervening country was traversed only by an Indian footpath. 
 
 " In the winter of 1740, the snow fell to a great depth ; the paths were filled up ; all 
 communication with the settlera upon the Mohawk was stopped ; Mr. Lindesay had not 
 made sufficient preparation for such a winter ; he had but a scanty supply of provisions ; 
 these were almost consumed long before spring ; a wretched and lingering death was in 
 prospect for him and his family. At this critical time, an Indian came to his house, having 
 travelled upon the snow with snow-shoes ; when informed of their situation, he readily 
 undertook to reUeve them ; he went to the settlements upon the Mohawk, and having pro. 
 cured provisions, returned with them upon his back, and during the remainder of the win. 
 ter, th^ faithful child of the forest thus continued to reUeve them, and thus preserved the 
 lives of the first inhabitants of our town and county. 
 
 " In New York, Mr. Lindesay became acquainted with the Rev. Samuel Dunlop, and 
 prevailed upon him to visit his patent, oflering him a tract of land of several hundred acres, 
 on condition that he would settle upon it, and would use his influence with his friends, and 
 persuade them to accompany him. Pleased with the situation, and the generous proprietor 
 of the patent, he accepted of the proposal ; he was an Irishman by birth, but had been 
 educated in Edinburgh ; had spent several years in the provinces, having travelled over 
 most of those at the south ; and at the time of his first acquaintance with Mr. Lindesay, 
 was on a tour through those at the north. He went to Londonderry, in New Hampshire, 
 where several of his countrymen were settled, whom he persuaded to remove, and in 1741, 
 David Ramsay, Wilham Gallt, James Campbell, Wilham Dickson, and one or two others, 
 with their families, in all about 30 persons, came and purchased farms, and immediately 
 commenced making improvements upon them. They had emigrated from the north of 
 Ireland several years anterior to their removal here ; some of them were originally from 
 Scotland ; they were called Scotch Irish — a general name given to the inhabitants of the 
 north of Ireland, many of whom are of Scotch descent ; hardy and industrious, inured to 
 toil from their infancy, they were well calculated to sustain the labors necessary in clearing 
 the forest, and fitting 't for the abode of civilized man. 
 
 " The following circumstance gave rise to its name. Mr. Dunlop, engaged in writing 
 some letters, inquired of Mr. Lindesay where he should date them, who proposed the name 
 of a town in Scotland ; Mr. Dunlop, pointing to some fine wild cherry-trees, and to the 
 valley, rephed, * Let us give our place an appropriate name, and call it Cheny Valley,' 
 which was readily agreed to ; it was for a long time the distinguishing name of a large 
 section of country, south and west. Soon after the arrival of these settlers, measures were 
 taken for the erection of a grist-mill and saw-mill, and a building for a school-house and 
 church. Mr. Dunlop left Ireland under an engagement of marriage with a young lady of 
 that country, and having made the necessary arrangements for his future residence in Cherry 
 Valley, returned to fulfil it. This engagement was conditional ; if he did not return in 
 seven years from the time of his departure, it should be optional with her to abide by or put 
 an end to the contract ; the time had almost expired ; she had heard nothing from him for 
 some time, and supposed him either dead or unfaithful ; another offered, was accepted, and 
 the day appointed for the marriage. In the mean time Mr. Dunlop had been driven off the 
 coast of Scotland by a storm : after a detention of several days, he finally made port in 
 Ireland, and hastening on his journey, arrived the day previous , his arrival was as joyful 
 as it was unexpected ; he was married, and returned immediately with his wife to Cherry 
 Valley, and entered upon his duties as the first pastor of its little church. A log-house had 
 been erected to the north of Mr. Lindesay's, on the declivity of the httle hill upon which his 
 house was situated ; where, though possessing little of this world's wealth, they offered up 
 tne homage of devout and grateful hearts. Most of the adult inhabitants were members of 
 the church; the clergyman was to receive ten shillings on the hundred acres of land; a 
 mere pittance, by reason of the small number of inhabitants ; but he lived frugally ; they 
 made presents to him of the productions of their farms, which, with the avails of his own, 
 afforded him a competent support. In these early days, an excellent state of feeling towards 
 each other prevailed ; common danger, and common interest, united them. In their wor- 
 ship and observances they were very strict. During the ten subsequent years, not more 
 than three or four families had come into the settlement. Among thern was Mr. John 
 
OTSEGO COUNTY. 285 
 
 Wells, grandfather of the late John Wells of New York city. He also was an Irighman, 
 and became a resident in 1743, and in '44 purchased the farm, which Mr. Lindesay had 
 selected for himself, and upon which he resided. 
 
 " Mr. Lindesay was unacquainted with practical farming, and his property had been ex. 
 pended to little advantage ; after struggling several years, he was compelled to abandon 
 his enterprise. The war between France and Great Britain had been, in part, transferred 
 to America, and in 1744, our northern frontier was threatened with an attack by the French 
 and Indians. Reinforcements were ordered to Oswego, and among them, the company of 
 Independent Greens, in which Mr. Congreve was a lieutenant ; he resigned his commission 
 in favor of his son-in-law, Mr. Lindesay, who, having spent several years in the service, 
 died in New York, leaving no children. Mr. Wells, a man of amiable disposition, and of 
 great integrity, before there was any officer of justice, was frequently appealed to as the 
 arbiter of any little difference ; he was afterward appointed the first justice of the peace for 
 the town, and one of the judges of Tryon county, which offices he continued to exercise 
 until the time of his death, a Uttle before the breaking out of the revolution. 
 
 " Mr. Dunlop, having received a classical education, opened a school for the instruction 
 of boys, who came from the settlements upon the Mohawk, and from Schenectady and 
 Albany. It is worthy of remark, that this was the first grammar school in the state west 
 of Albany. The boys were received into his house, and constituted a part of his family. 
 The extreme simplicity of the times may be learned from the fact, that they often went into 
 the fields, and there recited their lessons as they followed their instructor about, while en- 
 gaged in his usual avocations upon his farm ; several individuals along the Mohawk, who 
 were afterward conspicuous in the revolution, tlius received the first rudiments of their 
 education." 
 
 On the nth of Nov., 1778, the Indians and tories, about 700 in 
 number, under the command of Joseph Brant and Walter Butler, made 
 a descent upon this beautiful valley, laid the settlement in ashes, and 
 massacred 32 of the inhabitants, mostly women and children. During 
 the day they made several attacks on the fort, but without success. 
 The following is extracted from the " Annals of Tryon county." 
 
 " The inhabitants, many of whom had left in the summer, in consequence of the repeated 
 attacks of the Indians upon the frontiers, had now returned to their homes, thinking the 
 season so far advanced, that no danger need be apprehended. On the information above 
 being given to Col. Alden, they requested permission to remove into the fort," or at least to 
 deposit their most valuable property there. Both requests were denied by Col. Alden. He 
 replied, that it would be a temptation to his soldiers to plunder; that the report was proba- 
 bly unfounded ; that it was only an Indian story, and that he would keep out scouts, who 
 would apprise them in season to secure themselves, in case of real danger. Scouts were 
 accordingly sent out, to traverse the country in every direction. The scout sent down the 
 Susquehannah kindled up a fire on the night of the 9th, and all very foolishly lay down to 
 sleep. The fire was discovered by the enemy, and a little before dayhght on the morning 
 of the 10th, they were all surrounded and taken. 
 
 " On the night of the 10th, the enemy encamped on the top of a hill thickly covered with 
 evergreens, about a mile southwest from the fort. On the morning of the 11th, the enemy 
 moved from his encampment towards the fort. They had learned from the scout which 
 they had taken, that the officers of the garrison lodged in different private houses out of the 
 fort ; their forces were so disposed that a party should surround every house in which an 
 officer lodged nearly at the same time, while the main body would attack the fort. During 
 the night the snow fell several inches. In the morning it turned to rain, and the atmos- 
 phere was thick and hazy. The whole settlement thought themselves secure. The assur- 
 ances of Col. Alden had in a considerable degree quieted their fears. Every thing favored 
 the approach of the enemy undiscovered. Col. Alden and Lieut. Col. Stacia, with a small 
 guard, lodged at Mr. Wells's. A Mr. Hamble was coming up that morning fi-om his house 
 several miles below, on horseback ; when a short distance from Mr. Wells's house he was 
 fired upon and wounded by the Indians. He rode in great haste to inform Col. Alden of 
 their approach, and then hastened to the fort. Still incredulous, and believing them to be 
 only a straggling party, he ordered the guard to be called in. The delay of a few minutes 
 gave the Indians time to arrive. The rangers had stopped to examine their firelocks, the 
 powder in which having been wet with the rain. The Indians improving this opportunity, 
 rushed by. The advance body was composed principally of Senecas, at that time the wild, 
 est and most ferocious of the Six Nations. Col. Alden made his escape from the house, 
 
286 OTSBGO COUNTY. 
 
 and was pursued down the hill, towards the fort, by an Indian ; when challenged to surren. 
 der, he peremptorily refused so to do ; several times he turned round and snapped his pistol 
 at the Indian ; the latter, after pursuing sojne distance, threw his tomahawk, and struck 
 him on the head, and then rushing up, scalped him. He thus ' was one of the first victims 
 of this most criminal neglect of duty.' Lieut. Col. Stacia was taken prisoner. The guard 
 were all killed or taken. 
 
 " The Senecas, who first arrived at the house, with some tories, commenced an indis. 
 criminate massacre of the family, and before the rangers arrived, had barbarously murdered 
 them all, including Robert Wells, his mother, and wife, and four children, his brother and 
 sister, John and Jane, with three domestics. Of this interesting and excellent family, not 
 one escaped, except the late John Wells of New York city. His father had left him in 
 Schenectady the previous summer with an aunt, that he might attend the grammar-school 
 there. He might almost have exclaimed with Logan, that not a drop of his blood ran in 
 the veins of any human being ; or as it has been beautifully expressed by an eminent Eng. 
 lish poet, 
 
 " They ' left of all my tribe 
 Nor man, nor child, nor thing of living birth. 
 No ! not the dog that watched my household hearth 
 Escaped, — that ' morn' of blood upon our plains 
 All perished ! I alone am left on earth ! 
 To whom nor relative nor blood remains, 
 No ! not a kindred drop that runs in human veins.' 
 
 " A tory boasted that he killed Mr. Wells while at prayer. The melancholy fate of 
 Jane Wells deserves a more particular notice. She was a young lady, not distinguished 
 for her personal beauty, but endeared to her friends by her amiable disposition, and her 
 Christian charities. One ' in whom the friendless found a friend,' and to whom the poor 
 would always say, ' God speed thee.' She fled from the house to a pile of wood near by, 
 behind which she endeavored to screen herself. Here she was pursued by an Indian, who, 
 as he approached, deliberately wiped his bloody knife upon his leggins, and then placed it 
 in its sheath : then drawing his tomahawk, he seized her by the arm ; she possessed some 
 knowledge of the Indian language, and remonstrated and supplicated, though in vain. 
 Peter Smith, a tory, who had formerly been a domestic in Mr. Wells's family, now inter, 
 posed, saying she was his sister, and desiring him to spare her life. He shook his toma- 
 hawk at him in defiance, and then turning round, with one blow rnnote her to the earth. 
 John Wells, Esq., at this time deceased, and the father of Robert Wells, had been one of 
 the judges of the courts of Tryon county ; in that capacity, and as one of the justices of the 
 quorum, he had been on intimate terms with Sir William Johnson and family, who fre- 
 quently visited at his house, and also with Col. John Butler, likewise a judge. The family 
 were not active either for or against the country ; they wished to remain neutral, so far as 
 they could, in such turbulent times ; they always performed military duty, when called out 
 to defend the country. Col. John Butler, in a conversation relative to them, remarked — ' 1 
 would have gone miles on my hands and knees to have saved that family, and why my son 
 did not do it, God only knows.' 
 
 " Another party of Indians surrounded the house of the Rev. Samuel Dunlop, whom we 
 have frequently had occasion to mention, as the pioneer in education in western New 
 York. His wife was immediately killed. The old gentleman and his daughter were pre. 
 served by Little Aaron, a chief of the Oquago branch of the Mohawks. Mrs. Wells was 
 also a daughter of Mr. Dunlop ; Little Aaron led him out from the house, tottering with 
 age, and stood beside him ro protect him. An Indian passing by, pulled his hat from his 
 head, and ran away with it ; the chief pursued him, and regained it ; on his return, another 
 Indian had carried away his wig : the rain was falling upon his bare head, while his whole 
 system shook Uke an aspen, under the combined influence of age, fear, and cold. He was 
 released a few days after ; but the shock was too violent ; he died about a year after : his 
 death was hastened by his misfortunes, though he could have home up but a few years 
 longer under the increasing infirmities of old age. 
 
 " A Mr. Mitchell, who was in his field, beheld a party of Indians approaching ; he could 
 not gain his house, and was obliged to flee to the woods. Here he evaded pursuit and 
 escaped. A melancholy spectacle presented itself on his return — it was the corpses of bis 
 wife and four children. His house had been plundered and set on fire. He extinguished 
 the fire, and by examination found life still existing in one of his children, a little girl ten 
 or twelve years of age. He raised her up and placed her in the door, and was beading 
 over her when he saw another party approaching. He had barely time to hide himself 
 behind a log-fence near by, before they were at the house. From this hiding-place, he 
 
PUTNAM COUNTY. 287 
 
 b«held an infamous tory by the name of Newbury, extinguish the little spark of life which 
 remained in his child, with a blow of his hatchet. The next day, without a single human 
 being to assist him, he carried the remains of his family down to the fort on a sled, and 
 there the soldiers aided him in depositing them in a common grave. Retributive justice 
 sometimes follows close upon the heels of crime. This tory was arrested, as a spy, the 
 following summer, by order of Gen. James Clinton, when he lay with his army at Canajo- 
 harie, on the Mohawk river. Mr. Mitchell was called to prove this act. He was found 
 guilty by a court-martial, and with a companion, suffered an ignominious death. 
 
 " The party which surrounded the house of Col. Campbell, took Mrs. Campbell and four 
 children prisoners. Mr. Campbell was absent from home, but hastened there on the first 
 alarm, which was a cannon fired at the fort. He arrived only in time to witness the de- 
 struction of his property, and not even to learn the fate of his family ; their lives were 
 spared, but spared for a long and dreadful captivity. 
 
 " Many others were killed ; some few escaped to the Mohawk river, and the remainder 
 were made prisoners. Thirty-two of the inhabitants, principally women and children, were 
 killed, and sixteen continental soldiers. The terror of the scene was increased by the con- 
 flagration of all the houses and out-houses in the settlement ; the barns were many of them 
 filled with hay and grain. He who fled to the mountains, saw as he looked back the de- 
 struction of his home, and of that little all which he had labored for years to accumulate. 
 
 " . . . . The whole settlement exhibited an aspect of entire and complete desolation. The 
 cocks crew from the tops of the forest trees, and the dogs howled through the fields and 
 woods. The inhabitants who escaped, with the prisoners who were set at liberty, aban- 
 doned the settlement." 
 
 PUTNAM COUNTY. 
 
 Putnam county was taken from Dutchess in 1812 ; greatest length 
 21, greatest breadth 12 miles. The Highlands extend across the 
 western part. The highest point is about 1,580 feet above the Hud- 
 son. The remainder of the county, though generally uneven, has 
 some handsome plains, with a soil various, and some of it fertile. 
 The mountains abound with iron ore of good quality. Butter, beef, 
 wool, calves, lambs, sheep, fowls, and the many other species of 
 " marketing,'' are produced here in great quantities for the New York 
 market, and their returns are rapidly enriching the producer. The 
 evidences of prosperity are everywhere visible. Within a few years 
 the lands have doubled in value and price. The county is watered 
 easterly and centrally by the main branches of the Croton. It is di- 
 vided into six towns, viz. : 
 
 Carmel, Paterson, Putnam Valley, 
 
 Kent, Phihpstown, South East. 
 
 Carmel, the county seat, is 106 miles S. from Albany, contains the 
 county buildings, 2 churches, an academy, and about 40 dwellings. 
 The village of Cold Spring, 20 miles W. of Carmel, and about a mile 
 above West Point, contains about 170 dwellings and 5 churches. 
 
 The West Point foundry is situated about three fourths of a mile 
 SE. from the village of Cold Spring. It was established in 1816, 
 and is at present the largest establishment of the kind in the Union. 
 
 The establishment employe 400 men, and is divided into the following branches, with a 
 foreman at the head of each branch, viz. : an iron foundry, a brass foundry, pattern, smiths', 
 
288 
 
 rUTiVAM COUNTY. 
 
 manhinr, and Iioiler sliop*. There ore attached to tlie foundry, 3 air furnaces, 3 cupolas. 
 Iti the stnith-'' shop iliere is 1 trip-hamnifr of seven tiMis weiyhl, anil 2 tiil-haniiners, — one 
 of 1,000, and the other of 500 lbs. Shafts of 19 inches diameter have been forged here^ 
 weiuhin^ 1:2 low^, and they are prepnred in tarqi:; shai'is of 2 feet diameter. The machine 
 shop contams 28 turnini; lathes, and 3 planing machines for iron. The consumption of the 
 principal materials \v;is jts follows durinij' tlie year 1840. Pi<T iron, i$ 140,000 ; coal, 
 -1^33,000; bar inm, ,$29,000; boiler iron plate, -1^14,500; copper, l$44,(3 10 ; total .$2G1, 140. 
 The principal ariicles manufactured durini: iliat time were water jiipes for the Cruton water 
 wiirks ; steam engines and sugar juilis fur the West Indies; steam engines and cotton 
 presses for the suuihrni states ; ilour mill, with 2 water wheels and 8 run of burr stones, for 
 Austria; flour null and 3 run of stones for Halifax, N. C. ; engines, boilers, &c., for the 
 steam frigate Missouri; heavy wrought iron work for the steam frigate Mississippi. Steam 
 engines and boilers, both higli and low pressure, are manufactured likewise ; flour, rice, 
 sugar, oil, and saw.milip, sugar kettles, cotton presses, hydrostatic cylinders, brass and iron 
 cannon, beils, shot and shells, heavy and light forged work ; castings of all sizes, either of 
 composition or iron. 
 
 The Robinson House, 
 
 This dwelling, named after the unfortunate owner, Col. Beverly 
 Robinson, is romantically situated on the east bank of the Hudson, 
 about two miles below West Point, near the base of the "Sugar 
 Loaf," one of the lofty peaks of the Highlands. Dr. Dwight, who 
 in the year 1778 spent several months at West Point, has given the 
 annexed account of this dwelling and its original possessor. 
 
 "A part of this time I resided at the head-quarters of General Putnam, then command- 
 ing at this post; and afterward of General Parsons, who succeeded him in the command. 
 These gentlemen lodged in the house of Col. Beverly Robinson; a respectable native of 
 Scotland, who married a lady of the Philhps family, one of the wealthiest, and most re- 
 Bpectable of the province of New York. With this lady Col. Robinson acquired a large 
 landed estate lying in PhiUipstown, Fredericktown, and Franklin, as they are now called; 
 and fur the more convenient management of it planted himself in this spot. Here he had a 
 spacious and convenient mansion, surrounded by valuable gardens, fields, and orchards, 
 yielding every thing which will grow in this climate. The rents of his estate were suffi- 
 cient to make life as agreeable as from this source it can be. Mrs. Robinson was a fine 
 woman ; and their children promised every thing which can be expected from a very hope- 
 fol family. His immediate friends were, at the same time, persons of the first consequence 
 in the province. 
 
 " When the revolutionary war broke out, Col. Robinson was induced, contrary as I have 
 been informed to his own judgment and inclination, by the importunity of some of his con. 
 nectiona to take the British side of the question. To him it appeared wiser and safer to 
 act a neutral part, and remain quietly on his estate. The pressure, however, from various 
 eources was so strong against him, that he finally yielded, and carried his family wjth him 
 to New York, and thence to Great Britain. His property was confiscated by the legisla- 
 
PUTNAM COUNTY. 289 
 
 ture of New York, and his family banished from their native country. It was impossible 
 for any person, who finds an interest in the aiTairs of his fellow-men, and particularly while 
 residing in the very mansion where they had so lately enjoyed all which this world can 
 give, not to feel deeply the misfortunes of this family. Few events in human life strike the 
 mind more painfully than banishment; a calamity sufficiently disastrous in the most 
 ordinary circumstances, but peculiarly affecting when the banished are brought before us 
 in the narrow circle of a family ; a circle, the whole of which the eye can see, and whose 
 sufferings the heart can perfectly realize. Peculiarly is this true, when the family in ques. 
 tion is enlightened, polished, amply possessed of enjoyments, tasting them with moderation, 
 and sharing them cheerfully with their friends and neighbors, the stranger and the poor." 
 
 When Arnold had obtained the command of West Point in Aug., 
 1780, he established his head-quarters at "Beverly," where was me- 
 ditated that act of treachery which has stamped his memory with 
 everlasting infamy. At the time the news of the capture of Andre 
 was received by Arnold, General Washington and his otficers, together 
 with the traitor, were seated at breakfast, in the lower room, to the 
 left of the small tree seen near the centre of the engraving. 
 
 The annexed, from the pen of a late visiter, is extracted from the 
 Knickerbocker for Sept., 1840. 
 
 " The commander-in-chief, at the time of the capture, was on his way from Hartford, and 
 changing the route which he had first proposed, came by the way of West Point. At 
 Fishkill he met the French minister, M. de la Luzerne, who had been to visit Count 
 Rochambeau at Newport, and he remained that night with the minister. Very early next 
 morning he sent off his luggage, with orders to the men to go with it as quickly as possible 
 to '^everly,' and give Mrs. Arnold notice that he would be there at breakfast. When the 
 general and his suite arrived opposite West Point, he was observed to turn his hoise into 
 a narrow road that led to the river. La Fayette remarked, ' General, you are going in a 
 wrong direction ; you know Mrs. Arnold is waiting breakfast for us.' Washington good, 
 naturedly remarked : ' Ah, I know you young men are all in love with Mis. Arnold, and 
 wish to get where she is as soon as possible. You may go and take your breakfast with 
 her, and tell her not to wait for me : I must ride down and examine the redoubts on this 
 side of the river.' The officers, however, with the exception of two of the aids, remained. 
 When the aids arrived at ' Bevedy,'* they found the family waiting ; and having commu. 
 jiicated the message of General Washington, Arnold, with his family and the two aids, sat 
 down to breakfast. Before they had finished, a messenger arrived in great haste, and 
 handed General Arnold a letter, which he read with deep and evident emotion. 
 
 " The self-control of the soldier enabled Arnold to suppress the agony he endured after 
 reading this letter. He rose hastily from the table ; told the aids that liis immediate pre- 
 sence was required at West Point ; and desired them so to inform General Washington, 
 when he arrived. Having first ordered a horse to be ready, he hastened to Mrs. Arnold's 
 chamber, and there, with a bursting heart, disclosed to her his dreadful position, and that 
 they must part, perhaps for ever.t Struck with horror at the painful intelligence, this fond 
 and devoted wife swooned, and fell senseless at his feet. In this state he left her, hurried 
 down stairs, and mounting his horse, rode with all possible speed to the river. In doing 
 so, Arnold did not keep the main road, but passed down the mountain, pursuing a by-path 
 through the woods, which Lieutenant Arden pointed out, and which is now called ' Arnold's 
 Path.' Near the foot of the mountain, where the path approaches the main road, a weep- 
 ing willow, planted there no doubt by some patriot hand, stands, in marked contrast with 
 the forest trees which encircle and surround it, to point out to the inquiring tourist the very 
 pathway of the traitor. 
 
 * The property now belongs to Richard D. Arden, Esq., and adjoins his own romantic 
 and beautiful "Ardenia," whence no "visiter" departs, who can ever forget the generous 
 " Highland welcome." Mr. Arden, with a true patriotism that does him honor, has per- 
 mitted no alteration of the interior of the house. The same low ceiling, large and uncov. 
 ered joists, the same polished tiles around the fire-places, and the absence of all ornament 
 which marks the progress of modem architecture, preserve complete the interest which 
 the stirring incidents of that period have flung around the " Robinson House." 
 
 t We also visited this chamber, which remains unaltered. Over the mantel is carved in 
 the wood work : " G. Wallis, Lieut. VI. Mass. Eegt." 
 
 37 
 
290 QUEENS COUNTY. 
 
 " In our interesting visit, we were accompanied by the superintendent, Major Dela- 
 field, and iu the barges kindly ordered for our accommodation, we were rowed to ' Beverly 
 Dock,' and landed at the spot where Arnold took boat to aid his escape. He was rowed 
 to the ' Vulture,' and using a white handkerchief, created the impression that it was a 
 flag-boat : it was therefore suffered to pass. He made himself known to Captain Suther- 
 land, of the Vulture, and then calling on board the leader of the boatmen who had rowed 
 him off, informed him that he and his crew were all prisoners of war. This disgraceful 
 and most unmanly appendix to his treason, was considered so contemptible by the captain, 
 that he permitted the man to go on shore, on his parole of honor, to procure clothes for 
 himself and comrades. This he did, and returned the same day. When they arrived in 
 New York, Sir Henry Clinton, holding in just contempt such a wanton act of meanness, 
 Bet them all at liberty. 
 
 " When General Washington reached ' Beverly,' and was informed that Arnold had 
 departed for West Point, he crossed directly over, expecting to find him. Surprised to 
 learn that he had not been there, after examining the works he returned. General Ham- 
 ilton had remained at ' Beverly,' and as Washington and his suite were walking up the 
 mountain road, from ' Beverly Dock,' they met General Hamilton, with anxious face and 
 hurried step, coming towards them. A brief and suppressed conversation took place be- 
 tween Washington and himself, and they passed on rapidly to the house, where the papers 
 that Washington's change of route had prevented his receiving, had been delivered that 
 morning ; and being represented to Hamilton as of great and pressing importance, were 
 by him opened, and the dreadful secret disclosed. Instant measures were adopted to in- 
 tercept Arnold, and prevent his escape, but in vain. General Washington then commu- 
 nicated the facts to La Fayette and Knox, and said to the former, * more in sorrow than 
 in anger,' ' Whoin, can we trust now ?' He also went up to see Mrs. Arnold ; but even 
 Washington could carry to her no consolation. Her grief was almost phrensied ; and in 
 its wildest moods, she spoke of General Washington as the murderer of her child. It 
 seemed that she hud not the remotest idea of her h usband's treason ; and she had even school- 
 ed her heart to feel more for the cause of America, from her regard for those who pro- 
 fessed to love it. Her husband's glory was her dream of bliss — the requiem chant for her 
 infant's repose ; and she was found, alas ! as many a confiding heart has oft been found, 
 
 ' To cling like ivy round a worthless thing.' " 
 
 QUEENS COUNTY. 
 
 Queens county, an original county, was organized in 1683, and 
 now contains all that part of Long Island which is bounded easterly 
 by Suffolk county, southerly by the Atlantic ocean, northerly by Long 
 Island sound, and westerly by Kings county, including Lloyds Neck 
 or Queens Village, the islands called North and South Brother, Ri- 
 ker's Island, and some other islands lying in the sound opposite the 
 said bounds and southerly of the main channel. The courts of the 
 county were originally holden for the most part at Hempstead, at 
 which place the governor on various occasions ordered meetings of the 
 delegates from the different towns. By the act of the Assembly in 
 1683, by which the counties and towns upon Long Island were organ- 
 ized and established, the county courts were required thereafter to be 
 held at the village of Jamaica. They were held there for about seven 
 years in the old stone church which stood in the middle of the present 
 Fulton street, opposite Union Hall street. In the year 1690, a court- 
 house and jail were erected upon the site now occupied by the femiile 
 academy, and continued to be used for the purpose of holding the 
 
QUEENS COUNTY. 
 
 291 
 
 courts of the county until the present courthouse was built upon the 
 north side of Hempstead plains, in the town of North Hempstead, in 
 the year 1788. The county is divided into 6 towns : 
 
 Flushing, Jamaica, Newtown, 
 
 Hempstead, North Hempstead, Oyster Bay. 
 
 Central part of Jamaica yillage, Long Island. 
 
 Tlie village of Jamaica is a beautiful place. It is located upon the 
 Long Island railroad, 13 miles from New York, also upon the great 
 thoroughfare from Brooklyn to the east end of Long Island, and en- 
 joys every desirable facility of intercourse with the surroundnig coun- 
 try. Here are concentrated the different roads leading to Brooklyn, 
 Williambburg, Rockaway, Flushing, Jericho, and Hempstead. This 
 village was made the seat of justice for the north-riding of Yorkshire, 
 at its organization in 1665 ; and so continued after the division of Long 
 Island into counties in 1683, until the erection of the courthouse on 
 Hempstead plains in 1788. The offices of surrogate and county clerk 
 are still required to be kept here, and for which a suitable building has 
 been erected. The village was incorporated April 15, 1814, and has 
 been gradually increasing in buildings and population, till it now con- 
 tains about two hundred dwellings and fifteen hundred inhabitants. It 
 has, besides the academies, five places for public worship, and two news- 
 paper printing offices. There are several splendid private residences 
 in the village and its immediate vicinity, erected by gentlemen of the 
 city of New York, who find it both convenient and agreeable. 
 
 Flushing village, recently incorporated, contains about 2000 inhabit- 
 ants in a square mile. Its various attractions, with great facility of 
 communication with New York, have induced many wealthy citizens 
 to locate in its immediate neighborhood. Some of the private resi- 
 dences are among the most imposing and splendid edifices in the state. 
 The village of Flushing lies at the head of Flushing Bay, 5 miles from 
 
292 
 
 QUEENS COUNTY. 
 
 the sound, by water, 9 miles from the centre of New York, and con- 
 tains a number of flourishing literary institutions for both sexes. This 
 place is also distinguislied for its excellent nurseries of fruit and other 
 trees. The village of Astoria, recently incorporated, is situated on the 
 East River, near Blackwell's Island. This place was formerly called 
 " Hallet's Cove." Near Rockaway, a small village, is 5 miles SW. 
 of Hempstead. " Far Rockaway'' about 29 miles from New York, 
 has grown into importance as a fashionable watering place. 
 
 Bowne Mansion-house, Flushing, L. I. 
 
 On the right in the annexed view is the Bowne mansion-house, sit- 
 uated upon the elevated ground about half a mile eastward of the 
 steamboat landing in Flushing. It is believed to be the oldest house 
 now standing on Long Island, having been erected in 1661, by John 
 Bowne, of the society of Friends. Besides the antifjuity of the build- 
 ing, it is one of mucii historic interest. The celebrated George Fox, 
 the founder of the society of Friends, has lodged within the walls of 
 this house, which was the place for the yearly meeling for the whole 
 body of Friends in the province of New York, previous to 1690. On 
 the left of the engraving, on the opposite side of the street from the 
 house, are seen two ancient oaks, under which Fox preached when in 
 this country in 1672. Although diifering in some of his tenets from 
 the majority of those professing the Christian name, George Fox had 
 the martyr spirit within, and, had he been called to the trial, would 
 doubtless have sealed his testimony with his blood. His sufferings in 
 the cause of religious freedom entitle him to the gratitude of mankind. 
 Men of his stamp are the true patriots and genuine nobility of the hu- 
 man race. " A nobler object," says an eloquent writer, " no human 
 or angelic miitd could ever propose to itself, than to promote the glory 
 of the great Governor of the universe, in studying and laboring to dif- 
 fuse purity and happiness among his unholy and miserable creatures." 
 
QUEENS COUNTY. 
 
 ^93 
 
 m^ 
 
 Cadwallader Colden was 
 for many years a resident of 
 Flushing. He was the son of 
 the Rev. Alexander Colden, of 
 Dunse, in Scotland, where he 
 was born Feb. 17, 1CH8. He 
 studied medicine at Edinburgh, " 
 
 and in 1708 came lo Philadel- Fac-simUe of Cadwallader Coldm's si^rnaturc. 
 
 phia, and established himself a.s a pliysician. In 1718, he removed to New York, and 
 was soon appointed surveyor-general, and afterward master in chancery. In 1720, he 
 w^as advanced to a place in the king's council of the province, and was for a long time 
 one of the most conspicuous members of that body. In 1761, he was appointed lieutenant- 
 governor, and held the office till his death in 177G. He was a distinguished scholar as 
 well as a civilian ; was thoroughly versed in the knowledge of medicine, botany, and as- 
 Ironoiny ; and corresponded with many of the most eminent scholars both in America and 
 Europe. Besides his publications relating to mathematics, botany, and medicine, he 
 wrote a valuable history of the Five Indian Nations. While holding the office of lieuten- 
 ant-governor, he resided most of the time at his farm in P'lushing, called Spring Hill. 
 He died Sept. 2G, 1776, and was buried in a private cemetery on the Spring Hill farm. 
 He had five sons and five daughters, a. part of whom only survived him. Three of his 
 eons, Alexander, Cadwallader, and David, were prominent men in the colony. Cadwal- 
 lader D. Colden, the on]y son o[ David Colden, was born at Spring Hill in Flushing, 
 April 4, 1769. He commenced his education in the town of Jamaica, and completed it 
 in London. In 1785, he returned to the United States and commenced the study of law. 
 He entered upon the practice of his profession at Poughkecpsie, in 1793, where he was 
 Boon made district attoniey, and laid the foundation of his future fame. In a few years 
 he stood, as a commercial lawyer, at the head of his profession, and in the other branches, 
 among the first. In 1818 he was elected to the New York assembly, and the same year 
 appointed mayor of New York. In 1622 he was chosen a representative in Congress. 
 In 1824 he was elected to the state senate, and licid the office three years in succession. 
 The most untiring industry and patient research were peculiar traits in his professional 
 character, and marked his proceedings in every thing he undertook. He was among the 
 earliest and most efficient promoters, in connection with De \\'itt Clinlou, of the system 
 of internal improvements. At the completion of the Erie canal, he wrote and pubhshed 
 the memoir upon the subject. He wrote also the life of Robert Fulton. He died univer- 
 sally esteemed, at Jersey City, Feb. 7, 1634. 
 
 Northern view of Hempstead, Long Island. 
 
 The annexed engraving shows the appearance of Hempslead village 
 as it is entered from the north by the branch railroad, two miles in 
 length, which connects the village with the Long Island railroad. It 
 is pleasantly situated on the southern margin of the great " Hempstead 
 plainSy' 21 miles from New York. The village consists of about 200 
 dwellings, 3 churches, and the Hempstead seminary. 
 
29^ RENSSELAER COUNTY. 
 
 RENSSELAER COUNTY. 
 
 Rensselaer county was taken from Albany in 1791. Greatest 
 length 30, greatest breadth 22 miles ; centrally distant from New York 
 N. 156, and from Albany E. 10 miles. The eastern portion of the 
 county is broken and hilly, and in some places rather mountainous and 
 interspersed with fertile valleys. The central and western part is di- 
 versified with hills, and a gently undulating surface. It has extensive 
 valleys and flats of alluvion, with a warm rich soil ; and the uplands 
 have an easy soil, well adapted to the various purposes of agriculture. 
 There is an abundance of mill sites, and the numerous streams irri- 
 gate every portion of the country. Though short, they possess, from 
 their great fall, much hydraulic power. The principal on the north are 
 the Hoosick, and its tributaries the Little Hoosick and Tomhenick ; on 
 the south Kinderhook, and its branches Tackawasick and Valitie 
 creeks ; the Poesten and Wynant kills, and Moordenaar's creek. This 
 county had partial settlements at a very early period of our history, 
 and has long sustained a very considerable population. The whole of 
 the county, except the towns of Schagticoke, Pittstown, Hoosick, and 
 north part of Lansingburg and part of Troy, is comprised within the 
 Rensselaerwyck patent, leased under the ordinary rent, in farms, at ten 
 bushels of wheat the hundred acres. Tiie county contains 13 towns 
 and the city of Troy : 
 
 Berlin, Hoosick, Pittstown, Stephentown, 
 
 Brunswick, Lansingburg, Sand Lake, Troy. 
 
 Grafton, Nassau, Schagticoke, 
 
 Greenbush, Petersburg, Schodack, 
 
 Troy city, seat of justice for the county, lies on the east side of the 
 Hudson, 6 miles north of Albany, at the junction of the Hudson and 
 Mohawk valleys. There is some reason to believe that its present site 
 was visited by Hudson, the first navigator of Hudson river, in 1609. 
 In the record of his voyage, it is stated he " went sounding his way 
 above the highlands, till at last the Crescent (the ship in which he 
 made his voyage) had sailed beyond the city of Hudson, and a boat 
 had advanced a little beyond Albany." Probably this boat ascended 
 to the rifts which lay at the northerly part of the city, where the ordi- 
 nary tides spent their force, and the navigation was interrupted. 
 
 For more than a century after Hudson's voyage, the territory now 
 comprising the site of Troy, (although within the limits of the grant 
 made to the patroon,) probably remained part of the hunting ground 
 of the Mohawk Indians. In 1720, a grant of 490 acres, extending 
 along the Hudson between the Poestenkill and Meadow creek, com-, 
 prehending the original allotments on which the city was erected, 
 was made in fee by the proprietor of the manor of Rensselaerwyck 
 to Derick Van Derheyden, at the small rent of three bushels and three 
 pecks of wheat and four fat fowls annually. From the date of the 
 grant, and possibly from a period a little earlier, this plain and the 
 
RENSSELAER COUNTY. 295 
 
 first range of hills adjoining, was possessed by the grantee and his 
 descendants, and small portions of it cultivated as a farm.* 
 
 After the revolution, emigrants from New England, seeing the ad- 
 vantageous situation of Van Derheyden, as it was then called, in- 
 duced the proprietors to lay it out into town lots. At this period 
 Lansingburg, then called the " New City," was a village of considera- 
 ble size and commercial importance ; the city of Albany lay a few 
 miles to the south, and had for many generations been the centre of 
 trade for the entire country around. These circumstances at the 
 first appeared unpropitious to the growth of this place. The estab- 
 lishment of the Federal government in 1789, and the settlement of 
 the " new state" of Vermont, gave an impulse to the spirit of enter- 
 prise. The village of Van Derheyden being at the head of the nat- 
 ural navigation of the Hudson, after some struggle began to outstrip 
 the " New City," which had been unwisely located above the rifts. 
 The earliest surveys of the three allotments into which the site was 
 originally divided, were made between the years 1786 and 1790; 
 one or two slight buildings in 1786, and a small number the two years 
 following. It is stated that by the spring of 1789, five small stores 
 and about a dozen dwelling-houses had been erected. The appella- 
 tion of Van Derheyden's Ferry was now changed into the more 
 classic name of Troy. 
 
 In 1791, the county of Rensselaer was detached from Albany, and 
 Troy was selected as the county seat. In 1793 the first courthouse 
 was erected, and the jail the following year. The influential men 
 among the first settlers were the friends of order, and supporters of 
 the institutions of religion. When they were too few to support a 
 clergyman, they were accustomed to assemble in a store at the sound 
 of a conch-horn, and afterward in a school-house. Here they usu- 
 ally listened to a sermon read by Dr. Samuel Gall, or the late Col. 
 Pawling, a revolutionary oflicer. In 1791, the inhabitants, too 
 few to consult their denominational preferences, by an united effort 
 erected a frame for a house of public worship, which was covered 
 the following year, and although unfinished, was used as a place for 
 public worship. This building became the first edifice of the Pres- 
 byterian congregation. The Rev. Dr. Jonas Coe was their first min- 
 ister. His services at this period were divided between Troy and 
 Lansingburg, his residence being in the latter place. An Episcopal 
 church, an edifice of small dimension of brick, was erected in 1804, 
 which was enlarged some years afterward, and is now known as 
 St. John's church. In 1805, the Baptist congregation erected a house 
 of worship in Third-street, which was afterward enlarged. The 
 
 • Mr. Elijah Adama, now (1840) 77 years of age, who has resided here about 60 years, 
 states that when he first knew the Van Derheyden lands, there were patches or strips with. 
 in the present site of the city, known as the corn grounds of the native Indians. Some- 
 time after he had taken up his residence here, a full grown bear swam across the Hudson, 
 landed near the upper ferry, and on being pursued ran across tlie low land among the small 
 oaks, and at length ascended a pine tree near the present location of the Rensselaer In- 
 Bticute, and was there brought to the ground oy a shot from his rifle. 
 
296 R£NSSKLAER COUNTY. 
 
 Methodist Episcopal congregation erected their first house of wor- 
 ship in State-street in IHOiJ. 
 
 Northwestern view of the Ti'oy Female Seminary. 
 
 The Troy Female Seminary, located in this place, holds a high 
 rank among the institutions of learning in our country. John H. 
 and Sarah L. Willard ..re the principals, and JVancy Hinsdale the 
 vice-principal : there .^re besides 21 teachrrs and ofliccis. The fallow- 
 ing accf.tunt and histoi'ical skeU:[i has been kindly furnished by an 
 individual well acquainted with it. 
 
 The school of which ihe Troy Seminary is a continuation, was begun in Middlebury, 
 Vermont, in 1614, by Mrs. Eiimia Willard. It there obtained considerable celebriiy, and 
 the Principal was sohcited to remove it to Waterford, In this state. She consented on the 
 condition that the most influential gentlemen of tliat place shauld unite m carrying before 
 the legislature a petition for incorporating and endowmg a public institution for lemaies. 
 Their approbation of this measure was made to depend on that of De Witt Clinton, then 
 governor of the state. On being presented with the plan, he expressed his high approval, 
 and introduced the subject into hts message. 
 
 In the wmier of 1818-19, the petition was, under his auspices, presented to the legisla- 
 ture, and for the first time the rights of woman in regard to education, were plead in a 
 legislative hall. Among its supporters were Mr. Van Buren, and Mr. John C. Spencer. 
 The justice of the claim was acknowledged, an institution on the proposed plan incorpo- 
 rated, and a bill for endowment brought m, but the adjournment of the legislature prevent- 
 ed Its passage. 
 
 In the spring of 1819, the proposed school went into operation in Waterford, in the large 
 budding now occupied as a hotel, that having been hired for two ycai's. The next winter. 
 session of the legislature defeated the hopes which had been e.xcited of an endowment^ 
 but in the mean time private patronage was abundant. 
 
 In 1821, the school being large, and no place being provided in Waterford for its accom- 
 modation, it was removed to Troy, the corporation of that city having voted ^4,000 for a 
 building. Since that period, the rents of the building have been made to meet the interest 
 and almost ail the principal of the moneys expended in its several enlargements and in the 
 odditions to its grounds. Since 1837 this institution has received from the state a share of 
 <ho htcrature fund, by which the library, apparatus, tScc, previously furnished by the Prin- 
 cipal, have been made more complete. This school has educated at least five thousand 
 pupils; of whom about one tenth have been teachers, and it has furnished Principals for 
 many of the most distinguished female schools in every part ot the Union. The present 
 Principal of this scniinnry, Mrs. Sarah Ij. Willard, spent nineteen years in the inyiilutiou as 
 pupil, teacher, and vice-pnncipal, before assuming its government. But ihc larger number of 
 the young ladies here educated have married, and arc now, many of them, standing in the 
 
Piilii 
 
RENSSELAER COUNTY. 297 
 
 first circles and among the first women of our country in regard to piety and mortil worth, 
 domestic usefulness, and intellectual and social accomplishments. Several of the pupils 
 have been distinguished as authors. About twenty teachers are constantly employed. The 
 number of pupils being about two hundred, gives an average of one teacher to ten pupils. 
 The objects of education as stated in the original plan are considered to be, first, religious 
 and moral i second, literary ; third, domestic ; and fourth, ornamental. But to obtain these 
 ends, the physical and mental powers must be developed and strengthened in due order and 
 proportion. Great care has been bestowed on health, and but one death of a pupil, and 
 that a sudden one from organic afiTeclion of the heart, has occurred. 
 
 The Rensselaer Institute is an excellent institution under the charge 
 of Professor Eaton. Many young men are here fitted for the pro- 
 fessioa of civil engineering. The system of teaching is thorough 
 and practical. 
 
 The city of Troy is regularly laid out. on a plan similar to that of 
 Philadelphia. The principal street is River-street, which- extends 
 along the Hudson the whole length of the city, and is ornamented 
 with many splendid and spacious stores. It is the theatre of a very 
 extensive business. The remaining portion of the place generally 
 exhibits the quiet aspect of the country. Many of the buildings, both 
 public and private, are spacious and elegant. The courthouse, built 
 of Sing Sing marble, is a splendid edifice, after the Grecian model. 
 St. Paul's church is a noble Gothic edifice, erected at an expense of 
 about 50,000 dollars. There are in Troy sixteen places of public 
 worship — viz, 4 Presbyterian, 3 Episcopal, 2 Methodist, 1 Scotch 
 Presbyterian, 2 Baptist, 1 Catholic, 2 African, and 1 Friends 
 meeting-houses. On the Wynant and Poestens kills, which here 
 empty into the Hudson, are several extensive manufacturing estab- 
 lishments. The city is abundantly supplied with excellent water from 
 the neighboring hills. Hydrants are placed at the corners of the 
 streets with hose attached, which in case of fire, as the natural head 
 of the water is 75 feet above the city level, supersedes the use of 
 fire-engines. Troy is indebted in a great measure for its prosperity 
 to its advantageous situation, and the enterprise and industry of her 
 inhabitants. She has extensively availed herself of the facilities 
 afforded by the river and the Erie and Champlain canals. The tides 
 of the Hudson frequently ascend to a dam thrown across the river 
 about a mile and a half above the centre of the city. By means of 
 a lock, sloop navigation is thus afforded to the village of Waterford. 
 Within the last few years Troy has increased rapidly in wealth and 
 population. In 1820 her population was 5,268; in 1830, 11,566 ; in 
 1850, 28,785, The Rensselaer and Saratoga railroad, 24 miles to 
 Ballston Spa, crosses the Hudson at this place by a bridge 1,600 feet 
 in length. 
 
 Reraaelaerwyck, or the manor of Reratelaer, includes a very extensive tract on both sides 
 of the Hudson, in nearly the centre of which is the city of Albany. It is 24 miles wide 
 on the river, and about 42 miles long, east and west. It includes in its area all of Rensse- 
 laer county, excepting the towns of Schaghticoke, Hoosick, and Pittstown, and the greater 
 part of Albany county. The title to this patent is derived from several successive grants 
 by the government of Holland, dating as far back as 1641, when the first grant was made 
 to Killian Van Rensselaer, who had purchased the native right to the soil, under conditions 
 stipulated by the government of Holland. " When this country changed masters, passing 
 from the Dutch to the English, again for a short time to the Dutch, and finally again to the 
 English, some contraveisies arose about indemnities, but the private right of ths original 
 
 38 
 
298 
 
 RENSSELAER COUNTY. 
 
 proprietor of the colony of Rensselaerw^'ck was never questioned. And on the 4th of 
 March, 1G85, the whole was corifirnied hy letters patent, under the great seal of the prov- 
 ince of New York, by Thomas Dongan, lieutenant-governor of the same. The original 
 design of the Dutch government extended only to the fotmdmg of colonies in this country 
 by cilizens of Holland, who .should amicably acquire the Indian title to the lands; and the 
 fouudir of a colony was therefore styled il.s palronn by the bill of privileges and the deed 
 of conveyance, the latter of which was only granted when the native right had been ac- 
 quired by purchase." A great portion of the land is permanently leased, and rent annually- 
 paid in the products of the soil to the patroon at Albany. 
 
 Northwestern view of Lansingburg . 
 
 Lansingbiirg was incorporated in 1801. It is beautifully situated 
 on the Hudson, 3 miles N. of Trov, 9 N. from Albany, and 1 S. from 
 Watcrford. Formerly it was called ihc " New City," and the ra- 
 pidity of its growth at that time e.xcited wonder. The village is 
 regularly laid out with capacious streets in squares of 400 by 260 
 feet, and is a place of considerable manufacturing and commercial 
 business. There are here 2 Presbyterian, 2 Methodist, 1 Baptist, 1 
 Episcopal, and 1 Universalist church, an academy in high repute, 2 
 priming offices, a bank, many mercantile stores, &c., and about 400 
 houses. Three of the sprouts of the Mohawk enter the Hudson near 
 the village, and the Calioes Falls are often distinctly heard in the still- 
 ness of the night. The annc.\ed engraving is from a view taken near 
 the bridge a short distance above the village, connecting it with Water- 
 ford. In the extreme distance on the right, the bridge over the Hud- 
 son, at Troy, is visible. Lansingburg was organized as a village in 
 1771, and " is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, chartered village in 
 ti-e stale." 
 
 The village of Greenbush, opposite Albany, contains upwards of 
 "■00 dwellings. During the last war with (ireat Britain, the United 
 States cantonment was erected here about 2 miles eastward of Alba- 
 ny. The buildings are now in a ruinous condition. Scaghticoke 
 Point IS a large manufacturing village containing upwards of 150 
 dwellings, 13 miles i\E. of Troy. Hoosick Falls, 24 miles NE. of 
 Troy, IS a manufacturing village containing about 80 dwellings. 
 
RICHMOND COUNTY. 
 
 299 
 
 RICHMOND COUNTY. 
 
 Richmond, an original county, was organized November 1, 1683, 
 and comprises Slalen Island, Shooter's Island, and the islands of mea- 
 dow on the west side of Statcn Island. It is about 14 miles long, and 
 its greatest breadtii is 8 ; mean breadth 5 miles. It is divided into 4 
 towns, all of which were organized m ITfeS. Pop. 10,985. 
 
 Castleton, Northfield, Southfield, Westfield. 
 
 Sailor's Snug Harbor. 
 
 The " Sailor's Snug Harbor" is a charitable institution for aged or 
 infirm seamen, pleasantly located about a mile W. of New Brighton. 
 The buildings are in the Grecian style, with marble fronts ; the main 
 building, 65 by 100 feet, has marble pillars in front, and is connected 
 by corridors with wings of 53 by 100 feet. Cost of construction 
 8115,000. The institution was founded in 1801, by Robert Richard 
 Randall, of New York, who bequeathed 22 acres for this purpose in 
 the 15th ward, which at that time was of comparatively hllle value, 
 but now has increased to an immense estate. Connected with the 
 building is a farm of 160 acres. In the yard fronting the edifice is an 
 elegant monument to the memory of the founder. No worthy appli- 
 cant lias ever yet been rejected. There are here at present 1 10 of the 
 sons of Neptune, many of whom having dropped their last anchor, have 
 found a snug port for life. 
 
 Richmond, the county seat, 13 miles from New Yoik, is a neat but 
 antiquated village, partly located in this town and m JNurthfield and 
 Westfield. It contains 2 churches, 2 hotels, a courthouse and jail, 
 and about 45 dwellings. At the Narrows are the forts Tompkins, 
 Richmond, and Hudson, and the Signal Hill. 
 
300 
 
 ROCKLAND COUNTY. 
 
 ROCKLAND COUNTY. 
 
 Rockland county was taken from Orange in 1798 ; greatest length 
 23 Greatest breadth 18 m.les. It .s s.tuated in ,he extrerxte southern 
 angle of the state, t,pon the west s>de of dre Hudson^^ ''';^:iZ. 
 crenerally much broken, and m the W. and M^ • mounlamoas 
 The vallevs are rich, extensive, and fertile. Dobbs lerry Stony Pomt, 
 Fort Clint'on, and the Pass, were noted m the annals of the revolution^ 
 ' Orangetown, now in Rockland, was the capital of the county uni 1 
 1737, when a courthouse and jail were bu, t at C.oshen in Oiange, 
 and the courts were holden at the two places alternately. About 1774, 
 ^e courthouse and ja.l at Orangetown having been destroyed by fie, 
 and part of the vllage having been transferred to New Jersey, public 
 bmd.ngs were erected at llie 'New City,' then ,n the precinct of 
 Haversuaw." The New York and Erie ra. road commences at 
 Piermont, and running through Orangetown, Clarkstown, =^"'1 K^'^^P;- 
 enters Orange county in the town of Monroe. Tins county is divided 
 into 4 towns, viz. : 
 
 Clarkson, Haverstraw, Orangetown, Ramapo. 
 
 Northern view of Stony Point, on the Hudson. 
 
 The above is a northern view of Stony Point, as seen when pass- 
 ing down the Hudson. This place is a little rough promontory on 
 hf west bank of tlie Hudson nearly a mile below t - enuan f 
 
 ihe Ht.lilands, havmg a ''gl't'^^'^^^'-''' ff "'"'"; •n^^^uieceeba^^ 
 post dunn- tlie revolutionary war, and is d.stmguisl cd by the ctiebratea 
 
 'as ault made upon it on tire 16,h July, 1779, by Oen. ^^^Y" ; ^ ' 
 
 Dlanck's Point, on the oppos.le side of the river is also a place dis 
 
 unraishcd 1 the history of the revolution. The iollowing is an ac- 
 
 cou'n t torm.ng'of Stony Point, as conununicated ma et er 
 
 S Gen. Wayne to Washmgton, dated Stony Ponit, July 17th, 1779. 
 
 .. Sir -I l,ave the honor to R,ve you a full and particular relation of th« rednct.on of 
 ^^■^ ^r;l;e^^5riS.rrri:Sr^:;^w:=:J our .me of .arCi ... sandy Be.eU, 
 
ROCKLAND COUNTY. 301 
 
 distant fourteen miles from this place ; the roada being exceedingly bad and narrow, and 
 having to pass over high mountains, through deep morasses, and difhcult defiles, we were 
 obliged to move in single files the greatest part of the way. At »ight o'clock in the even- 
 ing the van arrived at Mr. Springsteels, within one mile and a half of the enemy, and 
 formed into columns as fast as they came up, agreeably to the order of battle annexed ; 
 namely. Colonels Febiger's and Meigs' regiments, with Major Hull's detachment, formed 
 the right column ; Colonel Butler's regiment and Major Murfry's two companies the left. 
 The troops remained in this position until several of the principal officers with myself had 
 returned from reconnoitring the works. At half after eleven o'clock, being the hour fixed 
 on, the whole moved forward. The van of the right consisted of one hundred and fifty 
 volunteers, properly officered, who advanced with unloaded muskets and fired bayonets, 
 under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Fleury ; these were preceded by twenty picked 
 men, and a vigilant and brave ofiicer to remove the abatis and other obstructions. The 
 van of the left consisted of one hundred volunteers, under the command of Major Stewart, 
 with unloaded muskets and fixed bayonets, also preceded by a brave and determined officer 
 with twenty men, for the same purpose as the other. 
 
 " At twelve o'clock the assault was to begin on the right anc" left flanks of the enemy's 
 works, whilst Major Murfey amused them in front ; but a deep morass covering their whole 
 front, and at this ume overflowed by the tide, together with other obstructions, rendered 
 tlie approaches more diflacult than was at first apprehended, so that it was about twenty 
 minutes after twelve before the assault began ; previously to which I placed myself at the 
 head of Febiger's regiment, or the right column, and gave the troops the most pointed 
 orders not to fire on any account, but place their whole dependence on the bayonet, which 
 order was literally and faithfully obeyed. Neither the deep morass, the formidable and 
 double rows of abatu, nor the strong works in front and flank, could damp the ardor of the 
 troops, who, in the face of a most tremendous and incessant Kre of musketry, and from 
 cannon loaded with grape-shot, forced their way at the point of the bayonet through every 
 obstacle, both columns meeting in the centre of the enemy's w wks neariy at the same iji- 
 stant. Too much praise cannot be given to Lieutenant-colonel Fleury (who struck the 
 enemy's standard with his own hand,) and to Major Stewart, who commanded the advanced 
 parties, for their brave and prudent conduct. 
 
 '• Colonels Butler, Meigs, and Febiger conducted themselves with that coolness, bravery, 
 and perseverance, that will ever insure success. Lieutenant-colonel Hay was wounded in 
 the thigh, bravely fighting at the head of his battalion. I should take up too much of your 
 excellency's time, were I to particularize every individual who deserves it for his bravery 
 on this occasion. I cannot, however, omit Major Lee, to whom I am indebted for frequent 
 and very useful intelligence, which contributed much to the success of the enterprise ; and 
 it is with the greatest pleasure I acknowledge to you, that I was supported in the attack by 
 all the officers and soldiers under my command, to the utmost of my wishes. The officers 
 and privates of the artillery exerted themselves in turning the cannon against Verplanck's 
 Point, and forced the enemy to cut the cables of their shipping, and run down the river. 
 
 " I should be wanting in gratitude were I to omit mentioning Captain Fishboum and Mr. 
 Archer, my two aids-de-camp, who on every occasion showed the greatest intrepidity, and 
 supported me into the works after I received my wound in passing the last abatis, 
 
 " Enclosed are the returns of the killed and wounded of (he light infantry, as also of the 
 enemy, together with the nimiber of prisoners taken, likewise of the ordnance and stores 
 found in the garrison. 
 
 " I forgot to inform your excellency, that previously to my marching, I had drawn Gene, 
 ral Muhlenberg into my rear, who, with three hundred men of his brigade, took post on the 
 opposite side of the marsh, so.as to be in readiness either to support roe, or to cover a re. 
 treat in case of accident ; and I have no doubt of his faithfully and effectually executing 
 either, had there been any occasion for him. 
 
 " The humanity of our brave soldiery, who scorned to take the lives of a vanquished foe 
 falling for mercy, reflects the highest honor on them, and accounts for the few of the enemy 
 killed on the occasion. 
 
 " I am not satisfied with the manner in which I have mentioned the conduct of Lieuten. 
 ants Gibbons and Knox, the two gentlemen who led the advanced parties of twenty mea 
 each. Their distinguished bravery deserves the highest commendation. The former be. 
 longs to the sixth Pennsylvania regiment, and lost seventeen men killed and wounded in 
 the attack ; the latter belongs to the ninth Pennsylvania regiment, and was more fortunate 
 In saving his men, though not less exposed. I have the honor to be, &c. 
 
 " AsTHOKT Wayne." 
 
 " The nimber of prisoners taken in the fort was ^re hundred and forty. thrte. By Ge- 
 
302 
 
 ROCKLAND COUNTY. 
 
 uoral Wayne's return llie number of killed was sixty-three. In Colonel Johnson's official 
 account of the transaction, his loss in killed is stated to have been only twenty. It if not 
 eas}' to reconcile this discrepancy. The assailing party had fifteen killed and eighty-three 
 wounded. 
 
 " Cuni^ress passed resolves highly complimentary to the officers and privates engaged in 
 this enterprise, and confirming the promise of reward which had been previously made by 
 General \Vavne : aiid also directnig the value of all the military stores taken at Stony 
 Point to be ascertamed and divided among the troops who were engaged in storming the 
 fort. 
 
 " The rewards were as follows : to the first man who entered the enemy's works, five 
 hundred doilans ; to the second, four hundred dollars ; to the third, three hundred ; to the 
 fourth. t\\'0 hundred ; to the fifth, one hundred ; being fifteen hundred dollars in the whole. 
 The ordnance and other stores were estimated at one hundred and fifty-eight thousand six 
 hundred and forty dollars : which amount was divided among the troops in proportion to 
 ihe pay of the officers and men. 
 
 " Three different medals, emblematical of the action, were struck by order of congress, 
 bearing the names respectively of Wayne, Fleury, and Stewart." 
 
 The village of Piermont, 24 miles N. of New York, contains about 
 150 dwellings and 2 churches. The New York and Erie railroad 
 commences here by a pier m the river nearly a mile in length. Dohbs' 
 Ferry, a noted place in the revolution, is about a mile below this place. 
 Tappan, a little village of about 20 houses, is 3 miles W. of Piermont, 
 and IS distinguished as the place where Major Andre was executed 
 during the revolution. In 1831, his remains were disinterred by the 
 British consul, and conveyed to London. 
 
 North vieiv of the place ivhere Andre ivas executed. 
 
 The place where Andre was executed is at the summit of a hill, 
 about a quarter of a mile west of Tappan village, and overlooking to 
 the east a romantic and fertile valley. A small heap of stones, thrown 
 hastily together, with an upright stake and a few names carved rudely 
 upon it, IS the only monument to mark the spot of his execution and 
 his grave. While in Tappan village, Andre was confined in an an- 
 cient stone mansion, at present occupied as a tavern by Mr. Thomas 
 Wandle. His trial took place in the old Dutch church, which was 
 torn down in 1836. A new one has since been erected on the same 
 site. Washington's head-quarters were in the antiquated stone dwel- 
 ling now occupied by Mr. Arthur Johnson. 
 
KOCKLAND COUNTY. 303 
 
 The following account of the execution of Andre, which took place 
 Oct. 2, 1780, is given by an eye-witness. 
 
 " I waa at that time an artificer in Col. Jeduthan Baldwin's regiment, a part of which 
 was stationed within a shoit distance of the spot where Andre suffered. One of our men, 
 (I believe his name was Armstrong,) being one of the oldest and best workmen at his trade 
 in the regiment, was selected to make his coffin, which he performed and painted black, 
 agreeable to the custom in those times. 
 
 " At this time Andre was confined in what was called a Dutch church, a small stone 
 building, with only one door, and closely guarded by six sentinels. When the hour ap. 
 pointed for his execution arrived, which I believe was 2 o'clock, P. M., a guard of three 
 hundred men were paraded at the place of his confinement. A kind of procession was 
 formed by placing the guard in single file on each side of the road. In fi-ont were a large 
 number of American officers of high rank, on horseback ; these were followed by the 
 wagon containing Andre's coffin — then a large number of officers on foot, with Andre in 
 their midst. The procession moved slowly up a moderately rising hili, I should think about 
 a fourth of a mile to the west. On the top was a field witliout any enclosure ; in this waa 
 a very high gallows, made by setting up two poles or crotches, laying a pole on the top. 
 The wagon that contained the coffin was drawn directly under the gallows. In a short 
 time Andre stepped into the hind end of the wagon — then on his coffin — took oflf his hat 
 and laid it down — then placed his hands upon his liips, and walked very lightly back 
 and forth, as far as the length of his coffin would permit, at the same time casting his eyes 
 upon the pole over his head and the whole scenery by which he was surrounded. He waa 
 dressed in what I should call a complete British uniform ; his coat was of the brightest scar, 
 let, faced or trimmed with the most beautiful green ; his under clothes, or vest and breeches, 
 were bright buff, very similar to those worn by military officers in Connecticut at the pre. 
 Bent day; he had a long and beautiful head of hair, which, agreeable to the fashion, waa 
 wound with a black riband, and hung down his back. All eyes were upon him, and it is 
 not believed that any officer in the British army, placed in his situation, would have appeared 
 better than this unfortunate man. 
 
 " Not many minutes after he took his stand upon the coffin, the executioner stepped into 
 the wagon with a baiter in his hand, on one end of which was what the soldiers in those 
 days called a hangman's knot, which he attempted to put over the head and around the 
 neck of Andre, but by a sudden movement of his hand this was prevented. Andre took 
 off the handkerchief from his neck, unpinned his shirt collar, and deliberately took the end 
 of the halter, put it over his head, and placed the knot directly under his right ear, and 
 drew it very snugly to his neck ; he then took from his coat pocket a handkerchief and tied 
 it over his eyes. This done, the officer that commanded (his name I have forgotten) spoke 
 in rather a loud voice, and said that his arms must be tied. Andre at once pulled down 
 the handkerchief he had just tied over his eyes, and drew from his pocket a second one, 
 and gave to the executioner, and then replaced his handkerchief. His arms were tied just 
 above the elbows, and behind the back : the rope was then made fast to the pole overhead. 
 The wagon was very suddenly drawn from under the gallows, which, together with the 
 length of rope, gave him a most tremendous swing back and forth, but in a few moments he 
 hung entirely still. During the whole transaction he appeared as httle daunted as Mr. John 
 Rogers, when he was about to be burnt at the stake ; but his countenance was rather pale. 
 Hn remained hanging, I should think, from 20 to 30 minutes, and dining that time the 
 chambers of death were never stiller than the multitude by which he was surrounded. 
 Orders were given to cut the rope, and take him down without letting him fall ; this was 
 done, and his body carefully laid on the ground. — Shortly after, the guard was withdrawn 
 and spectators were permitted to come forward to view the corpse, but the crowd was so 
 great that it was some time before I could get an opportunity. When I was able to do 
 this, his coat, vest, and breeches were taken off, and his body laid in the coffin, covered by 
 some under clothes. The top of the coffin was not put on. I viewed the corpse more care, 
 fully than I had ever done that of any human being before. His head was very much on 
 one side, in consequence of the manner in which the halter drew upon his neck. His face 
 appeared to be greatly swollen and very black, much resembling a high degree of mortifi. 
 cation ; it was indeed a shocking sight to behold. There was at this time standing at the 
 foot of the coffin, two young men of uncommon short stature — I should think not more 
 than four feet high. Their dress was the most gaudy that I ever beheld. One of them had 
 the clothes just taken from Andre hanging on his arm. I took particular pains to learn who 
 they were, and was informed that they were his servants, sent up from New York to take 
 care of his clothes, but what other business I did not learn. 
 
 " I now tinned to take a view of the executioner, who was still standing by one of the 
 
304 
 
 ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY. 
 
 posts of the gallows. I walked nigh enough to him te have laid my hand upon his shoul- 
 der, and looked him directly in his face. He appeared to be about twenty-live years of 
 age, his beard of two or three weeks' growth, and his whole face covered with what ap- 
 peared to me to be blacking taken from the outside of a greasy pot. A more frightful 
 looking being I never beheld — his whole countenance bespoke him to be a fit instrument 
 for the business he had been doing. Wishing to see the closing of the whole business, I 
 remained upon the spot until scarce twenty persons were left, but the coffin was still be- 
 side the grave, which had previously been dug. I now returned to my tent, with my 
 mind deeply imbued with the shacking scene I had been called to witness." 
 
 ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY. 
 
 St. Lawrence county was taken from Oneida in 1802; distant 
 from N^ York 350, from Albany NW. 206 miles. Greatest length 
 on the iSt. Lawrence river, which bounds it on the N., 66 miles ; 
 greatest breadth 64. This county is larger by 1,000 square miles 
 than any other in the state. That portion of it bordering upon the St. 
 Lawrence, and extending 30 or 40 miles into the country, is agreeably 
 diversified, waving in gentle swells and broad valleys, with extensive 
 tracts of champaign. The soil is warm, rich, and productive, and equal 
 to any of the uplands of the state. The southeastern part is broken 
 and mountainous. These mountains abound with fine iron ore. The 
 county is comparatively unsettled, but is now filling up rapidly. Since 
 1820, the population has more than trebled. This county extends 75 
 miles along the St. Lawrence. The many large streams, with their 
 branches, furnish some internal navigation, with superabundance of 
 hydraulic power. The St. Lawrence has a good sloop navigation 
 from Lake Ontario to Ogdensburg. From Ogdensburg to Montreal, 
 the navigation is dangerous on account of the rapids. This river is 
 studded with numberless islands, rendering the scenery highly pictur- 
 esque and beautiful. Wheat is raised upon the new lands, but there 
 is danger of its being winter-killed in the long and almost unmitigated 
 frosts. Rye, grass, and all the summer crops flourish luxuriantly ; 
 and it is obvious that the great source of wealth here will be found in 
 grass farming and the culture of sheep. The county is divided into 
 25 towns : 
 
 Brasher, Hammond, Massena, Potsdam, 
 
 Canton, Hermon, Morristown, Rossie, 
 
 De Kalb, Hopkinton, Norfolk, Russell, 
 
 De Peyster, Lawrence, Oswegatchie, Stockholm. 
 
 Edwards, Lisbon, Parishville, 
 
 Fowler, Louisville, Pierrepont, 
 
 Governeur, Madrid, Pitcairn, 
 
 Ogdensburg, the largest place in the county, has a population of 
 2,555. It is 204 miles N. from Albany, 130 from Montreal, 120 
 W. from Plattsburgh, 63 NE. from Sacketts Harbor, and 18 from 
 Canton. This was formerly the county seat, but it has been re- 
 
MAJOR ANDRE, 
 Witli a fac-simile of his liand -writing. 
 
 GEN. MONTGOMERY, 
 Killed in an assault on Quebec, Dec. Slat, 1776. 
 
ST. LAWRE,\CE C(Jlj'NTV 
 
 ',(>.-. 
 
 View of Ogdensburg. 
 
 moved to Canton. The above view was taken on the bank of the Oswe- 
 i,Mtchie river, near tlie rains of the old barracks. Tlie steeple seen on 
 the left IS that of the Presbyterian church ; the one on the extreme 
 right the old courthouse ; the academy is next to it ; and the square 
 steeple is that of the Episcopal denomination. The lirst religious 
 society organized was the Presbyterian ; they held their meetings, as 
 far back as IHll, in the old courthouse. In 1819, they erected their 
 fii'st church, a few rods southwest of whore the jiresent st<^ne church 
 now stands. There are here 1 Baptist, 1 Methodist, 1 Episcopal, 1 
 Roman Catholic, and 1 Presbyterian church, besides a society of 
 Unitarians. 
 
 The proximity of the town to the Canada line made it an import- 
 ant place during the late war, and the scene of several minor military 
 operations. The following is extracted from Thompson's History 
 oi' the Late War. 
 
 In rctaliaiion fur a daring exploit performed by Cnpt. Forsytli of the nfle repfiment, in the 
 destiiKMion Lit on immense (|iiantity of stores, &.C., collected at the small village oi Ganano. 
 que, ni (he Ujw n of ]jeeds, ni Canada, "the enemy determined on attacking and destroy, 
 ing the town of Ogdensburg. Opposite to this is sttuaietl the Canadian vdlage of Prescott, 
 before which the British had a strong line of breastworks. On the 2d of October, 1812, 
 ihey opencii a iiea^'y cannonading on the town from iheir batteries, and continued to bom- 
 bard it with iiitle intermission until the night of tiie 3d: one or two buildings only were 
 injured. On Sunday, the 4th, having prepared forty boats, with from ten to fifteen armed 
 men in each, they advanced with six pieces of artillery, to storm the town. General Brown 
 ronimanded at Ogdensburg in person, and when the enemy had advanced within a short 
 distance, he ordered his troops to open a warm fire upon them. The British, nevertheless, 
 steadily a|)prnaclied (he shore, and kept up their fire for two hours; during which, they sus- 
 taiiii'd the galling fire of the Americans, until one of their boats was taken, and two others 
 so shatiercd, that their crews were obliged to abandon them ; they then relinquished the 
 assault and ficd to Prescott. There has been no engagement, perhaps, which exhibited 
 more gallantry on both sides. In this attack. Gen. Brown had under ais command about 
 400 men, the British 1000." 
 
 The annexed account of the taking of this place on the 21st of 
 Februarv, 1813 is extracted from the same source as the above. 
 
 39 
 
306 ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY. 
 
 " The movements of the enemy at Prescott were indicative of an intention to attack Og 
 densburg. Colonel Benedict was therefore induced to call out his regiment of militia, and 
 arrangements were immediately made for the defence of the place. On the 21st of Febru- 
 ary, the enemy appeared before it, with a force of twelve hundred men, and succeeded in 
 driving out Captain Forsyth and his troops. The British 'attacked in two columns, of six 
 hundred men each, at 8 o'clock in the morning, and were commanded by Capt. M'Donnell 
 of the Glengary light infantry, and Colonel Fraser of the Canadian militia. The American 
 riflemen and militia received them with firmness, and contended for the ground upwards 
 of an hour ; when the superiority of numbers compelled them to abandon it, and to retreat 
 to Black Lake, nearly nine miles from Ogdensburg, after losing twenty men in killed and 
 wounded. The loss of the enemy, from the deliberate coolness with which the riflemen 
 fired, was reputed to have been thrice that number. The British account, which claimed 
 the capture of immense stores, none of which had ever been deposited there, admitted the 
 loss of five distinguished officers. In consequence of this affair, a message was sent by the 
 commandant of Fort George, to Colonel M'Feely, the commandant of Fort Niagara, in- 
 forming him that a salute would be fired the next day in honor of the capture of the Ameri- 
 can village. Colonel M'Feely having received intelligence in the course of the same even- 
 ing, of the capture of his majesty's frigate the Java, returned the message to the British 
 commandant, by communicating to him his intention of firing a salute, at the same hour 
 from Fort Niagara, in celebration of this brilliant event." 
 
 The following additional particulars respecting the taking of Og- 
 densburg were obtained by personal conversation with a resident at 
 that time. The British landed in the northeast part of the village, neai 
 some barracks occupied by a detachment of militia under Captain 
 Lytle, which he evacuated and then joined Col. Forsyth at the fort. 
 The enemy marched up through Ford-street, and when the Ameri- 
 cans had abandoned the fort, they crossed over on the ice opposite 
 to the Eagle Hotel. Besides the public stores destroyed by them, 
 they took away a large quantity of provisions, &c., private property, 
 which they were much in need of, but for which they afterward paid 
 full price. A barn is now standing on the SE. side of Ford-street, 
 near the corner of Water-street, where holes made by grape shot 
 fired from the fort are still to be seen. The Glengarian regiment, 
 which was in the attack, was quite celebrated during the military 
 operations on the frontier. This corps were from the county of 
 Glengary, in Upper Canada. Their religion was Catholic, and they 
 were the descendants of Scotch Highlanders. 
 
 The following is a view of Windmill Point and ruins in its vicinity. 
 It is memorable as being the spot, whore, during the recent struggle 
 in Canada, a small body of men, under the unfortunate Van Schoultz, 
 gallantly defended themselves against an overpowering force of Brit- 
 ish and Canadians. The following account of this affair, usually termed 
 the " Battle of Prescott," is principally drawn from a work recently 
 published by E. A. Theller, Esq., and entitled Canada in 1837-8. 
 
 Early in November, 1838, the patriots, (so called,) who had secretly rallied in clubs in 
 and about Syracuse, Oswego, Sacketts Harbor, Watertown, Ogdensburg, French creek, 
 and at other points on or near the American line, began to exhibit an intention of making a 
 fresh demonstration at some point in Upper Canada. About the 10th, two schooners were 
 noticed as being freighted from canal boats, which had come up the Oswego canal under 
 suspicious circumstances, and to sail out of the harbor in a northern direction. On the 12th, 
 the steamboat United States, which had been detained in port by a heavy gale, sailed for 
 Sacketts Harbor. Here she took aboard about 250 patriots. The two schooners spoken 
 of, were next discovered by the United States, lying in the river St. Lawrence ; when 
 Capt. Van Cleve complied with the request of a passenger of respectable appearance, to 
 take them in tow ; saying they were loaded witli merchandise for Ogdensburg, which he 
 
ST. LAWUENCF. COUNTY. 
 
 ;i07 
 
 View of Windmill Toint^ Prcscott, U. C* 
 
 wns desirous of gptiin^' into port thr next morning. Accordinfrly (he schooners were 
 lashed one earh Pide of iho steamer. Tlie l>oxes and l)un-eis ui^ \\u tr decks, wiih just men 
 fiiou<fh in .=ii:lit to na\iirate ihcin, exhihited no evidence k>( tlicir lieincr uther than repre- 
 sented by the p;i5'^en,i:< r. The cnptiun was soon undeceived, by armed men chrabing from 
 the sehoiincis un to hn boat, to the nunilier of some 20U, and he th tern lined to lay at Mur- 
 nstijwn, lU nnK'S above C)Lrden.'=;lturg, and trive notice to ihn ainhniiiits. On arrivnig at that 
 nciL'^bburlhiod, ihe ]),i;rmrs, afier Iran.'-fenin^'- abnut 100 of ibc boat's pa??enLa'rs, unfastened 
 their vr-s-^rl-, ;in(l were tomid the next mornni:: at anchor m tin' nvcifbctw i. en (.>j_i-densburg 
 luid Pi-e.^-coti, iiih'd wiili armed men. Both (owns were now ihe srciie of excitement; for 
 it \va* f\i(!riu that Fori Welhii^lon was the point uf allaek, and buih s-hnros were soon 
 thronged w ith ciiizens. The E\i)rriniPnl, a British armed sieaniboat, was lying at the 
 Ficseotj wharf, and hv ihis time t!ic United Slates had arrived at Ogdcnsbur*:. On her 
 arrival, the pruplf, wiih loud cheers, rushed on board and went to the rehcf of one of the 
 schooner'^ winch by accident had got aground on the slioal in the river. Notsucceeding in 
 reaching her, tlity returned to the boat for a longer hawser. As she went out again, the 
 Kxfjcnment came out and hred two shn:?, but wiihout elTcct ; and she passed down the 
 river about a mde to Windmill Pomt, to the other schooner, which had succeeded m land- 
 itiL' her forces, and was returning to take ofi' (lie men from the grounded vessel. The Ex- 
 penmcni followed her, and w he^n ihe United iStates was covering her on her way up, kept 
 i;p an irregular tire upon bolh, wnhout eiVect. The United Slates having seen the schooner 
 sliu was proiL Cling anchored under the Ogdcnsburg shore, returned again to Windmill 
 i'onit, where William Johnson with small b(jals landed 110 rnen. Mcaniime the American 
 sream ferry-boat, Paul I'ry, ran over to the stranded vessel, and hauled her ofi" under a brisk 
 the from the E.vperimeni, whicli the former returned wnh sniall-arm«, killing 7 of the Ex- 
 pcnmeni's men, hut losinir none. The United States was now returmng, and agam encoun- 
 tered the fire ot the Experiment, breaking glass lights and doing other damage. Those who 
 Iiad remained after the disembarkation, about 25 in number, stood upon the promenade 
 deck and cheered tlie discharges a^i they came. During this, a shut passing through the 
 whcel-hoii«c, killed !\Ir. Solomon Foster, a young man, the helmsman of the boat. As the 
 United StaU'S now went mto port, she was surrendered to her owners^ and immediately 
 seized by (lie United Slates authorities, which completed the forenoon's operations. 
 
 "Commodore ' Bil! .lohnson' wlio had come on to Ogdensburg on the return of the 
 TJiiiied States, addressed ' the patriots' present, urging and beseeching them to go with him, 
 and join iho.-e who had cr.i^^sed. He succeeded in croa«nig with some, in one of the 
 schooners, at Iwu or three dilfercut times ; whilst most uf the afternoon and evening was 
 occupied at Windmill Point, by the patriots, fortifying their position, and preparing for the 
 contest. They had taken possession of the windmill, and other large sione buddings, to the 
 number of about 200, which were increased by accessions froni the small boats crossing 
 over in the evening. It was ?Gen that at Fort Wellington the British were also engaged 
 ill making preparations ; but towards night there was scarcely a hving soul seen in the 
 streets of Prcscott, There was no fighting that night. During the evening the steamboat 
 
 * The authors are indebted for the above view to Mr. ElJis, artist, of Ogdensburg. 
 
308 ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY. 
 
 Telegraph, with Col. Worth, of the United States army, had arrived, accompanied by two 
 companies of United States troops, and by Mr. Garrow, a United States marshal, who 
 immediately took into custody all the craft which had been employed by the patriots, in- 
 cluding the United States, the two schooners, and the Paul Pry ; and made effectual 
 arrangements to cut ofF all further supplies of men, arms, or provisions from the patriot 
 camp ; after which, all remained quiet during the night, except the report of cannon at 
 long intervals. Early on the morning of the 13th, the British armed steamers Cobourg 
 and Traveller, had arrived at Prescott with troops ; and at about 7 o'clock, they, together 
 with the Experiment, opened a discharge of cannon, and commenced throwing bombs at 
 the patriots at the windmill, who discharged field-pieces from their battery on shore in 
 return. At about 8 o'clock, a tine of fire blazed along the summit of the hill, in the rear 
 of the windmill, for about 80 or 100 rods, and the crack of the rifles and muskets made 
 one continuous roar. It appears that by the time the firing commenced in the morning, 
 there were but 180 of those who had crossed left at Windmill Point ; and that when they 
 were attacked by land, in rear of their position, some 52 of these fled, leaving only 128 to 
 face from 600 to 800 British regulars and volunteers. After a fight of about an hour, ac- 
 cording to Theller's account, the British were driven back into their fort with a loss, it is 
 supposed, of about 100 killed and many wounded. The patriots lost 5 men and 13 
 wounded. On the morning of the 14th little was done, and the British having sent a flag 
 of truce for permission to bury the dead, the request was granted. Alterward, when the 
 patriots sent a flag, the bearer was shot. l)n the 15th, the British received a reinforce- 
 ment of 400 regulars, with cannon and gun-boats, by steamboats from Kingston, and vol- 
 unteers numbering in all about 2,000 ; who surrounded the mill by their guu-boats and 
 steamers on the river, and by stationing cannon and troops on laud ; and keeping up a 
 continual cannonading until Friday evening, when the patriots surrendered. At 5 o'clock 
 the same afternoon, a white flag was displayed from the mill, but no attention being paid 
 to it, it was finally fastened on the outside ; then 3 or 4 flags were sent out, and the bear- 
 ers shot down as somi as seen. Immediately after the surrender, the British burnt four 
 dwellings and two Barns in the vicinity of the windmill. According to the account of 
 Theller, 36 patriots were killed, 2 escaped, and 90 were made prisoners ; and of the Brit- 
 ish about 150 men were killed and 20 officers, among whom was Capt. Drutiiinond. The 
 patriots were commanded by Van Schoultz, a Polander, who had fought for the freedom 
 of his native land, and witnessed her expiring agonies at ill-fated Warsaw. When driven 
 to desperation, he opposed the offering to the enemy the flag of truce, and besought his 
 men to rush upon the enemy and din in tlie contest ; but their ammunition and provisions 
 were exhausted, and a five days' fatigue in active night and day defence had' worn them 
 out and made them indifferent to their fate. At the trials. Van Schoultz pleaded guilty 
 and was sentenced to death, and was executed Dec. 9th, 1838, aged 31. Col. Dorephus 
 Abbey, of Watertown, Jefferson county ; Col. Martin Woodruff, of Salina, Onondaga 
 county, and Daniel George, and others, suffered the same fate with Van Schoultz. A 
 number of others were finally released, while the others were sentenced to transportation, 
 and, with those in a like situation who had been respited after their trials, and with 
 Messrs. John G. Parker, Watson, and others, to the number of 23, were sent to England, 
 and from thence, in company with 11 convicted felons, were transported to Van Diemen's 
 Land." 
 
 The village of Canton, 18 miles from Ogdensburg, on the Grasse 
 river, was made the county seat in 1828, previous to which time the 
 courts were holden at Ogdensburg. The village contains the county 
 buildings, an academy, 5 churches, and about 150 dwelUngs. This 
 village was originally called " Foot's Falls," from Mr. Stillman Foot, 
 who came here in the winter of 1799, and bought a mile square, com- 
 prising in its limits the site of the village. 
 
 The village of Potsdam, about 10 miles NE. from Canton, is 
 pleasantly situated at the falls of the Racket river, and contains sev- 
 eral churches, a flourishing academy, numbering about 150 pupils, 
 and about 130 dwellings. 
 
SARATOGA COUNTY. 309 
 
 SARATOGA COUNTY. 
 
 Saratoga county was taken from Albany in 1791 ; greatest length 
 N. and S. 47, and greatest breadth E. and W. 30 miles. Centrally 
 distant from Albany 36 miles. " Its name is supposed to be a cor- 
 ruption of the Indian word Sah-rah-ka, or the ' side hill.' The great- 
 er part of the lands in this tract were originally granted by the English 
 crown to a company of 13 individuals, by the title of the patent of 
 Kayaderosseras. Smaller portions were included in other patents. 
 Thus Van Schaick's, of an earlier date, included the town of Water- 
 ford and adjacent country. The Saratoga patent embraced six miles 
 square on the Hudson river north of Van Schaick's ; and the apple 
 patent, located on the Mohawk, extended ' three miles back into the 
 woods,' towards Ballston Lake. The first recorded grant of lands in 
 the Kayaderosseras patent was made in August, 1702. A good por- 
 tion of the land is now held under a rent charge of from 15 to 20 
 cents an acre, derived originally from the above patent. Settlements 
 were made in 1715 under that patent, and some probably earlier, 
 along the Hudson, upon the patents of Van Schaick and Saratoga ; 
 but there was then none north of Fish creek, now Schuylersville, and 
 few between that and the Mohawk. Until the conquest of Canada by 
 the English, settlements were slowly made. After this, although rap- 
 idly formed, they were confined some years to the banks of the Hud- 
 son and Mohawk." 
 
 The surface of the county presents a broad diversity, having the 
 Kayaderosseras and Palmertown mountains in the northwest, and in 
 the southeast, sandy plains, generally level, and along the Hudson 
 and some of the smaller streams, extensive tracts of rich alluvion. 
 There are several small lakes, the largest of which are Saratoga, 
 Ballston, or the Long Lake, Round Lake, Owl Pond, Sec. This 
 county is rich in historical incident. It has 20 towns, viz. : 
 
 Ballston, Edinburg, Malta, Saratoga, 
 
 Charlton, Galway, Milton, Saratoga Springs, 
 
 Clifton Park, Greenfield, Moreau, Stillwater, 
 
 Corinth, Hadley, Northumberland, Waterford, 
 
 Day, Halfmoon, Providence, Wilton. 
 
 The village of Ballston Spa, the seat of justice for Saratoga county, 
 is 30 miles N. from Albany, and 7 southwest from Saratoga Springs. 
 The village is situated in a valley surrounded by hills, upon a branch 
 of the Kayaderosseras creek, immediately around the mineral springs 
 in the southeast corner of the town of Milton. The village contains 
 about 180 dwellings, 3 churches, a large courthouse of brick, and 
 other county buildings, 2 newspaper printing offices, a number of ho- 
 tels, of which the Sans Souci is the most prominent. This structure 
 ]s of wood, having a front of 160 feet, and wings of 150 feet, and is 
 three stories high. 
 
310 SARATOGA COUNTY. 
 
 " The mineral springs from which this village derives its importance 
 and celebrity, were discovered in 1767. In 1772, Mr. Douglass erect- 
 ed a small log-house here for the accommodation of visiters. During 
 the revolutionary war settlements in this part of the country were sus- 
 pended, but about 1790 Mr. Douglass enlarged his accommodations. 
 In 1804, Nicholas Low, Esq., raised the well-known Sans Souci hotel. 
 In 1807, several other springs, and in 1817, four springs of differ- 
 ent qualities, were found near the great manufactory built by Mr. 
 Low. 
 
 " The spring in the rear of the Sans Souci, and that in the rear of 
 the village hotel, and the original spring at the west of the village, con- 
 tain, as essential ingredients, the carbonates of soda, of lime, iron, and 
 magnesia ; the tonic qualities of the iron, and the sparkling and enli- 
 vening influence of the fixed air that they possess in an extraordinary 
 degree, have a wonderful effect upon enervated, bilious, and debilitated 
 constitutions. 
 
 " The use of the mineral waters here and at Saratoga is especially 
 beneficial in all those affections termed bilious and dyspeptic, in cal- 
 culous and nephritic complaints, in chronic rheumatism, gout, in ulcers 
 and cutaneous disorders, scrofula, in mercurial diseases and strumous 
 affections, in recent dropsy, paralysis, chlorosis, &c." 
 
 The village of Saratoga Springs is 181 miles from New York, 36^ 
 from Albany, and 6| from Ballston Spa. It is located in a fertile 
 country, and contains 6 churches, several literary institutions, andabout 
 2,000 inhabitants. This place derives its attractions from its medicinal 
 springs. These are situated on the margin of a vale, bordering the 
 village on the east, and are the continuation of a chain of springs dis- 
 covering themselves about 12 miles to the south, in the town of Balls- 
 ton. The springs in this vicinity are 18 or 20 in number, the principal 
 of which are the Congress, the Iodine or Walton, Putnam's, the Mon- 
 roe, the Hamilton, the Flat Rock, the High Rock, the Columbian, and 
 the Washington. A new spring has lately been discovered, whose 
 waters are gaining high favor with the public, and are said to be bene- 
 ficial in consumption. The hotels in this place are numerous, and 
 some of them truly elegant, built in good taste, with spacious piazzas, 
 and yards ornamented with shrubbery. The facility with which it is 
 visited, by railroads from Albany and Troy, with other thoroughfares, 
 together with the numerous attractions of the place, has rendered 
 Saratoga the sununer resort of thousands from all parts of our wide- 
 spread country. 
 
 The Saratoga and Schenectady railroad extends from Schenecta- 
 dy to this place, a distance of 2| miles ; running through the village of 
 Ballston Spa, where it forms a junction with the Rensselaer and Sara- 
 toga railroad, extending to the city of Troy. It was opened for public 
 use in July, 1832. 
 
 The town of Saratoga is distinguished in the history of the Ameri- 
 can revolution as being the place of the surrender of Burgoyne. 
 Schuylerville, which is the principal village in the town, lies on the 
 
SAUATOGA COUNTV. 
 
 311 
 
 Champlain canal near the inouili u\' Fish crrck. which here flows into 
 the Hudson, and consists of ahont 100 dwellings, 3 chun^hes — 1 Dutch 
 Ref..)nnt*d. 1 Baptist, and 1 Methodist — and an academy, with several 
 anils mid lactones. 
 
 Schuyler mansion-house, Schuylerville. 
 
 The above is a view of the mansion of the late Gen. Schuyler, in 
 Schuylerville, which was built a short time after his house and mills 
 at this place were destroyed by the arirly under General Bureoyne 
 in 1777. This dwellinfr. tlie residence of George 8tr()ver, Esri., is a 
 short distance south oi' the spot where Burgoync surrendered his 
 sword to General Gates. After the battle at Stillwnter, Oct. 7th, he 
 made an attempt to ctfect his retreat back to Fort Edward, but was 
 unable to proceed any further than tlie mouth of Fish creek, where 
 he was hemmed in by the American forces. The following account 
 relative to the surrender of Burgoync is from the 2d volume of Al- 
 len's American Revolution: — 
 
 " Prcviinis to the ac(ii>n of the 7ih, Genera! Gates, anticipating the retreat of the enemy, 
 h;id orJcrfd BriiraJicr Genernl Fellows, with 1,300 tnen, to cross the river, and take post 
 on (he heights oppn^ire the Saratocra furd, suppusinf,' (!iat he niitrht be able to reinforce him 
 before Biiry:oyne could reach the place. Hut the retreat of the British army heinjj earlier 
 than he expected, and (he circumstances before related preventing- him from pursuing' imme- 
 diately with the main army, or sending olf any considerable detachment. General Fellows 
 was [)^aced in a critical situation, and nothing saved his detachment from destruction or 
 capture, but the very slow movements of Burgoyne, occasioned by a heavy rain during the 
 night (if the 6th, and the badness of the roads, which compelled him to halt at Davocote, 
 so that he did not reach Saratoga until the morning of the 9lh. By this time General Fel- 
 |t)ws had received orders to rccross the river and endeavor to oppose their passage, which 
 he did just as the front of the British armv entered Saratoga, and in lime to post himself 
 advantageously on the opposite bank of the river. On the evening before, his camp was 
 so entirely unguarded, that Lieutenant-colonel Southerland, who had been sent forward 
 by Burgoyne to reconnoitre, marched around it without meeting with a sentinel, and was 
 so strongly impressed with (he conviction that he could surprise him, that he solicited per- 
 mission to attack him with his single regiment; and it was perhaps fortunate for General 
 Fellows that Burgoyne refused, 
 
 '* In the mean time several other bodies of militia were posted, to intercept the retreat 
 of Burgoyne, in various directions, and one detachment was ordered to march immediately 
 to Fort Edward, and take possession btfore any part of Burgoyne's troops could reach it. 
 A rain on the lOlh prevented General Gates from marching until the afternoon. When 
 the front of tiic army reached Saratoga, about 4 o'clock, the British were encamped on the 
 
312 SARATOUA (XILNJ'V. 
 
 hiiights beyond the Fiahkill, [Fish creek :] their boats lay at the mouth of the creek, and a 
 fatigue party were at work in removing the biiggapre from the creek to the heights. Ge. 
 neral Fellows with his corps were on the opposite bank of the river, with a couple of small 
 field-pieces on the pliiin, playing upon the enemy's fatigue party. General Gates on his 
 arrival posted the army in several lines on the heights, about a mile in the rear of the Fish- 
 kill, wilh Colonel Morgan's corps in front. Under the idea that the enemy would retreat 
 in the night. General Gates gave orders that the army should advance at reveillee in the 
 morning of the 11 th. A small detachment had been sent off by Burgoyne to possess them- 
 selves of Fort Edward, but finding it occupied by the Americans, had returned to camp : 
 the movement of this detachment had given rise to the information which deceived Gene, 
 ral Gates, that the whole British army had moved off, leaving a small guard only in the 
 camp to take care of the baggage and stores. Upon this intelligence it was determined to 
 attack the camp early in the morning ; and Brigadier-generals Nixon and Glover were 
 ordered to cross the creek with their brigades for this purpose. 
 
 " Colonel Morgan advancing with his corps at daylight agreeably to orders, fell in with 
 the enemy's picket, by whom he was fired upon, and lost a lieutenant and several privates. 
 This induced him to suppose that the enemy had not moved as supposed, in which case his 
 situation would be extremely critical, as the fog was so thick that nothing could be seen at 
 the distance of twenty yards ; a winding creek was in his rear, and he was unacquainted 
 with the grounds. In this dilemma he was met by the Deputy Adjutant-general, Colonel 
 Wilkinson, who had been sent out by the general for the purpose of reconnoitring. Wil- 
 kinson returned immediately to communicate this intelligence to the general, and Patter, 
 son's and Learned's brigades, both under the command of the latter, were sent to the sup- 
 port of Morgan. In the mean time the whole army had advanced as far as the ridge 
 between the church and General Schuyler's house, where they halted. Generals Nixon 
 and Glover were in advance, marching according to orders to the attack of the camp. 
 Nixon had already crossed the creek, and Glover was preparing to follow him, when a de- 
 serter from the enemy was observed fording the creek, from whom information was received 
 that Burgoyne with his whole army was still in his camp. This was confirmed by the 
 capture of a reconnoitring party of a subaltern and 35 men, by the advance guard of 50 
 under Captain Goodale of Putnam's regiment, who discovered them through the fog just as 
 he reached the bank of the creek, and making a resolute charge upon them, took them 
 without firing a gut)< The general was at this time a mile in the rear, and before this 
 intelligence could be communicated to him, and orders received for the two brigades to 
 desist and recross the river, the fog cleared up, and exposed to view the whole British army 
 under arms. A heavy fire of artillery and small-arms was immediately opened upon Nix- 
 on's brigade, which was in advance, and they retreated in considerable disorder across the 
 creek, with a trifling loss, and resumed their position. 
 
 " General Learned had in the mean time reached Morgan's corps with his two brigades, 
 and was advancing rapidly to the attack, in obedience to a standing order which had been 
 issued the day before, ' That in case of an attack against any point, whether front, flank or 
 rear, the troops are to fall on the enemy at all quarters.' He had arrived within 200 yards 
 of Burgoyne's strongest post, and in a few minutes more would have been engaged under 
 great disadvantages, when Colonel Wilkinson reached him with intelligence that our right 
 had given way, and that it would be prudent for him to retreat. Being without authority 
 fi'om the general to order it, the brave old general hesitated to obey, in opposition to the 
 standing order, until Lieutenant-colonels Brooks and Tupper and some other officers com. 
 ing up, a sort of council was held, and the proposition to retreat was approved. The mo- 
 ment they turned their backs, the enemy, who had been calmly expecting their advance, 
 opened a fire upon them which was continued until they were masked by the wood. They 
 retreated about half a mile, with Morgan on their left, and encamped in a strong position, 
 which they held until the surrender of the British army." 
 
 On the 14th of October, Gen. Burgoyne sent Major Kingston to 
 the head-quarters of Gen. Gates with a proposition for " a cessation 
 of arms, during the time necessary to communicate the prehminary 
 terms, by which in any extremity he and the army mean to abide." 
 Gen. Gates had already prepared a schedule of the terms upon which 
 he was willing to treat. This schedule evinced that he was well ac- 
 quainted with the distresses of the British, and was drawn up in terms 
 of extreme liberality. To the 9th article of Gen. Burgoyne's propo- 
 sition, Gen. Gates affixed the following answer : 
 
SAKATOGA COUNTY. 313 
 
 " ' The capitulation to be finished by 2 o'clock, this day, the 15th, and the troops march 
 from their encampment at 5, and be in readiness to move towards Boston to-morrow room- 
 ing.' These preliminary articles and their answers being sent to General Burgoyne, pro. 
 duced the immediate return of his messenger with the following note. ' The eight first 
 preliminary articles of Lieutenant-general Burgoyne's proposals, and the 2d, 3d, and 4th 
 of those of Major-general Gates of yesterday, being agreed to, the formation of the pro- 
 posed treaty is out of dispute, but the several subordinate articles and regulations necessa. 
 rily springing from these preliminaries, and requiring explanations and precision, between 
 the parties, before a definitive treaty can be safely executed, a longer time than that men. 
 tioned by General Gates in hia answer to the 9th article, becomes indispensably necessary. 
 Lieutenant-general Burgoyne is willing to appoint two officers immediately to meet two 
 others from Major-general Gates to propound, discuss, and settle those subordinate articles, 
 in order that the treaty in due form may be executed as soon as possible.' " 
 
 This meeting took place on the afternoon of the 15th, and the 
 parties mutually signed artides of capitulation, or convention, as Gen. 
 burgoyne wished to have it designated. A copy of the convention 
 was to be signed by Gen. Burgoyne and delivered the next morning. 
 The following are the articles of convention. 
 
 Articles of Convention between Lieutenant-general Burgoyne and Major-general Gates. 
 
 " 1st. The troops under Lieutenant-general Burgoyne to march out of their camp with 
 the honors of war, and the artillery of the entrenchments, to the verge of the river where 
 the old fort stood, where the arms and artillery are to be left ; the arms to be piled by word 
 of command from their own officers. 
 
 " 2d. A free passage to be granted to the army under Lieutenant-general Burgoyne to 
 Great Britain, on condition of not serving again in North America during the present con. 
 test ; and the port of Boston is assigned for the entry of transports to receive the troops, 
 whenever General Howe shall so order. 
 
 " 3d. Should any cartel take place, by which the army under General Burgoyne, or any 
 part of it, may be exchanged, the foregoing article to be void as far as such exchange shall 
 be made. 
 
 " 4th. The army under Lieutenant-general Burgoyne, to march to Massachusetts Bay, 
 by the easiest, most expeditious, and convenient route ; and to be quartered in, near, or as 
 convenient as possible to Boston, that the march of the troops may not be delayed, when 
 the transports arrive to receive them. 
 
 " 5th. The troops to be supplied on their march, and during their being in quarters, with 
 provisions, by General Gates' orders, at the same rate of rations as the troops of his own 
 army ; and if possible the officers' horses and cattle are to be supplied with forage at the 
 usual rates. 
 
 " 6th. All officers to retain their carriages, batt-horses and other cattle, and no baggage 
 to be molested or searched ; Lieutenant-general Burgoyne giving his honor that there are 
 no public stores secreted therein. Major-general Gates will of course take the necessary 
 measures for the due performance of this article. Should any carriages be wanted during 
 the march, for the transportation of officers' baggage, they are, if possible, to be supplied by 
 the country at the usual rates. 
 
 " 7th. Upon the march, and during the time the army shall remain in quarters in Massa- 
 chusetts Bay, the officers are not as far as circumstances will admit to be separated from 
 their men. The officers are to be quartered according to rank, and are not to be hindered 
 from assembling their men for roll-call and other necessary purposes of regularity. 
 
 " 8th. All corps whatever of General Burgoyne's army, whether composed of sailors, 
 batteauxmen, artificers, drivers, independent companies, and followers of the army, of 
 whatever country, shall be included in the fullest sense and utmost extent in the above ar- 
 ticles, and comprehended in every respect as British subjects. 
 
 " 9th. All Canadians, and persons belonging to the Canadian establishment, consisting 
 of sailors, batteauxmen, artificers, drivers, independent companies, and many other follow- 
 ers of the army, who come under no particular description, are to be permitted to return 
 there ; they are to be conducted immediately by the shortest route to the first British post 
 on Lake George, are to be supplied with provisions in the same manner as the other troops, 
 and are to be bound by the same condition of not serving during the present contest in 
 North America. 
 
 " 10th. Passports to be immediately granted for three officers not exceeding the rank of 
 captains, who shall be appointed by Lieutenant-general Burgoyne, to carry despatches to 
 
 40 
 
314 SAEATOGA COUNTY. 
 
 Sir William Howe, Sir Guy Carleton, and to Great Britain, by the way of New York , and 
 Major-general Gates engages the public faith, that these despatches shall not be opened. 
 These officers are to set out immediately after receiving their despatches, and are to travel 
 the shortest route, and in the most expeditious manner. 
 
 " 11th. During the stay of the troops in Massachusetts Bay, the officers are to be ad- 
 mitted on parole, and are to be allowed to wear their side-arms. 
 
 " 12. Should the army under Lieutenant-general Burgoyne find it necessary to send for 
 their clothing and other baggage to Canada, they are to be permitted to do it in the moat 
 convenient manner, and the necessary passports granted for that purpose. 
 
 " 13. These articles are to be mutually signed and exchanged to-morrow morning, at 9 
 o'clock, and the troops under Lieutenanugeneral Burgoyne are to march out of their entrench, 
 ments at 3 o'clock in the afternoon. 
 
 (Signed) " Horatio Gates, Major-general. 
 " Saratoga, Oct. 16th, 1777. (^'^ned) " J. Burgoyne, Lieutenant-general. 
 
 " To prevent any doubts that might arise from Lieutenant-general Burgoyne's name not 
 being mentioned in the above treaty. Major-general Gates hereby declares, that he is un. 
 detstood to be comprehended in it, as fully as if his name had been specifically mentioned. 
 
 " Horatio Gates." 
 
 " The brass artillery captured from Burgoyne at various times during the campaign, 
 amounted to 42 pieces, constituting one of the most elegant trains ever brought into the 
 field ; 5,000 stand of arms, 6,000 dozen of cartridges ; and a number of ammunition wagons, 
 traveUing forges, shot, carcasses, shells, &c., also fell into the hands of the Americans. 
 The whole number of troops surrendered by the convention amounted to 5,763, which 
 added to the number killed, wounded, and captured, in the several actions previous to the 
 17th October, amounting to near 5,000, makes Burgoyne's total loss of upwards of ten 
 thousand men. 
 
 "On the morning of the 17th the troops of Burgoyne were marched out of their camp to 
 the plain near the river, where their arms were deposited ; and the victorious Americana 
 took possession of their lines." 
 
 The annexed cut is a copy 
 of the signature of General 
 Burgoyne, attached to the 
 'Jc:Z^ articles of the convention 
 now in possession of the 
 New York Historical So- 
 ciety. 
 
 Fac-simitc of Oen. BuTgoynt^ s tignxLture. 
 
 General Wilkinson's account of the interview between Gates and 
 Burgoyne on the field of surrender is interesting. 
 
 " Early in the morning of the 17th, I visited General Burgoyne in his camp, and accom- 
 panied him to the ground, where his army was to lay down their arms, from whence we 
 rode to the bank of the Hudson river, which he surveyed with attention, and asked me 
 whether it was not fordable. ' Certainly, sir ; but do you observe the people on the oppo- 
 site shore ?' ' Yes,' replied he, ' I have seen them too long.' He then proposed to be in- 
 troduced to General Gates, and we crossed the Fishkill, and proceeded to head-quarters. 
 General Burgoyne in front, with his adjutant-general Kingston, and his aids.de.camp Cap- 
 tain Lord Petersham, and Lieutenant Wilford behind him ; then followed Major-general 
 Philips, the Baron Reidesel, and the other general officers, and their suites, according to 
 rank. General Gates, advised of Burgoyne's approach, met him at the head of his camp, 
 Burgoyne in a rich royal uniform, and Gates in a plain blue frock ; when they had ap- 
 proached nearly within sword's length, they reined up, and halted. I then named the gen- 
 tlemen, and General Burgoyne, raising his hat most gracefully, said 'The fortune of war. 
 General Gates, has made me your prisoner;* to which the conqueror, returning a courtly 
 salute, promptly replied, ' I shall always be ready to bear testimony, that it has not been 
 through any fault of your excellency.' Major-general Phillips then advanced, and he and 
 General Gates saluted, and shook hands with the familiarity of old acquaintances. The 
 Baron Reidesel, and the other officers, were introduced in their turn." 
 
SARATOGA COUNTY. 
 
 315 
 
 " Gen. Philip Schuyler was 
 born at Albany, in 1731, of an 
 ancient and respectable family. 
 When quite young he became a 
 member of the New York legisla- 
 ture, and wan eminent for his in- 
 , , ^ „ , , . ■ tellisjence and usefulness. To him 
 
 hac-similc of rkUip Sckuiilcr s signature. , ,, ^i- , - i - ^ 
 
 ^ • ■ and Governor Clinton it was chief- 
 
 ly owinc that the province made an early and decided resistance to those British measures 
 wiiich terminatf^d in the inde[)endence of the colonies. When the revolution commenced, 
 lie was appointed, .Tune H), 1775, a major-g'eneral, and was directed to proceed imme- 
 diately from New York to Ticondero[ja, to secure the lakes, and make preparations for 
 enlerino; Canada. BeinLf taken sick iu September, the command devolved upon Mont- 
 gomery. Ou his recovery, he devoted himself zealously to the mana^i^ement of the affairs 
 in the northern departments. He ijave much attention to the superintendence of the In- 
 dian concerns. On the approach of Bur^oyne, in 1777, he made every exertion to obstruct 
 iiis progress ; but the evacuation of Ticonderoga by St. Clair, occasioning unreaaonablo 
 jealousies in regard to iSchuyler, m New Emjlaiid, he was superseded by Gen. Gates iu 
 August ; and an inquiry was directed by congress to be made into his conduct. He was 
 afterward, though not in the regular service, very useful to his country in the military 
 transactions of New York. He was a member of the old congress ; and when the pres- 
 ent government of the United Stales commenced its operation in 17^9, he was appointed 
 a senator in the national legislature. He was chosen a second time in 1797, to the same 
 station. In the senate of New York, he contributed probably more than any other man 
 to the code of laws adopted by the state. He died at his seat near Albany, Nov. 18, 
 1804, in the 7.3d year of his age. He possessed great strength of mind, and purity of in- 
 tention. In the contrivance of plans of public utility, he was wise and circumspect, and 
 in their execution, enterprising and persevering. In his deportment he was dignified and 
 courteous. He was a pleasant and instructive companion, and in all the functions of pri- 
 vate life was highly exemplary." — Encyclopedia Americana. 
 
 Western view of the battle-ground^ Stillwater. 
 
 The town of Stillwater is dislinguislied in history as being the bat- 
 tle-uTound oi the anmes of Generals Gates and Burgoyne, in which 
 the army of tlje latter general was signally repulsed, and forced tc 
 retire from the field of action. 
 
 The, above sliows the appearance of the bultle-irround on Free- 
 man's farm, as seen from near the front of Mr. J. Walker's house, 2\ 
 miles from Pattison's tavern, and about ?. njiles from Hudson river. 
 
316 SARATOGA COUNTY. 
 
 Freeman's house stood a few feet south of the southernmost building 
 seen in the engraving ; the line of trees or woods seen behind the 
 buildings is the spot where Burgoyne formed his hne on the brow 
 of the elevated plain previous to the battle of Sept. 19th; Willard's 
 mountain on the east side of the Hudson is seen in the distance. 
 About 15 rods south from Mr. Walker's house, in what then was 
 called a meadow, is the spot where Gen. Frazer was mortally 
 wounded ; it is a little west of a road running N. and S. which has 
 since been made near this place. About 60 rods in a SW. direction 
 was the hottest of the fight, on the 7th of October. Near the place 
 where Frazer fell, a hole or grave was dug, into which the bodies of 
 40 soldiers were thrown, after being stripped of their clothing by 
 the women of the camp. Maj. Ackland was wounded a httle east 
 of the present road. 'The following account of the battles is drawn 
 from various sources. 
 
 " The army arrived at Stillwater on the 9th of September, fully determined to face the 
 foe, and if necessary pursue him into his own confines. This was at first supposed to be 
 an eligible position for throwing up a Une of intrenchments, and a large party under the 
 engineer Kosciusko were accordingly set to work for that purpose. But upon a more nar- 
 row inspection of the grounds, the general determined to change his position, and occupy 
 Bemus's heights, which were taken possession of and fortified on the ISlh. Burgoyne at 
 this time lay opposite to Saratoga, occupying old Fort Miller and Battenkill ; but what were 
 his further intentions. Gen. Gates bad no means of judging. In this situation the deputy 
 adjutant-general, Col. James Wilkinson, volunteered to head a select reconnoitring party, 
 and obtain if possible the desired information. He left the camp with 170 men, under cover 
 of a dark night, and arrived by daylight at Davocote, about two miles from Saratoga. Here 
 he posted the greater part of his men in a wood near the road, and proceeded himself to 
 the heights of Fish creek ; from which position he discovered a column of the enemy drawn 
 up under arms, on the opposite bank of the creek, within 300 yards of him, and another 
 column under march, descending the heights below Battenkill. Being satisfied from these 
 circumstances that Gen. Burgoyne was advaccing. Col. Wilkinson returned to camp with 
 his lArty, bringing with him three prisoners, who confirmed the intelligence. 
 
 " On the 15th, Gen. Burgoyne having crossed the river some days before, had advanced 
 as far as Davocote, where he halted 24 hours for the purpose of repairing the bridges and 
 roads in his advance, for the more convenient march of his army. On the 18th, Gen. Ar. 
 nold was sent out with 1,500 men, to harass and impede him, but returned without accom- 
 plishing any thing ; Burgoyne continuing his march until he had arrived within 2 miles of 
 Gen. Gates's camp. Here he encamped in a line extending from the river to a range of 
 hills 600 yards distant, and upon which were posted the elite of his army. The position 
 occupied by Gen. Gates, as described by an eye-witness, and one who knew it well, was 
 as follows : — ' His right occupied the brow of the hill near the river, with which it was con- 
 nected by a deep intrenchment ; his camp in the form of a segment of a great circle, the 
 convex towards the enemy, extended rather obliquely to his rear, about three-fourths of a 
 mile to a knoll occupied by his left ; his front was covered from the right to the left of his 
 centre, by a sharp ravine running parallel with his line, and closely wooded ; from thence 
 to the knoll at his extreme left, the ground was level and had been partially cleared, some 
 of the trees being felled, and others girdled ; beyond which, in front of his left flank, and 
 extending to the enemy's right, there were several small fields in very imperfect cultivation, 
 the surface broken and obstructed with stumps and fallen timber, and the whole bounded 
 on the west by a steep eminence. The extremities of this camp were defended by strong 
 batteries, and the interval was strengthened by a breastwork without intrenchments, con- 
 structed of the bodies of felled trees, logs and rails, with an additional battery at an open- 
 ing left of the centre. The right was almost impracticable ; the left difficult of approach.' " 
 • — Allen's Rev. 
 
 While in this position, the battle of the 19th Sept. took place ; the 
 following account of which is from Gen. Wilkinson's Memoirs. 
 
 " This battle was perfectly accidental ; neither of the generals meditated an attack at 
 the time, and but for Lieut. Col. Colburn's report, it would not have taken place ; Bur- 
 
SARATOGA COUNTY. 317 
 
 goyne's movement being merely to take ground on the heighu in front of the great ravine, 
 to give his several corps their proper places in line, to embrace our front and cover his 
 transport, stores, provisions, and baggage, in the rear of his left ; and on our side, the de. 
 fences of our camp being not half completed, and reinforcements daily arriving, it was not 
 Gen. Gates's policy to court an action. The misconception of the adverse chiefs put them 
 on the defensive, and confined them to the ground they casually occupied at the beginning 
 of the action, and prevented a single mancEuvre, during one of the longest, warmest, and 
 most obstinate battles fought in America. 
 
 " The theatre of action was such, that although the combatants changed ground a dozen 
 times in the course of the day, the contest terminated on the spot where it began. The 
 British line was formed on an eminence in a thin pine wood, having before it Freeman's 
 farm, an oblong field, stretching from its centre towards its right, the ground in front sloping 
 gently down to the verge of this field, which was bordered on the opposite side by a close 
 wood. The sanguinary scene lay in the cleared ground, between the eminence occupied 
 by the enemy, and the wood just described. The fire of our marksmen from this wood 
 was too deadly to be withstood by the enemy in line, and when they gave way and broke, 
 our men, rushing from their covert, pursued them to the eminence, where, having their 
 flanks protected, they rallied, and, charging in turn, drove us back into the wood, from 
 whence a dreadful fire would again force them to fall back ; and in this manner did the 
 battle fluctuate, like the waves of a stormy sea, with alternate advantage for four hours, 
 without one moment's intermission. The British artillery fell into our possession at every 
 charge, but we could neither turn the pieces upon the enemy, nor bring them off; the 
 wood prevented the last, and the want of a match the first, as the Unstock was invariably 
 carried off', and the rapidity of the transitions did not allow us time to provide one. The 
 slaughter of this brigade of artillerists was remarkable, the captain and 36 men being killed 
 or wounded out of 48. It was truly a gallant conflict, in which death by familiarity lost 
 his terrors, and certainly a drawn battle, as night alone terminated it ; the British army 
 keeping its ground in rear of the field of action, and our corps, when they could no longer 
 distinguish objects, retiring to their own camp." 
 
 From the period this battle was fought, (Sept. 19th,) to October 
 7th, the time was spent by Gen. Burgoyne in strengthening his posi- 
 tion, and by Gen. Gates in collecting reinforcements. Gen. Bur- 
 goyne is said to have planned an attack on the 20th and 21st of 
 September, but fortunately it was delayed until the Americans were 
 in the best situation to oppose him. Attacks on the British piquets 
 took place almost every evening, and they were continually harassed. 
 The following is Gen. Wilkinson's account of the battle of Oct. 7th. 
 
 " On the afternoon of October 7th, the advanced guard of the centre beat to arms ; the 
 alarm was repeated throughout the line, and the troops repaired to their alarm posts. I was 
 at head-quarters when this happened, and with the approbation of the general, mounted my 
 horse to inquire the cause ; but on reaching the guard where the beat commenced, I could 
 obtain no other satisfaction, but that some person had reported the enemy to be advancing 
 against our left. I proceeded, over open ground, and ascending a gentle acclivity in front 
 of the guard, I perceived, about half a mile from the line of our encampment, several col- 
 umns of the enemy, 60 or 70 rods from me, entering a wheat field which had not been cut, 
 and was separated from me by a small rivulet ; and without my glass I could distinctly 
 mark their every movement. After entering the field they displayed, formed the hne, and 
 set down in double ranks with their arms between their legs. Foragers then proceeded to 
 cut the wheat or standing straw, and I soon after observed several officers mounted on the 
 top of a cabin, from whence with their glasses they were endeavoring to reconnoitre our 
 left, which was concealed firom their view by intervening woods. 
 
 " Having satisfied myself, after fifteen minutes attentive observation, that no attack was 
 meditated, I returned and reported to the general, who asked me what appeared to be the 
 intentions of the enemy. ' They are foraging, and endeavoring to reconnoitre your left ; 
 and I think, sir, they offer you battle.' ' What is the nature of the ground, and what your 
 opinion ?' ' Tlieir front is open, and their flanks rest on the woods, uoder cover of which 
 they may be attacked ; their right is skirted by a lofty height. I would indulge them.' 
 ' Well, then, order on Morgan to begin the game.' I waited on the colonel, whose corps 
 was formed in front of our centre, and delivered the order ; he knew the ground and in- 
 quired the position of the enemy ; they were formed across a newly cultivated field, their 
 
318 SARATOGA COUNTY. 
 
 grenadiers with several field-pieces on the left, bordering on a wood and a small ravine 
 formed by the rivulet before alluded to ; their light infantry on the right, covered by a worm 
 fence at the foot of the hill before mentioned, thickly covered with wood ; their centre 
 composed of British and German battaUons. Col. Morgan, with his usual sagacity, pro. 
 posed to make a circuit with his corps by our left, and under cover of the wood to gain the 
 height on the right of the enemy, and from thence commence the attack, so soon as our 
 fire should be opened against their left ; the plan was the best which could be devised, and 
 no doubt contributed essentially to the prompt and decisive victory we gained. 
 
 " This proposition was approved by the general, and it was concerted that time should be 
 allowed the colonel to make the proposed circuit, and gain his station on the enemy's right 
 before the attack should be made on their left ; Poor's brigade was ordered for this service, 
 and the attack was commenced in due season on the flank and front of the British grena- 
 diers, by the New Hampshire and New York troops. True to his purpose, Morgan at this 
 critical moment poured down like a torrent from the hill, and attacked the right of the en. 
 emy in front and flank. Dearborn, at the moment when the enemy's light infantry were 
 attempting to change front, pressed forward with ardor, and delivered a close fire ; then 
 leaped the fence, shouted, charged, and gallantly forced them to retire in disorder ; yet, 
 headed by that intrepid soldier, the Earl of Balcarras, they were immediately rallied, and 
 re-formed behind a fence in rear of their first position ; but being now attacked with great 
 audacity, in front and flanks, by superior numbers, resistance became vain, and the whole 
 hne, commanded by Burgoyne in person, gave way, and made a precipitate and disorderly 
 retreat to his camp, leaving two twelve and six six pounders on the field, with the loss of 
 more than 400 officers and men, killed, wounded and captured, and among them the flow, 
 er of his officers — viz, brigadier-general Frazer; Major Ackland, commanding the grenadiers ; 
 Sir Francis Clark, his first aid-de-camp ; Major Williams, commanding officer of the artil. 
 lery; Captain Mooney, deputy quartermaster-general, and many others. After deliver, 
 ing the order to General Poor, and directing him to the point of attack, I was peremptorily 
 commanded to repair to the rear, and order up Ten Broeck's regiment of New York mih- 
 tia, 3000 strong. I performed this service, and regained the field of battle at the moment 
 the enemy had turned their backs — 52 minutes after the first shot was fired. The ground 
 which had been occupied by the British grenadiers, presented a scene of complicated hor. 
 ror and exultation. In the square space of twelve or fifteen yards lay eighteen grenadiers 
 in the agonies of death, and three officers propped up against stumps of trees, two of them 
 mortally wounded, bleeding and almost speechless. What a spectacle for one whose bo- 
 som glowed with philanthropy ; and how vehement the impulse which excites men of sen. 
 sibility to seek such scenes of barbarism ! I found the courageous Colonel Cilley a-strad- 
 dle on a brass twelve pounder, and exulting in the capture ; whilst a surgeon, a man of 
 great worth, who was dressing one of the officers, raising his blood-besmeared hands in the 
 phrenzy of patriotism, exclaimed, ' Wilkinson, I have dipped my hands in British blood.' 
 He received a sharp rebuke for his brutality ; and with the troops I pursued the hard press, 
 ed flying enemy, passing over killed and wounded, until I heard one exclaim, ' Protect me, 
 sir, against this boy.' Turning my eyes, it was my fortune to arrest the purpose of a lad 
 thirteen or fourteen years old, in the act of taking aim at the wounded officer, who lay in 
 the angle of a worm fence. Inquiring his rank, he answered, ' I had the honor to com- 
 mand the grenadiers.' Of course, I knew him to be Major Ackland, who had been brought 
 from the field to this place, on the back of Captain Shrimpton, of his own corps, under a 
 heavy fire, and was here deposited, to save the lives of both. I dismounted, took him by 
 the hand, and expressed my hopes that he was not badly wounded. ' Not badly,' replied 
 this gallant officer and accomplished gentleman, ' but very inconveniently. I am shot 
 through both legs. Will you, sir, have the goodness to have me conveyed to your camp ?' 
 I directed my servant to alight, and we lifted Ackland into his seat, and ordered him to be 
 conducted to head-quarters. I then proceeded to the scene of renewed action, which em. 
 braced Burgoyne's right flank defence, and extending to his left, crossed a hollow covered 
 with wood, about 40 rods, to the intrenchment of the light infantry. The roar of cannon 
 and small-arms, at this juncture, was sublime, between the enemy, behind their works, and 
 our troops entirely exposed, or partially sheltered by trees, stumps, or hollows, at various 
 distances, not exceedmg 120 yards. This right flank defence of the enemy, occupied by 
 the German corps of Breyman, consisted of a breastwork of rails piled horizontally be- 
 tween perpendicular pickets, driven into the earth, en pqtence to the rest of his line, and 
 extended about 250 yards across an open field, and was covered on the right by a battery 
 of two guns. The interval from the left to the British light infantry, was committed to the 
 defence of the provincialisis, who occupied a couple of log cabins. The Germans were 
 encamped immediately behind the rail breastwork, and the ground in front of it declined, 
 ;n a very gentle slope, for about 120 yards, when it sunk abruptly. Qur troops had formed 
 
SARATOGA COUNTY. 319 
 
 a line under this declivity, and covered breast high, were warmly engaged with the Ger. 
 mans. From this position, about sunset, I perceived Brigadier-general Learned advancing 
 towards the enemy with his brigade, in open column, I think with Col. M. Jackson's regi- 
 ment in front, as I saw Lieutenanucolonel Brooks, who commanded it, near the general 
 when I rode up to him. On saluting this brave old soldier, he inquired, ' Where can I put 
 in with most advantage V I had particularly examined the ground between the left of the 
 Germans and the light infantry, occupied by the provincialisls, from whence I had observed 
 a slack fire. I therefore recommended to General Learned to incline to his right, and at- 
 tack at that point. He did so, with great gallantry ; the provincialisls abandoned their po. 
 eition and fled. The German fiank was, by this means, left uncovered. They were as- 
 saulted vigorously, overturned in five minutes, and retreated in disorder, leaving their gal- 
 lant commander, Lieutenant-colonel Breyman, dead on the field. By dislodging this corps, 
 the whole British encampment was laid open to us; but the extreme darkness of the night, 
 the fatigue of the men, and disorder incident to undisciplined troops, after so desultory an 
 action, put it out of our power to improve the advantage ; and in the course of the night, 
 General Burgoyne broke up his camp, and retired to his original position, which he had for. 
 tified, behind the great ravine." 
 
 The following is from Allen's American Revolution : — 
 
 " The British lost in this action upwards of 400 killed, wounded, and prisoners, among 
 whom were several of their most distinguished officers. Brigadier-general Frazer, and 
 Lieutenant-colonel Breyman, who commanded the Germans, were both mortally wounded. 
 Major Ackland, Sir Francis Clark, first aid-de-camp, Major Williams, who commanded the 
 artillery, and the deputy quarter-master.generali Captain Money, were among the prisoners. 
 Lieutenant-colonel Brooks, of General Leamed's brigade, who commanded Jackson's regi. 
 ment on this day, led his men into action with great spirit against the German grenadiers, 
 who were posted behind a rail breastwork — the stockades were carried at the point of the 
 bayonet, and the Germans forced to retreat. They were followed to their encampment, 
 and again forced to fly, leaving their whole equipage to fall into the hands of the Ameri. 
 cans. The Brunswickers showed great cowardice in the action, having fled before a man 
 of them was killed or wounded. Besides their killed, wounded, and captured, the British 
 lost eight brass field-pieces, a number of carts and tents, and a considerable quantity of 
 baggage. Burgoyne himself narrowly escaped death, one shot having passed through his 
 hat, and another through his waistcoat. He was on the field during the whole of the ac. 
 tion, directing every movement; but neither gallantry nor skill could effect any thing 
 agamst such a superiority of force. General Gates remained in camp during the whole ac. 
 tion, that he might be the better enabled to order and regulate the various movements, as 
 circumstances should require. 
 
 " The loss of the Americans did not exceed eighty men, killed and wounded. General 
 Arnold was among the latter; who, though he had not been reinstated in his command 
 since the dispute with General Gates, before mentioned, rode about the field giving orders 
 in every direction, sometimes in direct contradiction to those of the commander, at others 
 leading a platoon in person, and exposing himself to the hottest fire of the enemy. There 
 seems to be little doubt, from the conduct of Arnold during the action, that he was in a 
 state of intoxication. The mortifying situation in which he found himself at its commence, 
 ment, without command or authority, sufficiently accounts for any extravagance in a spirit 
 like his. At one time he dashed through two opposing lines, exposing himself to the fire 
 of both sides, but miraculously escaped unhurt : at another time, placing himself at the 
 head of a small platoon of Morgan's riflemen, he led them around into the rear of the en- 
 emy, at the moment they turned to retreat, under the hottest fire of the Americans. In 
 this situation, his horse was killed under him, and his leg was broken. It would be doing 
 injustice to General Arnold, traitor as he afterward proved, to deny that he deserved some 
 credit on this day ; but though he was brave almost beyond parallel, he was rash, impetu- 
 ous and headstrong, and when it is considered, that these faults of his natural temper were 
 aggravated and heightened by the peculiar circumstances of his situation, it will not per. 
 haps be wrong to say, that he could not have rendered any very essential services to the 
 American army, in this important contest. 
 
 " On the night of the battle. General Burgoyne deemed it prudent to change his posi. 
 tion ; for the Americans had followed them to within half a mile of their encampment, and 
 continued to cannonade them without ceasing. He determined therefore to abandon his 
 camp and move to the high grounds, which he effected in good order and without loss. 
 On the morning of the 8th the American army moved forward and took possession of his 
 abandoned camp, from which they kept up a random fire of artillery and small.arms dur 
 
3:in 
 
 SAKATOUA CUUNTV. 
 
 ins; llir » r.nln diiv. Dm^nyiio's troops were all (Jay under arms in expectation of another 
 atfiick, .11111 iMiiic i!ini,^ Sv .iliLir min-einenls fliat tlipy inttniM'tl a yiiil further retreat. In the 
 ocrii^iiiu il .-l.i.-iiii.-lica ol (111; day, General Lincoln was shot in the leg by some of the en- 
 emy's iiialk.iuen." 
 
 House in which General Frazer died, Stillwater. 
 
 The annexed is a northeastern view of the house on the bank of 
 the Hutison in Stillwater, in which General Frazer died.* This 
 house was originally one storj' in height, and formerly stood about 
 2.5 rods westward of its present situation, at the foot of the hill north 
 of the canal bridge seen in the rear of the house. It has since re- 
 ceived an addition at both ends ; the general expired near the first 
 window to the right of the door. Beyond the bridge in the distance is 
 seen an elevation about 100 leet in height. This spot is rendered in- 
 teresting on account of its being the burial place of General Frazer. 
 The gravef was between the two pine trees seen on the summit. Du- 
 rinir the last battle, theAmcricans had a few cannon on therisinc: crround 
 above the eastern shore, from which shots were fired. This house 
 appears to have been for a time the head-quarters of Burgovne. 
 Several ladies of distinction were also inmates at the time when the 
 British troops were here, being the wives of some of the principal 
 officers. The following is an extract from one of the letters of the 
 Baroness Reidesel, originally published in Germany : — 
 
 " But severe trials awaited us, and on the 7lh of October, our misfortunes began. I was 
 at breakfast with my husband, and heard that something was intended. On the same day 
 I expected Generals Burgoyne, Phillips, and Frazer to dine with us. I saw a great move- 
 ment among the troops ; my husband told me, it was merely a reconnoissance, which gave 
 me no concern, as it often happened. I walked out of the house and met several Indians 
 in their war dresses, with guns in their hands. When I asked them where they were go- 
 
 * The following are the circumstances of liis death: In the rnidst of the sanguinary 
 battle of Oct. 7th, Colonel Morgan took a few of his choice riflemen aside and said, " That 
 gallant officer is General Frazer ; I admire and respect him, but it is necessary that he 
 should die ; take your stations in that wood, and do your duty." Within a few momenta 
 Gen. Frazer fell mortally wounded. He was supported by two officers, till he reached his 
 tent ; he said he saw the man who shot him, that he was a rifleman posted in a tree. 
 
 + His remains were taken up some years since, and conveyed to England. 
 
SARATOGA COUNTY. 321 
 
 iiig, tliey cried out, ' War ! War !' (meaning they were going to battle.) This filled me 
 with apprehension, and I scarcely got home before I heard reports of cannon and musketry, 
 which grew louder by degrees, till at last the noise became excessive. About four o'clock 
 in the afternoon, instead of the guests whom I expected. General Frazer was brought on a 
 litter mortally wounded. The table, which was already set, was instantly removed and a 
 bed placed in its stead for the wounded general. I sat trembhng in a corner ; the noise 
 grew louder, and the alarm increased ; the thought that my husband might perhaps be 
 brought in, wounded in the same way, was terrible to me, and distressed me exceedingly. 
 General Frazer said to the surgeon, ' Tell me if my wound is mortal ; do not flatter me.' 
 The ball had passed through his body, and unhappily for the general, he had eaten a very 
 hearty breakfast, by which the stomach was distended, and the l)all, as the surgeon said, 
 had passed through it. I heard him often exclaim with a sigh, ' Oh, fatal ambition ! Poor 
 General Burgoyne ! Oh, my poor wife !' He was asked if he had any request to make, to 
 which he replied, that ' If General Burgoyne would permit it, he should like to be buried 
 at six o'clock in the evening on the top of a mountain, in a redoubt which had been built 
 there.' I did not know which way to turn, all the other rooms were full of sick. To. 
 wards evening I saw my husband coming ; then I forgot all my sorrows, and thanked God 
 that he was spared to me. He ate in great haste with me and his aid-de-camp behind the 
 house. We had been told that we had the advantage of the enemy, but the sorrowful fa. 
 ces I beheld told a different tale, and before my husband went away, he took me one side, 
 and said every thing was going very bad, that I must keep myself in readiness to leave the 
 place, but not to mention it to any one. I made the pretence that I would move the next 
 morning into my new house, and had every thing packed up ready. 
 
 " Lady H. Ackland had a tent not far from our house ; in this she slept, and the rest of 
 the day she was in the camp. All of a sudden, a man came to tell her thaX her husband 
 was mortally wounded and taken prisoner ; on hearing this she became very miserable ; 
 we comforted her by telling her that the wound was only slight, and at the same time ad- 
 vised her to go over to her husband, to do which she would certainly obtain permission, 
 and then she could attend him herself; she was a charming woman, and very fond of him. 
 I spent much of the night in comforting her, and then went again to my children, whom I 
 had put to bed. I oould not go to sleep, as I had General Frazer and all the other woimd. 
 ed gentlemen in my room, and I was sadly afraid my children would awake, and by their 
 crying disturb the dying man in his last moments, who often addressed me, and apologized 
 ^for the trouble he gave me.'' About 3 o'clock in the morning I was told he could not hold 
 out much longer; I had desired to be informed of the near approach of this sad crisis, and 
 I then wrapped up my children in their clothes, and went with them into the room below. 
 About 8 o'clock in the morning he died. After he was laid out and his corpse wrapped up 
 in a sheet, we came again into the room, and had this sorrowful sight before us the whole 
 day ; and to add to this melancholy scene, almost every moment some officer of my ac- 
 quaintance was brought in wounded. The cannonade commenced again ; a retreat was 
 spoken of, but not the smallest motion was made towards it. About 4 o'clock in the after- 
 noon I saw the house which had just been built for me in flames, and the enemy was now 
 not far off. We knew that General Burgoyne would not refuse the last request of General 
 Frazer, though by his acceding to it, an unnecessary delay was occasioned, by which the 
 inconvenience of the army was much increased. At 6 o'clock the corpse was brought out, 
 and we saw all the generals attend it to the mountain ; the chaplain, Mr. Brundell, per. 
 formed the funeral service, rendered unusually solemn and awful, from its being accom. 
 panied by constant peals from the enemy's artillery. Many cannon balls flew close by me; 
 but I had my eyes directed towards the mountain, where my husband was standing amid 
 the fire of the enemy, and of course, I could not think of my own danger. General Gates 
 afterward said, that if he had known it had been a funeral, he would not have permitted it 
 to be fired on." Lady Harriet Ackland went to the American camp after the action, to take 
 care of her husband, before the surrender, and the Baroness Reidesel afterward. They 
 were both received with the greatest kindness and dehcacy. 
 
 Waterford was taken from Half Moon in 1816. The village of 
 Waterford, containing a population of about 1,600, is pleasantly situ- 
 ated at the junction of the Mohawk with the Hudson, 10 miles north of 
 Albany. The annexed view was taken on the road to Cahoos Falls, 
 about a mile west of the village. There are here 4 churches — viz, 
 1 Presbyterian, 1 Methodist, 1 Episcopal, and 1 Dutch Reformed — 
 an academy, and a bank. It is favorably located for trade, being on 
 
 41 
 
322 
 
 SCHENECTADY COUNTY. 
 
 Western view of Waterford. 
 
 the lines of the Champlain canal and Rensselaer and Saratoga rail- 
 road. It also derives considerable importance from the navigation 
 of small vessels on the Hudson. There is an outlet here from the 
 canal by three locks, each 11 feet, to the Mohawk river. The agri- 
 cultural and manufactured products exported from the village annually, 
 amount to about a million of dollars. The water-power used in the 
 large manufacturing establishments at this place is derived from the 
 Mohawk. 
 
 SCHENECTADY COUNTY. 
 
 Schenectady county was taken from Albany in 1809 ; centrally 
 distant from New York 163, from Albany 18 miles. Greatest length 
 25, greatest breadth 20 miles. The surface is much diversified by 
 hills, plains, and valleys. The soil along the Mohawk and other 
 streams is generally rich alluvion ; on the hills, light sandy loam, 
 sometimes fertile ; and on the plains, clay and clayey loam, and sand, 
 sometimes barren. Wherever practicable, the country is generally 
 well cultivated, chiefly by descendants of the primitive Dutch settlers, 
 among whom are many wealthy farmers. The Mohawk river runs 
 SE. through the county. The Schoharie kill, on the W., affords 
 abundance of mill power. The Mohawk and Hudson, the Rensse- 
 laer and Saratoga, and the Utica and Schenectady railroads, and 
 Erie canal, cross this county. The county is divided into five towns 
 and the city of Schenectady, viz. : 
 
 Duanesburgh, Niskayuna, Rotterdam, 
 
 Glenville, Princeton, Schenectady. 
 
SCHENECTADY COUNTV. 323 
 
 Schenectady city was incorporated in 1798. Its name, pronounced 
 by the Indians Schagh-nac-taa-da, signifying " beyond the pine plains," 
 was originally applied to Albany. The compact part of the city was 
 in olden time the site of an Indian village called Con-nugh-harie- 
 gugh-harie, literally, "a great multitude collected together." It is said 
 that it was the principal seat of the Mohawks, even before the con- 
 federacy of the Iroquois, or Five Nations. It was abandoned by 
 them at a very early period in the colonial history. Some time pre- 
 vious to 1620, it is stated that 15 or 20 persons, 12 of whom were 
 direct from Holland, and the rest from Albany, settled here for the 
 purpose of carrying on the fur trade. It appears from the Dutch 
 records that the first grant of lands was made in 1661, to Arent Van 
 Corlaer and others, on condition that they purchased the soil from 
 the Indians. The deed was obtained in 1672, and signed by four 
 Mohawk chiefs. 
 
 The flats upon the Mohawk river are extensive and rich, and the 
 uplands, undulating, have a sandy loam soil upon clay slate ; watered 
 by the Mohawk and its tributary, the Sandkill, a steady and valuable 
 stream, which unite near the compact portion of the city. The city is 
 supplied with water for domestic uses by an aqueduct from a spring on 
 a neighboring hill. It had a considerable corporate estate, formerly 
 vested in trustees, by letters patent granted in 1684. Portions have 
 been sold, but the residue, between sixteen and seventeen thousand 
 acres, has been leased in perpetuity, to individuals, at fixed rents, giv- 
 ing an annual revenue of $5,000, in which the towns of Rotterdam 
 and Glenville have an interest. 
 
 The comp:.'.; part of Schenectady is on the SE. side of the Mo- 
 hawk river, 15^ miles from Albany, and 15 SW. of Ballston springs. 
 The plat is laid out on 20 streets crossing each other, running about 
 one mile in one direction and half a mile in another, eight of which 
 are diagonally intersected by the Erie canal. The city, which in 
 some parts retains much of its ancient appearance, contains the county 
 buildings, 1 Episcopal, 1 Dutch Reformed, 1 Presbyterian, 1 Baptist, 
 1 Cameronian, 1 Methodist, 1 Universalis!, and 1 Catholic church, 
 the Union College, Schenectady Lyceum, an academy, 3 banks, 
 &c., &c. Pop. 8,922. The railroad from Albany to this place ex- 
 tends across a sandy plain covered with pines and shrubbery ; it 
 enters Schenectady by an inclined plane which descends 108 feet in 
 half a mile. The Saratoga and Schenectady railroad passes through 
 the city, crosses the Mohawk river on a substantial bridge between 
 8 and 900 feet long, and extends in a northerly direction over a 
 heavy embankment for three fourths of a mile to a deep cut, where 
 the Ulica railroad diverges to the west, and the Saratoga to the north- 
 east. 
 
 Union College, in this city, was incorporated by the regents in 
 1794, and has reached its present flourishing condition from a small 
 beginning. In 1785, a small academy was erected by the consistory 
 of the Reformed Dutch church, which after the establishment of 
 
3ii 
 
 SCHENECTADY COUNTY. 
 
 Union College Buildings, Schenectady, 
 
 Union College, was presented to its trustees, and used as a grammar 
 school. Liberal donations from individuals, amounting to upwards 
 of $30,000, raised a suite of edifices in the heart of tiie city, the prin- 
 cipal one of which was afterward used as a courthouse, but liaving 
 been repurchased by the institution, is now devoted to collegiate ob- 
 jects. In 1814, the trustees purchased a site on the rising ground over- 
 looking the Mohawk valley, a little E. of the compact part of the city. 
 Two edifices have been erected at this place, each 200 feet long, 
 about 40 wide, 4 stones high, standing in a line 600 feet apart ; a 
 colonnade extending in the rear from each building 156 feet in length, 
 by ai)Out 30 feet in width, and 2 stories high. The other C'>ll(.\ge 
 buildings are two boarding halls, farm-house, hospital house, for a 
 professor, a number ot tenements for servants, &c. The college has 
 6 professors and 4 assistant professors, and in its several libraries 
 about 13,000 volumes. The total value of the college property is 
 upwards of .f4i8,000. There are here about 300 students. 
 
 The first clerg-yman of the Dalch church who settled at Schmoctady was Fetriis Tm^^- 
 chemaker, frum llulland, who assumed the pastoral charire in 1684. Tlio tlr-t t-ditice for 
 public worship was erected at ihe south end of Church. street, near the head of Water-street, 
 between the years 1684 and lti98. Previous to this tune meetings h)r worship were pro- 
 bably held in private houses. In 1733, a mure commodious edifice was erected in the cen- 
 tre of ihe street where Uinon and Church streets cru-^s each other. This church was very 
 similar in its appearance to the one now standing in Caui^hnawaga, in the town of Mo- 
 hawk. [Sec page 281.] 
 
 " Before the settlement of Mr. Tasschemaker, the church. going people attended pnhlie 
 worship in Albany ; a journey to which place, going and coming, consumed more than Iwu 
 days. The road to Albany must have been very circuitous, as all the records of that day, 
 when alluding to Schenectady, speak of it as being situated ' twenty miles west of Albany.* 
 
 " In February, 169(J, wlien Scbcneciady was burnt by the French and Indians, Mr. Tass- 
 chemaker disappeared very mysteriously. In 1702, the Rev. Thomas Krower, also from 
 Holland, received a call, and served until his death in 1728. The Rev. Bernardus Free- 
 man and Rhynhard Erkson served next in order; but how long is not known. h\ 1740, 
 we find the name of Cornehus Van Santvoord, who cann' from Stateii Island, as the settled 
 clergyman. Two years after his decease, vr/.., in 17.'jt, the Rev. Barent Vrouman, a na- 
 tive of Schenectady, accepted a call and ministered until hi^ decease in 1782. -Mr. Vroo- 
 man received his education in Holland ; as was the case with all the Dutch clergymen of 
 that early day, before theological seminaries were establislu-d in this coimiTy. ^Ir. Vroo. 
 man waa succeeded by the Rev. Deriek Romeyn, from Hackeiisaek and vSchallenburffh, 
 New Jersey. Mr. Romevn died in I8l)4, and was i^iirceeded by th-, liev. John H. Mvers 
 
SCHENECTADY COUNTY. 325 
 
 from Paltz, New Jersey. Mr. Myers died in 1806. His successor was the Rev. Cornelius 
 Bogardus, who died in 1813, and was succeeded by the Rev. Jacob Van Vechten. 
 
 " The Episcopal church at Schenectady was founded by Mr. John W. Brown, who emi. 
 grated from England previous to 1762. About this time measures were taken to erect a 
 chapel. The principal benefactoiB were Sir William Johnson and John Duncan, Esq. 
 Previous to the revolution this church owned a valuable library, which, together with the or. 
 gan and a greater part of the interior work of the building, was destroyed by a gang of lawless 
 white freebooters and some Indiana. Strange as it may seem, these freebooters were whigs, 
 whose prejudices against England were so great as to extend to every thing English. That 
 this church was called the English church, and was supposed to be under the English in. 
 fluence, formed a sufficient justification in their own view for its destruction. A project 
 was set on foot to plunder Mr. Doty the pastor ; but fortunately the projectors were not ac. 
 quainted with his person or place of abode, and as nobody would inform them, he escaped. 
 
 " The Rev. William Andrews was probably the first pastor of this church. He was suc- 
 ceeded in 1773 by the Rev. Mr. Doty, who left this place about the year 1777, in the heat 
 of the revolutionary contest. From this time there was no settled minister until 1791, 
 when the Rev. Ammi Robbins took the pastoral charge and continued until 1798. After 
 him came the Rev. Mr. Whitmore, whose ministration ended in 1804< The Rev. Cyrus 
 Stebbins was the next pastor ; and he was succeeded by the Rev. Pierre A. Proal in 1818." 
 
 The war during the reign of William and Mary, in England, com- 
 monly called "King William's War," commenced in 1690 and con- 
 tinued about 7 years. In the depth of winter, Count Frontenac, 
 governor of Canada, fitted out three expeditions against the colonies 
 — one against New York, a second against New Hampshire, and a 
 third against the province of Maine. The following, relating to the 
 destruction of Schenectady, is extracted from the account given in 
 Mr. Drake's " Book of the Indians." 
 
 " After two-and-twenty days' march, the enemy fell in with Schenectady, February 8, 
 1690. There were about 200 French, and perhaps 50 Caughnewaga Mohawks, and they 
 at first intended to have surprised Albany ; but their march had been so long and tedious, 
 occasioned by the deepness of the snow and coldness of the weather, that, instead of at. 
 tempting any thing offensive, they had nearly decided to surrender themselves to the first 
 English they should meet, such was their distressed situation, in a camp of snow, but a few 
 miles from the devoted settlement. The Indians, however, saved them from the disgrace. 
 They had sent out a small scout from their party, who entered Schenectady without even 
 exciting suspicion of their errand. When they had staid as long as the nature of their 
 business required, they withdrew to their fellows. 
 
 " Seeing that Schenectady offered such an easy prey, it put new courage into the French, 
 and they came upon it as above related. The bloody tragedy commenced between 11 and 
 12 o'clock, on Saturday night ; and, that every house might be surprised at nearly the same 
 time, the enemy divided themselves into parties of 6 or 7 men each. Although the town 
 was empaled, no one thought it necessary to close the gates, even at night, presuming the 
 severity of the season was a sufficient security ; hence the first news of the approach of the 
 enemy was at every door of every house, which doors were broken as soon as the profound 
 slumbers of those they were intended to guard. The same inhuman barbarities now fol. 
 lowed, that were afterward perpetrated upon the wretched inhabitants of Montreal. ' No 
 tongue,' said Col. Schuyler, ' can express the cruelties that were committed.' Sixty.three 
 houses, and the church, were immediately in a blaze. Enciente women, in their expiring 
 agonies, saw their infants cast into the flames, being first dehvered by the knife of the mid. 
 night assassin ! Sixty.three persons were put to death, and twenty-seven were carried into 
 captivity. . . , , 
 
 " A few persons fled towards Albany, with no other covering but their mght-clothes ; the 
 horror of whose condition was greatly enhanced by a great fall of snow ; 25 of whom lost 
 their limbs from the severity of the frost. With these poor fiigitives came the intelhgence 
 to Albany, and that place was in a dismal confusion, having, as usual upon such occasions, 
 supposed the enemy to have been seven times more numerous than they really were. 
 About noon, the next day, the enemy set offfi-om Schenectady, taking all the plunder they 
 could carry with them, among which were 40 of the best horses. The rest, with all the 
 cattle and other domestic animals, lay slaughtered in the streets. 
 
 " One of the most considerable men of Schenectady, at this time, was Capt. Alexander 
 
326 SCHENECTADY COUNTY. 
 
 Glen. He lived on the opposite side of the river, and was suffered to escape, because he 
 had delivered many French prisoners from torture and slavery, who had been taken by the 
 Indians in the former wars. They had passed his house in the night, and, during the mas. 
 sacre, he bad taken the alarm, and in the morning he was found ready to defend himself. 
 Before leaving the village, a French officer summoned him to a council, upon the shore of 
 the river, with the tender of personal safety. He at length adventured down, and had the 
 great satisfaction of having all his captured friends and relatives delivered to him ; and the 
 enemy departed, keeping good their promise that no injury should be done him." 
 
 Among those who made a successful defence and kept the foe at bay, was Adam 
 Vrooman. Being well supplied with ammunition, and trusting to the strength of his build- 
 ing, which was a sort of a fort, he formed the desperate resolution to defend himself to the 
 last extremity ; and if it should prove his fate to perish in the ruins of his own domicil, to 
 sell his own life and that of his children as dear as possible. Seconded in his efforts by 
 one of his sons, who assisted in loading his guns, he kept up a rapid and continuous fire 
 upon his assailants, and with the most deadly effect. His house was soon filled with 
 smoke. His wife, nearly suffocated with it, cautiously, yet imprudently, placed the door 
 ajar. This an alert Indian perceived, and firing through the aperture, killed her. In the 
 mean time, one of his daughters escaped from the back hall door with his infant child in 
 her arms. They snatched the little innocent from her arms, and dashed out its brains ; and 
 in the confusion of the scene the girl escaped. Their triumph here, however, was of short 
 duration ; Mr. Vrooman succeeded in securely bolting the door and preventing the intru. 
 sion of any of the enemy. On witnessing Mr. Vrooman's courage, and fearing greater 
 havoc among their chosen band, the enemy promised, if he would desist, to save his life and 
 not set fire to his building. This promise they fulfilled, but carried off two of his sons into 
 captivity. 
 
 The following additional particulars respecting this event are 
 drawn from the account given by Charlevoix, a learned French 
 Jesuit, distinguished for his travels and authentic historical works. 
 
 " This party marched out before they had determined against what part of the English 
 frontier they would carry their arms, though some part of New York was understood. 
 Count Frontenac had left that to the two commanders. After they had marched 5 or 6 
 days, they called a council to determine upon what place they would attempt. In this 
 council, it was debated, on the part of the French, that Albany would be the smallest place 
 they ought to undertake ; but the Indians would not agree to it. They contended that, 
 with their small force, an attack upon Albany would be attended with extreme hazard. 
 The French being strenuous, the debate grew warm, and an Indian chief asked them ' how 
 long it was since they had so much courage.' To this severe rebuke it was answered, that, 
 if by some past actions they had discovered cowardice, they should see that now they would 
 letrieve their character ; they would take Albany or die in the attempt. The Indians, 
 however, would not consent, and the council broke up without agreeing upon any thing 
 but to proceed on. 
 
 " They continued their march until they came to a place where their path divided into 
 two ; one of which led to Albany, and the other to Schenectady : here Mantct gave up his 
 design upon Albany, and they marched on harmoniously for the former village. The 
 weather was very severe, and for the following 9 days the little army suffered incredible 
 hardships. The men were often obliged to wade through water up to their knees, breaking 
 its ice at every step. 
 
 " At 4 o'clock in the morning, the beginning of February, they arrived within two leagues 
 of Schenectady. Here they halted, and the Great Agnier, chief of the Iroquois of the falls 
 of St. Louis, made a speech to them. He exhorted every one to forget the hardships they 
 had endured, in the hope of avenging the wrongs they had {pr a long time suffered from the 
 perfidious English, who were the authors of them ; and in the close added, that they could 
 not doubt of the assistance of heaven against the enemies of God, in a cause so just. 
 Hardly had they taken up their line of march, when they met 40 Indian women, who gave 
 them all the necessary information for approaching the place in safety. A Canadian, 
 named Giguiere, was detached immediately with 9 Indians upon discovery, who acquitted 
 himself to the entire satisfaction of his officers. He reconnoitred Schenectady at his leisure, 
 and then rejoined his comrades. It had been determined by the party to put off the attack 
 one day longer ; but on the arrival of the scout under Giguiere, it was resolved to proceed 
 without delay. 
 
 " Schenectady was then in form Uke that of a long square, and entered by two gates, one 
 at each end. One opened towards Albany, the other upon the great road leading into the 
 
SCHENECTADY COUNTY. 327 
 
 back country, and which Was now possessed by the French and Indians. Mantet and St. 
 Helene charged at the second gate, which the Indian women before mentioned had aasiu-ed 
 them was always open, and they found it so. D'Ibervilie and Repentigni passed to the 
 left, in order to enter by the other gate, but, after losing some time in vainly endeavoring 
 to find it, were obliged to return and enter with their comrades. 
 
 " The gate was not only open but unguarded, and the whole party entered without being 
 discovered. Dividing themselves into several parties, they waylaid every portal, and then 
 the war-whoop was raised. Mantet formed and attacked a garrison, where the only resist, 
 ance of any account was made. The gate of it was soon forced, and all of the English fell 
 by the sword, and the garrison was burned. Montigni was wounded, in forcing a house, 
 in his arm and body by two blows of a halberd, which put him hors du combat; but St. 
 Helene being come to his assistance, the house was taken, and the wounds of Montigni 
 revenged by the death of all who had shut themselves up in it. Nothing was now to be 
 seen but massacre and pillage in every place. At the end of about two hours, the chiefs, 
 believing it due to their safety, posted bodies of guards at all the avenues, to prevent sur. 
 prise, and the rest of the night was spent in refreshing themselves. Mantet had given 
 .rders that the minister of the place should be spared, whom he had intended for his own 
 prisoner ; but he was found among the promiscuous dead, and no one knew when he was 
 killed, and all his papers were burned. 
 
 " After the place was destroyed, the chiefs ordered all ihe casks of intoxicating liquors to 
 be staved, to prevent their men from getting drunk. They next set all the houses on fire, 
 excepting that of a widow, into which Montigni had been carried, and another belonging 
 to Major Coudre: they were in number about 40, all well built and furnished; no booty 
 but that which could be easily transported was saved. The Uvea of about 60 persons were 
 spared ; chiefly women, children, and old men, who had escaped the fiiry of the onset, and 
 30 Indians who happened to be then in the place. The hves of the Indians were spared 
 that they might carry the news of what had happened to their countrymen, whom they 
 were requested to inform, that it was not against them that they intended any harm, but to 
 the EngUsh only, whom they had now despoiled of property to the amount of four hundred 
 thousand pounds." 
 
 The following ballad is an interesting relic of antiquity. It was 
 written in 1690, to commemorate the destruction of Schenectady, and 
 is composed something in the style of the celebrated " Chevy Chase." 
 
 "A BALLAD, 
 
 ** In which is set forth the horrid crudities practised by the French and Indians on the 
 night of the 8th of last February. The which I did compose last night in the space of one 
 hour; and am now writing, the morning of Fryday, June 12th, 1690. W. W. 
 
 " God prosper long our king and queen. Each door was sudden open broke 
 
 Our lives and safeties all ; By six or seven men. 
 
 A sad misfortune once there did The men and women, younge and olde, 
 
 Schenectady befall. ^.nd eke the girls and boys, 
 
 From forth the woods of Canada All started up in great afihght. 
 
 The Frenchmen tooke their way, Att the alarming noise. 
 
 The people of Schenectady j^ey then were murther-d in their beddes, 
 
 To captivate and slay. Without shame or remorse ; 
 They marched for two and twenty dales. And soone the floors and streets were strew d 
 
 All through the deepest snow ; With many a bleeding corse. 
 
 And on a dismal winter night, fhe village soon began to blaze. 
 
 They strucke the cruel blow. Which shew'd the horrid sight :— 
 
 The lightsome sun that rules the day But, 0, 1 scarce can beare to tell, 
 
 Had gone down in the west ; The mis'ries of that night. 
 
 And eke the drowsie villagers They threw the infants in the fire. 
 
 Had sought and found their reste. The men they did not spare ; 
 
 They thought they were in saftie all, But killed all which they could find, 
 
 And dreampt not of the foe : Though aged or tho' fair. 
 
 But att midnight they aU awoke, q Christe ! In the still midnight air. 
 
 In wonderment and woe. it sounded dismally ; 
 
 For they were in their pleasant beddes, The women's prayers, and the loud screams 
 
 And soimdelie sleeping, when Of their great agony. 
 
328 
 
 SCHOHARIE COUNTY. 
 
 MethinkB as if I hear them now 
 
 All ringing in my ear ; 
 The shrieks and groans and woeful sighs 
 
 They uttered in their fear- 
 But some run off to Albany, 
 
 And told the dolefull tale : 
 Yett though we gave our chearful aid, 
 
 It did not much avail. 
 
 And we were horribly afraid, 
 And shook with terror, when 
 
 They told us that the Frenchmen were 
 More than a thousand men. 
 
 The news came on the Sabbath mom 
 
 Just att the break of day, 
 And with a companie of horse 
 
 I galloped away. 
 
 But soon we found the French were gone 
 With all their great bootye ; 
 
 Albany, 12th of June, 1690. 
 
 And then their trail we did pursue. 
 As was our true dutye. 
 
 The Mohaques joynd our brave partye, 
 
 And followed in the chase, 
 Till we came up with the Frenchmen, 
 
 Att a most likelye place. 
 
 Our soldiers fell upon their rear. 
 
 And killed twenty-five ; 
 Our young men were so much enrag'd 
 
 They took scarce one alive. 
 
 D'Aillebout them did commando. 
 Which were but thievish rogues, 
 
 Else why did tliey consent and goe. 
 With bloodye Indian dogges ? 
 
 And here I end the long ballad. 
 The which you just have redde ; 
 
 I wish that it may stay on earth 
 Long after I am deaid. 
 
 Walter Wilik. 
 
 SCHOHARIE COUNTY. 
 
 Schoharie county was taken from Albany and Otsego counties in 
 1795 ; greatest length N. and S. 30, greatest breadth E. and W. 25 
 miles. Centrally distant NW. from New York 150, from Albany W. 
 42 miles. In the western part of this county is the dividing ridge be- 
 tween the waters of the Mohawk and those of the Susquehannah and 
 Delaware. In the eastern part it has the Catskill and Helleberg moun- 
 tains. It has the valley of the Schoharie creek north and south through 
 its centre, along which the alluvial flats are very extensive, with a soil 
 of loam and vegetable mould, peculiarly rich and fertile. Much of the 
 surface of this county is hilly, with some of a mountainous character. 
 The soil of the uplands is of various qualities, generally better adapted 
 to grass than to grain. The Schoharie creek, a large tributary of the 
 Mohawk, has its rise in Greene county, and flows northward through 
 the centre of this county. In its course it receives several smaller 
 streams, the principal of which are tiie Cobelskill on the west, and 
 Fox creek on the east. The Catskill has its source in the eastern 
 part of the county, and the Delaware and Susquehannah in the west- 
 em. The county is well watered, and possesses many fine mill sites. 
 In the tovras of Summit, Jefferson, Blenheim, Broome, and the up- 
 lands of Middleburg and Fulton, the tenure of the soil is generally held 
 by lease, the fee-simple being in proprietors of large tracts ; but in 
 these towns, there are many tracts upon the creek, which the Germans 
 have taken up in fee, the common tenure of the northern towns. The 
 towns of Schoharie, Cobelskill, Sharon, Fulton, Middleburg, and por- 
 tions of Blenheim and Broome, have a population of German origin. 
 The German language prevails among the older inhabitants, but their 
 
SCHOHARIE COUNTY. 
 
 329 
 
 children are educated and converse in English. The early settlers 
 suffered much from Indian hostilities, and during the revolution the 
 country was overrun by the British and Indians under Sir John John- 
 son, Brant, and the infamous Walter Butler. The county is divided 
 into 12 towns : 
 
 Blenheim, 
 
 Broome, 
 
 Carlisle, 
 
 Cobelskill, 
 Conesville, 
 Fulton, 
 
 Jefferson, 
 
 Middleburg, 
 
 Schoharie, 
 
 Seward, 
 Sharon, 
 Summit. 
 
 Southeast view in the central part of Schoharie. 
 
 The town of Schoharie lies on the flats, near the junction of Scho- 
 harie and Fox creeks, 32 miles W. of Albany. It contains about 100 
 dwellings, the county buildings, 1 Lutheran and 1 Dutch Reformed 
 church,"and an academy. The above engraving is a SE. view in the 
 central part of the village : the courthouse, a stone building 3 stories 
 liiTh, is seen on the right ; the Lutheran church and the academy in 
 the distance. 
 
 About a mile N. of the central part of Schoharie is an ancient stone 
 church, which was used as a fort during the revolutionary war. When 
 Sir John Johnson ravaged the Mohawk valley in 1780, he visited 
 Schoharie, and after making an unsuccessful attack on the Middle 
 Fort, he proceeded to the Lower Fort, as this church was called. 
 
 " When they arrived at the Lower Fort, they showed little disposition to attack it, 
 although its garrison did not amount to 100 men. They separated into two divisions, the 
 reffular troops marching along the bank of the creek, and the Indians filing off about half a 
 mfle to the east of the fort. The regulars fired a few cannon-shot without effect, one only 
 lodging in the comer of the church ; and then, after sinking one of their field-pieces in a 
 morass, marched round to the north of the fort, where they were jomed by the Indians. 
 Here they fired a few shot with small-arms, and a few of the Indians approached near 
 enough to throw their bullets into the tower of the church, where some marksmen had 
 been stationed. A discharge of grape from the fort drove them back, and they continued 
 their march through the woods to Fort Hunter, on the Mohawk, near the mouth of Scho- 
 harie creek, where they arrived after dark. 
 
 42 
 
330 SENECA COUNTY. 
 
 " The beautiful valley of Schoharie creek presented a scene of devastation, on the night 
 of the 17th of October, not easily described. Houses, barns, and numerous staclts of hay 
 and grain were consumed ; domestic animals lay dead everywhere over the fields ; a few 
 buildings belouging to the royalists had been spared, but the militia, sallying out, set fire 
 to them in revenge. After the burning of Schoharie, this settlement ceased to be so much 
 an object of tory vengeance ; and during the years 1781 and 1782, though there were fre- 
 quent alarms, little damage was done by the enemy. The Indians appeared once in consid- 
 erable numbers at Cobbleskill, burned a few buildings, killed one man, and carried off five 
 prisoners ; but the body of the inhabitants had taken refuge in a fort which they had built 
 on their return from Schoharie in 1781, and were safe." — Annals of Tryon County. 
 
 SENECA COUNTY. 
 
 Seneca county was taken from Cayuga in 1804; since which 
 other counties have been formed from it. Its greatest length N. and S. 
 is 36 miles; medium width, 12. Centrally distant from New York, 
 317, from Albany, 172 miles. The land rises gently from the Cayuga 
 and Seneca lakes, and the whole county is pleasantly diversified with 
 hills and vales. The soil is well adapted to the culture of grain, 
 grasses, and fruit trees, being principally a vegetable mould or calcare- 
 ous loam. There is no stream of importance excepting the outlet of 
 the Seneca lake, which from Waterloo to Seneca lake furnishes much 
 hydraulic power. The lands of this county formed part of the military 
 tract, and the titles therefore are derived from the state through patents 
 to the soldiers of the revolution. The Erie canal just touches upon the 
 NE. part, in the town of Tyre. The railroad passes through the towns 
 of Waterloo and Seneca Falls. The county is divided into 10 towns : 
 
 Covert, 
 
 Lodi, 
 
 Seneca Falls, 
 
 Waterloo. 
 
 Fayette, 
 
 Ovid, 
 
 Tyre, 
 
 
 Junius, 
 
 Romulus, 
 
 Varick, 
 
 
 Seneca Falls village is 4 miles E. of Waterloo, 11 from Geneva, 3 
 W. of Cayuga bridge, 85 from Utica, and 167 from Albany. This is 
 a flourishing village, containing between 400 and 500 dwellings, 1 
 Baptist, 1 Presbyterian, 1 Episcopal, 1 Methodist, and 1 Catholic 
 church, an academy, and 3 newspaper printing establishments. There 
 is at this place a heavy water-power of 47 feet over 4 dams, putting in 
 operation 7 extensive fiour-mills, besides quite a number of other mills 
 and manufacturing estabhshments. The following engraving is an 
 eastern view of the village, the river, and the Cayuga and Seneca ca- 
 nal, with one of the locks, &c. 
 
 The first settlers at this place were Horatio Jones and Lawrence 
 Van Clief, who fixed their residence here shortly after the revolution- 
 ary war. Van Clief was a soldier in Sullivan's expedition. The vil- 
 lage of Seneca Falls was founded in 1815, by Col. Mynderse, who 
 settled here in 1795, and built the first flouring-mills in this section of 
 the state. In 1827, the village contained only 265 inhabitants. 
 
 Ovid, the half-shire seat, is about 17 miles SE. of Waterloo. It is 
 delightfully situated on the Newburg turnpike. The village commands 
 
SENECA COUNTY. 
 
 331 
 
 East view of Seneca Falls village. 
 
 a view of a large part of both lakes, and of portions of 9 adjoining coun- 
 ties, the land risnig gradually to it from the lakes, rich, arable, and 
 finely cultivated in farms. There are here 1 Presbyterian and 1 Meth- 
 odist church, a flourishing academy, and about 100 dwellings. 
 
 The flourishing village of Waterloo is situated on the Seneca outlet 
 and the Seneca and Cayuga canal, 4 miles from Seneca P'alls village, 
 7 from Geneva, and ]67 from Albany. It was founded in 1815, by the 
 late Elisha ^Vllliams, of Columbia county, and was made a half-shire 
 village in 1S22. It contains about .300 dwellings, 4 churches — 1 
 Ejiiscopal, 1 Methodist, 1 Presbyterian, and 1 Baptist — and about 
 2,000 inhabitants. "VViili the village of Seneca P'alls, V^'aterloo pos- 
 sesses the advantage of the lateral canal uniting the Seneca and Ca- 
 yuga lakes with the Erie canal. The water for the mills at this place 
 IS taken from the river and canal, and used under a head of 15 feet. 
 
 STEUBEN COUNTY. 
 
 Steuben county, named in honor of Major-general Frederick Wil- 
 liam Baron de Steuben, the celebrated tactician of the revolutionary 
 army, was taken from Ontario in 1796; boundaries since much alter- 
 ed ;'from Albany centrally distant SW. 216 miles, from New York 
 W. 220 ; lengtii and breadth 40 miles. The surface is broken and 
 hilly, if not mountainous. Along the rivers, the general aspect of the 
 county IS uninviting, except that in some parts the alluvial flats are ex- 
 tensive and rich. The river hills are rocky, precipitous, and covered 
 with evergreens ; but the upland plains have a rich variety of trees, 
 and fertile tracts principally of clayey loam. The staples of the county 
 arc lumber, grain, cattle, and wool. The lumbering is the chief busi- 
 
332 
 
 STEUBEN COUNTY. 
 
 ness of the southern towns ; but as the country is cleared of its forests, 
 agriculture rises in importance. Chemung river is the great stream 
 of the county ; it was called by the Senecas Cononque, " horn in the 
 water." Its flats are said to be superior in fertility to the Mohawk. 
 This county, excepting the town of Reading on the western shore of 
 the Seneca lake, was included in the extensive cession of New York 
 to Massachusetts, and passed from that state, through Messrs. Phelps 
 and Gorham and Robert Morris, to Sir William Pulteney. It was 
 mostly settled Iry Pennsylvanians, excepting Prattsburg, which was 
 settled by New Englanders. The county is divided into 27 towns : 
 
 Addison, 
 
 Conhocton, 
 
 Jasper, 
 
 Troupsburg, 
 
 Bath, 
 
 Dansville, 
 
 Lindley, 
 
 Tyrone, 
 
 Bradford, 
 
 Erwin, 
 
 Orange, 
 
 Urbana, 
 
 Cameron, 
 
 Greenwood, 
 
 Painted Post, 
 
 Wayne, 
 
 Campbell, 
 
 Hornby, 
 
 Prattsburg, 
 
 Wheeler, 
 
 Canisteo, 
 
 Homellsville, 
 
 Pultney, 
 
 WoodhuU. 
 
 Caton, 
 
 Howard, 
 
 Reading, 
 
 
 Bath, the county seat, on the bank of the Conhocton river, and 11 
 miles north of the New York and Erie railroad, is one of the most 
 pleasant villages in the western part of the state. The public square, 
 laid out in 1792 by Capt. Charles Williamson, has the county and 
 other public buildings, and several elegant private mansions. There 
 are in the village, a bank, 4 churches, and about 200 dwellings. Bath 
 was first settled in 1792, by Capt. Charles Williamson, the first agent 
 of Sir WiUiam Pulteney, after whom the pubhc square was named. 
 Sir William, who was a noted English whig, was a large proprietor in 
 this vicinity. 
 
 " At the head of the Crooked Lake lies the flourishing village of 
 Hammondsport, 8 miles NE. of Bath, founded in 1826 by Lazarus 
 Hammond, containing 1 Presbyterian and 1 Episcopal church, and 
 about 100 dwellings. The village is favorably situated for trade, by 
 reason of the lake. It must become the port of the county, whence 
 much of its exports will seek a market in the centre of the state, and 
 at the towns on the Hudson river. A steamboat daily plies between 
 here and Penn Yann, the capital of Yates county ; thence the Crooked 
 Lake canal leads to the Seneca Lake, which is connected with the 
 Erie canal by the Seneca and Cayuga canal, by which route there is 
 an uninterrupted water communication with New York." 
 
 The village of Painted Post, 22 miles SE. of Bath, at the junction 
 of the Conhocton river with the Tioga, contains about 60 dwellings, 
 and is a place much noted in the early history of this section of the 
 country. The celebrated "painted post," from which the town of 
 Painted Post derived its name, formerly stood upon the bank of the 
 river. There have been various stories in relation to its origin ; the 
 following account, taken from the narrative of the captivity and suffer- 
 ings of Gen. Fregift Patchin, who was taken prisoner by a party of 
 Indians under Brant during the revolution, is probably correct. 
 
SUFFOLK COrNTY. 333 
 
 " Near this, we found the famous PAINTED POST, which is now known over the 
 whole continent, to those conversant with the early history of our country ; the origin of 
 which was as follows. Whether it was in the revolution, or in the Dunmore battles with 
 the Indians, which commenced in Virginia, or in the French war, I do not know ; an In- 
 dian chief, on this spot, had been victorious in battle, and killed and took prisoners to the 
 number of about 60. This event ho celebrated by causing a tree to be taken from the 
 forest and hewed four square, painted red, and the number he killed, which was 28, rep- 
 resented across the post in black paint, without any heads, but those he took prisoners, 
 which was 30, were represented with heads on in black paint, as the others. This post 
 he erected, and thus handed down to posterity an account that here a battle was fought ; 
 but by whom, and who the suffereis were, is covered in darkness, except that it was be- 
 'ween the whites and Indians." 
 
 SUFFOLK COUNTY. 
 
 Suffolk county, which comprises about two-thirds of Long Island, 
 was organized in 1683, at which time the ridings were abolished, and 
 Long Island was divided into three counties, as they have remained 
 ever since. It is about one hundred and ten miles in length, and in 
 some parts twenty in width. On the north side next the sound the 
 land is considerably broken and hilly ; in the interior, and on the south 
 side, it is mostly a sandy plain, covered for the greater part with forests 
 of pine, in which the wild deer is still an inhabitant. The county is 
 not well watered, the streams being few and small. The chief busi- 
 ness of the inhabitants is agriculture and fishing ; they also send large 
 quantities of pine wood to market. The original settlers of the county 
 were mostly from New England, and the inhabitants have ever retain- 
 ed to a great degree the habits and manners of the Puritans. The 
 county is divided into 9 towns, all of which, except Riverhead, were 
 organized in 1788 : 
 
 Brookhaven, Islip, Smithtown, 
 
 East Hampton, Riverhead, Southampton, 
 
 Huntington, Shelter Island, Southold. 
 
 The following is a northern view of Sagg Harbor, situated in the 
 NE. corner of the town, 100 miles from New York. It has a good har- 
 bor, lying on an arm of Gardiner's Bay. The village contains 400 
 dwellings, 1 Presbyterian, 1 Methodist, 1 Catholic, and 1 African 
 church, 2 printing offices, and about 3,000 inhabitants. The wealth 
 and trade of the place may with propriety be said to be founded on 
 the whaling business. 
 
 " Sagg Harbor is the most populous, wealthy, and commercial 
 place in the county, and may therefore not improperly be considered 
 the emporium of Suffolk. The capital employed in trade here proba- 
 bly exceeds that of the whole county besides, there being nearly a 
 million of dollars invested in the whale-fishery alone, employing a ton- 
 nage of more than six thousand, exclusive of several fine packets and 
 other vessels engaged in the coasting business. It is supposed that 
 
334 SUFFOLK COUNTY. 
 
 no permanent setllement was attempted here previous to 1730, and 
 then only a few small cottages were erected near the head of the 
 
 Northern view of Sagg Harbor, Long Island. 
 
 present wharf, for the convenience of those engaged in fishing. Most 
 of the land in the vicinity was then covered with timber and forest, 
 and it is probable, also, that no inconsiderable number of Indians 
 dwelt in the vicniity. In 1760, several respectable families established 
 themselves here, perceiving that it possessed many local advantages, 
 and built for themselves comfortable houses. In 1707, the number of 
 inhabitants had so increased, that it was resolved to erect a house for 
 public worship ; and without the advantage of regular preaching, the 
 people were accustomed to assemble on the Sabbatli at the beat of 
 drum, and hear a sermon read by one of the congregation. They be- 
 gan soon after more largely to appreciate the commercial facilities 
 offered by the adjacent waters, and fresh efforts were made to improve 
 upon the old practice of boat-iuhaliiig. For this end small sloops 
 were fitted out, and ranged the ocean at some distance from the 
 coast ; but when a whale was caught, it became necessary to return 
 to port for the purpose of boiling out the oil upon the shore. The 
 business had made but little progress when hostilities commenced be- 
 tween the mother country and her colonies in 1775 ; and this island 
 being the next year abandoned to the enemy, commerce of every kind 
 was of course suspended till the close of the contest in 17S3. Sev- 
 eral British ships took their stations in the bay, and this village was 
 made not only a depot for military stores, but the garrison for a con- 
 siderable body of soldiers. During the war it became the theatre of 
 one of the most extraordinary feats that was accora})lished during the 
 revolution. It has generally been denominated Meigs' Esq^edUion, 
 and the circumstances are thus related by the historians of that period : 
 
 " lu retaliation for the burning of Ridgefield, in Connecticut, by Gen. Arnold and Hip 
 
SUFFOLK COUNTY. 335 
 
 wretches under hie command, in April, 1777, a few soldiers from Newhaven went on a 
 predatory excursion to Long Island. A quantity of provisions had been collected at Sagg 
 Harbor, and to destroy these was the object of the expedition. The enterprise was one 
 of the most spirited and successful of that eventful period. Gen. Parsons conceived it 
 possible to surprise the place, and confided the execution of it to Lieutenant-colonel Meigs, 
 who embarked from Newhaven, May 21, 1777, with two hundred and thirty-four men, in 
 thirteen whale-boats. He proceeded to Guilford, but on account of the roughness of the 
 sea, could not pass the sound till the 23d. On that day, at one o'clock in the afternoon, 
 he left Guilford with one hundred and seventy men, under convoy of two eirmed sloops, 
 and crossed the sound to Southold, where he arrived at 6 o'clock. The enemy's troops on 
 this part of the island had marched for New York two or three days before, but it was 
 reported that there was a party at Sagg Harbor on the south branch of the island, about 
 fifteen miles distant. Col. Meigs ordered the whale-boats to be transported over the land 
 to the bay between the north and south branches of the island, where one hundred and 
 thirty men embarked, and at twelve o'clock at night arrived safely on the other side of 
 the bay within four miles of Sagg Harbor. Here the boats were secured in a wood, under 
 a guard, and the remainder of the detachment marched quickly to the harbor, where they 
 arrived at two o'clock in the morning, in the greatest order, attacking the outpost with 
 fixed bayonets, and proceeding directly to the shipping at the wharf, which they found 
 unprepared for defence. The alarm was given, and an armed schooner with twelve guns 
 and seventy men began to fire upon them at the distance of one hundred and fifty yards, 
 which continued three quarters of an hour, but did not prevent the troops from executing 
 their design with the greatest intrepidity and effect. Twelve brigs and sloops, one of which 
 was an armed vessel of twelve guns, and one hundred and twenty tons of hay, corn, oats, 
 ten hogsheads of rum, and a large quantity of merchandise, were entirely destroyed. Six 
 of the enemy were killed, and ninety taken prisoners. Not one of Col. Meigs' men was 
 either killed or wounded. He returned to Guilford at two o'clock in the afternoon, hav- 
 ing been absent only twenty-five hours ; and in that time had transported his troops by 
 land and water full ninety miles, and completed his undertaking with the most entire 
 success." 
 
 The village of Riverhead, the county seat, is situated upon Peconic 
 creek or river, a mill stream, about 2 miles above Peconic bay, 
 about 90 miles from New York, 24 from Sagg Harbor, and 23 from 
 Greenport. The .village contains about 70 dwellings, a large proportion 
 of which are one story in height, 1 Methodist, 1 Congregational, and 1 
 Swedenborg or New Jerusalem church, an academy, and about 500 
 inhabitants. 
 
 The village of Southampton is built on a single street, 18 miles 
 from Riverhead. The village of Greenport, at the eastern termination 
 of the Long Island railroad, contains 3 churches and about 100 dwell- 
 ings. The village of Huntington, 40 miles W. from Riverhead 
 and 45 from New York, has 2 churches, an academy, and about 
 100 dwellings in the vicinity. Patchogue, 60 miles from New York, 
 28 from Riverhead, contains 2 churches and about 75 dwellings. Se- 
 tauket, on the N. side of the island, is an ancient village, containing 2 
 churches and upwards of 100 dwellings. 
 
 The village of Easthampton, near the eastern extremity of Long 
 Island, about 110 miles from New York, consists of about 100 dwell- 
 ings, on a single street about a mile in length. The Clinton academy 
 was erected here in 1785, being the first institution of the kind erected 
 on Long Island. 
 
 The peninsula of Montauk contains 9,000 acres. The land is 
 owned by about forty individuals, as tenants in common. The In- 
 dians have non-fructuary interest in a portion of the land ; but as the 
 race is nearly extinct, this incumbrance must be of short duration. 
 
336 
 
 SUFFOLK COUNTY. 
 
 View of Montauk Point, Long Island. 
 
 The soil IS generally good, and is used as pasture land. The surface 
 is rough, and in some places precipitous. " There is a sublimity and 
 "wildness, as well as solitariness here, which leave a powerful impres- 
 sion on the heart. In a storm, the scene which the ocean presents is 
 awfully grand and terrific. On the extreme point stands the tall white 
 column erected by the government for a lighthouse in 1795, at an ex- 
 pense of $22,300. It IS constructed of stone, in the most substantial 
 manner." 
 
 Gardiner's Island contains about 3,300 acres, with a soil mostly of 
 a good quality ; the nearest pomt of distance to Long Island is three 
 miles. Lyon Gardiner, the first settler on the island, was a native of 
 Scotland. He belonged to the republican party, with the illustrious 
 Hampden, Cromwell, and others. 
 
 The notorious pirate William Kidd visited this island, and buried a 
 valuable treasure. From this circumstance, doubtless, have arisen the 
 numerous legends respecting the burial of " Kidd's money," in many 
 places along the coast. 
 
 " Kidd, on his homeward passac^e from the West Indies to Bo.ston, where he was finally 
 apj>rehcnded, anchored in Gardiner's hay, and in tiie presence of the owner of tlie island, 
 Mr. Gardnier, and under the most solemn injunctions of secrecy, buried a pot of gold, sil- 
 ver, and precious stones. On the 3d of July, 16U!i, lie was summoned before Lord Uella- 
 mont, at Boston, and ordered to report his proceedings while in the service of the company ; 
 which refusing; to do, he was imtnediatelv arrested, and transported to England, where ho 
 was tried, convicted, and executed at ' Execution Dock' on the 12th of May, 1701. He 
 was found guilty of the murder of William Moore, gunner of the ship, and was hung in 
 chains. Mr. John G. Gardiner has a small piece of gold cloth, which his father received 
 from Mrs. Wctmore, who gave also the following account of Kidd's visit to the island. ' I 
 remember,' ehe says, * when very young, hearing my mother say that her grandmother 
 was the wife to Lord Gardiner when the pirate came to that island. He wanted Mrs. 
 Gardiner to roast him a pig ; she being afraid to refuse him, roasted it very nice, and he 
 was much pleased with it. He then made her a present of this clolh, which she gave to 
 her two daughters ; what became of the other I know not ; but this was handed down to 
 me, and ts, I believe, as nice as when first given, which must be upwards of a hundred 
 years.' It having been ascertained that he had buried treasures upon this island, com- 
 missioners were sent by Governor Bellamont, who obtained the same, and for which they 
 gave a receipt." 
 
SULLIVAN COUNTY. 337 
 
 SULLIVAN COUNTY. 
 
 Sullivan county was erected in March, 1809, from Ulster county, 
 and received its name in honor of General Sullivan, an oflScer of the 
 revolutionary army. It is centrally distant from New York about 100 
 miles NW., and, by the routes usually travelled, 112 SW. of Albany 
 Greatest length NW. and SE. 45, and greatest breadth NE. and SW 
 37 miles. The county of Sullivan is situated on the Delaware river, 
 W. of Ulster county, in a region of broken land. It contains a large 
 proportion of mountainous country. The Newburg and Cochecton 
 turnpike runs centrally and westerly across the county ; and on this 
 road and the Delaware river are the principal settlements. The New 
 York and Erie railroad runs through the southern portion. The 
 northern part is the wildest and least setded. The Delaware and 
 Hudson canal passes through the valley of Bashe's kill into Orange, 
 and returns from that county by the valley of the Delaware, along 
 which it extends in this county about 15 miles, to the dam opposite the 
 Laxawaxen river. The country along the Delaware is not favorable 
 for agriculture ; generally the highlands are preferred for cultivation, 
 being more dry, and productive of finer grass than the valleys, which 
 are commonly wet and cold. Upon the Delaware, and the streams 
 which flow into it, the inhabitants are chiefly engaged in lumbering. 
 With the exception of a small tract on the southeast, in the Minisink 
 patent, the whole county was covered by the Hardenburg patent, un- 
 der which there are now some extensive landholders. The inhabit- 
 ants are chiefly of Dutch and New England descent. About one-tenth 
 of the county only is improved. It is divided into 10 towns : 
 
 Bethel, Forrestburg, Mamakating, Thompson. 
 
 Cochecton, Liberty, Neversink, 
 
 Fallsburg, Lumberland, Rockland, 
 
 Monticello, the county seat, on the Newburg and Cochecton turn- 
 pike, named after Jefferson's residence, was founded in 1804, by 
 Messrs. Samuel F. and J. P. Jones, from New Lebanon, Columbia 
 county, who were proprietors of most of the lands in the vicinity 
 Judge Piatt Pelton built the second frame house here in 1806. The 
 village was incorporated in 1830, and consists of the county build 
 ings, 2 churches, and about 60 dwellings, distant 38 miles from New 
 burg, and 110 from Albany. Bloomingburg, 23 miles W. of New 
 burg, was incorporated in 1833, and consists of about 75 dwellings, 2 
 churches, and an academy. 
 
 43 
 
338 
 
 TIOGA COUNTY. 
 
 TIOGA COUNTY. 
 
 Tioga county, taken from Montgomery in 1794; bounds since 
 much altered : still further reduced ni 1836, by the erection of Che- 
 muna; county from its western portion. Greatest length E. and W. 
 31, greatest breadth N. and S. 29 miles. This, with Chemung coun- 
 ty IS part of the broad and long belt extending westerly from U Ister 
 and Greene counties to the vicinity of Lake Erie, preserving for a 
 o-reat part of the distance a mean height of about 1,600 feet above the 
 level of the ocean. The soil of the county consists generally of sandy 
 and gravelly loam, interspersed with patches of mud and clay. 1 he 
 uplands are commonly better adapted to grass than grain ; but the val- 
 leys give fine crops of wheat and corn ; oats, barley, peas, beans, and 
 hops thrive almost everywhere. The Susquehannah is the principal 
 stream of the county. The New York and Erie railroad crosses the 
 county E. and W. ; and the railroad from Owego to Ithaca N. and b. 
 The county is divided into 9 towns : 
 
 Barton, 
 
 Berkshire, 
 
 Candor, 
 
 Newark, 
 Nichols, 
 Owego, 
 
 Richford, 
 Spencer, 
 Tioga. 
 
 West view of the courthouse and other buildings, Owego. 
 
 Owego village, the county seat, is 30 miles SE. of Ithaca, and 167 
 from Albany on the N. side of Susquehannah river. The building 
 with a cupola near the centre of the drawing is the courthouse, the one 
 on the right the academy, both of which face the pubhc square. There 
 are in the village 4 churches, a bank, capital $200,000, 3 fine hotels, 
 an academy, and upwards of 200 dwellings. The railroad which ex- 
 tends from here to Ithaca, was the second chartered in the state, (1828,) 
 and is 29i miles in length. The name Owego is of Indian origin. 
 
TOMPKINS COUNTY. 339 
 
 siffnifying swift or swift river, and was applied to the Owego, creek, 
 which empties into the Susquehannah about half a mile from the vil- 
 lage. About the year 1783 or 1784, James McMaster and Amos 
 Draper purchased of the Indians what they called a half township, 
 comprising 1 1 ,500 acres, and embracing the site upon which the vil- 
 lage now stands. " In 1785, McMaster, and William Taylor, still liv- 
 ing ill Owego, and then a bound boy to McMaster, came and cleared 
 in one season 10 or 15 acres of land, and through the summer planted 
 and raised a crop of corn from the same. This was the first transition 
 of the ground, where Owego now stands, from a wilderness state. In 
 1794 or 1795, McMaster and Hudson, a surveyor, laid out the village 
 into streets and lots, and thus laid the foundation of what Owego now 
 
 is or shall be hereafter The sources of wealth, as the village 
 
 grew up, were salt from Salina, brought to the place and carried down 
 the river in arks for the Pennsylvania and Maryland markets, wheat 
 from the north, which was also transported down the river, lumber, 
 also, and plaster." 
 
 " A few years after this section was settled, there prevailed an ex- 
 tensive and serious famine. It was felt more particularly in the region 
 between Owego and Elmira, embracing Tioga. It was experienced 
 even down to Wyoming. For six weeks or more, the inhabitants were 
 without bread or its kind, This season of famishing occurred imme- 
 diately before the time of harvesting The inhabitants, as a 
 
 substitute for more substantial food, gathered, or rather, it is believed, 
 dug what were called wild beans ; which, it seems, were found in 
 considerable quantities. They would also gather the most nutritious 
 roots and eat them." 
 
 TOMPKINS COUNTY. 
 
 Tompkins county, named in honor of the Hon. Daniel D. Tomp- 
 kins, formerly Vice-president of the United States, was taken from 
 Cayuga and Seneca counties in 1817 ; limits since changed. Great- 
 est length E. and W. 34, greatest breadth N. and S. ?8 miles ; cen- 
 trally distant from New York 212, and from Albany 163 miles. 
 This county forms part of the high land in the southwestern portion 
 of the state. Its summit generally is elevated from 1,200 to 1,400 
 feet, but the singular and deep basins in which lie the Cayuga and 
 Seneca lakes, have given a peculiar formation to its surface, and to 
 the course and character of its streams. The Cayuga lake indents 
 it on the N. about 18 miles ; the Seneca lake extends southerly on 
 its western border 12 miles. The greater portion of the country 
 declines from all sides towards the Cayuga lake. The ascent from 
 the shores of the lake is gradual and srpooth to the eye, yet it is 
 rapid, and attains within 2 miles the height of at least 500 feet. 
 This gives to the streams a precipitous character. The towns of 
 
340 TOMPKINS COUNTY. 
 
 Newfield, Danby, and Caroline, were purchased from the state by 
 Messrs. Watkins and Fhnt. The towns north of these, excepting a 
 small portion in the northeastern part of Dryden, belong to the mili- 
 tary tract. That portion was in the cession to Massachusetts. The 
 county is chiefly settled by New England emigrants. The New York 
 and Erie railroad passes through the county. Tompkins coimty is di 
 vided into 10 towns : 
 
 Ulysses. 
 
 Caroline, 
 
 Enfield, 
 
 Ithaca, 
 
 Danby, 
 
 Groton, 
 
 Lansing, 
 
 Dryden, 
 
 Hector, 
 
 Newfield, 
 
 The village of Ithaca was founded by the late Simeon De Witt, sur- 
 veyor-general of the state. It is beautifully situated about a mile and 
 a half above the Cayuga lake, partially upon the fiats and partially 
 upon the hill. It is distant 163 miles from Albany, 40 SE. from Ge- 
 neva, and 29 fronri Owego. The Cayuga inlet is navigable to the lake 
 for boats of 50 tons. Ithaca is well located for trade. It communi- 
 cates with the Erie canal by the lake and Seneca canal, and with the 
 Susquehannah river and the line of the Erie railroad, by the Owego rail- 
 road. The village contains upwards of 700 dwelhngs, 1 Presbyterian, 
 1 Methodist, 1 Episcopal, 1 Baptist, and 1 Dutch Reformed church, 
 the Ithaca Acaderny, 2 banks, several printing ofiices, a very extensive 
 n;.i(i-T'UDiif Ling establishment, a variety of mills and manufactories, and 
 about "»,000 inhabitants. The Ithaca and Owego railroad, the second 
 chartered in the state, (1828,) is 29J miles in length. It ascends from 
 the level of the lake by two inchned planes; the first, l,733i feet 
 long, rises one foot in 4.28, or 405 feet; the other, 2,225 feet long, as- 
 cends 1 foot in 21 feet. The whole elevation above the lake over- 
 come is 602 feet within 8 miles ; after which there is a descent of 376 
 feet to Owego. Stationary steam-power is used upon the first, and 
 horse-power upon the second plane and other portions of the road. 
 
 Trumansburg, 11 miles NW. of Ithaca, contains about 100 dwell- 
 ings, 3 churches, a female seminary, and several stores and mills. 
 
 On Halsey creek, about 10 miles from Ithaca, are the Taghcanic 
 Falls. This cataract is about 200 feet in height, and the rocks tower 
 100 feet above the top. Viewed from above or beneath, the scene is 
 one of sublimity. The latter, however, is the best. To witness this, 
 the visiter is obliged to go down the stream about a mile, and return by 
 the valley, which is bounded by a rocky gorge, with perpendicular 
 rocks rising in some places 400 or 500 feet above the bed of the creek, 
 when the sceije bursts suddenly upon him jn all its wildness and ma- 
 jesty. 
 
ULSTER COUNTY. 341 
 
 ULSTER COUNTY. 
 
 Ulster, an original county, was organized in 1683. It is from New 
 York centrally distant N. 110, and from Albany S'. 60 miles. Greatest 
 length E. and W. 50, breadth N. and S. 40 miles. The face of the 
 country is mountainous. The Shawangunk mountain enters the county 
 from Orange, and running NE. nearly 30 miles, sinks into low and ir- 
 regular hills in Hurley ; but its continuity is preserved to Kingston 
 near the Hudson. Northward of that village it again rises, until it is 
 identified with the Catskill mountains. Between the Blue and Shaw- 
 angunk mountains is a broad valley through which winds the Rondout 
 river, a stream whose name is a corruption of the word Redoubt, so 
 named after a fortification built upon the stream by the early Dutch 
 settlers. The Wallkill runs a northeast course south of the Shawan- 
 gunk mountain, receiving the Shawangunk creek, and uniting with the 
 Rondout, 8 miles from its mouth. The three streams above noticed 
 are the great drains of the county, and aiford very advantageous mill 
 power, within a few miles of the tide, much of which is yet unem- 
 ployed. In the west the Nevisink river and other tributaries of the 
 Delaware have their sources. The Delaware and Hudson canal en- 
 ters the county at its southwest border, and passing through the towns 
 of Wawarsing, Rochester, Marbletown, and Hurley, unites in the 
 town of Kingston with the Rondout, 2? miles from the Hudson. The 
 inhabitants are much engaged in manufacturing, and much attention 
 has been given to the raising of sheep and cattle, for which purpose 
 few counties are better adapted. The county was settled by the Dutch 
 as early as 1616. Tradition says that at a very early period there were 
 settlers upon the Minisink on the Delaware, who transported some val- 
 uable minerals by the road along the Rondout to the North river. This 
 county appears to have suffered more from Indian hostilities than any 
 other portion of the country while under the Dutch. The quarrel 
 appears to have arisen on account of an Indian woman being killed 
 when stealing peaches from a garden. The county is divided into 
 14 towns: 
 
 Esopus, 
 
 Marlborough, 
 
 Rochester, Wawarsing, 
 
 Hurley, 
 
 New Paltz, 
 
 Saugerties, Woodstock. 
 
 Kingston, 
 
 Olive, 
 
 Shandaken, 
 
 Marbletown, 
 
 Plattekill, 
 
 Shawangunk, 
 
 Kingston was one of the earliest Dutch settlements in the state, hav- 
 ing commenced in the year 1616, and is said to have been the third 
 place settled in New York. In the year 1662, it had a settled min- 
 ster, and the county records commence about that period. Kingston 
 village, formerly called Esopus, was incorporated in 1805. The fol- 
 lowing engraving shows the appearance of the village as viewed from 
 
342 
 
 ULSTER COUNTY. 
 
 Eastern view of Kingston. 
 
 from a dwelling house situated on a gentle emmence a few rods south 
 of the Rondout road. The Catskili mountains are seen in the ex- 
 treme distance. Th& village is regularly laid out on ten streets, and 
 beautifully situated on the fertile pine flats elevated about 40 feet above 
 the Esopus creek. These flats commence at Kingston and extend to 
 Saugerties, about ten or twelve miles, and are from two to two and a 
 half miles in width. The village contains the county buildings, 1 Dutch 
 Reformed, 1 Episcopal, 1 Methodist, and 1 Baptist church, an acade- 
 my, 2 banks, 3 newspaper establishments, a large iron foundry, and 
 about 275 dwellings, many of which are built of blue limestone. It is 
 58 miles from Albany, 93 from New York, and about 3 from the land- 
 ing on Hudson river. The village of Rondout, about a mile from the 
 Hudson, was founded in 1828 by the Delaware and Hudson Canal 
 Company, being a place of deposite for their coal. It contains a church 
 and about 75 dwellings. 
 
 The village of Kingston was one of the largest places in the prov- 
 ince of New York previous to the revolution. It was laid in ashes 
 by the British under General Vaughan in October, 1777, and a large 
 quantity of public stores were destroyed. It is stated that at that 
 period the village was nearly as large as it is at the present time. 
 Every house, excepting one in which Mrs. Hammersly resided, was 
 destroyed. This lady being acquainted with some of the British 
 officers, it was spared on her account. The following account of the 
 burning of this place is from the Connecticut Journal of October 
 27th :— 
 
 *' In our last we observed that the British proceeded up the river past this place. As they 
 went alonfT, they burnt a fow mills, houses, and boats. On Friday they reached Esopus, 
 and there landed a number of men, who Diarched up to the defenceless town of Kingston, 
 about two miles from the river, and immediately set it on tire ; the conflagration was gen- 
 eral in a few minutes, and in a short time that pleasant and wealthy town was reduced to 
 ashes ; only one house escaping the flames. Thus by the wantonness of power, the third 
 town in this state for size, elegance, and wealth, is reduced to a heap of rubbish ; and thh 
 
ULSTER COUNTY. 343 
 
 once happy inhabitants, (who are chiefly of Dutch descent,) obliged to solicit for shelter 
 among strangers, and those who possessed lately elegant and convenient dwellings, obliged 
 to take up with such huts as they find can defend them from the cold blasts of approaching 
 winter. We learn that the inhabitants saved the best part of their moveable property, but 
 some lost the best part of their temporal all. 'TIs said the enemy took little time to plun- 
 der, being told that General Clinton was at hand with 1,500 men, but miluckily not so 
 near as to save the town. They burnt several vessels and houses at the landing, then 
 scampered off precipitately to their vessels. Next day they burnt several houses at 
 Rhynebeck Flatts, and proceeded as far as Livingston's manor, where they burnt a few 
 more ; our troops are now up with them. It is hoped they will be able to put a stop to 
 these depredations." 
 
 During the revolutionary war a number of royalists were executed 
 in this town for treason. Judge Hasbrouck of Kingston, who was 
 at that time a lad, says that two of them were executed on the first 
 hill from the landing. It appears that these unfortunate men expect- 
 ed to be reprieved ; when they drew near the gallows, and saw the 
 preparation for their execution, they became overwhelmed with a 
 sense of their awrful situation, and exclaimed, " O Heer ! vergeeven 
 onze zonde," (0 Lord ! forgive our sins.) The father of Judge Has- 
 brouck, one of the principal men of the place, although a firm friend 
 to the American cause, was opposed to the execution, and suffered 
 much anguish of mind on account of these harsh and bloody meas- 
 ures. These men, although tories, were persons of respectability, 
 who had families. Between twenty and thirty royalists who were 
 taken up, enlisted in the American army, and thus saved their 
 lives. 
 
 Ulsterville, (late Saugerties,) at the confluence of the Esopus 
 creek with the Hudson, 100 miles N. of New York, 44 S. from Al- 
 bany, and 10 from Kingston. "This place, now one of the most 
 thrifty on the river, was undistinguished until the year 1826, when 
 Mr. Henry Barclay, of New York, duly appreciating the value of the 
 water-power, became the purchaser of it and several farms in the 
 vicinity. By a strong dam and a raceway, cut 65 feet perpendicularly 
 through the rock, there has been obtained the use of the water under 
 a fall of 47 feet, which may be applied twice in its descent. The en- 
 terprising proprietor established a large paper mill, extensive iron 
 works, and erected a building for calico pjinting, since converted into a 
 paint manufactory. The business of the county now centres here ; 
 and the trade employs 30 or 40 sloops and schooners, of from 80 to 
 150 tons burden. In 1825, there was not a single church here : there 
 are now five neat edifices for public worship." Five miles above 
 Ulster village, upon the creek at Whittaker's Falls, there is a very 
 flourishing manufacturing village. 
 
344 WARREN COUNTY. 
 
 WARREN COUNTY. 
 
 Warren county was taken from the NW. part of Washington coun- 
 ty in 1813. It is principally situated on the W. side of Lake George, 
 centrally distant from New York 240, and from Albany 75 miles. 
 Greatest length N. and S. 44, greatest breadth E. and W. 40 miles. 
 With the exception of a small district on the SE., the whole county is 
 mountainous. The mountains, which are of primitive formation, are 
 covered with a heavy growth of trees, and contain, it is said, abundance 
 of iron ore of good quality, but have very small portions of arable soil. 
 The valleys, which are narrow, contain some fertile alluvion, on 
 secondary limestone. The principal employment of the inhabitants is 
 getting lumber, which is sent to market by the rivers, lake, and Cham- 
 
 flain canal. This county embraces about one half of the Horicon, or 
 ,ake George, the greater part of Schroon lake, the whole of Brant 
 lake, and many smaller ones. The Horicon is a beautiful sheet of 
 water 33 miles long, and about 2 wide, and discharges its waters 
 northward into Lake Champlain at Ticonderoga. Its waters are very 
 deep and clear, and abound with the finest fish. The mountain sce- 
 nery of this lake is excelled in its romantic beauties by none in the 
 world. Schroon and Brant lakes are beautiful sheets of water, and 
 abound with fish similar to Lake George. The county is divided into 
 10 towns, viz. : 
 
 Athol, Chester, Johnsburg, Warrensburg. 
 
 Bolton, Hague, Luzerne, 
 
 Caldwell, Horicon, Queensbury, 
 
 Caldwell, the shire town of Warren county, was organized in 
 1810, and named in honor of James Caldwell, Esq., a principal pro- 
 prietor and benefactor. It has a mountainous surface, and embraces 
 the south end of Lake George. Caldwell village lies at the head of 
 Lake George, 62 miles from Albany, 9 from Glenn's Falls, and 
 27 from Saratoga springs. The village consists of about 50 dwell- 
 ings. 
 
 The scenery in this vicinity is of a wild and picturesque character, similar to the High- 
 lands of Scotland. Westward rises a range of mountains, the highest of which is Pros- 
 pect or Rattlesnake Hill, which is an elevation of about 1,500 feet. Remains of Forts 
 William Henry and George are still to be seen at the head of the lake, a short distance 
 east of the courthouse. 
 
 This village and the lake have become quite a fashionable place of resort during the warm 
 season of the year. Besides the attractions of the natunil scenery, it is rendered interesting 
 from having been the theatre of unportant military operations. The celebrated " Battle of 
 Lake George," on Sept 8th, 1755, was fought m the vicinity of Bloody Pond, so called 
 from the fact that corpses of the slain were thrown into it The battle was between the 
 provincial troops under Major-general, afterward Sir William Johnson, aided by a body of 
 Indians under Hendrick the Mohawk chieftain, and a body of French Canadians and Indi- 
 
WARREN COUNTY. 345 
 
 ans under Baron Dieskau, a French nobleman. The baron embarked at Fort Frederick, at 
 Crown Point, with 2,000 men in batteaux, and landed at Skeensboro, now Whitehall. Hav. 
 ing understood that Johnson lay carelessly encamped at the head of Lake George, he de- 
 termined to attack him. 
 
 The following account of the conflict that ensued, is given by Dr. 
 Dwight, who received much of his information from eye-witnesses 
 of the action. 
 
 On the night of Sunday, Sept. 7, at 12 o'clock, information was brought, that the enemy 
 had advanced 4 miles on the road from Fort Edward tp Lake George ; or half way between 
 the village of Sandy-Hill and Glenn's falls. A council of war was held early in the morning, 
 at which it was resolved to send a party to meet them. The number of men, determined 
 upon at first, was mentioned by the general to Hendrick ; and his opinion was asked. He 
 replied, " If they are to fight, they are too few. If they are to be killed, they are too many.'' 
 The number was accordingly increased. Gen. .Tohnson also proposed to divide them intc 
 3 parties. Hendrick took 3 sticks, and, putting them together, said to him, "Put these 
 together, and you can't break them. Take them one by one, and you will break them 
 easily." The hint succeeded, and Hendrick's slicks saved the party, and probably the 
 whole army, from destruction. 
 
 The party detached consisted of 1,200, and were commanded by Col. Ephraim WilUams 
 a brave and skilful officer, greatly beloved by the soldiery, and greatly respected by the 
 country at large. Lieut. Col. Whiting, of New Haven, was' second in command, and 
 brought up the rear. Col. Williams met the enemy at Rocky brook, 4 miles from Lake 
 George. Dieskau had been informed of his approach by his scouts, and arranged his men 
 in the best possible order to receive them, extending his line on both sides of the road in 
 the form of a half-moon. Johnson did not begin to raise his breastwork until after Williams 
 had marched ; nor, as a manuscript account of Jthis transaction, now before me, declares, 
 until after the rencounter between Williams and the enemy had begun. 
 
 Williams marched his men directly into the hollow of the half-moon. This will be ex. 
 plained by the fact, that the whole country was a deep forest. When the enemy saw them 
 completely within his power, he opened a fire of musketry on the front and on both flanks 
 of the English at the same moment. The English fell in heaps; and at the head of them 
 their gallant commander. Hendrick, also, was mortally wounded, fighting with invincible 
 courage in the front of his people. He was shot in the back : a fact which filled him with 
 disdain and anguish ; as he thought, that he should be believed to have fled from the enemy. 
 The truth was, the horns of the half-moon were so far advanced, that they in a great meas- 
 ure enclosed the van of the English, and fired upon them from the rear. From this fire 
 Hendrick received the wound which terminated his life. 
 
 Upon the death of Col. Williams, Lieut. Col. Whiting succeeded to the command of the 
 detachment. He was an officer of great merit, and had gained much applause at the re- 
 duction of Louisburgh ; and, in consequence of his gallant conduct at that siege, had been 
 made a captain in the regular British service. Whiting, seeing the danger of his men, 
 immediately ordered a retreat ; and conducted it so judiciously, that he saved the great 
 body of them from destruction, in circumstances of extreme peril ; in which their own con- 
 fusion and alarm, and the situation of the ground, threatened their extermination no less 
 than the superior numbers of the enemy. 
 
 The noise of the first fire was heard at Lake George. Efforts began then to be made in" 
 earnest by the general for the defence of the camp : and a party of 300 men were despatched 
 under Lieut. Col. Cole, to support the retreating corps. A few stragglers, both English and 
 Indians, came into the camp, and announced, what had indeed been already sufficiently 
 evident from the approaching sound of the musketry, that the French army was superior in 
 numbers and strength to Col. Williams' corps, and was driving them towards the camp. 
 Some time after " the whple party that escaped," says Gen. Johnson, " came in in large 
 bodies ;" a decisive proof of the skill and coolness with which Lieut. Col. Whiting con- 
 ducted this retreat. These men also arranged themselves in their proper places, and took 
 their share in the engagement which followed 
 
 About half after 11 o'clock, the enemy appeared in sight marching up the road in the 
 best order towards the centre of the English. When they came to the bottom of an open 
 valley, directly in front of the elevation, on which Fort George was afterward built, and on 
 which the centre of the English army was posted, Dieskau halted his men about 15 min- 
 utes, at the distance of little more than 150 yards from the breastwork. I have never seen 
 a reason assigned for this measure. I think I can assign one. The Indians were sent out 
 sn the right flank, and a part of the Canadians on the left, mtending to come in upon the 
 
 44 
 
346 
 
 WARREN COUNTY. 
 
 rear of the English, while the main body attacked them ia front. The ground was remark- 
 ably favorable to this design ; being swampy, thickly forested, and, therefore, perfectly fitted 
 to conceal the approach of these parties. The Indians, however, were soon discovered by 
 Lieut. Col. Pomeroy, who immediately mentioned the fact to the general ; and, observing 
 to him, that these people were extremely afraid of cannon, requested that one or two pieces 
 might be pointed against them. They were then near the ground on which Fort William 
 Henry was afterward built. The general approved of the proposal. A shell was instantly 
 thrown among them from a howitzer, and some field-pieces showered upon them a quantity 
 of grape-shot. The Indians fled. 
 
 The baron, in the mean time, led up his main body to attack the centre. They began 
 the engagement by firing regularly in platoons ; but at so great a distance, that they did 
 very little execution. This circumstance was favorable to the English ; and soon recover, 
 ing from the panic into which (hey had been thrown by the preceding events of the day, 
 they fought with great spirit and firmness. 
 
 Gen. Johnson, at the commencement of the battle, received a flesh wound in his thigh, 
 and the ball lodged in it. He bled freely, but was able to walk away from the army to his 
 tent. Gen. Lyman then took the command, and continued in it during the action. This 
 gentleman, who seemed to have no passions, except those which are involved in the word 
 humanity, immediately stationed himself in the front of the breastwork; and there, amid 
 the thickest danger, issued his orders, during 5 hours, to every part of the army, as occasion 
 demanded, with a serenity which many covet, and some boast, but very few acquire. The 
 main body of the French kept their ground, and preserved their order, for a considerable 
 time ; but the artillery, under the command of Capt. Eyre, a brave English officer, who 
 performed his part with much skill and reputation, played upon them with such success, 
 and the fire from the musketry was so warm and well-directed, that their ranks were soon 
 thinned, and their efforts slackened sufficiently to show that they despaired of success in 
 this quarter. They then made another effort against the right of the English, stationed 
 between the road and the site of Fori WiUjam Henry, and composed of Ruggles' regiment, 
 Williams', now commanded by Lieut. Col. Pomeroy, and Tilcomb's. Here a warm fire 
 was kept up on both sides about an hour ; but on the part of the enemy was unavailing. 
 
 At 4 o'clock, the English, and the Indians who fought with them, leaped over their 
 breastwork, and charged the enemy. They fled, and were vigorously pursued for a short 
 distance. A considerable number were slain in the pursuit. The wounded, and a very 
 few others, were made prisoners. Among these was Dicskau. He was found by a soldier, 
 resting on a stump, with hardly an attendant. As he was feeling for his watch, in order to 
 give it to the soldier, the man, suspecting that he was searching for a pistol, discharged the 
 contents of his musket through his hips. He was carried into the camp in a blanket by 9 
 men, with the greatest care and tenderness, but evidently in extreme distress. 
 
 Hendrick had lived to this day with singular honor, and died fighting with a spirit not 
 to be excelled. He was at this time from 60 to 65 years of age. His head was covered 
 with white locks : and what is uncommon among Indians, he was corpulent. Immediately 
 before Col. Williams began his march, he mounted a stage, and harangued his people. He 
 had a strong masculine voice ; and, it was thought, might be distinctly heard at the distance 
 of half a mile ; a fact which, to my own view, has diffused a new degree of probability over 
 Homer's representations of the effects produced by the speeches and shouts of his heroes. 
 Lieut. Col. Pomeroy, who was present, and heard this effusion of Indian eloquence, told 
 me, that, although he did not understand a word of the language, yet such was the anima. 
 tion of Hendrick, the fire of his eye, the force of his gesture, the strength of his emphasis, 
 the apparent propriety of the inflections of his voice, and the natural appearance of his 
 whole manner, that himself was more deeply affected with this speech, than with any other 
 which he had ever heard. In the Pennsylvania Gazette, Sept. 25; 1755, he is styled " the 
 famous Hendrick, a renowned Indian warrior among the Mohawks ;" and it is said that 
 his son, being told that his father was killed, giving the usual Indian groan upon such 
 occasions, and suddenly putting his hand on his left breast, swore, that his father was still 
 alive in that place, and that there stood his son. Baron Dieskau was conveyed from Al 
 bany to New York, and from thence to England ; where soon after he died. 
 
 The capture of Fort William Henry, at this place, Aug. 9th, 1757. 
 and the massacre by the Indians, created a great sensation in all the 
 northern states. The following account of the capture of the fort, 
 is extracted from Professor Silliman's Tour. 
 
 The Marquis de Montcalm, after three ineffectual attempts upon Fort William Henry, 
 nuule great efforts to besiege it in form, and in August, 1757, having landed ten thousand 
 
WARREN COUNTY. 
 
 347 
 
 men near the fort, summoned it to surrender. The place of his landing was shown mo, a 
 httle north of the public liouse ; the remains of liis batterieK and other works are still visi- 
 ble ; and the rrruves ami bones of the slain are occasionally riiscovcicd. 
 
 He had a powerful train of artillery, and althouiih the fort and works were jrarrlsoncd 
 by three thousand men. and were most gallantly defended by the commander, Col. Mon- 
 roe, it was obliijed to capitulate ; but the most honorable terms were granted to Colonel 
 Monroe, in consideration of his great gallantry. The bursting of the great guns, the 
 want of ammunition, and above all, the failure of fien. Webb to succor tlie fort, although 
 he lay idle at Fort Edward with four thousand men. were the causes of this catastrophe. 
 
 The cai>itulation was, however, most shamefully broken ; the Indians attached to Mont- 
 calui's army, while the troops wrre marching out of the gate of the fort, dragged the men 
 from the ruidis, particularly the Indians in the English service, and butchered them in 
 cold blood ; they plundered all without distinction, and murdered women and little chil- 
 dren, with circumstances of the most aggravated barbarity. The massacre continued all 
 along the road, through the dcfdc of the mountains, and for many miles the miserable 
 prisoners, especially those in the rear, were tomahawked and hewn down in cold blood ; 
 it migiit well be called the bloody defile, for it was the earne ground that was the scene 
 of the battles, only two years before, in 1755. It is said that etforts were made by the 
 French to restrain the barbarians, but they were not restrained, and the miserable rem- 
 nant of the garrison with difficulty reached Fort Edward pursued by the Indians, although 
 escorted by a body of French troops. I p^LSsed over the whole of the ground upon which 
 this tragedy was acted, and the oldest men of the country still remember this deed of 
 guilt and infamy. 
 
 Fort William Henry was levelled by Montcalm, and has never been rebuilt. Fort 
 George was built as a substitute for it, on a more commanding site, and although often 
 mentioned in the history of subsequent wars, was not, I believe, the scene of any very 
 memorable event. 
 
 Distant view of the village of Glenn's Falls. 
 
 The village of Glenn's Falls lies on the N. bank of the Hudson, 53 
 miles from Albany, 3 W. from Sandy Hill, and 17 from Saratoga. It 
 received its name from a Mr. Glenn, the first settler, whose house is 
 still standing about 20 rods from the falls. 
 
 The above is a SE. view of the village as seen from the S. bank 
 of the Hudson. There are here about 120 dwellings, 1 Presby- 
 terian, 1 Methodist, and 1 Baptist church, a female seminary, a 
 printing office, and about a dozen mills on both sides of the river 
 for sawin" lumber and marble. The Presbylerian and Methodist 
 
348 WASHINGTON COUNTY. 
 
 churches and the academy are seen on the right, and part of the 
 bridge over the Hudson at the falls, on the left. 
 
 These falls have a total descent of about 70 feet. The water flows 
 in one sheet over the brink of the precipice, 900 feet in length, and 
 when in full flood, rushes in one mass down the cataract, filling the 
 mind of a spectator on the bridge with awe and admiration. In ordi- 
 nary seasons the river is divided at the falls by rocks into three chan- 
 nels, which have an angular descent of several hundred feet. These 
 falls have evidently receded from a position lower down the stream. 
 The banks below are in some places 70 feet in perpendicular 
 height, formed of rocks, in which the stratification is beautifully dis- 
 posed, containing many organic remains. The navigable feeder of the 
 Champlain canal is taken from the river, two miles above, and passes 
 along the elevated bank of the river seen in the engraving. It is be'- 
 lieved that as many as eighteen or twenty persons have been drawn 
 over the falls, within the memory of those now living, only two of 
 whom escaped death. Animals are frequently drawn over, and almost 
 invariably perish. 
 
 WASHINGTON COUNTY. 
 
 Washington county received its present name in 1784, having 
 previously been called Charlotte county, when it claimed to include a 
 part of the present state of Vermont. Its greatest length is 64 miles ; 
 average breadth to South Bay, of Lake Champlain, 17 miles ; and 
 thence on the N. 6 miles. Centrally distant from New York 210, from 
 Albany 60 miles. 
 
 The face of the country is very much diversified. That around 
 Lake George is generally rugged and mountainous, presenting sum- 
 mits from 600 to 1,200 feet in height. All the northern part is broken 
 and hilly. The southern part, though considerably uneven, presents 
 a very large proportion of arable land, well adapted for the various 
 products of agriculture. In the northern part, which is comparatively 
 new, the pine forests supply large quantities of lumber. The county 
 is abundandy watered. As a whole, it holds a respectable rank in ag- 
 riculture, producing much wheat, but is better adapted to grass. A 
 large proportion of the population is from New England, and large 
 emigrations are yearly making from Vermont. The county is divided 
 into 17 towns : 
 
 Hebron, White Creek, 
 
 Jackson, Whitehall. 
 
 Kingsbury, 
 
 Putnam, 
 
 Sajeip, 
 
 Argyle, 
 
 Fort Edward. 
 
 Cambridge, 
 
 Granville, 
 
 Dresden, 
 
 Greenwich, 
 
 Easton, 
 
 Hampton, 
 
 Fprt Ann, 
 
 Hartford, 
 
WASHINGTON COUNTY. 
 
 North view of iSa/.em village. 
 
 The above is from a drawing taken July 27th, 1B40, from an elevation on the main 
 road at the northern extremity of the village. The Presbyterian Church and Court 
 House are seen on the left of the engraving, the Congregational Church and the two 
 Hotels in the central part, and the Academy on the extreme right. 
 
 Southeastern view of Union Village. 
 
 Engraved from a drawing taken on the elevated ground by the school house, on the 
 Easton side of the Battenkill, July 29lh, 1840. The Dutch Reformed, Baptist, and 
 Methodist Churches appear in the view, with part of the bridi'e and Con<rreffational 
 Church. Village founded J 80;i. 
 
VVASIIINCJTON COUNTY. 
 
 Southern view of the central part of Sandy Hill. 
 
 During the war the town was burnt 
 by Burgoyne's army, which lay encamped here about six weeks. The Hessians occupied the 
 ^ound in the vicinity of the new burymg-yard at Sandy Hill, while the Grenadiers lay at Moss 
 btreet, 2 miles north, and the light infantry under Frazer at Fort Edward Hill. 
 
 The site on which stands the village of Sandy Hill, was formerly 
 the scene of Indian barbarities. The following anecdote is related 
 by Professor Silliman, in his Tour from Hartford to Quebec in the 
 autumn of 1819. 
 
 From Mr. H., a very respectable inhabitant, I learned the followinGj singular piece of his- 
 tory Old Mr. SchoonKoven, recently living in this vicinity, and probably stiU surviving, ai- 
 ihough at the great age of more than touracore, informed Mr, 11. that during the last French 
 war, he and six or seven other Americans coming through the wilderness, from Fort Wilham 
 Henry, at the bead of Lake George, to Sandy Hill, had the mistortune to be taken prisoners 
 by a party of the savages. They were conducted to the spot which is now the central green 
 oi' Sandy Hill, and ordered to sit down in a row, upon a log. Mr. Schoonhoven pointt-d out 
 to Mr. H. the exact place where the log lay ; it was nearly in front of the house where we 
 dined. The Indians then began, very deliberately, to tomahawk their victims, conimencing 
 at one end of the log, and splitting the skulls of their prisoners, in regular succession ; while 
 the survivors, compelled to sit still, and to witness the awful fate of their companions, awaited 
 their own, in unutterable horror. Mr. Schoonhoven was the last but one, upon the end of the 
 log, opposite to where the massacre commenced ; the work of death had already proceeded 
 to him, and the lilted tomaliawk was ready to descend, when a chief gave a signal to stop the 
 butchery. Then approaching Mr. Schoonhoven, he mildly said, " Do you not remember that 
 (at such a time) when your young men were dancing, poor Indians came, and wanted to 
 dance too; your young men said, 'No! — Indians shall not dance with us;' but you (for it 
 seems this chief had recognised his features only in the critical moment) you said, Indians 
 shall dance — now I will show you that Indians can remember kindness.'' This chance recol- 
 lection (providential, we had better call it) saved the lile of Mr. Schoonhoven, and of the 
 other survivor. 
 
 Strange mixture of generosity and cruelty ! For a trifling afi'ront, they cherished and 
 glutted vengeance, fell as that of internals, without measure of retribution, or dit-crimination 
 of objects; for a favor equally trifling, they nmmfested magnanimity exceeding all corres- 
 pondence to the benefit, and capable of arresting the stroke of death, e-veii when falling with 
 the rapidity of hghtning. 
 
WASHINGTON COUNTY. 
 
 :14!) 
 
 WniTPHAi.L, organized in 1788, has a great divc-rsity of surfaeo 
 The soil is principally a stitf clay, well adapted to i^rass. Pop. 4,724 
 
 Norllicrn view of Wlntehall. 
 
 1H40." 
 
 The above engraving shows the appearance of the village of White- 
 hall as seen from the rocky eminence which rises perpendicularly 
 from the waters of Lake Champlain, a short distance to the north 
 overlooking the harbor. Tlie village is compactly built, and lies in a 
 rocky ravine, at the junction of Wood creek and the Champlain cana 
 with the waters of Lake Champlain. 73 miles from Albany and 21 
 from Sandy Hill. The mouth of the creek and canal are seen in the 
 central part of the engraving. The waters of the canal descend a 
 distance of 20 feet by three locks. There is a steamboat communi- 
 cation with this place and St. Johns in Canada, 150 miles distant. 
 The steamboat landing is seen on the left at the foot oi' a rocky emi- 
 nence about 200 feet liigli ; the Presbyterian and Episcopal churches 
 are on the right. The village, which is a place of extensive business, 
 consists of about 1.50 dwellings, a number of mills, many warehouses 
 for the commission and forwarding business, a number of churches, 
 and a bank. In the vicinity are the decaying hulks of the British ves- 
 sels captured by Com. jMcDonough during the last war off Plattsburg. 
 
 The Indian name of this place was Kah.chn-qnnh.nn, " the pliirr where dip-f.ih." It 
 was Ibrmerly called .Skeriexhoroufrh, so named trom Maj. Skene, a royalist, who resided 
 here previous lo the revolution. The pass at this place was seized hy a detachment of vol. 
 nnteers from Connecticut in May, 1775. Maj. Skene and his family, with a number of 
 soldiers and several small pieces of cannon, were taken. When Ticonderoga was ahan. 
 doncd on the approach of Burgoyne, the public stores were embarked on board of 200 
 battcaux and sent up the lake to Skenesborough under a convoy of 5 galleys. They were 
 pursued by a British brigade of gun-boats and overtaken at Skenesborough. Two of iho 
 galleys were taken, and the other three blown up, and the Americans being unable to make 
 an effectual stand, set fire to the works, fort, mills, batteau.x, and escaped as they could to 
 Fort Ann. This place was occupied by Burgoyne as his head-quarters for a considerable 
 lime while his troops were clearing a road to Ford Edward. On the heights overlooking 
 the harbor are the remains of a battery and blockhouse. 
 
350 WASHINGTON COUNTY. 
 
 Salem village, the half-shire village of Washington county, was in- 
 corporated in 1803, and is 46 miles from Albany, and 21 from Sandy 
 Hill. It consists of 100 dwellings, the county buildings, 2 churches, 
 and an academy of high repute. 
 
 Salem was first settled about the year 1756, by two companies of 
 emigrants, one from Scotland and Ireland, the other from New Eng- 
 land. They worshipped together under the ministry of the Rev. 
 Thomas Clark, an Irish preacher, till differences arose about " occa- 
 sional communion," and about " receiving the covenant of the three 
 kingdoms." This controversy occasioned a separation in 1769. A 
 Presbyterian church was formed, and the Rev. John Warford, the first 
 minister, was installed in 1789. He labored about 14 years, and was 
 succeeded by Rev. Samuel Tomb, who continued in the ministry till 
 his death in 1832. His successors have been Rev. John Whiton and 
 Rev. A. B. Lambert. The first Presbyterian church was built in 
 1774, and for three years it was used for barracks and a storehouse. 
 It was burnt by the royalists in 1778. The next house was built im- 
 mediately after the war, and was burnt by accident in 1836. The 
 third, erected at a cost of $10,000, was burnt in April, 1840 ; another 
 is now erected. 
 
 Union village, on the Battenkill, is a flourishing manufacturing place 
 35 miles from Albany, 12 from Salem, and 5 E. from Schuylerville. 
 It contains 4 churches, an academy, a bank, a number of factories and 
 mills, and about 1,500 inhabitants. Granville Corners, 63 miles from 
 Albany and 17 from Salem, is a compact settlement of about 75 dwell- 
 ings, 3 churches, an academy, a factory, &c. Middle and West 
 Granville are both substantial villages. Sandy Hill, a village in the 
 town of Kingsbury, on the north bank of the Hudson, is the half-shire 
 village of the county, and was incorporated in 1810. It is situated 
 upon a high sandy plain, about 100 feet above the river, opposite Ba- 
 ker's Falls, where, in the course of 60 rods, the river descends 76 feet. 
 The contemplated railroad from Saratoga to Whitehall is to cross the 
 Hudson here by a viaduct 1,100 feet in length. The village is 48 
 miles from Albany, and contains a Presbyterian and Episcopal church, 
 and upwards of 100 dwelling-houses. James Bradshaw was the first 
 settler in the village, and the second was Albert Baker, who came here 
 in 1768. His family was the 11th which settled in Kingsbury. The 
 first minister in the town was Francis Baylor, a Moravian. He re- 
 mained but a short time, and left in the year 1777. The meeting- 
 house was built soon after the revolution. During the revolutionary 
 war, the town was burnt by Burgoyne's army. 
 
 Two miles north of the village of Kingsbury is the spot where a 
 bloody battle was fought in the French war, between a body of troops 
 under Putnam and Rogers, and 500 French and Indians commanded 
 by Molang. 
 
 " In the month of August, 1758, five hundred men were employed, under the orders of 
 Majors Rogers and Putnam, to watch the motions of the enemy near Ticonderoga. At 
 South Bay they separated the party into two equal divisions, and Rogers took a position 
 on Wood Creek, twelve miles distant from Putnam. 
 
WASHINGTON COUNTY. 351 
 
 " Upon being, some time afterward, discovered, they formed a reunion, and concerted 
 measures for reluming to Fort Edward. Their march through the woods was m three dwisuma, 
 by riiEs ; the right commanded by Rogers, the left by Putnam, and the centre by Captain 
 D'EU. The first night they encamped on the banks of Clear River, about a mile from old Fort 
 Ann, which had been formerly built by Gteneral Nicholson. Next morning Major Kogers. 
 and a British officer named Irwin, incautiously suffered themselves, from a spirit of false emu- 
 lation, to be engaged in firing at a mark. Nothing could have been more repugnant to the 
 military principles of Putnam than such conduct, or reprobated by him in more pointed terms. 
 As sooii as the heavy dew which had fallen the preceding night would permit, the detachment 
 moved in one body, Putnam being in front, D'EU in centre, and Rogers in the rear. The imper- 
 vious growth of shrubs and under-brush that had sprung up, where the land had been partially 
 cleared some years before, occasioned this change in the order of march. At the moment of 
 moving, the famous French partisan Molang, who had been sent with five hundred men to 
 intercept our party, was not more than one mile and a half distant from them. Having 
 heard the firing, he hastened to lay an ambuscade precisely in that part of the wood most fa- 
 vorable to his project. Major Putnam was just emerging from the thicket, into the common 
 forest, when tne enemy rose, and with discordant yells and whoops, commenced an attack 
 upon the right of his division. Surprised, but undismayed, Putnam halted, returned the fire, 
 and passed the word for the other divisions to advance for his support. D'EU came. The 
 action, though widely scattered, and principally fought between man and inan, soon grew 
 general and intensely warm. It would be as difiicult as useless to describe this irregular and 
 ferocious mode of fighting. Rogers came not up ; but, as he declared afterward, formed a 
 circular file between our party and Wood creek, to prevent their being taken in rear or enfi- 
 laded. Successful as he commonly'was, his conduct did not always pass without unfavorable 
 imputation. Notwithstanding, it was a current saying in the camp, ' that Rogers always sent, 
 but Putnam led his men to action,' yet, in justice, it ought to be remarked here, that the latter 
 has never been known, in relating the story of tma day\ disaster, to affix any stigma upon the 
 conduct of the former. 
 
 " Major Putnam, perceiving it would he impracticable to cross the creek, determined to 
 maintain his ground. Inspired by his example, the officers and men behaved with great bra- 
 very ; sometimes they fought aggregately in open view, and sometimes individually under 
 cover ; taking aim from behind the bodies of trees, and acting in a manner independent of 
 each other. For himself, having discharged his fuzee several times, at length it missed fire 
 while the muzzle was pressed against the breast of a large and well proportioned savage 
 This warrior, availing himself of the indefensible attitude of his adversary, with a tremendous 
 war-whoop, sprang forward, wilh his lifted hatchet, and compeUed him to surrender ; and 
 having disarmed and bound him fast to a tree, returned to the battle. 
 
 " The intrepid Captains D'EU and Harman, who now commanded, were forced to give 
 ground for a little distance : the savages conceiving this to be the certain harbinger of victory, 
 rushed impetuously on, with dreadful and redoubled cries. But our two partisans, coUecting 
 a handful of brave men, gave the pursuers so warm a reception as to oblige them, in turn, to 
 retreat a Uttle beyond the spot at which the action had commenced. Here they made a stand. 
 This change of ground occasioned the tree to which Putnam was tied to be directly between 
 the fire of the two parties. Human imagination can hardly figure to itself a inore deplorable 
 situation. The balls flew incessantly from either side, many struck the tree, while some passed 
 through the sleeves and skirts of his coat. In this stale of jeopardy, unable to move his body, 
 to stir his limbs, or even to incUne his head, he remained more than an hour So equally 
 balanced, and so obstinate was the fight ! At one moment, while the battle swerved in favor 
 of the enemy, a young savage chose an odd way of discovering his humor. He found Putnam 
 bound. He might have despatched him at a blow. But he loved better to excite the terrora 
 of the prisoner, oy hurUng a tomahawk at his head, or rather it should seeni his object was to 
 see how near he could throw it without touching him — the weapon struck in the tree a num- 
 ber of times at a hair's breadth distance from the mark. When the Indian had finished his 
 amusement, a French bas-officer (a much more inveterate savage by nature, though descended 
 from so humane and pohshed a nation) perceiving Putnam, came up to him, and, levelUng a 
 fuzee within a foot of his breast, attempted fo discharge it— it missed fire. Inefl'ectuaUy did 
 the intended victim solicit the treatment due to his situation, by repeating that he was a pri- 
 soner of war. The degenerate Frenchman did not understand the language of honor or of 
 nature : deaf to their voice, and dead to sensibihty, he violently, and repeatedly, pushed the 
 muzzle of his gun against Putnam's ribs, and finally gave him a cruel blow on the jaw with 
 the butt-end of his piece. After this dastardly deed he left him. 
 
 " At length the activr. intrepidity of D'EU and Harman, seconded by the persevering valor 
 of their foUowers, prevailed. They drove from the field the enemy, who left about ninety 
 dead behind them. As they were retiring, Putnam was untied by the Indian who had made 
 him prisoner, and whom he afterward called master. Having been conducted for some dis- 
 tance from the place of action, he was stripped of his coat, vest, stockings, and shoes ; loaded 
 with as many of the packs of the wounded as could be piled upon him ; strongly pinioned, 
 and his wrists tied as closely together as they could be puUed with a cord. Alter he had 
 marched, through no pleasant paths, in this painful manner, for many a tedious ntiile, the party 
 (who were excessively fatigued) halted to breathe. His hands were now immoderately 
 swelled from the tightness of the ligature ; and the pain had become intolerable. His feet 
 were so much scratched, that the blood dropped fast from them. Exhausted with bearing a 
 burden above his strength, and frantic with torments exquisite beyond endurance, he entreated 
 the Irish interpreter to implore, as the last and only grace he desired of the savages, that they 
 
352 WASHINGTON COUNTY. 
 
 would knock him on the head, and take his scalp at once, or loose his hands. A French 
 officer, instantly interposing, ordered his hands to be unbound, and some of the packs to be 
 taken off. By this time the Indian who captured him, and had been absent with the wound- 
 ed, coming up, gave him a pair of moccasins, and expressed great indignation at the un- 
 worthy treatment his prisoner had suffered. 
 
 "That savage chief again returned to the care of the wounded, and the Indians, about two 
 hundred in number, went before the rest of the party to the place where the whole were that 
 nighi to encamp. They took with them Major Putnam, on whom, besides innumerable other 
 outrages, they had the barbarity to inflict a deep wound with the tomahawk in the left cheek. 
 His sufferings were in this place to be consummated. A scene of horror, infinitely greater 
 than had ever met his eyes before, was now preparing. It v^as determined to roast him alive. 
 For this purpose they led him into a dark forest, stripped him naked, bound him to a tree, 
 and piled dry brush, with other fuel, at a small distance, in a circle round him. .They ac- 
 companied their labors, as if for his funeral dirge, with screams and sounds inimitable but by 
 savage voices. They then set the piles on fire. A sudden shower damped the rising flame. 
 Still they strove to kmdle it, until, at last, the blaze ran fiercely round the circle. Major 
 Putnam soon began to feel the scorching heat. His hands were so tied that he could move 
 his body. He often shifted sides as the fire approached. This sight, at the very idea of 
 which all but savages must shudder, aflbrded the h^hest diversion to his inhuman torment- 
 ors, who demonstrated the delirium of their joy by correspondent yells, dances, and gesticu- 
 lations. He saw clearly that his final hour was inevitably come. He summoned all his 
 resolution, and composed his mind, as far as the circumstances could admit, to bid an eter- 
 nal farewell to all he held most dear. To quit the world would scarcely have cost a single 
 pang, but for the idea of home, but for the remembrance of domestic endearments, of the 
 affectionate partner of his soul, and of their beloved offspring. His thought was ultimately 
 fixed on a happier state of existence, bey9nd the tortures he was beginning to endure. The 
 bitterness of death, even of that death which is accompanied with the keenest agonies, was, 
 in a manner, past — nature, with a feeble struggle, was quitting its last hold on sublunary 
 things — when a French officer rushed through the crowd, opened a way by scattering the 
 burning brands, and unbound the victim. It was Molang himself— to whom a savage, un- 
 willing to see another human sacrifice immolated, had run and communicated the tidings. 
 That commandant spurned and severely reprimanded the barbarians, whose nocturnal pow- 
 wows and hellish orgies he suddenly ended. Putnam did not want for feeling or gratitude. 
 The French commander, fearing to trust him alone with them, remained until he could de- 
 liver him in safety into the hands of his master. 
 
 " The savage approached his prisoner kindly, and seemed to treat him with particular af- 
 fection. He offered him some hard biscuit ; but finding that he could not chew them, on 
 account of the blow he had received from the Frenchman, this more humane savage soaked 
 some of the biscuit in water, and made him suck the pulp-like part. Determined, however, 
 not to lose his captive, (the refreshment being finished,) he took the moccasins from his feet, 
 and tied them to one of his wrists : then directing him to lie down on his back upon the bare 
 ground, he stretched one arm to its full length, and bound it fast to a voung tree ; the other 
 arm was extended and bound in the same manner — his legs were stretched apart and fastened 
 to two saplings. Then a number of tall, but slender poles were cut down, which, with some 
 long bushes, were laid across his body from head to loot ; on each side lay as many Indians 
 as could conveniently find lodging, in order to prevent the possibility of his escape. In this 
 disagreeable and painful posture be remained until morning. During this night, the longest 
 and most dreary conceivable, our hero used to relate that he felt a ray of cheerfulness come 
 casually across his mind, and could not even refrain from smiling when he reflected on this 
 ludicrous group for a painter, of which he himself was the principal figure. 
 
 " The next day he was allowed his blanket and moccasins, and permitted to march with- 
 out carrying any pack, or receiving any insult. To allay his extreme hunger, a little bear's 
 meat was given, which he sucked through his teeth. At night the party arrived at Ticon- 
 deroga, and the prisoner was placed under the care of a French guard. The savages, who 
 had been prevented from glutting their diabolical thirst for blood, took other opportunity of 
 manifesting their malevolence for the disappointment, by horrid grimaces ana angry ges- 
 tures; but they were suffered no more to ofl'er violence or personal indignity to him. 
 
 " After having been examined by the Marquis de Montcalm, Major Putnam was conduct- 
 ed to Montreal ty a French officer, who treated him with the greatest indulgence and hu- 
 manity." — Humphrey's Life of Putnam. 
 
 The village of Fort Ann, on Wood creek and the canal, 58 miles 
 from Albany, and 10 S. from Whitehall, contains about 50 dwellings, 
 and 3 churches. It is situated on the site of old Fort Ann, erected in 
 1757, and was a place of some importance during the colonial wars. 
 About two miles south of the village, vestiges of Burgoyne's road, 
 constructed of logs, &c., in 1777, are still to be seen. 
 
 Fort Edward is a small village, situated on the Hudson river and 
 Champlain canal, 47 miles from Albany, and about 3 from Sandy Hill. 
 
MURDEE OF MISS McCREA. 
 
 la n*77, during the Expedition of Gen. Bnrgoyne, two Indian Chiefs were 
 employed to bring Miss McCrea to a place of safety within the British 
 lines. Quarreling about the reward, one of them killed her, tore otf her 
 scalp and carried it to her lover. 
 
WASHIJNGTON COUNTY. 
 
 353 
 
 There is a dam above the village 900 feet long and 27 high, which 
 supplies a feeder to the canal. 
 
 The Jane WCrea tree, Fort Edward. 
 
 The viUajre of Fort Edward is rendered memorable as being the spot where Miss M'Crea 
 met with her traj^icai fate. This unfortnnate youn^ woman hved about four miles south 
 from Fort Edward, on the west bank of the Hudson. Her lover, a Mr. Jones, lived about 
 a mile south of the fort. When Burgoyue with his army from Canada had arrived in this 
 vicinity, Mr. Jones left the American army, and with many of liis neighbors joined the 
 forces under Burjijoyue. For his loyalty he was made a major. As the place where Miss 
 M'Crea resided was exposed to the hostile incursions of both armies, Mr. Jones, being 
 anxious for her safety, found means to convey intelligence to her that he would takemeas- 
 ures to liave her brought into the British camp. For this purpose she was directed to come 
 to Mrs. CampbelTs, a relative of hers, who lived in a house now standing in Fort Edward 
 village. Here she was to wait till he sent a convoy for her safety. Miss M'Crea left her 
 home in the morning, crossed the river by Mr. Jones' house, took breakfast " at the old 
 Baldwin house,'' near by Fort Edward, and from thence went to IVIr.s. Campbell's. 
 
 It appears that Mr. Jones, by offering a quantity of rum as a reward, induced a party 
 of Indians to go for Miss M'Crea, and bring her into the British camp. Some accounts 
 state that when the Indians came near the house they held up a letter to allay her fears, 
 which being from her lover, she did not hesitate to venture herself with them. The In- 
 dians also took Mrs. Campbell with them. When this party had proceeded but a short 
 di.stance, about half way up the elevation north of the village, they were met by another 
 party of Indians. It is stated that the latter, hearing of the offer of Mr. Jones, deter- 
 mined to share a portion of the reward. This brought on a contention between them, 
 which rose to such a height, that an aged Indian chief, fearful of the consequences, de- 
 termined to end the dispute. Approaching Miss M'Crea, he shot her dead as she sat on 
 her horse. He then sprang forward, sunk his tomahawk into her head, and then scalped 
 her. " Tradition reports, that the Indians divided the scalp, and that each party carried 
 half of it to the agonized lover." 
 
 She was now stripped of her clothing, and dragged about thirty rods west of the place 
 where she was killed, and laid under a log by the side of the ancient pine represented in 
 the engraving. It is stated by those who saw her remains, that they exhibited a most 
 shocking spectacle ; her limbs were much swollen, and covered with dust and blood. An 
 American officer. Lieutenant Palmer, who had been slain that day by the Indians with 
 ] B of his men, about 80 rods northwest of the pino tree, was also thrown under the log 
 
 45 
 
354 WAYNE COUNTY. 
 
 near Mies M'Crea, and the remains of both partially covered with brushwood and bushes. 
 The engraving shows the appearance of the spot where the body of Miss M'Crea was 
 found. The pine tree which was then standing, stil! remains, having a venerable and an- 
 cient appearance. Her name is inscribed on the tree, with the date 1777, and " no trav- 
 eller passes this spot without spending a plaintive moment in contemplating the untimely 
 fate of youth and loveliness." At its root it is about 5 feet in diameter, standing about 4 
 rods west from the road to Sandy Hill, and about 80 rods north of the village, on the side 
 of a sandy ridge. A fiue spring issues a few feet below this tree. The bodies of Miss 
 M'Crea and Lieutenant Palmer were taken and buried three miles below the fort, near 
 what was called the "black house." About 18 years since, her remains were taken up 
 and re-interred in a village burying ground at Fort Edward ; the Rev. Mr. Cummings, of 
 Albany, preached a funeral sermon on the occasion. At the time of her death she was 
 about twenty years of age, and is represented as having been of a middling stature, finely 
 formed, dark hair, and uncommonly beautiful. Mr. Jones, who was about 25, survived 
 her death but a short period, and it is said his hair turned gray the first night after receiv- 
 ing the fatal news. 
 
 WAYNE COUNTY. 
 
 Wayne county was taken from the NW. corner of Ontario, and the 
 N. of Seneca counties, in 1823. Greatest length from E. to W. 35 
 miles, greatest breadth N. and S. 30. 
 
 The surface is much diversified ; on the N. the ancient beach of 
 Lake Ontario extends with the lake E. and W. from it 4 to 8 miles ; 
 forming in its whole course a road through the county, known as the 
 "ridge road." The Erie canal, for nearly the whole of its devious 
 course of 43 miles through the county, keeps the valley of Mud creek 
 and the Clyde. The soil is generally highly fertile. The greater por- 
 tion of the county on the west, including one-fourth of the towns of 
 Galen. Rose, and Huron, was in the grant to Massachusetts and in 
 Phelps and Gorham's purchase, passing from those gentlemen to Rob- 
 ert Morris, and from him to Sir William Pulleney, from whom the 
 present possessors derive title. The remnant in the east pertained to 
 the military tract. The county is divided into 15 towns : 
 
 Arcadia, 
 
 Lyons, 
 
 Palmyra, 
 
 Walworth, 
 
 Butler, 
 
 Macedon, 
 
 Rose, 
 
 Williamson. 
 
 Galen, 
 
 Marion, 
 
 Savannah, 
 
 Wolcott. 
 
 Huron, 
 
 Ontario, 
 
 Sodus, 
 
 
 Lyons, the shire-village, was incorporated in 1831. It is situated at 
 the junction of Mud creek with the Canandaigua outlet, (below which 
 the stream takes the name of Clyde river,) and on the Erie canal, 181 
 miles from Albany, 34 from Rochester, 15 N. of Geneva, and 16 S. of 
 Sodus Point. The village contains about 250 dwelhngs, 1 Presbyte- 
 rian, 1 Lutheran, 1 Methodist, 1 Baptist, and 1 Episcopal church, the 
 county buildings, a bank, 2 newspaper printing offices, a number of 
 mills, &c. The accompanying view was taken at the bridge over the 
 Erie canal, at the eastern entrance into the village, and shows in the 
 distance a number of public buildings. The village was originally laid 
 
WAYNE COUNTY. 
 
 355 
 
 Eastern entrance into Lyons. 
 
 out by C. Williamson, agent for the Pulteiiey estate, and is said to have 
 derived its name from the similarity of its situation to the city of that 
 name in France. The first settlement was commenced in June, 1798, 
 by cmigranls from New Jersey and Maryland. 
 
 Eastern view in Main-street, Palmyra. 
 
 The village of Palmyra is situated on Mud creek and the Erie ca- 
 nal, 196 mifes distant from Albany by the post ronte, 11 from Lyons, 
 13 from Canandaigua, and 22 from Rochester. It is a place of con- 
 siderable business, containing about 250 dwellings, 1 Preshytenan, 1 
 Episcopal, 1 Methodist, and 1 Baptist church, a bank, 2 newspaper 
 printing offices, a number of mills, &c. The accompanying engraving 
 shows part of Main-street, looking westward. 
 
 The village of Clyde, on the line of the Erie canal, 8 miles E. of 
 Lyons, IS a "place of considerable business, having upwards of 100 
 dwellings, 4 churches, and an academy. 
 
356 WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 
 
 WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 
 
 Westchester county is of an ancient date. It was represented 
 in the first legislative assembly in the colony, which met at New York 
 in 1691. And it has constituted one county to this time, having been 
 organized as such by the general acts of 1788 and 1801. This coun- 
 ty comprises a very important section of the state. Washed on the 
 west by the Hudson, and on the south by the East river and Long 
 Island sound, it enjoys very superior advantages for trade and com- 
 merce. The county generally exhibits a beautiful diversity of sur- 
 face. The northwestern corner is considerably broken by the SE. 
 border of the Highlands, of a mountain character, and a range of 
 hills of moderate height extends from York Island towards the NE. 
 extremity, on which are situated the heights and hills much known in 
 the revolution. Croton River, the stream which supplies the Croton 
 aqueduct with water, rises in Dutchess and Putnam counties from 
 several beautiful lakes. It flows through part of the county in a south- 
 ern direction, and empties into the Hudson about two miles above the vil- 
 lage of Sing Sing : length about 45 miles. Bronx river, named after Jo- 
 seph Bronx, an early settler, rises in Rye Pond, and after a course of 25 
 miles passes into the Sound. Based upon primitive rock, the soil is natur- 
 ally sterile, but is rendered productive by careful and painful cultivation. 
 Of wheat it produces little, and the inhabitants import a large portion of 
 their bread-stuffs. Summer crops are good, and by the use of plaster, 
 valuable returns in grass are obtained. The chief business of the in- 
 habitants consists in supplying New York city with garden stuffs, 
 field vegetables, butter, poultry, &c. 
 
 This county suffered severely during the revolution. The whole 
 southern part was marked by the marches, works of defence, or 
 skirmishes and battles of hostile armies. And, indeed, the active op- 
 erations of the war in 1776, were principally confined to this region, 
 and in the autumn to this county, where the two armies were in full 
 force, constantly on the alert, and under the eyes of their respective 
 commanders. The county is divided into 22 towns, all of which 
 were organized under the act of March 7th, 1788, excepting New 
 Castle and Ossinsin. 
 
 Bedford, Mamaroneck, 
 
 Cortlandt, Mount Pleasant, 
 
 Eastchester, New Castle, 
 
 Greensburg, New Rochelle, 
 
 Harrison, North Castle, 
 
 Lewisborough, North Salem, 
 
 Peekskill village was incorporated in 1826. It is situated 12 miles 
 north of Sing Sing, and immediately south of the southern termina- 
 tion of the Highlands. The annexed engraving shows the appear- 
 ance of the village as seen from an elevation a few rods northward 
 from the road to Carmel. The old Dutch Reformed and the Epis- 
 
 Ossinsin, 
 
 Pelham, 
 
 Poundridge, 
 
 Rye, 
 
 Scarsdale, 
 
 Westchester, 
 White Plains, 
 Yonkers, 
 Yorktown. 
 
 Somers, 
 
 
WESTCHESTER COUNTY 
 
 357 
 
 East view of Peekskill. 
 
 copal church are discernible on the right ; the Methodist and the 
 Presbyterian church, having a small tower, are on the extreme left. 
 Tiie elevated spire of the new Dutch Reformed church is in tlie cen- 
 tral part ot the view. Hudson river, with the towering highlands, is 
 seen in the distance. The vilhige represented in the engraving is 
 situated on an elevation 200 feet above the level of the river, half a 
 mile Irom the landing, on both sides of a deeii ravine, in which flows 
 Gregory's brook, a rapid stream. Tlicre are in the village a bank, 
 2 printing-offices, 2 large iron foundries, &€. There is an academy, 
 a large edifice, situated on a commanding eminence at the south. It 
 was erected by subscription, at an expense of $7,000. The village, 
 including the landing, contains upwards of 200 dwellings, and 2 
 churches for Friends, besides those mentioned above. There is a 
 steamboat ferry at this place to Caldwell's landing, on the opposite 
 side of the Hudson, two miles distant. Verplanck's jioigt and Conti- 
 nental village, places distinguished in the revolutionary war, are with- 
 in the limits of this town. This latter place, which had barracks for 
 2,000 men, was burnt by the British in October, 1777 ; the following 
 account of wdiich is extracted from the Connecticut Journal of April 
 2d, 1777. 
 
 FLihkill^ March 27. — Our po?t at Pcck's-kill, since the removal of the militia of the eastern 
 srates, h.is been in a manner in a fiefeni-elef^s situation, there being only part of 2 regiments 
 stationed there under the care of Gen. MclJougal amounting to about 2j() men. The enemy 
 h>ivinif received intelligence of this, formed an expedition thither with a view to take or de- 
 stroy the stores belonging to the continentals Ihat were deposited there. Accordingly on Sun- 
 day last they appeared with a frigate, lour transpons, and several other small vessels in the 
 bay, and landed about 1,<K)0 men, with several pieces of cannon. General McDougal not 
 thinking it prudent to hazard a batlle with such an unequal force, and not having seasonable 
 advice of the enemy's movement, was under the necessity of destroying their stores in order 
 to prevent their tallins into their hands, and retired about two miles into the pass in the High- 
 lands, carrying with him his baggage and mihtary stores; his advanced guard being stationed 
 at Gorllandt's house in the valley. The enemy the same day took possession of the village, 
 and remained close in their quarters until the next day lu the atternoon, when a partv of them, 
 consisting of about 2(K) men, possessed themselves of a height a iittle south of Cortlandt's. 
 The general having received a reinforcement from Col. Gansevoort's regiment, of about Si") 
 
358 WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 
 
 men, under the command of Lieut. Col. Willet, permitted tliem to attempt to dispossess the 
 enemy from that eminence. Col. Willet having accordingly made the necessary disposition, 
 advanced with his small party with the greatest firmness and resolution, and made the attack. 
 The enemy instantly fled with the greatest precipitation, leaving three men dead on the 
 field, and the whole body, panic-struck, betook themselves to their shipping, embarking 
 under cover of the night ; and by the last accounts they had sailed down the river. Be- 
 fore they embarked, they gave out they intended to stop at Tarrytown, on their way 
 down, and attempt to destroy our magazine of forage at Wright's mills. Upon their evac- 
 uating the place. Gen. McDougal took possession of his former quarters, and detached a 
 party of men to watch their motions. The enemy, on this occasion, have been exceed- 
 ingly disappointed, as they have not been able to carry off any stores left behind by our 
 men, and no other flock than about 40 sheep and 8 or 10 head of cattle, with which they 
 were supplied by our good friends the tories. Never did troops exhibit more firmness and 
 resolution than did our army on this occasion. Notwithstanding the disparity of numbers 
 was great, and the measure absolutely necessary, if was with the utmost reluctance they 
 retired to the pass. As usual, these heroes of Britain have burnt some houses, plundered 
 the inhabitants of what they could conveniently take with them, frightened the women 
 and children, and raised the spirits of their tory brethren in that quarter, but which, alas, 
 as is always the case when unnaturally elevated, are now again proportionably de- 
 
 Peekskill is the birthplace of John Paulding, the American farmer, 
 who intercepted Andre, the British spy, at I'arrytown, some fifteen 
 miles below this place. His monument is situated about two miles to 
 the north of the village. It is built of marble, of a pyramidal shape, 
 about fifteen feet in height, and running to a point. It is enclosed in 
 an iron railing about twelve feet square. The main inscription is on 
 the south side, and runs thus : — 
 
 " Here repose the mortal remains of John Paulding, who died on the 18th day of Feb- 
 ruary, 1818, in the 60th year of his age. On the morning of the 23d of September, 1780, 
 accompanied by two young farmers of the county of Westchester, (whose names will ouo 
 day be recorded on their own deserved monuments,) he intercepted the British spy, Andre. 
 Poor himself, he disdained to acquire wealth by sacrificing his country. Rejecting the temp- 
 tation of great rewards, he conveyed his prisoner to the American camp, and by this act 
 of noble self-denial, the treason of Arnold was detected ; the designs of the enemy baffled ; 
 West Point and the American army saved, and these U. S., now by the grace of God 
 free and independent, rescued from imminent peril." On the opposite side is written — 
 " The corporation of the city of New York erect this tomb as a memorial raised to public 
 gratitude." On the east side is a beautiful wreath engraved on the marble, with the 
 word, " Fidelity." 
 
 Tarrytovwi is pleasantly situated, 28 miles N. of New York, on an 
 elevation overlooking the Hudson, opposite the widest part of Tap- 
 pan bay. The village contains 4 churches, 80 or 90 dwellings, and 
 about 1,000 inhabitants. The following is a view of the place, situated 
 about one fourth of a mile N. of the village where Andre was taken 
 prisoner, in Sept., 1780, by three militiamen. The road at that time 
 ran a little to the west of its present location. The three were play- 
 ing cards in the field on the right of the engraving, which was then 
 covered with trees and shrubbery, when their attention was arrested 
 by the clattering of a horse's hoofs over a wooden bridge thrown across 
 the little brook seen in the foreground. They left their cards, and ar- 
 rested Andre in the vicinity of the place where now stands a small pine 
 tree, near which a human figure is placed in the engraving. 
 
 The annexed account of the taking of Andre, is from a manuscript 
 in the possession of Isaac H. Tiflfany, Esq., of Fultonville, being the 
 notes of a personal conversation which he had with David Williams, 
 
WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 
 
 359 
 
 North view of the place where Andre was taken prisoner. 
 
 one of the actors in tfie scene at Broome, Schoharie county, Feb. 
 13, 1817. 
 
 Williams, Van Wart, and Paulding, (Wiljiama aged between 22 and 23, the other two 
 being younger,) were going to see some relations 20 miles below. The three were seated 
 beside the road in the bushes, amusing themselves at cards, when their attention was ar- 
 rested by the galloping of a horse. On approaching the road, they saw a genileman riding 
 towards them, seated on a large brown horse, which was afterward observed to have marked 
 on the near shoulder the initials U. S. A. The rider was a light, trim-built man, about 5 
 feet 7 inches in height, with a bold military countenance and dark eves, and was dressed 
 in a round hat, blue surtout, crimson coat, with pantaloons and vest of nankeen. As he 
 neared them, the three cocked their muskets and aimed at the rider, who immediately 
 checked bis horse, and the following conversation ensued: 
 
 Andre. '■ Gentlemen, I hope you are of our party I" 
 
 PauldintT. " What party?" 
 
 Andre. *' The lower party." 
 
 Paulding. " We do." 
 
 Andre. ** I am a British officer ; I have been up in the country on particular business, and 
 would not wish to be detained a single moment." 
 
 He thereupon pulled out a gold watch, and exhibited it as an evidence that he was a 
 gentleman, and returned it again to his fob. Paulding thereupon remarked, " We are Ameri- 
 cans.'^ 
 
 Andre. *' God bless my soul ! a man must do any thing to get along^I am a continental 
 officer, going down to Dobbs Ferry to get information from below." 
 
 Andre then drew out and presented a pass from General Arnold, in which was the as- 
 sumed name of John Anderson. Seizing hold upon the reins of the horse, they ordered him 
 to dismount. Andre exclaimed, " You will bring yourself into trouble !" *' We care not 
 for that," was the reply. They took him down ten or fifteen rods beside a run of water, 
 and WiUiams proceeded to search the hat, coat, vest, shirt, and pantaloons, in which they 
 found ^80 in continental money ; and at last ordered him to take off his boots. At this, 
 he changed color. WiUiams drew off the left boot first, and Paulding seizing it exclaimed, 
 " My God ! here it is !" In it three half sheets of written paper were found enveloped by 
 a half sheet, marked, *' contents West Point." Paulding again exclaimed, " My God / Ac's 
 a spy .'" On puUing off the other boot, a similar package was found. 
 
 Andre was now allowed to dress, and they marched him across the road into the field 
 about twenty rods. The young men winked to each other to make further discoveries, and 
 inquired from whom he got the papers ? " Of a man at Pme*s bridge, a stranger to me," 
 replied Andre. He then offered them for his Uberty, his horse and equipage, watch, and 
 100 guineas. This they refused to take, unless he informed them where he obtained the 
 manuscript. He refused to comply, but again offered his horse, equipage, and one thousand 
 guineas. They were firm in their denial, and Andre increased his offer to ten thousand 
 guineas and as many drygoods as they wished, which should be deposited in any place 
 desired, — that they might keep him and send some one to New York with his order, so 
 
360 WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 
 
 that they could obtain them unmolested. To this they replied, " that it did not signify for 
 him to make any offer, for he should not go." They then proceeded to the nearest mili- 
 tary station, which was at North Castle, about twelve miles distant. On the way, Andre 
 gave them his watch, telling them that " it was a prize." On delivering him to Colonel 
 Jamieson, the commanding officer, that gentleman enjoined the strictest secrecy, at the 
 same time expressing an opinion that there were others doubtless concerned in the plot. 
 Major Tallmadge, who had commanded a guard, received Andre at Colonel Jamieson's 
 quarters, and afterward, with about twenty men, conducted him to Colonel Sheldon, at 
 Salem. The three accompanied Andre part of the way, and then left. During the night, 
 Tallmadge caused Andre to be tied to a tree at Comyen hill. From Salem he was con- 
 veyed to West Point, and from thence to Tappan. 
 
 Williams, Paulding, and Van Wart, stood vrithm the ring when Andre was hung. 
 When the officer informed him that his time had nearly expired, and inquired if he had 
 any thing to say, he answered, " Nothing, but for them to witness to the world that he 
 died like a brave man." The hangman, who was painted black, offered to put on the 
 noose — " Take off your black hands !" said Andre ; then putting on the noose himself, 
 took out his handkerchief, tied it on, drew it up, bowed with a smile to his acquaintances, 
 and died. 
 
 David Williams, now (Feb. 13, 1817) aged 61, was born at Tarrytown, of Dutch ex- 
 traction, and speaks that language. Paulding and Van Wart were also Dutch ; neither 
 of the three spoke English well. Congress gave each a farm in Westchester county, of 
 the value of £500, an annuity of $200 through life, together with an elegant silver medal, 
 on one side of which was the inscription, " Fidelity," and on the reverse, the motto 
 " Amor patriee vincit," (the love of country conquers.) 
 
 Three miles E. of Tarrytown, is the small village of Greensburgh, 
 where there are a few neat dwellings, and a Presbyterian church, in 
 whose cemetery rest the remains of Isaac Van Wart, one of the cap- 
 tors of Andre ; over which is a marble monument, consisting of a base 
 and pyramid, with the following inscription : 
 
 " Here repose the mortal remains of Isaac Van Wart, an elder of the Greenbnrgh 
 church, who died on the 23d of May, 1828, in the 69th year of his age. Having lived the 
 life, he died the death of the Christian. — The citizens of the county of Westchester erect- 
 ed this tomb, in testimony of the high sense they entertained for the virtuous and patriotic 
 conduct of their fellow-citizen, and as a memorial sacred to public gratitude. — Vincit 
 Amor Patriee. — Nearly half a century before this monument was built, the conscript fa- 
 thers of America had, in the senate chamber, voted that Isaac Van Wart was a faithful 
 patriot — one in whom the love of country was invincible, aud this tomb bears testimony 
 that the record is true. — Fidelity. On the 23d of Sept. 1780, Isaac Van Wart, accompa- 
 nied by John Paulding and David Williams, all farmers of the county of Westchester, in- 
 tercepted Major Andre on his return from the American lines in the character of a spy, 
 and notwithstanding the large bribes offered them for his release, nobly disdained to sacri- 
 fice their country for gold, secured and carried him to the commanding officer of the dis- 
 trict, whereby the dangerous and traitorous conspiracy of Arnold wa£ brought to light, the 
 insidious designs of the enemy baffled, the American army saved, and our beloved coun- 
 try freed," &.c. 
 
 The village of Sing Sing, 34 miles from New York, was incorporated 
 in 1813. It consists of upwards of 200 dwellings, 4 churches, an 
 academy, and a female seminary. The greater part of the village is 
 situated on high and uneven ground. The Mount Pleasant State 
 Prison is situated about half a mile S. of the village, and usually con 
 tains from 800 to 900 convicts. Large quantities of marble are quar- 
 ried in the vicinity by the convicts for the New York and other mar- 
 kets. The noted locality of " Sleepy Hollow,^'' rendered so famous 
 by the entertaizimg legend of Washington Irving, adjoins the north part 
 of Tarrytown. 
 
WE6TCHESTEK COUNTV. SgJ 
 
 Southeast view of White Plains village, {central part.) 
 
 White Plains has a hilly, but mostly an arable soil, well adapted 
 for grazing. Pop. 1,087. The half-shire village of White Plains is 
 situated on the old post road to Boston, 27 miles NE. from New York, 
 125 from Albany, and 14 miles SW. from Bedford. It contains 2 Meth- 
 odist, 1 Presbyterian, 1 Episcopal, and 1 Baptist church, the county 
 buildings, an academy, 70 or 80 dwellings, and about 550 inhab- 
 itants. The above view shows the appearance of the central part 
 of the village : the courthouse, an ancient building, is seen on the 
 left, the spire of the academy on the extreme right. 
 
 The following account of the military operations in this town and 
 its vicinity in Oct. 1776, and the events which followed, is from 
 Botta's American Revolution. 
 
 " The English general remained several days at Frogs Neck, as well to repair the bridges 
 which the enemy had broken, as to wait for a considerable reinforcement which he had 
 called from Staten Island. The road from Frogs Neck to Kingsbridge is excessively rough 
 with continual masses of small stones, and the Americans had also obstructed it in many 
 places. Washington, who had assembled all his army at Kingsbridge, sent forward hia 
 light infantry to scour the country, and to harass the enemy in his march. 
 
 '* Gen. Howe, having received his reinforcements, put himself in motion with all his 
 troops ; he crossed Pelham Manor, and went to encamp at New Rochelle, where he was 
 joined by the second division of Hessians, and of the troops of Waldeck under Gen. Knyp. 
 hausen, and by a regiment of cavalry lately arrived at New York from Ireland. As the 
 principal project of the expedition was to intercept the communication of Washington with 
 the eastern provinces, and then, if he declined to venture an engagement, to shut him up 
 on the island of New York, consequently it was necessary to occupy the two roads leading 
 into Connecticut ; the one upon the coast of the sound, and the other more inland. The 
 tirst was already in the power of the English ; but in attempting to occupy the second, it 
 was requisite to traverse the difficult country of which we have already made mention, in 
 order to secure the post of the highlands, known by the name of White Plains, upon the 
 rear of Kingsbridge. 
 
 " Gen. Howe determined to take this route ; he marched, however, slowly and with 
 extreme caution, after leaving at New Rochelle the German corps, lately arrived, to secure 
 the lower road, and the communication with those places whence stores and necessaries 
 were to arrive. 
 
 " Washington examined, with attention, the danger of his position. He penetrated the 
 designs of the enemy, and consequently decided to abandon, with the main body of hia 
 army, the encampment of Kingsbridge. Extending, therefore, his left wing, he took post 
 with it in the White Plains, while the right occupied the heights of Valentine's Hill, near 
 
 46 
 
362 WESTCHESTER COUNTV. 
 
 Kingsbridge ; the centre exactly filled the space comprehended between these two points. 
 Here he intrenched himself with the greatest care. His army thus formed a well secored 
 line, parallel to. the river Bronx, which lay on its front, and separated it from the English, 
 who marched up along the left bank of this stream. 
 
 " Washington had behind him the great river Hudson, into which the English frigates 
 had not yet been able to penetrate so far as to intercept the supplies of provisions which be 
 received from the upper parts. With his left wing he occupied the upper road of Connec- 
 ticut, by which he was also abundantly supplied with provisions and munitions. He had 
 left sufficient garrisons at Kingsbridge, at Harlem, and in Fort Washington ; in this last 
 place, however, against his own opinion. Meanwhile, he detached numerous parties, over 
 the Bronx, in order to retard the motions of the enemy. Hence frequent skirmishes ensued, 
 and though the royalists had generally the advantage in these rencounters, they still served 
 to dissipate the terror of the Americans, who every day showed themselves more bold in 
 defying the enemy. 
 
 " Upon the approach of the English to the White Plains, Washington, all at once, called 
 in his detachments, and abandoning the positions he had occupied along the Bronx, assem. 
 bled all his troops in a strong camp upon the heights, near these plains, in front of the enemy. 
 His pght flank was protected by the Bronx, which, by its windings, also covered the front 
 of the right wing. The main body was nearly parallel to the river, and the left wing being 
 placed at a right angle upon the centre, and consequently parallel to the right, extended 
 towards the north upon the hills, as much as was necessary to guard the defiles leading to 
 the upper mountainous regions, into which the army, if expedient, might retire. But the 
 right wing, being posted in more level and less difficult ground, found itself more exposed ; 
 wherefore Gen. McDougall was ordered to occupy, with a strong detachment, a mountain 
 about a mile distant from the camp ; he intrenched himself there as well as the time would 
 admit of. 
 
 " Such was the position of the American army when the English arrived within 7 or 8 
 miles of White Plains, and prepared themselves to attack without loss of time. On the 
 morning of the 28ih of Oct. they advanced in 2 columns, the right commanded by Gen. 
 Clinton, and the left by Gen. Heister. At noon, all the outposts being driven back by the 
 English and Hessian light infantry, the British army appeared before the American camp. 
 Immediately there ensued a cannonade, but to very little effect. The English drew up in 
 order of battle ; their right occupied the road which leads to Marrineck, about a mile distant 
 from the centre of the enemy ; while the left, equally distant from his right, bordered the 
 Bronx. The English general having observed the importance of the position taken by Gen. 
 McDougall, and being persuaded that the right of the enemy, which was his only assailable 
 point, could not be forced so long as it should be protected by a post of such strength, re. 
 solved to wrest it from the Americans. He ordered a Hessian regiment, commanded by 
 Col. Ralle, to ford the Bronx, and by a circuitous movement to fall upon the flank of Gen 
 McDougall, while Gen. Leslie should attack him in front with a brigade of English and 
 Hessians. Col. Ralle having arrived at the point indicated, Leslie, who had also crossed 
 the Bronx, furiously assaulted the inirenchments of McDougall. The militia soon fled, but 
 the regular troops made a valiant resistance. A regiment of Maryland, conducted by Col. 
 Smallwood, and a regiment of New York, under Col. Ratzemar, ventured even to come 
 out of the lines and to charge the enemy at the very foot of the mountain, but they were 
 overpowered by numbers and forced to retire. Then the English and Hessians ascended 
 the heights with singular intrepidity, and took possession of them after a vigorous struggle. 
 The Americans, however, continued for some time to fire from behind the walls of enclo- 
 sures, and thus retarded the progress of the assailants. But Gen. Putnam, who had been 
 sent to their succor, could not arrive in season. The loss of men in this action was great 
 on the one part as well as on the other. 
 
 " Washington, calmly expecting that the enemy would come to attack him next, had 
 already sent into his rear the sick and the baggage ; but as it grew towards the close of day, 
 the English general determined to defer the assault till the next morning. He caused his 
 troops to encamp within cannon-shot of the American fines. Washington took advantage 
 of the night to strengthen them with additional works, and to occupy a stronger position in 
 the rear with his left wing, which, by the loss of the mountain, had become more exposed. 
 When the light appeared, Gen. Howe reconnoitred the intrenchments of the enemy, and 
 found them sufficiently formidable to determine him to wait the arrival of some battalions 
 that had been left at New York, under the command of Lord Percy, and of several compa- 
 nies fi-om Marrineck. These reinforcements being received on the evening of the 30th, he 
 appointed the following morning for the assault, but the excessive rain which fell during the 
 night and also in the morning, compelled him to defer it. The American general, in the 
 mean time, examined his position with his accustomed prudence ; he was decided not to 
 
WESTCHESTER COQNTY. 3G3 
 
 risk a pitched battle without the strongest hope of success. He perceived that the English 
 had already erected 4 or 5 batteries, and that by turning his right flank they might get pes. 
 session of the heights situated upon his rear. He concluded, therefor^;, to break up his 
 camp in the night of the 1st of November. He removed into a country still more moun- 
 tainous in the vicinity of North Castle ; having previously set fire to the houses in White 
 Plains and the neighborhood, and to the forage that was found in the camp. He immedi- 
 ately detached a strong corps to occupy the bridge over the Croton river, which leads to the 
 upper parts of the Hudson. On the following morning the English took possession of the 
 American camp. 
 
 " Gen. Howe, perceiving that his enemy declined an engagement, and that from the 
 situation of the country, and his knowledge of every advantageous position, it would be 
 impossible to compel him to fight but upon the most unequal and hazardous terms, took the 
 determination to discontinue the pursuit, and to turn his attention to the reduction of the 
 forts and fastnesses still occupied by the Americans in the neighborhood of New York. 
 His views were particularly directed upon Fort Washington, which was its principal bul- 
 wark. But, though the ground where this fortress had been erected was very rough and 
 difficult, its fortifications were not sufficiently strong to resist heavy artillery. It was inca- 
 pable, from its little extent, of containing more than a thousand defenders ; the outworks 
 that surrounded it, especially to the south, towards New York, might lodge, it is true, a 
 much stronger garrison. 
 
 " The commander-in-chief, as if he had foreseen the event, had written to Gen. Greene, 
 who commanded in this part, enjoining him to reflect maturely upon his position, and in 
 case he should find that Fort Washington was not in a situation to sustain an assault, to 
 cause it to be forthwith evacuated ; and to transport the garrison to the right bank of the 
 Hudson. But this general, either believing that the strength of the place and the valor of 
 the troops would assure him a long defence, or from the apprehension that his retreat would 
 increase the already too general discouragement of the Americans, took the resolution to 
 hold out to the last. He was herein the more easily determined, as he believed that the 
 garrison would always be able to retreat into Fort Lee, situated upon the other bank of the 
 river. But Washington judged less favorably of the future ; he was persuaded that the 
 English would not remain satisfied with the reduction of the first fort ; but that crossing the 
 river, and making themselves masters of the second, which was not tenable, they would 
 spread themselves in the province of New Jersey. He left therefore Gen. Lee, with the 
 militia of the eastern provinces, upon the left bank of the Hudson, and having secured the 
 strong positions towards the Croton river, and especially that of Peeks Kill, near the Hud- 
 son itself, he crossed that river with the main body of his army, and went to rejoin Gen. 
 Greene in his camp under Fort Lee. Gen. Lee himself had orders to come with all speed 
 and join him, in case the enemy, after having taken the fort, should show himself upon the 
 right bank of the Hudson. He afterward wrote to the governor of New Jersey, requesting 
 him to remove the magazines of provisions into the most remote parts, and to call out all 
 the militia. All these dispositions being made to his wish, Washington watched with an 
 attentive eye the movements of the enemy. 
 
 " Meanwhile, Gen. Howe had ordered Gen. Knyphausen to march from New Rochelle, 
 and to occupy Kingsbridge. This he executed without obstacles, the Americans, who 
 guarded this position, having fallen back upon Fort Washington. The corps of Gen. Knyp. 
 bausen consequently penetrated into the island of New York, and proceeded to invest the 
 fort, on the part of the north. 
 
 " A short time after, the English general himself abandoned the White Plains, and de. 
 scending along the banks of the Hudson, conducted the rest of the army to Kingsbridge. 
 He pitched his camp upon the heights of Fordham, his right wing being covered by the 
 Hudson, and his left by the Bronx. 
 
 " The royalists then prepared to attack Fort Washington ; its interior and appurtenances 
 were defended by full 3,000 men, under the command of Col. Magaw, a brave and experi- 
 enced officer. He was summoned in vain to surrender. The besiegers proceeded to the 
 assault in four divisions, the first from the north, commanded by Gen. Knyphausen, and 
 consisting of Hessians and the troops of Waldeck ; the second from the east, composed of 
 English light infantry and two battalions of guards, conducted by Gen. Matthews. This 
 corps was to attack the intrenchments which extended from Fort Washington almost to the 
 East river ; the third, commanded by Col. SterUng, was destined to pass this river lower 
 down than the second, in order to assail the fort more to the south ; but this was only a 
 feint. The fourth, which obeyed the orders of Lord Percy, a very strong corps, was direct, 
 ed to aim its assault against the western flank of the fortress. These diflerent divisiont 
 were provided with a numerous and excellent artillery. The Hessians, under Gen. Knyp 
 hausen, were to pass through a very thick forest, where Col. RawUngs was already poitea 
 
364 WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 
 
 • 
 with his regiment of riflemen. An extremely warm affair was engaged, in which the 
 Germans sustained a severe loss. The Americans, ambushed behind the trees and roclis, 
 fired in security ; but at last, the Hessians redoubling their efforts, gained a very steep as- 
 cent, whence they came down upon the enemy with an irresistible impetuosity ; the di- 
 visions which followed them were thus enabled to land without molestation. Col. Raw- 
 lings retreated under the cannon of the fort. Lord Percy, on his part, had carried an 
 advanced work, which facilitated the debarkation of the party under Col. Stirlmg, who, 
 the moment he had landed, forced his way up a difficult height, wliich was very resolutely 
 defended ; he gained the summit, where he took a considerable number of prisoners, not- 
 withstanding their gallant resistance. Col. Cadwallader, who was charged with the defence ^ 
 of this part, retired also into the fort. 
 
 " Col. Ralle, who led the right column of Gen. Knyphausen's attack, snrmounted all 
 obstacles with admirable valor, and lodged his column within 100 yards of the fort. Soon 
 after. Gen. Knyphausen joined him with the left column ; having at length extricated 
 himself from the difficulties encountered in the forest. The garrison having thus lost, 
 though not without glory, all their advanced works, found themselves closely invested with- 
 ui the body of the fortress. The besiegers then summoned Col. Magaw to surrender. He 
 had already consumed nearly all his ammunition. The very multitude of defenders press- 
 ed into so narrow a space, was prejudicial to defence, and every thing demonstrated that he 
 could not sustain an assault. Accordingly he decided to capitulate. The garrison, amount- 
 ing to 2,600 men, inclusive of the country militia, surrendered prisoners of war. The 
 Americans had few killed ; the royalists lost about 800, the greater part Germans. The 
 redaction of Fort Washington thus gave the royal army entire possession of the island of 
 New York." 
 
 Bedford, the half-shire village, contains a courthouse, 2 churches, 
 and about 40 dwellings, situated about 44 miles NE. of New York. 
 John Jay, the patriot of the revolution, during the latter period of his 
 life resided in the northern part of the town of Bedford. The annexed 
 sketch of his life is from Blake's Biographical Dictionary : 
 
 " John Jay, LLD., first chief-justice of the United States under the constitution of 
 1789, graduated at Kings, (now Columbia college,) 1764, aud in 1768 was admitted to the 
 bar. He was appointed to the first American congress in 1774. Being on the committee 
 with Lee and Livingston to draft an address to the people of Great Britain, he was the 
 writer of that eloquent production. In the congress of 1 775, he was on various important 
 committees, performing more service perhaps than any other member except Franklin and 
 John Adams. In May, 1776, he was recalled to assist in forming the government of New 
 York, and in consequence his name is not attached to the Declaration of Independence ; 
 but July 9th, he reported resolutions in the provincial convention in favor of the declaration. 
 After the fall of New York and the removal of the provmcial assembly to Foughkeepsie, 
 Mr. Jay retained his resolute patriotism. The very eloquent address of the convention to 
 the people of New York, dated Fiehkill, Dec. 23, 1776, and signed by A. Ten Broeck, as 
 president, was written by him. March 12, 1777, he reported to the convention of New 
 York the draft of a form of government, which was adopted, and many of the provisions 
 of which were introduced into the constitution of other states. From May 3, 1777, to 
 August 18, 1779, he was chief-justice of the state, but resigned that office inconsequence 
 of his duties as president of congress. The glowing address of that body to their constit- 
 uents, dated September 8, 1779, was prepared by him. On the 29th of September, he was 
 appointed minister plenipotentiary to the court of Spain. He was one of the commission- 
 ers to negotiate peace with Great Britain, and signed the definitive treaty of peace at Paris, 
 September 3, 1783. He returned to America in 1784. Congress had previously appointed 
 him secretary of state for foreign affairs. In the difficult circumstances of the country, the 
 secretary was in effiict the head of the government. Mr. Jay's services were of great im- 
 portance. He drew up, October 13, 1776, an elaborate report on the relations between the 
 United States and Great Britain. Though not a member of the conventon which formed 
 the constitution of the United States, he was present at Annapolis, and aided by his advice. 
 He also assisted Madison and Hamilton in writing the Federalist. In the convention of 
 New York he contributed to the adoption of the constitution. He was appointed chief- 
 justice by Washington, September 26, 1789. In 1794, he was appointed minister pleni- 
 potentiary to Great Britain, and succeeded in negotiating the treaty which still goes by 
 his name. He was governor of the state of New York from 179.5 to 1801. The re- 
 mainder of bis life he passed in retirement. He died m 1829, aged 84." 
 
WYOMING COUNTY. 365 
 
 Port Chester, on the west side of Byram river, which forms the 
 boundary between New York and Connecticut, is a village containing 
 3 churches and about 100 dweUings, and has a convenient landing for 
 sloops and steamboats. This flourishing village, formerly called Saw- 
 pits, is in the township of Rye, in which is situated the old Jay man- 
 sion. The village of New Roche)le, about 20 miles from New York, 
 is delightfully situated in sight of the sound, has about 100 dwellings, 
 a number of fine hotels and schools, and is a place of resort during the 
 warm season. Yonkers, on the Hudson, 17 miles from New York, 
 has 2 churches, a female seminary, and about 60 dwellings. The 
 manor of Morrisiana, originally containing about 3,000 acres, belong- 
 ing to the distinguished family of Morris, is in the township of West- 
 chester, opposite Hurl Gate. 
 
 " GouvERNEUR MoRRis was bom at Morrisiana, Jan. 31, 1752. He graduated at Kinga 
 college, New York, in 1768. He was bred to the law, In which he obtained a great repu- 
 tation. In 1775, he was a delegate to the provincial congress in New York. In 1776, 
 (Dec.,) he acted as one of the committee for drafting a constitution for the state of New 
 York, which was reported In March, 1777, and adopted in April of that year, after re- 
 peated and very able debates. He was employed in the public service In various capaci- 
 ties, during the revolutionary contest, In all of which he displayed great zeal and ability. 
 After the revolution, he retired from public life, and passed a number of years in private 
 pursuits, excepting being a very active member of the convention which framed the con- 
 stitution of the United States, la 1792, he was appointed minister to France, and re- 
 mained there in that capacity until Oct. 1794. He returned to America In 1798, and in 
 1800 was chosen a senator from New York. In the summer of 1810, he examined the 
 route for the Erie canal, and took a prominent part ui originating and promoting that 
 noble work. He died at Morrisiana, Nov. 5, 1816. He passed the latter years of his life 
 at Morrisiana, exercising an elegant and munificent hospitality, reviewing the studies of 
 his early days, and carrying on a very interesting correspondence with statesmen and 
 literati in Europe and America. The activity of his mind, the richness of his fancy, and 
 the copiousness of his eloquent conversation, were the admiration of all his acquaintance ; 
 and he was universally admitted to be one of the most accomplished and prominent men of 
 our country." 
 
 WYOMING COUNTY. 
 
 Wyoming county was formed from the southern portion of Gene- 
 see county in 1841 ; length E. and W. 25, breadth N. and S. 18 
 miles ; centrally distant from New York 325, and from Albany 264 
 miles. The surface^ of the county is but gently undulating, and the 
 general character of the soil is a most sandy or gravelly loam, well 
 adapted to the culture of grain and grass. The Genesee river touches 
 the southeastern corner in the town of Castile. Allen's creek, so 
 named from the infamous Indian Allen, who committed many mur- 
 ders on the frontier inhabitants in this region, rises in this county, and 
 flowing northeasterly through a portion of the county of Genesee, 
 empties into the Genesee river in the town of Wheatland, Monroe 
 county. The Holland Land Company, to whom this country originally 
 belonged, still own some small tracts. It is divided into 13 towns : 
 
366 
 
 WYOMING COUNTY. 
 
 Attica, 
 Bennington, 
 Castile, 
 China, 
 
 Covington, 
 Gainesville, 
 Java, 
 Middlebury, 
 
 Orangeville, 
 Perry, 
 Sheldon, 
 Warsaw, 
 
 Wethersfield. 
 
 The annexed engraving is a view in the central portion of Perry- 
 village, incorporated in 1830, and situated about 7 miles E. of War- 
 saw. It is a place of considerable mercantile and manufacturing busi- 
 
 South view m Ferry village. 
 
 ness, and contains an academy, 4 churches, and about 150 buildings. 
 It is situated on tlie outlet of Silver lake, which is a beautiful sheet 
 of water 3 miles in length, and well stocked with fish. The outlet 
 furnishes much hydraulic power for the mills and factories in this vi- 
 cinity. Perry Centre is much smaller, though incorporated. It is 
 situated about 2 miles. to the north. Attica, incorporated in 1837, is 8 
 miles from Warsaw, has about 100 dwellings, 2 churches, a bank, and 
 a iemale seminary. Wyoming, 14 miles SE. of Batavia, contains 3 
 churches, about 70 dwellings, and an academy. 
 
 The village of Warsaw is situated 22 miles S. from Batavia, at the 
 head of " Allen's Creek Valley," and on Allen's creek, nearly equi- 
 distant from Rochester, Canandaigua, Buffalo, and Olean. By the 
 act of the commissioners appointed by the legislature, the courthousp, 
 clerk's office, and jail of Wyoming county were located at this place, 
 July 10, 1841. There are here 1 Presbyterian, 1 Baptist, 1 Method- 
 ist, and 1 Congregational church, 100 dwellings, 1 printing office, 1 
 tannei-y, 6 mercantile stores, 26 mechanical shops, 2 iron foundries, 2 
 carding works, 1 woollen factory, 1 grist-mill, and about 800 inhabit- 
 ants. The town was settled in 1801, principally by emigrants from 
 New England ; and its present inhabitants are noted for their morality 
 and fondness for literature. The oldest church erected in the slate 
 west of the Genesee river, is yet standing in the centre of the village 
 of Warsaw. 
 
VATES COUNTY. 
 
 367 
 
 YATES COUNTY. 
 
 Yates coiinty was taken from Ontario in 1823 ; centrally distant 
 from New York via Albany 3.30, and from Albany 185 miles ; Efreatest 
 length E. and YV'. 24, greatest breadth N. and S. 20 miles. The sur- 
 face of this county is agreeably diversified ; the northern part is gently 
 undulating, and the southern hilly. The soil is m many places com- 
 posed of a warm rich mould, yielding abundant crops, though as a 
 whole it is more of a grazing than a grain country. The climate is 
 temperate, and for the cultivation of fruit is not exceeded by any por- 
 tion of the state. It lies wholly ia the tract ceded to Massachusetts, 
 and in that portion of it which ]xxssed through Messrs. Gorham, Phelps, 
 and Robert Morris to Sir William Pulteney. It is divided into eight 
 towns : 
 
 Barrington, Italy, Middlesex, Potter, 
 
 Benton, Jerusalem, Milo, Starkey. 
 
 Northeastern vieiv of Perm Yan. 
 
 The thriving incorporated village of Penn Yan, the county seat, 
 which is principally budt on a street about a mile in length, is situated 
 at the northern termination of the eastern arm of the Crooked Lake. It 
 was founded by Mr. Abraham YVaggener, and derives its name from 
 the circumstance that its early settlers were Pennsylvanians and Yan- 
 kees, in nearly equal numbers. The annexed view was taken from an 
 eminence about a third of a mile east of the village. The first building 
 with a steeple on the right is the Presbyterian church, the one next on 
 the left with a cupola, the courthouse, and the third and fourth, the Bap- 
 tist and Methodist churches. Crooked or Keuka Lake is partially 
 seen in the distance. The other public buildings hi the village are an 
 
368 YATES COUNTY. 
 
 Episcopal church, an academy, a prison, a bank, and the county clerk's 
 office. The place is one of much business, and has many mercantile 
 stores, and about 300 dwellings. 
 
 Dundee is a thriving village 14 miles S. of Penn Yan ; contains 
 4 churches, about 90 dwellings, a number of mills and factories. 
 Rushville contains about 80 dwellings, 2 churches, and a number of 
 mills. 
 
 At Bluff Point, in the town of Jerusalem, in this county, at what is 
 generally called the Friends Settlement, is the " Jemima Wilkinson 
 House," which is still occupied by a few persons, the sole remnant of 
 the followers of this singular personage, who died here in 1819. 
 
 " Jemima Wilkinson, or the • Universal Friend,' was born in Cumberland, Rhode Island, 
 about the year 1753. She was educated among the Friends. Recovering from an ap- 
 parent suspension of life which she experienced when about twenty-three years of age, 
 during a fit of sickness, she gave out that she had been raised from the dead, and claimed 
 to be invested with divine attributes and authority to instruct mankind ui religion. It Is 
 also said, she pretended to foretell future events, to discern the secrets of the heart, and to 
 have the power of healing diseases ; and if any person who made application to her was 
 not healed, she attributed it to a want of faith. She asserted that those who refused to 
 believe these ctalted things concerning her, will be in the state of the unbelieving Jews, 
 who rejected the counsel of God against themselves ; and she told her hearers that that 
 was the eleventh hour, and the last call of mercy that ever should be granted to them ; 
 for she heard an inquiry in heaven, saying, ' Who will go and preach to a dying world V 
 and she said she answered, ' Here am I — send me ;' and that she left the realms of light 
 and glory, and the company of the heavenly hosts, who are continually praising and wor- 
 shipping God, In order to descend upon earth, and pass through many suiFerings and trials 
 for the happiness of mankind. She professed to be able to work miracles, and offered to 
 demonstrate it by walking on the water in imitation of our Saviour ; accordingly a 
 frame was constructed for the purpose on the banks of the Seneca Lake, at Rapelyea's 
 ferry, 10 miles south of Dresden. At the appointed time, having approached within a few 
 hundred yards of the lake shore, she alighted from an elegant carriage, the road being 
 strewed by her followers with white handkerchiefs. She walked to the platform, and 
 having announced her intention of walking across the lake on the water, she stepped an- 
 kle deep into the clear element ; when suddenly pausing, she addressed the multitude, in- 
 quiring whether or not they had faith that she could pass over, for if otherwise she could 
 not ; and on receiving an affirmative answer returned to her carriage, declaring as they 
 believed in her power it Was unnecessary to display it" 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS, 
 
 OK 
 
 MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS 
 
 BELATINO TO THE 
 
 HISTOET OF NEW TOEK. 
 
 1. Expedition of the French against the Seneca Indians. 
 
 The Genesee in the early French histories is called the Seneca 
 river, probably from the circumstance that its rich valleys were stud- 
 ded vpith the villages of the Senecas. This tribe, one of the Five 
 Nations, viras on terms of friendship with the English, while the Indi- 
 ans of the upper lakes were strongly attached to the French. The 
 subjects of these rival nations were exceedingly jealous of each other, 
 particularly with respect to the Indian trade, which both endeavored 
 to monopolize. Hence hostilities between these parties often occur- 
 red. In 1787, Monsieur De la Barre, the governor of Canada, having 
 made an unsuccessful attempt against the Five Nations, the Marquis 
 De Nonville, his successor, resolved to retrieve the fallen honor of 
 his countrymen. For this purpose he sent messengers to the tribes 
 around the northern lakes, and succeeded in collecting a considerable 
 body of Indians to assist him in his enterprise against the Senecas. 
 
 " Preparatory to this expedition, De Nonville collected laige supplies at Cadarackui, (now 
 Kingston,) in anticipation of the march of his troops, and the Indians from the neighbor, 
 iood of Quebec, to that post. The advance of his army, consisting of two or three hundred 
 Canadians, were commanded by M. Campagnie, who surprised two villages of the Five 
 Nations, in the neighborhood of Cadarackui, and put the inhabitants to death with great 
 cruelty, to prevent them, as it was said, from conveying intelligence of the movements of 
 the French to their own people, as it was supposed they had done in regard to the last ex- 
 pedition under M. De la Barre. These people, however, had settled there at the invitation 
 of the French, and anticipating no harm, were the more easily surprised. ' They were 
 carried in cold blood to the fort,' (says Dr. Golden,) ' and tied to stakes to be tormented by 
 the French Indians, (Christians as they were called,) and during the torture continued sing 
 ing in their country manner, and upbraiding the French with their perfidy and ingratituds ' 
 
 47 
 
370 HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS. 
 
 "... . SeTera] attempts of the EngUah to sow dissensions among the upper lake Indi. 
 ans, and divert them from their purpose, having proved unavailing, and De Nonviile's pre- 
 parations for the expedition being completed, he departed from Cadarackui for the entrance 
 of the Genesee river on the 23d of June, 1687, embarking his army in canoes, and sending 
 one half thereof along the northern shore of the lake, while he, with the other half, passed 
 coastwise by the southern shore, that no accidents by wind might altogether defeat the ex. 
 pedition. So punctually were the arrangements executed, that both divisions arrived at 
 Irondequoit on the same day, where their Indian allies appear to have been already assem- 
 bled. Immediately after landing, the canoes were hauled up, and a military defence was 
 constructed, in which a guard of four hundred men was left, while the main body of the 
 forces advanced upon the principal town of the Senecas — the site of which, at that time, 
 was upon the Genesee river) within the territory now forming the town of Avon. Before 
 departing from Irondequoit, however, a young Canadian Frenchman was shot for the crime 
 of having conducted a party of Englishmen to the upper lakes The charge was that of 
 being a spy, although France and England were then at peace. 
 
 " During the march, the Indians, led by a party of Indian traders, formed the van, while 
 the regular troops and Canadian miUtia composed the main body of the forces. They ad- 
 vanced four leagues on the first day, without discovering an enemy. On the morning of 
 the second, scouts were despatched in advance, who approached the cornfields of the vil- 
 lages without making any discoveries— a circumstance not very creditable to the sagacity 
 of De Nonviile's Indians, since they passed within pistol shot of an ambuscade of five hun. 
 dred Senecas. Supposing the warriors had all fled, De Nonville pushed rapidly forward, 
 for the purpose at least of coming up with and capturing the women, children, and old men. 
 But no sooner had the French reached the foot of the hill, (a short distance north of Com- 
 Btock's hotel, between the present village of Avon and the river,) than the war-whoop of 
 the ambuscade rang in their ears, while a well-directed volley of musketry brought many 
 of them to the ground. 
 
 " The suH)rise was complete, and the panic so great that the divisions of the French 
 separated in the woods, and in their confusion fired upon each other. Availing themselves 
 of the advantage, the Senecas rushed in upon their foes with tomahawk in hand, and the 
 battle was fierce and bloody until De Nonviile's regulars had time to rally and move again 
 in phalanx. The brave Senecas were then repulsed ; but it was an empty victory to De 
 Nonville. He was so dispirited by the surprise he had met, that even his Indians could not 
 perauade him to a pursuit that day. On the following day he marched upon the villages, 
 with a view of burning them ; but that labor had been performed to his hands by the Sene- 
 cas themselves. Two prisoners only were made by the invaders— old men, who were dis. 
 covered in the castle — and who were cut to pieces and boiled into soup for De Nonviile's 
 allies. The invaders remained five or six days, traversing the valley of the river for a few 
 miles, and destroying the growing corn in the fields. They then returned to their canoes, 
 and back to Canada — stopping awhile at Niagara, where a small fort was erected, in which 
 a garrison was left of one hundred men. The Indians from the upper lakes were gratified 
 with the erection of this post, beheving that it would be of essential service in their opera- 
 tions against the Five Nations, whom De Nonville promised yet to assist them in subduing. 
 But that promise was never fulfilled. On the contrary, the fort at Niagara was so closely 
 invested by the Five Nations, that eighty.eight of the hundred died of hunger, and but for 
 the aid of a party of French Indians, the others would have shared the same fate. The 
 Five Nations, moreover, afterward carried the war into Canada, even to Montreal and Que- 
 bet The loss of the French, killed in the battle, was one hundred men and ten Indiana. 
 The Senecas had about eighty warriors slain. In the course of the expedition, De Non. 
 ■ville contrived to make thirteen captives, who were sent to France as trophies, and thence 
 as slaves to the galleys."* 
 
HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS. 371 
 
 2. Long Island Indians. 
 
 The following account of the Indians on Long Island, is taken 
 from " Wood^s History -of Long Island;' published in 1828. 
 
 " When the first settlements were made on the island by the Dutch and English, it ap- 
 pears, from the original Indian deeds, that the principal tribes that occupied it, were as 
 follows : — 
 
 " The Canarse, the Rockaway, the Merikoke, the Marsapeague, the Secatague, and the 
 Patchague, on the south side — the Matinecoc, the Nissaquague, the Sataujiet, and the Cor. 
 chaug, on the north side ; the Shinecoc, the Manhanset, and tbp ftlontauk, from the Canoe 
 Place on Montauk Point. 
 
 " The Canarse appears to have been the only tribe, or the only tribe of any consequence, 
 in Kings county. This tribe claimed the chief part of the laijds in Kings county, and a 
 part of the lands in Jamaica. 
 
 " The Rockaway tribe claimed the territory around Rocka^fay, and more or less of the 
 lands in Newtown and Jamaica. 
 
 " The Merikoke and Marsapeague tribes extended from Rockaway through Queens 
 county into Suffolk, on the south side of the island. 
 
 " The territory of the Matinecoc tribe extended from Flushing through Queens county 
 to Fresh Pond in Suffolk, on the north side. 
 
 " The Nissaquague tribe extended from Fresh Pond to Stonybrook. 
 
 " The Satauket tribe claimed from Stonybrook to the Wading river. 
 
 " The Corchaug tribe extended from the Wading river through South Old on the north 
 side. 
 
 " The territory of the Manhanset tribe was Shelter-Island. 
 
 " The territory of the Secataug tribe adjoined that of the Matsapeagues, and extended to 
 Fatchogue. 
 
 " The territory of the Patchogue tribe extended to South Hampton. 
 
 " The Shinecoc tribe extended from the Canoe Point to Montauk, and that peninsula 
 was the seat of the Montauk tribe. 
 
 " There are one or two other tribes named in the old records, but the place they occu- 
 pied cannot be ascertained, and it is evident from that circumstance, that they must have 
 been very small, perhaps the mere remnants of tribes which had been destroyed in their 
 wars. 
 
 " Those above enumerated are the principal tribes that occupied the island when the 
 English and Dutch commenced their settlements the^e, and the original purchases of the 
 several towns were made of these tribes. 
 
 " The Indian settlements were all on the bays, creeks, and harbors on the north and 
 south sides of the island, and their territories were divided from each other by the middle 
 of the island. 
 
 " At the time of the first settlement of the island, the whole Indian population was con- 
 siderable, but by no means as great as the facilities of subsistence would have authorized ua 
 to expect, nor as great as it probably had formerly been. 
 
 " The shell banks which indicate the sites of their villages, on the western half of the 
 island, are large and numerous, and beds of shells of some size or other are found at inter- 
 vals of a few miles all around the margin of the island. From these it would seem that 
 the population of some parts of the island was once very numerous, or must have been sta. 
 tionary there a long time.* 
 
 " The state of the Indian population must be ascribed to their perpetual wars, by which 
 they had been diminished. 
 
 " All savage nations are addicted to war. The causes of war among them are numerous, 
 and the mode of carrying it on destructive to their numbeis. 
 
 • " The shell banks in the western towns of Suffolk county are much larger and more 
 numerous than in the eastern towns, where shell fish are as abundant ; which proves that 
 the western part of the island had been the longest settled, and that the Indian emigtation 
 proceeded from west to east." 
 
372 HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS. 
 
 " It appears that Long Island had been overrun by hostUe tribes, and many of the natives 
 must have been destroyed by them. 
 
 ■ " The confederacy of the Five Nations extended their conquests as far soutn as Mannattan 
 Island, and had passed over to the west end of Long Island, and subdued the Canarse 
 Indians. 
 
 " There is a tradition among the Dutch, that at the time of the first settlement of the 
 island, the Canarse tribe paid the Mohawks an aimual tribute of wampum and dried clams, 
 and that they discontinued the payment of it on the persuasion of the whites, in conse. 
 quence of which a party of the conquerors came and destroyed the whole tribe, except a 
 few who happened to be from home. 
 
 " Some writers have supposed that the conquest of the Mohawks extended to the whole 
 island, but there is no tradition to support it, and it is believed that the conquest never 
 extended beyond the territories of the Canaree Indians. This may have been owing to the 
 fact, that all the other Indians were in subjection to the' Pequots. It is well known that 
 this tribe never was subdued by the Five Nations, and it would have been a violation of their 
 rules of warfare, to have turned their arms against a tributary people, when they had not 
 subdued the power that held them in subjection. 
 
 " The Montauks had probably been the most warlike tribe on Long Island, had overrun 
 the other tribes on the island east of the Canarse territory, and had reduced them to some 
 «ind of subjection. At the time of the first settlement of the island, the Montauk sachem 
 claimed and exercised some kind of sovereignty over the whole territory, and it is stated 
 that he justified his claim before the governor and council in virtue of a former conquest of 
 '.he country. In 1659, he conveyed the territory which constitutes the town of Smithtown, 
 Uien occupied by the Nissaquague Indians, to Lyon Gardiner. 
 
 " It was under a belief of his superiority over the chiefs of the other tribes, that the first 
 settlers were anxious to have their purchase deeds signed by that chief, aa well as by the 
 «achem of the tribe of whom the land was purchased. 
 
 " The confirmation deed of Hempstead in 1657, the deed for Lloyd's neck, and others, 
 ire executed in this manner, and in some of the original deeds the Mantauk chief is styled 
 the sachem of Long Island. 
 
 " The superiority ascribed to the chief of that tribe after the settlement of the country, 
 might have arisen in part from the distinction conferred on him or recognised by the com. 
 missioners of the united colonies. In 1651 it is stated in some of our early records, that 
 Ihey constituted one, who is supposed to have been the Montauk chief, grand sachem of 
 ihe Long Island Indians. It is probable that the commissioners only recognised or con- 
 firmed an authority with which they found him invested. 
 
 " It is evident from the early writers of New England, that the Pequots, who occupied 
 <he country around New London, and was the most warUke tribe in Connecticut, had sub- 
 dued the Montauks with their tributaries, and that at the time of the first settlement of 
 New England, the Long Island Indians were in subjection to the Fequots, and paid them 
 a tribute. The victory over the Montauks involved the subjection of all the tribes that 
 were under them, and the conquest of the Fequots must have embraced all the tribes on 
 the island east of the Canarse territory. 
 
 " In 1637, the New England colonies made war on the Pequots, to avenge the murders 
 and other hostile aggressions which they had committed on the whites, and subdued and 
 dispersed the whole trjbe. The Long Island Indians who had been subject to the Pequots, 
 immediately repaired to the English to make their peace with them. Winthrop, in hia 
 journal, states that on the reduction of the Pequots in 1637, 'sachems from Long Island 
 came voluntarily and brought a tribute to us of twenty fathom of wampum each of them.' 
 
 " From this time they seem to have considered themselves to be in subjection to the 
 English, and to have paid them tribute, perhaps the same they had paid the Fequots. In 
 1644, they applied to the commissionets for some evidence of their relation to them, and 
 the commissioners gave them a certificate in writing, in efiect promising them security 
 from injury by the English, and all others in fiiendship with them ; at which time they as. 
 sured the commissioners ' that they had been tributaries to the Enghsh ever since the Pe. 
 quot war, and that they had never injured the English or Dutch, but had been friendly to 
 both,' which implied that they had been subject to the Fequots and followed their fate. In 
 1650, the commissioners sent Captain Mason to Long Island to require payment of the 
 tribute due from the Indians there, and to settle a way in which it might be punctually 
 discharged in future. 
 
 " In 1656, the Montauk chief visited the commissioneis at Boston, and in answer to an 
 inquiry whether he bad paid the tribute due from him, stated that he had paid it at Hartford 
 for the space of ten years, and that it was in arrear for the four last years, which tjiey re. 
 mitted in consideration of l)js distressed condition by the late war in which he had been 
 
INDIAN WORSHIP. 
 Led on by their Priests or Pou<am, they shouted and danced around a large 
 fire, in a wild and fantastic manner, often sacritacmg their most valuable 
 treasures by throfluig them into the fire. 
 
HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS. 373 
 
 engaged with the Narragansetts. In 1653, Ninnigrate, the chief of the Nehantic Indians, 
 •who were either a tribe of the Narraganaetts or closely connected with them, made war 
 on the Long Island Indians, which lasted several years, and reduced them to great ex- 
 tremity. He invaded the territory of the Montauks, and would have extirpated the whole 
 tribe, if they had not found protection in the humanity of the people of East Hampton. 
 
 " They were obliged to abandon their villages, and to flee for refuge to East Hampton 
 where they were kindly received, sustained, and protected. They continued to reside ii 
 that town for several years, before they deemed it safe to return to Montauk." 
 
 3. Conference at Unadilla between Gen. Herkimer and Brant 
 
 In July, 1777, a conference was held in this place between Gen. 
 Herkimer and Joseph Brant, the celebrated Indian chieftain, who 
 complained of being threatened by Gen. Schuyler ; and also, that 
 the Mohawks did not have liberty to pass and repass as formerly, 
 (Sec, &.C. The following account of this meeting is given in the An- 
 nals of Tryon county. 
 
 " Information having been given, Gen. Herkimer in July marched to Unadilla with 380 
 miUtia. He was met here by Brant at the head of 130 warriors. Brant complained of the 
 same grievances as above set forth. To the question whether he would remain at peace 
 if these things were rectified, he replied ; ' The Indians were in concert with the king, as 
 their fathers and grandfathers had been. That the king's belts were yet lodged with them, 
 and they couid not falsify their pledge — That Gen. Herkimer and tlie rest had joined the 
 Boston people against their king — That Boston people were resolute, but the king would 
 humble them — That Mr. Schuyler, or Genera], or what you please to call him, was verj- 
 smart on the Indians at the treaty at German Flats ; but was not at the same time able to 
 afford them the smallest article of clothing — That the Indians had formerly made war on 
 the white people all united ; and now they were divided, the Indians were not frightened.' 
 
 " After Brant had declared his determination to espouse the cause of the king, Col. Cox 
 said, if such was Ms resolution the matter was ended. Brant turned and spoke to bis war. 
 riors, who shouted and ran to their camp about a mile distant, when seizing their arms, 
 they fired a number of guns, and raised the Indian war-whoop. They returned immedi- 
 ately, when Gen. Herkimer addressing Brant, told him he had not come to tight. Brant 
 motioned to his followers to remain in their places. Then assuming a threatening attitude, 
 he said, if their purpose was war, he was ready for them. He then proposed that Mr. 
 Stewart, the missionary among the Mohawks, (who was supposed friendly to the English,) 
 and the wife of Col. Butler, should be permitted to pass from the lower to the upper Mo. 
 hawk castle. 
 
 " Gen. Herkimer assented, but demanded that the tones and deserters should be given 
 up to him. This was refused by Brant, who after some further remarks, added that he 
 would go to Oswego, and hold a treaty with Col. Butler. This singular conference was 
 singularly terminated. It was eariy in July, and the sun shone forth without a cloud to 
 obscure it, and as its rays gilded the tops of the forest trees, or were reflected from the 
 waters of the Susquehannah, imparted a rich tint to the wild scenery with which they were 
 surrounded. The echo of the war-whoop had scarcely died away before the heavens be- 
 came black, and a violent storm of hail and rain obliged each party to withdraw and seek 
 the nearest shelter. Men less superstitious than many of the unlettered yeomeii who, lean, 
 ing upon their arms, were witnesses of the events of this day, could not have failed in after 
 times to have looked back upon them, if not as an omen, at least as an emblem of those 
 dreadful massacres with which these Indians and their associates afterward visited the in. 
 habitants of this unfortunate frontier. 
 
 " Gen. Herkimer appears to have been unwilling to urge matters to extreme, though he 
 had sufiicient power to have defeated the Indians. He no doubt entertained hopes that 
 some amicable arrangement would eventually be made with them. 
 
 " This is believed to have been the last conference held with any of the Six Nations, 
 except the Oneidas, in which an effort was made to prevent the Indians engaging in the 
 
374 HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS. 
 
 4. Indian Sacrifice at Rochester, 1813. 
 
 No longer ago than 1813, pagan rites were performed on the spot 
 where so many Christian temples have been since erected. The fol- 
 lowing account of the last sacrifice of the Senecas, near where the 
 Bethel church now stands, is from Mr. O'Reilly's History. 
 
 " It may be premised that the Senecas, and probably others of the Six Nations, have 
 five feasts annually ; on which occasions it is customary to return thanks to Nauwanew for 
 his blessings, or to deprecate his wrath. At these times also the chiefs conversed upon the 
 affairs of tlie tribes, and generally urged upon the people the duty of demeaning themselves 
 so as to ensure a continuance of the favor which had attended them in their pursuits of 
 peace or war. These feasts followed the consummation of the matters usually watched 
 with most interest by Indians in peaceful times — one of the ceremonies occurring after 
 ' sugar-time ;' another after planting ; a third called the green-corn feast, when the maize 
 fitst becomes fit for use ; the fourth after the com.harvest ; and the fifth at the close of their 
 year, late in January or early in February, according to the moon. 
 
 " The latter ceremonial was performed for the last time in Rochester in January, 1813. 
 The concluding rites were seen by some of the few persons then settled in ' these parts.' 
 From Mr. Edwin Scrantom, now a merchant of the city, who was among the spectators, 
 we have had an account of the ceremonial, as far as he beheld it, which corresponds with 
 the accounts given by the Rev. Mr. Kirkland, long a missionary among the Six Nations, 
 and by the ' White Woman,' that remarkable associate of the Senecas. The latter person- 
 age related, that when the Indians returned from hunting, ten or twenty of their number 
 were appointed to superintend the great ' sacrifice and thanksgiving.' Preparations were 
 made at the council.house or other place of meeting for the accommodation of the tribe 
 during the ceremonial. Nine days was the period, and two white dogs the ntunber and 
 kind of animals formerly required for the festival ; though in these latter days of reform and 
 retrenchment (for the prevailing spirit had reached even the wigwams and the altars of the 
 Senecas) the time has been curtailed to seven or five days, and a single dog was made the 
 scapegoat to bear away the sins of the tribe ! Two dogs, as nearly white as could be pro. 
 cured, were usually selected from those belonging to the tribe, and were carefully killed at 
 the door of the council-house by means of strangulation ; for a wound on the animal or an 
 effusion of blood would spoil the victim for the sacrificial purpose. The dogs were then 
 fantastically painted with various colors, decorated with feathers, and suspended about 
 twenty feet high at the council.house or near the centre of the cetmp. The ceremonial is 
 then commenced, and the five, seven, or nine days of its continuance are marked by feast- 
 ing and dancing, as well as by sacrifice and consultation. Two select bands, one of men 
 and another of women, ornamented with trinkets and feathers, and each person fiirnished 
 with an ear of com in the right hand, dance in a circle around the council-fire, which is 
 kindled for the occasion, and regulate their steps by rude music. Hence they proceed to 
 every wigwam in the camp ; and, in like manner, dance in a circle around each fire. Af- 
 terward, on another day, several men clothe themselves in the skins of wild beasts, cover 
 their faces with hideous masks and their .hands with the shell of the tortoise, and in this 
 garb they go among the wigwams, making horrid noises, taking the fuel from the fire, and 
 scattering the embers and ashes about the floor, for the purpose of driving away evil spirits. 
 The persons performing these operations are supposed not only to drive off the evil spirit, 
 but to concentrate within themselves all the sins of their tribe. These sins are afterward 
 all transfused into one of their own number, who, by some magical dexterity or sleight-of- 
 hand, works off fi-om himself into the dogs the concentrated wickedness of the tribe ! The 
 scapegoat dogs are then placed on a pile of wood, to which fire is applied, while the sur- 
 rounding crowd throw tobacco or other incense upon the flame, tlie scent of which is 
 deemed to co-operate with the sacrifice of the animals in conciUating the favor of Nauwa- 
 new or the Great Spirit. When the dogs are partly consumed, one is taken off and put 
 into a large kettle with vegetables of various kinds, and all around devour the contents of 
 the ' reeking caldron.' After this the Indians perform the dances of war and peace, and 
 smoke the calumet : then, free from wickedness, they repair to their respective places of 
 abode, prepared for the events of the new year." 
 
HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS. 375 
 
 5. An Account of the Indian Chiefs, Cornplanter and Big Kettle. 
 
 At the mouth of Cold Spring creek, entering the Allegany, 
 is an " Indian village called Tunes-assah ; the reservation, one mile 
 in veidth along the river, extends some miles above and several be- 
 lovF this point into Pennsylvania ; this remnant lately had at its head 
 the celebrated chief Cornplanter, who died early in the year 1836, 
 aged about 100 years. Some of the tribe are wealthy ; have large 
 stocks of cattle, and some saw-mills. Much is due for the improve- 
 ment of their condition to the judicious efforts of the society of 
 'Friends,' of Philadelphia, who have long maintained instructers 
 among them, teaching the primitive arts of civilization, and who 
 have a settlement in the southern part of the town." Some of the 
 last of the Indian prophets incorporated a part of the tenets of Chris- 
 tianity into their pagan system. A few years since, a portion of the 
 Indians in this town were in the practice of collecting around a log 
 about 30 feet long, worked into a resemblance of the human form, to 
 which they performed a kind of worship. The son of Cornplanter 
 subsequently persuaded them to throw it into the river. 
 
 Cornplanter, the chief above-mentioned, it appears, was the son of 
 a white man, who lived in the vicinity of Fort Plank ; his mother was 
 a young woman of the Seneca tribe. The Seneca Indians, during 
 the revolutionary war, were led on against the Americans in the Mo- 
 hawk valley, by Cornplanter, who, in one of his incursions, took his 
 father prisoner. He however treated him well, and released him 
 from confinement. In a letter written by Cornplanter to the govern- 
 or of Pennsylvania in 1822, complaining of the attempt to impose 
 taxes upon him euid the Senecas residing on the Allegany, he began 
 as follows: 
 
 " When I was a child, I played with the butterfly, the grasshopper, and the frogs. As I 
 grew up, I began to pay some attention, and play with the Indian boys in the neigliborhood, 
 and they took notice of my skin being a different color from theirs, and spoke about it. I 
 inquired of my mother the cause, and she- told me that my father was a resident of Albany. 
 I ate still my victuals out of a bark dish : I grew up to be a young man, and married me a 
 wife, but I had no kettle or gun. I then knew where my father lived, and went to see 
 him, and found he was a white man and spoke the English language. He gave me victuals 
 while I was at his bouse, but when I started to return home he gave me no provision to eat 
 on the way. He gave me neither kettle nor gun, neither did he tell me that the United 
 States were about to rebel against the government of England," &c. &c. 
 
 " Cornplanter lived to a great age, having deceased within the last eight or ten years. 
 He was an able man, distinguished in subsequent negotiations. He was eloquent, and a 
 great advocate for temperance. He made a very effective and characteristic speech upon 
 that subject in 1822. * The Great Spirit first made the world, and next the flying animals, 
 and found all things good and prosperous. He is immortal and everlasting. After finish, 
 ing the flying animals, he came down upon the earth and there stood. Then he made dif- 
 ferent kinds of trees, and woods of all sorts, and people of every kind. He made the 
 spring and other seasons, and the weather suitable for planting. These he did make. But 
 ttilU, to make whiskey to give to Indians, he did not make.' » » • • ' The Great 
 Spirit told us that there were three things for people to attend to. First, we ought to take 
 care of our wives and children. Secondly, the white people ought to attend to their farms 
 and cattle. Thirds, the Great Spirit has given the bears and deers to the Indians.' * * * 
 The Great Spirit has ordered me to quit drinking. He wishes m< to inform the people 
 
376 HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS. 
 
 that they should quit drinking intoxicating drink.' In the course of the same speech, he 
 gave evidence that he was not overmuch pleased with the admixture of his own blood. 
 • * • ' The different kinds the Great Spirit made separate, and not to mix with and 
 disturb each other. But the white people have broken this command, by mixing their 
 color with the Indians. The Indians have done better by not doing so.' " — Stone'i Life 
 of Brant. 
 
 Ganothjowaneh, a distinguished chief of the Seneca tribe, was, it 
 is said, a superior orator to Red Jacket. He was called by the 
 whites, Big Kettle, that being the signification of his Indian name. It 
 is stated that he never tasted ardent spirits, and opposed the practice 
 among the Indians, and suffered some persecutions on this account. 
 During the early period of his life, he was opposed to the introduction 
 of Christianity, but latterly was rather in favor of it. Mr. Wright, 
 the missionary, now living among the Senecas, near Buffalo, attempt- 
 ed to persuade him to embrace the Christian religion. Whfen told 
 that he was a sinner in the sight of God, Big Kettle appeared to be 
 somewhat surprised ; throwing himself in an oratorical attitude, he 
 recounted a long list of his good deeds, and endeavored to make it 
 appear that he was not a sinner. He once came to Mr. Wright, and 
 asked him the question, " Does God overrule all things ?" " Certainly," 
 replied Mr. Wright. " I tell my people so, in council," replied Big 
 Kettle ; " but when I am alone, and think how much iniquity is prac- 
 tised by the white people in getting away our lands, &c., and how they 
 go on without being punished, I have my doubts." He said that the 
 preaching of the missionaries was good, and that the Indians would 
 listen to, and follow it, but he said it would be useless : the bad habits 
 of his people were so strong, the attempt to break them up would be 
 as idle as to " stop the wind from blowing down Lake Erie." 
 
 6. First settlers of Chreene, Chenango Co. — Indian Relics, ^. 
 
 The first white inhabitants who located themselves on the site of 
 the village, were eight or ten French families, who fled from their 
 country during the revolutionary period. The first one who came 
 appears to have been Simon Barnet, who is said to have been a 
 Creole from the West Indies. He came to this place from Philadel- 
 phia, probably sent as a pioneer for the French company. One of 
 the emigrants, M. Dutremont, was a man of considerable talents, 
 learning, and wealth. This gentleman contracted for the lands settled 
 by the company. The purchase was made of William W, Morris 
 and Malachi Treat, the patentees. Capt. Juliand, one of the French 
 emigrants, came into the place in 1797, a little after the first company. 
 About the year 1795, the celebrated French statesman, Talleyrand, 
 visited this place, when on a sylvan jaunt on horseback from Phila- 
 delphia to Albany in company with a French gentleman. When here, 
 he became acquainted with the son of M. Dutremont, with whom he 
 was so much pleased, that he obtained the consent of his parents to 
 take him to France, where he became his private secretary. By the 
 
HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS. 377 
 
 death of M. Dutremont, the financial affairs of the little colony be- 
 came deranged. He was drowned while fording a river on horse- 
 back, on his way to Philadelphia. As he had not paid for the land 
 occupied by the emigrants, it reverted back to the patentees. The 
 emigrants became discouraged, and after a few years left the place, 
 moved down below Towanda, and joined a French settlement at a 
 place called Frenchtown, now Asylum. Capt. Juliand, however, re- 
 mained in Greene, and to him and Judge Elisha Smith the founda- 
 tion of the village is to be ascribed. 
 
 " There were no Indiana in this particular section, when first settled by the whites. But 
 we have to record a most remarkable momid, the relic of Indian superstition and industry. 
 There are now to be seen only some imperfect tracea of it. It was situated about two 
 miles south of the village, and about thirty rods from the river bank, on what is now the 
 farm of Mr. Lott. The mound, before it was dug down or ploughed over, was about six or 
 seven feet above the surface of the ground, and forty feet in diameter ; being nearly cir- 
 cular. There was also, till within a few years, a large pine stump in the centre of it, the 
 remains of a large pine-tree which was standing when the whites came in. It was then, 
 however, a dead tree. When it was cut down, there were coimted 180 concentric circles 
 or yearly growths. Estimating the age of the mound by the concentric circles of the 
 stump, it must have been over 200 years old when this section of the country was settled. 
 An examination of this mound was made in 1829, by digging, and there were found hu- 
 man bones to a great number ; and lower from the surface, there were found bones that 
 had been evidently burnt ; suggesting the idea, that the mode of disposing of the dead, 
 when these bones were deposited, was burning the dead body. No conjecture could be 
 formed as to the number of bodies buried here. They were found lying without order, 
 very much jumbled, and so far decayed as to crumble, or fall apart, when brought to the 
 air and handled. The supposition would not be an unhkely one, that these bonea were the 
 remains of bodies which had fallen in battle, and were afterward hurriedly thrown together 
 and buried. * * * » In the mound near Greene, there were found, lying quite in one pile, 
 200 arrow heads, cut after their usual form, and all either of yellow or black ^in(. It will be 
 recollected that there are no stones of this kind found in this part of the state of New 
 York. In another part of the mound there were found, lying together, about sixty, made 
 after the same form. A silver band or ring was also found, of about two inches in di- 
 ameter, extremely thin, but wide, with the remains — in appearance— of a reed pipe, lying 
 within it. The supposition is, that it was some sort of musical instrument. There was 
 also found a number of stone chisels, of different shapea, evidently fitted to perform differ, 
 ent species of work. A large piece of mica also, cut into the form of a heart • the border 
 much decayed, and the different laminae separated." — Annals of Binghamton. 
 
 7. Destruction at the German Flats by the Tories and Indians in 1778. 
 
 " At the time of which we are writing, the settlement on the south side of the river 
 numbered 34 dwelling-houses, and there were about an equal number upon the north side, 
 together with as many bams and other outbuildings, and several mills. The population, 
 for the number of houses, was numerous. The lands, rich by nature, and well culdvated, 
 had that year brought forth by handfuls ; so that the bams were amply stored with thejf 
 products. 
 
 " It was at the close of Atigust, or early in the month of September, that this fine district 
 was laid waste by the Indians under the direction of Brant. Most providentially, however, 
 the invasion was attended with the loss of but two lives — one man being killed outright, 
 and another, named McGinnis, perished in the flames. The particulars of this hostile irrap- 
 lion were these : — Entertaining some suspicions of Brant, who was at Unadilla, a scout of 
 four men had been despatched into that vicinity for observation. Three of these men were 
 killed at the Edmeaton settlement. The fourth, John Helmer, succeeding in making his 
 escape, and retumed to the Flats at half an hour before sun-down, just in time to announce 
 that Brant, with a large body of Indians, was advancing, and would, in a few hours, be upon 
 them. All was, of course, terror and alarm through the settlement ; and the inhabitants — 
 men, women, and children — were gathered into forts Das^ton and Herkimer for security. 
 In flying to those defences, they gaSiered up the most valuable of their stuff, and by means 
 
 48 
 
378 HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS. 
 
 of boats and canoes upon the river, succeeded, in the course of the evening, in collecting a 
 large portion of their best articles of furniture. But they had no time to look after their 
 flocks and herds. 
 
 " Early in the evening Brant arrived at the edge of the settlement, but as the night came 
 on excessively dark and rainy, he halted with his forces in a ravine, near the house of his 
 tory friend Shoemaker, where the younger Butler and his party were captured the preceding 
 year. Here the chieftain lay with his warriors until the storm broke away towards morning 
 — ^unconscious that his approach had been notified to the people by the scout in season to 
 enable them to escape the blow of his uplifted arm. Before the dawn he was on foot, and 
 his warriors were sweeping through the settlement ; so that the torch might be almost sim- 
 ultaneously appUed to every building it contained. Just as the day was breaking in the 
 east, the fires were kindled, and the whole section of the valley was speedily illuminated by 
 the flames of houses and bams, and all things else combustible. The spectacle, to the 
 people in the forts, was one of melancholy grandeur. Every family saw the flames and 
 smoke of its own domicil ascending to the skies, and every farmer the whole product of his 
 labor for the season dissolving into ashes. 
 
 " Having no fire-arms larger than their rifles, the Indians avoided even a demonstration 
 against the forts, notwithstanding their chagrin that neither scalps nor prisoners were to grace 
 their triumph. But as the light of day advanced, their warriors were seen singly, or in small 
 groups, scouring the fields, and driving away all the horses, sheep, and black cattle that 
 could be found. Nothing upon which they could lay their hands was left ; and the settle, 
 ment, which, but the day before, for ten miles had smiled in plenty and in beauty, was now 
 houseless and destitute. Happily, however, of human life there was no greater sacrifice 
 than has already been mentioned. After the Indians had decamped with their booty, a 
 force of between 300 and 400 militia-men collected, and went in pursuit — following as far 
 as Edmeston's plantation on the Unadilla river, where the bodies of the three scouts were 
 found and buried. But no other results attended this expedition." 
 
 8. Remarkable fulfilment of a Dream of Jacob Sammons, 1780. 
 
 In an incursion, Mr. Sampson Sammons and his three sons, all 
 stanch whigs, residing in Jonnstown, were captured by the enemy 
 and their dwelling laid in ashes. The elder Mr. Sammons and his 
 youngest son, a youth of eighteen, were released by Sir John, but 
 Jacob and Frederick, the other sons, were taken to Canada and con- 
 fined in the fortress of Chamblee. From this place they made their 
 escape, and after a series of dreadful suffering, in their flight through 
 the wilderness, arrived in safety among their friends. A long and 
 mteresting account of their adventures is given in Col. Stone's Life 
 of Brant. 
 
 •• A singular but well-attested occurrence," says Col. Stone, " closes this interesting, per. 
 sonal narrative. The family of the elder Sammons had long given up Frederick as lost. 
 On the morning after his arrival at Schenectady, he despatched a letter to his father, by the 
 hand of an officer on his way to Philadelphia, who left it at the house of a Mr. Levi De 
 Witt, five miles distant from the residence of the old gentleman. The same night on 
 •vhich the letter was thus left, Jacob dreamed that his brother Frederick was living, and 
 that there was a letter fi-om him at De Witt's announcing the joyful tidings. The dream 
 was repeated twice, and the contents of the letter were so strongly impressed upon his 
 
 mind, that he repeated what he believed was the very language, on ihe ensuing morning 
 
 insisting that such a letter was at the place mentioned. The family, his father in particu. 
 lor, laughed at him for his creduhty. Strong, however, in the belief that there was such a 
 communication, he repaired to the place designated, and asked for the letter. Mr. De Witt 
 looked for it, but replied there was none. Jacob requested a more thorough search, and 
 behold the letter was found behind a barrel, whore it had fallen. Jacob then requested 
 Mr. De Witt to open the letter, and examine while he recited its contents. He did so, and 
 the dreamer repeated it word for word." 
 
HISTOBICAL COLLECTIONS. 379 
 
 9. Death of the faithful Oneida Guide. 
 
 At the time of Sullivan's expedition to Western New York, the 
 enemy captured two friendly Oneidas, who had, from the beginning 
 of the war, rendered the Americans constant service, and one of 
 •whom was then acting as Gen. Sullivan's principal guide. This In- 
 dian had an older brother engaged with the enemy, who, as they met, 
 is said (in Stone's Brant) to have addressed him as follows : 
 
 " Brother ! You have merited death. The hatchet or the war-club shall finish your 
 career. When I begged of you to follow me in the fortunes of war, you were deaf to 
 my entreaties. 
 
 " Brother ! You have merited death, and shall have your deserts. When the rebels 
 raised their hatchets to fight against their good master, you sharpened your knife, you 
 brightened your rifle, and led on our foes to the fields of our fathers. 
 
 " Brother ! You have merited death, and shall die by our hands. When those rebels 
 had driven us from the fields of our fathers to seelc out new houses, it was you who 
 could dare to step forth as their pilot, and conduct them even to the doors of our wig- 
 Tsrams, to butcher our children and put us to death. No crime can be greater. But 
 though you have merited death, and shall die on this spot, my hands shall not be stained 
 with the blood of a brother. Who mil strike ?" 
 
 In an instant the tomahawk of Little Beard was twirled with lightning rapidity over 
 his head, and in another the brave Oneida, the friend of America and of humanity, lay 
 dead at the feet of the infmiated chiet 
 
 10. Battle of Bennington. 
 
 The progress of Burgoyne thoroughly alarmed the American 
 states, it being well known that the American forces under Gen. 
 Schuyler were not sufficient to prevent the capture of Albany, when- 
 ever it was reached by the enemy. Instead of thinking of submission, 
 the Americans met this alarming crisis with firmness and resolution, 
 and great exertions were made to reinforce the army. Gen. Lincoln 
 was directed to raise and take the command of the New England 
 militia. Gen. Arnold, and Col. Morgan with his riflemen, were de- 
 tached to the northern army, and congress elected Gen. Gates as 
 commander. 
 
 " While the American army was thus assuming a more respectable appearance, Gen. 
 Burgoyne was making very slow advances towards Albany. From the 28th of July to the 
 15th of August, (1777,) the British army was continually employed in bringing forward 
 batteaux, provisions, and ammunition from Fort George, to the first navigable part of Hud- 
 son's river ; a distance of not more than 18 miles. The labor was excessive, the Europe, 
 ans were but little acquainted with the methods of performing it to advantage, and the 
 effect was in no degree equivalent to the expense of labor and time. With all the efforts 
 that Burgoyne could make, encumbered wjtb his artillery and baggage, his labors were 
 inadequate to the purpose of supplying the army with provisions for its daily consumption, 
 and the establishment of the necessary magazines. And after his utmost exertions for 15 
 days, there were not above 4 days' provisions in the store, nor above 10 batteaux in Hud- 
 son's river. 
 
 " In such circumstances the British general found that it would be impossible to procure 
 sufficient supplies of provision by the way of Fort George, and determined to replenish his 
 own magazines at the expense of those of the Americans. Having received information 
 that a large quantity of stores were laid up at Bennington, and guarded only by the militia, 
 he formed the design of surprising that place ; and was made to believe that as soon as a 
 detachment of the royal army should appear in that quarter, it would receive effectual as. 
 sistance from a large body of loyalists, who only waited for the appearance of a support, 
 and would in that event come forwawl and aid the royal cause. Full of diese expectations, 
 he detached Col. Baum, a German officer, with a select body of troops, to surptise the 
 
380 HISTOHICAL COLLECTIONS. 
 
 place. His force consisted of about 500 regular troops, some Canadians, and more than 
 100 Indians, with two light pieces of artillery. To facilitate their operations, and to be 
 ready to take advantage of the success of the detachment, the royal army moved along the 
 east bank of Hudson's river, and encamped nearly opposite to Saratoga ; having at the same 
 time thrown a bridge of rafts over the river, by which the army passed to that place. With 
 a view to support Baum, if it should be found necessary, Lieut. Col. Breyman's corps, con. 
 sisting of the Brunswick grenadiers, light infantry and chasseurs, were posted at BattenkiU. 
 
 " Gen. Stark having received information that a party of Indians were at Cambridge, 
 sent Lieut. Col. Greg, on August the 13th, with a party of 200 men to stop their progress. 
 Towards night he was informed by express, that a large body of regulars was in the rear 
 of the Indians, and advancing towards Bennington. On this intelligence. Stark drew to. 
 gether his brigade, and the miUtia that were at hand, and sent on to Manchester to Col. 
 Warner to bring on his regiment ; he sent expresses at the same time to the neighboring 
 militia, to join him with the utmost speed. On the morning of the 14th, he marched with 
 his troops, and at the distance of 7 miles he met Greg on the retreat, and the enemy within 
 a mile of him. Stark drew up his troops in order of battle ; but the enemy coming in sight, 
 halted upon a very advantageous piece of ground. Baum perceived the Americans were 
 too strong to be attacked with his present force, and sent an express to Burgoyne with an 
 account of his situation, and to have Breyman march immediately to support him. In the 
 mean time small parties of the Americans kept up a skirmish with the enemy, killed and 
 wounded 30 of them, with two of their Indian chiefs, without any loss to themselves. The 
 ground the Americans had taken was unfavorable for a general action, and Stark retreated 
 about a mile and encamped. A council of war was held, and it was agreed to send two 
 detachments upon the enemy's rear, while the rest of the troops should make an attack 
 upon their front. The next day the weather was rainy, and though it prevented a general 
 action, there were frequent skirmishings in small parties, which proved favorable and en- 
 couraging to the Americans. 
 
 " On August the 16th, in the morning, Stark was joined by Col. Symonds and a body 
 of militia from Berkshire, and proceeded to attack the enemy, agreeably to the plan which 
 b^d been concerted. Col. Baimit in the mean time had entrenched, on an advantageous 
 piece of ground near St. Koicks mills, on a branch of Hoosick river, and rendered his post 
 as strong as his circumstances and situation would admit. Col. Nichols was detached with 
 200 men to the rear of his left. Col. Herrick, with 300 men to the rear of his right ; both 
 were to join and then make the attack. Cols. Hubbard and Stickney, with 200 more, were 
 ordered on the right, and 100 were advanced towards the front to draw the attention of the 
 enemy that way. About 3 o'clock in the afternoon the troops had taken their situation, and 
 were ready to commence the action. While Nichols and Herrick were bringing their 
 troops together, the Indians were alarmed at the prospect, and pushed off between the two 
 corps ; but received a fire as they were passing, by which three of them were killed, and 
 two wounded. Nichols then began the attack, and was followed by all the other divisions ; 
 those in the front immediately advanced, and in a few minutes the action became general. 
 It lasted about two hours, and was like one continued peal of thunder. Baum made a 
 brave defence ; and the German dragoons, after they had expended their ammunition, led 
 by their colonel, charged with their swords, but they were soon overpowered. Their works 
 were carried on all sides, their two pieces of cannon were taken. Col. Baum himself was 
 mortally wounded and taken prisoner, and all his men, except a few who had escaped into 
 the woods, were either killed or taken prisoners. Having completed the business by taking 
 the whole party, the militia began to disperse, and look out for plunder. But in a few 
 minutes Stark received information that a large reinforcement was on their march, and 
 within two miles of him. Fortunately at that moment Col. Warner came up with his regi. 
 ment from Manchester. This brave and experienced officer commanded a regiment of 
 continental troops, which had been raised in Vermont. Mortified that he had not been in 
 the former engagement, he instantly led on his men against Breyman, and began the second 
 engagement. Stark collected the militia as soon as possible, and pushed on to his assist- 
 ance. The action became general, and the battle continued obstinate on both sides till 
 sunset, when the Germans were forced to give way, and were pursued till dark. They 
 left their two field-pieces behind, and a considerable number were made prisoners. They 
 retreated in the best manner they could, improving the advantages of the evening and 
 night, to which alone their escape was ascribed. 
 
 " In these actions the Americans took 4 brass field-pieces, 12 brass drums, 250 dragoon 
 swords, 4 ammunition wagons, and about 700 prisoners, with their arms and accoutre, 
 ments ; — ^207 men were found dead upon the spot, the numbers of wounded were unknown. 
 The loss of the Anjericans was but snjall ; 30 were slain, and about 40 were wounded." 
 
HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS. 
 
 11. Dutch Church in Mount Pleasant, tj-c. 
 
 381 
 
 The famous Sleepy Hollow, the noted location describe 
 " Sketch Book" by Wasliintrton Irvinir, is situated in the sout 
 
 *l.-. » ,„l,;,, Ti ^ :i "?^ ^ i.._ • r.> . 
 
 Ijed in the 
 
 - - ., — ^-- -,, „...w„ ^ „„uth part of 
 
 tliis tiivvnsiu|), near Tarrytown ; it is a lon^f ravine of 2 or 3 miles, 
 through which a road passes on which is situated several romantic 
 dvveliin2;s. 
 
 Ancient Dutch church. 
 
 The above is a northwestern view of the old Dutch Reformed 
 church situated in the southern part of this town, about a mile north 
 of the place where Andre was taken in Tarrytown. It is l.ielieved 
 to be the oldest church now standing in the state. A tablet placed 
 on the church bears the inscription, " Erected and built by Frederick 
 Philips,* and Catharine Van Cortlandt, his wife, in 1C99." The pulpit 
 and communion table were brought from Holland at the time of the 
 erection of the church. The building has latterly undergone some 
 repairs internally and externally, by which it lias lost considerable 
 of its venerable ajipearance. Unlbrtunately, the pulpit has not es- 
 caped the hand of modern innovation, but the communion table 
 still remains unchanged, a venerable relic of a former ago. This 
 church and vicinity has been made celebrated by Irving's well-known 
 " Legend of Sleepy Hollow." 
 
 *' The scqiiesfcred situation of this church," says the author of this legend, *' seem always 
 to have inade it a favorite haunt of troubled spirits. It stands on a knoll surrounded by 
 locust trees and lofty elms, from among which its decent whitewashed walls slnne mod- 
 estly forth like Christian purity beaming through the shades of retirement. A gentle slope 
 descends from it to a silver sheet of \\ater, bordered by high trees, between which, peeps 
 may be caught at the blue hills of the Hudson. To look U[ion its grass-grown yard, where 
 the sunbeams seem to sleep so quietly, one would think that there at least the dead might 
 rest in peace. On one side of the church extends a wide woody dell, along winch laves 
 a large brook among broken rocks and trunks of fallen trees. Over a deep black part of 
 the stream, not far trom the church, was formerly thrown a wooden bridge ; the road tha 
 led to it and the bridge itself were thickly shaded by overhanging trees, winch cast a gloom 
 about It even in tlie daytime, but occasioned a fearful darkness at nfli!." 
 
382 HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS. 
 
 12. Deception practised upon Sir James Yeo. 
 
 " A serious alarm, attended by some amusing consequences, occurred in May, 1814, 
 when Sir James Yeo, with a fleet of thirteen vessels of various sizes, appeared off the mouth 
 of the Genesee, threatening the destruction of the rude improvements in and around Ro. 
 Chester. Messengers were despatched to arouse the people in the surrounding country for 
 defence against the threatened attack. There were then but thirty.three people in Roches- 
 ter capable of bearing arms. This Uttle band threw up a breastwork called Fort Bender, 
 near the Deep Hollow, beside the Lower Falls, and hurried down to the junction of the 
 Genesee and Lake Ontario, five miles north of the present city limite, where the enemy 
 threatened to land ; leaving behind them two old men, with some young lads, to remove 
 the women and children into the woods, in case the British should attempt to land for the 
 capture of the provisions and destruction of the bridge at Rochester, &c. Francis Brown 
 and Elisha Ely acted as captains, and Isaac W. Stone as major of the Rochester forces, 
 which were strengthened by the additions that could be made from this thinly-settled region. 
 Though the equipments and discipline of these troops would not form a brilUant picture for 
 a warhke eye, their very awkwardness in those points, coupled as it was with their sagacity 
 and courage, accomplished more perhaps than could have been effected by a larger force 
 of regular troops bedizzened with the trappings of miUtary pomp. The militia thus hastily 
 collected, were marched and countermarched, disappearing in the woods at one point and 
 suddenly emerging elsewhere, so as to impress the enemy with the behef that the force 
 collected for defence was far greater than it actually was. (The circumstances here related 
 are substantially as mentioned to the writer by one who was then and is now a resident 
 of Rochester.) An officer with a flag of truce was sent from the British fleet. A militia 
 ofHcer marched down, with ten of the most soldierlike men, to receive him on Lighthouse 
 Point. These militiamen carried their guns as nearly upright as might be consistent with 
 their plan of being ready for action by keeping hold of the triggers ! The British officer 
 was astonished : he ' looked imutterable things.' ' Sir,' said he, ' do you receive a flag of 
 truce under arras, with cocked triggers ?' ' Excuse me, excuse me, sir ; we backwoodsmen 
 are not well versed in military tactics,' replied the American officer, who promptly sought 
 to rectify his error by ordering his men to ' ground arms ." The Briton was still more as- 
 tonished ; and, after deUvering a brief message, immediately departed for the fleet, indicat. 
 ing by his countenance a suspicion that the ^ignorance of tactics which he had wimessed 
 was all feigned for the occasion, so as to deceive the British commodore into a snare ! 
 Shortly afterward, on the same day, another officer came ashore with a flag of truce for 
 further parley, as the British were evidently too suspicious of stratagem to attempt a hostile 
 landing if there was any possibility of compromising for the spoils. Capt. Francis Brown 
 was deputed with a guard to receive the last flag of truce. The British officer looked sus- 
 piciously upon him and upon his guard ; and, after some conversation, famiUarly grasped 
 the pantaloons of Capt. B. about the knee, remarking, as he firmly handled it, ' Your cloth 
 is too good to be spoiled by such a bungling tailor ;' alluding to the width and clumsy as- 
 pect of that garment. Brown was quickwitted as well as resolute, and replied jocosely, 
 that ' he was prevented from dressing fashionably by his haste that morning to salute such 
 distinguished visitera I' The Briton obviously imagined that Brown was a regular officer 
 of the American army, whose regimentals were masked by clumsy overclothes. The pro. 
 position was then made, that, if the Americans would deliver up the provisions and military 
 stores which might be in and around Rochester or Charlotte, Sir James Yeo would spare 
 the settlements from destruction. ' Will you comply with the offer V ' Blood knee.deep 
 Jirst ." was the emphatic reply of Francis Brown. 
 
 '■' While this parley was in progress, an American officer, with his staff, returning fi'om the 
 Niagara frontier, was accidentally seen passing from one wooded point to another ; and 
 this, with other circumstances, afforded to the British ' confirmation strong' that their suspi- 
 cions were well founded ; that there was a considerable American army collected ; and that 
 the Yankee officers shammed ignorance for the purpose of entrapping ashore the commodore 
 and his forces 1 The return of the last flag to the fleet was followed by a vigorous attack in 
 bombs and balls, while the compliment was spiritedly returned, not without some effect on 
 at least one of the vessels, by a rusty old six-pounder, which had been furbished and mount 
 ed on a log for the important occasion. After a few hours spent in this unavailing maimer. 
 Admiral Yeo run down to Pulteneyville, about twenty miles eastward of Genesee river, 
 where, on learning how they had been outwitted and deterred from landing by such a 
 bandfiil of militia, their mortification could scarcely restraii) all hands from a hearty laugh 
 at the ' Yankee trick.' " 
 
HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS. 
 
 383 
 
 13. David Williams, captor of Andre. 
 
 David Williams, the eldest and last survivor of the captors of An- 
 dre, was born in Tarrytovvn, October 21st, 1754, and was of Dutch 
 descent, lie died at Broome, Schoharie Co., and was buried with 
 military honors at Livingstonville. 
 
 *' In the fall of 1880, the corporation of the city of New York sent an invitation, by a 
 special messenger, to Mr. Williams, to be present a,s a guest at the celebration of the 
 French Revolution. He was, witli Enoch Crosby, another hero of '76, and two others, 
 drawn in an elegant carriage at the head of the ]>rocessiun, attracting much attention, a.s 
 the writer well remembers. While in the city, he visited with the mayor and other 
 (listingui:,lied citizens, theatres, public schools, tiie navy yard, ttc, at all of which he was 
 a welcome guest. At one of the scliools a silver cup was presented to him, and at an- 
 other a silver-headed cane, the stem of which was made from a part of a chevaux-de-fiise, 
 used near West Point in the Revolution. He was also presented while on this visit with 
 an elegant horse, carriage, and liarness by the mayor. 
 
 *' Mr. Williams returned from New York in December, soon after which be began rapidly 
 to fail. The excitement attending his visit had no tloubt been too great for one of his 
 age and retired habits. . He continued gradually to waste away until sunset 
 
 on Tuesday, the 2d day of August, 1831, when he expired without a struggle or a groan." 
 
 14. Execution of a Deserter at Greenbush. 
 
 Remains of the Barracks at Greenbush, 1840. 
 
 The United States cantonment, now in ruins, was erected here 
 during the late war, on a commanding eminence 2 miles SSE. of 
 Albany. It consisted of very extensive wooden barracks for soldiers, 
 officer's' quarters, &c., &c.. calculated for the accommodation in 
 winter quarters of 5,000 men. 
 
 The annexed account of the execution of a deserter at this place 
 during the late war, was written by an officer of the United States 
 army. It is shockingly minute in its details. 
 
 " In 1814, I was stationed with a detachment of United Slates troops at Greenbush, in 
 the state of New York. One morning several prisoners, confined in the provost guard, 
 house, were brought out to hear the sentence which a court-martial had annexed to their 
 delinquencies read on parade. Their appearance indicated that their lot had already been 
 aufficiendy hard. Some wore marks of long confinement, and on all, the severity of the 
 prison-house had enstarnped its impression. They looked dejected at this public exposure, 
 and anxious to learn their fate. 1 had never seen the face of any of them before, and only 
 knew that a single one of them had been adjudged to death. Soon as their names were 
 called and their sentences announced, I discerned by his agony and gestures the miserable 
 
384 HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS. 
 
 man on whom that sentence was to fall ; a man in the bloom of youth and the fulness of 
 health and vigor. 
 
 " Prompted by feelings of sympathy, I called next morning to see him in prison. There, 
 chained by the leg to the beam of the guard-house, he was reading the bible, trying to pre. 
 pare himself, as he said, for the fatal hour. I learned from him the circumstances of his 
 case. He was the father of a family ; having a wife and three young children, thirty or 
 forty miles distant from the camp. His crime was desertion, of which he had been three 
 times guilty. His only object in leaving the camp, in the last instance, was to visit his wife 
 and children. Having seen that all was well with them, it was his intention to return. But 
 whatever was his intention, he was a deserter, and as such taken and brought into the 
 camp ; manacled, and under the guard of his fellow-soldiers. The time between the sen. 
 tence and its execution was brief; the authority in whom alone was vested the power of 
 reprieve or pardon, distant. Thus he had no hope, and only requested the attendance of a 
 minister of the gospel, and permission to see his wife and children. The first part of his 
 request was granted, but whether he was permitted or not to see his family, I do not now 
 remember. 
 
 " Dreading the hour of his execution, I resolved, if possible, to avoid being present at the 
 
 scene. But the commander of the post. Col. L— , sent me an express order to attend, 
 
 that agreeably to the usages of the army I might, in my official capacity of surgeon, see 
 the sentence fully executed. 
 
 " The poor fellow was taken from the guard-house to be escorted to the fatal spot. Be. 
 fore him was his coffin ; a box of rough pine boards — borne on the shoulders of two men. 
 The prisoner stood with his arms pinioned, between two clergymen ; a white cotton gown, 
 or winding-sheet, reached to his feet. It was trimmed with black, and had attached to it 
 over ihe place of the real heart, the black image of a heart ; the mark at which the execu. 
 tionets were to aim. On his head was a cap of white, also trimmed with black. His coun. 
 tenance was blanched to the hue of his winding.sheet, and his frame trembled with agony. 
 He seemed resolved, however, to suffer like a soldier. Behind him were a number of prison, 
 ers, confined for various offences ; next to them was a strong guard of soldiers, with Hxed 
 bayonets and loaded muskets. My station was in the rear of the whole. 
 
 " Our procession thus formed, and with much feehng and in low voices on the part of the 
 officera, we moved forward with slow and measured steps to the tune of the death march., 
 (Roslin Castle,) played with muffled drums and mourning fifes. The scene was solemn 
 beyond the powers of description. A man in the vigor of life walking to his grave ; to the 
 tune of his own death-march, clothed in his burial robes, surrounded by friends assembled 
 to perform the last sad offices of affection, and to weep over him in the last sad hour : no, 
 not by these, but by soldiers with bristling bayonets and loaded muskets, urged by stem 
 command to do the violence of death to a fellow-soldier ; as he surveys the multitude, he 
 beholds no look of tenderness, no tear of sensibility ; he hears no plaint of grief; all, all is 
 stern as the iron rigor of the law which decrees his death. 
 
 " . . . . Amid reflections like these, we arrived at the place of execution, a large open 
 field, in whose centre a heap of earth, freshly thrown up, marked the spot of the deserter's 
 grave. On this field the whole force then at the cantonment, amounting to many hundred 
 men, was drawn up in the form of a hollow square, with the side beyond the grave vacant. 
 The executioners, eight in number, had been drawn by lot. No soldier would volunteer 
 for such a duty. Their muskets had been charged by the officer of the day ; seven of them 
 with ball, the eighth with powder alone. Thus prepared they were placed together, and 
 each executioner takes his choice. Thus each may beheve that he has the blank cartridge, 
 and therefore has no hand in the death of his brother soldier ; striking indications of the 
 nature of the service. 
 
 " The coffin was placed parallel with the grave, and about two feet distant. In the 
 intervening space the prisoner was directed to stand. He desired permission to say a word 
 to his fellow-soldiers ; and thus standing between his coffin and his grave, warned them 
 against desertion, continuing to speak until the officer on duty, with his watch in his hand, 
 announced to him in a low voice, ' Two o'clock, your last moment is at hand ; you must 
 kneel upon your coffin.' This done, the officer drew down the white cap, so as to cover 
 the eyes and most of the face of the prisoner — still continuing to speak in a hurried, loud, 
 and agitated voice. The kneeling was the signal for the executioners to advance. They 
 had before, to avoid being distinguished by the prisoner, stood intermingled with the soldiers 
 who formed the line. They now came forward, marching abreast, and took their stand a 
 little to the left, about two rods distant from their living mark. The officer raised his 
 sword. At this signal, the executioners took aim. He then gave a blow on a drum which 
 was at hand ; the executioners all fired at the same instant. The miserable man, with a 
 horrid scream, leaped firom the earth, and fell between liis coffin and bis grave. The ser. 
 
H13T0HICAL COLLECTIONS. 385 
 
 geant of the guard, a moment after, shot him through the head with a musket reserrsi 'or 
 this purpose in case the executioners failed to produce instant death. The sergeant, .rim 
 motives of humanity, held the muzzle of his musket near the head ; so near that the cap 
 took fire ; and there the body lay upon the face ; the head emitting the mingled fumes of 
 burning cotton and burning hair. O war, dreadful even in thy tenderness ; horrible even 
 iji thy compassion '. 
 
 " I was desired to perform my part of the ceremony ; and placing my hand where just 
 before the pulse beat full, and the life flowed warm, and finding no symptom of either, I 
 affirmed, he is dead. The hne then marched by the body, as it lay upon the earth, the 
 head still smoking ; that every man might behold for himself the fate of a deserter. 
 
 " Thus far, all had been dreadful indeed, but solemn, as it became the sending of a spirit 
 to its dread account ; but now the scene changes. The whole band struck up, and with 
 uncommon animation, our national air, (Yankee Doodle,) and to its Uvely measures we 
 were hurried back to our parade ground. Having been dismissed, the commander of the 
 post sent an invitation to all the officers to meet at his quarters, whither we repaired, and 
 were treated to a glass of gin and water. Thus this melancholy tragedy ended in what 
 seemed little better than a farce ; a fair specimen, the former of the dread severity — the 
 latter of the moral sensibilities which prevail in the camp." 
 
 15. Blowing up of the steam-frigate Pitlton. 
 
 The following account of the blowing up of the steam-frigate Ful- 
 ton at the navy-yard in this place, June 4th, 1829, was written on 
 the morning after the explosion : 
 
 " The Fulton has ever since the war been occupied as a receiving ship, and was moored 
 within two hundred yards of the shore. The magazine was in the bow of the ship, and 
 contained at the time of the explosion but three barrels of damaged powder. The explo- 
 sion was not louder than that produced by the discharge of a single cannon ; and many 
 persons in the navy.yard supposed the report to have proceeded from such a source, until 
 they saw the immense column of smoke arising from the vessel. Others about the yard 
 saw the masts rising into the air before the explosion, and immediately after, the air was 
 filled with fragments of the vessel. It is not a little remarkable, that a midshipman who 
 was, at the time of the accident, asleep on board of the frigate United States, within two 
 hundred yards of the Fulton, was not at all disturbed by the report of the explosion, and 
 was not aware of the occurrence, until he was told of it after he awoke. 
 
 " The Fulton is a complete wreck ; the bow being destroyed nearly to the water, and the 
 whole of this immense vessel, whose sides were more than four feet thick, and all othar 
 parts of corresponding strength — is now lying an entire heap of ruins, burst asunder in all 
 parts, and aground at the spot where she was moored. Although she was but 200 yards 
 from the navy-yard, and many vessels near her, not one of them received the least dam- 
 age ; nor was the bridge which led from the shore to the Fulton at all injured. The sen. 
 tinel upon the bridge received no wound whatever, and continued to perform his duty after 
 the accident, as unconcerned as though nothing had happened. The sentinel on board the 
 ship was less fortunate, and escaped with merely (a light accident on such occasions) a 
 broken leg. There were attached to the Fulton, by the roll of the ship, 143 persons ; and, 
 at the time of the explosion, there were supposed to have been on board the vessel about 
 sixty pereons. 
 
 " It happened fortunately that sixty-two men, formerly attached to the frigate, were drafted 
 on Tuesday, and had proceeded to Norfolk to form part of the crew of the fngate Constel. 
 lation, then on the eve of departure for a foreign station. The band, 17 in number, were 
 on shore. This dreadful accident was occasioned by the gunner's going into the magazine 
 to procure powder to fire the evening gun. He was charged by one of the pfficers pre. 
 viously to his going below, to be carefiil ; and soon after, the explosion took place. We un. 
 derstand that he was a man between fifty and sixty years of age, and had just been ap. 
 pointed to that office ; the old gunner having been discharged the day before. He was de. 
 ■ired by Lieutenant Breckenridge to be cautious with the light, and to place it in the loca. 
 tion invariably provided for it, on such occasions, viz. behind a reflecting glass in the parti 
 
 49 
 
386 HISTOBICAL COLLECTIONS. 
 
 (ion, through which the rays of light are thrown. It is supposed he had been careless in 
 this particular, and that having carried the candle into the magazine, some of its sparks 
 were communicated to the powder : but as he is among the dead, nothing certam on this 
 point can ever be known. Lieutenant Mull states, that the necessary precautions bad been 
 taken for opening the magazine, and a sentinel placed at the hatch before he left the deck, 
 and that after being in the ward room some twenty minutes the explosion took place. 
 
 " At the time of the explosion, the officers were dining in the ward room. The lady of 
 Lieutenant Breckenridge, and the son of Lieutenant Flatt, a lad about nine years old, were 
 guests, and one account says both were sUghtly wounded. Another account says. Lieuten- 
 ant Mull, who was sitting next to the son of Lieutenant Piatt, with great presence of mind, 
 caught hold of him and placed him in one of the port-holes, by which means he escaped 
 uninjured. Lieutenant Flatt had returned only yesterday morning, having been absent one 
 month on leave. Commodore Chauncey, with the commander of the fngate. Captain New. 
 ton, left her only a few minutes before the explosion — the former having been on board on 
 a visit of inspection. 
 
 " The escape of Midshipman Eckford seems to have been almost miraculous. When 
 Commodore Chauncey (who was one of the first to reach the vessel) got on board, the first 
 object he saw was young Eckford hanging by one of his legs between the gun-deck, whither 
 he had been forced by the explosion. A jack-screw was immediately procured, by means 
 of which the deck was raised and he was extricated from his perilous situation. 
 
 " The room in which the officers were dining was situated about midships. The whole 
 company at the table were forced, by the concussion, against the transom with such violence 
 as to break their limbs, and otherwise cut and bruise them in a shocking manner. 
 
 " The magazine was situated in the bows of the vessel. This part of the ship, as may 
 well be imagined, is completely demolished. Indeed the ship remains as complete a wreck 
 as probably was ever beheld. The timbers throughout appear to have been perfectly rotten. 
 Many of the guns were throvm overboard, and some of them (of large dimensions) hung 
 as it were by a hair. 
 
 ** The bodies of the dead and wounded were brought on shore as soon as circumstances 
 would permit. The former, after being recognised, were put into coffins. The latter were 
 carried to the hospital of the navy-yard and every attention paid to them. The bodies of 
 the dead were shockingly mangled ; their features distorted, and so much blackened, that 
 it was difficult to recognise them. 
 
 " Commodore Chauncey and the officers of the station were on board the wreck, after 
 the explosion, giving directions to remove the scattered timber, in order that a search might 
 take place for such bodies as might be buried in the ruins. The tide being at the ebb, im. 
 mense quantities of the fragments of the ship floated down in front of the city, and hun. 
 dreds of small boats were seen busily engaged in securing them. 
 
 " What is a very remarkable circumstance, although several of the persons at dinner in 
 the ward room escaped with their lives, and some of them uninjured, not a vestige of tha 
 table, chairs, or any of the furniture in the room remains. Every thing was blown to atoms. 
 
 " The Fulton was built with two keels, or rather was in fact two 
 boats, joined together by the upper works. The sides were of im- 
 mense thickness, and the whole frame was, when built, probably the 
 strongest of the kind ever constructed. But the timbers had now be- 
 come very rotten, and the whole hulk was, as it were, kept together 
 by its own weight. It is supposed that the rotten state of the vessel, 
 making her timbers give way easily, rendered the destruction greater 
 than if she had been new and sound. 
 
 " Midshipman Eckford was standing in the starboard gangway, and 
 was strangely tumbled to the inside, instead of being blown out upon 
 the platform. He was then caught under one of the beams, where 
 he hung fast by one leg. 
 
 " While he hung in this painful condition, not a groan, nor a com- 
 plaint, nor a word of supplication escaped him. His cheek was un- 
 blanched, and his features composed, while he held on to the beam 
 with his arms to keep his head up. 
 
 " Attempts were made to raise the beam, but there was such a mass 
 of materials above, that no muscular force could move it In this 
 
HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS. 387 
 
 emergency, Commodore Chauncey, witn great promptness, orderea 
 the jack-screw to be brought from the shore. This took time, and it 
 was not then the work of a moment to apply it, and bring it into ac- 
 tion. An hour went by, ere the youth was extricated ; and yet not a 
 single murmur of impatience was heard from his lips. His only 
 words were in direction or encouragement to those who were aiding 
 him — exclaiming from time to time, ' Hurra my hearties !' ' There it 
 moves !' His only reproof was to the sailor, who, when the beam 
 was raised, attempted, rather rudely, to withdraw the fractured limb. 
 The sailor supported him whilst he performed the office himself. 
 
 " The whole number of killed was thirty-three, including Lieuten- 
 ant Breckenridge and the three women. Twenty-nine were reported 
 as wounded, but there were many more who were slightly injured. 
 Nearly every person on board received at least a scratch. 
 
 " The greatest part of the mischief was done by the force of the 
 fragments and splinters. These were driven into every part of the 
 ship. Captain Newton, who commanded the ship, employed all the 
 force he could spare, to clear the wreck, and find the bodies of the 
 unfortunate sufferers. Twenty-four were taken out of the ruins at 
 the time, but some of the others were not found till a considerable 
 time after. One was found horribly mutilated, and drifted ashore on 
 Staten Island. Another got fastened to a beam, and was picked up. 
 Two were picked out of the water near the wreck." 
 
 16. Murder of R. Barber in Chittenango. 
 
 The murder of Robert Barber, by Lewis Wilber, on the line of the 
 Erie canal in this town,. August 30th, 1837, caused a great sensation 
 in this part of the country. Robert Barber was from Coleraine, in 
 the northern part of Massachusetts, and was a man of respectability, 
 and in easy circumstances. He was a widower of upwards of fifty 
 years of age, and had children and numerous respectable relatives in 
 Coleraine. He left home on the 28th of August, for the purpose of 
 marrying a lady residing at Onondaga, N. Y. On his journey to 
 Utica he became acquainted with Wilber, who was about 21 years 
 of age, a native of Saratoga, N. Y. This person was of a low and 
 vicious character, and in the habit of thieving from his childhood. 
 The following account of the murder is from a pamphlet published in 
 Morris ville in 1839. 
 
 " At Utica, Wilber first entertained the thought of murdering the old man. For that 
 object, or any similar one, he purchased a common shoe-knife, aa he said, — ^but such a one 
 as is often called a bread-knife, with a sharp point and a turned wooden handle ; it cost eigh- 
 teen pence. This he wrapped in a paper, and carried it in a pocket in the skirt of his coat. 
 
 " Sometime towards evening of the same day, (the 29th,) they both took a line boat to 
 f o west, of which Edwin B. Muoger was captain ; the name of the boat he could not ro 
 
388 HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS. 
 
 collect. Night coming on, they lodged together in the same berth. Little of interest oc> 
 curred during the paasage until morning, when they arrived very early at Burr's Tavern, 
 on the canal, in Sullivan, about three miles east of the Chittenango Landing. There, the 
 boat having stopped, Wilber and his companion (for they had by this time become consid- 
 erably acquainted, and the old gentleman famihar with him) stepped off from the boat, 
 went into the house, and drank something at the bar that they called for, which was handed 
 to them by a woman. 
 
 " They then walked along the towpath to Lee's Bridge (so called,) about eighty rods 
 west, and had some conversation about going on foot to Chittenango Landing ; and at the 
 suggestion of Wilber, they crossed over Lee's Bridge, and took a westerly direction in the 
 highway leading to Chittenango Landing. They passed the crotch of the road that leads 
 olT towards Canesaraga, and turning west, went on beyond all the houses and buildings. 
 When they reached the last open field on the right, before entering the woods, Wilber in. 
 formed the old gentleman that it would lessen the distance to turn to the right from the 
 road, and cross the woods in that direction. They accordingly got over the fence, and 
 walked in the direction of the woods, which they soon reached and entered. In the direc- 
 tion they were travelling at the time, the woods, where they entered them, were about 
 sixty rods from the highway, and the distance dirough the woods to the canal (towards 
 which they were going at an angle of about forty .five degrees to the general course of the 
 canal,) must be not far from a quarter of a mile. 
 
 " When they arrived at the place where the body of the old gentleman was subsequently 
 oimd, (eighteen or twenty rods distant from the canal,) Wilber said he took from his 
 pocket the knife before described, and a pistol that be carried, which at the time was not 
 charged — and presenting the pistol to the old gentleman, demanded of him his money, at 
 the same time showing him the knife. Here he said he became much agitated, and appa. 
 rently more so than the old gentleman. The latter deUberately took his pocket-book from 
 a side-pocket in his coat, and a purse from his pantaloons pocket — saying at the same time, 
 * I did not think that of you — ^I thought you was my friend.' Wilber then told him to throw 
 down the pocket-book and purse, which he did. ' I was afi^d to take them up,' said he, 
 ' and told him to lie down and hide his face, and not look up for half an hour.* He then 
 laid down in die same position in which he lay when found, according to the testimony of 
 the witnesses. Here Wilber resolved to take the money and leave him. He took the 
 pocket-book and purse, and secured them. Then, standing by the right side of the old 
 gentleman, who lay on his face, with his right hand under his eyes and his hat on his head, 
 a second thought warned Wilber of the danger of detection if the old gentleman should 
 hve ; and throwing up the skirt of his coat, with a back-handed stroke he plunged the knife 
 into his body, near the back-bone and below the ribs. This be repeated several times. 
 He said that from the time he struck the first blow vrith the knife, no signs of life appeared. 
 Indeed, he never moved from the original position in which he laid down. 
 
 " But this seemed not enough. He then stepped a few paces to the west, and thinking 
 that by possibility his victim might survive, he picked up a large stone, and approaching 
 him as he lay, threw it at him, and it struck his head. This he thought made the fracture 
 in the skull above the left ear, on the back of the head, which appeared when the body 
 was found, and also a similar corresponding hole in the hat. 
 
 " In describing this scene — which he did with a great deal of accuracy and minuteness — 
 his feelings frequently overcame his utterance, and the burden of his thoughts choked him 
 to silence. He would pause, and groan and weep ; and when he spoke again, it would be 
 by exclamations and ejaculations, accompanied by the most frightfiil writhings, manifesting 
 the greatest mental suifering. He declared that if the old gentleman had made the least 
 resistance or noise, he should have fled, and left him untouched." 
 
 Wilber after the murder proceeded on to Buffalo, and from thence 
 to Cleaveland, Ohio, where he was arrested in April, 1838. After 
 Mr. Barber was missed by the captain of the boat, from which he 
 went with Wilber, his trunk was kept on board through to Buffalo 
 and back again to Albany, where he saw a notice respecting the dis- 
 appearance of iMr. B. His suspicions now rested on Wilber as his 
 murderer. Search was made far and near on the north side of the 
 canal ; this was in October, and the winter passed away without any 
 discovery. In March, 1838, the body was accidentally discovered, 
 which immediately led to the apprehension of Wilber. He was ex- 
 ecuted at Morrisville, October 3d, 1839. 
 
HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS. 389 
 
 ]7. Capture of the Spanish Schooner Amistad. 
 
 In the year 1839 quite a sensation was created on account of tiie 
 visit and capture of a company of African slaves, witiiin five or six 
 miles of the light-house on Montauk Point, the eastern extremity of 
 Long Island. They were taken by Capt. Gedney of the U. S. Sur- 
 veying brig Washington, and carried into New London. The fol- 
 lowing particulars were written by one of the officers of the brig : 
 
 New Ijondon, August 26, 1839. 
 
 "While this vessel was sounding this day between Gardiner's and Montauk Points, a 
 schooner was seen lying in-shore off CuUoden Point, under circumstances so suspicious as to 
 authorize Lieutenant-commandant Gedney to stand in to see what was her character ; seeing 
 a number of people on the beach with carts and horses, and a boat passing to and fro, a boat 
 was armed and despatched with an ofBcer to board her. On coming alongside, a number of 
 negroes were discovered on her deck, and twenty or thirty more were on the beach — two 
 white men came forward and claimed the protection of the officer. The schooner proved to 
 be the ' Amistad,' Captain Ramonflues, from the Havanna, bound to Guanajah, Port Princi- 
 pe, with 54 blacks and two passengers on board ; the former, four nights after they were out, 
 rose and murdered the captain and three of the crew — they then took possession of the vessel, 
 with the intention of returning to the coast of Africa. Pedro Montez, passenger, and Jose 
 Ruiz, owner of the slaves and a part of the cargo, were only saved to navigate the vessel. 
 After boxing about for four days in the Bahama channel, the vessel was steered for the Island 
 of St. Andrews, near New Providence — from thence she went to Green Key, where the blacks 
 laid in a supply of water. After leaving this place the vessel was steered by Pedro Montez 
 for New Providence, the negroes being under the impression that she was steering for the 
 coast of Africa — they would not however permit her to enter the port, but anchored every 
 night off the coast. The situation of the two whites was all this time truly deplorable, being 
 treated with the greatest severity, and Pedro Montez, who had charge of the navigation, was 
 suffering from two severe wounds, one on the head and one on the arm, their lives being 
 threattned every instant. He was ordered to chanM the course again for the coast of Africa, 
 the negroes themselves steering by the sun in the daytime, while at night he would alter their 
 course so as to bring them back to their original place of destination. They remained three 
 days off Long Island, to the eastward of Providence, after which time they were two months 
 on the ocean, sometimes steering to the eastward, and whenever an occasion would permit, 
 the whites would alter the course to the northward and westward, always in hopes of falling 
 in with some vessel of war, or being enabled to run into some port, when they would be re- 
 lieved from their horrid situation. 
 
 ** Several times they were boarded by vessels ; once by an American schooner from 
 Kingston ; on these occasions the whites were ordered below, while the negroes commu- 
 nicated and traded with the vessels ; the schooner from Kingston supplied them with a de. 
 mijohn of water for the moderate sum of one doubloon — this schooner, whose name was not 
 ascertained, finding that the negroes had plenty of money, remained lashed alongside the 
 ' Amistad' for twenty-four hours, though they must have been aware that all was not right 
 on board, and probably suspected the character of the vessel — this was on the eighteenth 
 of the present month ; the vessel was steered to the northward and westward, and on the 
 20fh instant, distant from New York 25 miles, the pilot.boat No. 3 came alongside and 
 gave the negroes some apples. She was also hailed by No. 4 ; when the latter boat came 
 near, the negroes armed themselves and would not permit her to board them ; they were 
 so exasperated with the two whites for bringing them so much out of their way, that they 
 expected every moment to be murdered. On the 24th they made Montauk light, and 
 steered for it in the hope of.running the vessel ashore, but the tide drifted them up the bay, 
 and they anchored where they were found by the brig Washington, off CuUoden point. 
 The negroes were found in communication with the shore, where they laid in a fresh supply 
 of water, and were on the point of sailing again for the coast of Africa. They had a good 
 supply of money, some of which it is likely was taken by the people on the beach. After 
 disarming and sending them on board from the beach, the leader jumped overboard with 
 three hundred doubloons about him, the property of the captain, all of which he succeeded 
 in losing from his person, and then submitted himself to be captured. The schooner was 
 taken in tow by the brig and carried into New London." 
 
 The Africans were afterward taken to New Haven ; and an inves- 
 tigation was had before the United States court at Hartford. In 
 January, 1840, their case was tried before the United States district 
 
390 HISTOEICAL COLLECTIONS. 
 
 court. Judge Judson decided that they should be delivered up to 
 the President of the United States to be sent back to Africa. The 
 United States attorney having appealed from this decision, the case 
 was referred to the Supreme Court, at Washington, which set in 
 January, 1841. This court declared the freedom of the Africans. A 
 number of persons in New Haven, Conn., where the captives were 
 kept, interested themselves in their welfare, and gave them religious 
 and other instruction, and soon after they were sent back to Mendi, 
 their native country, where a promising mission is now established. 
 
 18. Rachel Baker, the Somnambulist. 
 
 Perhaps the most remarkable case on record of devotional somni- 
 um, so called, is that of Miss Rachel Baker of this town. A full his- 
 tory of her case may be found in the Transactions of the Physico- 
 Medical Society of New York, vol. I. p. 395. Rachel Baker was 
 born at Pelham, Massachusetts, May 29, 1794. Her parents were 
 pjjous persons, and early taught her the importance of religion. From 
 childhood she appeared to possess a contemplative disposition ; but 
 her mind was not vigorous, nor was she much disposed to improve 
 it by reading. At the age of nine years she removed with her pa- 
 rents to the town of Marcellus in the state of New York. From 
 that time she said " she had frequently strong convictions of the im- 
 portance of eternal things, and the thoughts of God and eternity 
 would make her tremble." — In June, 1811, while on a visit to the 
 town of Scipio, she was deeply affected in witnessing the baptism of 
 a young lady, and from that period was impressed with a stronger 
 conviction of her own sinfulness. On her return to Marcellus, she 
 endeavored to suppress her religious anxiety, but in vain ; her anguish 
 of mind was fully depicted in her countenance. 
 
 On the evening of the 28th of November, while she was sitting in 
 a chair, apparently asleep, she began to sigh and groan as if in ex- 
 cessive pain. She had said a short time before that she would live 
 only a little while, and as she now repeated the expression, her parents 
 were apprehensive that she was dying. This evening she talked 
 incoherently ; but manifested in what she said much religious concern. 
 She continued almost every night talking in her sleep till the 27 Jan., 
 1812. On that evening, soon after she had fallen asleep, she was 
 seized with a fit of trembling, shrieked aloud and awoke in great 
 terror. Horror and despondency overwhelmed her with the dread 
 of a miserable eternity, and of her speedy and inevitable doom. But 
 these agonizing feelings were soon succeeded by a calm ; her mind 
 became tranquil, and in her nightly devotions, which were now regu- 
 lar and coherent, she poured forth a spirit of meekness, gratitude, and 
 love. From this time the whole tenor of her soul seemed to be 
 changed. She was incapable of expressing her sentiments clearly 
 when awake ; but her sleeping exercises were so solemn and im 
 
HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS. 391 
 
 pressive, that few who heard them doubted that they were the genuine 
 fruits of repentance, piety, and peace. 
 
 Dr. Mitchell, in describing Miss Baker's case, says, " the latter 
 of these remarkable affections of the human mind, {Somnium cum 
 religione,) i. e. sleep with religion, belongs to Miss Rachel Baker, 
 who for several years has been seized with somnium of a religious 
 kind once a day with great regularity. These daily paroxysms 
 recur with wonderful exactness, and from long prevalence have now 
 become habitual. They invade her at early bedtime, and a fit 
 usually lasts about three quarters of an hour. A paroxysm has been 
 known to end in 35 minutes, and to continue 98. The transition 
 from the waking state to that of somnium is very quick, frequently in 
 quarter of an hour, and sometimes even less. After she retires from 
 company in the parlor, she is discovered to be occupied in praising 
 God with a distinct and sonorous voice. Her discourses are usually 
 proqpunced in a private chamber, for the purpose of delivering them 
 with more decorum on her own part and with greater satisfaction to 
 her hearers. She has been advised to take the recumbent posture. 
 Her face being turned towards the heavens, she performs her nightly 
 devotions with a consistency and fervor wholly unexampled in a 
 human being in a state of somnium. Her body and limbs are mo- 
 tionless, they stir no more than the trunk and extremities of a statue : 
 the only motion the spectator perceives is that of her organs of speech, 
 and an oratorical inclination of the head and neck, as if she was intently 
 engaged in performing an academic or theological exercise. Ac- 
 cording to the tenor and solemnity of the address, the attendants are 
 affected with seriousness. She commences and ends with an address 
 to the throne of grace, consisting of proper topics of submission and 
 reverence, of praise and thanksgiving, and of prayer for herself, her 
 friends, the church, the nation, for enemies, and the human race in 
 general. Between these is her sermon or exhortation. She begins 
 without a text, and proceeds with an even course to the end, embel- 
 lishing it sometimes with fine metaphors, vivid descriptions, and poeti- 
 cal quotations. There is a state of the body felt like groaning, sob- 
 bing, or moaning, and the distressful sound continues from two 
 minutes to quarter of an hour. This agitation, however, does not 
 wake her; it gradually subsides, and she passes into a sound and 
 natural sleep, which continues during the remainder of the night. In 
 the morning she wakes as if nothing had happened, and entirely igno 
 rant of the scenes in which she has acted. She declares she knows 
 nothing of her nightly exercises except from the information of others. 
 With the exception of the before-mentioned agitation of body and 
 exercise of mind, she enjoys perfect health. In October, 1814, Miss 
 Baker was brought to New York by her friends, in hopes that her 
 somnial exercises, (which were considered by some of them as 
 owing to disease,) might by the exercise of a journey and the novelty 
 of a large city be removed. But none of these means produced the 
 desired effect. Her acquaintEinces stated that her somnial exercises 
 took place every night regularly, except in a few instances when 
 
392 HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS. 
 
 interrupted by severe sickness, from the time they commenced in 
 1812. In September, 1816, Dr. Sears, by a course of medical treat- 
 ment, particularly by the use of opium, prevented a recurrence of 
 her nightly exercises. 
 
 19. Abduction of William Morgan. 
 
 Batavia has acquired celebrity from its being the place from which 
 William Morgan was abducted in 1826, for attempting to reveal the 
 secrets of free masonry. Morgan, it appears, was born in 1774, in 
 Culpepper county, Va. His occupation was originally that of a 
 bricklayer and stone mason. He removed from Virginia in 1821, 
 and went to York, U. C. ; from thence he removed to Rochester. 
 From various misfortunes, he became quite reduced in his circum- 
 stances, and in the summer of 1826 he resided in the village of Bata- 
 via. While here, he became connected with D. C. Miller, a painter, 
 for the purpose of publishing a work disclosing masonic obligations, 
 secret signs, &c. Morgan, it appears, was a royal arch mason ; and 
 when the fact became known that he was preparing a work to reveal 
 the secrets of masonry, many of the masonic fraternity became much 
 excited, and appeared determined to put an end to his disclosures. 
 For this purpose, his character was assailed in the public prints. In 
 July, 1826, Morgan was arrested on a civil suit at Batavia, and gave 
 bail ; he was afterward arrested and hurried to jail, without time 
 being given him to procure bail, and search was made at his lodgings 
 for his papers on some pretended process, the sheriff in the mean 
 time absenting himself. An attempt was afterward made to bum 
 down Miller's printing office, where "Morgan's Book" was print- 
 ing. 
 
 On Sunday, Sept. 10th, application was made to J. Chipman, Esq., 
 a magistrate of Canandaigua, for a warrant to apprehend Morgan for 
 stealing a shirt and cravat, which it appeared afterward he had only 
 borrowed. The warrant being issued, the constable at CauEindaigua, 
 attended by five other persons from that place, immediately set out 
 for Batavia, where they arrived in the evening. Early the next 
 morning, (Monday,) Morgan was arrested and taken to the public 
 house where the party had slept ; an extra stage-coach was procured, 
 and the party left Batavia for Canandaigua, with Morgan in their cus- 
 tody. Miller attempted to procure the release of Morgan just as the 
 carriage was starting, but he was pushed aside, and the driver was 
 urged to drive fast till he should get out of the county. Having 
 arrived in Canandaigua, Morgan in the evening was taken before the 
 magistrate who had issued the warrant, and was by him examined 
 and discharged. One of the party then immediately applied to the 
 same magistrate for a warrant against Morgan for a debt of about 
 $2, which he said had been assigned to him by a tavern keeper. 
 Judgment was entered against Morgan for $2.69, debt and costs, 
 and an execution immediately issued. Morgan took off his coat, and 
 
HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS. 3i93 
 
 offered it to the constable to levy upon for the debt. Tne constable 
 declined receiving it, and Morgan vtras committed to the Canandaigua 
 jail the same evening, where he remained till the evening of the next 
 day. 
 
 On the 12th of Sept., about 9 o'clock in the evening, the wife of the 
 
 Sler, at the request of the plaintiff in the execution, consented to let 
 organ out of the prison. As he was leaving the jail steps, he was 
 violently seized by two persons ; he struggled, and cried " murder," 
 a number of times. Two other persons now came up, one of whom 
 stopped Morgan's outcry by thrusting a handkerchief, or something 
 similar, into his mouth. At a signal given by one of the party, a two- 
 horse carriage now drove up ; two of the party thrust Morgan into 
 the carriage, and then got in themselves. This carriage arrived in 
 Rochester about day-dawn the next morning. Another carriage 
 was procured, and relays of horses were obtained. When the party 
 arrived at New Fane, about 3 miles from Lockport, they sent to the 
 sheriff of Niagara county, to assist them in getting Morgan into 
 Canada. The sheriff accordingly left Lockport, attended the party, 
 and assisted them in procuring horses, &c. They arrived at Lewis- 
 ton about midnight ; here another carriage was procured, and the 
 party was driven to the burying ground near Fort Niagara. Here 
 they left the carriage and proceeded with Morgan in their custody to 
 the ferry, and crossed over to the Canada side. After conferring with 
 a number of persons in Niagara village, Morgan was brought back, 
 as arrangements had not been completed for his reception. This 
 event it appears had been anticipated. Morgan was taken to the 
 magazine of Fort Niagara, and locked in before day-dawn, on the 
 morning of the 14th of September. 
 
 On the day that Morgan was put into the magazine, a royal arch 
 chapter was installed at Lewiston, which event called together a 
 considerable assemblage of masons from the vicinity. " In the even- 
 ing, 20 or 30 persons came to the fort from Lewiston. About mid- 
 night, 7 persons, stated to be royal arch masons, held a consultation 
 on the plain near the graveyard, as to the manner in which Morgan 
 should be disposed of. The prevailing opinion among them appeared 
 to be, that Morgan had forfeited his life for a breach of his masonic 
 obligations, and that they ought to see the penalty executed by 
 drowning him in the river ; some of the company discovering a re- 
 luctance to' go to such lengths, the project was abandoned at that time. 
 On the night of the 15th, a similar consultation was held between 
 four persons, but nothing was' decided on. " As to the disposition of 
 Morgan, after the evening of the 14th of September, nothmg has yet 
 been known judicially, but circumstances are strong, to induce the 
 belief that he was put to death on the night of the 19th of SepL, 
 1826, by being cast into the depths of Niagara river." 
 
 50 
 
894 HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS. 
 
 20. Conflagration of the Phmnix, Sept. 5, 1819. 
 
 The steamboat left Burlington for Plattsbnrg about midnight, and had proceeded by ons 
 o'clock in the morning as far as Providence island, when the alarm was given. The boat 
 at this time was temporarily commanded by a son of the captain, Richard M. Sherman, a 
 young man of twenty.two. " Amid the confusion, danger, and difficulties attendant on this 
 terrible disaster, he displayed an energy and presence of mind, not only viforthy of the 
 highest praise, but which we might seek for in vain, even among those of riper years. To 
 quaUties like these, rightly directed as they were, was it owing that not a person was lost 
 on that fearful night. In that burning vessel, at the dead of night, and three miles from 
 the nearest land, was the safety of every one cared for, and ultimately secured, by the 
 promptness, energy, and decision of this young commander." 
 
 Shortly after the fire was discovered, it raged with irresistible violence. " The passen- 
 gers, roused by the alarm from their slumbers, and waking to a terrible sense of impending 
 destruction, rushed in crowds upon the deck, and attempted to seize the small-boats. 
 Here, however, they were met by young Sherman, who, having abandoned all hope of 
 saving his boat, now thought only of saving his passengers, and stood by the gangway with 
 a pistol in each hand, determined to prevent any person from jumping into the boats be. 
 fore they were properly lowered into the water, and prepared to receive their living freight. 
 With the utmost coolness and presence of mind he superintended the necessary prepara- 
 tions, and, in a few minutes, the boats were lowered away, and the passengers received 
 safely on board. They then shoved off, and pulled through the darkness for the distant 
 shore. As soon as this was reached, and the passengers landed, the boats returned to the 
 steamboat and took off the crew, and, as the captain supposed, every living soul except 
 himself. But, shortly after the boats had left the second time, he discovered, under a set. 
 tee, the chambermaid of the Phffinix, who, in her fright and confusion, had lost all con. 
 sciousness. Lashing her to the plank which he had prepared for his own escape, this gal- 
 lant captain launched her towards the shore ; and was thus left alone with his vessel, now 
 one burning pile. Havin^satisfied himself that no living thing remained on board his boat, 
 and with the proud consciousness that he had saved every life intrusted to his care, he 
 sprung from the burning wreck as it was about to sink beneath the waters, and, by the 
 means of a settee, reached the shore in safety. — This is no exaggerated story. It is the 
 simple narrative of one of the most heroic acts on record. We have only to add, that the 
 captain who so faithfully and fearlessly discharged his duty on this trying occasion, is still 
 (1840) in command of a noble boat on Lake Champlain, and is known to every traveller 
 as Captain Sherman, of the steamboat Burlington." 
 
 The following description of this terrific scene was written by one of the passengers : — 
 " I awoke at the time of the alarm, but whether aroused by the cry of fire, the noise of feet 
 trampling on deck, or by that restlessness common to persons who sleep in a strange place, 
 with a mind filled with sorrow and anxiety, I am unable to tell. I thought I heard a faint 
 cry of fire, and, after a short interval, it seemed to be renewed. But it came so weakly 
 upon my ear, and seemed to be flung by so careless a voice, that I concluded it was an 
 uimieaning sound uttered by some of the sailors in their sports on deck. Soon, however, a 
 hasty footstep was heard passing through the cabin, but without a word being uttered. As 
 I approached the top of the cabin stairs, an uncommon brilliancy at once dispelled all 
 doubts. Instantly the flames and sparks began to meet my eyes, and the thought struck 
 me that no other way of escape was left but to plunge half naked through the blaze into the 
 water. One or two more steps assured me that this dreadful alternative was not yet ar. 
 rived : I hastily stepped aft, — a lurid light illuminated every object beyond with the splen- 
 dor of a noon-day sun ; I fancied it was the torch of death, to point me and my fellow, 
 travellers to the tomb. I saw no person on deck ; but, on casting my eyes towards the boat 
 which was still hanging on the larboard quarter, I perceived that she was filled, and that 
 her stem-sheets were occupied with ladies. I flew to the gangway, and assisted in lower- 
 ing the boat into the water. I then descended the steps, with an intention of entering the 
 boat ; but perceiving that she was loaded deep, and that there was a strong breeze and a 
 high sea, I desisted. The painter was soon cut, and the boat dropped astern. I ascended 
 the steps vrith the design of submitting myself to the water upon a plank ; for I had great 
 confidence in my skill in swimming, and I acted under an impression that the shore was 
 only a few rods, certainly not half a mile distant. Judge of what would have been my as- 
 tonishment, and probably also my fate, had I done as I contemplated ; when the fact was, 
 that the steamboat at this period was in the broadest part of Lake Champlain, and at least 
 
HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS. 395 
 
 three miles from any land. I had left the deck about two hours before, and this change 
 had occurred in the mean time. I looked round upon the deck to find a suitable board, or 
 something of sufficient buoyancy, that I could trust to amid such waves as I saw were run. 
 ning. There was nothing large enough to deserve such confidence ; I looked aft over the 
 tafirail, every thing there looked gloomy and forbidding ; I cast my eyes forward, the wind 
 was directly ahead, and the flames were forced, in the most terrific manner, towards the 
 stem, threatening every thing in its range with instant destruction. I then thought if I 
 could pass the middle of the boat, which seemed also to be the centre of the fire, I might 
 find security in standing to windward on the bowsprit. I made the attempt. It was vain. 
 The flames were an insurmountable barrier. I was obliged to return towards the stem. 
 There was then no one in sight. I stepped over upon the starboard side of the quarter, 
 deck. I thought all was gone with me. At that moment I saw a lady come up to the 
 cabin door ; she leaned against the side of it, and looked with a steadfast gaze and dis. 
 tracted air towards the flames ; she turned and disappeared in the cabin. It was Mrs. Wil. 
 son, the poor unfortunate lady who, afterward, with the captain's assistance, as he informed 
 me, committed herself, with many piercing shrieks and agonizing exclamations, to the 
 treacherous support of a small bench, on the troublous bosom of the lake. I then looked 
 over the starboard quarter to know whether the other boat was indeed gone. I had the 
 happiness to see her ; she seemed to be fiiU, or nearly so ; one or two passengers were 
 standing on the lower steps of the accommodation ladder, apparently with the design of 
 entering the boat when she came within reach. I was determined to enter her at all risks, 
 and instantly leaped over the quarter and descended into her. I found her knocking under 
 the counter, and in danger of foundering. The steam-vessel still continued to advance 
 through the water : the waves dashed the boat with considerable violence against her, and 
 most of those who had sought safety in the boat, being unacquainted with water scenes, 
 were much alarmed, and by their ill-directed efibrts were adding to the risk. Under these 
 circumstances it became necessary to cut the fast, which was done, and the boat, and those 
 that were in it, were instantly secure. All these incidents occurred in a shorter time than 
 I have consumed in writing them. From the moment of my hearing the first alarm to that 
 of leaving the steamboat, was not, I am satisfied, near ten minutes ; I believe it was not five." 
 
 21. Wreck of the Mexico. 
 
 The wreck of the Mexico, on Hempstead beach, January 2, 1837, 
 was a heart-rending scene. Being in the dead of winter, the suffer- 
 ings of the unhappy crew and passengers from the cold were intense. 
 The annexed description of their appearance after death is given by 
 an eye-witness. 
 
 " On reaching Hempstead, I concluded to go somewhat off the road, to look at the place 
 where the ship Mexico was cast away. In half an hour, we came to Lett's tavern, some 
 four or five miles this side of the beach, where the ship lay ; and there, in his barn, had 
 been deposited the bodies of the ill-fated passengers, which had been thrown upon the 
 shore. I went out to the bara. The doors were open, and such a scene as presented it. 
 self to my view, I certainly never could have contemplated. It was a dreadful, a frightful 
 scene of horror. 
 
 " Forty or fifty bodies, of all ages and sexes, were lying promiscuously before me over 
 the floor, all frozen and as solid as marble — and all, except a few, in the very dresses in 
 which they perished. Some with their hands clenched, as if for warmth, and almost every 
 one with an arm crooked and bent, as it would be in clinging to the rigging. 
 
 " There were scattered about among the number, four or five beautiful little girls, from 
 six to sixteen years of age, their cheeks and lips as red as roses, with their calm blue eyes 
 open, looking you in the face, as if they would speak. I could hardly realize that they 
 were dead. I touched their cheeks, and they were frozen as hard and as sohd as a rock, 
 and not the least indentation could be made by any pressure of the hand. I could perceive 
 a resemblance to each other, and supposed them to be the daughters of a passenger named 
 Pepper, who perished, together with his vrife and all the family. 
 
 " On the arms of some, were seen the impressions of the rope which they had climg to, 
 the mark of the twist deeply sunk into the flesh. I saw one poor negro sailor, a tall man, 
 with his head thrown back, his hps parted, and )iis now sightless eve.balls turned upwards, 
 
396 HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS. 
 
 ■nd his arms craned over his breast, as if imploring heaven for aid. This poor fellow evi. 
 dentiy had frozen while in the act of fervent prayer. 
 
 " One female had a rope tied to her leg, which had bound her to the rigging ; and anoth. 
 er little fellow had been crying, and was thus frozen, with the muscles of the face just as 
 we see children when crying. There were a brother and a sister dashed upon the beach, 
 locked in each other's arms ; but they had been separated in the bam. All the men had 
 their Upe firmly compressed together, and with the most agonizing expression on their 
 coimtenanoes I ever beheld. 
 
 " One little girl had raised herself on tiptoe, and thus was frozen, just in that position. It 
 was an awfiil sight ; and such a picture of horror was before me, that I became uncon. 
 Bciously fixed to the spot, and found myself trying to suppress my ordinary breathing, lest 
 I should disturb the repose of those around me. I was aroused fi-om the rerety by the 
 entrance of a man — a coroner. 
 
 " As I was about to leave, my attention became directed to a girl, who, I afterward 
 learned, had come that morning from the city to search for her sister. She had sent for 
 ber to come over from England, and had received intelligence that she was in this ship. 
 She came into the bam, and the second body she cast her eyes upon, was hers. She gave 
 way to such a burst of impassioned grief and anguish, that I could not behold her without 
 flharing in her feelings. She threw beiself upon the cold and icy face and neck of the 
 lifeless body, and thus, with her arms around her, remained wailing, mourning, and sob 
 bing, till I came away ; and when some distance off, I could hear her calling her by name 
 in the most frantic manner. 
 
 " So little time, it appears, had they to prepare for their fate, that I perceived a bunch of 
 keys, and a half eaten cake, fall from the bosom of a girl whom the coroner was removing 
 The cake appeared as if part of it had just been bitten, and hastily thrust into her bosom, 
 and round her neck was a riband, with a pair of scissois. 
 
 " And to observe the stout, rugged sailois, too, whose iron frames could endure so much 
 hardship — here they lay masses of ice. Such scenes show ua, indeed, how powerless and 
 feeble are all human efforts, when contending against the storms and tempests, which sweep 
 with resistless violence over the face of the deep. And yet the vessel was so near the 
 shore, that the shrieks and moans of the poor creatures were heard through that bitter, 
 dreadful night, till towards morning, when the last groan died away, and all was hushed in 
 death, and the murmur of the raging billows was all the sound that then met the ear." 
 
 A monument is now erected at Near Rockaway, four miles s. w. 
 of Hempstead village, to the memory of the sufferers of the Mexico, 
 and also to the memory of 77 persons comprising passengers and 
 crew of the American ship Bristol, wrecked on Far Rockaway beach, 
 November 21, 1836. The marble monument, eighteen feet high, was 
 erected partly by money found on the persons of the sufferers, and 
 partly by the contributions of the benevolent and humane in Queens 
 county. The grave is about nine feet wide and one hundred long, 
 containing the bodies of nearly one hundred individuals. 
 
 22. An Account of Joseph Smith and Mormonism. 
 
 Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism, was bom in Royalton, Vt., and removed to 
 Manchester, Ontario county, N. Y., about the year 1820, at an early age, with his parents, 
 who were in quite humble circumstances. He was occasionally employed in Palmyra as 
 a laborer, and bore the reputation of a lazy and ignorant young man. According to the 
 testimony of respectable individuals in that place. Smith and his father were persons of 
 doubtful moral character, addicted to disreputable habits, and moreover extremely supersti- 
 tious, believing in the existence of witchcraft. They at one time procured a mineral rod, 
 and dug in various places for money. Smith testified that when digging be had seen the 
 pot or chest containing the treasure, but never was fortunate enough to get it into his hands 
 He placed a singular looking atone in his hat, and pretended by the light of it to make 
 
HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS. 397 
 
 many wonderful diacoveries of gold, silver, and other treasures, deposited in the earth. He 
 commenced his career as the founder of the new sect when about the age of 18 or 19, and 
 appointed a number of meetings in Palmyra, for the purpose of declaring the divine revela. 
 tions which he said were made to him. He was, however, unable to produce any excite- 
 ment in the village ; but very few had curiosity sufRcient to listen to him. Not having 
 the means to print his revelations, he applied to Mr. Crane, of the society of Friends, de- 
 claring that he was moved by the spirit to call upon him for assistance. This gentleman 
 bid him to go to work, or the state prison would end his career. Smith had better success 
 with Martin Harris, an industrious and thrifty farmer of Palmyra, who was worth about 
 $10,000, and who became one of his leading disciples. By his assistance, 5,000 copies of 
 the Mormon Bible, (so called,) were published tft an expense of about $3,000. It is possi- 
 ble that Harris might have made the advances with the expectation of a profitable specula- 
 tion, as a great sale was anticipated. This work is a duodecimo volume, containing 590 
 pages, and is perhaps one of the weakest productions ever attempted to be palmed off as a 
 divine revelation. It is mostly a bUnd mass rf words, interwoven with scriptural language 
 and quotations, without much of a leading plan or design. It is in fact such a production 
 as might be expected from a person of Smith's abilities and turn of mind. The following 
 is a copy of the title page : 
 
 *'The Book or Mormoh : ah AccouifT wkittkn by the hand or MoaicoN, dfon platks taeih raoH 
 
 THE PLATK8 Of NlPHl. 
 
 " Wherefore it is an abridgment of the record of the people of Nephi, and also of the Lamanitea ; written 
 to the Latnanitea, which are a remnant of the house of Israel, and also to the Jew and Gentile, written by 
 way of commandment, and also by the spirit of Prophecy and Revelat'on. Written and sealed up and hid 
 up to the Lord that they may not be destroyed, to come forth by the gift and power of God unto the inter 
 pretation thereof, sealed by the hand of Moroni and hid up unto the Lord to come forth in due time by the 
 way of the Gentile : the interpretation thereof by the gift of God, an abridgment taken from the book of 
 Ether. Also, which is a Record of the People of Jared, which were scattered at the time the Lord con- 
 founded the language of the people when they were building a tower to get to Heaven, which is to shew 
 unto the remnant of the house of Israel how great things the Lord hath done unto their fathers, and that 
 thry may know the covenants of the Lord, and that they are not cast olf forever ; and also to the convincing 
 of the Jew and Gentile, that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting Himself unto all nations. 
 And now if there are faults it be the mistake of men, wherefore condeum not the things of God that ye may 
 be found spotless at the judgment seat of Christ. 
 
 " By Joseph Smith, Junior, Author and Proprietor, Palmyra. Printed by E. B. Grandio, for the Author, 
 1830." 
 
 At the close of the book is " the testimony of three witnesses," viz : Oliver Cowdery, 
 David Whitmer, and Martin Harris, in which they state unto all nations, kindreds, tongues 
 and people, that they have seen the plates containing the record, and the engravings upon 
 them, &c. On the last page is contained the testimony of eight witnesses, of which the 
 following is a copy : 
 
 " Be it known unto all nations, kindred, tongues, and people, unto whom this book shall come, that Joseph 
 Smith, Jr., the Author and Proprietor of this work, bath shewed unto us the plates of which hath been 
 spoken, which have the appearance of gold ; and as many of the leaves as the said Smith had translated we 
 did handle with our liands, and we also saw the engravings thereof, all of which had the appearance of 
 ancient work and of curious workmanship. And this we bear record, with words of soberness, that the said 
 Smith has shown unto us, for we llave seen and hefted, and know of a surety that the said Smith has got 
 the plates of which we have spoken. And we give our names unto the world that which we have seen and 
 we lie not, God bearing witness of it. Christian Whitmer, Jacob Whitmer, Peter Wiiitmer, Jr., John 
 Wllitmer, Hiram Page, Joseph Smith, Senior, Hyrum Smith, Samuel H. Smith." 
 
 In the preface, Smith states " that the plates of which have been spoken, were fotmd in 
 the township of Manchester, Ontario county. New York." 
 
 It is stated by persons in Palmyra, that when he exhibited these plates to his followers, 
 they were done up in a canvas bag, and Smith made the declaration, that if they tmcovered 
 them, the Almighty would strike them dead. It is said that no one but Smith could read 
 what was engraved upon them ; which he was enabled to do by looking through a peculiar 
 kind of spectacles found buried with the plates. 
 
 Soon after the publication of the Mormon Bible, one Parley B. Pratt, a resident of Lor 
 rain county, Ohio, happening to pass through Palmyra, on the canal, hearing of the new 
 religion, called on the prophet and was soon converted. Pratt was intimate with Sidney 
 Rigdon, a very popular preacher of the denomination called " Reformers" or " Disciples." 
 About the time of the arrival of Pratt at Manchester, the Smiths were fitting out an expe. 
 dition for the western country, tmder the conmiand of Cowdery, in order to convert the 
 Indians or Lamanites, as they termed them. In October, 1830, this mission, consisting of 
 Cowdery, Pratt, Peterson, and Whitmer, arrived at Mentor, Ohio, the residence of Rigdon, 
 well supplied with the new Bibles. Near this place, in Kirtland, there were a few famihes 
 belonging to Rigdon's congregation, who having become extremely fanatical, were daily 
 looking for some wonderfiil event to take place in the world. Seventeen of these persons 
 readily believed in Mormonism, and were all re-immeised, in one night, by Cowdery. By 
 
398 
 
 UISTOlaCAL COLLECTIONS. 
 
 ff'^^Ax, 
 
 The Mormon Hill. 
 
 [The above is a nortticm view of the Mormon Hill in the town of Manchester, ahout 3 miles in a southern 
 direction from Fahnyra. It is about 140 feet in height, and is a specimen of the form of numerous elevations 
 in this section of tlie state, it derives its name from bemg the spot, (if we are to credit the testimony of Jo- 
 seph Sniitli,) where the plates containing tlie iioolt of Mormon were found.] 
 
 the conversion of Rigdon, soon after, Mormonism received a powerful impetus, and inore 
 ttian one hundred converts were speedily added. Rigdon visited Smith at Palmyra, where 
 he tarried about two months, receiving revelations, preaching, tScc. He then returned to 
 Kirtlaiid, Ohio, and was followed a few days after by the prophet Smith and his connec- 
 tions. Thus from a state of almost beggary, the family of Smith were furnished with the 
 " fat of the land" by their disciples, many of whom were wealthy. 
 
 A Mormon temple was erected at Kirtland, at an expense of about $50,000. In this 
 building, there was a sacred apartment, a kind of holy of holies, in which none but the 
 priests were allowed to entej. An unsuccessful application was made to the legislature for 
 the charter of a bank. Upon the refusal, they established an unchartered institution, com- 
 menced their banking operations, issued their notes, and made extensive loans. The 
 society now rapidly increased in wealth and numbers, of whom many were doubtless drawn 
 thither by mercenary motives. But the bubble at last burst. The bank being an unchar- 
 tered institution, the debts due were not legally collectable. With the failure of this insti- 
 tution, the society rapidly declined, and Smith was obliged to leave the state to avoid the 
 sheriff. Most of the sect, with their leader, removed to Missouri, where many outrages 
 were perpetrated against them. The Mormons raised an armed force to " drive off the 
 infidels ;" but were finally obliged to leave the state. 
 
 The next stand made by the Mormons was at Nauvoo, Illinois, a 
 fine location on the Mississippi river. Here they erected a splendid 
 temple, around which they built their city, which at one time con- 
 tained 10,000 inhabitants. But soon difficulties arose, as in other 
 places, between them and the surrounding inhabitants. By some 
 process of law Joseph Smith (the prophet) and his brother Hyram 
 were imprisoned in the Carthage jail, near Nauvoo, and a guard of 
 eight or ten men were stationed at the jail for their protection. While 
 here, on the evening of June 27th, 1844, an armed mob of about 200 
 men, in disguise, broke through the guard, and firing into the prison, 
 killed both Joseph Smith and his brother Hyram. 
 
 The Mormons being convinced that they could not dwell in safety 
 in the settled parts of the United States, sought a place of refuge be- 
 yond the Rocky Mountains. In July, 1847, a pioneer party of Mor- 
 mons laid the foundation of Salt Lake City, 2,100 miles west of New 
 York, and 550 east of San Francisco. Since this period the colony 
 has rapidly advanced in wealth and population. 
 
3!)9 
 
 TABLE 
 
 POST-OFFICES IN NE¥ YOEK 
 
 ON JANUAEY 1st, 1851. 
 
 COMPILED FROM OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS. 
 
 Academy 
 
 Accord 
 
 Acre 
 
 Adanis 
 
 Adams* Basin 
 
 Adams* Center 
 
 Adamsville 
 
 Addison 
 
 Adirundac 
 
 Adriaiice 
 
 Akron 
 
 Alabuma 
 
 Albany t 
 
 Albion 
 
 Alden 
 
 Alder Creek 
 
 Alexander 
 
 Alexandria 
 
 Alexandria Center 
 
 Alfred 
 
 Allred Center 
 
 Allen 
 
 Allen Center 
 
 Allen's HUl 
 
 Alloway 
 
 Almond 
 
 Alps 
 
 Altay , 
 
 Alton 
 
 Amagansett 
 
 Amber 
 
 Amboy 
 
 Amboy Center — 
 
 Amenia 
 
 Amenia Union. . . 
 
 Ames 
 
 Amesville 
 
 Amity 
 
 Amityville 
 
 Amsterdam 
 
 Anaquasacoob: ■•• 
 
 Ancram 
 
 Ancram Lead Mines 
 
 Andes 
 
 Andover 
 
 Angelica .... 
 
 Angola 
 
 Antwerp — 
 Apalachin. .. 
 
 Appling 
 
 Apulia 
 
 Arcadia 
 
 Argosvilie . . . 
 
 Argyle 
 
 Arkport 
 
 Arfcville 
 
 Artcwrigtat . . . 
 
 Ontario. 
 
 Ulster. 
 
 Greene. 
 
 JeSeraoD. 
 
 Monroe. 
 
 Jefferson. 
 
 Washington. 
 
 Steuben. 
 
 Essex. 
 
 Dutchess. 
 
 Erie. 
 
 Genesee. 
 
 Albany. 
 
 Orleans, 
 
 Krie. 
 
 Oneida. 
 
 Genesee. 
 
 Jefferson. 
 
 Jefferson. 
 
 AUegany. 
 
 Allegauy. 
 
 Allegany. 
 
 Allegany. 
 
 Ontario. 
 
 Wayne. 
 
 Allegany, 
 
 Rensselaer. 
 
 Steuben. 
 
 Wayne. 
 
 Suffolk. 
 
 Onondaga. 
 
 Oswego. 
 
 Oswego. 
 
 Dutchess. 
 
 Dutchess. 
 
 Montgomery. 
 
 Ulster. 
 
 Orange. 
 
 Suffolk. 
 
 Montgomery. 
 
 Washington. 
 
 Columbia. 
 
 Columbia. 
 
 Delaware. 
 
 AUegany. 
 
 .Allegany. 
 
 Erie. 
 
 Jefferson. 
 
 Tioga. 
 
 Jefferson. 
 
 Onondaga. 
 
 Wayne. 
 
 Schoharie. 
 
 WasbingtoD. 
 
 Steuben. 
 
 Delaware. 
 
 Cnautauque. 
 
 Amoldton 
 
 Arthuisburgh. . 
 
 Ashford 
 
 Ashland 
 
 Astoria 
 
 Athens 
 
 Athol 
 
 Attica 
 
 Attica Center . . 
 
 Attlebury 
 
 Auburn 
 
 Augusta 
 
 Aurelius 
 
 Auriesville 
 
 Aurora 
 
 Ausable Forks 
 
 Austerlitz 
 
 Ava 
 
 Avoca 
 
 Avon 
 
 Axeville 
 
 Ulster. 
 
 Dutchess. 
 
 Catlaraugua. 
 
 Greene. 
 
 Queens. 
 
 Greene. 
 
 Warren, 
 
 Wyoming 
 
 Wyoming. 
 
 Dutchess. 
 
 Cayuga. 
 
 Oneida, 
 
 Cayuga. 
 
 Montgomery. 
 
 Cayuga. 
 
 Babcock Hill 
 
 Babylon 
 
 Baiiy's Four Comers 
 
 Bainbridge 
 
 Bainbridge Center 
 Bailing Hollow . . 
 
 Baldwin 
 
 BaldwinsTiUe 
 
 Ballstoa 
 
 Ballston Center . . 
 
 Bangor 
 
 Barbourville 
 
 Barcelona 
 
 Barkersville 
 
 Bamerville 
 
 Barnes' Comers . . 
 
 Barre Center 
 
 Barhngton 
 
 Barrytown 
 
 Barry ville 
 
 Barton 
 
 Barton Hill 
 
 Batavia 
 
 BataviaKiU 
 
 Bath 
 
 Battenville 
 
 Beach HiU 
 
 BearsvUle 
 
 Beaver Brook 
 
 Beaver Dams 
 
 Beaver Kill 
 
 Beaver Meadow . . 
 
 Bedford 
 
 Bedford Station.. 
 Beekman.. 
 
 Columbia. 
 
 Oneida. 
 
 Steuben. 
 
 Livingston. 
 
 Cattaraugus. 
 
 Oneida. 
 
 Suffolk. 
 Greene. 
 Chenango. 
 Chenango. 
 Suffolk. 
 Chemui^. 
 Onondaga. 
 Saratoga. 
 Saratoga, 
 Franklin. 
 Delaware. 
 Chautauque. 
 Saratoga. 
 Schoharie- 
 Lewis. 
 Orleans, 
 Yates. 
 Dutche-ss. 
 Sullivan. 
 Tioga. 
 Schoharie. 
 Genesee. 
 Delaware. 
 Steuben. 
 Washington. 
 Ulster. 
 Ulster. 
 Sullivan. 
 Chemung. 
 Sullivan. 
 Chenango. 
 Westchester. 
 Westchester. 
 Dutchess. 
 
 Beekmantown Clinton. 
 
 Belcher 
 Belfast . . 
 Belle Isle 
 Belleville 
 Bellport 
 
 Bellvale o_. 
 
 Bemus's Heights . . . 'Saratoga. 
 Bennett's Corners. . . jMadison. 
 Bennett's Creek . . . '«•"">'«" 
 
 Bennettsburgh 
 
 Bcnnettsville 
 
 Bennington 
 
 Benson 
 
 Benton 
 
 Benton Center 
 
 Bergen 
 
 Bergholtz 
 
 Berkshire 
 
 Berim 
 
 Berne 
 
 Bemhard^s Bay . . . 
 
 Bethany 
 
 Bethel 
 
 Bethlehem 
 
 Bethlehem Center- 
 
 Big Brook 
 
 Big Eddy 
 
 BigFlatts y. 
 
 Big Hollow 
 
 Big Stream Point. . 
 Big Tree Cornera. . 
 
 Blnghamton 
 
 Birdsall 
 
 Black Brook 
 
 Black Creek 
 
 Black Lake 
 
 Black River 
 
 Black Rock 
 
 Blauveltville 
 
 Bleeker 
 
 Blenheim 
 
 Blink Bonny 
 
 Blockville 
 
 Blodget Mills 
 
 Bloomiugburgh ... 
 Blooming Grove . . 
 
 Bloomville 
 
 BluffPoint 
 
 Bolivar 
 
 Bolton 
 
 Bombay 
 
 Booneville 
 
 Borodino 
 
 Boston 
 
 Bouckvllle 
 
 Washington. 
 
 Allegany. 
 
 Onondaga. 
 
 Jefferson. 
 
 Saffolk, 
 
 Orange. 
 
 Steoben. 
 Tompkins. 
 Chenango, 
 Wyoming. 
 Hamilton. 
 Yates. 
 Yates. 
 Genesee. 
 Niagara. 
 Tioga. 
 Rensselaer. 
 Albany 
 Oswego. 
 Genesee. 
 Sullivan. 
 Albany. 
 Albany. 
 Oneida. 
 Sulhvan. 
 Chemung. 
 Greene. 
 Yates. 
 Erie. 
 Broome. 
 Allegany- 
 Clinton. 
 AUegany. 
 St. Lawrence. 
 Jefferson. 
 Erie. 
 
 Rockland. 
 Kalton, 
 Schoharie. 
 St. Lawrence. 
 Chautauque, 
 Cortlandt. 
 Sullivan. 
 Orange. 
 Delaware. 
 Yates. 
 Allegany. 
 Warren. 
 Franklin. 
 Oneida. 
 Onond^a. 
 Erie. 
 Madison. 
 
 Bovina iDelaware. 
 
400 
 
 POST-OFFICES IN NEW YORK. 
 
 Bovina Center — 
 
 Bradford 
 
 Brainard^s Bridge 
 BramaD's Comers 
 
 Brancbport 
 
 Brant 
 
 Brantingham 
 
 Brasher Falls — 
 Brasher Iron Works 
 Breakabeen.. 
 Brewster'fi Station. . 
 
 Brewerton 
 
 Bridgehampton . . 
 
 Bridgeport 
 
 Bridgeville 
 
 Bridgewater 
 
 Brighton 
 
 Bristol 
 
 Bristol Center. . . . 
 
 Broadalbin 
 
 Brocket's Bridge . 
 
 Bruckport 
 
 Brookfleld 
 
 Brooklyn 
 
 Brook's Grove . . 
 
 Brookville 
 
 Bruome Center . . 
 
 BrownviUe 
 
 Brushland 
 
 Brushe's Mills.... 
 
 Bniataville 
 
 Bniynswick 
 
 Buck Bridge 
 
 Buckram 
 
 Bucktooth 
 
 Buel 
 
 Buffalo 
 
 Buffalo Plains 
 
 Bull's Head 
 
 Bullville 
 
 Bordett 
 
 Burke 
 
 Burlingham 
 
 Burlington 
 
 Burlington Flatta. 
 
 Burns 
 
 Burnt Hills 
 
 Burr's Mills 
 
 Burton 
 
 Biutonsville 
 
 Buehnell's Basin . 
 Bushnellsville.. .. 
 Bushirk's Bridge. 
 
 BusU 
 
 Butler 
 
 Butterfly 
 
 Butternuts 
 
 Buttermilk Falls . 
 
 Byersville 
 
 BymvUle 
 
 ByroD 
 
 Cabin Hill 
 
 Cadyrille 
 
 Cairo 
 
 Caldwell 
 
 Caledonia 
 
 Callicoon 
 
 Callicoou DepQt. . 
 
 Cambria 
 
 Cambridge 
 
 Camden 
 
 Cameron 
 
 Cameron Mills... 
 
 camillus 
 
 Campbelltowa . . . 
 Campbellville . . . 
 CampviUfl 
 
 Delaware. 
 
 Steuben. 
 
 Rensselaer. 
 
 Schenectady. 
 
 Yates. 
 
 Erie. 
 
 Lewis. 
 
 St. Iiswrence. 
 
 St Lawrence. 
 
 Schoharie. 
 
 Putnam. 
 
 Onondaga. 
 
 Suffolk. 
 
 Madison. 
 
 Sullivan. 
 
 Oneida. 
 
 Monroe. 
 
 Ontario. 
 
 Ontario. 
 
 Fulton. 
 
 Fulton. 
 
 Monroe. 
 
 Madison. 
 
 Kings. 
 
 Livingston. 
 
 Schoharie. 
 
 Jefferson. 
 
 Delaware. 
 
 I'r.mcii:;. 
 
 Queens. 
 
 Ulster. 
 
 St. liBwrence. 
 
 Queens. 
 
 Cattaraugus. 
 
 Montgomery. 
 
 Erie. 
 
 Erie. 
 
 Dutchess. 
 
 Orange. 
 
 Tompkins. 
 
 Franklin. 
 
 Sullivan. 
 
 Otsego. 
 
 Otsego. 
 
 Allegany. 
 
 Saratoga. 
 
 Jefferson. 
 
 C^taraugus. 
 
 Montgomery. 
 
 Monroe. 
 
 Greene. 
 
 Washington. 
 
 Chautauque. 
 
 Wayne. 
 
 Oswego. 
 
 Otsego. 
 
 Orange. 
 
 Livingston. 
 
 Schoharie. 
 
 Delaware. 
 
 Clinton. 
 
 Greene. 
 
 Warren. 
 
 Livingston. 
 
 Sullivan. 
 
 Sullivan. 
 
 Niagara. 
 
 Washington. 
 
 Oneida. 
 
 Steuben. 
 
 Steuben. 
 
 Onondaga. 
 
 Steuben. 
 
 OulcbeBS. 
 
 'Tioga. 
 
 Canaan 
 
 Canaan Center 
 
 Canaan 4 Comers . . 
 
 Canadice 
 
 Canajoharie 
 
 Canal 
 
 Canandaigua 
 
 Ganastota 
 
 Candor 
 
 Caneadea 
 
 Canfield's Comer. . . 
 
 Caniateo 
 
 Canonsville 
 
 Canoga 
 
 Canterbury 
 
 Canton 
 
 Cape Vincent 
 
 Cardiff 
 
 Carlisle 
 
 Carlton 
 
 Carmel 
 
 Caroline 
 
 Caroline Center 
 
 Carroll 
 
 Carrollton 
 
 Cartersville 
 
 Carthage Landing. . 
 
 Carthage 
 
 Cassadaga 
 
 Cassville 
 
 Castile 
 
 Castle Creek 
 
 Castleton 
 
 Catharine 
 
 Cato 
 
 Cato 4 Corners 
 
 Caton 
 
 Catakill 
 
 Caughdenoy 
 
 Cayuga 
 
 Cayuta 
 
 Cayutaville 
 
 Cazenovia 
 
 Cedar HUl 
 
 Cedar Swamp 
 
 Cedarville 
 
 Central Bridge 
 
 Central Square 
 
 Center Almond .... 
 
 Center Berlin 
 
 Center Cambridge. . 
 
 Centerfleld 
 
 Centerl ndependence 
 Center Lisle .... 
 
 Centerport 
 
 Center Sherman 
 
 Ceierville 
 
 Center Valley... 
 Center White Creek 
 
 Champion 
 
 Champion South 
 
 Roads 
 
 Champlain 
 
 Chapelsburgh ... 
 
 Chopin vine 
 
 Chappaqua 
 
 Charleston 
 
 Charleston 4 CoFs. . 
 
 Charlotte 
 
 Charlotte Center . . 
 
 Charlotte ville 
 
 Charlton 
 
 Chateuugay 
 
 Chautauque Valley 
 
 Chatham 
 
 Chatham Center . . . 
 Chatham 4 Comers 
 Chaumont 
 
 Columbia. 
 
 Columbia. 
 
 Columbia. 
 
 Ontario. 
 
 Montgomery. 
 
 Onondaga. 
 
 Ontario. 
 
 Madison. 
 
 Tioga. 
 
 Allegany. 
 
 Tioga. 
 
 Steuben. 
 
 Delaware. 
 
 Seneca. 
 
 Orange. 
 
 St. Lawrence. 
 
 Jefferson. 
 
 Onondaga. 
 
 Schoharie. 
 
 Orleans. 
 
 Puinam. 
 
 Tompkins. 
 
 Tompkins. 
 
 Chautauque. 
 
 Cattaraugus. 
 
 Oswego. 
 
 Dutchess. 
 
 Jefferscm. 
 
 Chautauque. 
 
 Oneida. 
 
 Wyoming. 
 
 Broome. 
 
 Rensselaer. 
 
 Chemung. 
 
 Cayuga. 
 
 Cayuga. 
 
 Steuben. 
 
 Greene. 
 
 Oswego. 
 
 Cayuga. 
 
 Chemung. 
 
 Tompkins. 
 
 Madison. 
 
 Albany. 
 
 Queens. 
 
 Herkimer. 
 
 Schoharie, 
 
 Oswego. 
 
 Allegimy. 
 
 Rensselaer. 
 
 Washington. 
 
 Ontario. 
 
 Allegany. 
 
 Broome. 
 
 Suffolk. 
 
 Chautauque. 
 
 Allegany. 
 
 Washington. 
 Jefferson. 
 
 Jefferson. 
 
 Clinton. 
 
 Cattaraugus. 
 
 Ontario. 
 
 Westchester. 
 
 Montgomery. 
 
 Montgomeiy. 
 
 Monroe. 
 
 Chautauque. 
 
 Schoharie 
 
 Saratoea. 
 
 Franklin. 
 
 Allegany. 
 
 Columbia. 
 
 Columbia. 
 
 Columbia. 
 
 Jefiforaon. 
 
 Chazy 
 
 Checkered House.. 
 
 Cheek towaga 
 
 Chemung 
 
 Chenango Forks .. . 
 
 Cheningo 
 
 Cherry Creek 
 
 Cherry Valley 
 
 Cheshire 
 
 Chestnut Ridge 
 
 Chester 
 
 Chestertown 
 
 Chief Warrior 
 
 Chili 
 
 China 
 
 Cbittanaogo 
 
 Chittenango Falls . . 
 
 Churcbtown 
 
 Church ville 
 
 Cicero 
 
 CinclnnatuB 
 
 City 
 
 Clarence 
 
 Clarence Center — 
 
 Clarendon 
 
 Clark's Factory . . . 
 
 ClarksoD 
 
 Clarkson Center 
 
 Clarkstown 
 
 ClarksviUe 
 
 Claryville 
 
 Claverack 
 
 Clay 
 
 Clayville ■ 
 
 Clayton 
 
 Clear Creek 
 
 Clermont 
 
 Cleveland 
 
 Clifton 
 
 Clifton Springs — 
 
 Clitton Park 
 
 Clinton 
 
 Clinton Hollow 
 
 Clintonville 
 
 Clinton Comers — 
 
 Clockville 
 
 Clove 
 
 Clovesville 
 
 Clyde 
 
 Clymer 
 
 Clymer Center 
 
 Cobleskill 
 
 Cochecton 
 
 Coeymans 
 
 Coeyman*s Hollow . . 
 
 Cohocton 
 
 Cohoes 
 
 Coila 
 
 Colchester 
 
 Cold Brook 
 
 Golden 
 
 Coldenham 
 
 Cold Spring 
 
 Cold Spring Harbor 
 ColesTiile . . 
 Collamer — 
 
 Collins 
 
 Collins Center 
 Collinsville . . 
 
 Colosse 
 
 Columbia . . 
 Columbus . . 
 
 Comack 
 
 Comstock's Iianding 
 ConesuB — 
 Conesville . . 
 Conewango.. 
 Cooklin 
 
 Clinton. 
 Osw^o. 
 Erie. 
 
 Chemung. 
 Broome. 
 Cortiandt. 
 Chautauque. 
 Otsego. 
 Ontario. 
 Dutchess. 
 Orange. 
 Warren. 
 Erie. 
 Monroe. 
 Wyoming. 
 Madison. 
 Madik)n. 
 Columbia. 
 Monroe. 
 Onondaga. 
 Cortiandt. 
 Dutchess. 
 Erie. 
 Erie. 
 Orleans. 
 Delaware. 
 Monroe. 
 Monroe. 
 Rockland. 
 Albany. 
 Sullivan. 
 Columbia. 
 Onondaga. 
 Oneida. 
 Jefferson. 
 Chautauque. 
 Columbia- 
 Oswego. 
 Monroe. 
 Ontario. 
 Saratoga. 
 Oneida. 
 Dutchess. 
 Clinton. 
 Dutchess. 
 Madison. 
 Dutchess. 
 Delaware. 
 Wayne. 
 Chautauque. 
 Chautauque. 
 ^-choharie. 
 Sullivan. 
 .Albany. 
 Albany. 
 Steuben. 
 Albuiy. 
 Washington. 
 Delaware. 
 Herkimer. 
 Erie. 
 Orange. 
 Putnam. 
 Suffolk. 
 Broome. 
 Onondaga. 
 Erie. 
 Erie. 
 Lewis. 
 Oswego. 
 Herkimer. 
 Chenango. 
 Suffolk. 
 Washingtcm. 
 Livingston. 
 Schoharie. 
 Ciitbvaugus. 
 Broome. 
 
POST-OFFICES IN NEW YOEK. 
 
 401 
 
 Conquest 
 
 Constable ville 
 
 Cunatantia 
 
 Couslantia Center. 
 
 Cooksburgh 
 
 Cooper's Plains . . . 
 
 Cooperatown 
 
 Cuoperaville 
 
 Copuke 
 
 Cupenhageu 
 
 Coram 
 
 CorbettaviUe 
 
 Corfu 
 
 Corinth 
 
 Corning 
 
 Cornwall 
 
 Coruwallville 
 
 Cortlandt 
 
 Cortlandt VUlage . 
 
 County liine 
 
 Coventry 
 
 Coventry ville 
 
 Covert 
 
 CoveviUe 
 
 Covinnjton 
 
 Cowlesville 
 
 Coxsackie 
 
 Cnugsville 
 
 Crain's Comers . . . 
 Cranberry Creek . . 
 
 Cranesville 
 
 Crawford 
 
 Croghan 
 
 Cross River 
 
 Croton 
 
 Croton Falls 
 
 CrotoD Landing. ■■ 
 
 Crown Point 
 
 Crum Elbow 
 
 Crary's Mills 
 
 Cruso 
 
 Cuba 
 
 Cudde back ville . . . 
 
 Cutcbo^e 
 
 Cuyler 
 
 CuylerviUe 
 
 Dale 
 
 Danby 
 
 Dannemora 
 
 Dansville 
 
 Danube 
 
 Darien 
 
 Darien Center 
 
 Davenport 
 
 Davenport Center . . 
 
 Day 
 
 Dayton 
 
 Dean^B Corners 
 
 Deansville 
 
 Df catur 
 
 Dcepikill 
 
 Deer River ... 
 
 De FriestviUe 
 
 De Kalb 
 
 Delavan 
 
 De Lancy 
 
 Delaware Bridge . . 
 
 Delhi 
 
 Delphi 
 
 Delta 
 
 Denmark 
 
 Dennison's Corners 
 
 Denning 
 
 Depauville 
 
 De Peyaier 
 
 JirpoHit 
 
 De Kuyter 
 
 Cayuga. 
 
 Lewis. 
 
 Oswego. 
 
 Oswego. 
 
 Albany. 
 
 Steuben. 
 
 Otsego. 
 
 Clinton. 
 
 ColumblfL 
 
 Lewis. 
 
 Suffolk. 
 
 Broome. 
 
 Genesee. 
 
 Saratoga. 
 
 Steuben. 
 
 Orange. 
 
 Greene. 
 
 Cortlandt. 
 
 Cortlandt. 
 
 Niafi:ara. 
 
 Chenango. 
 
 Chenango. 
 
 Seneca. 
 
 Saratoga. 
 
 Wyoming. 
 
 Wyoming. 
 
 Greene. 
 
 Orange. 
 
 Herkimer. 
 
 Fulton. 
 
 Montj^omery. 
 
 Orange. 
 
 Lewis. 
 
 Westchester. 
 
 Delaware. 
 
 Westchester. 
 
 Westchester. 
 
 Essex. 
 
 Dutchess. 
 
 St. Lawrence. 
 
 Seneca. 
 
 Allegany. 
 
 (Grange. 
 
 Sulfolk. 
 
 Cortlandt 
 
 Livingston. 
 
 Wyoming. 
 
 Tompkins. 
 
 Clinton. 
 
 Livingston. 
 
 Herkimer. 
 
 Genesee. 
 
 Genesee. 
 
 Delaware. 
 
 Delaware. 
 
 Saratoga. 
 
 Cattaraugus. 
 
 Saratoga. 
 
 Oneida. 
 
 Otsego. 
 
 Rensselaer. 
 
 Lewis. 
 
 Rensselaer. 
 
 St. Lawrence. 
 
 Cattaraugus. 
 
 Madison. 
 
 Sullivan. 
 
 Delaware. 
 
 Onondaga. 
 
 Oneida. 
 
 Lewis. 
 
 Herkimer. 
 
 Ulster. 
 
 Jefferson. 
 
 St. Lawrence. 
 
 Delaware. 
 
 Madison. 
 
 Devereaux . . . . 
 
 De Witt 
 
 De Wittville . . 
 
 Dexter 
 
 Diana 
 
 Dickinson . . . . 
 
 DixHilU 
 
 Doanesburgh . . 
 Dobb's Ferry . 
 Dormanaville . . 
 Doty's Comer. 
 
 jDover 
 
 IDryden 
 
 Duane 
 
 Duanesburgh . 
 
 Dugway 
 
 Dundee 
 
 Dunkirk 
 
 {Dunnsville ... 
 
 iDurham 
 
 Durhamville . 
 
 Eagle 
 
 Eagle Harbor 
 
 Eagle Mills 
 
 Eagle Village 
 
 EarlviUe 
 
 East Aurora 
 
 Elast Avon 
 
 East Bergen 
 
 East Berne 
 
 East Bethany 
 
 East Bloomtleld 
 
 East Branch 
 
 East Cameron 
 
 East Canisteo 
 
 lEast Carlton 
 
 East Chatham 
 
 East Chester 
 
 East China 
 
 East Clarkson 
 
 East CobleskiU .... 
 East Constable — 
 
 East Cutcbogue 
 
 East Durham 
 
 East Evans 
 
 East Florence 
 
 East Freetown — 
 
 East Gaines 
 
 East Galway 
 
 East Genoa 
 
 East German 
 
 East Glenville 
 
 East Grafton 
 
 East Greenbush — 
 
 East Greene 
 
 East Greenwich . . . . 
 East Groveland — 
 
 East Guilford , 
 
 East Hambui^ 
 
 East Hamilton 
 
 East Hampton — 
 
 East Hill 
 
 East Homer 
 
 East Hounafleld . . . 
 
 East Java 
 
 East Kill 
 
 East Koy 
 
 East Lansing 
 
 East Leon 
 
 East Lexington . . . 
 
 East Line 
 
 East Macdonough . 
 
 East Maine 
 
 Eastmansville 
 
 East Moriches 
 
 East Nassau 
 
 East New York . . . 
 51 
 
 Herkimer. 
 
 Onondaga. 
 
 ("hautauque. 
 
 Jefferson. 
 
 Lewis. 
 
 Franklin, 
 
 Suffolk. 
 
 Putnam. 
 
 Westchester. 
 
 Albany. 
 
 Steuben. 
 
 Dutchess. 
 
 Tompkins; 
 
 Franklin. 
 
 Schenectady; 
 
 Oswego. 
 
 Yates. 
 
 Chautauque. 
 
 Albany. 
 
 Greene. 
 
 Oneida. 
 
 Wyoming. 
 
 Orleans. 
 
 Rensselaer. 
 
 Wyoming. 
 
 Madison. 
 
 Erie. 
 
 Livingston. 
 
 Albany. 
 
 Genesee. 
 
 Ontario. 
 
 Delaware. 
 
 Steuben. 
 
 Steuben. 
 
 Orleans. 
 
 Columbia. 
 
 Westchester. 
 
 Wyoming. 
 
 Monroe. 
 
 Schoharie. 
 
 Franklin. 
 
 Suffolk. 
 
 Greene. 
 
 Erie. 
 
 Oneida. 
 
 Cortlandt 
 
 Orleans. 
 
 Saratoga. 
 
 Cayuga. 
 
 Chenango. 
 
 Schenectady. 
 
 Rensselaer. 
 
 Rensselaer. 
 
 Chenango. 
 
 Washington. 
 
 Livingston. 
 
 Chenango. 
 
 Erie. 
 
 Madison. 
 
 Suffolk. 
 
 Allegany. 
 
 Cortlandt. 
 
 Jefferson. 
 
 Wyoming. 
 
 Greene. 
 
 A ivniiu'^. 
 
 Tompkins. 
 
 Cattaraugus. 
 
 Greene. 
 
 Saratoga. 
 
 Chenango. 
 
 Broome. 
 
 Fulton. 
 
 Suffolk. 
 
 Rensselaer. 
 
 Kinga. 
 
 East Norwich 
 
 Easton 
 
 East Orangeville . . . 
 
 jEast Otto 
 
 JKaat Painted Post . . 
 
 East Palmyra 
 
 lEast Tembroke 
 
 lEast Pom 
 
 East Pharsalia 
 
 East Pierpont 
 
 East I'ike 
 
 East Pitcairn 
 
 East Randolph 
 
 East Rodman 
 
 East Salem 
 
 East Sand Lake. . . . 
 
 East Schuyler 
 
 East Solon 
 
 East Springfield 
 
 East Springwater. . . 
 
 East Varick 
 
 East Virgil 
 
 East Windham 
 
 East Worcester — 
 
 Eaton 
 
 Eatonville 
 
 Eddy viUe 
 
 Eden 
 
 Edenton 
 
 Eden Valley 
 
 EdenvUle 
 
 Edgecomb's Comers 
 
 Edinburgh 
 
 Edinburgh Center. 
 
 Edmeaton 
 
 Edwards 
 
 EdwardsviUe 
 
 Egypt 
 
 Elba 
 
 Elbridge 
 
 Eleysville 
 
 Elgin 
 
 Etizabetbtown — 
 
 ElLzaville 
 
 Ellenburgh 
 
 EllenviUe 
 
 Ellery 
 
 EUicott Creek 
 
 Ellicottsville 
 
 Ellington 
 
 EUisburgh 
 
 Elliston 
 
 Elmira 
 
 Elton 
 
 Eiwood's Bridge.. 
 
 Eminence 
 
 Enfleld 
 
 EnQeld Center . . . 
 
 Enginville 
 
 Ephratah 
 
 Erieville 
 
 Erin 
 
 Erwin Center — 
 
 EsopuB 
 
 Esperance 
 
 Essex 
 
 Etna 
 
 Euclid 
 
 Evans 
 
 EvansviUe 
 
 Exeter 
 
 Fabius 
 
 Factory ville. 
 Fairfield ... 
 Fair Mount . 
 Fairport .... 
 Fairview . . . 
 
 Queens. 
 
 Washington. 
 
 Wyoming. 
 
 Cattaraugus. 
 
 Steuben. 
 
 Wayne. 
 
 Genesee. 
 
 Clinton. 
 
 Chenango. 
 
 St. Lawrence. 
 
 Wyoming. 
 
 Si. Lawrence. 
 
 Cattaraugus. 
 
 Jefferson. 
 
 Washington. 
 
 Rensselaer. 
 
 Herkimer. 
 
 Conlandt. 
 
 Otsego. 
 
 Livingston. 
 
 Seneca. 
 
 Corilandt. 
 
 Greene. 
 
 Otsego. 
 
 Madison. 
 
 Herkimer. 
 
 Cattaraugua. 
 
 Erie. 
 
 St Lawrence. 
 
 Erie. 
 
 Orange. 
 
 Saratc^^a. 
 
 Saratoga. 
 
 Saratoga. 
 
 Olaego. 
 
 St Lawrence. 
 
 St. Lawrence. 
 
 Monroe. 
 
 Genesee. 
 
 Onondaga. 
 
 Erie. 
 
 Cattaraugus. 
 
 Essex. 
 
 Columbia. 
 
 Clinton. 
 
 Ulster. 
 
 Chautauqne. 
 
 Erie. 
 
 Cattaraugus. 
 
 Chautauqne. 
 
 Jefferson. 
 
 Onondaga. 
 
 Chemung. 
 
 Cattaraugus. 
 
 Delaware. 
 
 Schoharie. 
 
 Tompkins, 
 
 Tompkins. 
 
 Schoharie. 
 
 Fulton. 
 
 Madison. 
 
 Chemung. 
 
 Steuben. 
 
 Ulster. 
 
 Schoharie. 
 
 Tompkins. 
 Onondaga- 
 Erie. 
 Jefferson. 
 
 Otsego. 
 
 Onondaga. 
 
 Tioga. 
 
 Herkimer. 
 
 Onondaga. 
 
 Chemung. 
 
 CattaiuugUA. 
 
402 
 
 POST-OFFICES IN NEW YORK. 
 
 Pott-OfficM, 
 
 CoDntifli. 
 
 Poit-Offlcei. 
 
 Coonties. 
 
 Poat-Officea. 
 
 Coonties. 
 
 
 Wayne. 
 
 Sullivan. 
 
 Seneca. 
 
 Dutchess. 
 
 Putnam. 
 
 Cattaraugus. 
 
 Queens. 
 
 Orieans. 
 
 Ontario. 
 
 Clinton. 
 
 Seneca. 
 
 Onondaga. 
 
 Dutchess. 
 
 Jefferson. 
 
 Madison. 
 
 Yates. 
 
 Orange. 
 
 Suffolk. 
 
 Dutchess. 
 
 Allegany. 
 
 Dutchess. 
 
 Dutchess. 
 
 Cayuga. 
 
 St. Lawrence. 
 
 Suffolk, 
 
 Columbia. 
 
 Kings. 
 
 Montgomery. 
 
 Kings. 
 
 Cayuga. 
 
 Tioga. 
 
 Ontario. 
 
 Oneida. 
 
 Orange. 
 
 Oneida. 
 
 Queens. 
 
 Cbautauque. 
 
 Ulster. 
 
 Montgomer>-. 
 
 Westchester. 
 
 Sullivan. 
 
 Tompkins. 
 
 Washington. 
 
 Franklin. 
 
 Washington. 
 
 Washington. 
 
 Kings. 
 
 Montgomery. 
 
 Washington. 
 
 Montgomery. 
 
 Saratoga. 
 
 Sullivan. 
 
 Cayuga. 
 
 St. Lawrence. 
 
 I..ivingston. 
 
 Herkimer. 
 
 Herkimer. 
 
 Delaware. 
 
 Franklin. 
 
 Ulster. 
 
 Schoharie. 
 
 Cattaraugus. 
 
 Cbautauque. 
 
 Cattaraugus. 
 
 Dutchess. 
 
 C«>rtlandt. 
 
 CortlandU 
 
 Sullivan. 
 
 Cbautauque. 
 
 Warren. 
 
 Cbautauque. 
 
 Montgomery. 
 
 Allegany. 
 
 Clinton. 
 
 St. Lawrence. 
 Oswego. 
 
 Schoharie. 
 
 Fultonville 
 
 Montgomery. 
 
 Orleans. 
 
 Wyoming. 
 
 Sullivan. 
 
 Washington. 
 
 !^limabia. 
 
 Schoharie. 
 
 Saratoga. 
 
 Saratoga. 
 
 Schoharie. 
 
 Pulton. 
 
 Dtsego. 
 
 Monroe. 
 
 Greene. 
 
 Dnondaga. 
 
 Chenango. 
 
 Allegany. 
 
 Livingston. 
 
 Ontario. 
 
 Cayuga. 
 
 Madison. 
 
 Chenango. 
 
 Jolumbia. 
 
 Jhautauque. 
 
 Columbia. 
 
 Steuben. 
 
 Tioga. 
 
 Livingston- 
 
 l fawego. 
 
 Dtsego. 
 
 Schoharie. 
 
 HamUton. 
 
 Ulater. 
 
 Montgomery. 
 
 Queens. 
 
 Dutchess. 
 
 Warren. 
 
 Oneida. 
 
 Erie. 
 
 Schenectady. 
 
 Sullivan. 
 
 Fulton. 
 
 Steuben. 
 
 Suffolk. 
 
 Ontario. 
 
 Orange. 
 
 St Lawrence. 
 
 Westchester. 
 
 Cattaraugua. 
 
 Rensselaer. 
 
 SiUIJvan. 
 
 Allegany. 
 
 Saratoga. 
 
 Washington. 
 
 Kings. 
 
 Herkimer. 
 
 Jefferson. 
 
 Cattaraugus. 
 
 Monroe. 
 
 Oswego. 
 
 Rensselaer. 
 
 Chenango. 
 
 Saratoga. 
 
 Kings, 
 
 Suffolk. 
 
 Columbia. 
 
 Oneida. 
 
 Greene. 
 
 Washington, 
 
 Steuben. 
 
 Livingston. 
 
 Erie. 
 
 Washington. 
 
 Saratoga. 
 
 Tompkins, 
 
 Tompkins. 
 
 
 Allegany. 
 
 Livingston. 
 
 Livingston. 
 
 Schoharie. 
 
 Albany. 
 
 Albany. 
 
 [^benoDgo. 
 
 Chenango. 
 
 Fallaburgh 
 
 Groveland 
 
 Groveland Center . . 
 Grovenor's Comers 
 
 Guilderland 
 
 Guilderland Center 
 Guilford 
 
 
 Farmer's Hill 
 
 Former's Mills .... 
 
 Gainesville 
 
 Gales 
 
 
 Galesville 
 
 Farmingdale — .. 
 
 Farmingham 
 
 Farmington 
 
 Farrell Place 
 
 GaUatiQville 
 
 Gallupville 
 
 Guilford Center 
 
 Gansevoort 
 
 Garduersville 
 
 Hadley 
 
 Saratoga. 
 New York. 
 
 Fayetleville 
 
 Federal Store 
 
 
 GarrattsviUe 
 
 Hagamun's Mills . . 
 
 Montgomery. 
 Warren. 
 
 
 Gay Head 
 
 Hate's Eddy 
 
 Half Moon 
 
 Hall's Comers 
 
 Hall's Mills 
 
 Hallsville 
 
 
 Ferguson's Corners . 
 Finchville 
 
 Geddea 
 
 Saratoga. 
 Ontario. 
 
 Genegantalet 
 
 Genesee Valley 
 
 
 Albany. 
 
 Montgomery. 
 
 Tioga. 
 
 Fish kill . 
 
 
 
 Halsey VaUey 
 
 Hamburgh 
 
 Hamburgh on the 
 Lake 
 
 FishkUl Lauding . . . 
 FishbUl Plains 
 
 
 Georgetown ... 
 
 Erie. 
 
 
 Germantown 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Flatt Brook . . . 
 
 Ghent 
 
 
 Cbautauque. 
 
 
 
 Hammond 
 
 Hammond's MUla . . 
 
 Flat Creek 
 
 Flatlands 
 
 Gibsou^e Comers . . . 
 
 GibsonvUle 
 
 Gilbert's Mills 
 
 GilbertsviUe 
 
 Steuben. 
 Washington. 
 Orange. 
 Delaware. 
 
 
 Hamptonburgh 
 
 Flemingsville 
 
 Hanlord's Landing 
 
 
 
 
 Oswego. 
 
 Oswego. 
 
 Cbautauque. 
 
 Onondaga. 
 
 Cortlandt 
 
 Florida 
 
 
 Hannibal Center 
 
 Floyd 
 
 Glen 
 
 
 Glen Cove 
 
 Glenham 
 
 Glenn's Falls 
 
 Gleumore 
 
 Glenwood 
 
 Glenvilla 
 
 Glenwild 
 
 Gloversville 
 
 Goff's Mills 
 
 Good Ground 
 
 Gorham 
 
 
 Fluvanna 
 
 Harford . 
 
 Fly Mountain 
 
 Fonda 
 
 Harlemville 
 
 Columbia. 
 Cbautauque. 
 
 Fordham 
 
 Harpersfield 
 
 Harpersville 
 
 Harriettown 
 
 Harrisburgb 
 
 Harris' Hill 
 
 Forestbuigh 
 
 Forest City 
 
 Fort Ann 
 
 Broome. 
 Franklin. 
 
 Fort Covington — 
 Fort Edward 
 
 Erie. 
 
 Fort Edward Center 
 
 Hartfleld 
 
 Cbautauque. 
 
 Washington. 
 
 Niagara. 
 
 Dutchess. 
 
 Onondaga. 
 
 Otsego, 
 
 Otsego. 
 
 Sullivan. 
 
 Fort Hamilton 
 
 
 Fort Hunter 
 
 Gouvemeur 
 
 Golden's Bridge 
 
 GowRnda (lute Per- 
 sia) 
 
 
 Fort Miller 
 
 Fort Plain 
 
 Hart's Village 
 
 Hartaville 
 
 
 
 
 Hartwick Seminary 
 Hartwood 
 
 Fosterville 
 
 Fowler 
 
 Grahamsville 
 
 Granger 
 
 Grangervilie 
 
 Granville 
 
 Graveaend 
 
 Gravesville 
 
 Great Bend 
 
 Great Valley 
 
 Fowlersville 
 
 Hasbrouck 
 
 Haskenville 
 
 Hastings . ... 
 
 SiiUivan, 
 Steuben. 
 
 Oswego. 
 
 Frankfort Hill 
 
 
 Hastings upon Hud- 
 son 
 
 Franklin Furnace . . 
 Frantzdale 
 
 Westchester. 
 
 Chemung. 
 
 Rockland. 
 
 Putnam. 
 
 Bruome. 
 
 Wasbingtou. 
 
 Oneida. 
 
 Tompkins. 
 
 Albany. 
 
 St. Lawrence. 
 
 LivinKaion. 
 
 Queens. 
 
 Queens. 
 
 Jefferson. 
 
 Franklinton 
 
 Haverstraw 
 
 Haviland Hollow . . 
 Hawleyton 
 
 Frankiinville 
 
 Greenborough 
 
 Greenbush 
 
 Greene 
 
 Freedom 
 
 Freedom Plains 
 
 Freetown 
 
 Greenaeld Center . . 
 Greenpoinl 
 
 Hecla Works 
 
 Freetown Corners . . 
 
 Helderburgh 
 
 Helena 
 
 Hemlock Lake 
 
 Hempstead 
 
 Hempstead Branch 
 Henderson 
 
 
 Groeu River 
 
 Green's Corners 
 
 Greenville 
 
 Greenwich 
 
 Greenwood 
 
 Greigsville 
 
 Griffin's Milts 
 
 Griswold's Mills.... 
 Groom's Corner 
 
 French Creek 
 
 French Moimlain .. 
 
 Frewsburgh 
 
 Freysbush 
 
 Friendship 
 
 
 Herkimer 
 
 Hermitage 
 
 Herkimer, 
 
 Wyoming. 
 
 St. Lawrence. 
 
 Niagara. 
 
 St. Lawrence. 
 
 Fnllursvitle Iron 
 Worts 
 
 
 Hess Road 
 
 Ueuvclton 
 
 Fultouhom 
 
 GrotonCily 
 
POST-OFFICES IN NEW YORK. 
 
 403 
 
 Hibemia 
 
 H ickory Corners 
 
 Hii^f^nSvLlle 
 
 HUh KiUls 
 
 Ilif^hlund Milla .... 
 
 lliBh Market 
 
 tlill^boru* 
 
 Hillsdale 
 
 }lind»bui^h 
 
 Hinmausville 
 
 Hinsdale 
 
 Hizerville 
 
 Hoag'a Corner 
 
 Ilobart 
 
 Hobbieville 
 
 HofTmnn'H Ferry 
 
 Hoffmnn^s Gate .... 
 
 Hogaiisbargh 
 
 HoUand 
 
 Holland Pateot 
 
 HoUey 
 
 Humer 
 
 Honeoye 
 
 Honeoye Falle .... 
 
 Hoosick 
 
 Huoaick Falls 
 
 Hope 
 
 Hope Ceuter 
 
 Hope Falls 
 
 Flopewell 
 
 Hopkioton 
 
 Horicon 
 
 Hornby 
 
 Hornellsville 
 
 HuuseviUe 
 
 Howard 
 
 Howt^ll's Depot .... 
 
 HowletHill 
 
 Hubbard's Comers 
 
 Hudson 
 
 Hughsonville 
 
 Huguenot 
 
 Hulbiirton 
 
 Huirs Comers 
 
 HulFs MiliB 
 
 Hume 
 
 Hunter 
 
 Hunter's IjEod .... 
 
 Huntington 
 
 Hunt's Hollow 
 
 Hurley 
 
 Huron 
 
 Hyde 
 
 Hyde Pajk 
 
 Hyde Settlement 
 Hyndsviile 
 
 Ilion 
 
 Independence.. . 
 Indian River . . . 
 
 Ira 
 
 Ireland Comers . 
 
 Irondequoit 
 
 Irving 
 
 Islip 
 
 Italy Hill 
 
 Italy Hollow . . . 
 Ithaca 
 
 Jackson 
 
 Jacksoubnrgh . 
 Jackson Corners . 
 Jacksonville ... 
 
 Jack's Reef 
 
 Jamaica 
 
 Jamesport 
 
 Jamestown 
 
 Dutchess. 
 
 Niagara. 
 
 Oneida. 
 
 Ulster. 
 
 Orange. 
 
 Lewis. 
 
 Oneida. 
 
 Columbia. 
 
 OrleaoA. 
 
 Oswego. 
 
 CattaraugUB. 
 
 Oneida. 
 
 Rensselaer. 
 
 Delaware. 
 
 Allegany. 
 
 Schenectady. 
 
 Columbia, 
 
 Franklin. 
 
 Erie. 
 
 Oneida. 
 
 Orleans. 
 
 Cortland t. 
 
 Ontario. 
 
 Monroe, 
 
 Kenasetaer. 
 
 Rensselaer. 
 
 Hamilton. 
 
 Hamilton. 
 
 Hamilton. 
 
 Ontario. 
 
 Su Lawrence. 
 
 Warren. 
 
 Steuben. 
 
 Steuben. 
 
 Lewis. 
 
 Steuben. 
 
 Orange. 
 
 Onondaga. 
 
 Madison. 
 
 Columbia. 
 
 Dutchess. 
 
 Orange. 
 
 Orleans. 
 
 Oswego, 
 
 Dutchess. 
 
 Allegany. 
 
 Greene. 
 
 Schoharie. 
 
 r^uffolk. 
 
 Allegany. 
 
 Ulster. 
 
 Wayne. 
 
 Warren. 
 
 Dutchess. 
 
 Broome, 
 
 Schoharie. 
 
 Herkimer. 
 
 Allegany. 
 
 Lewis. 
 
 Cayuga. 
 
 Albany. 
 
 Monroe. 
 
 Chautauque. 
 
 SufToUc 
 
 Yates, 
 
 Yates. 
 
 Tompkins. 
 
 WaabingtoD. 
 
 Herkimer. 
 
 Dutchess, 
 
 Tompkins. 
 
 Onond^a. 
 
 Queens. 
 
 Suffolk. 
 
 Chautauque. 
 
 Jamesville 
 
 Jauesville (l^i^ 
 
 BlockvUle) 
 
 Jasper 
 
 Java 
 
 Java Village 
 
 Jay 
 
 Jeddu 
 
 Jefferson 
 
 Jefferson Valley.. 
 Jefferaonville . . . . 
 
 Jericho 
 
 .lerusalem 
 
 Jerusalem South 
 
 Jewell 
 
 Johnsburgh 
 
 Johusunsburgh . . 
 Johnson's Creek.. 
 
 Johnstown 
 
 Jonesville 
 
 Jordan 
 
 Jordanviile 
 
 Joy 
 
 Junction 
 
 Junius 
 
 Kaso^ 
 
 Kaitelville .. 
 
 Keene 
 
 Keeney's Settlement 
 
 Keeseville 
 
 Kelloggsville 
 
 Kendall 
 
 Kendall Milts 
 
 Kennedysville .... 
 
 Keuaico 
 
 Kent 
 
 Ketcham's Corners 
 
 Kill Buck , 
 
 Kinderbook 
 
 Kingsboro' 
 
 Kingsbridge 
 
 Kingsbury 
 
 King's Ferry 
 
 Kmg'd Settlement.. 
 
 Kingston 
 
 Kinney's 4 Corners 
 
 Kirkland 
 
 Kirkville 
 
 Kirkwood 
 
 Kiskatom 
 
 Knowersville 
 
 Knowlesville 
 
 Knox 
 
 Knox Corners . , . 
 
 Kortright 
 
 Kyserike 
 
 Kyserville 
 
 Lackawack 
 
 Lafargeville 
 
 Lafayette 
 
 Lafayetteville. ... 
 
 La Grange 
 
 Lairdsville 
 
 Lake 
 
 Lakeland 
 
 Lake Pleasant . . 
 
 Lakeport 
 
 Lake Ridge 
 
 Lakeville 
 
 Lancaster 
 
 Lamsons 
 
 Lansingburgh . . 
 Lansingville .... 
 
 Laoni 
 
 Lapeer 
 
 liamed'eComerB 
 
 Onondaga. 
 
 Chautauque. 
 
 Steuben, 
 
 Wyoming. 
 
 Wyoming. 
 
 Essex. 
 
 Orleans, 
 
 Schoharie. 
 
 Westchester, 
 
 Sullivan. 
 
 Queens. 
 
 Yates. 
 
 Queens, 
 
 Greene. 
 
 Warren. 
 
 Wyoming. 
 
 Nifignra. 
 
 Fulton. 
 
 Saratoga. 
 
 Onondaga. 
 
 Herkimer. 
 
 Wayne, 
 
 Rensselaer. 
 
 Seneca. 
 
 Oswego, 
 
 Broome. 
 
 Essex. 
 
 Cortlandt. 
 
 Kssex, 
 
 Cayuga. 
 
 Orleans. 
 
 Orleans. 
 
 Steuben. 
 
 Westchester. 
 
 Putnam. 
 
 Saratoga. 
 
 Cattaraugus, 
 
 Columbia. 
 
 Fulton. 
 
 New York. 
 
 Washington. 
 
 Cayuga. 
 
 Chenango. 
 
 Ulster. 
 
 Oswego. 
 
 Oneida, 
 
 Onondaga. 
 
 Broome. 
 
 Greene. 
 
 Albany. 
 
 Orleans. 
 
 Albany. 
 
 Oneida. 
 
 Delaware. 
 
 UlBter. 
 
 Livingston. 
 
 Uluter. 
 
 Jefferson. 
 
 Onondaga. 
 
 Dutchess. 
 
 Wyoming. 
 
 Oneida. 
 
 Washington. 
 
 Suffolk, 
 
 Hamilton. 
 
 Madison. 
 
 Tompkins. 
 
 Livingston. 
 
 Erie, 
 
 Onondaga. 
 
 Rensselaer. 
 
 Tompkins. 
 
 Chautauque. 
 
 CortlandL 
 
 Ontario. 
 
 Lassellsville 
 
 Laurens 
 
 Lawrenceville . . . 
 
 Lawyersville 
 
 Lebanon 
 
 Ledyard 
 
 Lee 
 
 Leeds 
 
 Leedsville 
 
 Leesville 
 
 Lenox 
 
 Leon 
 
 Leonardfiville 
 
 Le Rayevilte 
 
 Le Roy 
 
 Levanna 
 
 Levant 
 
 Lewis 
 
 Lewisboro' 
 
 Lewiston 
 
 Lexington 
 
 Lexington Heigh ta 
 
 Leyden 
 
 Liberty 
 
 Libertyville 
 
 Liberty Falls 
 
 Lima 
 
 Limestone 
 
 Limerick 
 
 Linden 
 
 Lindleytown 
 
 Linklaen 
 
 Lisbon 
 
 Lisbon Center 
 
 Lisha's Kill 
 
 Lisle 
 
 Litchfield 
 
 Lithgow 
 
 Little Britain 
 
 Little Falls 
 
 Little Genesee 
 
 Little Rest 
 
 Little Sodus 
 
 Little Valley 
 
 Little York 
 
 Liverpool 
 
 Livingston 
 
 Livin^stonviUe 
 
 Little Utica 
 
 Livonia 
 
 Locke 
 
 Lock Berlin 
 
 Lockport 
 
 Locust Tree 
 
 Lodi 
 
 Lodi Center 
 
 Logan 
 
 Lorraine 
 
 Louisville 
 
 Louisville Landing 
 
 Lowell 
 
 Low Hampton 
 
 Lowville 
 
 Low's Comer 
 
 Loyd 
 
 Ludlowville 
 
 Lumberland 
 
 Iiuzeme 
 
 Lyndonville 
 
 Lyons 
 
 Lyon's Hollow 
 
 LyoDsdale 
 
 Lysander 
 
 Fulton. 
 
 Otsego. 
 
 St, Lawrence. 
 
 Schoharie. 
 
 Madison, 
 
 Cayuga. 
 
 Oneida. 
 
 Greene. 
 
 Dutchess. 
 
 Hchoharie. 
 
 Madison. 
 
 Cattaraugus. 
 
 Madison. 
 
 Jefferson. 
 
 Genesee, 
 
 Cayuga. 
 
 Chautauque. 
 
 Essex. 
 
 Westchester. 
 
 Niagara. 
 
 Greene, 
 
 Greene. 
 
 Lewis. 
 
 Sullivan. 
 
 Ulster, 
 
 Sullivan. 
 
 Livingston. 
 
 Cattaraugus. 
 
 Jefferson. 
 
 McConnellsville 
 
 McDonough 
 
 McGraws^e 
 McLean 
 
 Steubeu. 
 
 Chenango. 
 
 St, Lawrence. 
 
 St. Lawrence. 
 
 Albany. 
 
 Broome. 
 
 Herkimer. 
 
 Dutchess. 
 
 Orange. 
 
 Herkimer. 
 
 Allegany. 
 
 Dutchess. 
 
 Cayuga. 
 
 Cattaraugus. 
 
 Cortlandt. 
 
 Onond^B. 
 
 Columbia. 
 
 Schoharie. 
 
 Onondaga. 
 
 Livingston. 
 
 Cayuga. 
 
 Wayne, 
 
 Niagara. 
 
 Niagara. 
 
 Seneca. 
 
 Seneca. 
 
 Tompkins. 
 
 Jefferson. 
 
 St. Lawrence, 
 
 St. Lawrence 
 
 Oneida. 
 
 Washingtcm. 
 
 Lewis. 
 
 Sullivan. 
 
 Ulster. 
 
 Tompkins. 
 
 Sullivan, 
 
 Warren. 
 
 Orleans. 
 
 Wayne. 
 
 Steuben, 
 
 Lewis. 
 
 Onondaga. 
 
 Oneida. 
 Chenango. 
 Cortlandt 
 Tompldse. 
 
404 
 
 POST-OFFICES IN NEW YOBK. 
 
 Mabbettsville 
 
 Macedou 
 
 Macodon Ceoter. . . 
 
 Machiaa 
 
 Macumb 
 
 Madison 
 
 Mahopac 
 
 Madrid 
 
 Mo^olia 
 
 Maine 
 
 Maiden 
 
 Maldeo Bridge . . . 
 
 Malone 
 
 Malta 
 
 Maltaville 
 
 MamaroDeck 
 
 Mamakatiog 
 
 Mancheater 
 
 Maocheater Bridge 
 
 Mancheater Center 
 
 Mandaoa 
 
 MauhattaoviUe ... 
 
 Maiifaasset 
 
 Manheim 
 
 Manheim CeDt4)r . . . 
 
 Maolius 
 
 Manlius Center. . . . 
 
 Manoavilie 
 
 Manorrille 
 
 Munafleld 
 
 Maple Grove 
 
 Marathon 
 
 Marbletown 
 
 Marcellaa 
 
 Marcetlus Falls ... 
 
 Marcy 
 
 Marengo 
 
 Margaretville 
 
 MariaviUe 
 
 Marietta 
 
 Marion 
 
 Marlboro' 
 
 Marshall 
 
 Marshfleld 
 
 Martinsburgh 
 
 Martinsville 
 
 Martin's HiU 
 
 Martville 
 
 Maryland 
 
 Marvin 
 
 Masonville 
 
 Maasena 
 
 Matildaville 
 
 Matteawan 
 
 Mattituck 
 
 Mayfleld 
 
 Mayville 
 
 Mechanicsville ... 
 
 Mecklinburgh 
 
 Medina 
 
 Medusa 
 
 Medway 
 
 MellenviUe 
 
 Mendon 
 
 Meridian 
 
 Meredith 
 
 Merrick 
 
 Merrillsville 
 
 Messina Springs... 
 
 Mexico 
 
 Middleburgh 
 
 Mlddlebury 
 
 Middlefleld 
 
 Middlefleld Center. 
 Middle Granville . 
 Middle Grove .... 
 
 Middle Hope 
 
 Middle Islaiid 
 
 Dutchess. 
 
 Wayne. 
 
 Wayne. 
 
 Cuttaruugus. 
 
 St. Lawrence. 
 
 Modisuu. 
 
 Putnam. 
 
 t. Lawrence. 
 Chautauque. 
 Broome. 
 Ulster. 
 Columbia. 
 Franklin. 
 Saratoga. 
 Saratoga. 
 Westchester. 
 Sullivan. 
 Ontario. 
 Dutchess. 
 Ontario. 
 Onondaga. 
 New York. 
 Queens. 
 Herkimer. 
 Herkimer. 
 Onondaga. 
 Onondaga. 
 Jefferson. 
 Suffolk. 
 Cattaraugus. 
 
 CortlandL 
 
 Ulster. 
 
 Onondaga. 
 
 Onondaga. 
 
 Oneida. 
 
 Wayne. 
 
 Delaware. 
 
 Schenectady. 
 
 Onondaga. 
 
 Wayne. 
 
 Ulster. 
 
 Oneida. 
 
 Erie. 
 
 Lewis. 
 
 Niagara. 
 
 Chemung. 
 
 Cayuga. 
 
 Otaego. 
 
 Chautauque. 
 
 Delaware. 
 
 St, Lawrence. 
 
 St. Lawrence. 
 
 Dutchess. 
 
 Suffolk. 
 
 Pulton. 
 
 Chautauque. 
 
 Saratoga. 
 
 Tompkins. 
 
 Orleans. 
 
 Albany. 
 
 Greene. 
 
 Columbia. 
 
 Monroe. 
 
 Cayuga. 
 
 Delaware. 
 
 Queens. 
 
 Franklin. 
 
 Onondaga. 
 
 Oswego. 
 
 Schoharie. 
 
 Wyoming. 
 
 Otsego. 
 
 Otsego. 
 
 Washington. 
 
 Saratoga. 
 
 Orange. 
 
 Suffol)^. 
 
 Middleport . 
 Middle6t'X . . 
 Middlelown 
 Middletown Center. 
 
 Middleville 
 
 Milan 
 
 Middle Village ... 
 
 Millord , 
 
 Millbrd Center ..... 
 
 Military Road 
 
 Milieu's Bay 
 
 Miller's Place , 
 
 Mill Grove 
 
 Mills' Mills 
 
 Millport 
 
 Mills' Corners 
 
 Milltown 
 
 Millville 
 
 Milo 
 
 Milo Center 
 
 Milton 
 
 Mina 
 
 Minaville 
 
 Mine Kill Falls .... 
 
 Minden 
 
 Mindenville 
 
 Minerva 
 
 Mliietlo 
 
 Minisink 
 
 Mixville 
 
 Modena 
 
 Moffit's Store 
 
 Mohawk 
 
 Moira 
 
 Mongaup 
 
 Mongaup Valley . . . 
 
 Monroe 
 
 Monroe Works .... 
 
 Monsey 
 
 Monterey 
 
 Montezuma 
 
 Montgomery 
 
 Mouticello 
 
 Moores 
 
 Moore's Forks 
 
 Moravia 
 
 Moreau Station 
 
 Moreau 
 
 Morebouaeville 
 
 Moreland 
 
 Moresvilie 
 
 Morgansville 
 
 Moriah 
 
 Moriches 
 
 MoringviUe 
 
 Morley 
 
 Morris 
 
 Morrisania 
 
 Morristown 
 
 MorrisvUle 
 
 Morseville 
 
 Morti/nr. • C'-t" .. 
 
 Mortonville 
 
 Moscow 
 
 Motthaven 
 
 Mott's Corners 
 
 MottvUle 
 
 Mount Cambria. . . . 
 
 Mount Hope 
 
 Mount Kisco 
 
 Mount Morris 
 
 Mount Pleasant .... 
 
 Mount Sinai 
 
 Mount Upton 
 
 Mount Vision. ..... 
 
 Mount Washington 
 
 Mud Creek 
 
 Mumfor4 
 
 Niagara. 
 
 Yalta. 
 
 Orange. 
 
 Delaware. 
 
 Herkimer. 
 
 Dutchess. 
 
 Queens. 
 
 Otsego. 
 
 Otaego. 
 
 Jefferson. 
 
 Jefferson. 
 
 Suffolk. 
 
 Erie. 
 
 Allegany. 
 
 Chemung. 
 
 Fulton. 
 
 Putnam. 
 
 Orleans. 
 
 Yates. 
 
 Yates, 
 
 Ulslur. 
 
 Chautauque. 
 
 Montgomery. 
 
 Schoharie. 
 
 Montgomery. 
 
 Montgomery. 
 
 Oswego. 
 
 Orange. 
 
 Allegany. 
 
 Ulster. 
 
 Columbia. 
 
 Herkimer. 
 
 Franklin. 
 
 Sullivan. 
 
 Sullivan. 
 
 Orange. 
 
 Orange. 
 
 Rockland. 
 
 Dutchess. 
 
 Cayuga. 
 
 Orange. 
 
 Sullivan. 
 
 Clinton. 
 
 Clinton. 
 
 Cayuga. 
 
 Sarati^a. 
 
 Saratoga. 
 
 Hamilton. 
 
 Chemung. 
 
 Delaware. 
 
 Genesee. 
 
 Essex. 
 
 Suffolk. 
 
 Westchester. 
 
 St. Lawrence. 
 
 Otsego. 
 
 Westchester, 
 
 St. Lawrence. 
 
 Madison. 
 
 Schoharie. 
 
 Erie. 
 
 Orange. 
 
 Livingston. 
 
 Westchester. 
 
 Tompkins. 
 
 Onondaga. 
 
 Niagara. 
 
 Orange. 
 
 Westchester. 
 
 Livingston. 
 
 Saratoga. 
 
 Suffolk. 
 
 Chenango. 
 
 Otsego. 
 
 Steuben. 
 
 Steuben. 
 
 Monroe, 
 
 Murray 
 
 Nanticoke Springs 
 
 Nunuet 
 
 jNapanuck 
 
 Naples 
 
 Napoli 
 
 Narrowsburgh .... 
 
 Nashville 
 
 Nassau 
 
 Natural Bridge 
 
 Navarino 
 
 Nelson 
 
 Neperan 
 
 Neversink 
 
 New Albion 
 
 Newark 
 
 Newark Valley . . . 
 New Baliimore ... 
 
 New Berlin 
 
 New Berlin Center 
 
 New Bremen 
 
 New Brighton . . . 
 
 New Britain 
 
 Newburgh 
 
 Newcastle 
 
 New Concord 
 
 New Fane 
 
 Newfleld 
 
 New Graefenburg . 
 New Hackensack . . 
 New Hamburgh . . 
 New Hampton . . . 
 
 New Hartford 
 
 New Haven 
 
 New Hurley 
 
 Newkirk's Mills... 
 
 New Lebanon 
 
 New LebanouC^nter 
 New Leb'n Springs 
 
 New Lisbon 
 
 New London 
 
 New Milford 
 
 New Ohio 
 
 New Paltz 
 
 New Paltz Landing 
 
 New Port 
 
 New Road 
 
 New Rochelle 
 
 New Russia 
 
 New Salem 
 
 New Scotland 
 
 Newstead 
 
 New Sweden 
 
 Newton's Comers . . 
 
 Newtown 
 
 NewtonviUe 
 
 New Utrecht 
 
 New Vernon 
 
 New Village 
 
 Newville 
 
 New Windsor 
 
 New Woodstock . . 
 New York City .... 
 New York MUls.... 
 
 Niagara Falls 
 
 Nichols 
 
 Nicholville 
 
 Nile 
 
 Niles 
 
 Nine Corners 
 
 Nineveh 
 
 Niekayuna 
 
 Niverville 
 
 Norfolk 
 
 North Adams 
 
 North Almond .... 
 Northampton 
 
 Orleans. 
 
 Broome. 
 
 Kockland. 
 
 Ulster. 
 
 Ontario. 
 
 Cattaraugus. 
 
 Sullivan. 
 
 Chautauque. 
 
 Rensselaer. 
 
 Jefferson. 
 
 Onondaga. 
 
 Madison. 
 
 Westchester. 
 
 Sullivan. 
 
 Cattaraugus. 
 
 Wayne. 
 
 Tioga. 
 
 Greene. 
 
 Chenango. 
 
 Chenango. 
 
 Lewis. 
 
 Richmond, 
 
 Columbia. 
 
 Orange. 
 
 Westchester. 
 
 Columbia. 
 
 Niagara. 
 
 I'ompkins. 
 
 Herkimer. 
 
 Dutchess. 
 
 Dutchess. 
 
 Orange. 
 
 Oneida. 
 
 Oswego. 
 
 Ulster. 
 
 Fulton. 
 
 Columbia, 
 
 Columbia. 
 
 Columbia. 
 
 Otsego. 
 
 Oneida, 
 
 Orange. 
 
 Broome. 
 
 Ulster. 
 
 Ulster. 
 
 Herkimer. 
 
 Delaware. 
 
 Westchester. 
 
 Essex. 
 
 Albany. 
 
 Albany. 
 
 Erie. 
 
 Clinton. 
 
 Fulton. 
 
 Queens. 
 
 Albany. 
 
 Kings. 
 
 Orange. 
 
 Suffolk. 
 
 Herkimer. 
 
 Orange. 
 
 Madison. 
 
 New York. 
 
 Oneida, 
 
 Niagara. 
 
 Tioga. 
 
 St. Lawrence. 
 
 Allegany. 
 
 Cayuga. 
 
 Cayuga. 
 
 Broome. 
 
 Schenectady. 
 
 Columbia. 
 
 St. Lawrence. 
 
 Jefferson. 
 
 Allegany. 
 
 Fulton. 
 
POST-OFFICES IN NEW YORK. 
 
 405 
 
 North Argyle 
 
 North Bansfur 
 
 Norlh Bay 
 
 North Bergen 
 
 North Uleuheim.... 
 North Bloomtldd . . 
 
 North BoaLou 
 
 North Brid^ewater 
 North Broadalbin .. 
 North Brookfleld . . 
 North Cambridge .. 
 North Cameron .... 
 
 North Castle 
 
 North Chatbam.... 
 North ChemuDg . . . 
 
 North Chili 
 
 Nurth Clarence .... 
 North ClarksoD .... 
 
 North Clymer 
 
 North Cohocton. . . 
 North Diianeaburg 
 
 North East 
 
 Northoiiat Center . 
 
 North Easton 
 
 North Elba 
 
 North Evans 
 
 North Franklin . . . 
 
 Norlh Gage 
 
 North Galway 
 
 North Granville . . . 
 North Greenwich . 
 North Guillord ... 
 North Hamdec .. . 
 North Harpersfleld 
 North Haverstraw. 
 North Hebron . . . 
 
 North Hector 
 
 North Hempstead.. 
 North Hoosie . . 
 North Hudson . 
 North Java . . . 
 North Kortright 
 North Lansing .... 
 North Lawrence . . 
 North Linklean .... 
 North Middlesex . . 
 
 North Norwich 
 
 North Perryaburg . . 
 
 Northport 
 
 North Potadam 
 
 North Reading .... 
 North Ridgeway . . 
 
 North Russell 
 
 North Salem 
 
 North Sheldon 
 
 North Shore 
 
 North Sparta 
 
 North Stephentown 
 
 North Sterhng 
 
 North Tarrytown . . 
 Northumberland . . 
 
 North Urbaoa 
 
 Northville 
 
 North Western .... 
 North Wetherafteld 
 North While Creek 
 North Wilna . . . 
 
 Norton Hill 
 
 Norton*a Mills 
 
 Norway 
 
 Norwich 
 
 Nunda 
 
 Nyack 
 
 Nyack Turnpike 
 
 ifaKfleld.. 
 Oak Hill . 
 Oakland . 
 
 Washington. 
 
 Franklin. 
 
 Oneida. 
 
 Genesee. 
 
 Schoharie. 
 
 Ontario, 
 
 Erie. 
 
 Oneida. 
 
 Fulton. 
 
 Madison. 
 
 Washington. 
 
 Steuben. 
 
 Westchester. 
 
 Columbia. 
 
 Chemung. 
 
 Monroe. 
 
 Erie. 
 
 Monroe. 
 
 Chautauque. 
 
 Steuben. 
 
 Schenectady. 
 
 Dutchess. 
 
 Dutchess. 
 
 Washington. 
 
 Essex. 
 
 Erie. 
 
 Delaware. 
 
 Oneida. 
 
 Saratoga. 
 
 Washington. 
 
 Washington. 
 
 Chenango. 
 
 Delaware. 
 
 Delaware. 
 
 Rockland. 
 
 Washington. 
 
 Tompkins. 
 
 Queens. 
 
 Rensselaer. 
 
 Essex. 
 
 Wyoming. 
 
 Delaware. 
 
 Tompkins. 
 
 St. Lawrence. 
 
 Chenango. 
 
 Yates. 
 
 Chenango. 
 
 Cattaraugus. 
 
 Suffolk. 
 
 St. Lawrence. 
 
 Steuben. 
 
 Orleans. 
 
 St. I^awrence. 
 
 Westchester. 
 
 Wyoming. 
 
 Richmond. 
 
 Livingston. 
 
 Renasel^r. 
 
 Cayuga. 
 
 Westchester. 
 
 Saratoga. 
 
 Steuben. 
 
 Fulton. 
 
 Oneida. 
 
 Wyoming. 
 
 Washington. 
 
 Jefferson. 
 
 Greene. 
 
 Ontario. 
 
 Herkimer. 
 
 Chenango. 
 
 Livingston. 
 
 Rockland. 
 
 Rockland. 
 
 Genesee. 
 Greene. 
 
 Livingston. 
 
 Oak Orchard 
 
 Oak Point 
 
 Oak's Corners 
 
 Oaksville 
 
 O'Connelville 
 
 Ogdensburgh 
 
 Ogden 
 
 Ohio 
 
 Olcott 
 
 Olean 
 
 Olive 
 
 Olive Bridge 
 
 Omar 
 
 Oneida Castle 
 
 Oneida Depot 
 
 Oneida Lake 
 
 Oneida Valley . . . 
 
 Oneonta 
 
 Onondaga 
 
 Onondaga Castle . 
 Onondaga Hollow. 
 
 Ontario 
 
 Oppenheim 
 
 Oran 
 
 Orange 
 
 Orange Port 
 
 Orangeville 
 
 Oregon 
 
 Orient 
 
 Oriskany 
 
 Oriskany Falls . . . 
 
 Orleans 
 
 Orleans 4 Comers. 
 
 Orwell 
 
 Osborn's Bridge. . . 
 Osborn Hollow . . . 
 Osaian 
 
 Oswego Falls . . . 
 Oswego Village. 
 
 Otego 
 
 Otisco 
 
 OtisviUe 
 
 Otsdawa 
 
 Otselic 
 
 Otto 
 
 Ouleout 
 
 Ovid 
 
 Owasco 
 
 Owasco Lake. . . 
 
 Owego 
 
 Oxbow 
 
 Oxford 
 
 Oxford Depot. . . 
 Oyster Bay 
 
 Page's Comers .... 
 
 Paine's Hollow 
 
 Painted Post 
 
 Palatine 
 
 Palatine Bridge — 
 
 Palenville 
 
 Palermo 
 
 palmyra 
 
 Pamelia 4 Comers. . 
 
 Panama 
 
 Papakunk 
 
 Paris 
 
 Paris Furnace. . . 
 
 Parish 
 
 Parishville 
 
 Parksville 
 
 Parma 
 
 Parma Center. . . 
 Partridge Island. 
 
 I Patchiu 
 
 Patchings Mills 
 
 [Patchoguo 
 
 Orieans. 
 
 St. Lawrence. 
 
 Ontario. 
 
 Otsego. 
 
 Monroe. 
 
 St. Lawrence. 
 
 Monroe, 
 
 Herkimer. 
 
 Niagara. 
 
 Cattaraugus. 
 
 Ulster. 
 
 Ulster. 
 
 Jefferson. 
 
 Oneida. 
 
 Madison. 
 
 Madison. 
 
 Madison. 
 
 Otjsego. 
 
 Onondaga. 
 
 Onondaga. 
 
 Onondaga. 
 
 Wayne. 
 
 Fulton. 
 
 Onondaga. 
 
 Steuben. 
 
 Niagara. 
 
 Wyoming. 
 
 Chautauque. 
 
 Suffolk. 
 
 Oneida. 
 
 Oneida. 
 
 Ontario. 
 
 Jefferson. 
 
 Oswego. 
 
 Fulton. 
 
 Broome. 
 
 Allegany. 
 
 Oswego. 
 
 Oswego. 
 
 Dutchess. 
 
 Otsego. 
 
 Onondaga. 
 
 Orange. 
 
 Otsego. 
 
 Chenango. 
 
 Cattaraugus. 
 
 Delaware. 
 
 Seneca. 
 
 Cayuga. 
 
 Cayuga. 
 
 Tioga. 
 
 Jefferson. 
 
 Chenango. 
 
 Orange. 
 
 Queens. 
 
 Herkimer. 
 
 Herkimer, 
 
 Steuben. 
 
 Montgomery. 
 
 Montgomery. 
 
 Greene. 
 
 Oswego. 
 
 Wayne. 
 
 Jefferson. 
 
 Chautauque. 
 
 Delaware. 
 
 Oneida. 
 
 Oneida. 
 
 Oswego. 
 
 St. Lawrence. 
 
 Sullivan. 
 
 Monroe. 
 
 Monroe. 
 
 Delaware. 
 
 Erie. 
 
 Steuben. 
 
 Suffolk. 
 
 Patten's MUls... 
 
 Patterson 
 
 Pauling 
 
 Pavilion 
 
 Pavilion Center . 
 
 Peaaleeville 
 
 Pecksville 
 
 Peekskill 
 
 Pekin 
 
 Pelham 
 
 Peltoriville 
 
 Pembroke 
 
 Penutaquit 
 
 Pendleton 
 
 Penfield 
 
 Pen Yan 
 
 Peoria 
 
 Pepacton 
 
 Perch River . . . 
 
 Perrinton 
 
 Perry 
 
 Perry's Corner . 
 Perry Center . . . 
 Perrysburgh . . . 
 Perry's Milla . . . 
 
 Perry ville 
 
 Perth 
 
 Peru 
 
 PeruviUe 
 
 Peterboro' 
 
 Petersburgh . . . 
 Petersburgh 4 Cor- 
 ners 
 
 Pharsalia 
 
 Phelps 
 
 Philadelphia 
 
 Philipsport 
 
 Philipsville 
 
 Philips's Creek 
 
 Phoenix 
 
 Piermoat 
 
 Pierpont 
 
 Pierrepont Manor.. 
 
 Piflard 
 
 Pike 
 
 Pike Pond 
 
 Pillar Point 
 
 Pine 
 
 Pine Bush 
 
 Pine Grove 
 
 Pine Hill 
 
 Pine Plains 
 
 Pine's Bridge 
 
 Pine Valley 
 
 Pineville 
 
 Pinkney 
 
 Pitcairn 
 
 Pitcher 
 
 Pitcher Springs 
 
 Pittaaeld 
 
 Pittsford 
 
 Plttstown 
 
 Plaindeld 
 
 Plainville 
 
 Plank Road 
 
 Plato 
 
 PlattekiU 
 
 Plattaburgh 
 
 Pleasant Brook — 
 
 Pleasant Plains 
 
 Pleasant Valley 
 
 Pleasantville 
 
 Ptesis 
 
 Plymouth 
 
 Poestenkill 
 
 Point Peninsula — 
 
 Poland 
 
 I Poland Center 
 
 Washington. 
 
 Putnam. 
 
 Dutchess. 
 
 Genesee. 
 
 Genesee. 
 
 Clinton. 
 
 Dutchess. 
 
 Westchester. 
 
 Niagara. 
 
 Westchester, 
 
 Steuben. 
 
 Genesee. 
 
 Suffolk. 
 
 Niagara. 
 
 Monroe. 
 
 Yates. 
 
 Wyoming. 
 
 Delaware. 
 
 Jefferson. 
 
 Monroe. 
 
 Wyoming. 
 
 Dutchess. 
 
 Wyoming. 
 
 Cattaraugus. 
 
 Clinton. 
 
 Madison. 
 
 Fulton. 
 
 Clinton. 
 
 Tompkins. 
 
 Madison. 
 
 Rensselaer. 
 
 Chenango. 
 
 Ontario. 
 
 Jefferson. 
 
 Sullivan. 
 
 Allegany. 
 
 Allegany. 
 
 Oswego. 
 
 Rockland. 
 
 St. Lawrence. 
 
 Jefferson. 
 
 Livingston. 
 
 Wyoming, 
 
 Sullivan. 
 
 Jefferson. 
 
 Oneida. 
 
 Ulster. 
 
 Steuben. 
 
 Ulster. 
 
 Dutchess. 
 
 Westchester, 
 
 Chemung. 
 
 Steuben. 
 
 Lewis. 
 
 St. Lawrence. 
 
 Chenango. 
 
 Chenango. 
 
 Otsego, 
 
 Monroe. 
 
 Rensselaer. 
 
 Otsego. 
 
 Onond^a. 
 
 Onondaga. 
 
 Cattaraugus. 
 
 Ulster. 
 
 CUnton. 
 
 Otsego. 
 
 Dutchess. 
 
 Dutchess. 
 
 Westchester. 
 
 Jefferson. 
 
 Chenango. 
 
 Rensselaer. 
 
 Jefferson. 
 
 Herkimer. 
 
 Qiautauque. 
 
406 
 
 POST-OFFICES IN NEW YORK. 
 
 Polkville .... 
 Porapey .... 
 
 Pompey Center 
 
 Pond Eddy 
 
 Pond Settlement 
 
 Puolville 
 
 Pope's Cornera 
 
 Pope's Mills 
 
 Poplar Ridge 
 
 PortageTille 
 
 Port Byron 
 
 Port Chester 
 
 Port Crone 
 
 Porter's Comers. . . . 
 
 Port Gibson 
 
 Port Glasgow 
 
 Port Henry 
 
 Port Jackson 
 
 Port Jefferson 
 
 Port Jcrvis 
 
 Port KendaU 
 
 Port Kent 
 
 Portland 
 
 Port Leyden 
 
 Port Ontario 
 
 Port Bichmond 
 
 Portville 
 
 Post Creek 
 
 PostvUle 
 
 Potsdam 
 
 Potter 
 
 Potter HiU 
 
 Potter's HoUow 
 
 PottersviUe 
 
 Poughkeepsie 
 
 Fougbquag 
 
 Pouudridge 
 
 Prattsburgh 
 
 Pratt's Hollow 
 
 Prattsville 
 
 Preble 
 
 Preston 
 
 Preston Hollow 
 
 Prospect 
 
 Prospect HiU 
 
 Provideuce 
 
 PugBley'H Depot 
 
 Pultney 
 
 PultnevTille 
 
 Pol vers Comers 
 
 Purdy Creek 
 
 Purdy's Station 
 
 Purvis 
 
 Putnam 
 
 Quaker Hill 
 
 Quaker Springs. 
 Quaker Street . 
 
 Queensbury 
 
 Quogue 
 
 Rackett River 
 
 Ramapo Works.. 
 
 Randolph 
 
 Ransomville 
 
 Rapids 
 
 Rathboneville . . 
 Raytnertown .... 
 
 Raymond ville 
 
 Reading 
 
 Reading Center . . 
 
 Red Bridge 
 
 Red Creek 
 
 Red Falls 
 
 Redfleld 
 
 Bedford 
 
 Red Hook 
 
 Red Jacket 
 
 Onondaga. 
 
 Onondaga. 
 
 Onondaga 
 
 Sullivan. 
 
 Steuben, 
 
 Mat'* on. 
 
 Sarfc^ga. 
 
 SL Lawrence. 
 
 Cayuga. 
 
 Wyoming. 
 
 Cayuga. 
 
 Westchester. 
 
 Broome. 
 
 Saratoga. 
 
 Ontario. 
 
 Wayne. 
 
 Essex. 
 
 Montgumerr. 
 
 Suffolk. 
 
 Orange. 
 
 Essex. 
 
 Chautauque. 
 
 Lewis. 
 
 Oswego. 
 
 Richmond. 
 
 Cattaraugus. 
 
 Chemung. 
 
 Herkimer. 
 
 SL Lawrence. 
 
 Yates. 
 
 Rensselaer. 
 
 Albany. 
 
 Warren. 
 
 Dutchess. 
 
 Dutchess. 
 
 Westchester. 
 
 Steuben. 
 
 Madison. 
 
 Greene. 
 
 Cortlandt. 
 
 Chenango. 
 
 Albany. 
 
 Oneida. 
 
 Rensselaer. 
 
 Sarato^ 
 
 Tompkins. 
 
 Steuben. 
 
 Wayne. 
 
 Dutchess. 
 
 Steuben. 
 
 Westchester. 
 
 Sullivan. 
 
 Washington. 
 
 Dutchess. 
 
 Saratoga, 
 
 Schenectady. 
 
 Warren. 
 
 Suffolk. 
 
 St. Lawrence. 
 
 Rockland. 
 
 Cattaraugus. 
 
 Niagara. 
 
 Niagara. 
 
 Steuben. 
 
 Rensselaer. 
 
 St. Lawrence. 
 
 Steuben. 
 
 Steuben. 
 
 Ulster. 
 
 Wayuo. 
 
 Greene. 
 
 Oswego. 
 
 Clinton. 
 
 Dutchess. 
 
 Erie. 
 
 Red Mills 
 
 Redwood 
 
 Reed's Comers . . . 
 
 Reidsville 
 
 Remsen 
 
 Rensselaerville . . . 
 Rexford Plaits . . . 
 Reynales' Basin . . . 
 
 Reynoldsville 
 
 Rhinebeck 
 
 Rice 
 
 Richburgh 
 
 Richfleld 
 
 Richfield Springs . 
 
 Richtord 
 
 Richland 
 
 Richmond 
 
 Richmond Mills.., 
 Richmond Valley . 
 RichmoQdville ... 
 
 Richville 
 
 Ridge 
 
 RidgebuT)' 
 
 Ridgeway 
 
 Rigo 
 
 Ripley 
 
 River Road Forks. 
 
 Riverside 
 
 Roanoke 
 
 Robert's Comers . 
 
 Rochester 
 
 Rockaway 
 
 Rock City 
 
 Rock City Milts . . . 
 
 Rockdale 
 
 Rockland 
 
 Rockland Lake . . . 
 
 RockRift 
 
 Rock Stream 
 
 Rockton 
 
 Rockville 
 
 Rockvitle Center . 
 
 Rodman 
 
 Rome 
 
 Romulus 
 
 Rondout 
 
 Roosevelt 
 
 Root 
 
 Putnam, 
 
 Jefferson. 
 
 Ontario. 
 
 Albany. 
 
 Oneida. 
 
 Albany. 
 
 ►Sarntoga. 
 
 Niagara. 
 
 Tompkins. 
 
 Dutchess. 
 
 Cattaraugus. 
 
 Allegany. 
 
 Otsego. 
 
 Otsego. 
 
 Tioga. 
 
 Oswego. 
 
 Richmond. 
 
 Ontario. 
 
 Richmond. 
 
 Schoharie. 
 
 St. Lawrence. 
 
 (•ivingaton. 
 
 Orange, 
 
 Orleans. 
 
 Monroe. 
 
 Chautauque. 
 
 Livingston. 
 
 Ulster. 
 
 Roseboom 
 
 Rose Hill 
 
 Rosendale 
 
 Roslyn 
 
 Rossie 
 
 Rossville 
 
 Rotterdam 
 
 Rough and Ready. 
 
 Rounsville 
 
 Rouse's Point 
 
 Roxbury 
 
 Royalton 
 
 RuralHill 
 
 Rush 
 
 Rushford 
 
 Rush ville 
 
 Russell 
 
 Russia 
 
 Rutland 
 
 Rye 
 
 Sackeit's Harbor 
 
 Sageville 
 
 Sag Harbor 
 
 St, Andrew's 
 
 St. Armand 
 
 St. JohnsvUle — 
 Saint Lawrence.. 
 Salem 
 
 Jefferson. 
 
 Monroe. 
 
 Queens. 
 
 Putohess. 
 
 Saratoga. 
 
 Chenango. 
 
 Sullivan. 
 
 Rockland. 
 
 Delaware. 
 
 Yal«B. 
 
 Herkimer. 
 
 Allegany. 
 
 Queens. 
 
 Jefferson. 
 
 Oneida. 
 
 Seneca. 
 
 Ulster. 
 
 Oswego. 
 
 Montgomery. 
 
 WajTie. 
 
 Otsego. 
 
 Seneca. 
 
 Ulster. 
 
 Queens. 
 
 St. Lawrence. 
 
 Richmond. 
 
 Schenectady. 
 
 Steuben. 
 
 Allegany. 
 
 Clinton. 
 
 Delaware. 
 
 Niagara. 
 
 Jefferson. 
 
 Monroe. 
 
 Allegany. 
 
 Ontario. 
 
 St. Lawrence. 
 
 Herkimer. 
 
 Jefferson. 
 
 Westchester. 
 
 Jefferson. 
 Hamilton. 
 Suffolk. 
 Orange. 
 
 Montgomery. 
 
 Jefferson. 
 
 Wesbington. 
 
 Salem Center 
 
 Westchester. 
 
 Salem X Roads .... 
 
 Chuuiauque. 
 
 
 Onoiid^^a. 
 
 
 bialisbury Center . . 
 
 Herkimer. 
 
 Salisbury Mills 
 
 Orange. 
 
 Salmon Creek 
 
 Wayne. 
 
 Salmon River 
 
 Oswego. 
 
 SaltPoint 
 
 Dutchess. 
 
 SaltSpringville.... 
 
 Otsego. 
 
 Salubria 
 
 Chemung. 
 Fulton. 
 
 Bammonsville 
 
 SampsonvUle 
 
 Ulster. 
 
 Sand Bank 
 
 Oswego. 
 
 Suudburgh 
 
 Sullivan. 
 
 Saud Lake 
 
 Rensselaer. 
 
 Sands' Mills 
 
 Westchester. 
 
 Sandusky 
 
 Cattaraugus. 
 
 Sandy Creek 
 
 Oswego. 
 
 Sandy Hill 
 
 Washington. 
 
 Sanford 
 
 
 Sandford's Comers 
 
 Jefferson. 
 
 Sangerfield 
 
 Oneida. 
 
 
 Clinton. 
 
 Saratoga Springs . . 
 
 Saratoga. 
 
 Sardinia 
 
 
 Saugerties 
 
 Ulster. 
 
 Sauquoit 
 
 Oneida. 
 
 Savannah 
 
 Wayne, 
 
 Savona 
 
 Steuben. 
 
 Say ville 
 
 Suffolk. 
 
 Scarsdale 
 
 Westchester. 
 
 Schagticoke 
 
 Rensselaer. 
 
 Schenectady 
 
 Schenectady. 
 
 Schenevers 
 
 Otsego. 
 
 Schodack Center . . 
 
 Rensselaer. 
 
 Schodack Depot . . 
 
 Rensselaer. 
 
 Schodack Landing 
 
 Rensselaer. 
 
 Schoharie 
 
 Schoharie. 
 
 Schroon Lake 
 
 Essex. 
 
 Schroon River .... 
 
 Essex. 
 
 Schutzville 
 
 Dutchess. 
 
 Schuyler's Falls.... 
 
 Clinton. 
 
 Schuyler's Lake . . 
 
 Olaego. 
 
 SchuylersviUe 
 
 Saratoga. 
 
 
 Allegany. 
 Clinton. 
 
 Sciota 
 
 
 Cayuga. 
 Cayuga. 
 
 Scipioville 
 
 Sconondoa 
 
 Oneida. 
 
 Scotchtown 
 
 Orange. 
 
 Scott 
 
 Cortlandt. 
 
 Scotia 
 
 Schenectady. 
 Livingston 
 
 Scottsburgh 
 
 ScoUsville 
 
 Monroe. 
 
 Scriba 
 
 Oswego. 
 Tompkins. 
 
 Searsburgh 
 
 
 Orange. 
 Suffolk. 
 
 Seatuck 
 
 Seely Creek 
 
 Chemung. 
 
 Seelysburgh 
 
 Cattaraugus. 
 
 Sempronius 
 
 Cayuga. 
 
 
 Tompkins. 
 Ontario. 
 
 Seneca Castle 
 
 Seneca Falls 
 
 Seneca. 
 
 Seneca River 
 
 Cayuga. 
 
 Sennet 
 
 Cayuga. 
 Suffolk. 
 
 
 
 
 Shandaken 
 
 Ulster. 
 
 Shandaken Center 
 
 Ulster. 
 
 Shannon 
 
 
 Sharon 
 
 Schoharie. 
 
 Sharon Springs 
 
 Schoharie. 
 
 Sharon Center 
 
 Schoharie, 
 
 Shavertown 
 
 Delaware. 
 
 Shawangunk 
 
 Ulster. 
 
 Shawnee 
 
 Niagara. 
 
POST-OFFICES IN NEW YORK. 
 
 407 
 
 Shawaville 
 
 Shelby 
 
 Sbelby BaBin 
 
 Sheldon 
 
 Sheldrake 
 
 Shelter island 
 
 Shenandoah 
 
 Sherburne 
 
 Sheridan 
 
 Sherman 
 
 Sherman^a Hollow . ■ 
 
 Sherwood's 
 
 Shlugle Creek 
 
 Shokaii 
 
 ShuDgo 
 
 Short Track 
 
 Short Tract 
 
 Shrub Oak 
 
 Shushan 
 
 Sidney 
 
 Sidney Center 
 
 Sidney Plains 
 
 Siloam 
 
 Silver Creek 
 
 Sing Sing 
 
 Skaneatelea 
 
 Slate Hill 
 
 Slaterville 
 
 Sloansville 
 
 Sloatsbui^h 
 
 i^mith's Basin 
 
 Sraithsboro' 
 
 Smith's Mills 
 
 Smithtown 
 
 Smith town Brancb . 
 
 Smithville 
 
 Smithville Flats 
 
 Smoky Hollow 
 
 Smyrna 
 
 Sociality 
 
 Sodus 
 
 SoduB Center 
 
 Sodus Point 
 
 Solon 
 
 Solsville 
 
 Somers 
 
 Somerset 
 
 Somerrille 
 
 South Alabama 
 
 South Alden 
 
 South Albion 
 
 South Amenia 
 
 South Hampton.... 
 
 South Argyle 
 
 South Avon 
 
 South Bainbridge . . 
 
 South Barre 
 
 South Berne 
 
 South Bradford 
 
 South Brookfleld . . 
 
 South Bristol 
 
 South Butler 
 
 South Byron 
 
 South Cairo 
 
 South Cameron .... 
 
 South Candor 
 
 South Canton 
 
 South Chili 
 
 South Columbia. . 
 South Corinth .... 
 South Cortlaodt . . 
 South It mby .... 
 South Daosville . . 
 South Dickinson . 
 
 South Dover 
 
 South Durham . . 
 
 South East 
 
 SouUi Easton 
 
 Broome. 
 
 Orleans. 
 
 Orleans. 
 
 Wyoming. 
 
 Seneca. 
 
 Suffolk. 
 
 Dutchess. 
 
 Chenango. 
 
 Chautauque. 
 
 Chautauque. 
 
 Yates. 
 
 Cayuga. 
 
 St. Lawrence. 
 
 Ulster. 
 
 Allegany, 
 
 Allegany. 
 
 Allegany. 
 
 Westchester. 
 
 Washington. 
 
 Delaware, 
 
 Delaware. 
 
 Delaware. 
 
 Madison. 
 
 Chautauque. 
 
 Westchester. 
 
 Onondaga. 
 
 Orange. 
 
 Tompkins. 
 
 Schoharie. 
 
 Rockland. 
 
 Washington. 
 
 Tioga. 
 
 Chautauque. 
 
 Suffolk. 
 
 Suffolk. 
 
 Jefferson. 
 
 Chenango. 
 
 Colunibia, 
 
 Chenango. 
 
 CattarauguB. 
 
 Wayne. 
 
 Wayne. 
 
 Wayne. 
 
 Cortlandt 
 
 Madison. 
 
 Westchester, 
 
 Niagara. 
 
 St. Lawrence. 
 
 Genesee. 
 
 Erie. 
 
 Oswego. 
 
 Dutchess. 
 
 Suffolk. 
 
 Washington, 
 
 Livingston. 
 
 Chenango. 
 
 Orleans. 
 
 AlbEuiy. 
 
 Steuben. 
 
 Madison. 
 
 Ontario. 
 
 Wayne. 
 
 Genesee. 
 
 Greene. 
 
 Steuben. 
 
 Tioga. 
 
 St. Lawrence, 
 
 Monroe. 
 
 Herkimer. 
 
 Saratoga. 
 
 Cortlandt. 
 
 Tompkins. 
 
 Steuben. 
 
 Franklin. 
 
 Dutchess. 
 
 Greene. 
 
 Putnam. 
 
 Washington. 
 
 South Edmeston . . . 
 
 South Edwards 
 
 South Franklin .... 
 
 South Gal way 
 
 South Granville 
 
 south Granby 
 
 south Hammond . . 
 
 South Hartford 
 
 South Hartwick.... 
 
 South Hill 
 
 South Kortright 
 
 South Lansing . . ... 
 
 South Livonia 
 
 ?outh Lodi 
 
 South Mnrcellua . . . 
 South Middletown . 
 
 South Milford.i 
 
 South New Berlin.. 
 
 Southold i . . 
 
 South Onondaga . . . 
 
 South Otselic 
 
 South Oxford 
 
 South Side 
 
 South Owego 
 
 South Oyster Bay . . 
 South Plymouth., i. 
 
 Southport ;. 
 
 South Pnltney 
 
 South Richland .... 
 
 South Royallon 
 
 South Rutland 
 
 South Salem 
 
 South Schodack. . . . 
 
 South Sodus 
 
 South Stephentown 
 
 South Thurston 
 
 South Trenton 
 
 South Valley 
 
 South Venice 
 
 Soutbville 
 
 South Wales 
 
 South Warsaw .... 
 South Westerloo . . . 
 
 Southwick 
 
 South Windsor 
 
 South Worcester . . 
 Southwest Oswego . 
 
 South Wilson 
 
 Spafford 
 
 Spafford Hollow 
 
 Sparta 
 
 SpeedB\ille 
 
 Spencer 
 
 Spencerport 
 
 Spencertown 
 
 Speonk 
 
 Spraker's Basin — 
 
 Spring Brook 
 
 Sprin^eld' 
 
 Springfield Center . . 
 
 Spring Mills 
 
 Spring Valley 
 
 Springville 
 
 Springwater 
 
 Sprout Creek 
 
 Staatsbui^h 
 
 Stafford 
 
 Stanwix 
 
 Stanley Comers . . . . 
 
 Stamford 
 
 Stanfordville 
 
 Staplelon 
 
 Starkey 
 
 Starkville 
 
 State Bridge 
 
 Stephentown 
 
 Sterling 
 
 Stcrlingvillc 
 
 Otsego. 
 
 St. .Lawrence. 
 
 Delaware. 
 
 Saratov 
 
 Washington. 
 
 Oswego. 
 
 St. Lawrence. 
 
 Washington. 
 
 Otsego. 
 
 Steuben. 
 
 Delaware. 
 
 Tompkins. 
 
 Livingston. 
 
 Seneca. 
 
 Onondaga. 
 
 Orange. 
 
 Otsego. 
 
 Chenango. 
 
 Suffolk. 
 
 Onondaga. 
 
 Chenango, 
 
 Chenango. 
 
 Richmond. 
 
 Tioga. 
 
 Queens. 
 
 Chenango. 
 
 Chemung. 
 
 Steuben. 
 
 Oswego. 
 
 Niagara. 
 
 Jefferson. 
 
 Westchester. 
 
 Rensselaer. 
 
 Wayne. 
 
 Rensselaer. 
 
 Steuben. 
 
 Oneida. 
 
 Otsego. 
 
 Cayuga. 
 
 St. Lawrence. 
 
 Erie. 
 
 Wyoming. 
 
 Albany. 
 
 Ulster. 
 
 Broome. 
 
 Otsego. 
 
 Oswego. 
 
 Ni^ara. 
 
 Onondaga. 
 
 Onondaga, 
 
 Livingston, 
 
 Tompkins. 
 
 Tioga. 
 
 Monroe. 
 
 Columbia. 
 
 Suffolk. 
 
 Montgomery. 
 
 Erie. 
 
 Otsego. 
 
 Otsego. 
 
 Allegany. 
 
 Rockland. 
 
 Erie. 
 
 Livingston. 
 
 Dutchess. 
 
 Dutchess. 
 
 i^enesee. 
 
 Oneida, 
 
 Ontario. 
 
 Delaware. 
 
 Dutchess. 
 
 Richmond. 
 
 Yates. 
 
 Herkimer. 
 
 lOneida. 
 
 I Rensselaer. 
 
 ICayuga. 
 
 iJefiersoiL 
 
 Steuben 
 
 Stevenaville 
 
 Stillwater 
 
 StittviUe 
 
 Stockbridge 
 
 Stockholm 
 
 Stockport 
 
 Stockport Station . . 
 
 Stockton 
 
 Stokes 
 
 Stone Arabia 
 
 Stone Church 
 
 Stone Mills 
 
 Stone Ridge 
 
 Stony Brook 
 
 Stony CYeek 
 
 Stormville 
 
 Siowell's Comers .. 
 
 Stow's Square 
 
 Stratford 
 
 Stratlou's Fall 
 
 Strykersville 
 
 Stuyvesant 
 
 Siuyvesant Falls . . . 
 
 Success 
 
 Suffem 
 
 Suffolk 
 
 Sugar Hill 
 
 Sugar Loaf 
 
 Sullivan 
 
 Sullivanville 
 
 Summer Hill 
 
 Summit 
 
 Susquehannah 
 
 Suspension Bridge . 
 
 Sweden 
 
 Syracuse 
 
 Taberg 
 
 T^hkanick — 
 Tannersville.... 
 Tappantowo. . . 
 
 Tarrytown 
 
 Taylor 
 
 Taylorville 
 
 Ten Mile Spring 
 
 Texas 
 
 Texas Valley . . 
 The Comer — 
 
 The Glen 
 
 The Purchase . 
 
 Theresa 
 
 The Square 
 
 Thompson ville 
 Thompson's Station 
 Three Mile Bay 
 Throopsville . . 
 
 Thurston 
 
 Ticonderoga . . . 
 Tioga Center . . 
 
 Tivoli 
 
 Toddsville 
 
 Tomhannock . . 
 Tompkinsville . 
 Tonawanda .... 
 
 Tontine 
 
 Totlenville 
 
 Towlesville .... 
 
 Towners 
 
 Town Line 
 
 Townsend 
 
 Townsondville . 
 
 Transit 
 
 Transit Bridge . 
 
 Trenton 
 
 Trenton Falls . . 
 
 Triangle 
 
 Tribe^BHiU.... 
 
 Oneida. 
 
 Sullivan. 
 
 Saratoga. 
 
 Oneida. 
 
 Madison. 
 
 St. Lawrence, 
 
 Columbia. 
 
 Delaware. 
 
 Chautauque. 
 
 Oneida. 
 
 Montgomery. 
 
 Genesee. 
 
 Jefferson. 
 
 Ulster. 
 
 Suffolk. 
 
 Warren. 
 
 Dutchess. 
 
 Jefferson. 
 
 Lewis. 
 
 Fulton. 
 
 Delaware. 
 
 Wyoming. 
 
 Columbia. 
 
 Columbia. 
 
 Suffolk. 
 
 Rockland. 
 
 Suffolk. 
 
 Steuben. 
 
 Orange. 
 
 Madison. 
 
 Chemung. 
 
 Cayuga. 
 
 Schoharie. 
 
 Broome. 
 
 Niagara. 
 
 Monroe. 
 
 Onondaga. 
 
 Oneida. 
 
 Columbia. 
 
 Greene. 
 
 Rockland. 
 
 Westchester. 
 
 Cortlandt. 
 
 Ontario. 
 
 Cattaraugus. 
 
 Oswego. 
 
 Cortlandt. 
 
 Ulster. 
 
 Warren. 
 
 Westchester. 
 
 Jefferson. 
 
 Cayuga. 
 
 Sullivan. 
 
 Suffolk. 
 
 Jefferson. 
 
 Cayuga. 
 
 Steuben. 
 
 Essex. 
 
 Tioga. 
 
 Dutchess. 
 
 Otsego. 
 
 Rensselaer, 
 
 Richmond. 
 
 Erie. 
 
 Steuben. 
 
 Richmond, 
 
 Steuben. 
 
 Putnam, 
 
 Erie. 
 
 Chemung. 
 
 Seneca. 
 
 Genesee. 
 
 Allegany. 
 
 Oneida. 
 
 Oneida. 
 
 Broome. 
 
 Montgomery. 
 
408 
 
 POST-OFFICES IN NEW YORK. 
 
 TroupBburgh . . . 
 
 Troy 
 
 Trout Creek ... 
 Trumansburgh . 
 Trumbull Corners . . 
 
 Truxton 
 
 Tuckaboe 
 
 Tully 
 
 Tully Valley 
 
 Turiu 
 
 Turners 
 
 Tuscarora 
 
 Tuthill 
 
 Twelve Mile Creek 
 
 Tyre 
 
 Tyrone 
 
 Ulsterville 
 
 Unadilla 
 
 Unadilla Center . . . 
 Unadilla Forks . . . 
 
 Union 
 
 Union Center 
 
 Union Corners . . . . 
 
 Union EUery 
 
 Union Falls 
 
 Union Mills 
 
 Union Settlement . 
 
 Union Society 
 
 Union Springs . . . 
 Union Square .... 
 Union Valley .... 
 Union Village . . . 
 
 UnioDviUe 
 
 Unitaria 
 
 Upper Aquebogue 
 
 Upper Jay 
 
 Upper Lidle 
 
 Upper Red Hook . 
 
 Urbuna 
 
 UUca 
 
 Otst^o. 
 
 Broome. 
 
 Broume. 
 
 Livingston. 
 
 Cbautauque. 
 
 Clinton. 
 
 Fulton. 
 
 Oswego. 
 
 Greene. 
 
 Cayuga. 
 
 Oswego. 
 
 Cortlandt. 
 
 Broome. 
 
 Orange. 
 
 Broome. 
 
 Suffolk. 
 
 Essex. 
 
 Broome. 
 
 Dutchess. 
 
 Steuben. 
 
 Oneida. 
 
 Fulton. 
 
 Columbia. 
 
 Broome. 
 
 Onondaga. 
 
 Onondaga. 
 
 Cbautauque. 
 
 Cbemung. 
 
 Herkimer. 
 
 Seneca. 
 
 Tompkins. 
 
 Wyoming. 
 
 Cayuga. 
 
 Dutchess. 
 
 Oswego. 
 
 Cbautauque. 
 
 Wyoming. 
 
 Oneida. 
 
 Oneida. 
 
 Oneida. 
 
 Oneida. 
 
 Westchester. 
 
 Cattaraugus. 
 
 Onondaga. 
 
 Broome. 
 
 Chemung. 
 
 Ontario. 
 
 Cayuga. 
 
 Oneida. 
 
 Cbautauque. 
 
 Cortlandt. 
 
 Saratoga. 
 
 Westchester. 
 
 Oswego. 
 
 Cbautauque. 
 
 WaddiDgton 3L Lawrence. 
 
 VaU's Mills 
 
 Valatie 
 
 Vallonia Springs . . 
 
 Van Buren 
 
 Van Buren Center. . 
 Van Buren Harbor 
 
 Van Ettenville 
 
 Van Hornesville . . 
 
 Varicfc 
 
 Varna 
 
 Varyaburgb 
 
 Venice 
 
 Verbank 
 
 Vermillion 
 
 Vermont 
 
 Vernal 
 
 Vernon 
 
 Vernon Center — 
 
 Verona 
 
 Verona Mills 
 
 Verplank 
 
 Versailles 
 
 Vesper 
 
 Vestal 
 
 Veteran 
 
 Victor 
 
 Victory 
 
 Vienna 
 
 Villanova 
 
 VirgU 
 
 Vischer's Ferry — 
 
 Vista 
 
 Volney 
 
 Volusia 
 
 Steuben. 
 
 Rensselaer. 
 
 Dtilawure. 
 
 Tompkins. 
 
 Tompkins. 
 
 Cortlandt. 
 
 Westchester. 
 
 Onondaga. 
 
 Onondaga. 
 
 Lewis. 
 
 Orange. 
 
 Livingston. 
 
 Ulster. 
 
 Steuben. 
 
 Seneca. 
 
 Steuben. 
 
 Ulster. 
 Otsego. 
 
 Wadham^s Mills . 
 Wading lliver . . , 
 
 Walderi 
 
 Wnldensville 
 
 Wales 
 
 Wales Center 
 
 Walesville 
 
 Walton 
 
 Walworth 
 
 Wainpsville 
 
 Wappinger's Falls 
 Wardborough . . . . 
 Warner ville . 
 
 Warren 
 
 Warrensburgh 
 
 Warsaw 
 
 Warwick 
 
 Washington . 
 Washington Hollow 
 Washington Mills.. 
 
 Waterburgh 
 
 Waterford 
 
 Waterloo 
 
 Waterport 
 
 Watertown 
 
 Walervale 
 
 Water Valley 
 
 Waterville 
 
 Waterville Comers 
 Watervliet Center . . 
 
 Watson 
 
 Waverly 
 
 Wawarsing 
 
 Wayne 
 
 Webster 
 
 Weedaport >.. 
 
 Wegatchie i 
 
 Wellington 
 
 Wells 
 
 Wellsburgh 
 
 Wells' Comer 
 
 Wellsville 
 
 West Addison — 
 West Almond .... 
 
 West Amboy 
 
 West Aiu-ora 
 
 West Bainbridge . . 
 
 West Bergen 
 
 West Berlin 
 
 West Bloomfleld . . 
 
 West Branch 
 
 West Brookville . . 
 West Burlington . . 
 
 Westbury 
 
 West Butler 
 
 West Camden 
 
 West Candor 
 
 West Carlton 
 
 West Cayuta 
 
 West Charlton .... 
 
 WestChazy 
 
 Westchester 
 
 West Clarksville . . 
 West Colesville .... 
 West Concord .... 
 West Conesus .... 
 
 West Constable 
 
 West Danby 
 
 West Davenport . . 
 
 West Day 
 
 West Dresden .... 
 
 West Dryden 
 
 West Edmeston 
 
 WestEllery 
 
 Westerloo 
 
 Westernville 
 
 West Exeter 
 
 West Falls 
 
 Essex. 
 
 6uttbik. 
 
 Orange. 
 
 Schoharie. 
 
 Erie. 
 
 Erie. 
 
 Oneida. 
 
 Delaware. 
 
 Wayne. 
 
 Madison. 
 
 Dutchess. 
 
 Warren. 
 
 Schoharie. 
 
 Herkimer. 
 
 Warren. 
 
 Wyoming. 
 
 Orange. 
 
 Dutchess. 
 
 Dutchess. 
 
 Oneida. 
 
 Tompkins. 
 
 Saratoga. 
 
 Seneca. 
 
 Orleans. 
 
 Jefferson. 
 
 Onondaga. 
 
 Erie. 
 
 Oneida. 
 
 Erie. 
 
 Schenectady. 
 
 Lewis. 
 
 Tioga. 
 
 Ulster. 
 
 Steuben. 
 
 Monroe. 
 
 Cayuga. 
 
 St. Lawrence. 
 
 Onondi^a. 
 
 Hamilton. 
 
 Chemung. 
 
 Orange. 
 
 AUegany. 
 
 Steuben. 
 
 Allegany. 
 
 Oswego. 
 
 Erie. 
 
 Chenango. 
 
 Greneaee. 
 
 Rensselaer. 
 
 Ontario. 
 
 OneidEU 
 
 Sullivan. 
 
 Otsego. 
 
 Wayne. 
 
 Wayne. 
 
 Oneida. 
 
 Tioga. 
 
 Orleans. 
 
 Chemung. 
 
 Saratoga. 
 
 Clinton. 
 
 Westchester. 
 
 Allegany. 
 
 Broome. 
 
 Erie. 
 
 Livingston. 
 
 Franklin. 
 
 Tompkins. 
 
 Delaware. 
 
 Saratoga. 
 
 Yates. 
 
 Tompkins. 
 
 Otsego. 
 
 Cbautauque. 
 
 Albany. 
 
 Oneida. 
 
 Otsego. 
 
 Erie. 
 
 West Farmington. . 
 
 West Farms 
 
 West Fayette 
 
 Wesirteld 
 
 West Fort Ann 
 
 Weslford 
 
 Westfowler 
 
 West Fulton 
 
 West Gaines 
 
 West Galway 
 
 West Genesee 
 
 WestGUboa 
 
 West Greece 
 
 West Greenfield . . 
 West Greenwood . . 
 
 WestGroton 
 
 West Hadley 
 
 West Hebron 
 
 West Henrietta 
 
 West HiUs 
 
 West Hurley . . , 
 West Junius ... 
 West Kendall . 
 
 WestKUl 
 
 West Laurens . 
 West Lexington 
 West Leyden. .. 
 
 West Liuklean 
 
 West Lowville . . . 
 West Macedon .... 
 West Martinsburgb 
 
 West Meredith 
 
 West Milton 
 
 West Monroe 
 
 Westmoreland .... 
 
 West Moriah 
 
 West Newark .... 
 West Newstead. . . . 
 
 WestNUes 
 
 Weston 
 
 West Oneonta 
 
 West Onondaga 
 
 West Perth 
 
 West Plattsburgh . . 
 West Perrysburgh 
 
 West Point 
 
 Westport 
 
 West Potsdam 
 
 West Rush 
 
 West Sand Lake . . 
 
 West Schuyler 
 
 West Shandaken . . 
 
 West Shongo 
 
 West Somers 
 
 West Somerset 
 
 West Slephentown 
 West Stockholm . . 
 West Taghkanic . . 
 
 West ThercKi 
 
 West Town 
 
 West Troupsburg . . 
 
 West Troy 
 
 West Union 
 
 West Vienna 
 
 Westville 
 
 West Walworth . . 
 West Webster .... 
 
 West Windsor 
 
 WestWinfleld .... 
 West Yorkshire . . . 
 
 Wethersfleld 
 
 Wethersfleld Spri'ga 
 
 Whallansburgh 
 
 Wheatland 
 
 Wheatville 
 
 Wheeler 
 
 White CYeek 
 
 White HaU 
 
 Ontario. 
 
 Westchester. 
 
 Seneca. 
 
 Cbautauque. 
 
 Washington. 
 
 Otsego. 
 
 St. Lawrence. 
 
 Schoharie. 
 
 Orleans. 
 
 Fulton. 
 
 Allegany. 
 
 Schoharie. 
 
 Monroe. 
 
 Saratoga. 
 
 Steuben. 
 
 Tompkins. 
 
 Saratoga. 
 
 Washington. 
 
 Monroe. 
 
 Suffolk. 
 
 Ulster. 
 
 Seneca. 
 
 Orleans. 
 
 Greene. 
 
 Otsego. 
 
 Greene. 
 
 Ijewts. 
 
 Chenango. 
 
 Lewis. 
 
 Wayne. 
 
 Lewis. 
 
 Delaware. 
 
 Saratoga. 
 
 Oswego. 
 
 Oneida. 
 
 Tioga, 
 
 Erie. 
 
 Cayuga. 
 
 :?teuben. 
 
 Otsego. 
 
 Onondaga. 
 
 Fulton. 
 
 Clinton. 
 
 Cattaraugus. 
 
 Orange. 
 
 St. Lawrence. 
 
 Monroe. 
 
 Rensselaer. 
 
 Herkimer. 
 
 Ulster. 
 
 Allegany. 
 
 Westchester. 
 
 Niagara. 
 
 Rensselaer. 
 
 Su Lawrence. 
 
 Columbia. 
 
 Jefferson. 
 
 Orange. 
 
 Steuben, 
 
 Albany. 
 
 Steuben. 
 
 Oneida. 
 
 Otsego. 
 
 Wayne. 
 
 Monroe. 
 
 Broome. 
 
 Herkimer. 
 
 Cattaraugus. 
 
 Wyoming. 
 
 Wyoming. 
 
 E>-aex. 
 
 Monroe. 
 
 Genesee. 
 
 Steuben. 
 
 Washington. 
 
 WaahiogtOD. 
 
POST-OFFICES IN NEW YORK. 
 
 409 
 
 Wliiic T,:il;i; 'siillivan. 
 
 Wliiie Plains Wesldiester. 
 
 W'liil.-idc's t;{irni.'rd SaraU^i. 
 
 WiiiuV f-it.rti CliiMian;;o. 
 
 \\ tiiU'-'iuwii .OiiL'ida. 
 
 Wliili-.-villi* ;Alli-i.'aii.v. 
 
 WhiilncU villi' WuMtvlii-riU'r. 
 
 \V"liilMf\'ft I niiil ,. Uruiiinc. 
 WliitmA's Viilk-v ..;Allei,'anv. 
 
 Willelt .'... CurLlamh. 
 
 Willianistnirsh Kind's. 
 
 Williiinison Wayne. 
 
 W'illiam.sUiwn Oiswej^ju. 
 
 W illiaiiisviUu Kriu. 
 
 \Vill.iw .AIK'i^any. 
 
 ^Vill^l)k iKri**. 
 
 \Vil!<ln)r()* |Ksscx. 
 
 AVillsL-vville jTio^'ii. 
 
 WiLmingLun lEssex. 
 
 ' ^Vilmut 
 
 Wiliia 
 
 1' Wilsun'.s 
 
 I Willoii 
 
 UViiKllall 
 
 i'Wimlliiiin 
 
 I'WirHlliaiii tViitt-r . 
 
 /Wind-^fir 
 
 I: V\'iii1ibld 
 
 !|\Virt 
 
 iWiscoy 
 
 jWolcoU 
 
 W'oodbourue 
 
 Wuddliull .' 
 
 V\'oocldtock 
 
 Woodville 
 
 Wood wardsvi lie . 
 
 Worcestt-r 
 
 VVorthvillt! 
 
 Herkimer. 
 ■IfHui-sun. 
 Niaj,'iira. 
 'iiraiOiia. 
 Oijundai^a. 
 (irei'iii;. 
 iJrL'iMie. 
 Ilroome. 
 llerkiniLT. 
 Alleifiinv. 
 Alit'i^Mny. 
 V\'ayt)e. 
 Sullivan. 
 Sk'ubun. 
 [Jlstcr. 
 JiiHersoD. 
 Essex. 
 Ot£o!jro. 
 Jclfcr^ioii. 
 
 VV'rii^hl's Corners . 
 
 Wr.L'lilsville 
 
 V\"iitlHboru' 
 
 Wynaniskill 
 
 \Vyncoi>p'ij Creek . 
 Wyoiuiujj 
 
 NiiiKiira. 
 
 CliiiUxi. 
 
 Sulhvan. 
 
 Hen.'itieliter. 
 
 Clieinuiij,'. 
 
 Wyoming. 
 
 Yaphiiuk Suffolk. 
 
 Orleans. 
 Vales. 
 
 Wealchestor. 
 Livingston. 
 New York. 
 
 Vales 
 Valesville 
 Vonkurs . - 
 
 York 
 
 Yorkville. . 
 
 Yorksliiro iCattaraugua. 
 
 Yorktown ] WesU;liesler. 
 
 Youngatown Niagara. 
 
 YoungaviUe Sullivan. 
 
 Zoar Erie. 
 
 POST OFFICES RECENTLY ESTABLISHED, 
 With additions and Corrections of ike foregoing List. 
 
 Post- Offices. 
 
 Counties. 
 
 Allenaville Allpsnny. 
 
 liontlpy'fl Corners. Jeflersou. 
 
 Jiig Creek Pteubcii. 
 
 Breer Hill St. LawrLiuT. 
 
 Brick Creek Ulster. 
 
 Brush's Mills..,,,, Tompkins. 
 
 Burk's Mills Franklin. 
 
 <",' attar augus ...... Cattaraiu'us. 
 
 Cedar Lake Herkimer. 
 
 ('enter Canistco ..Steuben. 
 
 College Point Queens. 
 
 Colliersville Otsego. 
 
 Craig's Mills St. Lawrence. 
 
 Crittenden. Erie. 
 
 Culeont Delaware. 
 
 Dickersonville Niagara. 
 
 Downville Delaware. 
 
 East Eden Eric. 
 
 East Koy' Allegany. 
 
 East Parish ., Osweco. 
 
 East Place Clinton. 
 
 East Scott Cortlandt. 
 
 East Shelby ....,• Orleans. 
 
 Fojl-OfficGS. 
 
 Coumies. 
 
 1 1 
 
 Ediiar Lake 
 
 I'ranklin Falls ... 
 
 Freehold 
 
 Garrison's 
 
 (iraysville 
 
 Grand Island 
 
 . Herkimer. 
 . Franklin. 
 . Genessee 
 . Putnam. 
 . Herkimer. 
 • Erie. 
 . Sullivan. 
 . Essex. 
 
 Oswego. 
 
 Sullivan. 
 . Oneida. 
 . Delaware. 
 .Livingston. 
 . Greene. 
 . Niagara. 
 3 Madison. 
 . Oneida. 
 
 Delawan;. 
 . Jefferson. 
 .Allegany. 
 .'Madison. 
 .'Monroe. 
 
 I 
 
 Harriettstown . . . 
 Habtings' Center . 
 Hawkins' Creek . 
 FlillSide 
 
 
 Hunt's Hollow . . , 
 .lewett Center ... 
 
 Law Office Build'g 
 
 Lee Center 
 
 Monument Island 
 
 New Hudson .... 
 North Bloomfield 
 North Greece ..•■ 
 
 North Parma 
 
 Northville 
 
 Onoville 
 
 Oramel 
 
 Osceola 
 
 Pendleton Center . 
 
 Pine Woods 
 
 Portlandville 
 
 llasoag 
 
 South Greenville.. 
 South^Harrisburg . 
 
 Southport 
 
 Suramitville 
 
 Springs 
 
 Stockholm Depot . 
 
 Webb's Mills 
 
 West Bethany .... 
 West Cameron ... 
 White Corners. . . . 
 Whitney's Corners 
 Williams' Bridge.. 
 Wiskaguna 
 
 Monroe. 
 
 Jefferson. 
 
 Cattaraugus. 
 
 Allegany. 
 
 Lewis. 
 
 Niagara. 
 
 Madison. 
 
 Otsego. 
 
 Oswego. 
 
 Saratoga. 
 
 Lewis. 
 
 Chennnco. 
 
 Suffolk." 
 
 Allegany. 
 
 St Lawrence. 
 
 Chemung. 
 
 Genessee. 
 
 Steuben. 
 
 Erie. 
 
 Jetfereon. 
 
 West Chester 
 
 Schenectady. 
 
CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE 
 
 IMPORTANT AND INTERESTING EVENTS 
 
 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 
 
 1524. Verrazzano, a Florentine, discovers the harbor of New York. 
 1609. Henry Hudson, an Englishman, sails up the river that bears his name. 
 1611. Champlain, a Frenchman, discovers the lake which bears his name. 
 1614. The Dutch build a fort and trading house at New York, and at Albany. 
 1616. Kingston first settled. 
 
 1619. Dermer, an Englishman, the first who sailed through Long Island Sound. 
 
 1620. The Dutch West India Company established. 
 
 1623. Pearl-street formed, the first street ever made in New York. 
 
 1629. Wouter Van Twiller, the Dutch governor, arrived in New Amsterdam. 
 
 1630. Michael Paw, a Dutch subject, purchases Staten Island of the Indians. 
 
 1 632. West end of Long Island began to be settled by the Dutch. 
 
 1633. The Dutch erect a small fort at Hartford, Conn. 
 
 1638. William Kieft succeeded Van Twiller as governor of New Netherland. 
 " War with the Swedes on the Delaware. 
 
 ** Negro slaves introduced into New Netherland. 
 
 1639. The English settled at Oyster Bay : they were driven off by Gov. Kieft. 
 
 1640. The English settle Southampton, Long Island. 
 
 1642. The Dutch fort Hope at Hartford seized by the English. 
 
 1643. The New England colonies leagued against the Dutch and Indians. 
 " First church erected in New York. 
 
 1 646. Battle between the Dutch and Indians at Horse Neck. 
 
 1647. Peter Stuyveaant arrives as the successor of Gov. Kieft. 
 
 1650. Gov. Stuyvesant arriving at Hartford, demands a surrender of the lands on Con- 
 necticut River. 
 
 1654. The tract now Westchester County, purchased of the Indians by T. Pell. 
 
 1655. Fort Ceisimer on the Delaware captured from the Swedes. 
 
 1663. Hostilities with the Indians near Esopus, (Kingston.) 
 
 1664. Charles II. grants New Netherland to the Duke of York. 
 
CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE. 
 
 1664. Col. Nichols, with an armed force, compels Gov. Stuyvesant to surrender New 
 
 Amsterdam to the English, which now is named New York. 
 
 1665. New York incorporated : Thomas Willet the first mayor. 
 
 " John Shute licensed to teach the English language at Albany. 
 
 " Town and county rates paid in beef and pork. 
 
 1666. The French from Canada send an expedition against the Moliawks. 
 
 1667. Col. Francis Lovelace succeeds Col. Nichols as governor. 
 
 1668. A carriage road from New York to Harlaem ordered to be made. 
 
 1669. Gov. Lovelace institutes horse races at Hempstead, L. 1. 
 
 " Catharine Harrison accused of witchcraft : tried by the Assizes. 
 " The New England Indians unsuccessfully invade the Mohawks 
 
 1672. The first Friend, or Quaker, preached in New York. 
 
 1673. War with Holland : New York surrendered to the Dutch. 
 
 " Anthony Clove appointed governor, surrendered to the English the next year. 
 " First post-rider between New York and Boston, made a trip once iu three 
 
 weeks. 
 " Fort Frontenac built at Ontario. 
 
 1675. Edmund Andros appointed governor of New York. 
 
 1676. Price of grain fixed by the governor : winter wheat 5«., summer wheat 4s. 6d. per 
 
 bushel. 
 1679. No bolting mills allowed, or flour packed out of New York. 
 
 1682. The Duke of York's charter granted. 
 
 1683. Thomas Dongan arrives as successor of Gov. Andros. 
 
 " First Legislative Assembly of New York convened at Hempstead. 
 
 ** None but freemen allowed to trade up Hudson River. 
 
 1684. M. de la Barre invades the country of the Five Nations. 
 
 1685. The Jews petition for liberty to exercise their religion • petition not granted. 
 
 1686. King James W. forbids the use of printing presses in New York. 
 " City of New York pays 10 per cent, interest for borrowed money. 
 " Albany incorporated a city. 
 
 1687. M. Denonville with 2,000 French and Indians inarches against the Senecas. 
 
 1688. New York and New Jersey added to the jurisdiction of New England. 
 
 1689. The Five Nations make a descent on Montreal. 
 
 " Accession of William and Mary ; Leisler seizes the fort at New York. 
 
 1690. Schenectady destroyed by the French and Indians. 
 
 1691. Col. H. Sloughter arrives as governor of the province of New York. 
 " Leisler and Milborn executed for high treason. 
 
 " First General Assembly convened in New York consisted of 17 members, April 9 
 " French settlements on Lake Champlain invaded by Maj. Schuyler 
 " The Duke's laws ceased, provincial laws began. 
 
 1692. Col. Benjamin Fletcher arrives as governor. 
 
 1693. An Episcopal Church established in New York. 
 
 " Count Frontenac makes an incursion into the Mohawk country. 
 " Gov. Fletcher attempts the command of the militia of Connecticut. 
 
 1694. Treaty with the Five Nations at Albany. 
 
 " Capt. Kidd the pirate committed depredations on the coast about this period. 
 1696. Count Frontenac marches against the Five Nations. 
 " About 6,000 inhabitants in New York City at thii period : complaints of great 
 Bcaxcity of bread. 
 
CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE. 
 
 1698. Richard, Earl of Bellamont, arrives as governor. 
 
 1699. Captain Kidd arrested at Boston: his money, buried at Gardiner's Island, se- 
 
 cured. 
 
 1700. The Legislature passed a law to hang every Popish priest who entered the pro- 
 
 vince to entice the Indians from their allegiance. 
 
 1701. A court of chancery organized in New York. 
 " Lord Cornbury arrived as governor. 
 
 1702. Great sickness in New York : General Assembly held at Jamaica. 
 
 1707. Lord Cornbury prohibits the Presbyterians from preaching without his license. 
 
 1708. Lord Lovelace arrives as governor : he dies the next year. 
 
 1710. Col. Schuyler visits England with five Indian chiefs. 
 
 " Robert Hunter arrived as governor, with 3,000 Palatines. 
 
 1711. jC10,000 in bills of credit issued, to aid the war in Canada. 
 " A slave market in Wall-street, New York. 
 
 1712. Insurrection of negroes in New York: 19 of them executed. 
 
 1719. First Presbyterian church in New York founded. 
 
 1720. William Burnet (son of Bishop Burnet) arrives as governor. 
 " A tax of 2 per cent, laid on European goods imported. 
 
 1722. Trading house erected at Oswego. 
 
 " Congress held at Albany with the Six Nations. 
 1725. "New York Gatette," the first newspaper published in New York. 
 
 1728. Col John Montgomery succeeds Gov. Burnet. 
 
 1729. The Society in London for propagating the Gospel in foreign parts, present th» 
 
 city of New York a library of 1,642 volumes. 
 
 1730. Jews synagogue built in Mill-street. 
 
 1731. Boundary between New York and Connecticut settled. 
 " The French erect a fort at Crown Point. 
 
 1732. William Cosby arrives as governor of New York and New Jersey. 
 
 " The first stage began to run between Boston and New York once a month : four- 
 teen days on the journey. 
 
 1736. Gov. Cosby died : he is succeeded by George Clarke. 
 
 1738. The Mayor of New York refuses to obey the order for the impressment of 
 seamen. 
 
 1741. Celebrated negro plot in New York suppressed. 
 
 1743. George Clinton arrives as captain-general and governor. 
 
 1747. Saratoga village destroyed by the French and Indians. 
 
 1750. A theatre established al New York. 
 
 1751. Treaty with the Six Nations at Albany. 
 
 1753. Gov. Clinton is succeeded by Sir Danvers Osbom, who commits suicide five days 
 
 after his arrival : he is succeeded in the government by James De Lancy. 
 Mild winter in this and the three following years — sloops went from New York 
 to Albany in January and February. 
 
 1754. A plan for colonial union drawn up at a convention at Albany. 
 " King' s College (now Columbia) founded in New York. 
 
 1755. Sir Charles Hardy arrives as governor. 
 
 " Provincial troops rendezvous at Albany : Fort Edward built. 
 
 " Battle of Lake George, Sept. 8 : French defeated, Dieskau killed 
 
 •* Gen. Shirley arrives at Oswego Aug. 21. 
 
 1756. Fort Oswego taken and demolished by M. Montcalm Aug. 14 
 
CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE. 
 
 1757. Fort Williara Henry taken by Montcalm Aug. 9. 
 
 1758. Gen. Abercrombie defeated at Ticonderoga July 8 with great loss. 
 " Fort Stanwii built where Rome now stands. 
 
 " Fort Frontenac taken by Col. Bradstreet Aug. 27. 
 
 1759. Ticonderoga taken by the English July 27. 
 
 " Sir Wm. Johnson defeats the French at Niagara July 24. 
 " Battle of Quebec, Sept. 13, Gen. Wolfe and Montcalm killed. 
 
 1760. Capitulation of M. de Vaudreuil at Montreal — entire reduction of Canada, Sep- 
 
 tember 8. 
 " Baptist Church in Gold-street, N. Y. erected. 
 
 1761. Cadwallader Colden having assumed the government aa President of the Council 
 
 in 1760, is appointed lieutenant governor in August : is superseded by Gen. Ro- 
 bert Moncton in October of this year. 
 1763. Controversy with New Hampshire respecting boundaries, commences. 
 " A Methodist chapel erected in New York. 
 
 1765. Congress of delegates from the colonies met in New York in October. 
 " Sir Henry Moore arrived as governor. 
 
 1766. Riots on the manor of Rensselaer, four persons killed, June 26. 
 " Rev. Mr. Kirkland commences a mission among the Oneidas. 
 
 1767. Boundary of Massachusetts fixed at 20 miles east from Hudson River. 
 
 1769. Gov. Moore dies : the government devolves on Mr. Colden. 
 
 1770. John, Lord Dunmore, governor : he is succeeded in 
 
 1771. by William Tryon, the last of the royal governors. 
 
 1774. Difficulties with the settlers of the New Hampshire Grants. 
 " Ann Lee with a number of Shakers arrived at New York. 
 
 1775. Provincial Convention assembled at New York April 22, and delegates to the 
 
 Continental Congress appointed. 
 " Ticonderoga surprised and taken by Col. Allen May 10. 
 
 " Provisional Congress at New York May 22d : Committee of Safety appointed. 
 " Gov. Tryon at New York for safety retires on board of a packet in October. 
 " Gen. Montgomery killed at Quebec Dec. 31. 
 
 1776. Gen. Schuyler disarms the royalists in Tryon County, in January. 
 " Royalists on Long Island disarmed by the Jersey militia. 
 
 " The fourth Provisional Congress assembled at White Plaint : Declaration oj 
 
 Independence adopted July 9. 
 " Lord Howe with 24,000 men lands at Gravesend, L. I. Aug. 22. 
 " Battle on Long Island, Americans defeated, Aug. 27. 
 " Gen. Washington retires from Long Island to New York Aug. 30. 
 " The British take possession of the city of New York. 
 " Great fire in New York, about 1,000 buildings consumed Sept. 21. 
 ■' Battle of White Plains Oct. 28. 
 " Gen. Arnold defeated on Lake Champlain Oct. 13. 
 " Fort Washington on the Hudson surrendered Nov. 16. 
 
 1777. Inhabitants of New Hampshire Grants declare themselves independent of New 
 
 York, and that district a state by the name of Vermont, in January. 
 " Convention at Kingston — State Constitution adopted April 20. 
 " George Clinton appointed governor July 30. 
 " Burgoyne invests Ticonderoga June 30, St. Clair, retreats 
 " Gen. Burgoyne arrives at Fort Edward July 30. 
 
CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE, 
 
 1777. Battle of Oriskany, Gen. Herkimer mortally womided, Aug. 6. 
 " Battle of Bennington, British defeated, Aug. 26. 
 
 " Forts Montgomery anj Clinton taken by the Britiah Oct. 6. 
 
 " Battle of Stillwater, Gen. Frazer killed, Oct. 7. 
 
 " Surrender of Burgoyne at Saratoga Oct. 17. 
 
 " Kingston burnt by Gen. Vaughan in October. 
 
 1778. The legislature assembled at Poughkeepsie Jan. 15. 
 " Col. Baylor's troop surprised at Tappan Aug. 28. 
 
 " Cherry Valley burnt by the Indians and tories Nov. 11. 
 
 1779. Capture of Stony Point by Gen. Wayne July 16. 
 
 " British post at Paulus Hook surprised by Maj. Lee July 19. 
 " Gen. Sullivan ravages the country of the Six Nations. 
 
 1780. Dark day commenced at New York 10 o'clock, A. M. May 19. 
 
 " Sir John Johnson from Canada makes an incursion into Johnstown May 21 
 
 " The Indians under Brant ravage the Mohawk valley. 
 
 " Treason of Arnold : Andre taken Sept. 23d, executed Oct. 2. 
 
 " Severe Winter, harbor of New York frozen over. 
 
 1781. Maj. Ross and Butler make an incursion into Johnstown, W. Butler killed. 
 
 1782. Sir Guy Carlton commander of the British in New York. 
 
 1783. New York evacuated hy the British Nov. 25. 
 
 1784. First voyage from the United States to China, by the " Empress of China" from 
 
 New York, a ship of 300 tons, Feb. 
 " Seat of state government removed to Albany. 
 
 " Whitestown, near Utica, first settled by Hugh White from Connecticut. 
 " University of the State of New York created : regents appointed. 
 
 1785. Hudson incorporated a city. 
 
 " Congress of the United States met in the city of New York. 
 
 1786. The Genesee country granted to Massachusetts. 
 " Bank of New York in operation. 
 
 " First Catholic church built iu the city of New York. 
 
 1787. Columbia College in New York incorporated. 
 
 1788. Doctors' mob in New York, occasioned by the dissection of dead bodies : several 
 
 persons killed. 
 " Cooperstjwn village laid out — incorporated in 1812. 
 
 1789. Washington inaugurated President in New York April 30. 
 " Vermont acknowledged an independent state. 
 
 1790. Geneseo first settled by Wil'iam and James Wadsworth. 
 " Canandaigua, first settlement commenced. 
 
 1792. Society to promote Agriculture, Arts, and Manufactures established. 
 " Bath first settled by Capt. E. Williamson. 
 
 " Western Inland Lock Navigation Company incorporated. 
 
 1793. Auburn first settled by Col. Hardenbergh. 
 
 1794. Union College at Schenectady founded. 
 
 " Geneva founded by Messrs. Annin and Barton, 
 
 1795. John Jay succeeds Mr. Clinton as governor. 
 
 " Cazenovia village founded by Col. Linklaen from Amsterdam. 
 
 " Baron Steuben dies at Steuben Nov. 28. 
 
 1796. Forts Oswegatchie and Oswego evacuated by the British. 
 " Sloop Detroit, first American vessel on Lake Erie. 
 
CBE0N0L06ICAL TABLE. 
 
 1798. Yellow Fever in the city of New York from July to November. 
 " Schenectady incorporated a city. 
 
 1800. Cayuga bridge, the longest in America, finished in September. 
 
 1801. George Clinton again elected governor. 
 
 " Buffalo laid out by the Holland Land Company. 
 
 " U. S. Navy Yard established in Brooklyn March 11. 
 
 " Holland Land Company open their first land office in Batavia 
 
 " Academy of Fine Arts founded. 
 
 1802. Military Academy at West Point established by Congress. 
 " Sackett's Harbor first settled by A. Sackett, Esq. 
 
 1803. Yellow Fever in New York — about 700 persons died : commenced about July 
 
 20. 
 
 1804. Morgan Lewis elected governor: Gen. Philip Schuyler died: Alexander Hamilton 
 
 killed in a duel with Aaron Burr. 
 
 1805. Harbor of Genesee made a port of entry. 
 
 " Yellow Fever in New York — about 300 persons died. 
 
 1807. Fulton's Steamboat first used on Hudson Kiver. 
 
 " Dkniel D. Tompkins governor. 
 
 1809. New York Historical Society established. 
 
 1812. Battle at Queenstown, Gen. Brock killed, Oct. 13. 
 " Hamilton College at Kirkland established. 
 
 " Rochester first settled. 
 
 " Maj. Yonng captures the first standard from the enemy at St. Regis Oct. 33. 
 
 1813. Lewistown attacked, April 6 : York, U. C. taken April 27. 
 " Ogdensburgh taken by the British Feb. 21. 
 
 " Fort George taken May 27 : Sackett's Harbor attacked May 29. 
 " Perry's victory on Lake Erie Sept. 10. 
 " Fort George abandoned by the Americans Dec. 10. 
 " Fort Niagara captured by the British Dec. 19 : Buffalo burnt. 
 1814 Fort Oswego taken by the British May 6 : Fort Erie taken by Gen. Brown July 
 
 3 : Battle of Chippewa July 5 : Battle of Bridgewater July 25 : Fort Erie at 
 
 tacked by the British Aug. 14. 
 " Battle of Flattsburg, British fleet on Lake Champlain taken, Sept. 11. 
 
 1815. Robert Fulton died suddenly in New York Feb. 24. 
 
 1816. American Bible Society formed in New York. 
 " Auburn State Prison commenced. 
 
 " Troy incorporated a city : West Point Foundery established. 
 
 1817. Erie Canal commenced July 4, near Utica. 
 
 1818. First Steamboat (Walk in the Water) on Lake Erie built at Black Rock. 
 
 1819. Jemima Wilkinson, " the Universal Friend," dies at Jerusalem, Yates Co 
 " Hamilton Literary and Theological Seminary foimded. 
 
 " De Witt Clinton elected governor. 
 
 1820. Auburn Theological Seminary incorporated. 
 1831. Harbor of New York closed by ice in January. 
 
 " Lockport founded, incorporated in 1829. 
 " Troy Female Seminary established. 
 
 1822. Yellow Fever in New York, about 2,500 persons died. 
 
 1823. Joseph C. Yates elected governor. 
 
 " Champlain Canal completed : it was commenced in October, 1816. 
 
CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE. 
 
 1823. New State Constitution went into operation Jan. 1. 
 
 " Hudson Biver Steamboat monopoly dissolved by the Supreme Court of the United 
 States. 
 
 1824. De Witt Clinton re-elected governor. 
 
 " Gen. La Fayette arrives in the harbor of New York Aug. 13. 
 
 1825. New State Prison commenced at Sing Sing. 
 " Syracuse village incorporated. 
 
 " Geneva College incorporated. 
 
 " Completion of the Erie Canal Oct 26 : grand celebration in N. York Nov. 4. 
 
 " Delaware and Hudson Canal commenced, finished in 1829. 
 
 1826. Abduction of Wm. Morgan Sept. 11 : Anti-Masonic excitement commenced. 
 " American Seamen's Friend Society instituted. 
 
 1828. De Witt Clinton died suddenly at Albany Feb. 11. 
 " Oswego Canal completed : commenced in 1826. 
 
 1829. Martin Van Buren governor ; after being in office three months he resigned, and 
 
 was succeeded by Enos T. Throop. 
 " Safety Fund Act passed April 2. 
 " American Institute of the city of New York, for the promotion of Domestic 
 
 Industry and the advancement of the Arts, established. 
 " Explosion of the Steam Frigate Fulton, Brooldyn, June 4, 26 persons killed. 
 " John Jay died at Bedford. 
 
 1830. Literary Convention at New York on education Oct. 20. 
 
 " Col. Marinus Willett died at New York Aug. 3, aged 90 years. 
 '• Elias Hicks, a celebrated preacher among the Friends, died. 
 " Joseph Smith pubHshes the " Book of Mormon" at Pahnyra. 
 
 1831. President James Monroe died in New York July 4. 
 
 " University of the City of New York incorporated April 18. 
 " Tariff Convention at New York, 500 delegates, Oct 26. 
 
 1832. Brooklyn and Jamaica Railroad incorporated April 25. 
 
 " The Cholera breaks out in New York June 27, continued till Oct. 19— upwards 
 
 of 4,000 persons died. 
 " Utica and Buffalo incorporated as cities. 
 " Hudson River open to Albany Jan. 5. 
 " Red Jacket, a celebrated Seneca chief, died Jan. 20, near Buffalo. 
 
 1833. William L. Marcy governor. 
 
 " Chemung and Crooked Lake Canal completed. 
 
 " Chenango Canal commenced. 
 
 " Grand Island sold by the state to the East Boston Company. 
 
 1834. Rochester incorporated a city. 
 
 1835. Gieat Fire in New York, seventeen millions worth of property destroyed, 
 
 Dec. 16. 
 
 1836. State Lunatic Asylum at Utica, instituted March 30. 
 
 1837. William H. Seward governor. 
 
 '• Wreck of the Mexico on Hempstead Beach Jan. 2. 
 " Tunnel of the Harlaem Railroad completed Oct. 26. 
 
 " Steamboat Caroline at Schlosser burnt, and precipitated over the Falls of Niagara 
 by the British, Dec. 30. 
 
 1838. General or Free Banking Law passed April 18. 
 
 " Banks of New York authorized to suspend their payments for one year, frona 
 May 16, 1837. 
 
CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE. 
 
 1838. English steam packets Great Western and Sirius arrive at New York. 
 " Battle of Prescott, U. C, Nov. 13, " Canada patriots'' captured. 
 
 1839. Tenants on the Rensselaer estate convene at Berne, July 4, payment of rent 
 
 refused: sheriff resisted : military force called out : difficulties suppressed, in 
 
 December. 
 " District School Libraries established by law. 
 " Schooner Amistad with 54 Africans taken near Montauk Point, Aug. 26. 
 
 1840. Draw-bridge at Albany gives way, upwards of 20 lives lost, Aug 18. 
 
 " Jesse Buel of Albany, an eminent agricultural writer, died at Danbury, Ct. 
 
 Oct. 6. 
 " Steamboat Lexington burnt in Long Island Sound, Jan. 13. 
 
 1841. Railroad from Boston lo Albany completed. 
 
 " Alexander McLeod. of Upper Canada, one of the parly who burnt the steam- 
 boat Caroline, arrested, Jan 27. 
 
 " Steam packet President sails for Liverpool, March 11 — never heard from. 
 
 " First IVasliington Temperance Meeting held in New York, five delegates frcm 
 Baltimore attended, March 24. 
 
 " Steamboat Erie burnt on Lake Erie, Aug. 9 — about 180 persons perished. 
 
 " Explosion of powder at Syracuse, Aug. 20 — about 25 persons killed. 
 
 1842. Grand Croton celebration in New York, in October. 
 
 " Right Rev. John Dubois, Catholic Bishop of New York, died Dec. 20. 
 
 1843. William C. Bouck, governor. 
 
 *' Land slide at Troy, ten or twelve buildings crushed and a number of persons 
 killed, Feb. 17. 
 
 " Grand State Agricultural Fair at Rochester, commenced, Sept. 19 — thirty thou- 
 sand persons supposed to be present. 
 
 1844. Gen. Morgan Lewis, distinguished in many pnblic offices, died in New York, 
 
 April 7th, aged 90. 
 " Gen. James Wadsworlh, one of the first settlers of the Genesee Country, died at 
 
 Geneseo, June 7th, aged 76. 
 " Long Island Railroad (94 miles in extent) completed, July 18. 
 " Great Agricultural Fair at Poughkeepsie, Sept. 18. 
 " Two persons killed by the Anti-renters in Rensselaer Co., Dec. 20. 
 
 1845. Silas Wright, governor. 
 
 " Great Fire in New York, upwards of 200 buildings burnt — about six millions 
 
 worth of property destroyed, July 19. 
 " Dep. Sheriff Steele murdered at Andes, Delaware Co. by the Anti-Renters,Aug. 7 
 " Gov. Wrinrht declares Delaware Co. to be in a state of insurrection. 
 " J. Van Steenberg and E. O'Conner, Anti-Renters, received sentence ofdeath at 
 
 Delhi, Oct. 11. 
 
 1846. Lewiston, Niagara Co., made a port of entry, Jan. 17 
 " Constitution revised and amended by a Convention. 
 
 1847. John Young, Governor. 
 
 1849. Hamilton Fish, Governor. 
 
 " Mob at the Opera House, New York. 19 persons killed by the military. May 10. 
 
 1850. Explosion in Hague street. New York. 67 persons killed, Feb. 4. 
 
 1851. Washington Hunt, Governor. 
 
 " New York & Erie Railroad completed, at an expense of upwards of twenty 
 millions of dollars. President Fillmore and suite arrived at Dunkirk, May 15.