!Ti ■8 •'Tfl. 4^yi '^Asr >}-^' ft P ^V">'V V^^'"'-' ?'? '^^"«; ^■S' >^^'» ^ V^^ ^a i^^'*> L? ^f ■Si? « ' One hundred and forty-two copies printed on plate paper and ten copies on Japan paper. THE BRADFORD MAP ^ i The Bradford [Map THE CITY OF NEW YORK ATTHETIME OF THE GRANTING OF THE MONTGOMERIE CHARTER A DESCRIPTION THEREOF COMPILED BY WILLIAM LORING ANDREWS TO ACCOMPANY A FACSIMILE OF AN ACTUAL SURVEY MADE BY JAMES LYNE AND PRINTED BY WILLIAM BRADFORD IN I 73 I NEW YORK PRINTED AT THE DE VINNE PRESS 1893 /vr^H/ Copyright, 1893, by William L. Andrews. \ Plan ojihc C^iL) of NE^^ c^//^\ From the Original Map in ORK fVom ail aclual Siii \{>^ ' ...j"*^ - r COMMON % ^-^ / ■ '^. L^ "^v^, '^uit ^ -*4*^. / J J J LLECTION OF W. L. ANDREWS. I Size of Original, i8 x 225i inches. ^. PREFACE T. HE primary purpose of the author in issuing this monograph is to phice in circulation a hmited num- ber of reproductions of a few very rare prints re- lating to the early history of New York — a field in which the author began his collecting thirty years ago, and to which after many diversions he has re- turned again and again with renewed interest. It is quite conceivable that the most ardent biblio- phile might in time grow weary of gathering Aldines and Elzevirs, or even Fifteeners and old bindings ; but there are certain kinds of books which never lose their attraction for those who have once be- come enamoured of them. No collector of early English poetry was ever known willingly to abandon his fascinating pursuit, and it is yet to be recorded of an antiquary born within sound of the bells of Treface Trinity Church that he tired in his quest for memo- rials of the city he loved. The fact that the game he seeks is one of the most difficult to run to earth only serves to incite his thirst and make the chase more eager and exciting. Although no copies of the Bradford and Du}^kinck maps and of the prints of Castle William and the Middle Dutch Church beyond those mentioned in this book have come to the knowledge of the au- thor during many years of careful research, it is of course possible (but in his opinion improbable) that other copies will hereafter be discovered. There have been and will be many false alarms, however, especially in relation to the Bradford Map, "original " copies of which appear with considerable regularity from time to time. CONTENTS Chapter I INTRODUCTION PAGE '9 Chapter II THE CITY AND ITS INHABITANTS IN 173 1 27 Chapter III THE PRINCIPAL LANDMARKS OF THE CITY IN 173, .73 Chapter IV CONCLUSION 97 ILLUSTRATIONS Artotypes View of New York, by William Burgis . . Frontispiece '^ The Bradford Map .... opposite page ix Castle William IN Boston Harbor . . " "21 Fort Nieuw Amsterdam .... " A " 23 New Amsterdam in 1650 . . . . '' "24 "^ Allegorical Design .... " " 38 ■^ Wall Street about 1830 .... " " 57 ^ The New York Gazette . . . " ''76 ^ St. Paul's Church . . . . . " "79 The Middle Dutch Church . . . " "88 V The Federal Edifice . . . . . " "92 In the Text New Amsterdam .... Seal of New Netherland xiii '9 Illustrations PAGE Amsterdam, Holland ....... 23 Dutch Weight ........ 25 Fort George, New York ....... 27 Farm-house on Broadway ...... 29 Trinity Church as enlarged . . . . . -3° Arms of John Harpending ...... 32 Broad Street and Exchange Place . . . . -33 Broadway, near Grace Church . . . 35 Plan of the City in 1789 .... . . 36 City Hall Park ........ 39 Public Stage-coach ....... 40 Beekman Family Coach ...... 43 Lispenard's Meadows . . . . . . -45 De Peyster Mansion ....... 46 Hell Gate ......... 49 A Fire in New York in 173 i 54 Assembly Ticket . . . . . . . .61 A Fine Long Queue ....... 65 My Lady's Head-dress ....... 67 Fraunces Tavern ........ 70 Section of Iron Railing . . . . . . • 7 ' Southwest View or the City ..... 73 Governor's House and Church in the Fort . . -78 Trinity Church, Second Edifice . . . . 81 " Old South" Church in Garden Street . . . .82 xiv lUtistrations Garden Street Church, Second Edifice . Le Temple du Saint Esprit Middle Dutch Church as Post-office Presbyterian Meeting House in Wall Street Stadthuys in Coenties Slip Old City Hall in Wall Street . Government House .... City Hall in the Park .... Broadway and Fulton Street Royal Exchange ..... New York from Governor's Island Father Knickerbocker .... Flag of Dutch West India Company 83 85 87 88 90 9' 92 93 94 95 97 101 104 Still wert thou lovely, whatsoe'er thy name, New Amsterdam, New Oratige, or New York, IVhether in cradle sleep, on sea-weed laid, Or on thy island throne in queenly power arrayed. MRS. SIGOURNEY. Let us satisfy our eyes IVith the Memorials and the things of fame That do renown the Citv. NEW AMSTERDAM, NOW NEW YORK, ^s it appeared about the year 1640, while under the Dutch Governvient. THE BRADFORD MAP CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION o, T all the maps and views illustrating the early history of the city of New York, none surpass in interest or exceed in rarity the "Survey" made by James Lyne, and printed and published by William Bradford in 1731. Only two impressions from the original copperplate, so far as known, exist. One. the gift of John Pintard in 1807 to the institution of which he was one of the founders, is in the collec- tion of the New York Historical Society. This copy, unfortunately, is not in good condition. It was mounted on a stretcher and covered with a heavy The 'Bradford (Map coat of varnish many years ago, and the paper, which is of an inferior quality, is cracked and discolored. The other impression is in a better state of preserva- tion. It may be called literally an uncut copy of the Map, as the rough edges of the sheet upon which it was printed remain intact. The only marks that the flight of time has left upon it are one or twot small perforations and some breaks in the folds of the paper, but they have been skilfully repaired by that adept in the art of restoring decayed and injured prints, George Trent. In every other respect it is in the same con- dition as when it came from the rude, old-fashioned press of William Bradford. In this piece of copperplate engraving no feature is lacking to render it an acquisition of the first impor- tance to every collector of Americana. It is one of the earliest examples of the art of engraving executed in New York, and without doubt it is the first map printed here; it relates to the chief city on the con- tinent, and it is of the utmost rarity. What more could the most fastidious collector demand ? This Map, the print of the Middle Dutch Church engraved by William Burgis at about the same period, the view of " t' Fort nieuw Amfterdam op de Man- hatans" which is found in the " Befchrijvinghe Van Virginia," etc., published in Amsterdam in 1 651, and the view of "Nieuw Amsterdam" in Adriaen vander Donck's " Nieuw-Nederlant," 1656, are the corner- stones of a collection of prints relating to New York From the Original Print in the Collection of W. L. Andrews. The Bradford (Map history. The books containing the two Jast named prints are still occasionally to be found, but the others were separate engravings, and consequently were more exposed to the hap and hazard of time. Their all but total disappearance is therefore not so much a matter of surprise.* The Bradford Map and the Middle Dutch Church print were stumbled upon by the writer thirty years ago in a book-hunting tour which he has ever since regarded as an exceptionally successful one. They were found preserved in an old scrap-book, which contained in addition a " View of Castle William by Boston in New England," a contemporaneous print of equal if not greater rarity. All three are among the very earliest specimens of American copperplate engraving. Prints of the Revolutionary epoch from the hands of our own engravers have become of in- frequent occurrence, but these prints antedate them * In 1755, a map of New York city was published by Gerardus Duyckinck, which Du Simitiere, writing in 1768, asserts to be the Bradford Map with additions and alterations; and its general ap- pearance certainly gives color to this statement, if it be true that Duyckinck obtained possession of the Bradford plate, pieced it, and reengraved portions of it, the scarcity of the impressions from the original engraving is readily explained. Curiously enough, according to Du Simitiere, the Duyckinck map itself al- most immediately after its publication became exceedingly difficult to obtain. The only copy now known to exist is the one in the New York Historical Society, and it certainly is a curious piece of patchwork. The "Bradford {Map by half a century. It was by a narrow chance that these interesting and historically important pictorial records of our city escaped complete destruction. In all these years no third copy of the Map or of the Burgis print and no duplicate of the View of Castle William have been brought to »light. The second impression of the engraving of the Dutch Church, from which reduced copies were made for Valen- tine's History of New York and other publica- tions, is or was in the SEAL OF NEW NhTHtRLAND, 1623. .^^^^„^^;^„ ^C D \JI ^ possession of a Rev. Mr. Strong, of Newtown, Long Island. No reproduction the size of the original appears to have been made. The survey of James Lyne presents a view of New York as it appeared after little more than a century of growth ; for. although the river which bears the name of Hudson was explored by its discoverer in 1609. and a small trading-post had been erected at Fort Nassau on Castle Island, near Albany, in 1614. it was not until the year 1626* that a colony was permanently established on Manhattan Island under the auspices of the Dutch West India Company. On ♦The city was not incorporated under the name of New Amster- dam until 1652 ; it was laid out in streets in 1656. 22 Z !£ U The "Bradford {Map May 6 of that year the first real-estate transaction on the Island of Manhattan, and one involving the largest transfer of property ever made, was con- summated. Governor Peter Minuit, representing the company, purchased for "their account and risk " the entire island from its aboriginal owners, giving in ex- change for this wide domain a quantity of beads, THE CITY OF AMSTERDAM, HOLLAND. buttons, and other trinkets valued at sixty gulden ($24). The amount of land secured for this paltry sum was estimated by Minuit at 22,000 acres. The unsophisticated red men appear to have been mightily contented with their share in this transac- tion. There still remained in their undisputed con- trol a continent of primeval forest, the depths of which they had but partially explored. Ignorant and Tbe "Bradford OAap careless of the value or extent of their possessions, thev willingly bartered away their woods and streams for a few trumper\'^ articles of personal adornment. It mattered not to them if they pitched their wig- wams and lighted their council-fires a few steps nearer to the setting sun. There was land enough and to spare for the pale-face, especially as the kidians believed that, while parting with the soil, they re- tained the right to fish and hunt upon it. This belief on their part led later to serious results. The wilv Dutch governor must have laughed in his sleeve as he clinched this one-sided bargain with a flagon of the ' • mad waters " — that is to say. good old Dutch schnapps — which tradition declares he found to be a potent factor in his dealings with the Indians and of special service in expediting this impor- tant negotiation. The ver\' name of the island is a perpetual reminder of the unrestrained conviviality of this occasion. Manhattan — /. e.. Manahachtanienks, a reveling name importing ■' the place where they all got drunk " — was then and there bestowed upon it by the Indians in commemoration of this great meeting. The directors of the Dutch West India Company were not uninformed as to the value of their proposed purchase. Hendrick Hudson, on his return to Holland seventeen years before, had reported that he found it *•' a verv" good land to live in and a pleasant land to see/' and the politic and energetic Minuit was de- spatched to secure possession of this desirable domain o H ?s m 7^ o n z > CD s O The Bradford O^ap on the best terms he could negotiate. There is no reason to believe that the directors ever complained that he paid an exorbitant price for the rocks, swamps, and pools of Manna- hatta. During the eight years following, ac- cording to the returns made to Holland by the Company, they received from the colony more than 50,000 beaver- and 6000 otter- skins of the value of over 525,000 gulden. If purchased from the Indians, as Irving assures us they were, by Dutch weight, the Dutch- man's hand being deemed the equivalent of one pound and his foot of two, there must have been a considerable profit in the business they transacted in furs. Nevertheless, through official mismanage- ment of the affairs of the province, the stockholders of the Company found themselves in the long run decidedly out of pocket. DUTCH WEIGHT. Snug houses and neat stoops, where friends would often meet, The men with pipes, cock'd hats, ajid fine long queues. The girls with white short gowns, stuff petticoats, and high-heel shoes, And knitting at the side and fingers going, And now and then a tender fiance bestowing. SOUTH-WEST VIEW OF FORT GEORGE, WITH THE CITY OF NEW YORK. CHAPTER II THE CITY AND ITS INHABITANTS IN 1 73 1 VyE are surprised to find as we unfold our Map that the city of New York so late as 1731 was confined within such narrow limits, and that so few were the steps that had as yet been taken in that triumphant march of material progress which has brought the metropolis of the New World to its present pinnacle of power and greatness. It was, indeed, a day of small things, a town of less than 1500 houses and 9000 inhabitants, on the outskirts of which the echo of the Indian's warwhoop had The Bradford {Map hardly yet died away. Broadway, for years the pride of every Knickerbocker's heart until its glory was overshadowed and its prestige eclipsed by that of Fifth Avenue, was one hundred and sixty years ago a common country road. In the place of lofty ware- houses filled with costly merchandise, high banks of clay skirted its sides. Farm-houses were S(^attered here and there along its length, and on that portion of it where St. Paul's Church now stands fields of wheat were growing in rank luxuriance.* Unlike the Quaker City of Philadelphia, laid out in the beginning with rectangular streets crossing each other at prescribed distances with mathematical precision, the streets of New York were left largely *Census of New York City and County, November 2d, 1731. Henry Beekmaii, Sheriff. White males, above ten years, 2628 " females, " " males, under " females, " Black males, above " females, " " males, under " females, " 2250 1143 1024 599 607 186 '85 8622 Total population of the entire province : Whites, 50,242 Blacks, 7,202 57,444 The "Bradford Olap to their own devices. Cow-patiis and lovers' walks are responsible for the location and devious windings of some, while others "meandered of their own sweet will in green suburban groves," or followed lazily the indentations of the shore. Pearl Street (then called Queen, in _ honor of Queen Anne) was the first roadway above the water- line on the East River, and no street running north and south except a section of Church had as yet been laid out west of Broad- way. From Old Wind-mill Lane, just above Crown Street, now Liberty, the green fields of the " King's Farm "* stretched in an unbroken expanse north- ward and westward to the banks of the Hudson, and from the steps of old Trinity Church no build- ing obstructed the delightful view of the "Great River "t flowing clear and sparkling in the sunshine, its waters unvexed by the furrow of any keel save * Trinity Ciiurch property, granted to the corporation in 1705 by Lord Cornbury, who reserved a quit-rent of three shillings, f Groote Rieviere de Montaines. 29 FARM-HOUSE ON BROADWAY. The "Bradford ^ap that of an occasional leisurely-going clump-built Albany sloop. Wandering through the streets of New York in 173 1 , names unfamiliar to its present denizens would have met the way- farer's eye at every turn. The Efiglish conquerors of the city had almost entirely obliterated the Dutch street nomenclature, and from time to time thereafter they altered names to suit dynastic changes in the mother country. The close of the Revolutionary War, with its successful abolishment of kingly rule, speedily brought about a general re- christening of every street in the name of which there was any suggestion of royalty. Pearl Street (Paerl Straat), the crooked street of New York, which grievously perplexes the pedestrian by beginning and ending on Broadway, was variously known in 1657 ^^ the Smiths' Valley, the Hoogh TRINITY CHURCH AS ENLARGED, I 737. The "Bradford (Map Straat, the Waal (or sheet piled) Street, and the Wa- terside. In 1 69 1 the lower portion was called Dock Street. Some years later that part above Hanover Square became known as Queen Street, a title it re- tained as late as 1789. But the present Cedar Street also bore that name, and to avoid confusion these thoroughfares were called respectively Great Queen Street and Little Queen Street. An open space on Pearl Street in the block bounded by Whitehall, Moore, and Water Streets was in early days known as the Strand, and was used as a market-place or stand for country wagons. The first church built on Man- hattan Island, erected in 1633,* was a plain frame building on the north side of Pearl Street, between Broad Street and Old Slip. In 1642 this old kirk was abandoned as a place of worship, and devoted to business purposes. The upper part of William Street was named after William Beekman. From Maiden Lane to Pearl Street it was called Smith Street. In olden days the lower part was known as Burger's Path, and later as The Glassmakers' Street. John Harpending, the shoemaker, who donated the land (a part of the "Shoemaker's Pasture") upon which stood the Dutch Church at the corner of Fulton and William streets, gave the name to John Street. ♦ For a number of years previously religious meetings had been held in a loft above the first horse mill erected on the island. The "Bradford O^ap The descent from William Street to Pearl was known as Golden Hill. Cliff Street ran through Vandercliff's orchard. On the Bradford Map his name is given to a portion of the present Gold Street, while the appellation of Clif/ Street is appVed to the street next to the eastward, which is the present Cliff Street. Cliff Street intersected Golden Hill, and this fact, accord- ing to the annalist Wat- son, gave rise to its name, "along the cliff." Beekman Slip, Fair Street, Division Street, and Par- tition Street were the various names by which Fulton Street was known prior to 1816. Maiden Lane* was called in Dutch " t'Maadge Paatge," or the Maiden's Path; and a quiet, secluded road leading through the farm of Colonel Rutgers, much frequented by romantically disposed couples, was known as Love Lane. Phlegmatic as were those old Dutch burghers, they were by no means devoid of sentiment. Nassau Street was at first known only by the gas- tronomical designation of " the road that leads by the ARMS OF JOHN HARPENDING. * The first settlers upon Maiden Lane were ship-carpenters. 32 The 'Bradford {Map pie-woman's to the City Commons." In. 1731 the upper part was called Kip Street. Wall Street ("Lang de Wal") marks the original line of the city's palisades, which were erected for de- fense against foes from neighboring colonies as well as from incursions by the Indians ; hence its name, which has not been changed since the year 1700. Its old Dutch title was the " Cingel." or ramparts, and "t'Schaape Way- tie," or the pub- lic sheep-walk, extended from it towards the pres- ent Exchange Place. It is currently reported that lambs are still to be seen browsing in this vicinity, and that they frequently return home badly fleeced. At the foot of Wall^ Street on the East River stood the Slave Market. The average price for an able- bodied negro, when the market was not overstocked by too frequent arrivals from the coast of Guinea, was $125. Human flesh was a cheap commodity in New York in 1731 . Garden Street, previously known as Verleitenberg (corrupted to Flattenbarrack) Street, is now Exchange EAST SIDE OF BROAD STREET, CORNER OF EXCHANGE PLACE, IN 1 780. The 'Bradford 3s/lap Place. The portion of it lying on the declivity be- tween Broadway and Broad Street was in winter a famous coasting-place for the youth of the town. In the spring and summer months the corner of Exchange Place and Broad Street was frequented by the Indians, who there manufiictured and exposed for sale basket work, the material for which they had brought in their canoes from the interior. Whitehall Street derives its name from a large house built by Governor Thomas Dongan, and named Whitehall after the London palace of the kings of England from Henry Vlll. to William III. In 1659 this street was known as " t'Marckvelt Steegie," or path to the Marketfield (the present Bowling Green). The ruins of Dongan's house could be seen on the river front as late as 1769. They are included in the section of the long panoramic view of New-York by Burgis which is reproduced in this book. Broad Street, built on the line of a creek or inlet which extended up as far as Wall Street, was in 1657 called the " HeerenGracht"(the principal canal), and also the '* Prince Gracht." Bridge Street (Brugh Straat) crossed it by a bridge. State Street is said to have been the first street in the city paved with stone. In most of the early streets the gutter, or " kennel," ran through the center. Not even the principal thoroughfare of the city has escaped mutation in its name, having been called the Breedweg, the Heere Straat, the Great Highway, the The "Bradford OViap BROADWAY, NEAR GRACE CHURCH, I 828. Broad Waggon Way, Great George Street, and the Middle Road; but since the year 1674 that part of it below Vesey Street has remained in undisturbed enjoyment of its present title. Above Vesey Street it was so late as 1 794* called Great George Street. In 1707 it was first paved, from Trin- ity Church to Maiden Lane. The Park, pro- bably the first recognized public property on the island, has been known at various periods as the Vlackte, or Flat, the Plains, the Com- mons, and the Fields. It was ceded to the corpo- ration of the city of New York in 1686 by Governor Dongan, and has remained without interruption in possession of the city government from that date to the present time. In 1731 it was a neglected waste covered with brush and underwood. It remained uninclosed from the public highway for many years, and was used with adjacent unoccupied lands prin- cipally as pasturage for the cows of the townspeople. Summoned in the early morning by the blast of a horn at the garden gate, the cattle were collected by *A number of changes in the names of streets was ordered in this year. 35 The Bradford (Map the public cowherd and driven to the Commons, guarded through the day, and returned to their owners at nightfall. Portions of the Park and its vicinity were also used for public executions. In 1 691 Jacob Leisler here ended his life on the scaffold, and in the imme- diate neighborhood took place the wholesale burnings and hangings of the unfortunate creatures implicated in the Negro Plot of 1 74 1 . David Grim's map of 1 742 marks some low-lying ground near the corner of Pearl and Chambers Streets as the location where the stakes were set up and this tragedy enacted ; the gibbet was erected a little further to the north. Grim states that he well remembered hearing the shrieks and cries of the tortured wretches. After the vacant space in front of the Fort was inclosed and laid out as the Bowling Green, the Commons became the favorite, and in fact the only convenient, spot in the city for bonfires, illuminations, military exercises, and popular demonstrations of all kinds. It also served the inhabitants as a dumping- ground for refuse, as well as a source of supply of earth and sod, the constant removal of which it was found necessary in 1731 to prohibit by a city or- dinance forbidding the digging of any holes on the Commons, or the carrying away of "earth, mould, sod, or turf." The Bowling Green does not appear on the Brad- ford Map, as it was not laid out until March, 1733, when by a city ordinance it was "Resolved, that this The "Bradford DAap Corporation will lease a piece of ground lying at the lower end of Broadway fronting to the Fort, to some of the inhabitants of the said Broadway in order to be inclosed to make a bowling green thereof, with walks therein for the beauty and ornament of said streets, as well as for the recreation and delight of the inhab- itants of the City, leaving the street on eacli side thereof fifty feet in breadth, under such covenants and restrictions as to the court shall seem expedient." In the succeeding month the Mayor, Aldermen Van Gelde and Philipse, and Mr. De Peyster, or any three of them, were appointed a committee to lay out the ground, and the same was leased to Mr. John Chambers. Mr, Peter Bayard, and Mr. Peter Jay for the term of eleven years for the use afore- said, and not otherwise, under the annual rent of a peppercorn. To the east of the Park lay the highway to Boston and Albany by way of Kingsbridge — the only outlet from the city to the north. Over this road ran once a week from March to December, and fortnightly in winter (until Lady Day), a post making the journey to Boston in a week — or two weeks, according to the weather and the condition of the road. The post was carried to Albany in winter on horse- back or on foot. New York was in similar frequent and rapid communication with Philadelphia, but in the quarter of a century which followed the facilities for intercourse between these cities increased so much Desigjud and drawn by Charles Buxton, M. D. Tiebout, sculp. From the Original Engraving in the Collection of W. L. Andrews. The "Bradford CMap that in the year 1755 we read of the establishment of a bi-weekly post, which arrived in Philadelphia at noon on the third day after leaving New York, wind and weather permitting. This appears to have met all the postal and traveling demands of the public until 1774, when an opposition to the ''old slow- THE CITY HALL PARK ABOUT 1 83 I. coach," as it had come to be contemptuously styled, was started with a flaming advertisement of ''good waggons and seats on springs." The new convey- ance was dubbed the " Flying Machine," and its pro- moters promised that it should cover the distance between the two cities in the unprecedented time of two days. With what an amount of incredulity would they have received a prophecy that in 1892 two hours would suffice for the journey ! The "Bradford DAap So late as 1807, as will be seen by the schedule below, it was a day's journey from New York to Philadelphia, unless the traveler patronized the Mail Coach, which went rattling through at the spanking gait of six miles an hour. A PUBLIC STAGE-COACH. STAGES FROM NEW YORK TO PHILADELPHIA Stages Mail Stage Mail Pilot Industry Diligence Commercial Swift-Sure Starts at i past 1 2 daily except Sunday do do 8 A. M. do 8 A. M. do 10 A. M. do 10 A. M. do Arrives 4 next morning do early next day do next day afternoon do Fare 14 lb. of Baggage allowed gratis in all the above stages. 150 lb. will be rated as a passenger. Baggage in the Swift-Sure insured at i per cent. The "Bradford (Map A road from the Fresh Water to Harlem was provided by the Dutch in 1658 and laid out anew in 1671, but seven years later it is recorded that a traveler from New York bound for this settle- ment was compelled to leave the Bouwerie and proceed by trail through the woods. In the year 1703 an attempt was made to improve the continua- tion of this road from about 109th Street to Kings- bridge. Until the beginning of the nineteenth cen- tury this was the only road that crossed the Harlem River, branching out just beyond it into the roads leading to Boston and Albany. It is evident that neither this one main road nor the few by-roads and leafy lanes that intersected it were even in 1731 cared for in the best manner, and they could have afforded but little opportunity for plea- sure-driving. A private coach was indeed more of a luxury than a private steam-yacht is to-day, and in fact as little of a necessity. With one exception — that of Colonel William Smith, Governor of Tangiers, who brought his car- riage to New York in 1686 — no coach but that of the colonial governor had appeared in the streets of New York prior to the year 1700. A two-wheel chaise for one horse was the most fashionable vehi- cle, and one which continued in general use up to the time of the Revolution. There was no coach builder in the city until the year 1750, when James Hal- lett swung out his sign of the Golden Wheel on The 'Bradford {Map Golden Hill, and notified the town that he was pre- pared to manufacture chaise, chair, and kittereen boxes at most reasonable rates and with all expedi- tion. The chair referred to was not a sedan-chair, but simply a small chaise without any hood. What a " kittereen " was we have been unable to discover. The first hackney coach was advertised in 1(^96 by John Clap, who kept a tavern in the Bowery, near 9th Street. The common mode of travel was on horseback, the lady mounted on a pillion or padded cushion fixed behind the saddle of her cavalier or servant, upon whose support she was therefore dependent. This fashion was a favorite one with the youthful portion of the population, and considered of great assistance in match-making. The horses, fat and slow-gaited, rarely went off a walk, and required little attention on the part of the rider, who was thus left free to devote himself assiduously to the prosecu- tion of an ajfaire de caciir if so inclined. The coach, or chariot, as it was called, of the last century was an unwieldy structure, if we may judge from the one represented in Burgis's engraving of the Middle Dutch Church. It is presumably that of Rip van Dam. to whom the plate is inscribed. It is a one-seated vehicle hung on leathern straps. The negro coachman is clad in the cocked hat and bright parti-colored livery of the day, and the footman, of the same ebony hue, is in equally gorgeous array. 42 The Bradford {Map When the President of his Majesty's Council for the Province of New York sallied forth, it was' with no inconsiderable amount of state, albeit with some dis- comfort, in his cumbersome vehicle that rumbled and jolted over the rough cobblestone pavements of the town. In this print Nassau Street is seen to be THE BEEKMAN FAMILY COACH. paved with cobblestones. Liberty Street still re- mained a natural country road. "The Kolck, or Kalchhook, signifying in Dutch the shell point, the Collect, or Fresh Water Pond, was the most striking geographical feature of the lower part of the island. In its natural state it was a beautiful lake of about ten acres in extent, sup- posed to be of great depth, but in reality not over fifty feet in its deepest part. Fed by numerous springs, its water was of unusual purity, and fur- The "Bradford OAap nished the inhabitants with an ample supply for all domestic purposes. The famous 'tea-water' pump was erected over one of the springs whence the pond received its crystal waters. It was situated in a dell or hollow near the present junction of Chatham and Roosevelt Streets." The bridge which spanned a brook at this point, and another some three »miles farther north, were the renowned " kissing bridges," at which it was a time-honored custom for the beaux to levy toll of their fair companions when returning from a country excursion. At this time the pond abounded in fish, and it was evidently a favorite resort of the pot-hunter as well as of the true disciple of gentle Izaak Walton. In 1734 it was found necessary to promulgate a city ordinance prohibiting netting in the Fresh Water, or the taking of any fish except by angling with a hook and line, under a penalty of twenty shillings for each offense. This is doubtless the first law for the preservation of fish enacted in the State of New York. The natural outlet of the pond was through a brook called "Old Wreck Brook." which ran through Wolfert's Meadows to the East River. Between the pond and the North River a marsh extended, known as Lispenard's Meadows, through which also ran streams from the pond. On these meadows, in the vicinity of the present Greenwich street, stood Lispenard's house and brewery. The 'Bradford Map About the year 1805 the entire Collect Pond was filled in, after a long debate as to whether it should not be left with a canal running through it. Perhaps there still lingered in the community the same differ- LISPENARd's meadows, canal street and HUDSON RIVER. From original draiving by Alexander Anderson. ences of opinion that had formerly led to the famous dispute chronicled by Washington Irving between Mynheers Tenbroek and Hardenbrook about the plan of New Amsterdam — the one insisting that they should run out docks and wharves, and the other that it should be cut up and intersected by canals, after the manner of Old Amsterdam. The grim and gloomy prison-house well named the Tombs now occupies a portion of this made ground, and probably marks about the center of the Fresh Water. The principal landmarks of the town besides Fort 7he 'Bradford {Map George and the buildings it inclosed, and the City Hall in Wall Street, were the church buildings, notably the Old South Dutch Church in Garden Street, Trin- ity Church on Broadway, the Huguenot Church in Pine Street, and the Middle or New Dutch Church on the corner of Nas- sau and Liberty Streets, then be- ing completed. The quaint bel- fry-crowned or pointed steeples of these sacred edifices towered protectinglyover the lowly roofs of the inhabitants, and their glisten- ing gilt weathercocks kept the populace constantly informed as to the quarter of the wind ; but of town clocks there were none except the one in the City Hall, the gift of Etienne De Lancey, and but a few shagreen-cased turtle-shell or pinchbeck watches were to be found in the pockets of the people. Time was not quite so much a matter of money then as it is no\y» 'ind the community was not so careful to note the passing hours. The shadow on the door-step was a sufficiently accurate timepiece for all practical THE DE PEYSTER MANSION. The "Bradford OAap purposes; — the day's task was not measured by an eight- or ten-hour rule, but by the rising "and going down of the sun. The houses were two to three stories in height besides the attic ; those remaining of the Dutch period presented their gable-ends to the street. These ga- bles tapered to the top by a succession of steps, and the pinnacle was frequently surmounted, like the church spires, with a weathercock. The town, in fact, bristled with weathercocks. These picturesque features of the city and their accompaniments — double doors with bull's-eye lights and ''stoopes" with cozy side-seats — were nearly all swept away in the great fire of 1776. The English style of domestic architecture was of extreme simplicity in design and finish, its only char- acteristic feature being an "outlook" on the roof, which was either shingled or covered with slate. The materials used in construction were wood, stone, and brick. The latter, of a golden hue, are sup- posed to have been imported at first from Holland and England ; but the industry of brick-making was at a very early date established in the colony. In 1742 there were six brick-kilns in operation on the Commons. Neighboring forests yielded an abun- dance of fine oak and other timber; good building- stone was readily obtainable on the island itself, and lime could be manuflictured.from oyster- and clam- shells. The bay of New York abounded in oyster- The 'Bradford {Map beds, which supplied the poorer portion of the popu- lation with the greater part of their means of subsis- tence for six months in the year. The beds were in view of the city, and from the Battery hundreds of small boats could be seen at a time gathering the succulent bivalves. The value of this product was computed to amount to ^^ 10,000 or jQ\2, 00^ per annum. New York at this period gave slight promise of the great maritime city it was destined to become. Only here and there a sail dotted the beautiful bay now thronged with vessels bearing the flags of all nations. In 1730 but 211 vessels of all descriptions entered the port of New York, and only 222 cleared from it during that year. The docking facilities, although very limited, had been much improved since the occupation by the English, and it will be seen by the Bradford Map that the wharves extended from White- hall Street to Beekman on the East River, while on the North River there were four docks in the neigh- borhood of Cortlandt Street for the accommodation of the Hudson River trade.* Large sea-going vessels anchored in the stream, and loaded and discharged their cargoes by means of scows and small boats. *The reason assigned for the fact that the East Side was docked out and better built up than the West Side, was that winter fresh- ets sometimes filled the Hudson River with ice. The first wharf in the city was built, it is said, by Daniel Litschoe, a tavern- keeper on the Strand, foot of Broad Street. The "Bradford OAap "Down East" and up the Hudson, on their seven days' or longer voyage to Albany, sailed a gallant lit- tle fleet of sloops, commanded by skippers who were worthy successors of their hardy Dutch progenitors, the "yacht" sailors, Goovert Lockermans, Jan Peeck, and Isaac Kip. Skilfully they navigated the danger- ous whirlpools of the Helle Gat or the perilous EAST VIEW OF HELL GATE, IN THE PROVINCE OF NEW YORK. waters of the Tappan Zee, and braved the thunders of Storm King and Cro' Nest ; when the tide did not serve, going ashore for a glass of buttermilk or cider and a chat with the farmers, and religiously, in strict observance of the old Dutch laws of naviga- tion, dropping anchor at sundown. From up the river these itinerant traders brought down furs and country produce ; from Yankeedom whatnots — mayhap wooden bowls, and nutmegs, The 'Bradford {Map and counterfeit wampum currency.* These vessels also carried passengers, and their departure was the occasion of more affecting scenes than are now wit- nessed on the dock of an outgoing transatlantic steamer. The prospective voyage was a lengthier one, and deemed quite as hazardous, and a not un- usual preliminary before embarking on it was ^he ex- ecution of a last will and testament. There were boats called ketches trading with Vir- ginia, and returning with cargoes of the fragrant pro- duct of the Old Dominion. These coastwise traders were small craft, and even those engaged in the longer and rougher voyages to the West Indies ap- pear to have been without exception in the category of sloops. An important part of the commerce of New York was with those Windward Islands. From the Barbadoes were brought large quantities of rum, sugar, and molasses ; cotton was imported from St. Thomas and Surinam, lime-juice and Nicaragua wood from Cura^oa, and logwood from the Bay of Honduras. Exports to the West Indies consisted of pork, staves, flour, and general country produce, including horses and sheep. Oysters, usually pickled, ♦Wampum, or white money, was made from the inside of the shell of the quahaug, or hard clam, and was perforated and strung together. Four beads for a stuyver, or two for a cent, passed as currency with the Indians for many hundred miles to the westward as well as in the settlements on the coast. This money was counterfeited in porcelain. 50 The Bradford O^ap were a current article of export; there. is a legend, perhaps unworthy of belief, that quantities of fried oysters were shipped in the firkins of fresh country butter sent to the planters. Arrivals from England occurred generally in the spring and fall months, and were events of great in- terest and importance. Ships from London were from four to six weeks, or even more, upon the pas- sage. They came laden with all kinds of manufac- tured articles, household furniture, wearing apparel, woolen and cotton goods,* Turkey carpets, and — all the latest news and fashions. Outward cargoes were composed of naval stores, tar, pitch, and turpentine, whale-fins, oil, and other products of this country, and of sugar, cotton, and logwood imported from the West Indies. t In the files of the New York Gazette for this period but three clearances of vessels for Holland appear, and commerce with the country which founded the colony had obviously fallen into decay. Chief Jus- tice Smith, however, writing some years later, states that a considerable trade with Hamburg and Holland still existed in duck, checkered linen, oznabrigs, cordage, and tea. This latter item was, according * For purposes of barter with the hidians, as well as for the colonists' own consumption. t In 1728 the imports from Great Britain are stated to have been of the value of ^2 1 ,005 12s. i id. , and the exports ^^78, 561 6s. 4d. 51 The 'Bradford {Map to that historian, a very important one, as "our people both in town and country have shamefully gone into the habit of tea drinking." There is one other branch of the commerce of the city to which reference should be made — the im- portation of slaves from the coast of Africa : a busi- ness considered strictly legitimate, if not eminently respectable, and one in which not a small proportion of the shipping interest was at times very profitably employed. Occasionally it appears to have suffered from over-importation. "Slavery was at this time an established institution in the colony, and the number of slaves in a house- hold constituted a peculiar mark of easy circumstances in their proprietor. The wealthier classes were sur- rounded and served by a multitude of them, and every domestic establishment was provided with one or more. The people of New York, however, lived in fear of the ignorant and in many respects debased population they held in bondage, and which com- posed about one sixth of the community." The laws relating to negroes and slaves were extremely rigid. No slave above fourteen years of age was allowed to be in the streets south of the Fresh Water above an hour after sunset, and if so found without a lantern and lighted candle, and not in the company of his master or owner, the slave might be arrested and whipped and the master fined. Slaves were also punished by whipping for the slightest disorderly con- S2 The Bradford < f- IJJ UJ <- Qi H ca t/l O 1 z -J ^ < < The "Bradford [Map erick Philipse for about $i loo, and in 1729 a lot on Maiden Lane, near Pearl Street, 25 feet front, depth not given, brought about $700. Threepence per foot was paid for land on the west side of Broad- way near the Battery. A house on Wall Street, lot 61x102 feet, sold for about $2500. In the "Swamp," known as Bestevaar's Kripple-bush, or the Old Man's Swamp, for which in 1732 Jacobus Roosevelt obtained a quit-claim grant from the city for the sum of ;^300,* or $750, lots 25 x 100 sold for ;^io per lot. In 1727 four lots on George Street, now Spruce, and two lots on Gold Street, part of the Beekman pasture, were sold for %22^. In 17 13 this swamp was regarded as a source of malaria, and an attempt was made to drain it. On May 6, 1732, a great sale of seven lots of ground on Dock Street, near the Custom House, and east of Whitehall Street, took place. They were sold for the following sums, and to the persons named : Lot No. I to Stephen De Lancey, . . . . ^^155 2 " " ♦' .... 151 3 " David Clarkson, 155 4 " John Moore, 275 5 ** Stephen De Lancey, .... 192 6 " Robt. Livingston, son of Philip, 175 7 " Anthony Rutgers, .... 239 shillings sterling was the equivalent of ^6 shillings in New York provincial currency. 8 57 The Bradford O^ap By which it appears, says the chronicler of this transaction, that real estate had increased in value immensely since 1686, when lots in that quarter of the city sold for £^^. The revenues and expenditures of the municipal government were upon a most moderate scale. For the year 1727 the receipts are stated to havf been £,2']\, and the expenditures £2j\. In 1740 the receipts had risen to but £,']^']- They were derived principally from the rent of docks and ferries, licenses to retailers of spirituous liquors, leases of common lands, and rents of water-lots. In 1722 a ferry to Long Island from Burger's Path (Old Slip) was rented for £']i per annum. The majority of the population of the inchoate city was engaged in business pursuits as merchants, shopkeepers, and tradesmen, ''who maintained as a general rule the reputation of honest, punctual, and fair dealers." Their places of business were either in the same building as their dwellings or in close proximity. The most prosperous merchants — and they included the most prominent citizens — lived in the rear of their shops or over them. The English tradesmen are said to have been the first to adopt the practice of keeping their stores open in the evening. Among the articles kept in stock behind the one solitary counter in these modest little shops were many that would perplex and put to confusion a sales- man if inquired for to-day in one of our mammoth dry- The "Bradford (Map goods houses. Black padusoy, shagreen, striped sars- nets, silk camblet, cherry derry, blue tabby, black figured everlasting, French double alamode, Persian, and grogram. India dimity, and hoop petticoats of six rows, might not prove so utterly unintelligible. There was in the community the necessary sprink- ling of professional men, ministers, doctors, law- yers, and government officials; but it supported no leisure class, and the tramp had not as yet been evolved. These two extremes of society remained to be developed by a higher civilization. Industry, frugality, and simplicity were the social virtues which adorned New York in 1 73 i . Aside from the number of bond-servants who thronged their masters' gates, there was little of ostentation or lavish display in the style of living even of the ''high families," but there was much of the observance' of an old-fashioned courtesy in the ceremonious inter- change of the civilities of life. To the gatherings of fashion the rich and picturesque costume of both sexes lent an air of stateliness and dignity which has vanished with the dress. The most distinguished position, in point of social importance, was held by the Dutch families. The Hollanders had lost their political supremacy, but their social prominence remained, and they were by no means disposed to yield it to the higher and even more refined and better educated class of English who had become residents of the city. More than one The 'Bradford {Map half the inhabitants were Dutch or of Dutch descent. In the Collegiate Church this language was still in ex- clusive use in the pulpit, and as late as the year 1745 a knowledge of the Dutch tongue was a necessity in visiting the markets. The principal Dutch festivals were Christmas, New Year's, Paas, Pinxter (Whitsuntide, the great tfiegro holiday), San Claas (St. Nicholas or Christ-kinkle day, the 6th of December), Shrovetide, and May Day. As secular holidays only two remain, Christmas and New Year's Day, and the latter has lost all its old- time significance. The fashion of making New Year's calls yielded slowly to the difficulties in the way of its observance which the growth of the city interposed. New York clung to this genial custom, and relinquished it with regret, and it is only within the last twenty years that it has become altogether honored in the breach instead of the observance. The holidays observed by the English were neither few nor far between. New Year's Day, King's or Queen's Birthday, King Charles's Martyrdom, Shrove Tuesday, Ash Wednesday, Lady Day (the 25th of March, the old style beginning of the year, when leases were made and rents became due). Good Friday, Easter Monday and Tuesday, Ascension Day, St. George's Day, King Charles's Restoration, Prince of Wales's Birthday, Coronation Day, All Saints' Day, Gunpow- der Plot, Christmas Day, and the Christmas holidays, December 26th to 28th — all these were officially The "Bradford OV[ap recognized by the closing of the Courts and Custom House; and there must be added several provincial holidays, General Fast, New-York ASSEMBLY, 1759. A< Mr. Edward Wi: Thanksgiving, and Gen eral Election Day. Quite enough, in all conscience! h This ticket admits..i&^^«<. The city was by no \ Forthcseafon means destitute of I b^ntar. , sources of amusement for both sexes; the men had their weekly evening clubs, and for the entertainment of the ladies there were concerts and assemblies. A pathetic protest against the overwhelming attractions of these gatherings appeared in the Gazette of December 31, 1 733 : ''Written at a Concert of Music, where there were a great number of ladies. " Music has power to melt the soul, By beauty nature's swayed ; Each can the universe control, Without the other's aid. •' But here together both appear. And force united try ; Music enchants the list'ning ear. And beauty charms the eye. " What cruelty these powers to join ! These transports who can bear? Oh ! let the sound be less divine. Oh ! look, ye nymphs, less fair." The 'Bradford Map The character of the entertainment afforded at these "consorts" is set forth in an advertisement of the musical purveyor of the day, which we copy from the same journal : "On Wednesday, the 21 of January Instant there will be a Consort of Musick, Vocal and Instrumental, for the Benefit of Mr. Pachelbell, the Harpsiconid Part performed by himself. The Songs, Violins and Ger- man Flutes by private hands. The Consort will be- gin precisely at 6 a'clock. In the house of Robert Todd, Vintner. Tickets to be had at the Coffee- House, and at Mr. Todd's, at 4 shillings." William Smith, Chief Justice of the Province of Canada, and the author of a history of New York in 1757, affords us a pleasing glimpse of the ladies of his day, the daughters of the dames whose praises are sung by the unknown poet in Bradford's Gazette. It reveals the fact that they inherited the graces of person as well as the other attractive qualities of their fascinating mothers. He is not, however, al- together complimentary in his criticism. He admits that they were "comely and dressed well, and, tinc- tured with a Dutch education, managed their families with becoming parsimony, good providence, and sin- gular neatness"; but he charges them, as well as the men, with a general neglect of reading, and indeed of all the arts for the improvement of the mind. Yet opportunities for mental culture had not been lack- ing. Free schools existed, and a public library had The "Bradford OAap been established in 1729, its nucleus being a collec- tion of 1642 volumes bequeathed by the Rev. Dr. Millington, of Newington, England, to the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, and by it presented to the city. The Rev. John Sharpe, Chaplain to Her Majesty's Forts and Forces in the Province of New York, so early as 17 13 pro- posed to donate a collection of books belonging to him to the city as a foundation for a public library, but there is no evidence that he ever carried out this benevolent intention. The New York Society Library, the oldest circulat- ing library now in existence, was organized in 17S4, and chartered by Governor Tryon in 1772, at which time it contained 1278 volumes. An advertisement in the New York Gazette of September 7, 1730, is interesting in this connection, and also as showing the intimate relations existing between James Lyne, the surveyor, and William Brad- ford, the printer, of the Bradford Map. Mr. Lyne noti- fies the public that he has fitted up a convenient room at the Custom House, where he designs teaching in the evenings during the winter " Arithmetick, in all its parts. Geometry, Trigonometry, Navigation, Surveying, Guaging, Algebra and sundry other parts of Mathematical Learning," and adds, "Whoever inclines to be instructed in any of the said parts of Mathematical Knowledge may agree with the said James Lyne at the house of William Bradford." Tbe Bradford {Mjp It is quite evident that these early settlers brought with them from the mother-country a decided taste for good living and a fondness for the comforts of life, and that they strove to cultivate as many of its amenities as it was possible to introduce into a new country. We are indebted to Chief Justice Smith for the following facts and opinions concerning his townspeople: "The people, both in town and country, are sober, industrious, and hospitable, though intent upon gain. The richer sort keep very plentiful tables abounding with great variety of fish, flesh, and all kinds of vegetables. The com- mon drinks are beer, weak [sic] punch, and Madeira wine. For dessert we have fruits' in vast plenty of different kinds and various species. . . , With respect to riches there is not so great an Inequality amongst us as is common in Boston and some other places. Ever\^ man of Industry and Integrity has it in his power to live well, and many are the in- stances of Persons who came here, distressed by their Poverty, who now enjoy easy and plentiful Fortunes." The prevailing fashion in men's dress is illustrated by the inventory of the wardrobe of the English gov- ernor. His Excellency John Montgomerie, to whom the Map is dedicated. It embraces ruffled shirts, dimity vests, silk stockings with embroidered clocks. a scarlet cloak, a cloak and breeches with gold lace, a laced hat, a cloth suit with open silver lace, a gold- The Bradford OAap headed cane, bobtail wig, periwig, and so on. Truly he must have presented an imposing appearance when arrayed for cere- monious occasions. The gala dress of the private citizen was also showy and expensive, and the use of the small sword as an appendage to a gen- tleman's street costume was still common. A beau's ball costume is thus rhythmically de- scribed by a belle of 1725 A FINE LONG QUEUE. " Mine, a tall youth shall at a ball be seen, Whose legs are like the spring, all cloth'd in green, A yellow ribband ties his long cravat, And a large knot of yellow cocks his hat." The governor occupied the house within the Fort, and maintained considerable state in his style of liv- ing. Servants in livery thronged the Fort, and negro musicians enlivened the evening with their strains from the battlements. A list of His Excellency's household effects em- braces a large amount of table silver, and his cellar contained an extensive stock of wines and liquors. In his stable were a fine saddle-stallion, two coach- The "Bradford O^ap horses, a number of working- and breeding-horses, a four-wheel chaise and harness, a coach with five sets of harness, carts, saddles, and no end of equine para- phernalia and trappings. After the governor's death in July, 1731 , his effects were sold at public vendue. On October 11, 1 73 1 , appeared the following adver- tisement of this sale in the New York Gazette. His " large fine barge with damask curtains" had been previously disposed of at auction. ** To Morrow being the twelfth day of this Instant, at two o'clock in the afternoon, at the Fort, will be exposed to sale by publick Vendue the following Goods, belonging to the Estate of his late deceased Excellency Governour Montgomerie, viz. : "A fine new yallow Camblet Bed, lined with Silk & laced, which came from London with Capt Down- ing, with the Bedding. One fine Field Bedstead and Curtains, some blew cloth lately come from Lon- don, for Liveries ; and some white Drap Cloth, with proper triming. Some Broad Gold Lace. A very fine Medicine Chest with great variety of valuable Medicines. A parcel of Sweet Meat & Jelly Glasses. A case with 12 Knives and twelve Forks with Silver Handles guilded. Some good Barbados Rum. A con- siderable Quantity of Cytorn Water. A Flask with fine Jesseme Oyl. . . . And several other Things. All to be seen at the Fort. "And also at the same Time and Place there will The "Bradford (Map be Sold, One Gold Watch, of Mr. Tompkin's make, and one Silver Watch. Two Demi-Peak Saddles, one with blew Cloth Laced with Gold, and the other Plain Furniture. Two Hunting Saddles. One Pair of fine Pistols. A fine Fuzee mounted with Silver, and one long Fowling Piece." Governor Montgomerie also brought from Eng- land his private library, which was the largest in the province prior to the Revolution, numbering 1341 volumes, mostly of a standard character. In the list of articles of feminine apparel the most noticeable item is that of petticoats. We are informed that Madame Philipse, a daughter of the famous old Burgomaster Van Cortlandt, and the widow of Fred- erick Philipse, one of the wealthiest men of the day, who was known as the ''Dutch millionaire," pos- sessed her red cloth petticoat, her black silk ditto, her red silver-lined petticoat, and her silk quilted petti- coat. Her most notable article of Sunday outdoor ostentation was a splendid psalm-book with gold clasps which hung by a gold chain from her arm. The colonial dames of 1 73 1 could go up in perfect MY lady's head-dress. The "Bradford Map peace and quietness to the sanctuary on the Lord's day, for the orderly observance of the Sabbath was strictly enforced. Sunday liquor traffic was prohib- ited under a penalty often shillings for each off'ense, and the law ordained that no servile work but mat- ters of necessity should be performed. Children were not permitted to play in the streets ; they were perhaps expected to pass the interval between morn- ing and evening service in conning their Scripture lesson from the old blue-and-white Dutch tiles, deco- rated with biblical subjects, with which most of the wide-mouthed chimney-places of that day were lined. We are not surprised that a lady's wardrobe in- cluded a bountiful supply of comfortable undergar- ments when we read that in 1731 the churches were unprovided with stoves, and that the doors were left open during service, while the snow in win- ter drifted up the aisles. Foot-warmers and skirts innumerable would scarcely suffice to keep one's teeth from chattering during the protracted service then in vogue. The sermon was sure to be of an hour's duration. It was the duty of the clerk, whose seat was immediately in front of the high pulpit, to have an hour-glass standing near, and to properly turn it at the beginning of the sermon ; when the last grain of sand had left the upper cavity, he would rap three times with his cane to remind the domine that an hour had elapsed. On one occasion a preacher temporarily supplying the pulpit of the "Old South" The Bradford (Map quietly let two glasses run through, and then informed his hearers that as they had been patient in sitting through two hours he would proceed on a third. The collections were taken up in a velvet bag suspended from a pole. If the silver tinkle of the bell at the bot- tom of the bag was not sufficient to arouse an un- usually sleepy member of the congregation, a gentle rap on the head was likely to follow. The ministers in charge of the Collegiate Church at this time were Domine Dubois and the Rev. Henricus Boel. The former held the pastorate for over fifty years, and the latter for forty years. The year 1731 is memorable in the history of the city for the outbreak of a severe epidemic of small- pox, which began in the month of August and was not suppressed until the succeeding summer. The interments in the several burying-places up to the end of the year not only show the great mortality, but also in a measure indicate the strength of the dif- ferent religious denominations in the city.* *Church of England Dutch Church French Lutheran . Presbyterian Quakers Baptist Jewish Negro burial-ground Total . 237 218 16 I 16 2 I 2 80 573 The "Bradford {Map FRAUNCES TAVERN, I 893. 70 The "Bradford {Map Having become somewhat familiar with the streets of this half Dutch, half English town of our fore- fathers, let us now turn our attention to the Survey itself, thankful that there is even this one chartographic record remaining of a city the original architecture of which has been, with a single exception, completely changed. Of the 1500 houses it embraced, the well- known Fraunces Tavern (and it has been remodeled), built in 1 70 1 on the southeast corner of Pearl and Broad streets, remains as the only link between the present city and that of William Bradford's Map. SECTION OF THE IRON RAILING ON THE BALCONY OF THE FEDERAL EDIFICE IN WALL STREET. IVe backvjard look to scenes no longer there. ^'^SBifv- ^^?^^*^->^,^^ w^mp A SOUTHWEST VIEW OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK IN NORTH AMERICA, I 776. CHAPTER THE PRINCIPAL LANDMARKS OF THE CITY IN 1 73 1 Ti HE Bradford Map bears this inscription : "A Plan of the City of New York from an actual Survey Made by lames Lyne." There is no date, but this is at once approximately determined by the inscription to Lieutenant-Governor Montgomerie, who held office for but three years, 1728 to 1731. The map must therefore have been published during this interval. But there is conclusive evidence in the survey itself which enables us to fix the date with more precision. The city is divided into seven wards — The Bradford {Map Outward, North, South, East, West, Dock, and Mont- gomerie. The last-named ward was added at the time of the granting of the Montgomerie Charter in 1 73 1. It is highly probable that the addition of this new ward was the immediate occasion for the issue of the map, and it undoubtedly made its ap- pearance in that year. ♦ The map is printed on a thin laid paper, with a water-mark of which but little more than a fleur-de-lis can be positively deciphered. The engraving is light and delicate in execution, qualities which are entirely lost in all reproductions made of it. Of facsimiles there have been a number. Prob- ably the first was a lithograph made in 1834 by George Hayward from the original in possession of G. B. Smith, street commissioner. A copy of this lithograph was made by order of the corporation to accompany a report of the Committee on Docks in 1836. To both of these the date 1728 was errone- ously affixed. Valentine's Manual for 1842-43 contained a copy of the map, as did also his History of New York published in 18S3. Another reproduction was pub- lished by F. B. Patterson in 1874, and one (a colored lithograph by Joseph Laing which bore no date) by John Slater, bookseller. Both of these have been used by various mercantile firms as advertising signs. There is at least one reprint in circulation in addition to those mentioned above without any date of issue 74 The Bradford (Map or name of publisher upon it. All these maps are without doubt copies of the first reproduction from the original made in 1834, and two of them are apparently reimpressions from the first lithographic stone. All repeat the spurious date of 1728, and are guilty of the same omissions, notably of a num- ber of the boats, and the words " Ledge of Rocks." The interesting question is, What has become of the original map in possession of Street Commissioner Smith? It has never been traced, and it is therefore a gratuitous assumption on the part of the author of this book that it is the identical copy which subse- quently fell into his possession; still, if this be not the case, it is passing strange that its whereabouts should not have been unearthed during thirty years. The Bradford Map on a small scale appears in the left-hand corner of a copperplate map of the city issued in 1825 by David Longworth, and, similarly reduced and engraved on copper, was printed in Dunlap's History of New York in 1839. Other re- productions have appeared in various publications relating to the early history of the city. In the left-hand upper corner of the Bradford Map is this inscription : "To His Excellency Iohn Mont- GOMERIE Esq. Cap' Gen' & Gov'' in Chief of his Majef- ti's Provinces of New York, New Iersey, &c. This Plan of the City of New York is humbly DediC* by Your Excellency^ obe' & most humble serv' W" Brad- ford." These words are surmounted by the gov- The 'Bradford {Map ernor's arms and motto, and underneath is a tablet containing a key to the localities indicated. The tablet is supported by emblematical figures supposed to represent Peace and War. In the opposite corner are engraved the arms of the city and the name of "Col' Rob' Lurting, Mayor," William Bradford, who printed the map, 2»nd by whose name it is best known, removed his printing- press from Philadelphia to New York in 1693, at the invitation of Governor Fletcher. For some time he was in government employ, and his press was prin- cipally occupied with government documents. The first book printed in New York at his press was a small quarto of 226 pages, George Keith's Truth Advanced, published in the same year (1694) that the Laws of the Province was issued. In October, 1725, Bradford began the publication of the first newspaper printed in New York, the New York Gazette. It was a half sheet of foolscap paper filled with European news, custom-house en- tries, advertisements, rewards offered for the return of runaway slaves, and notices of slaves for sale by public vendue. With the beginning of 1727 (old style) he increased it in size to a whole sheet of foolscap, or four pages. Bradford also printed the first New York almanac, which was issued in 1694, and he was the father of copperplate engraving and of book-binding in the colony. At the foot of the outside page of his journal he inserts this notice 76 Namb. 304. THE %^yj'New-York Gazette? From ^aj»/?i6. to Monday ^»°«// sj. nji. Cmtiim^t'or. ef ll>i Exirad from iht Tilt til S'l't vhich Trai ktgu>7 ia our Gat.rtte, K" Ip^. cmMniKg Oiferviticm en the Bills of M^.in'.ity. far the Month of February, I73<»,i • MR /,;/?f// having coniinimicated 10 ilie Royal Sociery die ullls of Mortality or tliisCny for the Yeiir? 16P7, 88, 89, so, 9i, in which the Aj;cs ai;d ?ex''S of ali thi.t h^'t difd for that tiiiie were fct doivn monthly, aid 'cDinparcd wirh the Births, Mr. H.'!lty to' 1; theCc for hisStanJ.ird, a;id iiom thence has inadc iiuiiy ■ curious Cakniationj. From thefe liilli it appeared, thnt in the five Years aboveticntior.ed rhcre wereb'>in in tliat City 619} i'e.lbns and bsiricd 5859, which at a 'vlcdinm i- per Anmm^ born ijj8, and buried 1174 vvhcnccan Inereafe of the reoplemay b,; hipnclJ ot 64 ter MuMm. which isabaota twenric:h j-urt ot chofe that ,irchorn, and mav hcfiiv-'OlUI to be ballaic-d by thofc that po from that Town 10 liie tmpcrors Armin, or into other Countrif'S i.l fearcli of a Livelili):)d. From the fame Bills it appeared, that 348 dial ycariy in the fir'> Year of tlieir Ape, and that tog died in the fv/c Y'.ir? between one and fix corpleat taken at a Medium, fo that from Mr A/ja,v'i Calculation wc may c"npi'tc that 5fS of thfir C'lillrcn died kfo'C thiir As;e of ten, W'hich is not ->n; half of the Ch iJicn b -vn yearly in that Cit / ; from whence wc m ly obfervc the (jreat DifFcrenrc that there is, between the hcalilfiilneft ot the Children of that Ci:y and the Children thit »re born at Laaion.oi which by Computation above four !i>h; die before they arrive at (he Arc of ten. Mr. Hj't^ obfer»es that from the Ape of fixcom- plest, ChilJren arrive at a greater Degree of StrenR'.h and Firtnnep;, and <:ro'.v Icfs and 1 Is mortal-, »nd from' the Bills ot Mort ilitv at Brt{la;o he h^s formed a Tabic of the Number of pcrlbns of every Age from fevcn to a hundred inclaiivc, ihac die in a Year. From Mr. H*ie\'> Tabic it apncars evident that from the Age 0' Nine to about Twenty Five there dots not die above Six fc .irrniii ot each interme- diate Age at a Medium, which is about OnenfrCrnf. of the whole People of that Town of thofe Ages, which Proportion he lavs was confirmed by the In. formation he had from Chrift:'s-C»»'ch H ij'ltJl., the Boys of which are peneriilv at the Agrf nsof ill Ages in the 1 abi». The firft Ufc of this Table is then to ftiew the Proportion of Men able to bear Arms in 3ny i\lul. titudc, vrhichare the Men between Eighteen and Fifty Six, rather than Sixteen and sixty, for he rea- fonably concludes, that Men under Eighteen arc generally too weak to best the Fatigues of War, and the Weight ot Arm% and thofe above Fitty Six are gcrerallv too cia7.y, and infirm, notwitiilUnding particular Inftanccs lothe contrary. Under Eigh- teen are found trom this Table in the City cf Bref!.ia I 9j;7 Ptrfons, and 3950 a' ove Fifty Six, which to- perher make 1591?, which being dcdiif^cd out of =4000, there remains 18013, one half of v»hich mull be fuppofed to be F«m about gfoj Men fit to bear Arms, which is a Third and Seven Ninth Part of 340CO and it we confider that in every Multitude there are fcveral Men who are of a propfr Ape, but be-' eaiife of I'ome natural infirmity are not fit for Service, we may then lay thisdown as a general Problcin, that in every Multitudcof Penplr, of all Ages and Sexes, there are at len.'t one FJi'ith that are fir to bear Arms-, Ftomwl-.ith, if we kaow the Numbej From the Original in the New York Historical Society Library. t. The "Bradford OViap to his patrons, "Where you may have old books new bound."* He died in 1752, at the advanced age of eighty-nine years ; the date of his birth being settled beyond dispute by a note in the table of his almanac for May, 1739 — " The Printer born May 20, 1663." "He was almost a stranger to illness all his life, and on the morning of the day of his death is said to have walked over a greater part of the city." As an old writer quaintly puts it, Quite worn out with old age and labor, his lamp of life went out for want of oil. He was buried in Trinity churchyard, and his tomb- stone, removed thence to the rooms of the New York Historical Society, now stands in the entrance- hall of that building. In the inscription upon it, pre- pared by his apprentice James Parker, the date of his birth is given as having occurred in 1660, and his age is erroneously stated to have been ninety-two years. The first edifice to which attention is directed on this map is the King's Chapel in the Fort— the old church of St. Nicholas, built in 1642 by the Dutch under William Kieft's administration. It was used by them as a place of worship until their removal to their new church in Garden Street in 1693, when it was relinquished to the British government and oc- cupied by the royal military forces as a chapel until its destruction by fire in 1741. It was not rebuilt. * The site of the house where William Bradford issued the first newspaper in the city has been identified by the New York His- torical Society as that of the New York Cotton Exchange building. The "Bradford {Map It was constructed of stone, and covered with oaken shingles called wooden slate, as they in time became blue in color, which gave them at a distance the ap- pearance of slate. The dimensions were 72 feet long, 52 feet broad, and 16 feet high, and the cost was $1040. The fol- lowing stor)^, illus- trating the fact that human nature is much the same in all ages, is told in connection with its erection. The gov- ernor had promis- ed to furnish some of the Company's money, and the remainder was to be raised by private subscription. A few days afterward the daughter of Domine Bogardus (the second* pastor of the church) was married, and at the wedding party the governor and Captain De Vries, thinking it a rare opportunity to raise the requisite amount of funds, took advantage of the good humor of the guests and passed round the paper with their own names heading the list. As each one present desired to appear well in the eyes of his neighbor, a handsome sum was contributed. In the * The first minister of tiie Collegiate Church of New York was Domine Jonas Michaelius, a fellow-student in the University of Leyden of the celebrated Dutch poet Jakob Cats. 78 I HI uO\ hKNOR S HOUSE AND THE CHLIRCH IN THE FORT AT NEW AMSTERDAM. / J;, /.-,-.•• ,// '/ From the New York Magazine, 1795. The "Bradford (Map morning some few appealed to the governor for per- mission to reconsider the matter, but His Excellency would permit no names to be erased from the paper. Governor Kieft and Domine Bogardus both lost their lives by shipwreck in 1647. Asthey were returning to Holland in the ship Princess, the vessel struck upon a rock on the coast of Wales, and only twenty pas- sengers out of eighty were saved. In the Fort, next to the King's Chapel, stood the governor's house, a two-story peaked-roof build- ing, with two long, narrow dormer windows in the roof and an exterior chimney on each gable. It was occupied by the royal governors down to the period of its destruction by the fire of December 29, 1773, in which Governor William Tryon, the last resident, lost all his personal effects. The next building indicated on the Bradford Map is Trinity Church on Broadway, at the head of Wall Street, where the third edifice of that name now stands overlooking one of the greatest money centers on the globe, while the music of its chiming bells mingles daily with the babel of the eager, hurrying multitude that beats and surges around the quiet graveyard lying in its shadow. The first church was built on this spot in 1696, and stood virtually on the banks of the Hudson, the en- trance facing the river as that of St. Paul's does now. The cemetery was inclosed on the Broadway side by a painted paled fence. This was the city burial- The "Bradford [Map place,* and was granted in 1702 to the rector, ward- ens, and vestry of Trinity Church to be appropriated for a public burial-place forever, "they to keep the same in good fence and repair, and taking only for breaking of the ground for - every person above twelve years of age 3s. 6d. and for each child under twelve years is. 6d., and no other or greater duty whatsoever for the breaking of said ground." The first building was twice enlarged, once in 1735, and again two years later. It was destroyed by fire in 1776, and rebuilt in 1788. It was finally taken down and the present edifice begun in 1839 and completed in 1846. Church of England services were first regularly held in the chapel in the Fort in 1664, after the surrender of the colony to the British by Governor Stuyvesant. The Rev. William Vesey, from whom Vesey Street takes its name, was the first rector of Trinity parish. Following our guide we come next to the Old Dutch Church in Garden Street, or Garden Alley, as it was called when the church was surrounded by a garden, "imposed in all the formal stiffness of cut box and trimmed cedar presenting tops nodding to tops, and each alley like its brother, the whole so like Holland itself." The site when first selected was objected to as being so far out of town. The church *The first burial-plot in the city was on the west side of Broadway, near Morris Street, comprising 4 lots 25x100 feet each. This was broken up in 1676. The "Bradford Map TRINITY CHURCH, SECOND EDIFICE. was Opened for divine service in 1693, before it was entirely finisiied. "It was an oblong square with three sides of an octagon on the east side, in the front it had a brick steeple, on a large square founda- The "Bradford {Map tion so as to admit a room above the entry for a con- sistory room. The windows were remarkable for their size, and the leaden sashes for the smallness of their panes. Many of these contained coats -of-arms of the eldejrs and magistrates 'cu- riously burnt in glass' by Gerar- dus Duyckinck." The inner rear wall was also dec- orated with es- cutcheons. Ger- ardus Duyckinck appears to have been a glass- stainer and to have kept the art emporium of the period. He ad- vertises his busi- ness as a limner and picture-deal- er in the New York Gazette in this wise: "Look- ing glasses new silvered . . . Also all sorts of pic- tures made and sold. All manner of painting work done ... All sorts of painting coullers and oyl sold THE "old south" CHURCH IN GARDEN STREET, BUILT I 693. The Bradford (Map at reasonable rates ... at the sign of the Two Cupids near the Old Slip Market. N. B. Where you may have ready money for old looking glasses." The Garden Street Church, or " Old South," con- tinued the only house of worship of the Reformed Dutch Church until the erection of the one at the corner of Nassau and Liberty streets. In 1766 it was thorough- ly repaired, and in 1807 it was taken down and a new edi- fice erected on the same spot. The new building was used un- til it was destroyed in the great fire of 1835. In 1813 the "Old South" separated from the Col- legiate Church, and became a distinct congregation in charge of the Rev. Dr. Matthews. The Dutch language was in use in the pulpit of the Garden Street Church certainly as late as 1764. In March of that year Domine De Ronde, who with Domine Ritzema was in pastoral charge of the two Collegiate churches, preached a sermon at the instal- lation of Dr. Archibald Laidlie, the first Collegiate* * "The Collegiate Church of New York is so called because it is a group of congregations in one organization." S3 THE GARDEN STREET CHURCH, SECOND EDIFICE. The "Bradford CMap minister who officiated in the English language. Domine De Ronde's text was taken from Isaiah XXX. 20, '^Wsst oogm sfuUen iitwe iLecracrsf sftm" ("Thine eyes shall see thy teachers"). The French church Le Temple du Saint Esprit, on the northeast side of King Street (now Pine) was founded in 1 704. The building was 50 x 77 ftJet, and stood upon a lot of ground 70 feet front and 157 feet deep, running through to Little Queen Street. The space not occupied by the church was used as a graveyard. This edifice remained standing one hun- dred and thirty years, and was taken down in 1834. The establishment of a church by the devoted little company of Walloons who were driven into Holland by the terrors of the St. Bartholomew Mas- sacre and emigrated to this country with the Dutch, is almost coeval with the settlement of the colony. The first Huguenot church was erected in 1688. It was a small, plain building in Marketfield Street, then called Petticoat Lane, near the Battery. The site is now covered by the Produce Exchange building. George Jansen Rapelye, whose daughter Sarah was long reputed to have been the first female white child* *''The first birth of a child of European parentage in New Netherland was probably that of Jean Vigne, whose parents came from Valenciennes, France. He is believed to have been born in 1614, eleven years before Sarah de Rapelye, and at the very earliest period compatible with the sojourn of any Hollanders upon our territory. If this statement is correct, Jean Vigne is not 84 The "Bradford (Map born in New Amsterdam, was one of these Walloon emigrants. Many of them settled at New Rochelle, where a church building was erected as early as 1692. In the Burgis picture of the Middle Dutch Church, the French edifice is seen in the background. The tower is surmounted by a cupola and weathercock al- most identical in form with that of the Dutch Church. The small print here introduced gives a view of the building be- fore this cupola was added. The New Dutch Church, 70x100 feet in size, on the corner of Nas- LE TEMPLE DU SAINT ESPRIT. sau and Liberty (then called Crown) streets, was completed in 1731, but had been opened for religious worship in 1729. The location was at this time "quite on the verge of the more compact part of the city." When this building was taken down in 1882 it was the most venerable church edifice in the city, and had had a checkered history. British troops had turned it into a riding-school for cavalry, but the desecrated temple was restored after the Revolution only the first born of European parents in New Netherland, but, as far as known, in the whole United States north of Virginia." 85 The "Bradford O^ap and again devoted to religious purposes. It was re- opened for public worship on the 4th of July, 1790. The sermon on this occasion was delivered by the Rev. Dr. John H. Livingston. There were no galleries in the church when it was first built, and the ceiling was one entire arch without pillars. The pulpit, covered with an enormous can- opy or sounding-board, stood against the east wall, while the entrance was by two doors in front on the Nassau Street side. In 1764 the pulpit was moved to the north end, and the pews and entrances altered. The bell, which was cast in Amsterdam, was pre- sented by Abraham De Peyster, who died in 1728 while the church was in process of erection. A number of Amsterdam citizens are said to have thrown silver coins into the preparation of the bell- metal. This "trophy of antiquity" now hangs in the tower of the Reformed Dutch Church at the corner of Forty-eighth Street and Fifth Avenue. The last religious service in the New Dutch Church was held on the evening of August 11, 1844. Dr. John Knox delivered the sermon, and the building after an occupancy of one hundred and fifteen years was finally closed with the apostolic benediction pro- nounced in the Dutch language by the Rev. Dr. Thomas De Witt. The ground upon which the church was built ori- ginally cost ;^575. In i860 the property was pur- chased by the authorities at Washington for the sum The 'Bradford OAap of $200,000 for use as a post-office.* The church trus- tees, however, received for the property $2=^0,000, the amount above the $200,000 appropriated by Congress being contributed mostly by members of the New York Chamber of Commerce. In 1882 the % THE MIDDLE DUTCH cHLK^.! USED AS THE POST-OFFICE. government disposed of the property at pubhc auc- tion, and it was secured by the Mutual Life Insurance Co. of New York for a sum that was at the time con- sidered far below its value, $650,000. The print of the Middle Dutch Church by William Burgis, of which a reproduction is given, was prob- ably executed shortly after the completion of the *They had previously leased it for the same purpose. 87 The "Bradford (Map building. It is inscribed, as lias been already stated, "to the Honourable Rip Van Dam. Esq', President of His Majesty's Council for the Province of New York." This worthy of the olden time oc- cupied a distin- guished political position in the pro- vince, being for many years presi- dent of the coun- cil, and for a short time (the interreg- num between the administrations of Montgomerie and Cosby) the act- ing governor. Al- though in point of wealth not rank- ing with the most prosperous merchants, he was considered to pos- sess a comfortable fortune. The value of his property probably did not exceed $25,000. In 1732 he pe- titioned for and was given a small gore of land at the present intersection of Liberty Street and Maiden Lane, 103 feet in length, for the nominal sum of 10 shillings, as being of little or no value to any one else but him. With property in the city of New York THE PRESBYTERIAN MEETING HOUSE IN WALL STREET. pRiMiJt: 'Jo //ic jlWioi/nM RIP \ V\ DAM.K w vio/i/n. l'/r.!ii'.>h,fn,.'//or//,,mo)i.\a:.i .\/r\\ \ Jin. DfJ From the Original Engraving in the Collection of W. L. Andrews. The "Bradford Map thus going a-begging, one could be " passing ricii on £^0 a year." Rip Van Dam died in 1749, aged near ninety years. His wife was Sarah Vanderspeigel, one of the two daughters of Laurens Vanderspeigel, a baker, who by long and devoted attention to his business had accumulated a ''handsome" property. The Presbyterian Meeting House, on the north side of Wall Street, near Broadway, was erected in 1719. The ground had been purchased some time pre- viously from Abraham De Peyster and Samuel Bayard for about $875. This edifice suffered the common fate of all the church buildings in the city during the Revolution, and was turned into a barracks for British troops. It was enlarged in 1748 and again in 1 8 10, and was destroyed by fire in 1834, but im- mediately rebuilt. Jonathan Edwards occupied the pulpit of this church for a short period in 1721. The other church buildings shown upon the Brad- ford Map are the Quaker Meeting House, a small frame building in Little Green Street (a lane running from Maiden Lane to Liberty Street), built about 1703 ; the Baptist Church on Golden Hill, erected in 1724; the Lutheran Church, a modest stone building built in 1 702 on the corner of Rector Street and Broad- way, afterward the site of the first Grace Church ; and the Jewish Synagogue in Mill Street, completed in 1730. The first building occupied as a City Hall stood at the head of the present Coenties Slip, on the corner The Bradford (Map of Pearl Street, and was originally the City Tavern, built by the government in 1642 and granted to the city as a Stadthuys in 1653. It was sold in 1699 for ;^920 to John Rodman, merchant. The construction THE STADTHUYS IN COENTIES SLIP. First City Hall of New York. of a new City Hall was immediately begun, and it was completed in 1700 at a cost of ^i i^i i8s. 3d. At the time of its erection the line of Wall Street upon which it stood was all vacant ground, and was not built upon for many years subsequently. The build- ing was of stone, some of which is said to have been taken out of the bastions which stood upon the line of fortifications in Wall Street. It had a roof of cop- per, and was surmounted by a cupola. The com- mon jail and dungeon was for a time located in the 90 The "Bradford (Map basement and subcellar of this building, and the debtors' prison in the open garret, which was neither ceiled nor plastered. After the Revolution the ex- terior was remodeled and the interior refitted under the supervision of Major L'Enfant, the well-known French military engineer, with the expectation of THE OLD CITY HALL IN WALL STREET. From Grhn's Drawing. making it the permanent residence of the Federal Legislature, and it was named the Federal Edifice. The building, as altered at this time, was fully de- scribed in the Columbian Magazine for 1789. The basement story was styled Tuscan, and was pierced with seven openings. Four massive pillars in the center supported four Doric columns and a pedi- The Bradford {Map ment. The frieze was divided so as to admit thir- teen stars in the metopes. These, with the American eagle and other insignia in the pediments, and the tablets over the windows filled with thirteen arrows and the olive-branch united, marked it as a building set apart for national purposes. The representatives' room was octagonal in form, 6i feet deep an(^36 feet THE GOVERNMENT HOUSE, I 795- From the New York Magazine. high, with a domed ceiling. It was finished in light- blue damask. The senate-chamber had an arched ceiling, and was 40 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 20 feet high, furnished in crimson damask. This room opened into a gallery in front of the building which was 12 feet deep, and was guarded by a handsome iron railing. In this gallery Washington took the oath ''„■<■■ >■/ V>. r i: nr. ii.vi. r. iuik f. "> m« >>«hk. From the Massachusetts Magazine, 1789. The "Bradford CMap THE CITY HALL IN THE PARK. of office as first President of the United States in the presence of a large concourse of people who assem- bled in front of the building. A statue of Wash- ington on the steps of the Sub-Treasury marks the spot where this historical inci- dent occurred. Among other preparations at this time made in the expecta- tion that New York would be fixed upon as the capital city of the country, was the erection of the Government House on the site of Fort George, opposite the Bowling Green, in- tended as the official residence of the President of the United States. It was the finest mansion in New York at the close of the last century — a stately edi- fice of red brick with Ionic columns. Before it was completed the seat of government was removed to Philadelphia, and the building was then appropriated to the use of the governors of the State. Later it became the Custom-House, and in the year 1815 was removed. The Bowling Green block of old- fashioned brick houses now stands on its site, and in the whirligig of time the scene will shortly shift again and a new custom-house will probably occupy the same ground as its predecessor. The "Bradford OVlap The foundation-stone of the present City Hall was laid at its southeast corner on May 26, 1803, during the mayoralty of Edward Livingston, and the build- ing was finished in 18 12 at a cost of half a million dollars, exclusive of the furniture. The architect was BROADWAY AND FULTON STREET. The Citv Hall in the Distance. John McComb, a native of New York. The dimen- sions are 216 feet in length by 105 feet in breadth. The front and both ends were finished in white marble brought from West Stockbridge, Massachusetts, but the rear in brown freestone. The use of this cheaper material on the up-town side has given rise to the facetious statement that the builders considered it a favorable opportunity to save expense upon a part of the edifice that would rarely fall under observation. The Bradford (Map When completed this building was justly consid- ered the finest structure in the United States. It was long the show-place of the city, open to visi- tors every week-day, except Monday, after 3 p. m., with a person in attendance to exhibit the building for a small douceur. It still remains, after the lapse of nearly a century, the most chaste and pleasing ex- ample of municipal architecture in the city, infinitely superior, from an artistic standpoint, if from no other, to the edifice which stands behind it, and which has cost the taxpayers twenty-four times as much. The remaining buildings which James Lyne indi- cates on his map are the Custom-House in Dock Street, the Weigh-House, Bayard's Sugar-House, the Exchange in Broad Street, two Free Schools (one Dutch and one English), and four Market-places — the Fish, Old Slip, Meat, and Fly markets. These are of no particular historical importance, and require no special reference. THE ROYAL EXCHANGE. 95 A different /ace of things each age appears, A nd all things alter in a course of years. NEW YORK FROM GOVERNOR'S ISLAND, I 83 I . CHAPTER IV CONCLUSION Vv E shall bring to a close this effort to retrace the lines and repeople the city of New York as it was at the time when James Lyne measured and mapped out its streets, with an extract from the oft-quoted diary of a Swedish traveler, Professor Peter Kalm, who visited the country in 1748, seventeen years subse- quent to the date of the survey. In the interval the population had not greatly increased, and the general appearance of the city had undergone no marked change. . 13 97 The "Bnidford 04ap "The streets," he informs us, "do not run so straight as those of Philadelphia, and have some- times considerable bendings ; however, they are very spacious and well built, and most of them are paved, excepting in high places where it has been found use- less. In the chief streets there are trees planted which, in summer, give them a tine appearance, an4 during the excessive heat at that time afford a cooling shade. I found it extremely pleasant to walk in the town, for it seemed quite like a garden. The trees which are planted for this purpose are chiefly of two kinds. The water-beech is the most numerous, and gives an agreeable shade in summer by its large and numerous leaves. The locust-tree is likewise frequent ; its fine leaves and the odoriferous scent which exhales from its flowers make it very proper for being planted in the streets near the houses and in gardens. There are likewise lime-trees and elms in these walks, but they are not by far so frequent as the others. . . . Besides numbers of birds of all kinds which make these trees their abode, there are likewise a kind of frogs which frequent them in great numbers during the summer ; thev are very clamorous in the even- ing and in the nights (especially when the days have been hot. and a rain is expected), and in a manner drown the singing of the birds. ' ' Most of the houses are built of brick and are gen- erally strong and neat, and several stories high. Some have, according to the old architecture, turned The Bradford €Vlap the gable-ends toward the street, but the new houses are altered in this respect. Many of the houses have a balcony on the roof on which the people sit in the evenings in the summer-time, and from thence they have a pleasant view of a great part of the town, and likewise of part of the adjacent water, and of the opposite shore. "The roofs are commonly covered with shingles or tile, the former of which are made of the white fir- tree which grows higher up in the country. . . . The walls of the houses are white- washed within, and I do not anywhere see hangings, with which the people in this country seem in general to be little acquainted. The walls are quite covered with all sorts of drawings and pictures in small frames. On each side of the chimneys they usually have a sort of alcove, and the wall under the window is wains- coated, with benches under the window. The alcoves as well as all of the woodwork are painted with a bluish-gray color. . . . The winter is much more severe here than in Philadelphia. The snow lies for some months together on the ground, and sledges are made use of. The river Hudson is about a mile and a half wide at this point, and the ice stands in it not only one but for even several months. It has sometimes a thickness of more than two feet. "The inhabitants are sometimes greatly troubled with mosquitoes. They either follow the hay, which is made in the low meadows near the town, which The 'Bradford (Map are quite penetrated with salt water, or they accom- pany the cattle when brought home at evening. . . . "The watermelons which are cultivated near the town, grow very large. They are extremely deli- cious, and are better than in other parts of America, though they are planted in the open fields and never in a hotbed. I saw a watermelon at Governor Clin- ton's which weighed 47 English pounds, and another at a merchant's in town 42 pounds weight; how- ever, they were reckoned the largest ever seen in the country. Oysters are plenty and of fine quality." Our keen-eyed visitor appears to have been, in the main, very favorably impressed with the island of Manhattan, and would doubtless have readily in- dorsed the verdict rendered by Hendrick Hudson a century previous that it was '*a very good land to live in and a pleasant land to see." In one respect the city he described in 1748 has certainly not im- proved as it has grown greater and more populous. The cool and attractive summer residence he depicts, and upon which fact he lays such stress, is a dream of the past. Forests of telegraph-poles, with electric wires for leaves and branches, have taken the place of the rows of pleasant shade-trees, and the invigorat- ing breezes of the bay can no longer, in the dog-days, find their way through streets whose buildings shut out both air and sunlight. The song-birds, too, have flitted away, leaving the quarrelsome little Eng- lish sparrow in undisputed possession of the town. FATHER KNICKERBOCKER. 101 The Bradford Map More than fifty years ago this pessimistic view of the future of the ancient Knickerbocker city was pre- sented by the editor of the New York Mirror (G. P. Morris) in the columns of his journal: "The city of the Knickerbockers is fast disappearing from the world of realities, and their homes are following them to the vast shadow of oblivion. Tikd roofs and high peaked gable-ends have already under- gone the fate of the cocked hats, the eel-skin queues, and the multitudinous small clothes that once gave assurance of a race of Knickerbockers in this venera- ble city; all are gone, and in a few short years there will be none to remember that such things were! St. Nicholas has abandoned his once favorite me- tropolis, and how should it be otherwise since there is not a Dutch chimney-corner left for him to nestle in?" Happily we have not yet lived to see the com- plete fulfilment of this dismal prophecy. "That blissful and never to be forgotten age, When everything was better than it has been e'er since," has undeniably passed out of sight, but not entirely out of mind ; it is still to memory dear. The Belgic New Amsterdam of the seventeenth century has be- come the cosmopolitan New York of the nineteenth ; nevertheless, we maintain that it is Diedrich Knicker- The "Bradford Map bocker's city still, and that its patron saint is none other than the good St. Nicholas. The birth of the approaching century will witness the complete transformation of the 22,000 acres in- cluded in Peter Minuit's purchase two and a half cen- turies ago from a wilderness of woods and streams to one of bricks and mortar, with a population ex- ceeded in numbers by that of but two other cities on the foce of the earth — a marvelous outgrowth from the little cluster of thatched roofs and wooden chim- neys which nestled for protection under the walls of the Fort at the Battery, and over which floated the flag of " Oranje boven," the tricolor of Holland. All honor to those of every clime and nationality whose brain and sinew have contributed to this re- sult, but, above all, honor to the pioneers, the men who led the way, the sturdy, stout-hearted Dutch- men who, in founding the colony of New Nether- land, builded far better than they knew and laid the substructure of a city fairer and greater than in their wildest flights of fancy it could have entered into their minds to conceive. The Dutch discoverers of New Netherland were, said Chancellor Kent in an address before the New York Historical Society in 1828, grave, temperate, firm, persevering men, who brought with them the industry, the economy, the simplicity, the integrity, and the bravery of their Belgic sires, and with these virtues they also imported the lights of the Roman The Bradford {Map civil law and the purity of the Protestant faith. To that period we are to look with chastened awe and respect for the beginnings of our city and the works of our primitive fathers. 31emanu Dc cere geeben tJie Ijem toeUomt* . Finis. FLAG OF THE DUTCH WEST INDIA COMPANY. ^(A CHRONOLOGICAL ARRANGEMENT OF THE PRINCIPAL HISTORICAL EVENTS REFERRED TO IN THIS BOOK. 1609 The North River discovered and explored by Hendrick Hudson. 1614 A trading post established at Fort Nassau on Castle Island, near Albany. Birth of the first child of European parentage in New Netherland. 1626 Purchase of the Island of Manhattan by the Dutch West India Company. 1633 The first church erected on the Island. 1642 The first church on the Island abandoned to business pur- poses. The Church of St. Nicholas built in the Fort. The City Tavern built by the Government. 1647 Ex-Governor Kieft and Domine Bogardus shipwrecked. 1651 View of " t' Fort nieuw Amfterdam op de Manhatans" published at Amsterdam. 1652 The city incorporated under the name of New Amsterdam. 1653 The City Tavern given to the municipality for a Stadthuys. Organization of a city magistracy. 1656 The city surveyed and a map of it made. Adriaen vander Donck's view of "Nieuw Amsterdam" published. 1658 A road laid out from the Collect Pond to Harlem. 1660 Incorrect date of William Bradford's birth engraved on his tombstone. 1663 Birth of William Bradford. 1664 Surrender of the colony to the English by Governor Stuy- vesant. 1676 The first city burial-place broken up into lots. 14 105 Chronological Index 1686 The first coach in New York brought by Colonel William Smith, The Park ceded to the Corporation of the City of New York by Governor Dongan. 1688 The first Huguenot church built. 1691 Acting Lieutenant-Governor Jacob Leisler executed. 1693 The Garden Street Church built. William Bradford's press removed from Philadelphia to New York. 1694 The first almanac and the first book printed in New York by William Bradford. The Laws of the Province first printed. 1696 The first Trinity Church erected. The first hackney coach advertised. 1699 The Stadthuys sold to John Rodman, merchant. 1700 The City Hall in Wall Street built. 1 70 1 Fraunces Tavern built on the corner of Pearl and Broad streets. 1702 The Lutheran Church built. 1703 The Quaker Meeting House built. 1704 Le Temple du St. Esprit built. 1705 The "King's Farm" property granted by Lord Cornbury to the corporation of Trinity Church. 1707 Broadway paved with stone from Trinity Church to Maiden Lane. 1719 The Presbyterian Meeting House or Church in Wall Street erected. 1 72 1 Jonathan Edwards the minister for a short time of the Presbyterian Church in Wall Street. 1724 The first Baptist Church built. 1725 The first newspaper issued in New York. 1728 Date erroneously ascribed to the Bradford Map. Death of Abraham de Peyster. 1729 Gift of books to the city for a public library. New or Middle Dutch Church opened for worship. 106 Chronological Index 1730 The first Jewish Synagogue built. 1 73 1 Probable date of the Bradford Map. Contemporaneous date of the View of Castle William and of the Middle Dutch Church print. The Montgomerie Charter granted. (The Charter is dated January 15, 1730, but as the old style of reckoning then in use began the year in March, the correct date according to existing usage is 1731.) Death of Governor John Montgomerie, and sale of his effects. A Fire Department organized by city ordinance. The New or Middle Dutch Church completed. A smallpox epidemic in the city. A census taken of the city and county. 1732 Sale of lots in Dock Street, showing value of real estate at this period. 1733 Bowling Green laid out by city ordinance. 1734 A law passed for the preservation of fish in the Collect Pond. 1735 Trinity Church enlarged. 1739 Date of the Almanac in which mention is made of William Bradford's birth. See table for May. 1741 Discovery of an alleged Negro Plot, and execution by hanging or burning of many of the accused. The King's Chapel in the Fort destroyed by fire. 1742 A map of the city drawn by David Grim. Brick-kilns in operation on the Commons. 1745 A knowledge of the Dutch language still necessary in visit- ing markets. 1748 The Presbyterian Church in Wall Street enlarged. 1749 Death of Rip Van Dam. 1750 The first coach-builder established in New York. 1752 Death of William Bradford. 1754 The New York Society Library founded. 1755 A map of the city published by Gerardus Duyckinck. 1757 A History of New York published by Chief Justice Smith. 1764 The English language first used in Collegiate Churches. Chronological Index \']66 The Garden Street Church extensively repaired. 1772 The New York Society Library chartered. 1773 The Governor's House in the Fort destroyed by fire. 1776 The Great Fire. Trinity Church burned. 1788 Trinity Church rebuilt. 1789 Washington inaugurated on the balcony of the Federal Edifice in Wall Street. 1790 The Middle Dutch Church reopened for public worship after the Revolution. ' 1794 Many changes made in names of streets. 1803 The foundation-stone of the City Hall in the Park laid. 1805 The Collect Pond filled in. 1807 The second church edifice in Garden Street built. A copy of the Bradford Map presented to the New York Historical Society by John Pintard. 1 8 10 The Presbyterian Church in Wall Street again enlarged. 1812 The City Hall in the Park completed. 1813 The Garden Street Church becomes an independent con- gregation. 181 3 The Government House removed. 1834 Probable date of first facsimile of the Bradford Map. The Presbyterian Church in Wall Street destroyed by fire. The French Church in Pine Street taken down. 1835 The second Great Fire. The Garden Street Church burned. 1839 The second Trinity Church taken down, and the present edifice begun. 1844 The last religious service held in the Middle Dutch Church. 1840 The third Trinity Church completed. i8bo The Middle Dutch Church purchased by the United States Government for use as a post-ofifice. The General Post- oflfice had been located in this building since its removal, in 184^, from the Rotunda in the City Hall Park. 1^82 The Middle Dutch Church sold by the Government to the New York Mutual Life Insurance Company, and the building demolished. 108 From the American Almanack for 1738. Compiled by Titan Leeds, printed by William Bradford. A Defer iption of the High ways and. Roads From Philadelphia to New-York, 98 Miles Thus Accounted T~prom Philadelphia, M. Jl To Burlington, 20 To Cranberry Brook, 12 To Amboy, 20 To Dr. Browns, 9 To the Narrows, 18 To Crofwick's Bridge 5 To Flat-Bufli, 5 To Allen's Town, 4 To New York, 5 From New-York to Bofton, 27Q Miles Thus Accounted TT>rom New-York M. J7 To Half-way-houfe 7 To Gilford, 12 To Killingfworth, 10 To Kings-Bridge 8 To Seabrook * 10 To Eaft-Chefter, 5 To New-London, 18 To New-Rochel, 4 To Stoneington, 15 To Rye, 4 To Pemberton, 10 To Horfe-neck, 7 To Darby, 3 To Stanford, 7 To the French Town, 24 To Norwalk, 10 To Providence, 20 To Fairfield, 12 To Woodcocks, 15 Stratford, 8 To Billends, 10 To Millford, 4 To Whites, 7 To New-Haven, 10 To Dedham, 6 To Branford, 01 To Bofton, 10 From Philadelphia to Annapolis in Maryland, Thus A [^counted "rrvrom Philadelphia M 17 to Derby, 7 To North Eaft, 7 To the Iron- Works, 6 To Chefter, 9 To Sufquahanna Ferry, 3 To Namans Creek, 5 To Gunpowder Ferry 25 To Brandy Wine Ferry, 9 To Tatapfco Ferry, 20 ToCrifteena Feryr, 1 To City of Annapolis, 30 To NewCaftle 5 In all 144 Miles, To Elk River, 17 *Pofts change the Males INDEX. Albany, 22, 38. Almanac, Bradford's, 76. Amusements, 61. Architecture, Dutch, 47 ; Eng- lish, 47. Baptist Church, 89. Bayard (Samuel) Sugar-House, 95- Book, the first printed in New York, 76. Bogardus, Domine, 78. Boel, Rev. Henricus, 69. Boston, 38. Bowling Green, 37, 38. Bradford, William, 19, 63, 77. Bradford Map, 19, 20, 27, 73 ; Copies of, 74. Bridge Street, 34. Broad Street, 34. Broadway, 28, 35. British troops, 8s. Burial-plot, the first, 80. Burgis, William, 20, 87. Burger's Path, 31 . Castle William, Boston Har- bor, 21. Cats, Jakob, 78. Cedar Street, 31 . Census of 1731, 28. City, cleaning, 53 ; lighting, 55 ; revenues and expenses, 58 ; watchmen, 54. City Hall, Wall Street, 90 ; in the Park, 93. Clap, John, 42. Cliff Street, 32. Coaches, private, 41 ; hack- ney, 42 ; stage, 39, 40. Columbian Magazine, 91. Collect Pond (Fresh Water), 4', 43> 45; 52; outlet of, 44; fish in, 44. Collegiate Church, 69, 83. Commerce of New York in 1731, 48, 51. Concerts, 61 , 62. Congress of the Federal Legis- lature, 91. Cro' Nest, 49. Custom-House, 93. De Lancey, Etienne, 46. De Peyster, Abraham, 86. De Ronde, Domine, 83. De Vries, Captain, 78. De Witt, Dr., 86. Index Docks, 48. Dongan (Gov.) House, 34. " Down East," 49. Dress, 6s, 67. Dubois, Doiniue, 69. Dutch festivals, 60. Dutch Church, duty of clerk, 08; lengthof scrinon in, 69; language, 60. Dutch West liulia Co., 23. Dutch weiglit, 2s. Duyckiiick, Ccrardus, 21, 82; liis map of 17SS, 21 . F.dwarils, Jonathan, 89. Fnglish lioliilays, Oo. Exchange Place, 31. Exchange in Broad Street, 95. Golden Hill, 32, 42. Government House, 93. Governor's House in the Fort, 78. Hallett, James, coach-builder, 41. Harlem River, 41 . Harpending, John, 31. Hell Gate, 40. Holland, m. Hudson, Hendrick, 22, 24. Hudson River, 20, 48, 49. Hudson River sloops, 30. Huguenots, 84 Indians, 21, si. Irving, Washington, 2s, 45. Federal lulitice, 91 . Fire Department organized, SS- Fire-engines fust imported, ss. First church on Manliattau is- land, 3 I . Fifth Avenue, 28. Fletcher, Governor, 76. Fort George, 40. Fort Nassau near Albany, 22. Fort Nieuw Amsterdam, 20. Fraunces Tavern, 71 . Fulton Street, 32. Fur trade, 2s. Garden Street Church, 46, 77, 80. Jews' Synagogue, 89. Kalm, Professor, 07. Kent, Chancellor, loi. Kieft, Governor, 77, 79. Kingsbridge Road, 38, 41. King's Chapel in the Fort, 77- King's l-'arm, 20. Kissing Bridges, 44. Knickerbocker, loi. Knox, Dr. John, 86. Laidlie, Dr., 83. Leisler, Jacob, 37. L'Enfant, Major, 01. index Liberty Street, 43. Library, first public, 62. Lispcnard's Meadows, 44. Livingston, Dr. John H., 86. Livingston, Edward, 94. London, 51 . Love Lane, 32. Lurting, CoL Robt., Mayor, 76. Lutheran Church, 89. Lyne, James, 19, 63, 97. McComb, John, 94. Maiden Lane, 32. Middle, or New, Dutch Church, 20, 21, 46, 85. Manhattan, 24. Market-places, 93. Matthews, Dr., 83. Merchants of N. Y. in 1731, 58. Michaelius, Domine, 78. Miilington, Dr., 63. Minuit, Governor Peter, 23, 24, 103. Montgomerie, Governor John, dress, etc., 64; sale of his effects, 66. Morris, Geo. P., 102. Mutual Life Insurance Co., 87. Nassau Street, 32, 43. Negro executions, 37, 53. Negro Plot, 37, 53. New Rochelle, 85. New York Chamber of Com- merce, 87. 15 113 New York Gazette, 51, 62, 76, 82. New York Historical Society, X, 77- New York Mirror, 102. Oysters, 50. Old Wind-Mill Lane, 29. Park, the, 35, 39. Parker, James, 77. Pearl Street, 29, 30. Phil.idelphia, 28, 39, 98. Philipse, Frederick, 67. Philipse, Madame, 67. Pintard, John, 19. Port of New York, 48. Post-office, 87. Postal facilities, 38. Presbyterian Meeting House, Qiiaker Meeting House, 89. Rapelye, Sarah, 84. Real estate, values of, 56 ; sales of, 57. Religiousscrvices first held, 3 i . Reproductions of the Map, 74. Rip Van Dam, 42, 88. Ritzerna, Domine, 83. Sharpe, Rev. John, 63. Shops, 58. Slaves, laws relating to, 52. Index Smallpox, epidemic of, in 1731, 69. Smith, G. B., Street Com- missioner, 74. Smith, William, Chief Justice, 51, 62, 64. Smith, Colonel, Governor of Tangiers, 4 1 . Stadthuys, 90. St. Nicholas, 102. Schools, 62. St. Paul's Church, 79. Streets paved, 53. Sunday laws, 68. Tappan Zee, 49. Tea-drinking, 52. Tea-water pump, 44. Temple du St. Esprit, 46, 84. Tombs, the, 45. Trent, George, 20. Trinity Church, 20, 46, 79. Tryon, Governor, 63. Vesey, Rev. William, 80. Vigne, Jean, 84. Virginia, 50. Wall Street, 33. Wampum, 50. Wards of the city, 74. Washington, 92 ; Statue of, 93- West Indies, 50. Whitehall Street, 34. William Street, 3 i . CORRECTIONS. Page 21, line 28. For "only copy" read "only perfect copy." An imperfect copy is in the possession of Trinity Churcii. Page 32, line 19. For " t'Maadge Paatge" read " t'Maagde Paatje." 'rp ^ % ©, ^i y ^ F^ tr'^^'H .y^v A. if V*^3 fit ^"v? *nJ ^-^ ' ^^^^* l vAfi' ' 1^ H' lA.il I y;