I t>l»LMH?4*«r>lM itunlSJ Ji II '1 ti Ktnlij 8$MhH IfflnBB HHl III im\W jiltiiilliWVi- flfi m mi ■■".■ = ■'. . ■■ Hill HH ■MP II 1 HIlRi — »8 HBniHIUII » ss» pun nl PEOCEEDINGS OF THE NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY. FOR THE YEAR 1844. NEW YORK: PKESS OP THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 1845. IM&4- Wtf. VAN NDRDKN, rRlNTER, 49 LIBKRTV STREET. NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY. University, January 7, 1845. Ordered, — That the Annual Reports and Proceedings be referred to the Ex- ecutive Committee, and published. Extract from the Minutes. JOHN JAY, Secretary. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. Library, January 21, 1845. Ordered, — That the Reports submitted at the Annual Meeting, together with an abstract of the proceedings of the Society during the past year, be printed for the use of the members, under the direction of the Chairman and Secretary. Extract from the Minutes. ERASTUS C. BENEDICT, Secretary. ©fftea of tljc Sonctjj, 1844 PRESIDENT, Hon. ALBERT GALLATIN, LL. D. FIRST VICE PRESIDENT, WILLIAM BEACH LAWRENCE. SECOND VICE PRESIDENT, Rev. THOMAS DE WITT, D. D. TREASURER, CYRUS MASON, D. D. FOREIGN CORRESPONDING SECRETARY, FREDERIC DE PEYSTER. DOMESTIC CORRESPONDING SECRETARY, GEORGE FOLSOM. RECORDINNG SECRETARY, JOHN JAY. LIBRARIAN, GEORGE GIBBS, ASSISTANT LIBRARIAN, GEORGE H. MOORE. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. PROSPER M. WETMORE, Chairman, GULIAN C. VERPLANCK, LL. D., EDWARD ROBINSON, D. D., ALEXANDER W. BRADFORD, JOHN R. BARTLETT, HENRY R. SCHOOLCRAFT, ERASTUS C. BENEDICT, Secretary. 1* SYNOPSIS. 1844. Jan. 2. Annual Election. Dr. De Witt's Paper. Feb. 6. Dr. Forry's Paper. Mr. Schoolcraft's Report. 20. Special Meeting. Dr. Forry's Paper Concluded. Mar. 5. Mr. Bloodgood's Paper. April 2. Mr. Butler's Paper. May 7. Dr. Beakley's Paper. June 4. Mr. Edmonds' Paper. 18. Special Meeting. summer recess. Oct. 1. Death of John Pintard Announced. Death of William L. Stone Announced. Mr. Hodgson's Paper. Mr. Gibbs' Paper. Nov. 5. Mr. Brodhead's Account of his Mission. 20. Celebration of the Fortieth Anniversary. Mr. Brodhead's Address. Public Dinner. Dec. 3. Mr. Yates' Paper. Mr. Bartlett's Paper. Dr. Forry's Death Announced. NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY, ANNUAL REPORT. Historical Rooms, University, January 7, 1845. At the recurrence of the Annual Meeting the Executive Committee in the discharge of the duties enjoined upon them, deem it expedient to submit an abstract of the trans- actions of the past year ; not merely as a formal report to the Society, but as a condensed official record of its pro- ceedings, for the information no less of those members who have not been able to attend the meetings, than of kindred societies, and the public at large, who feel an interest in the result of our labors. The members of the Society have great reason to rejoice in the continued prosperity and growing usefulness of an institution established for such noble purposes, and which has heretofore struggled with difficulties and embarrass- ments which always retarded, and for a number of years wholly paralyzed its healthful action. It now enjoys the breath of a new and vigorous life, and sees in the large and spirited attendance of its members the means of increasing usefulness, and the promise of uninterrupted prosperity. But our congratulations are not unmingled with sorrow. During the year which has just closed, three of our mem- bers, who had taken an active part in the proceedings of the Society, have been removed by death. John Pintard, LL. D., one of the founders of the Institution, and always its fast friend, was at our last Annual meeting the oldest surviving member of the Society. He has gone to his rest, full of years, with a mind stored with useful knowledge, rich in the esteem of his fellow men, and leaving behind 10 PROCEEDINGS OF THE him the memory of a life of active usefulness and universal benevolence. We have also been called to mourn the loss of a zealous associate in William L. Stone, so long and so favorably- known as an active literary and political Editor of one of our oldest daily journals, but who still found time to gratify his taste for historical and general literature, and by his works to give his name a place in our literary annals. Up to the period of his last fatal illness, he was an ardent and efficient member of the Society, and of its Executive Committee, and had in course of preparation for the press, further valuable results of his researches into the early his- tory of our State. The latest production of his pen was a paper on an interesting historical subject, intended by him to be read before the Society, which is now in the posses- sion of the Committee, and will be presented on a future occasion. Doctor Samuel Forry had but recently joined the Society, but his constant attendance upon its meetings, the part he took in its discussions, and the papers read by him, as well as his productions and labors in the line of his profession, left no room to doubt that the favorable estimate his many friends had formed of his character, was just ; and that in his early death this Society has lost a valuable member, and the community an estimable citizen. Allusion was made in the last Annual Report to the influ- ence which this Society had exercised in procuring the establishment by the State Government, of a mission to examine the ancient colonial records in Holland, France, and England ; and to procure copies of such documents as might furnish useful materials for the future historians of our country. This important trust was confided to John Romeyn Brodhead, Esq., a citizen of our State, who has dis- charged the duty with signal ability and faithfulness. The results of his mission will shortly be communicated officially to the Legislature, and the Committee confidently believe that the large collection of documents procured by him will be found exceedingly valuable as historical authorities. NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 11 The Committee repeat and urge the suggestion formerly made, that steps should be taken to procure the publication of these records, under the auspices of this Society ; subject to whose use they are now by law required to be' kept in the office of the Secretary of State. If they are not to be published by the State, the cause of History would seem to be better subserved by having them deposited with our col- lections, where they could conveniently be collated with other authorities, and be free from the embarrassments which necessarily impede research in one of the public offices of the State Government. During the past year, nine stated and three special meet- ings of the Society have been held, all of which have been characterized by proceedings of instructive interest. During the customary summer recess, alterations were made in the gallery of the Library, by which portions of the collections have been rendered more accessible, and a better disposition made of the pictures and busts. At the stated meeting in January, the officers of the Society were unanimously re-elected. Rev. Thomas De Witt, D. D., Second Vice President, read a paper entitled, " Sketches of New Netherland," and exhibited a number of autograph letters of Governor Stuy- vesant, and others, of a very early date. Also a letter from Rev. A. Messier, of New Jersey, presenting an original Dutch proclamation for Thanksgiving in 1764. At the request of the Society, Dr. De Witt furnished a copy of his paper forpub- lication, and it will be found in the Appendix to this Report. At the stated meeting in February, Mr. Schoolcraft pre- sented a report in part, relating to Indian topographical names, and the Committee having charge of that subject were instructed to continue their investigations. Full-length portraits of Lieutenant Governor Cadwallader Colden, and General Alexander Hamilton, were deposited in the Gallery by Prosper M. Wetmore, on behalf of the Chamber of Commerce. These fine pictures add very much to the interest and value of the collection of historical por- traits in possession of the Society. 12 PROCEEDINGS OP THE An original portrait of the President, Hon. Albert Galla- tin, was presented to the Society by the Artist, Mr. William H. Powell. Dr. Samuel Forry commenced the reading of a paper on " Vital Statistics." At the special meeting held on the 20th of February, Mr. Schoolcraft introduced the following Preamble and Resolu- tions : — " Whereas, the appropriation from the State Treasury of funds for procuring documents from the Archives of Euro- pean Governments, illustrative of our Colonial History, originated with this Society ; and, whereas, this Society, though it was not consulted, nor its views followed with reference to the establishment of the Agency in Europe for carrying into effect the intentions of the Legislature, yet has looked with anxious solicitude to the results of the mission, has received with satisfaction the public reports of the pro- gress made by the Agent appointed by the late Governor of this State, and has repeatedly urged on the competent authority the furnishing of the necessary means to bring the business confided to him to a successful issue ; and whereas, it is understood that numerous documents have been trans- mitted by the said Agent, and are now at the seat of the State Government ; and whereas, it is desirable that the character and value of these documents should be ascer- tained and communicated to the Society — Therefore, " Resolved, That a Committee be appointed to examine the documents that have been transmitted by the Agent of the State of New York, and to report to the Society of the nature and character of the same. " Resolved, That the same Committee be authorized to address a memorial to the Legislature, to request that the documents procured by the Agent in Europe be deposited with this Society." After full discussion, the Preamble and Resolutions were adopted, and the following Committee appointed : — Thomas De Witt, D. D., Henry R. Schoolcraft, George Folsom, W. B. Lawrence, Wm. L. Stone and Harmanus Bleecker. NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 13 Dr. Forry resumed and concluded the reading of his paper on " Vital Statistics." The intention of Dr. Forry to extend his scientific investigations and publish them in a volume, prevented the Society from receiving a copy, as requested. At the stated meeting in March, the Revised Constitution and By-Laws, reported by the Executive Committee, were adopted by the Society and ordered to be printed. S. De Witt Bloodgood, Esq., read a paper on the " Ro- mance of the Early History of New York," which the Com- mittee regret exceedingly they have not been able to procure for publication, pursuant to the request of the Society. At the stated meeting in April, the Executive Committee reported the selection of the following deputation, to attend the anniversary meeting of the National Institute, at the City of Washington, on the 5th day of that month, viz. : — Hon. Albert Gallatin, Hon. Luther Bradish, W. B. Lawrence, Hon. Hamilton Fish, Thomas De Witt, D. D., Hon. B. F. Butler, Prof. Edward Robinson, D. D., John W. Francis, M. D., Hon. Gulian C. Verplanck, Prof. Cyrus Mason, D. D., Prof. John W. Draper, Joseph Blunt, Prosper M. Wetmore, George Folsom, H. R. Schoolcraft. Hon. B. F. Butler read a paper on the " History of the first Amendments to the Constitution of the United States." The Executive Committee would feel much more regret for their inability to procure the instructive paper of Mr. Butler for publication, as requested by the Society, had they not reason to believe that as part of a larger work,, it will at no distant day be laid before the public in a durable form. Mr. John R. Bartlett was appointed to fill the vacancy in the Executive Committee occasioned by the resignation of John L. Stephens, Esq. The Secretary read a Correspondence with the Historical Society of Maryland, on the subject of Branch Associations, or Chapters. 2 14 PROCEEDINGS OF THE At the stated meeting in May, Hon. Gulian C. Verplanck presented an original manuscript map of Albany County, drawn before the erection of Tryon County, and supposed to be of the date of 1750. The map was referred to the Com- mittee on Indian names for examination, and to report thereon. Dr. Jacob Beakley read a paper on the " Progress of the Caucasian race in Science and Civilization." At the stated meeting in June, Hon. John W. Edmonds read a paper entitled " Some Passages in the Life of Gov- ernor Tompkins." At the request of the Society, a copy of this excellent biographical sketch was furnished for publi- cation, and it will form a part of the Appendix to this Report. At the special meeting held on the 18th of June, various subjects of a business nature were disposed of preparatory to the usual summer recess. The original Commission of Benedict Arnold, the traitor, as Commander of the expedition against Ticonderoga, in July, 1775, was presented by Jonathan Edwards, Esq. The Society then adjourned until the first Tuesday in October. The seventh stated meeting was held on the 2d of October, and was attended by upwards of an hundred and fifty gen- tlemen, members and visitors. An original portrait of Hon. John Quincy Adams was presented by the Artist, Mr. Edward D. Marchant. The Executive Committee were instructed to take the necessary steps for celebrating in an appropriate manner, in conformity with the By-Laws, the Fortieth Anniversary of the Society. Mr. Wetmore announced the decease of John Pintard, LL. D., and introduced resolutions of respect for his memory, which were seconded by Philip Hone, Esq., and unanimously adopted. The death of William L. Stone was announced by Mr. Jay, upon whose motion, seconded by Marshall S. Bidwell, Esq., appropriate resolutions of respect were adopted. NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 15 The attention of the members was specially called to the examination of a collection of Mexican Antiquities, presen- ted by Mr. B. M. Norman, and on motion of Mr. Folsom, the thanks of the Society were voted to Mr. Norman. William B. Hodgson, Esq., of Savannah, Ga., read a paper entitled " Remarks upon the Past History and Present Condition of Morocco, Algiers, and the Barbary Regencies." In the course of his essay, a copy of which was requested for preservation by the Society, Mr. Hodgson gave an interesting biographical sketch of the late William Shaler, formerly Consul of the United States at Algiers. George Gibbs, Esq., read a historical account of the Leaden Statue of George III. erected in the Bowling Green of this city prior to the Revolution. This paper will appear in the Appendix. On motion of Dr. Edward Robinson, the Domestic Corres- ponding Secretary was requested to obtain from the Archives of the State of Connecticut, copies of any documents relating to an application to the Legislature of that State, about the year 1720, from the first Presbyterian Church in this City, for liberty to take up contributions for completing the edifice of said church. A Committee, consisting of Mr. Schoolcraft, Mr. Wetmore and Mr. Bidwell, were appointed to make application to the widow of the late William L. Stone, for such of the MSS. left by him, on historical subjects, as she might be disposed to deposit with the Society for future publication, Henry R. Schoolcraft, Esq., was appointed to the vacancy in the Executive Committee, occasioned by the death of Colonel Stone. At the stated meeting in November, the Chairman of the Executive Committee reported that arrangements had been made for celebrating the Fortieth Anniversary of the Society by an Address from John Romeyn Brodhead, Esq., and a pub- lic Dinner ; that many distinguished guests from various parts of the Union had been invited ; and that deputations were expected to be present from the several Historical Societies in the United States. The various details of the arrangements will be found in the Appendix. 16 PROCEEDINGS OF THE Mr. Brodhead, in compliance with a previous request of the Society, gave an oral account of his proceedings in Europe, as the Agent of the State, detailing some of the difficulties he encountered in the prosecution of his labors, and the general results of his mission. At the special meeting held on the 20th of November, being the Fortieth Anniversary of the Society, the invited guests and deputations from other States were received in the Historical Rooms at five o'clock, P. M. A large number of delegates and guests were introduced to the President and Officers of the Society, by the Committee of Reception. After the transaction of ordinary business, the Society and their guests moved in procession to the Church of the Messiah, where the chair was taken by William Beach Lawrence, Esq., First Vice President, and after appropriate music, prayer was offered by Rev. Dr. De Witt, Second Vice President. The Address of Mr. Brodhead was listened to with atten- tion and satisfaction by a large audience of ladies and gen- tlemen. The closing prayer was offered by Rev. Dr. Milnor of New York. The company then proceeded to the New York Hotel, and partook of an entertainment provided for the occasion. A particular account of the proceedings at the Dinner will be found in the Appendix. At the last stated meeting, in December, the Chairman of the Executive Committee submitted a report, detailing the proceedings of the recent celebration, accompanied by a resolution of thanks to Mr. Brodhead for his excellent Address. The resolution was unanimously adopted, and a request made for a copy of the Address, to be preserved among the Archives of the Society. The Committee have the pleasure to add, that the request has been complied with, and that the publication will be immediately com- menced. Mr. Gibbs read a letter from Mr. John F. Watson of Pennsylvania, on the subject of sixteen volumes, MSS. folio, of the Journals of the House of Commons, now on the shelves of this Library. These volumes extend from 1G50 to 1675, NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 17 and embrace a full record of the transactions of Parlia- ment in the time of the Commonwealth and the Protectorate. The Corresponding Secretary read letters from Mr. Geo. A. Ward, and Mr. Gabriel P. Dissosway, respecting the early emigration of the Huguenots to the Virginia Planta- tions. Measures were adopted to procure if practicable the curious relics mentioned in the letters, and to induce Mr. Dissosway to prepare a memoir of the Huguenots in America. A letter was also read from Mr. Robert Greenhow, of Washington City, on subjects of historical interest. On motion of Mr. Gibbs, Mr. Greenhow was requested, by reso- lution, to prepare a memoir of the discovery and exploration of the Atlantic Coast of America, as connected with the history of this Continent. On motion of Mr. Folsom, it was resolved that a com- mittee be appointed to ascertain the spot where Colonel Knowlton of the American Army fell, at the commencement of the Revolution, with a view to the erection of a monu- ment to his bravery and patriotism. Mr. John B. Murray stated to the Society, that he desired to deposit in the rooms the ancient printing press, procured by him in England, and which had been used by Doctor Benjamin Franklin. The Executive Committee, to whom the subject was referred, have authorized the deposit of this interesting relic among the collections in the gallery. Mr. Giles F. Yates, of Schenectady, a Corresponding member, read a paper on the aboriginal topographical names in the State of New York, showing by numerous illustrations their history, etymology and definition. A copy of this paper was requested for publication. Mr. John R. Bartlett read an amusing paper on the history of " American Provincialisms." A copy was re- quested for publication, but the Committee regret to say they have not been able to obtain it. They have reason to believe that Mr. Bartlett has greatly extended his curious researches in this hitherto untrodden field, and they indulge 2* 18 PROCEEDINGS OF THE the hope that the result of his labors will be given to the public. Doctor Charles A. Lee, submitted resolutions of respect for the memory of Doctor Samuel Forry, which were unan- imously adopted. After the literary exercises of these stated meetings were respectively completed, the members and visitors were pro- vided with simple refreshments in the gallery of the library, and spent together an hour in general conversation. The Committee cannot forbear to remark, that the change in our Constitution and mode of transacting business, by which the less interesting arrangements and the duller details have been entrusted to an Executive Committee, has in their judgment been productive of much good, although it has thrown a great burden and responsibility on that committee. Indeed it is not easy to perceive how any considerable part even of the useful and agreeable which has been provided by the Society during the past year, could in any other man- ner have been furnished to the members, the public, and the cause of historical learning. In addition to the regular meetings of the Society, as herein detailed, soirees were given during the last season by Messrs. Frederic De Peyster, Peter G. Stuyvesant and Hickson W. Field, which had an agreeable effect in bring- ing together the members, distinguished strangers, and men of letters in the happy freedom of social and literary intercourse. The Committee have the satisfaction of reporting a very considerable increase in the number of resident and corres- ponding members during the year. It has been deemed advisable to restrict in some measure the recommendations for the degree of honorary membership. The elections in the several Classes during the year, have been as follows : Honorary, - - - 14 Corresponding, 39 Resident, - - - 121 NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 19 The Society now numbers of active resident members about three hundred and twenty. The Report of the Librarian, exhibits a large increase to the Library and collections during the year. Many valu- able donations have been received, and some purchases of desirable works have been made. The additions to our collection of Maps, MSS., and Pamphlets, comprise many works of exceeding rarity. Full details on this subject will be found in the Librarian's Report, but it is proper that the Committee should allude in this connection to the names of a number of gentlemen whose liberality entitles them to this public acknowledgment. Among those who have thus liberally favored the Society with gifts of valuable Books, Maps, Charts, Antiquities, &c, during the year, and to whom thanks have been voted in the regular course of its proceedings, are the following: — The French Minister of Commerce, through the medium of Robert Walsh, Esq., American Consul at Paris ; Hon. Joseph Hume, M. P. ; Hon. C. A. Wickliff, Post Master General ; James Lenox, Esq. ; Peter G. Stuyvesant, Esq. ; Hon. Gulian C. Verplanck ; J. Romeyn Brodhead, Esq. ; George Folsom, Esq. ; George Gibbs, Esq. ; Joseph G. Cogswell, Esq. ; B. M. Norman, Esq., of New Orleans ; S. G. Arnold, Esq., of Providence, R. I. ; Major James D. Gra- ham, U. S. A. ; James Phalen, Esq. ; Messrs. Bartlett &. Welford ; R. Kingsland, Esq. ; John F. Watson, Esq., of Pennsylvania ; Henry Brown, Esq., of Illinois ; Alexander W. Bradford, Esq. ; George A. Ward, Esq. The Library has been opened to the members, and to visi- tors properly introduced, during the accustomed hours, throughout the year. The Assistant Librarian has been regular in his attendance, and the Committee with pleasure bear testimony to the faithful discharge of his duties. The Report of the Treasurer presents a gratifying state- ment of the condition of the finances of the Society. The Treasury has been carefully managed, and so far as the cur- 20 PROCEEDINGS OF THE rent receipts and disbursements are concerned, is in a pros- perous state. The regular income being now about sixteen hundred dollars per annum, is fully adequate to meet all the current unavoidable expenditures, and we are for the first time in many years free from the incumbrance of debt. In connection with the subject of finances, the Committee cannot omit to urge with renewed emphasis, considerations to which the attention of the Society was called in the last Annual Report, and from which the lapse of a year has taken none of their interest or importance. The Committee refer to the subject of the repairs, binding and arranging the Library, and completing a catalogue of the books and collections, in a manner worthy of the Society. The Com- mittee have felt themselves authorized to commence the preparation of a catalogue, but the more extended work suggested is not within the compass of our regular income. It is one of those occasional expenses and extraordinary calls for disbursement, which are none the less important to the highest usefulness of the Society, because they are un- usual, and cannot, in a body constituted like this, be provi- ded for by its ordinary means. The Society has convenient and comfortable rooms, open and regularly attended by a competent officer — an exten- sive library of books of rare historical value, rich collec- tions of manuscripts, documents, medals, and antiquities, illustrative of our early annals, gathered to meet the wants and aid the inquiries of those who would look into the records of the past, or add to the general knowledge of our history as a nation. The unfortunate embarrassments of the Society in former years — the repeated removals of its property — and its hith- erto scanty pecuniary resources, have been the concurring causes of imperfections and unsupplied wants which ought no longer to exist. Books have been injured and need re- pairing, some sets have been broken, and the missing vol- umes should be supplied ; a number of subjects need to be filled up by purchase, and large quantities of books, pain- NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 21 phlets, and journals are packed away, unbound, and if not speedily attended to, must become liable to serious injury. They are all valuable for purposes of history, and the loss of many could not easily be supplied. The Library still remains without a perfect catalogue. A Library of reference of scarce, old, and unfamiliar books, journals, pamphlets, and manuscript documents, without proper arrangement and a carefully prepared cata- logue, is deprived of much of its value, even to those who are daily within its rooms ; while to those at a distance who need its aid, and to the cause of historical inquiry gener- ally, it is almost as though it did not exist. We should possess every known work of authority on American his- tory, be able to place in every public library in the country indices to our collections, and supply to individuals the convenient means of knowing and using the materials within our control. In accomplishing this, we shall indeed be rendering good service to the cause of history. It is quite plain that the current income of the Society is inadequate to sustain this enlarged expenditure, and during the past year a Finance Committee was formed in the hope that something might be done to supply our deficiencies. Circumstances did not then favor the work, and although several liberal subscriptions were made by members, but little in the aggregate was accomplished. Gentlemen whose leisure might otherwise have been de- voted to their private pursuits and interests, have not un- willingly given to us their time and talents, in preparing useful and interesting papers for our instruction and grati- fication. Others have cheerfully submitted to the labor of dull details — the uninteresting toil of committee duty, and the vexation of constant care — by all of which the Society is maintained in its position of usefulness, respectability and honor. There are other gentlemen whom it is our pride and plea- sure to number on the list of members — gentlemen to whom Providence has given, in the most generous measure, those substantial rewards which are rarely denied to men who 22 PROCEEDINGS OF THE devote large and properly constituted minds industriously and intelligently to the acquisition of honorable wealth in the pursuits of commerce. Ought they not to ask them- selves what is their duty in the premises ? Will they not with characteristic liberality answer the appeal which is made to them. The Committee have no desire, nor is it their province importunately to urge the claims of the Historical Society upon the liberality of its members or the public. But they feel it to be an imperative duty to ask earnestly, in the first commercial city of the Union — wealthy and powerful, and justly proud of her position, character and resources — whether a quiet sense of duty and a feeling of just liber- ality, ought not to unite with a worthy sentiment of New York pride, in placing the Library of this Institution upon a footing that shall render it an honor to our citizens. All which is respectfully submitted. By order of the Executive Committee. PROSPER M. WETMORE, Chairman* Erastus C. Benedict, Secretary NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 23 TREASURER'S REPORT. The Treasurer of the New York Historical Society re- ports : That since the date of his last report, January 1, 1844, there has been received into the Treasury — Balance of joint acc't with University, $5 12 Cash, error in account April, 1843, 3 00 Cash received from Mercantile Library, 3 00 Dues collected from Members, 2015 00 —2026 12 Amount paid during the same period, for all claims on the Society, $1970 66 Leaving in the Treasury, $55 46 During the last year, there has been paid out for new book-cases and fixtures, and for old claims, some of them of many years standing, $678 85, and it is believed that the Society is now entirely free from all debts and liabilities of every kind There are still uncollected about $500 of dues of the past year. The time seems now to have come when the Society may enlarge its accommodations, and obtain from its mem- bers and the public, the means of completing its catalogue, binding up its accumulated books and pamphlets, and pub- lishing such manuscripts as would serve at once to enlighten the public mind, and increase the fair fame of the Institution. C. MASON, Treasurer. January 7, 1845. 24 PROCEEDINGS OF THE LIBRARIAN'S REPORT. The Librarian herewith submits to the Society his Annual Report : The most important subject at present connected with this department is the preparation of the catalogue ; the delay- in which has been heretofore owing to the want of provision of the funds required by the plan originally contemplated. Preliminary arrangements were in fact made, under a resolution of the Executive Committee of the 21st of May last, but no money being appropriated therefor, and the state of the Treasury at the time not warranting a draft upon it, the commencement was delayed until the action of the Finance Committee appointed by the Society. This Committee have as yet made no report, and the idea of effecting a full and complete repair and restoration of the different objects in the library and cabinet, in connection with a systematic and an alphabetical catalogue, has there- fore necessarily been abandoned. The Librarian has how- ever been authorized by a recent vote of the Executive Committee to proceed with the preparation of an Alpha- betical Descriptive Catalogue, independent of the other objects, and a sum has been appropriated for the purpose which it is supposed will be sufficient. He has now the satis- faction to state that this has already been commenced and will be completed within the present year. The analytical catalogue which in a library of this kind is the really valuable one, must however, be the subject of after prepara- tion, and its arrangement is designed to be entirely in reference to the object of the Society itself, American His- tory, and more particularly to the history of our own State ; those books which have no especial bearing on these subjects or to history in general, being arranged by subjects under a NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 25 general department of Miscellaneous Works. This part will contain bibliographical notices of the rarer and more valuable books ; and the Alphabetical Catalogue — the names of donors in cases where they have been presented. Notwithstanding that the ordinary funds of the Society will admit of a general catalogue being thus gradually made, without aid from subscriptions, the Librarian can- not refrain from again urging upon the Society the great importance of raising a sum of money which may be used in putting our collections into a proper state for convenient use and more certain preservation. A catalogue, of manu- scripts which cannot be referred to, and of pamphlets, coins, maps and engravings, which must be locked up, will be of very little use. The quantity of material thus unavailable at present, is very great ; and it is due to the gentlemen whose donations to the Society have been so liberal, as well as desirable for our own sakes, that this should be remedied. Again, opportunities are constantly occurring for making purchases of much value to our Library, often at low prices, which cannot be taken advantage of without a fund re- served for the purpose. During some years past there have been no means of adding to it by occasional purchase, under any circumstances ; the few books that have been thus acquired having all been bought by special appropria- tions, and often to the embarrassment of the Society. It would undoubtedly be preferable that a sum should be raised and invested in permanent security, sufficient to defray our ordinary expenses from its income, and that the money arising from annual dues should be left free for pur- chases. It can hardly be supposed that in this city so moderate an amount as ten thousand dollars, which would be enough for the purpose, could not be raised by subscrip- tion, to place on a stable footing so interesting an institu- tion. If, however, this shall not be undertaken, it is most essential that the sum required by the present demands of the Library should at be once obtained. In furtherance of the reasons for providing a permanent 3 26 PROCEEDINGS OF THE fund, should be stated the maintenance of the character of the Library. Donations, however valuable in themselves, must necessarily be of a miscellaneous character. The par- ticular departments in which the Library is deficient will be unknown to all but those in daily contact with its shelves, and to keep up a really well selected collection, the Libra- rian must have the means of purchasing according to his judgment, as opportunity offers, and upon some definite and consistent plan. We certainly have every reason to be gratified with the character of much of our Library, but there are in its different departments, very glaring defi- ciencies. With these remarks, the subject of a subscription is left to the consideration of the Society. The Library and Cabinet during the past year have been materially increased, as will appear by the appended cata- logue. Of the donations, a few may be more particularly designated, from their value or interest, and of these I would specify The valuable History of the Indian Tribes, by Hall and McKinney, completed by the numbers, from 14 to 20 — pre- sented by Peter G. Stuyvesant, Esq. Lowrie and Clarke's edi- tion of American State Papers, in twenty-one volumes, folio, presented by James Lenox, Esq. A valuable collection of Mexican Antiquities, presented by Mr. B. M. Norman, of New Orleans. The ancient Dutch Tracts relating to New Amster- dam, including the original edition of Vanderdonck, pre- sented by Mr. Brodhead, as well as the collection of cuttings from English newspapers, extending from 1668 to 1783, also from that gentleman. Catesby's Natural History of Carolina, in two folio volumes with colored plates, the gift of James Phalen, Esq. The Bibliotheca Historica of Meusel, on our table this evening, presented by Joseph G. Cogswell, Esq. Morton's Crania Americana, from Mr. Samuel J. Beebe. Folio Atlas of Battles of the Revolution, presented by Bart- lett and Wclford. The Parchment Map of the Iroquois territory, presented by the lion. Gulian C. Verplanck. The Portrait of Mr. Gallatin, by William H. Powell, and that of NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 27 John Quincy Adams, by Edward D. Marchant, from their respective painters ; the portrait of the Hon. Lewis Morris, presented by Mr. William A. Whitehead, this evening, as well as that of Lord Cornwallis, presented by him at a former meeting, and the portrait of the Hon. Peter Van Schaack, presented by Frederic De Peyster, Esq. The Documents of Congress for the past year have been received from the State Department, and the folio collection of Post Office Maps, from the Post Master General ; the Laws and Journals of the States of Vermont and Kentucky, have also been received from those States. The Chamber of Commerce, at the instance of General Wetmore, has deposited the two full-length portraits of Lieutenant Governor Cadwallader Golden and of Alexander Hamilton, now in the gallery. A considerable number of volumes and tracts, the gift of various authors, transmitted by Mr. Alexander Vattemare from Paris, in pursuance of the plan originated by him of universal exchanges, also de- mands notice and acknowledgment in this place. The Li- brarian, how r ever, is constrained to say, that the expense attendant on the system, and the very desultory character of books thus obtained, render it unadvisable to continue it. Even if our funds permitted us on all occasions to make a suitable return, it would be inexpedient, inasmuch as we must necessarily be better judges of our own desiderata than a gentleman, however intelligent, disconnected with and residing far from the Society, and consequently the amount could be more advantageously invested by our- selves in a direct manner than by purchasing books to send in return for those we never should have purchased. GEORGE GIBBS, Librarian. January, 1845. 28 PROCEEDINGS OF THE LIBRARY HOURS. The following will be the hours during which the Library will be open for the ensuing year : Between October 1st and April 1st, from 10 A. M. to 2 P. M. s and from 7 P. M. to 9 P. M. Between April 1st and October 1st, from 10 A. M. to 2 P. M., and from 4 P. M. to 6. P. M. Persons introduced by a member, during the above hours, can have free access to the Library for the purpose of consultation. NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 29 OBJECTS OF COLLECTION BY THE SOCIETY. Books and documents relative to the general history of America. Accounts of early discoveries, explorations and conquests, in either continent, of voyages and travels, the relations of settlers, colonists, adventurers and missionaries. Accounts of the different aboriginal tribes inhabiting America ; descriptions of their manners, customs and con- dition ; treatises upon their languages, origin and antiquities. Civil, political, and military histories of the nations and states of European origin, in America, especially of the United States ; books and documents relative to particular events in their history ; to questions of public moment in their government, politics and laws. Biographical memoirs of eminent and remarkable per- sons in America, or who have been connected with its settlement or history. Laws, journals, records and proceedings of Congress, legislatures, municipal bodies, general assemblies, conven- tions and committees ; judicial reports, trials by courts-mar- tial, impeachment, and by jury ; works on civil law, and the law of nations ; diplomatic correspondence, and docu- ments relative to treaties and negociations. Topographical descriptions of cities, towns, counties, nnd districts of country at various periods, and whatever relates to the progressive geography of the country. Magazines ; Reviews ; Newspapers ; state, city and county Registers ; Almanacs, and other periodical publications, particularly such as appeared prior to the year 1783. 3* 30 PROCEEDINGS OF THE Minutes and transactions of societies for political, literary and scientific purposes. Speeches in Congress or in Legislatures ; orations, ser- mons, essays and discourses, delivered or published on any public occasion, or which concern any public transaction or remarkable character or event. Accounts of Universities and Colleges ; catalogues of libraries and collections. Documents and reports of associations and incorporations for the purposes of banking, manufacturing, trading, inter- nal improvement, or the promotion of the mechanic arts. Documents relating to public education ; the prevention and punishment of crime ; to prisons and poor houses ; to public asylums, hospitals and charities. Reports of missionary, and other religious and charitable societies and associations. Proceedings of Ecclesiastical conventions, synods, assem- blies, presbyteries and societies, of all denominations of Christians. Statistical essays, documents and tables ; tables of dis- eases, births and deaths, and of population; of meteorolo- gical observations and of climate ; of commerce, manufac- tures and agriculture. Manuscripts relative to the above subjects ; all papers, essays and documents of an historical character ; corres- pondence of prominent individuals, autographs and ancient writings. Maps and charts, especially those of an early date ; plans of battles, cities and fortifications. Busts, portraits and prints of eminent men ; pictures and engravings illustrating historical events ; designs of public buildings and other works ; views of cities and remarkable places. Coins and medals, of all countries and ages. Indian antiquities, utensils, garments and weapons. Curiosities, to which an antiquarian or historical value is attached. NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 31 CATALOGUE OF ADDITIONS TO THE LIBRARY IN 1844. BOOKS AND PAMPHLETS. Alexandri Tralliani, Opera. Libri Duodecim. 12mo. London, 1576. — Gift of Benj. P. Poore, Esq., Paris. Aeliani, Varia; Histori, Libri XIV., 12mo. Geneva, 1630. — Gift of Benj. P. Poore, Esq., Paris. Arphaxad, A Chaldean Tale, (Russian,) 3 vols. 8vo. Moscow, 1793. Gift of Simeon Baldwin, Esq. Antimasonic Pamphlets, with Journals of Antimasonic Conventions. (See Index in each volume,) 2 vols, 8vo. — Gift of Henry Gassett, Esq., Boston. America ; Cuttings from several of the leading London Journals, of articles relating to the American Colonies, Provinces, and Plantations, from 1668 to 1783. — Gift of John R. Brodhead, Esq. Aall, Jacob. Snorre Sturleson's norske Kongers Sagaer. Folio, 3 vols, in one. Christiania, 1838-9. — Gift of the Author, through C. E. Habicht, Esq., Swed. and Norw. Consul. American State Papers, Documents, Legislative and Executive, of the Congress of the U. S., from the First Session 1st, to the Second Session of the 22d Congress, inclusive, March 3d, 1789 to March 3d, 1833. 21 vols, folio. Washington, 1833.— Gift of James Lenox, Esq. Annals of the Lyceum of Natural History, vols. 1, 2, 3, and Part 1 of vol. 4. 4 vols. 8vo. — Gift of the Lyceum. Atti della Terza Riunione degli Scienziati Italiani, tenuta in Firenze, Nel Settembre del 1841, 4to. Firenze, 1841.— Gift of the Cavalier Vincenzo Antinori, Florence. Brown, Henry. The History of Illinois, from its first Discovery and Settlement, to the present time. 8vo, New York, 1844. — Gift of the Author. 32 PROCEEDINGS OF THE Bossi, Luigi. Histoire de Christophe Colomb, suivre de sa Corres- pondance, etc. Traduite de L'ltalien de Bossi, 8vo. Paris, 1824. — Gift of George Folsom, Esq. Boyer, Le Baron. Traite des Maladies Chirurgicales, etc. Pub- liee par le baron Phillippe Boyer, Tome Premier, 8vo. Paris, 1844. — Gift of the Editor, Br. P. Boyer. Blue Book. See United States. Burke, William. The Mineral Springs of Western Virginia, with remarks on their use, etc., 12mo. New York, 1842. — Gift of E. A. Buyckirick, Esq. Bowen, Abel. The Naval Monument, containing accounts of the Battles of the Navies of Great Britain and the United States, during the late War, and of the War, with 25 Engravings, &c. 8vo. Boston, 1830.— Gift of George H. Moore. Bullock, W. Sketch of a Journey through the Western States of North America, etc., with a description of Cincinnati, etc., 8vo. London, 1827. — Gift of George Folsom, Esq. Bradford, Alex. W. American Antiquities and Researches into the History and Origin of the Red Race, 8vo. New York, 1841. Gift of the Author. Bernard, Elder David. Light on Masonry. A Collection of Documents on Speculative Free Masonry, etc., 12mo. Utica, 1829. — Gift of Henry Gasseil, Esq., Boston. Benson, Egbert. Memoir read before the Historical Society of the State of New York, 31st December, 1816. 8vo. New York, 1817. — Gift of J. A. Binda. (This copy of the first edition contains many original MS. notes by the Author, which were printed in an Appendix to the edition of 1825.) Binney, Horace. See Girard Will Case. Barstow, George. The History of New Hampshire, from its Dis- covery in 1614 to the passage of the Toleration Act in 1819, 8vo. Concord, 1842. Backus. The Radii, Newspaper published by a Deaf Mute, 2 years, some numbers missing. — Gift of O. W. Morris, Esq. Clap, Roger, Memoirs of, 1630. Number One of the Collection of the Dorchester Antiquarian and Historical Society, 12mo. Boston, 1844. — Gift of the Society. Convention. Journal, Acts, and Proceedings of the, which formed , the Constitution of the United States. 8vo. Boston, 1819. NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 33 Cape Breton. The Importance and Advantage of, truly stated and impartially considered, with proper maps, 8vo. London, 1746. . National Prejudice opposed to the National Interest, &c, in a letter to Sir John Barnard, Knight, 8vo. London, 1748. Campbell, Charles. The Bland Papers; being a selection from the MSS. of Col. Theodorick Bland, Jr., of Prince George Co., Virginia, with an Introduction and Memoir, 2 vols. 8vo. in one. Petersburg, 1840-43. — Gift of the Editor. Chadwick, Edwin. A Supplementary Report on the Results of a Special Inquiry into the Practice of Interment in Towns. Pre- sented to Parliament, etc., 8vo. London, 1843. — Gift of the Hon. Joseph Hume. Campbell, Wm. W. A Memoir of Judith S. Grant, late Mission- ary to Persia, 24mo. New York, 1844. — Gift of the Author. Catesby, Mark. Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands, etc. French and English, colored Plates. 2 vols, folio. London, 1754. — Gift of James Phalen, Esq. Catherwood, Frederick. Views of Ancient Monuments in Central America, Chiapas, and Yucatan. Curwen, Samuel. Journal and Letters, during the American Revolution, with Illustrative Documents and Biographic Notices, etc. : by George Atkinson Ward. Second Edition, 8vo. Lon- don and New York, 1844. — Gift of the Editor. Catalogue of the Mercantile Library of New York, 8vo. New York, 1844.— Gift of the Board of Direction M. L. A. Chihuahua. El Noticioso de — Periodico Oficial. A file of the Official Paper of the Department of Chihuahua, various dates between 1835-8. — Gift of Josiah Gregg, Esq. Compendium of the Census of 1840. Folio. Washington. — Gift of Hon. Hamilton Fish. Cooley, James E. The American in Egypt, with Rambles through Arabia Petreae and the Holy Land, during the years 1839 and 1840. 8vo. New York, 1842.— Gift of Evert A. Duyckick, Esq. Disturnell, J. The Northern Traveller, &c, 16mo. New York, 1844. — Gift of the Publisher. ■ , The Picturesque Tourist, 16mo. New York, 1844. — » Gift of the Publisher. Dorchester Antiquarian and Historical Society ; Collections of — Number one. Memoirs of Roger Clap, 1630, 12mo. Boston, 1844.— Gift of the Society. 34 PROCEEDINGS OF THE Duane, William, Jr. Passages from the Remembrancer of Christo- pher Marshall, etc., 12mo. Phil., 1839.— Gift of the Editor, (2 copies.) Dunglison, Robley. A Discourse in Commemoration of Peter S. Duponceau, LL. D., late Pres't. of the American Philosophical Society, 8vo. Philadelphia, 1844. Deaf and Dumb. Reports of the New York Institution for the In- struction of the Deaf and Dumb. [14 in number, various years.] Gift of O. W. Morris, Esq. Dymond, Jonathan. Essays on the Principles of Morality, 12mo. 1844. — Gift of the Publishers, Collins, Brother fy Co. Elliott, Rt. Rev. Stephen, Jr. " A High Civilization the Moral Duty of Georgians." A Discourse before the Georgia Historical Society, at their 5th Anniversary, 1844. 8vo. Savannah, 1844. — Gift of the Society. Frieze, Jacob. A Concise History of the efforts to obtain an Ex- tension of Suffrage in Rhode Island, from the year 1811 to 1842, 2d edition, 12mo. Providence, 1842.— Gift of S. G. Arnold, Esq. Farmer, John, (with Jacob B. Moore.) A Gazetteer of the State of New Hampshire. Embellished with an accurate Map of the State and other Engravings, 12mo. Concord, 1823. — Gift of George H. Moore. Free Masonry. Its Pretensions exposed, &c. ; its dangerous Ten- dency Exhibited, etc. By a Master Mason, 8vo. New York, 1828. — Gift of Henry Gassett, Esq., Boston. France, Statistique de la — 8 vols. 4to. Paris, 1837 — 42. — Gift of the French Minister of Commerce, through Robert Walsh, Esq., U. S. Consul at Paris. Gait, John. The Life and Studies of Benjamin West, Esq., &c, prior to his arrival in England, 8vo. Philadelphia, 1816. Gregg, Josiah. Commerce of the Prairies, or the Journal of a Santa Fe Trader, during eight expeditions across the Great Western Prairies, &c, with Maps and Engravings, 2 vols. 12mo. New York, 1844.— Gift, of the Author. Greenhow, Robert. Memoir, Historical and Political, on the N. W. Coast of North America, etc., map. ; Senate Document, 174 —1st Sess. 26th Cong. 8vo. Washington, 1840.— Gift of Geo. H. Moore. Gurney, Jos. John. Familiar Letters to Henry Clay of Kentucky, NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 35 describing a Winter in the West Indies, 8vo. New York, 1840. — Gift of George H. Moore. Girard Will Case. Arguments of the Defendants' Counsel and Judgement of the Supreme Court U. S., in the Case of Vidal, et. al. vs. the City of Philadelphia. January, 1844. To which is added the Will of Stephen Girard, 8vo. Philadelphia, 1844. — Gift of Thomas P. Cope, Esq. Greenhow, Robert. The History and Present Condition of Tripoli, with some accounts of the other Barbary States ; orig. pub. in the " Southern Lit. Messenger," 8vo. Richmond, 1835. — Gift of the Author. Gould, Marcus T. C. Report of the Trial of 24 Journeymen Tai- lors, charged with a Conspiracy, etc., 8vo. Phil., 1827. Hinton, John Howard. The History and Topography of the United States, illustrated with a series of Views, 2d edition, 2 vols. 4to. London, 1834. — Gift of Alex. Slidell Mackenzie, U. S. N. Hague, William. An Historical Discourse, delivered at the Cele- bration of the 2d Centennial Anniversary of the 1st Baptist Chh. in Providence, Nov. 7, 1839 ; 12mo. Providence, 1839. — Gift of S. G. Arnold, Esq. Harris, Thaddeus Mason. Biographical Memorials of James Ogle- thorpe, Founder of the Colony of Georgia, in North America, 8vo. Boston, 1841. — Gift of John Jay, Esq. Heckeweliler, John. A Narrative of the Mission of the United Brethren among the Delaware and Mohegan Indians, from 1740 to 1808, etc.; 8vo. Philadelphia, 1820.— Gift of George H. Moore. Hale, Salma. Annals of the Town of Keene, (N. H.) from its first settlement, in 1734, to the year 1790, 8vo. Concord, 1826. — Gift of George H. Moore. Hodgson, William B. Notes on Northern Africa, the Sahara and Soudan, etc. ; 8vo. New York, 1844. — Gift of the Author. Harris, John. Complete Collection of Voyages and Travels, 2 vols, folio. London, 1744-8. — Gift of Richards Kingsland, Esq. Izard, Ralph. Correspondence of Mr. Ralph Izard of South Caro- lina, from the year 1774 to 1804 ; with a short Memoir, Vol. I, 12mo. New York, 1844.— Gift of Mrs. Anne Izard Deas. Journal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. I, Nos. I. II. 8vo. Boston, 1843-1844. — Gift of the Society. Jamaica. The Laws of, passed by the Assembly and confirmed 30 PROCEEDINGS OF THE by His Majesty in Council, April 17, 1684. ; Folio. Map. Lon- don. 1684. Kidder, Daniel P. Mormonism and the Mormons ; a Historical View of the Rise and Progress of the sect, self-styled Latter Day Saints, 16mo. New York, 1842. — Gift of E. A. Duyckinck, Esq. Lauzun, M. Le Due de. Memoires, 8vo. Paris, 1822. Le Brun, Henri. A ventures et Conquetes de Fernand Cortez au Mexique, 12mo. Tours, 1843. — Gift of George Folsom, Esq. Lives of the Presidents of the U. S., with Biographical Notices of the Signers of the Dec. of Ind., etc. ; with Portraits and Engra- vings, 8vo. Brattleboro', (Vt.) 1839. — Gift of George H. Moore. Lelevel, Joachim. Histoire de Pologne, 2 torn. 8vo. ; avec Atlas contenant les Tableaux Chronologiques et Genealogiques, et les Cartes Geographiques de Differentes Epoques. Puris et Lille, 1844.— Gift of the Author. Laet, Joannes de. Novus orbis, seu Descriptionis Indiae Occiden- talis, Libri XVIII, etc. Folio. Lug. Bat. 1633. Las Casas, Barth. de. Istoria o' brevissima relatione della distrut- tione dell' Indiae Occidentalis, etc. Tradotta en Italiano dall' E. S. Giacomo Castellani gia Sotto nome di Francisco Bersabita, 4to. Venetia, 1630. . II supplice Schiavo Indiano, etc. Tradotto in Italiano, per opera di Marco Ginammi, 4to. Venetia, 1636. La Liberta Pretesa dal Supplici schiavo Indiano, etc. Tradotto in Italiano per opera di Marco Ginammi, 4to. Vene- tia, 1640. Lambert, Edward R. History of the Colony of New Haven, before and after the Union with Connecticut, etc., 12mo. New Haven, 1838. — Gift of George Folsom, Esq. Lovat, Memoirs of Lord, 8vo. London, 1746. — Gift of A. S. Mac- kenzie, U. S. N. Law, John. Address delivered before the Vincennes Historical and Antiquarian Society, Feb'y. 22, 1839. 8vo. Louisville, (Ky.) 1839.— Gift, of the Author. Lee, Charles A. Lee, M. D. An Introductory Discourse on Medi- cal Education, delivered to the Students of Geneva Medi- cal College, Oct. 1, 1844. 8vo. Geneva, 1844.— Gift of the Author. Magazine. The American. For 1787-88, 8vo. New York, 2 vols. NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 37 Moore, Clement C. Poems, 12mo. New York, 1844. — Gift of Messrs. Bartlett fy Welford. Murray, Hugh. The Encyclopedia of Geography, etc. Revised, with additions, by Thos. G. Bradford, 8vo. 3 vols, in two. Phila- delphia, 1843. Moore, Jacob B. (See John Farmer.) Marryatt, F. A Diary in America, with Remarks on its Institu- tions, 12mo. New York, 1839. Gift of George H. Moore. Moore, Jacob B. Annals of Concord, N. H., from its first Settle- ment, in 1726, to the year 1823 ; with Biographical Sketches and a Memoir of the Penacook Indians, 8vo. Concord, 1824. — Gift of George H. Moore. . A Topographical and Historical Sketch of the Town of Andover, (N. H.) etc. 8vo. Concord, 1822.— Gift of George H. Moore. Moulton, Joseph W. New York 170 years ago, with a View and Explanatory Notes. 8vo. New York, Dec, 1843. — Gift of George Folsom, Esq. Munoz, J. B. The History of the New World. Translated from the Spanish. With Notes by the Translator, Port, of Columbus and Map of Espanola, 8vo. Vol. I. London, 1797. Mai, Angelo. Catalogo di Papiri Egiziani della Biblioteca Vati- cana, etc. 4to. Roma, 1825. M'Kinney, Thomas L. and James Hall. History of the Indian Tribes of North America. Folio. With colored Engravings. [Nos. 14 to 20, completing the work.] — Gift of Peter G. Stuyve- sant, Esq. Muratori, Ludovico Antonio. Annali d' Italia dal Principio dell' era Volgare sino all' anno 1750, coue Prefazione di G. Catalani, 14 vols. 4to. Lucca, 1762-1770. Livorino, 1772. Meusel, J. G. Bibliotheca Historica, etc. 11 vols. 8vo. Lipsiae, 1782-1804.— Gift of Joseph G. Cogswell, Esq. M'Donald, Mrs. Mary Noel. Poems, 8vo. New York, 1844. — Gift of George Gibbs, Esq. Minor, B. B. Appeal to the Legislature of Virginia in behalf of her Colonial History, etc. 8vo. Richmond, 1844. — Gift of the Author. Macartney, Earl. Embassy to the Emperor of China, &c. &c. 8vo. London, 1797. — Gift of Rev. John Dowdney. 4 38 PROCEEDINGS OF THE Morton, Samuel George. Crania Americana ; or, a Comparative View of the Skulls of Various Aboriginal Nations of North and South America, &c. Folio. Philadelphia, 1839. — Gift of Samuel J. Beebee, Esq. Maldonado, L. F. Voyage de la Mer Atlantique a L'Ocean Pa- cifique, etc., l'An MDLXXXVIII. [Translated from the Spanish into the French Language, 1812.] New World, The. (Newspaper) Vol. VII. 1843, 4to. New York. — Gift of the Publisher. New York. Transactions of the State Agricultural Society. Vols. I. II. III. for 1841-2-3. 3 vols. 8vo. Albany, 1842-4. — Gift of the Society. Nahuijs, Kolonel. Brieven over Bencoolen, Padang, etc. 8vo. Breda, 1827.— Gift of the Author. . Verzameling van Officiele Rapporten BetrefTende den Oorlog op Java, 1825-30, 4 vols. 8vo. Deventer, 1835-6. — Gift of the Author. Newell, Rev. C. History of the Revolution in Texas, particularly of the War of 1835-36, etc. 12mo. New York, 1838.— Gift of George H. Moore. Nieu Nederland. Vertoogh van Nieu Nederland, weghens de Ghelegentheit, Vruchtbaerheydt en soberen staet desselfs. In's Graven Hage, 1650. sm. 4to. — Gift of John R. Brodhead, Esq. . Kort Verhael van Nieuw Nederlands, etc. sm. 4to. 1662.— Gift of John R. Brodhead, Esq. . Naerder Klagh Vertoogh aende Ho. Mo. Heeren Staten Generael, etc. sm. 4to. 1664. — Gift of John R. Brodhead, Esq. Orleans, Territory of. Acts of 1st session of the Legislative Coun- cil. New Orleans, 1805. . Acts of 2d session of the same, 1806. . Acts of the Legislature of the 1st and 2d sessions, 1806-7. (The foregoing bound in one vol. 8vo.) Odiorne, James C. Opinions on Speculative Masonry, relative to its origin, nature and tendency, 12mo. Boston, 1830. — Gift of Henry Gassctt, Esq., Boston. Ouseley, W. G. Remarks on the Statistics and Political Institu- tions of the United States, &c. 8vo. London, 1832 — Gift of Benjamin P. Poore, Esq., Paris. NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 39 Potter, Elisha R. A Brief Account of Emissions of Paper-money, made by the Colony of Rhode Island, Pp. 8vo. Providence, 1837. Gift of S. G. Arnold, Esq. Paulding, J. Affairs and Men of New Amsterdam in the Time of Gov. Peter Stuyvesant, compiled from Dutch MS. Records of the period. 12mo. New York, 1843. — Gift of George Folsom, Esq. Price, Ebenezer. A Chronological Register of Boscawen, N. H. From its first settlement, in 1732, to 1820, 8vo. Concord, 1823. — Gift of George H. Moore. Pennsylvania. Memoirs of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Vol. I. Pt. 2. Vols. II. III. and Pt. 1 of Vol. IV. 8vo. Phila- delphia, 1827-1840.— Gift of the Society. Powers, Grant. Historical Sketches of the Discovery, Settlement and Progress of Events in the Coos Country and its vicinity from 1754-1785, etc. 12mo. Haverhill, (N. H.) 1841.— Gift of David Johnson, Esq. Newbury, Vt. Pennsylvania. Laws of the Commonwealth of, from 14th Oct., 1700, to 6th April, 1802. Republished by M. Carey and J. Bioren, 6 vols. 8vo. Philadelphia, 1803. . Pamphlet Laws— 1804-5-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14- 15-16. 8 vols. 8vo. Octararo — Philadelphia — Harrisburg. 1804-16. Philadelphia Society for the Promotion of National Industry. Ad- dresses. 5th edition, 12mo. Philadelphia, 1820. — Gift of Rev. John Dowdney. Prince, Wm. R., aided by William Prince. A Treatise on the Vine, embracing its history from the Earliest Ages to the Pre- sent Day, etc. 8vo. New York, 1830. — Gift of the Author. . The Pomological Manual, or a Treatise on Fruits, etc. 8vo. 2d edition. New York, 1832. — Gift of the Author. Reynolds, Thomas C. Dissertatio Inauguralis, etc. 8vo. Heidel- berg. (Germany) 1842. — Gift of the Author. Rhode Island. Collections of the R. I. Historical Society. Vol. III. 8vo. 1835.— Gift of S. G. Arnold, Esq. Ralegh, Sir Walter. The Discoverie of the Large, Rich and Bewtifull Empyre of Guiana, with a Relation of the great and Golden Citie of Manoa, (which the Spaniards call El Dorado) etc. Performed in the yeare 1595, by Sir W. Ralegh, Knight, ete. 4to. London, 1596. — Gift of George Folsom, Esq. Ranking, John. Historical Researches on the Conquest of Peru, 40 PROCEEDINGS OF THE Mexico, Bogota, Natchez and Talomeco in the 13th Century, by the Mongols, accompanied with elephants, etc. Maps and Portraits, 8vo. London, 1827. — Gift of George Folsom, Esq. Supplement to the above, 8vo. London, 1831. — Gift of Horace H. Moore, Esq. Reports of Special Assistant Poor Law Commissioners on the Em- ployment of Women and Children in Agriculture. Presented to Parliament, etc. 8vo. London, 1843. — Gift of the Hon. Joseph Hume. Reese, Rev. . Funeral Oration delivered at the Capitol in Washington, over the body of the Hon. Jona. Cilley, with a full account of the Late Duel, etc. ; with Portrait, etc. 8vo. New York, 1838.— Gift of Dr. Marcus L. Toft. Unode Island. Pamphlets relating to the Rebellion in ; See In- dex. — Gift of Samuel G. Arnold, Esq. Robertson, William. An Historical Dissertation concerning the knowledge which the Ancients had of India, etc. 1st American edition, 8vo. Philadelphia, 1812. — Gift of Rev. John Dowdney. Sewel, William. The History of the Rise, Increase and Progress of the Christian People called Quakers, etc. With a Brief Me- moir of the Author, 2 vols. 8vo. New York, 1844. — Gift of Messrs. Baker fy Crane, the Publishers. Staples, Wm. R. Annals of the Town of Providence, from its First Settlement to the Organization of the City Government in June, 1832, 8vo. Providence, 1843. — Gift of the Author. Stone, William L. Uncas and Miantonomoh : A Historical Dis- course delivered 4th July, 1842, at Norwich, Conn., at the Erection of a Monument to Uncas, etc. ; 12mo. New York, 1842. — Gift of the Author. Stewart, James. A Practical Treatise on the Diseases of Chil- dren. By James Stewart, M. D., A. M. 2d edition, 8vo. New York, 1844.— Gift of the Author. Sergeant, John. See Girard Will Case. Sanford, Lewis H. Catalogue of the Library of the New Y r ork Law Institute. July 1, 1842. 8vo. 1843. — Gift of John W. Edmonds. Skinner, St. John B. L. The Battle of Plattsburgh, an Address delivered before the Plattsburgh Lyceum, Feb'y. 18, 1835. 12mo. Plattsburg, 1835. — Gift of Hon. Wm. SweUand of Plattsburg. NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 41 Slade, John. Narrative of the late Proceedings and Events in China, 8vo. Canton, China, 1839. — Gift of Alfred Edwards, Esq. Sanderson, John. Biography of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence, 9 vols. 8vo. Philadelphia, 1820-7. — Gift of Samuel J. Beebee, Esq. Saggi di Naturali Esperienze Fatte nell' Academia del Cimento. Terza Edizione Fiorentina, Preceduta da Notizie Storiche dell' Academia Stezza a Sequitata da Alcuna Aggiunte. 4to. Firenze, 1841. — Gift of the Cavalier Vincenzo Antinori, Florence. Transactions of the American Philosophical Society. Vol. IX. N. S. Part I. 4to. Philadelphia, 1844. — Gift of the Society. . First Series, Vol. III. Philadelphia, 1793. . Vol. V. N. S. Part II, 4to. Philadelphia, 1835.— Gift of the Society. Tuomey, M. Report on the Geological and Agricultural Survey of the State of South Carolina, 1844. 8vo. Columbia, (S. C.) 1844. — Gift of W. Gilmore Simms, Esq. Talma, J. Chronological Account and brief History of the Events of the French Revolution, from 1789 to 1795. 12mo. London. — Gift of Rev. John Dowdney. Transactions of the Apollo Association for the Promotion of the Fine Arts in the United States. For the year 1843. 8vo. 1843. — Gift of P. M. Wetmore, Esq. United States. State Papers and Public Documents of the United States. [Waite's Edition.] Vols. XI. and XII. of the Third Edition, 1819. 8vo. 2 vols. [These volumes complete the set.] . Twenty-seventh Congress, Third Session, Journal of the Senate, 8vo. Washington, 1842-3. . Same ; Senate Documents, 4 vols. 8vo. Wash- ington, 1842-3. Same; Journal of the House of Representatives, 8vo. Washington, 1842-3. . Same ; Executive Documents, 8 vols. 8vo. Wash- ington, 1842-3. . Same ; Reports of Committees, 4 vols. 8vo. Wash- ington, 1842-3. [The above 18 volumes, Documents 27th Congress, 3d Session.] — Gift of the Congress of the United States. 4# 42 PROCEEDINGS OF THE The Blue Book. A Register of the Officers and Agents, Civil, Military and Naval, in the service of the United States, on the 30th of September, , 1819, , 1823,1825, , 1829, 1831, 1833, 1835, 1837, , , ; pre- pared at the Department of State, under Resolutions of Congress, 8 vols. 8vo. Washington, 1820-1838. The Blue Book for 1833. Another edition, with the addition of Mr. Ewing's Report on the Post Office, 1834. 12mo. Phila- delphia, 1834. Vermont. Journals of the General Assembly of the State of, Oct. 1822. 8vo. Montpelier, 1823. 2 copies. . Same, Oct. 1825. 8vo. Bennington, 1825. . " « _ 1826. 8vo. Rutland, 1827. . « " 1828. 8vo. Woodstock, 1829. . " « 1829. 8vo. Woodstock, 1830. . Journal of the Senate, October Session, 1836, 8vo. Montpelier, 1836. Journal of the House of Representatives, October Ses- sion, 1838. 8vo. Montpelier, 1839. . Journal of the Senate, October Session, 1839. 8vo. Montpelier, 1839. . Same, 1840. 8vo. Montpelier, 1841. . " 1841. 8vo. Montpelier, 1841. . « 1842. 8vo. Montpelier, 1843. House of Representatives, October Session, 1842. 8vo. Montpelier, 1842. . Same, Senate, October Session, 1843. 8vo. Montpe- lier, 1844. . Same, House of Representatives, October Session, 1843, 8vo. Montpelier, 1844. . Journal of the Convention, to consider Amendments to the Constitution of Vermont, A. D., 1843. 8vo. Montpelier, 1843. Session Laws. From 1826 to 1843, inclusive, [1837 wanting.] Pamphlets, 17 in number, 8vo. Bennington, Wood- stock, Middlebury, Burlington, Montpelier, 1826-43. — Gift of the Legislature of Vermont. Virginia. Historical and Philosophical Society Collections, vol. I. 8vo. Richmond, 1833.— Gift of George H. Moore. NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 43 Vander Donck, Adriaen. Beschryvinge van Nieuvv Nederlant, etc. First Edition, sm. 4to. t'Aemsteldam, 1655. — Gift of John R. Brodhead, Esq. Vail, Eugene A. De la Literature et des Hommes de Lettres des Etats Unis d'Amerique, 8vo. Paris, 1841. — Gift ofBenj. P. Poore, Esq., Paris. Updike, Wilkins. Memoirs of the Rhode Island Bar, 8vo. Bos- ton, 1842, — Gift of E. A. Duyckinck, Esq. United States Congress. Catalogue of the Library of, in the Capi- tol of the U. S. of America. December, 1839. 8vo. Wash- ington, 1840. — Gift of George H. Moore. Welby, Adlard. A visit to North America and the English Set- tlements in Illinois, with a Winter Residence at Philadelphia, etc., 8vo. London, 1821. — Gift of George Folsom, Esq. Watson, John F. Annals of Philadelphia and Pennsylvania in the Olden Time, &c, with Engravings, 2 vols. 8vo. Philadelphia, 1844. — Gift of the Author. White, Daniel Appleton. An Address delivered before the Alum- ni of the Harvard University, on their Anniversary, August 27, 1844, 8vo. Cambridge, 1844. — Gift of the Author. Whiton, John M. Sketches of the History of New Hampshire from its Settlement in 1623 to 1833, etc., 12mo. Concord, 1834. — Gift of George H. Moore. Washburn, Emory. Sketches of the Judicial History of Massa- chusetts, from 1630 to the Revolution in 1775. 8vo. Boston, 1840. — Gift of the Author. Ward, George Atkinson. [See Curwen.] Weld,^ Isaac, Jr. Travels through the States of North America, and the Provinces of Upper and^Lower Canada, during the years 1795, 1796 and 1797, 4to. Plates. London, 1799. Warden, David B. Bibliotheca Americana. Catalogue for 1831, 8vo. Paris, 1831. — Gift of Benj. P. Poore Esq., Paris. Zurla, Placido. Di Marco Polo, e degli altri Viaggiatori, Veneziani, piu Illustri Dissertazione, etc., 4to. 2 vols, in one. Venezia, 1818. 44 PROCEEDINGS OP THE MAPS AND CHARTS. Atlas of Battles of the American Revolution, together with Maps showing the Routs of the British and American Armies, Plans of Cities, Surveys of Harbors, &c, taken during that eventful period by officers attached to the Royal Army. — Gift of Bartlett and Welford. A Map of Albany County, with the Country of the Five Indian Nations; by John R. Bleecker. On Parchment. — Gift of Gulian C. Verplanck, Esq. Post Office Maps, in Atlas form — embracing the latest Maps of all Mail Routs in the United States and Territories. — Gift of the Hon. C. A. Wickliffe, Post Master General. Map G. No. 3, of the late Disputed Territory, showing the lines of boundary as originally claimed by both Governments under the Treaty of 1783 ; as awarded by the King of the Netherlands, and as settled by the Treaty of Washington in 1842. — Gift of Major J. D. Graham. Military and Hydrographioal Chart of the Extremity of Cape Cod, including the Townships of Province Town and Truro, &c, in 4 sheets, with a Report on the same, by Major J. D. Graham, U. S? Topographical Engineer. — Gift of the Author. Map of South Carolina, by John Wilson. Engraved by H. S. Tanner, Philadelphia. — Gift of W. Gilmore Simms, Esq. MANUSCRIPTS. Original Commission and Instructions to Benedict Arnold on the Expedition to Ticonderoga, May 3d, 1775. — Gift of Jonathan Edwards, Esq. Deed on Parchment, with the signature of Wm. Penn, 1684. — Gift of Jacob Harvey, Esq. Bill of Exchange, 5th April 1779, with Autograph of Charles Car- roll of Carrollton, Signer Declaration Independence. — Gift of Jacob Harvey, Esq. Signers to the Call of Public Meeting at New York, against the Annexation of Texas, April, 1844. — Gift of John Jay, Esq. Old Parchment MS., in several pieces, imperfect, of the time of Queen Elizabeth. — Gift of George AdJard, Esq. Two Sermons of the Rev. Thomas Allen. Pittsfield, 1794. — G^ of Charles E. West, Esq. NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 45 Dutch Proclamation of Thanksgiving. New Netherland, 30th June, 1674. — Gift of Rev. Abraham Messier, of New Brunswick. Meteorological Observations, made at the New York Institution for the Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb; by O. W. Morris. — Gift of the Author. PAINTINGS. Portrait of Alexander Hamilton. Full length. Also, Portrait of Lieut. Gov. Cadwallader Colden. Full length. Paint- ed in 1771, by Pratt. — Deposited by Prosper M. Wetmore, on belialfofthe Chamber of Commerce. Portrait of Albert Gallatin. Painted by Wm. H. Powell, and by him presented to the Society. Portrait of John Quincy Adams. Painted by E. D. Marchant, and by him presented to the Society. Portrait, of Lewis Morris, of Morrisania, Judge of Vice Admiralty for New York, Connecticut and New Jersey. — Gift of William A. Whitehead, Esq. Portrait of Hon Peter Van Schaack, LL.D. — Gift of Frederic De Peyster, Esq. ENGRAVINGS. Portrait of Chancellor Frelinghuysen. Engraved by Sartain, from Peale. — Gift of Cyrus Mason, D. D. Engraved Portrait of James Stuart, F. R. S. Small oval print, in frame. — Gift of George Adlard, Esq. Portrait of Gov. William Pennington of New Jersey. From Peale. — Gift of Chancellor Frelinghuysen. Portrait (Lithograph) of Gov. John Endecott. — Gift of William Endicott, Esq. Portrait of Charles, Marquis of Cornwallis. Painted by D. Gar- diner, Esq. Engraved by J. Jones ; published March, 1793. — Gift of William A. Whitehead, Esq. MISCELLANEOUS ARTICLES. Three Shilling Bill, New Jersey Currency, 1776, with the signa- ture of John Hart, Signer Declaration Independence. — Gift of Prosper M. Wetmore, Esq. 46 PROCEEDINGS OF THE A Feather from the dress of Montezuma, taken from it in the De- pot of Ancient Armor at Brussels, May 9, 1842, by John B. Murray. — Gift of John B. Murray, Esq. Impressions of Ancient Public Seals used in the City of New York. 1. Corporation Seal, in use from 1686 to the Revolution. 2. Seal of the City Common Council, struck immediately after the Revolution. 3. Seal of the Corporation of Trinity Church, 1697, still in use. 4. Mayor's Seal, New York City, 1701. 5. « " " " 1795. 6. Territorial Seal of Gov. Dongan. — Gift of John Paulding, Esq. The Pedigree of General George Washington, the Father of his Country. — Gift of the American College of Heraldry. Colonial, Provincial and Continental Money, of various ante-revo- lutionary dates. — Gift of Mrs. D. L. Dix, Boston. MR. NORMAN'S DONATION. No. I. Female Head found Among Ancient Ruins in the State of Tamaulipas. Long. W. Greenwich, 98 deg. 31 min. Lat. N. 22deg. 09 min, (By a home-made Quadrant.) No. II. Flat Image, found in the Tamissee River, in the same State, among traces of Ruins ; distance about 3 leagues from the town of St. Anna. No. III. 1. — Household God, supposed to be that of Child Bearing. 2. — Household God, supposed to be that of Child Delivery. From facts I will have the honor to present to the Society at some future meeting. No. IV. 1. — Water or Medicine Vases. 2. — Water or Medicine Vases, found three leagues South of the town of Panuco, Tamaulipas, on a site of an an- cient town known among the Indians of the present day as Cerro, Chaucaco. No. V. Found in the Topild Mountains, Tamaulipas, W. S. W. from Tampico, distance 6 leagues. No. VI. Fragments of Idols found among the mounds near the of Panuco. No. VII. Household Utensils. No. VIII. Found among the Ruins, used at the present day by the Indians to spin cotton. NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 47 No. IX. Cup and Obsidian pieces, found among the Ruins of North Mexico, in large quantities. No. X. Idol, found near Panuco. In exploring and excavating, I found many pieces of fine and strangely sculptured wrok, Heads, Sphinxes, Turtles, animals, etc., descriptions and drawings of which I shall have the honor of pre- senting to the Society. B. M. NORMAN. DONATIONS RECEIVED THROUGH MONS. VATTEMARE. Description des Nouveaux Jardins de la France, et de ses anciens Chateaux. Par Alexandre de Laborde. Les Dessins Par Ct. Bourgeois. Folio. Paris, 1808. — Gift of Count Leon Laborde. Chartes Latines, Francaises et en Langue Romane Meridionale Publiees pour 1' Ecole Royale des Chartes, etc. 4e. and 5e. Fascicule. Folio. Paris, 1841. — Gift of M. Champollion Figeac. Chartes et Manuscrites sur Papyrus de la Bibliotheque Royale, etc. Par M. Champollion Figeac. Folio. Paris, 1840. — Gift of the Author. Annales de Lagides. In sheets. — Gift of the Author. 13 Brochures Concernant les Antiquites Egyptiennes, etc. etc. Par Champollion le Jeune. 13 Brochures Concernant les Antiquites Egyptiennes, etc. etc. Par Champollion Figeac. Keepsake de Histoire Naturelle. Description des Mammiferes. Introduction. Par M. Charles D'Orbigny. 8vo. Paris. — Gift of the Author. De Principes du Gouvernement Representatif et [de leur Applica- tion. Par P. D. de Hauranne. 8vo. Paris, 1838.— Gift of the Author. Des Compagnie d'Assurances pour le Remplacement Militaire et des Remplacants. Par M. Rey. 8vo. Paris, 1839. — Gift of the Author. Ecriture Demotique Egyptienne. Lettre de Mr. Champollion Fi- geac a Mr. Ch. Lenormant (7 Fevrier, 1843.) Lithograph. — Gift of the Author. Recherches sur la Magie Egyptienne. Par Leon de Laborde. 4to. Paris, 1841.— Gift of the Autlwr. 48 PROCEEDINGS OF THE Universite Royale de France. Concours General des Colleges de Paris et de Versailles. 16 Aout, 1843. Discones, etc. — Gift of the Author. Documents Inedits — relatifs a Jean, Sire de Joinville, etc. Par M. Charnpollion de Figeac. — Gift of the Author. Rapport au Roi sur L' Instruction Secondaire. Par le Ministere de L' Instruction Publique. 4to. Paris, 1843. — Gift of the Author. Rapport a Monsieur Le Ministre de L' Interieur sur differents Ho- pitaux, Hospices, Etablissements et Societies de Bienfaisance de L' Italie. 4to. Paris, 1840. Rapport sur le Trace du Chemin de Fer de Paris A Chalons- sur-Saone. Par M. L. Comte Daru. 4to. Paris, 1843. — Gift of the Author. . QEuvres Completes de Madame la Princesse Constance de Salm. 4 vols. 8vo. Paris, 1842. — Gift of the Author. Mes Soixante Ans on Mes Souvenirs Politiques et Litteraires. Par Madame Princesse Constance de Salm. 8vo. Paris, 1833. — Gift of the Author. Histoire de la Captivite de Francois I er - Par M. Rey. 8vo. Paris, 1837. — Gift of the Author. Quelques Souvenirs de Courses en Suisse, et dans le Pays de Ba- den, etc. Par J. A. C. Buchon. 8vo. Paris, 1836.— Gift of the Author. Tableau de L' Etat Actuel et des Progers Probables des Chemins de Fer de L' Allemagne etdu Continent Europeen. Par Le Bon Paul de Bourgoing. 8vo. Paris, 1842. — Gift of the Author. Des Chemins de Fer et de l'applicationdela loi |du 11 Juin, 1842. Par M. Le Comte Daru. 8vo. Paris, 1843. — Gift of the Author. Genie du dix Neuvieme Siecle, etc. Par Edouard Alletz. 8vo. Paris, 1842— 1843.— Gift of the Author. Notice Historiques et Litteraire sur Charles Due d'Orleans, etc. Par M. Aime Charnpollion Figeac. 8vo. Paris, 1842. Gift of the Author. Articles Extraits de la Revue Francaise. Par M. Duvergier de Ilauranne. — Gift of the Author. Debuts de L' Imprimerie a Strasbourg, etc. Par Leon Laborde. 8vo. Paris, 1840.— Gift of the Author. NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 49 Le Theatre des Grecs — a 1' Usage des Colleges, etc. Par Etienne Gallois. 12mo. Paris, 1840. — Gift of the Author. De La Politique Exterieure et Iaterieure de la France. Par M. Duvergier de Hauranne. 8vo Paris, 1841. — Gift of the Author. Esquisses Poetiques de la Vie. Par Edouard Alletz. 12mo. Paris, 1841.— Gift of the Author. Maximes Politiques a l'Usage de la Democratic Nouvelle. Par Edouard Alletz. 12mo. Paris, 1840. — Gift of the Author. Pensees. Par Madame la Princesse Constance De Salm. Trois- ieme edition. 8vo. Paris, 1836. — Gift of the Author. Vingt Quatre Heures d'une Femme Sensible, etc. Par Madame La Princesse Constance de Salm. Troisieme Edition. 8vo. Paris, 1836. — Gift of the Author. Le Due de Guise a Naples, on Memoires sur Les Revolutions de ce Royaume en 1647 et 1648. Par le Comte A. De Pastoret. 8vo. Paris, 1825. — Gift of the Author. La Verite sur la Question D' Orient et sur M. Thiers. Par le Cte. D'Angeville, etc. 8vo. Paris, 1841. — Gift of the Author . Virgilius Nauticus. Examen des Passages de L' Eneide qui ont traite de la Marine. Par M. Jal. 8vo. Paris, 1843.— Gift of the Author. Lettres, Politique, Religieuses et Historiques. Par Cauchois Le- maire. 2 Tom. 8vo. Paris, 1828— 32. — Gift of the Author . Histoire Financiere de la France, depuis 1' origine de la Monar- chic jusqu 'a la Annee, 1828, etc. 8vo. 2 Tom. Paris, 1840. Gift, of the Author. Tableau de 1' Histoire Generale de 1'lEurope depuis 1814 jusqu 'en 1830. Par Edouard Alletz. 3 Tom. 8vo. Paris, 1836. — Gift of the Author. Essai sur l'Homme on Accord de la Philosophic et de la Religion. Par Edouard Alletz. 2 Tom. 8vo. Paris, 1839.— Gift of the Author. Esquisses de la SoufTrance Morale. Par Edouard Alletz. 2 Tom- 8vo. Paris, 1839. Gift of the Author. Histoire du Drapeau, des Couleurs et des Insignes de la Monarchic Frangaise, etc. Par M. Rey, Avec 24 Planches. 8vo. 2 Tom. et Planches. Paris, 1837. — Gift of the Author. Histoire de la Legislation. Par M.Le Comte de Pastoret, etc. 11 50 PROCEEDINGS, ETC. Tom. 8vo. Paris, 1817-37. — Gift of the Marquis de' Pastoret, son of the Author. Recherches sur les Voyages et Decouvertes des Navigateurs Nor- mands en Afrique dans les Indes Orientales et en Amerique, etc. Par L. Estancelin. 8vo. Paris, 1832. — Gift of the Author. Various Pamphlets. — Gift of A. Valtemare. Bronze Medal. — To "C. E. I. P. de Pastoret, Francis Cancella- rius." " Nulli impar Fortunae— MDCCCCXXX."— Gift of the Marquis de Pastoret. Engraved Portrait of M. de Pastoret, Chancellor of France. — Gift of his son, Marquis de Pastoret. Nouvelles Recherches sur la Ville Gauloise d' Uxellodunum, etc. Par M. Champollion Figeac. 4to. Paris, 1820. Gift of the Author. Articles Extraits de la Revue Francaise. Voyages en Abyssinie. Par Leon De Laborde. 8vo. Paris, 1838. — Gift of the Author. Le Puits Artesien de Grenelle. Par M. Rey. 8vo. Paris, 1843. Gift of the Author. Notice sur les Manuscripts Autographs de Pierre de Lestoille, et sur ceux du Cardinal de Retz. Par Aime Champollion Fils. 12mo. Paris, 1837.— Gift of the Author. Essai sur les Bibliotheques Administratives. Par Leon Vidal. 8vo. Paris, 1843. — Gift of the Author. Notice sur les Manuscrits Autographes de Champollion le Jeune. Par M. Champollion Figeac. 8vo. Paris, 1842. — Gift of the Author. Des Fonds Publiques Frangais et Etrangers et des Operations de la Bourse de Paris, etc. Par Jacques Bresson. 12mo. Paris, 1843. Gift of the Author. Tableau Synoptique de Regne Vegetal. Par M. Ch. D'Orbigny. Gift of the Author. Carte Geognostique du Plateau Tertiaire Parisien. Par V or - Rau- lin. 1843. — Gift of the Author. Engraving after Albert Durer. Head of Christ. By Comte Leon La Borde. — Gift of the Artist. Leisure Hours. By W. S. Browning. 8vo. London, 1841.— Gift of the Author. APPENDIX. ANNUAL MEETING, THE SECOND OF JANUARY. THE PRESIDENT IN THE CHAIR. The officers of last year were unanimously re-elected, The Annual Reports were read and severally ordered to be published for the use of members. Rev. Dr. De Witt, read the following paper : NEW NETHERLAND. As we view a wide and deep river bearing in its course, on its surface, the sails and freights of commerce, and con- tributing to the wealth and prosperity of a country, we love to trace it to its source, however small and obscure, and to mark the tributary streams which combine to swell and enlarge its current. While observing the many con- fluent streams, our special interest is attracted to the first rising rill and the stream by which it is fed. Thus as we observe the growth of an extended, powerful and populous nation, we are led to trace the train of events, and the in- fluences which were exerted by them ; and, as we ascend higher and higher to its origin, the spirit of enquiry becomes deeply enlisted. If, on investigation of the earliest period, materials for history be found scarce and difficult of ac- cess, they become proportionally prized and sought for, as the Sybilline leaves were valued according to the diminu- tion of their numbers. Every portion of our Union, espe- cially the Atlantic States, furnishes an attractive field for 52 APPENDIX. the investigation and pen of the historian ; but the Empire State rises first in importance. This importance arises not so much from its comparative rank in population, resources and influence, nor from the more peculiar interest attached to its annals, as from the fact that less has pro- bably been done in the way of investigation, and more re- mains to be accomplished. The history of New York, in the true spirit, and well digested with fulness and accuracy, remains to be written. It is a subject of pleasing congratulation, that the labors of the Historical Agent, appointed by the State of New York, at the earnest solicitation of this Society, have been crown- ed with success, in obtaining a large amount of materials from the public archives at the Hague, London and Paris ; and the result promises to be satisfactory to those who have regarded the agency with high expectation. The his- torical collections already made by this Society, and the ac- tive measures now employed for their increase, will furnish an addition to the public documents in the State Office at Albany, and those recently collected in Europe ; and the whole, when placed in the hands of one gifted with patient investigation, accurate discrimination and classical taste, will result in a standard work worthy of its subject. The Colonial history of New York, when New Nether- land was under the jurisdiction of Holland, must be mainly derived from the documents now in the office of the Secre- tary of State at Albany, and those obtained from the Colo- nial Department at the Hague, which will be deposited there. The volume just published of the new series of our historical collections, incorporates (it is believed) nearly all that can now be collected from other sources relating to the discovery, settlement, condition, &c, of New Netherland, in addition to what was already before the public. Lam- brechtsen, of Middleburgh, who published his history of New Netherland in 1818, (a translation of which is found in this volume of Historical Collections) doubtless took pains to refer to the accessible sources of information, es- pecially libraries ; although there are pamphlets which he APPENDIX. 53 failed to procure, that have come to our hands. On exam- ining a number of historical works in Dutch, in relation to Holland, both of earlier and later date, and of a civil and ecclesiastical character, I observe an almost total omission of reference to the colony of New Netherland ; and the few references that arc found, arc brief and vague. The Dutch manuscripts of that period, and of later date, in this country, and which, perhaps, were long preserved in the family descent, have disappeared. Owing to the disuse of the Dutch language, and the branching out of families, these manuscripts were lost, or, through ignorance of their value, were treated as waste paper. A case occurred some time since, when inquiry was made whether the papers of a leading individual under the Colonial Government in the latter part of the seventeenth century, could not still be found among his descendants. On being directed to the branch of the family, in whose hands the papers, if in exis- tence, probably were, information was received, that some years before, a trunk filled with papers, principally in the Dutch language, was in their possession, but being viewed as destitute of value, they were treated as waste paper, and destroyed. The journals and correspondence of indi- viduals are valuable, in shedding light upon the moral and political influences connected with the events of their times. The annals of New Netherland comprise but a brief space of time ; and the infancy and peculiar circumstances of the colony, joined with the want of copious materials, preclude the variety of incidents and fulness of illustration which subsequent portions of our colonial history possess. Still, a peculiar interest is attached to these annals, as be- longing to our birth and infancy as a colony — and marking influences, which continued their operation after the sur- render of the colony to the British, and which have not spent themselves at the present time. The Dutch settlers of New Netherland became citizens of New York, who gained only a small accession by occasional emigrants from Holland. The Huguenot and German Palatine emigrants, 5* 54 APPENDIX. in the latter part of the seventeenth and the beginning of the eighteenth centuries, were greatly assimilated to the Dutch residents, by their common religious faith and the sympathy derived from former associations. These com- bined, furnished, during the whole of our colonial history, a large share, if not the preponderating, of the numbers and influence of the inhabitants. The little rivulet appears, after a season, to be lost in the deep, wide and swelling current which confluent streams have caused ; but an accu- rate test ascertains that the taste and tinge which the rivu- let first imparted, are still preserved. The surrender of New Netherland to Great Britain took place in 1664, fifty-five years after the discovery of the river called by its discoverer's name, fifty-one from the building of a temporary fort on the river occupied by a number of soldiers and traders, and forty from the first per- manent settlement for agricultural purposes. The voyage of discovery by Hudson was under the auspices and direc- tion of the Dutch East India Company, formed in 1602, with the view of discovering the long vainly-sought North- west passage to India. At this time, a wide field for com- mercial enterprise and profitable trade had opened in the colonial possessions they had obtained in the East Indies, soon spreading in Ceylon, the Malabar coast, and the islands of the Archipelago. This field was the great point of attraction and national interest, and contributed to that commercial eminence and naval prowess by which Hol- land was distinguished in the seventeenth century. In consequence, the newly-discovered regions in America were, in a great measure, neglected and left to private enterprise. Single ships visited them in 1610 and the fol- lowing years. In 1614, an association was formed, called the Amsterdam West India Licensed Trading Company, invested with exclusive privileges of trade for four years, and instructed to maintain their acquisitions on the Hud- son, and explore the adjacent country. In the same year, this Company sent out two ships under the command of Christiaense and Block, who explored Long Island Sound, APPENDIX. 55 touched at Cape Cod, and penetrated Narragansett Bay and Connecticut River. Forts were built on Manhattan Island and on Castle Island, near what is now Albany. Nothing more than trading posts were kept up for a num- ber of years, and no attempt for permanent colonization was made till after the organization of the Dutch West India Company in 1621, endowed with peculiar privileges and powers. Immediate measures were taken for this ob- ject. The fort on the Battery, called Fort Amsterdam, was built in 1623 and 1624. About the same time, the first agricultural settlers came over. Meyer, a Dutch author in my possession, in his "Annals of Holland States, 1624," says, " A number of families went out this year to New Nether- land," now New York. Constant and accredited tradition asserts that the first white child born in New Netherland was Sarah Rapalje, at the Wallabout, in 1625. The in- crease of these agricultural settlers was, for a number of years, quite slow. In 1629, the famous charter of liberties and privileges was granted by the college of 19 of the West India Company, for encouraging emigration under the direction of Patroons. The only colonie permanently settled under this charter, (although others were attempted,) was Rensselaerwyck, under Patroon Killian Van Rensselaer, a gentleman of wealth and distinction at Amsterdam, and one of the original directors of the West India Company. He immediately took measures for obtaining a tract of land according to the privileges of the charter, and, after suc- cessive purchases, completed the tract twenty-four miles from north to south, and forty-eight from east to west. Some colonists came out immediately after the first pur- chase, and subsequently the Patroon himself came out after the purchase was completed in 1637. The number of the colonists increased continually. The rights and government of Rensselaerwyck were of a peculiar nature, and partook somewhat of the feudal insti- tutions of the middle ages. The Patroon acknowledged the Director General at New Amsterdam and the States General as his superiors ; but he maintained a high mili- 56 APPENDIX. tary and judicial authority within his territory. He had his own fortresses supplied with men and ammunition, and his flag waving over them. The courts of the colonie were his own courts, where all questions were cognizable, sub- ject to appeal in some of the most important cases. Justice was administered in his own name, and the colonists were his immediate subjects, and took the oath of fealty and allegiance to him. This created an imperium in imperio, and was, at times, the source of difficulty and embarrass- ment between the authorities at Rensselaer wyck and New Amsterdam, during the short period of the Dutch Govern- ment. I have alluded to the circumstances connected with the first settlement of New Netherland, to show the influences under which the emigration from Holland took place. Un- like the first settlers of New England, the early Dutch emigrants did not seek a refuge from civil or ecclesiastical oppression. Holland was, of all the powers of Europe, the most in advance of the spirit of the age, in the liberal prin- ciples of her Constitution and in the administration of it. The struggle of the Netherlands with Spanish and Papal power in the sixteenth century, was a protracted one of intense severity, furnishing an exhibition rarely paralleled of heroic energy and devotion, of patient suffering and martyrdom, and of perseverance crowning with success the efforts of the few and the feeble against the many and the mighty. The famous League, or Union of Utrecht, was formed in 1578, in which the seven northern provinces of the Netherlands united for mutual and common interest and defence, and was the precursor of their deliverance and establishment as a nation. It was formed when the spirit of liberty, fanned by the fires of raging persecution, breathed fervently. The first coin stamped at that time, bore the impression of a ship struggling amid the waves without oars or sails, with the motto, " Incertum quo fata ferant," and the national motto on her coat of arms was, " Eendragt maakt magt" — Unity creates strength. This League, or Union, contained the fundamental principles APPENDIX. 57 which developed themselves in the government of Holland by the States General. It was, in its federal character, a type of our own federal government, and its principles soon developed themselves in the excellent practical effects which they produced. At the time of the settlement of New Netherland, Holland had given a quiet asylum to the Jews despised and oppressed by all the other nations of Europe. The persecuted of the Reformed faith throughout Europe, without distinction, found a welcome and delight- ful resting place within her bosom. The fostering spirit of her institutions operated on the naturally phlegmatic tem- perament of her inhabitants, and aroused them to active enterprise and persevering exertion, and led the way to the high eminence she attained during that century in commercial prosperity, naval distinction and literary cul- ture. Had the States General, early after the discovery by Hudson, directed their attention to this western field, and directly extended their strong fostering influence in plant- ing and nurturing a well-chosen colony, bearing the germ of the institutions of the fatherland — and had the valor, wisdom and patriotism of a Stuyvesant superintended it when the first forming influences were favorable, a basis would have been laid securing probably a long and pros- perous continuance. The first settlement was under the care of a commercial company, whose primary object was gain ; and the efforts of the Patroon of Rensselaerwyck to procure liege tenants for his domain, were much less favor- able to stamp the character and secure the welfare of the infant colony. An element of difficulty early arose, and caused con- siderable embarrassment and excitement during the exist- ence of New Netherland, arising from the question as to the right of territorial jurisdiction. It was the accredited principle among the nations of Europe, that actual disco- very, followed by occupation, gave a right to territorial jurisdiction. The Dutch claimed their right as extending from South, or Delaware River, to Narragansett Bay, or at least Versche, or Connecticut River, founded on the discovery 58 APPENDIX. of Delaware Bay and River by Hudson, the discovery and exploration of Long Island Sound, Narragansett Bay, and Connecticut River, by Block and Christiaense, and the voy- ages of Mey and De Vries up the Delaware River, and the erection of forts near its shore. The fairness and equity of this claim, and the untenable ground of the opposing claim of England, are well stated by Lambrechtsen. Seve- ral British writers admit the fairness of the Dutch claim, and it is believed there is now a concurring sentiment in its favor. The history of the Pilgrim settlers to the east of New Netherland is familiar to us, and is embalmed in our affectionate remembrance and high respect. Fleeing from civil and ecclesiastical oppression in their own country, they found a quiet abode when they went to seek a home in the new world. The story that the Pilgrims were be- guiled by the hired treachery of a Dutch pilot leading them from the place designed in the vicinity of New Amsterdam to the bleak shores of New Plymouth, has long been con- sidered as apocryphal. In a Dutch work I met with, enti- tled, "Chronyken Van Ley den," &c, I find a reference to the Independent congregation of Robinson, and the depar- ture of a large part of his charge for America. The author says that they declined to settle in the possessions of the States General, and preferred an independent settlement by themselves. When Isaac De Razier visited New Plymouth in 1627, bearing the congratulations of the authorities at New Amsterdam, he suggested that they should remove from their comparatively barren locality to the fine lands on the Connecticut River, in their territory. This the Pil- grims declined, and intimated whether it would not be well for the Dutch to ascertain the validity of their own claim. Collision arose on the first attempt to settle on Connecticut River, and a series of remonstrance and correspondence took place between the authorities at New Amsterdam and those at Hartford and New Haven. In the progress, diffi- culties and complaints connected with matters of trade, sprang up. Similar difficulties arose on the southern border APPENDIX. 59 of New Netherland, from the settlement of the Swedes on the Delaware, and the claims of the adjacent colony of Maryland. This vexed question continued to be an agita- ting one, until it ripened and ended in the subjugation of the colony by the British. The administration of the government of the colony of New Netherland was vested in the Director General and Council. New Amsterdam and some towns enjoyed an elective franchise in the choice of their municipal officers to some extent, as in the cities and towns of Holland. But the popular element of representation did not enter into the General Government. The executive and legislative pow- ers combined were lodged in the Director General and Council, who were nominated by the West India Company, and appointed by the States General. The judicial power was, in many cases, directly exercised by them, and in others, by appeal. Very seldom can such combined powers be safely lodged in the hands of individuals, however quali- fied for the trust ; and the best administration of that trust is exposed to jealousy and misrepresentation, owing to the strong and jealous sentiment that prizes and watches the rights and liberties of the subject. It is evident that much depended upon the character and efficiency of the Director General, in all that respected the welfare and prosperity of the colony. Of the first Director General, Peter Minuit, little more is known than his name and office, as no official documents or records of his administration were preserved here. He was afterward found with the colony of the Swedes, who planted themselves, perhaps at his instance, on the Dela- ware. His administration probably lasted from 1624 to 1633. Wouter Van Twiller succeeded him. He was originally a clerk in the office of the West India Company, and went out in 1630, as the agent of Patroon Van Rensselaer, to purchase a tract of land for a colonie, under the charter of liberties. He continued in office from 1633 to 1638. He was afterward in the employment of the Patroon at Rensse- 60 APPENDIX. laervvyck, as a commercial agent. During his administra- tion, there was a slow increase of agricultural settlers ; but the dilapidated state, or decaying condition of the pub- lic buildings, as well as the general state of things, as certified by a public document, show that it must have been inefficient. The incidental allusions of De Vries, in his journal, combined with the fact just stated, leads to the conclusion, that, though he may have been skilled in cast- ing accounts and conducting a mere trading interest, he had not the practical wisdom and efficiency to superintend the interests of a rising colony. William Kieft succeeded him in 1638, and continued until 1647. The details of his administration that have reached us, certainly testify to his zeal and activity, but discover a want of that discretion and right spirit with which he should have carried out his measures. His cor- respondence with the authorities at Hartford and New Haven displays shrewdness and ability, but, at the same time, is tinctured with an acrimony not fitted to open a ready avenue for remonstrance and argument. While he believed that the "words of the wise are as goads," he forgot that they are better steeped in oil than in vinegar, and that "a soft answer turneth away wrath." The period of Gov. Kieft's administration was distinguished from all other portions of the Dutch colonial history, for Indian troubles and warfare. The conversations of De Vries with Kieft, stated in his journal, show his rash zeal in employing strong retaliatory measures against the In- dians, while the current of affairs in relation to Indian mat- ters, shows that his energy was not directed in that pacific spirit which might have prevented some, and healed others of these troubles. The consequence was, that, when the Indians were brought to terms, a state of irritated feeling remained, ready, under slight influences, to break out afresh. In the correspondence of the Church of New Am- sterdam with the Classis of Amsterdam, there is a reference to the disaffection with Gov. Kieft in the latter part of his administration, arising partly from disaffection with his APPENDIX. 61 administration, and partly from personal collision with individuals. Still, the credit of vigilance and energy can- not be withheld from his administration, though that energy was frequently not wisely directed. It is probable that the epithet applied to him by Diedrich Knickerbocker is not misplaced — " the testy" Everardus Bogardus, the first min- ister at New Amsterdam, on account of ecclesiastical diffi- culties in which he was placed, went to Holland in the same vessel with Gov. Kieft, in 1647, to meet the Classis of Amsterdam, in the hope of returning. The vessel was lost at sea, when all perished. The successor of Kieft was Peter Stuyvesant, who entered on the duties of his office, May 27, 1647. His predecessors had been selected, probably all, by the West India Company, on account of their connection and acquaintance with trade more than on account of the higher qualifications of a statesman. Gov. Stuyvesant was of a highly respectable family at Amsterdam, and was allied by marriage to a distinguished Huguenot family of that place. He early entered into the service of the States General ; continued, it is said, both in the military and naval services at different times, and sustained a high character for valor and useful- ness. He lost in battle a leg, and he is sometimes referred to with his silver leg. Having done good service, he was in- vested with some important trusts previous to his being desig- nated to the government of New Netherland, among which was the government of Curacoa and the Dutch dependencies in the neighborhood. He came here with a well-earned reputation, and in the maturity of his years, being upward of fifty. His administration may well be considered, in view of all the circumstances attending it, an able and success- ful one, though it closed in the surrender of the colony to the British. When he arrived, the Indian tribes were in that state of irritated feeling adverted to ; the vexed ques- tion of jurisdiction had multiplied causes of complaint and dissension, and increased peril and opposing influences on the eastern and southern borders ; there were elements of evil in the colony itself, which needed to be carefully 6 62 APPENDIX. watched and influenced ; and he was suffered, by the parent government, to remain without suitable cooperation and supply. The more the lights remaining to exhibit his ad- ministration are consulted with care, will be the conviction of the capacity, wisdom and efficiency which characterized it in the times and circumstances which existed. The time when Stuyvesant entered on the government of New Neth- erland was an eventful one in the political state of Europe. It was during the civil wars of England, and near the exe- cution of Charles I. His administration extended through the protectorate of Cromwell, and four years after the res- toration of the Stuart dynasty. During this period, Holland reached the acme of her naval glory and commercial eminence and wealth. It was then that her Van Tromp proudly sailed along the coast of England, with a broom at the mast-head, as a sign of her sweeping the seas. But, in the midst of all this prosperity, the States General almost wholly occupied themselves with conducting their conflicts with neighboring powers, and guarding, and cherishing their East India possessions, which had already opened wide channels for the influx of wealth into her bosom, and stimulated the commercial enterprise and energy in that direction. The field in this Western world, which time has so strikingly developed in its value and importance, was com- paratively greatly neglected, and very little protection or aid was directly yielded by the States General. The super- vision and direction was almost wholly left in the hands of the West India Company ; and thus more room was furnish- ed for commercial jealousies, which proved one element in embarrassing the administration of Gov. Stuyvesant. In the state of things in the colony adverted to, Gov. S. needed much wisdom to reconcile and compose jarring elements, and to conduct successfully the interests of the province in its foreign and domestic relations. He unfortunately was intrusted with an unrestricted power, devolving upon him a large measure of responsibility, and at the same time a stronger incentive and freer scope for the indulgence of jealousy and discontent on the part of the people. He was APPENDIX. 63 thrown upon feeble resources in troublous times, and nothing but wisdom and energy could have availed in rendering them effectual for the course he pursued. Without follow- ing the train of incidents and measures during the adminis- tration of Gov. S., I propose only to advert to a few points, in order to vindicate the observation above made, that " in view of all the circumstances attending his administration, it was an able and successful one, though it closed with the surrender of the colony to the British. 1. The policy of Gov. Stuyvesant's administration to- wards the Indian tribes, was decidedly and successfully pacific It is to the credit of the first settlers and the Colo- nial Dutch Government, that the course adopted from the first was of this character. At the very first occupation of the colony, friendly alliances were entered into with the Indian tribes, and the territory was uniformly purchased from them by treaty. Instructions to this effect were sent by the West India Company. Rensselaerwyck sustained a most impor- tant and delicate position in relation to the Northern and Western Indians ; the influence uniformly exerted by it, was beneficent and pacific. During the administration of Gov. Kieft, serious troubles arose both with the Indians of Long Island and New Jersey : some battles were fought, and the pacifications entered into were not founded on true confidence and amity. At the time of the commencement of Gov. Stuyvesant's administration, there was a feverish and unfriendly spirit existing among them, connected with the remembrance of former excitements, and by no means soothed by the course of Gov. Kieft, A little spark could have blown it into a flame. On entering upon his office, he at once took prompt and well-devised measures to secure their interest and conciliate their friendship. In 1647, just after entering on the government, he prohibited the selling of strong drink to the Indians, under the heavy penalty of five hundred guilders, and the "further resjtonsibility for all the misdemeanors which Jlow the?*efrom." Surely there was saga- city in enacting such a rule, marking the crime with such a penalty ; for strong drink has ever been the bane which 64 APPENDIX. white men have introduced among the Indians, to corrupt, deceive and oppress them. He also enacted that justice should be done to the Aborigines ; that their lands should not be taken from them without payment ; and that the in- habitants should pay them a fair price for any work they should do for them. Doubtless this beneficial and pacific policy was pursued toward them during the whole of his official course. In a letter from Gov. Stuyvesant to the Classis of Amsterdam, dated Sept. 7, 1650, he writes, "I have adopted, from the first, measures to protect their rights, and conciliate their good will. We have lived in peace with them, and everything seems to indicate their feelings of friend- ship and confidence toward us. It would be a source of plea- sure to me, if the light of Christianity could be introduced among them by any means your reverend body may suggest, and we be able to aid in carrying out." A fearful disaster occurred toward the close of his ad- ministration, in 1663, caused by Indian hostility. The Eso- pus Indians, (belonging to the Minisink tribe,) in the vicinity of what is now Kingston, at a time when they professed friendly relations, unexpectedly surprised the village of Esopus under a pretence of barter, killed more than twenty, and wounded and took captive more than fifty, desolating that infant settlement. The affecting details of this horrid massacre are given by the Rev. Hermanus Bloin, minister of the place, who was an eye-witness of the melancholy scene, in a letter to the Classis of Amsterdam, dated Sep- tember, 1663, which is now in my possession. Immediately after the receipt of the intelligence, Gov. Stuyvesant resorted thither with a military reinforcement under the command of Capt. Martin Cregier. The Governor commanded the operations for some time in person ; and so wisely were his plans laid, and so efficiently were they conducted, that in a short time, the captured were recovered, the fastnesses and retreats of the Indians invaded and overcome, and in De- cember a pacification was entered into. The result displayed valor and mercy in their just combination. This reference to Indian matters recals to my mind an incident which met APPENDIX. 65 my eye in looking over the correspondence with the Classis of Amsterdam by the Church at New Amsterdam, which I am tempted to introduce here, though not exactly in keeping with the train of remarks. The Rev. John Megapolensis was pastor of the Reformed Dutch Church at New Amster- dam from 1648 to 1664, and some years subsequently. He was previously settled at Rensselaerwyck from 1642 to 1648. While settled there, he came much in contact with the neighboring Indians, and gained their friendship and confi- dence. He published an essay on the Mohawk Indians, a translation of which is found in Hazard's State papers. Some French Jesuit priests came into the midst of the Six Indian Nations, and excited their suspicion and aversion. They were seized, tortured, and, in one case, partially muti- lated. This coming to the knowledge of Dominie Megapo- lensis, he visited the Indians ; interceded with them ; ob- tained the liberation of the priests on condition of their going to Europe, or their return to Canada, on the pledge of their remaining there ; took them to his own house, and ministered to their comforts and necessities, until they had fully convalesced. Some years afterward, a French Jesuit priest named Simon Le Moine, came from Canada and visited New Amsterdam, where he called upon and was hospitably entertained by Dominie Megapolensis, whose kindness, in the benefits he had formerly conferred upon his brethren, he gratefully acknowledged. On his return to Canada, he addressed a letter to Dominie Megapolensis, soliciting a correspondence for the discussion of points af- fecting the essential distinctions between Popery and the pure Protestant faith. Such an epistolary discussion took place in the Latin Language, and a part of the correspond- ence is preserved. 2. The administration of Governor Stuyvesant was pat- riotic AND ABLE, IN CONDUCTING WHAT MAY BE TERMED THE Foreign Relations of the Colony. This mainly had respect to the absorbing and agitating question of territorial limits and jurisdiction. When he assumed his post, this question had drawn around it matters of grievance arising from 6* 66 APPENDIX. trade and other sources, as subjects of mutual complaint. The claim of Holland to the stipulated limits, bore pre- sumptive evidence of its strength and fairness, on principles recognized by the Nations. Gov. Stuyvesant was the ser- vant of the States General, bound by his solemn oath as well as his sense of duty to vindicate the rights and honor of his country. How sensitive is the pulse of national feeling on this very point of territorial occupation and juris- diction. But recently, as one people, we were alive to the question lately and happily adjusted, of the North-East Boundary ; and the same feeling is becoming, in a degree elicited in relation to our Western border on the Pacific. His negotiations and measures bore solely upon the recogni- tion and vindication of the right of jurisdiction by the father- land ; while his desire was, in case of such recognition, to extend a liberal policy to all who should settle within the bounds. Space is not allowed me for even a minute bird's- eye view of the nature and course of the negotiations and correspondence with the New England authorities. A con- siderable amount of the correspondence is found in the first volume of the old series of our Historical Collections. A careful perusal of it will leave the clear conviction of the ability with which the subject is treated, and the proper spirit blending courtesy and dignity which characterise the correspondence of Gov. S. One whose opinion almost weighs with conclusive force, observes (Chancellor Kent,) in his address before this Society, in 1828, " The Governors of New Netherland, in their long and sharp contests with the New England Colonies, showed themselves in no way infe- ferior to the most sagacious of the Puritans, either in talent, doctrine, or manner. Strength and arrogance of deportment were evidently on the side of the English. Governor Stuy- vesant manifested his desire for peace, and showed the mag- nanimity of his character in going in proper person, in 1650, to meet and negotiate with the Commissioners of the New England Colonies. Though standing alone in the midst of a body of keen and well-instructed opponents, he conducted himself with admirable address and firmness. The corres- APPENDIX. G7 pondence between him and the Commissioners is embodied and preserved in the Collections of the Society, and it does credit to his memory." These remarks of Chancellor Kent will be responded to by every candid reader. In the year 1653, New England was greatly agitated by the Indian wars of that period in the midst of it. A general rumor was spread, gaining popular belief, that the Dutch had instigated the Indians to their hostile course ; and Gov. Stuyvesant was particularly criminated. The letter of Stuyvesant, in our Collection, dated that year, in which he meets and repels the charge, is a noble document, breathing a spirit of ardent but chastened indignation in meeting the charge, which he calmly and successfully repels, and then throws himself upon the " mens sibi conseia recti quce menda- cia ridet." He was accused of harboring, the previous win- ter, Ninegret a Narraganset Chief, an enemy of the English, and had exerted influence through him. He states that Ninegret came to him with an introductory letter from Gov. Winthrop, having in view the cure of a disease with which he was afflicted ; and that in these circumstances he had only showed to him the office of Christian hospitality. Inves- tigation showed how utterly unfounded were these charges. In the hostile attack Gov. S. made on the Swedish forces on the Delaware, it will be remembered that it was not till after the capture, by the Swedes, in 1G54, of the Fort Casi- mir, built by the Dutch in 1651. He then felt himself called upon, by imperative duty to his country, to assert her rights and vindicate her honor ; and proceeded in person to recover Fort Casimir, and capture Fort Christina in its neighborhood. The measures he adopted appeared to be demanded for the preservation of the settlement he planted there. He continued, amid the varying phases of political occur- rences in Europe, and the influences operating around and within the Colony, to extend a watchful eye, and to exert his usual activity and energy in vindicating the rights of the Netherlands. While he foresaw the results which combin- ing influences and events tended to produce, and expressed his apprehensions in his correspondence with the Nether- 68 APPENDIX. lands Government, he remained faithful to his trust, and sought to avert the crisis which occurred in 1664. The history of the expedition of Richard Nicolls, and the events connected with the capitulation, are pretty fully detailed in our published histories. Gov. Stuyvesant appears as the faithful guardian of his country's rights in the post commit- ted to him, until necessity being laid upon him by the power of opposing forces, the inadequacy of the means of defence intrusted to him, and the strongly expressed sentiment of the citizens, he signed the Articles of Capitulation, in which were secured the most honorable and important advan- tages to the Dutch inhabitants who became subjects of the British Government. I have in my possession a letter from the Rev. Samuel Drisius, one of the ministers of the Dutch Reformed Church here, dated September 15, 1664, giving an account of the circumstances connected with the sur- render, which is somewhat curious, and of which I shall hereafter furnish a translation. Merit is not safely tested by success. At times a combination of circumstances brings in a tide of prosperity, little, if at all, connected with saga- city, energy or perseverance. At other times, while the number and strength of adverse influences overcome every effort to resist them, there is in the midst of defeat the clearest exhibition of the most valuable traits of character, and the most satisfactory proof of wisdom, integrity and efficiency. While Gov. Stuyvesant insisted on his country's claim to territorial jurisdiction, his policy toward settlers from other nations was uniformly kind and liberal. In the Dutch manuscripts, the towns, in what is now Queens county and Graves-end, are termed the English towns in the Dutch colony. At the time of the first Puritan settlements in Queens county, peculiar privileges were extended to them for their encouragement, and they continued to receive the fostering aid of the Dutch Governor, notwithstanding the strong manifestation of their natural sympathy with the New England authorities. In the correspondence of the Ministers of the Reformed Dutch Church at New Amster- APPENDIX. 69 dam with the Classis of Amsterdam, I find in several instances, reference to these English towns, and their reli- gious condition. The kindest allusion is made to the Puri- tan ministers of the churches there. The towns of Middel- burg, (now Newtown) and Hempstead are represented in one of the letters as destitute of the ministry by reason of the death and removal of their former ministers, and as be- ing straitened for an adequate support for the ministry and schools. The Classis is solicited for well qualified congre- gational and Presbyterian ministers, and to induce the West India Company to adopt measures similar to those employed in the Dutch towns for raising money to be appropriated solely to the support of their ministers and schools. This request was approved by Gov. Stuyvesant. After the pro- visional arrangement of boundaries between New Nether- land and New England, by Gov. Stuyvesant and the New England Commissioners, in 1650, a number of Puritans from the East settled a place then named Oost-Dorp, (East Town,) now Westchester, in Westchester county. There was an apprehension that the settlement, like other instances which had occurred, might be connected with the claim of jurisdiction, and in this view he remonstrated against it, with the assurance that if the Dutch jurisdictions were acknowledged, full protection and encouragement would be extended. The same spirit of kindness toward this settlement is expressed in the ecclesiastical correspondence. There was a considerable number of English residents at New Amsterdam at quite an early period. In 1654, the church at New Amsterdam petitioned the Classis of Am- sterdam to procure for them a second minister, as colleague with Dominie Megapolensis, who should be acquainted with the English language, that he might occasionally preach in English, for the benefit of the English inhabitants there. In consequence, the Classis in 1655, selected the Rev. Samuel Drisius, who had been settled in London as a minister of a Dutch Reformed Church there. In 1655 and 1656, a con- siderable number of French Vaudois or Waldenses, suffer- ing under persecution, came to New Netherland, of whom 70 APPENDIX. some settled on Staten Island and some in New Amster- dam, of which the records of the church bear testimony. Dominie Drisius being well acquainted with the French language, preached for their benefit, also occasionally, visiting Staten Island. The Rev. John Megapolensis, before alluded to, sent his son Samuel to Harvard College, Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1657, where he spent three years in the course of his education, when he was sent to Leyden University, in Hol- land, where, in 1662, he was licensed for the ministry, and obtained the degree of Doctor of Medicine, after pursuing a course of medical studies. On his return, he became a collegiate pastor of the church at New Amsterdam, and was appointed by Gov. Stuyvesant one of the Commission- ers to negotiate with the British Commissioners in relation to the capitulation of the province. These references are made to show the feelings entertained by Gov. Stuyvesant and the Dutch colonists in relation to the English. 3. The administration of Gov. Stuyvesant was faith- fully DEVOTED TO THE PROMOTION OF PUBLIC MORALS, AND THE ADVANCEMENT OF THE INTERNAL PROSPERITY OF THE PROVINCE. In a letter of the minister of the Church to the Classis of Amsterdam, dated November, 1649, he says — " The state of morals in our place has been at a low ebb. Numerous vessels from the West Indies, Virginia, &c, sailing along our coast, put in here, and have given rise to too great a number of taverns, which have exerted a bad influence upon the inhabitants. In consequence, intemperance and Sabbath-breaking have prevailed. Our Director General has employed his influence to abate and remove these evils by the laws he has enacted, and the efforts he has employed. The good effects are already seen around us." In the pub- lic records at Albany, we find laws early enacted for regu- lating taverns, in connection with the Lord's day, discourag- ing demoralizing sports, &c. His attention was early directed to proper plans for building up the city so as to secure a degree of beauty, order and safety. He also di- rected the establishment of a good police. There is evi- APPENDIX. 71 dence, that, during his administration, an encouraging and valuable, if not rapid growth, took place in the different towns of New Netherland, notwithstanding the lack of direct and efficient aid yielded by the States General, and the adverse influences which operated. The colonists who came over with Gov. Stuyvesant, and subsequently, were of the most respectable character for industry, morality and general standing ; and a considerable impetus was given to the agricultural settlements. Gov. Stuyvesant appears to have attached great value and importance to the means of education. In a letter to the Classis of Amsterdam, 1649, he says — " We stand in need, at present, of a pious, well-qualified and diligent school- master. Nothing is of greater importance than the right early instruction of the youth. ' Qui nihil agendo male agere discit.' I trust that your reverend body will allow no delay in selecting a well-qualified person to be sent out by the Company." It has been observed, to the merited praise of the Puritans, that they carried with them, wherever they went, the church and the schoolhouse. The emigrants from Holland were not undeserving of a similar praise. Pro- vision is made in the charter of the West India Company, and in the charter of liberties and privileges to the Patroons, that ministers and schoolmasters should be sent out to the first settlers. The schoolmasters were selected for their fitness to teach, and their character as pious members of the church ; and they officiated as readers and choristers in the churches. In the infancy of settlements, where the inhabitants were few, and where there was no minister, it was their office to lead worship on the Sabbath, by offering prayer and reading a sermon. The late excellent Patroon Stephen Van Rensselaer, showed to me a clause in one of the earliest leases granted by his ancestor, the first Patroon, Kilian Van Rensselaer, requiring him, with other tenants in that vicinity, to assemble on the Sabbath for prayer and reading of a sermon. Care was taken to provide ministers in the early period of the settlement. It has been supposed and stated that days of annual 72 APPENDIX. thanksgiving, or fasting, were introduced by, and were, in a great measure, peculiar to the Puritans of New England. We, however, find them in observance in the colony of New Netherland. A proclamation by Gov. Kieft, as early as 1643, is preserved. I have found, in the records of the Dutch Churches here, copies of Gov. Stuyvesant's proclamations for three different years, 1660, 1662, 1663. They are excellent papers of the kind, and are richly im- bued with Christian sentiments and a Christian spirit. The year 1663 was distinguished by the terrible massacre at Esopus, and the conflict with the Indians which followed, and also by a great mortality through the prevalence of small-pox. The Governor issued a proclamation referring to these events, and directing a day of humiliation and prayer in July. These calamities remaining, the first Wed- nesday in every month was recommended to be observed for the same purpose until December, when a pacification was entered into with the Indians, and the small-pox was arrested. A day of thanksgiving was then observed on the first Wednesday in January, to close the train of month- ly religious exercises connected with these events. The charge of religious bigotry and persecution has been made against the administration of Governor Stuyvesant, on account of the strong measures employed to prevent the organization of a Lutheran congregation and the exercise of separate worship, and also on account of the persecution of the Quakers. The charge must to a certain extent be admitted, and can only be palliated, and not justified. The prevalent views, and spirit of the age had not reoognized the free exercise of worship in connection with the rights of conscience. The light which Roger Williams had struck out on this subject, was not yet diffused or accredited. Gov. Stuyvesant felt an obligation of conscience arising from his official oath, in which he promised to protect the interest of the Reformed Church, to give it prominence, and to oppose the organization of a Lutheran Church. The Re- formed Church at New Amsterdam also opposed it, express- ing their fear6, that in the infancy of the settlement it would APPENDIX. 73 greatly weaken the Church formed, and on the whole be prejudicial to the interests of religion ; and suggesting that they might enjoy religious privileges and ordinances in the Reformed Church, without finding their consciences aggriev- ed. I have in my hand some correspondence of the Church of New Amsterdam, with the Classis of Amsterdam, which throws light upon the measures employed in relation to Lutheran worship, and in some degree explaining the in- fluences and circumstances connected with them, and soft- ening the features apparent on the face of the enactments of the Governor General, and council. In the course of correspondence, more correct principles of religious liberty, and freedom of worship were brought out ; and the West India Company advised to a liberal and tolerant policy. The following extract from a letter of that Company, to Gov. Stuyvesant, 1663, furnishes a well expressed state- ment of the principle of religious liberty, now so well accredited and prevalent, but at that time little understood, or practised. " In the youth of your existence you ought rather to encourage than to check the population of the colony. The consciences of men ought to be free, and un- shackled, so long as they continue moderate, peaceable, unoffensive, and not hostile to the government. Such have been the maxims of prudence, and toleration, by which the magistrates of this city (Amsterdam) have been governed ; and the consequences have been that the oppressed, and persecuted from every country, have found among us an asylum from distress. Follow in the same steps, and you will be blessed." At the time the Quakers visited New Netherland, shortly after their first rise in England, many of them at least, did not possess that quiet, peaceable, and well disciplined character which they afterwards mani- fested, and by which they have gained the respect of the community among whom they have resided. At that time, there was with many of them a high-wrought spirit of enthusiasm, which in its occasional ebullitions, was bitter in its reproaches, and led to the invasion of the public worship of the churches. At the time of their appearance 7 74 APPENDIX. in New Netherlands, they had just been expelled from New England, where measures of a far severer character than those subsequently employed here, had been enacted and enforced. A few fleeing from New England, came to New Amsterdam, and a number landed from a vessel direct from England. The first appearance was that of three or four in the streets of New Amsterdam, uttering loud denun- ciations, and so conducting themselves as in the opinion of the magistrates to disturb the public peace. This, in con- nection with the strong measures employed by the New England authorities against them, raised a cloud of preju- dice around them, which the course of some of them was not calculated to dispel. Strong prejudice alwa} r s requires the best directed influences to overcome it. That excellent, devoted, self-denying, and useful body of Christians, the Moravians, labored for a time extensively during the last century under prejudices, which, after a season, they lived down, gaining the cordial and high esteem of the whole Christian community. Gov. Stuyvesant was a member of the Reformed Church, and at times a ruling elder. He was sincerely and ..firmly attached to her doctrines and order, and the testimony surviving bears evidence of the consistency of his Christian profession. His public documents have occasionally a vein of piety running through them. It is well known that he purchased and occupied a farm in the vicinity of Fort Amsterdam, called afterwards the Governor's Bouwerie, (or farm,) whence the name of one of our principal streets is derived. He built a small house of worship on his land, on the very spot where St. Marks Church now stands, at his expense, in order to accommodate his neighbors and domestics. In 1CG0 the Rev. Henry Selyns was called from Holland, and took charge of the Church in Brooklyn, and the Church on the Governor's Bouwerie. The Governor personally pledged one half of his support. Dom. Selyns writes to the Classis of Amsterdam that the Governor was solicitous for the welfare of the negroes on his farm and in his neighborhood. He states that at the earnest request of APPENDIX. 75 the Governor he had particularly labored for the instruc- tion and benefit of the negroes ; that while among the adults but little good was effected on account of their long- formed habits, he met with considerable success among the young in promoting the cultivation of their minds, while some gave evidence of piety. This circumstance does credit to the enlightened liberality, and Christian benevo- lence of Gov. Stuyvesant. After the surrender he became a quiet and respected citizen under the new government. It is related that when John Adams, the first Ambassador from the United States to Great Britain, after the peace in 1 783, was introduced to George the Third, the king said : "I was the last to consent to your Independence, and I shall be the last interfere with it." So Gov. Stuyvesant might have said, that he was the last to consent to the surrender, and would be the last to interfere with the suc- cessful operations of the new government. He paid, after his retirement to private life, a visit to his Fatherland, and then returned to spend the remainder of his days in the bosom of his family, fulfilling his duties as a citizen, the head of his household, and a member and officer of the Church. After his retirement from public life, and the possession of greater leisure, he probably devoted more time in actively promoting the interests of the Church, as I find his name more prominently occurring as a ruling elder. He died at the good old age of eighty, in 1672. On tracing his admin- istration, we find proofs of his unremitted activity and energy. Whether in council or war, he was in every critical instance himself directing. Two or three times he visited New England, to negotiate with the choicest spirits of the provinces, and at the post of danger, he appeared in person at Esopus, and on the Delaware. His presiding genius was equally felt in the internal affairs of the colony. Left by the parent state with feeble resources, pressed from within and from without with great dangers, he success- fully excited a controlling influence which secured order, and growth, till irresistible influences brought an end to 76 ArrENDix. the Dutch rule over the colony. We believe that, in the light of history that has survived, after the severest test, to mark the faults, of his administration, there is enough re- maining to warrant the recognition of him as a brave and chivalric soldier, a courteous gentleman, a discreet states- man, and a humble Christian. The portrait of Gov. Stuy- vesant that has been handed down, exhibits features of the noblest mould, well fitting such a character. There is a reference in this paper to the correspondence of the Reformed Dutch Church here, and the Classis of Amsterdam. These churches were originally founded and continued under the care and direction of that Classis. After the transfer of the Dutch Colony, they still remained in connection, and correspondence wuth the Classis of Am- sterdam, until 1771. When recently the General Synod of the Reformed Dutch Church here suggested the prepara- tion of a History of the Church in America, J. R. Brod- head, Esq., was requested to inquire as to the materials remaining in the Archives of the Classis of Amsterdam. He found a considerable amount of documents received from Ministers, Churches, &c. in America, and also the correspondence of the Classis carefully preserved, copied into volumes. The original letters and documents were forwarded for the use of the General Synod, to be returned at the end of four years. Among these are a number of letters during the Dutch Colonial Government, reaching from 1G49 to 16G4. APPENDIX. 77 MEETING OF THE SIXTH OF FEBRUARY. THE PRESIDENT IN THE CHAIR, Mr. Henry R. Schoolcraft read the following paper : — Comments, Philological and Historical, on the Aboriginal Names and Geographical Terminology, of the State of New York. Part First : Valley of the Hudson. In a Report from the Committee on Indian names, &c. § Ancient Indian Stocks of North America, east of the Mississippi river. — From Tradition. In speaking of the Ancient Tribes, who inhabited the borders of the Atlantic, Philologists have found a manifest want of terms of an appropriate-generic character, and yet sufficiently distinctive, to denote the original races, or mother-stocks, who have peopled the country. Tradition has preserved but a few names, of this character, relative to the great unknown period of their early chronology. Our absolute knowledge of the entire race, does not pene- trate farther back than 1492 ; and it was a century later, before the Atlantic coasts of North America began to be settled. At this era, the native population was divided into an almost infinite number of tribes, each of whom claimed some of the characteristics of nationality, but none of whom had preserved any exact and clear traditions of their origin, history or affiliation. The course of the migration of barbaric tribes, on this continent, appears to have resembled that, which history denotes to have prevailed on the Asiatic continent, and 78 APPENDIX. during the early epochs of Europe. One type or race of adventurous or predatory tribes, succeeded another, and held possession for a time, till it was pushed away, or over- thrown by a stronger or fiercer tribe. Of these successive developments of a wandering people, in North America, theory and conjecture, have left us an ample field for their exercise, but nearly all that we can say, with historic truth, of the early state of our aborigines, is, that the last bands, in point of time, were numerically greater or stronger, than their predecessors in the forest, since they conquered them, and kept possesion of the country. When the continent itself was first occupied, where the impulse of population began its movement, and how it proceeded, in the career of conquest and the division of nations and languages, we cannot pretend, with any certainty, to say. The first voyagers and discoverers, found all the coast inhabited, but not densely occupied. The people, seen at various places, resembled each other very much, in looks, color, habits and manners. They were nomades and hunters, roved vast tracts, with bow and arrow, claimed to be independent of each other, and spoke diverse languages. The number of the tribes and nations, appeared to be very great. It was evident, however, as soon as enquiry began to be properly directed to the subject, that, while the territory of North America was overspread with a multiplicity of tribes and bands, each bearing a separate name, and claiming separate sovereignty, there were but a few generic stocks. And that the diversity noticed by Europeans, and insisted on by the aborigines themselves, had arisen, chiefly, from the progress and development of languages, among rude and unlettered tribes. Distinct from this diversity of lan- guage, they might have all been called one people. When we dismiss this era of the colonization of our coast, and push back the inquiry on the simple strength of abori- ginal tradition, concerning the generic stocks, and the an- cient state of things among them, it is remarkable how little we have, which is at all entitled to attention. Even the Aztecs, who had attained a state of semi-civilization, APPENDIX. 79 in the valley of Mexico, and had a system of pictorial in- scription superior to the northern tribes, are not able to trace their history beyond the year of our Lord, 1000. And much of the certainty of this computation arises from the observation of an eclipse during the reign of one of their emperors, which has enabled astronomers, to verify the period. But the tribes situated north of the Gulf of Mexico, as a general limit, and east of the Mississippi, while they also used, to some extent, a pictorial and symbolic method of expressing ideas on strips of bark and other substances, had, actually, no signs whatever to mark their chronology, and hardly a trace of astronomical knowledge, beyond the counting of the phases of the moon, and the noting of the summer and winter solstices. The latter constituted the completion of their year, and was the term found to be in universal use, for computing age. They had no history, no chronology, no astronomy, no arts, no letters — nothing, in fine, by which they could connect themselves with the other races of the human family in Europe, Asia, or Africa. With the exception of the Aztec picture writings, there was not even a tradition of such connexion. Most of the tribes north of the latitude of the Gulf of Mexico, believed themselves to have come out of the ground, by an almighty fiat, which they concealed under various allegories ; and to have no foreign, or derivative origin. Where there is so much thick darkness, it is gratifying to find even a little light breaking it. In contemplating their traditions, we find two or three names of races, which we may regard as occupying the foreground of our Indian his- tory. Tradition asserts, that at an ancient period, there was a powerful nation living in the southern spurs of the great mountain range, which still bears their name, who were called, by early writers, Appalachites. They spread over the vallies and rivers having their issue in the Mexi- can Gulf, where some of their descendants have remained, under various names, constituting the Indians of the Flori- dian type, and others migrated south into the circle of the 80 APPENDIX. Carribean islands.* The northern extension of the Appa- lachian chain, brings to notice another of the early abori- ginal races, of the anti-colonial period, in the popular name of Alleghany. This name is derived, according to the re- spectable authority of Colonel Gibson, who was well versed in the Indian languages, from Talligues or Talligewy, an ancient people who inhabited the banks of the Alleghany river, and the northern spurs of the Alleghany mountains. The name of this nation, he thinks, should be written Allegewi. Indian tradition, which is recorded in the transactions of the American Philosophical Society, asserts that the Alle- gewi had crossed the Mississippi, in their migration, east- ward, and reached and spread themselves in the vallies of these mountains. In the progress of the occupancy of this part of the continent, they were followed by two other stocks, of diverse language, who, however, formed an alli- ance for their overthrow and expulsion. One of these allied tribes, is known to modern writers, under the name of Min- goes, but more generally under the French sobriquet of Iroquois, — a term founded on an exclamation which these warlike people employed, in their responses to public speeches. In the progress of their eventful history, they called themselves, some half a century before the settlement of New York,f Acquinushionee or United Tribes, but are better known, in our historical annals, at first as the Five, and afterwards, the Six Nations. The other tribe of the ancient alliance to overthrow the Allegewi, philologists have agreed to call by the name of Algonquins, or Algics. The particular type of them who entered into this alliance on the Ohio, denominated themselves Lenno Lenapees, a term meaning according to various interpreters, either the Common People, or the People who are men. In the course of a long and sanguinary warfare maintained by these two nations against the Allegewi, the latter were finally defeated * The History of the Cariby Islands &c. — John Duvies, London, 1GG6. t Pyrlases. APPENDIX. 81 and expelled from the country, retreating down the valley of the Ohio, since which period, they have not re-appeared. Such are the Aboriginal accounts as derived from the Lenapees. The Iroquois and Algonquin races spread themselves, north-eastwardly along the Atlantic coasts, and up the St. Lawrence Valley into the Great Lakes. Virginia, the Carolinas, and Maryland were first colonized, while tribes of each of these generic stocks, still occupied the Allegha- nies and its vallies. Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York, were settled under similar circumstances, of Indian occupancy, with this characteristic difference, which ap- plied, however to some extent south, that the Iroquois tribes, occupied the sources of the great streams, and interior grounds, while nations of the Algic or Algonquin type, were planted at the mouths of the rivers and along the Atlantic coasts. It has been noticed in the world's history, that ichtheophagi are of less muscular strength and energy, than nations who subsist on flesh. The result in our coast tribes, not only affirms this observation, but another remarkable consequence, grew out of this general geographical position. The Iroquois race by occupying the summit lands and sources of the great navigable rivers of the continent east and north-east of the Alleghanies, placed themselves on vantage ground, and by drawing, as it were, a cordon around the back of the Indian towns from North Carolina to Western New York, by the way of the Alleghany and the Ohio, the St. Lawrence and the Lakes, subdued the Atlantic Algon- quins and placed them either in a state of political surveil- liance or of actual tribute. This general result had happened, when the colonies began to be planted about A. D. 1600; and had the influx into North America, of the Saxon and Celtic races, been delayed, a century longer, the world would have, probably seen, in the Acquinushionee, another example of semi-civilization, equal in acquirements, and far superior in efficiency, to the Mexican empire, under the Montezumas. 82 appendix. § Closer view of the dispersion op the Generic tribes ; from History : effects of change on Language. We can but glance at events, as we come into the historic period. In the year 1610, Lord de la Warre, in a passage to Virginia, touched at the Capes of the Delaware, and the Indian name of the river, which was not euphonious, was changed out of compliment to this nobleman, to Delaware. The Lenno Lenapees, who then inhabited its banks, also in time, dropped their vernacular term and took the name of Delawares, which has been continued to the present time. Penn adopted it, in his subsequent treaties with them, on the settlement of Pennsylvania, and popular usage has now sanctioned it, for two centuries. The Lenapees, consisted originally, as they affirm, of three tribes, the Unami, or Turtle, the Mississa or Turkey, and the Minci, or Wolf. The two former, must have been early blended, as they are not known, in their separate ex- istence, under our history. The Minci, or Moncees, as they are more generally called, occupied the eastern parts of New Jersey from the sea coast, to the west banks of the Hudson, and up the same, keeping its west bank as high as the Wallkill. The Nanticokes of Maryland and Virginia, united their broken fortunes with the Delawares, and ascend- ed the Delaware river with them, and thus intermingled with the Monceys. It is in this manner, that the Indian popula- tion of the sources of the Delaware became very mixed in its character, and led at various times and places, in the settlement of that part of our State, to the application of several distinct terms, to a people, who had, in reality strong affinities of blood, and spoke dialects of the same parent language. As an instance, those of them, who dwelt at a large island in the Delaware, were called Minnisinks, or Islanders, a term purely geographical, and affording no indication of distinctive nationality. By the intercommu- nication which exists between the head-waters of the Delaware, and the banks of the Hudson, through the Wall- kill, this mixed population, spread from river to river, taking APPENDIX. 83 distinctive local names from the spots where they resided. It is in this manner, that the original area of the counties of Orange and Ulster, became the locality of numerous bands, who had, however no well founded claim to be considered as independent tribes, or even sub-tribes. In one quarter, this population crossed the Hudson to its eastern banks, and spread among, or lived in villages, intercalated with the Mohegans. This was the character of portions of the In- dian population of the ancient area of Dutchess county. Let us now return to the Atlantic coast. We have seen that this coast, from Virginia to the Gulf of the St. Law- rence, was occupied by tribes of the Great Algonquin race. How the population of this important stock diffused itself, and assumed peculiarities, as it spread from south to north, along the sea coast, reaching to Massachusetts and Maine, and Nova Scotia, we do not know ; but we perceive in the languages, and in the general manners, customs and tradi- tions of the tribes, at the respective eras of settlement, indubitable proofs of the ancient connection and ethnolo- gical affiliation of all these tribes. Whether the Powhat- tanic type of the Algic, had preceded or mixed with the Lenapee, in its course northward and eastward, producing the sub-types of the Mohegan, Narragansett, Metoac and others, must be mere conjecture ; but there are strong analogies of sound, as well as proofs of syllabical intermix- ture, in the examination of the language, to favor the conjecture. As a general principle in the sounds of the language we may remark, that the open vowel sounds became less characteristic of words, as the tribes advanced northwardly and diffused themselves over the seaboard of New York and New England. This influence of change and deterioration was felt, and is to be perceived, at this day, in the geographical names of the north, in the the loss of the liquid / of the Lenapees and of the sonorous asperate in r of the Powhattans. The sound of the letter r ceases, in the Indian words of the coast, in the progress northeast, after passing the Chesapeake, and is supplied by an. That of the letter /, ceases after passing the capes of the Dela- 84 APPENDIX. ware, and does not quite reach, in any instance, the west banks of the Hudson. This letter is the test tof the true extent of Lenapee or Delaware proper. Other interchanges of the consonants occur, in this transfusion of the Algic race northward. They may be remarked, in a striking manner, by the changes of the local inflection, in geographi- cal names from o, oc, and ong, to uk, and ett, which are very common after reaching to, and beyond the Hudson. The whole of the sea coast tribes were semi-ichtheophagi, and the deteriorating influence of habit upon language, is plainly discernible, when we compare the vocabularies of these sea coast tribes, with those of cognate tribes in the west and northwest, and midland districts of the conti- nent, who subsist on flesh and pursue invigorating em- ployments of the chace. On reaching the harbor and expanded bay of New York, we first find in the Indian names, the territory of the Mohegans. When the Dutch in 1609 entered the river, which now bears the name of Hudson, its left, or eastern banks, were found to be inhabited by this stock. They were broken up, into a great many bands, and local chief- taincies, or sachemdoms, each of which bore a separate name, like our townships, and each claiming independent power, but all being sufficiently identified by their parent language. Those who occupied the island of New York or Manhattan, together with Staten Island, and the smaller group, called themselves Monatons or Manhattans, a term which it will be perceived was merely geographical. On the colonization of the country, these Manhattanese or Monatons were found to be but one of the numerous family of Mohegans. §. Importance of a just philological Classification of the tribes, and the connected question of original pre- cedency among them. There is still another preliminary remark, which the com- mittee have to offer, before preceding to the consideration APPENDIX. 85 of particular names. The term Algonquin was introduced by the early missionary writers on the American languages, on the first discovery and settlement of the country. By it they comprehended a very large family of tribes, who, although distinguished by dialectic differences, and living at widely remote points, united in the general scheme of utterance, which is peculiar to these tribes. The sounds of this language are soft, its vocabulary comparatively full, and its forms of combination very rich and expressive. It has been deemed, so to say, the court language of the Tribes. The term itself is a matter of little consequence, any more than as furthering the purposes of precision in generalization, and might be readily exchanged for any other term equally euphonous, were it proposed. Nothing of the kind was offered to philologists previous to the year 1818, when the late Mr. Du Ponceau, a man eminent in philology, in presenting some letters on the Delaware language, to the American Philosophical Society, from the Rev. John Heckewelder, called the use of the term in ques- tion, and suggested, as a generic, the word Lenapee. This was done, on the theory of justice to this tribe, who affirm themselves to be the oldest member of the family ; and not from any other objection to the prevailing generic. The Lenapees certainly have claims to tribal priority, among this race, within a circle, after we have, in the propagation of the race northeastwardly, crossed the Susquehanna and the Chesapeake ; but before this claim can be admitted to include all who are comprehended by the term Algonquin, or its adjunct Algic, we should know what the Powhattans would have had to say on this head. Where a question so general is mooted, we should also be pleased to hear what the old Apalachians {or Appalachites,) or the still existing Iroquois, might have had to urge, by way of corrobo- ration, or denial ! The numerous family of the Algics of New England, certainly looked to the southwest, as the place of their origin, but they had no traditions which linked them with the Lenno Lenapees. They were rather affiliated, it would seem, with the Met6a.cs 8 86 APPENDIX. of Long Island,* and with the Mohegans of the banks of the Hudson.f By the traditions of the Yendots or Wyandots, who are of the lineage of the Iroquois, the North American Indians had a unity of origin, and the Wyandots were, originally, placed at the head of the tribes. In this traditionary account, they merge the distinctions of language, as if it were something of an accidental charac- ter. They regard the Lenapees, as an uncle's children, and call them nephews.J Few persons have written, at large, on the principles of the Indian languages, and the reason of Mr. Du Ponceau's suggestions not having been generally adopted by histo- rians and popular writers, is probably to be found, in part, in the attachment of writers to existing terms, generally known, as well as to the less pleasing rythm of- the new term. So far as historical causes weigh, the objection lies in the heretofore restricted use of the word Lenapee, which had been exclusively applied to designate a particular tribe ; and not like the word Algonquin, a race of people. Mr. Gallatin, in his " Synopsis of the Indian Tribes," published by the American Antiquarian Society of Massa- chusetts, in 1836, proposed to accommodate the question to philologists by writing the two terms, and denominating this radical stock " Algonkin -Lenapee." The term accu- rately reaches the object, but is done at the expense of words. Few writers will adopt two words for one, espe- cially if the one be previously well known and approved, even if the compound is in other respects preferable. In the remarks which are to follow, the committee may, it is thought, secure for their investigations, the character of philological precision, without entering the field of dogmati- cal discussion. Each term will be considered the equiva- lent of the other. They refer to the same family, the same principles, and the same generic traits of history and lan- guage. The Mincees of the west bank of the Hudson, were so nearly allied to the Delawares that they might be called * Rhode Island, His. Trans, t Gov. Trumbull's letter. I Oneota, No. 4. p. APPENDIX. 87 Delawares. But, while this is admitted, the committee can- not consent to call the Mon-a-tons or the Mohegans of the east shore Delawares, as has been sometimes vaguely done. Such a usage is as far from precision, as it would be, to call the Panees or Mandans, Sioux ; the Wyandots, Iroquois, or the Miamis or Shawnoes, Chippewas, merely because the designated groups respectively speak elementary dialects of three separate generic languages. § Historical and philological notice op the minci and mohegans, the two leading tribes, who inhabited the valley of the hudson. In taking up the Indian terminology of the State, in de- tail, the first subjects that call for preliminary attention are the terms Mohegan, and Minci, the names of the two tribes of Algonquin lineage, who inhabited the valley of the Hudson, between New York and Albany. Mohegan is a word, the meaning of which is not explained by the early writers, but if we may trust the deductions of philology, it needs create little uncertainty. In the Mohe- gan, as spoken at the present time by their lineal descen- dants, the Stockbridges of Wisconsin, Maihtshow, is the name of the common wolf. It is called, in cognate dialects of the Algonquin, Myegan by the Kenistenos, and Myeengun by the Chippewas, Otawas, and Pottowattomies. In the old Algonquin, as given by La Hontan, it is Mahingan, and we perceive, that this was the term employed by the early French writers for the Mohegans. In the language of the Indian priests or medais, a mystical use of the names of various objects in the animated creation is made, in order to clothe their arts with a degree of respect and authority, which ignorant nations are ready to pay to whatever they do not fully understand, in other words, that which is mys- terious. Thus, in the medicen songs of the Odjibwas, a wolf is called, not Myeengun, the popular term, but Moh-hwag. It is believed the priests of the ancient Mohegans made similar distortion of their words, for similar ends, and that 88 APPENDIX. the terms Moh hi Kan, and Moh hin gan, used by the early French missionary writers for this tribe, furnish the origin of the term. The term itself, it is to be understood, by which the tribe is known to us, is not the true Indian, but has been shorn of a part of its sound, by the early Dutch, French, and English writers. The modern tribe of the Mo- hegans, to whom allusion has been made, called them- selves Muhhekaniew. This is, manifestly, a compound de- clarative phrase, and not a simple nominative, and is equiv- alent to the phrase, I am a Mohegan. It is in accordance both with religious custom, and the usage of the Indian priesthood, to infer a unity of superstitious practices in nearly affiliated tribes. In this manner, the word " Mohe- gan," was used to denote, not a common wolf, but the caries lupus, under the supposed influence of medical or necro- mantic arts. In other words, Mohegan was a phrase to de- note an enchanted wolf, or a wolf of supernatural power. This was the badge or arms of the tribe, rather than the name of the tribe itself. And this, also, it may be inferred, constituted originally, the point of distinction, between them and the Minci, or wolf tribe proper. The affinities of the Mohegans with the Minci, or Mon- cees, on the west banks of the Hudson, and through them with the Delawares, are apparent, in the language, and were well recognized at the era of the settlement. The Mincees, as we have before intimated, were one of the origin- al families or the tribe of the Lenno Lenapees, from whom, however, they had separated before the Discovery, and spread themselves over the present area of New Jersey. They were the first remove in the chain of ethnological affinities. They had lost from their language, the sound of the letter L, so abundant in the parent language, and sub- stituted n for it, as their geographical names prove. They were, however, in no accurate sense, either philologically or historically, Mohegans. The latter constituted, so far as we can judge, the second remove in tribal progression, or na- tionality. They were at war with the Mincees on the lower Jersey shores of the river, yet it is clear, that when a general APPENDIX. 89 council of sachems was called at the fort of New Amster- dam by Governor Keift in 1645, there were present dele- gates from the Tappansees, and some other western villa- ges.* These villages, it is equally manifest, were in subjec- tion to, or under the jurisdiction of leading sachems of the Manhattanese or others in close alliance with them, living at Sin Sinck, or at higher points on the Westchester coast. § General line of demarcation between these two tribes, north and south. These two tribes, were sub-divided into numerous bands, each known by a distinctive name, and each assuming, ac- cording to their strength or position, some powers of sove- reignty. The river Hudson constituted the general boundary betw r een them, and across its waters, war parties were con- ducted, from time to time, and local conquests, or visits of retribution made. There is not much fixity now in the boun- daries, and powers of any of our existing tribes, and there could have been as little then. The minor bands of each party were mere varieties in name, having the same politi- cal relation to each other, that one of our modern town- ships along the banks of the river, has to another. As a general remark, all the bands of the west shores were Mincees, [all on the east Mohegans. They lived onl ill terms with each other, and were frequently engaged in open hostilities. Bands of the Minci type, have left their names, on the west shores of the Hudson, from Navisink, on the sea shore, to, and above the influx of the Wallkill. They spread over all East Jersey. The line between them and the Lenni Lenapees or Delawares proper, it is not easy to determine. Mr. Gallatin, in his ethnological map, places it at the falls of the Raritan, and thence in the direction of the falls of the Delaware. Such a division of authority is very plausibly drawn from one of their ancient treaties.f The Mohegans on the east shore, have, on the other hand, * De Vries, N. Y. His. Col. New Series. t Archalogia Americana. 8* 00 APPENDIX. left their names on that bank. They had departed from the standard of utterance, in using the sound of th, and in giving geographical names their local termination in uk, instead of ink. The language as used by them and by the analogous bands east of them, was also more consonantal. They had, as before premised of the eastern Algics gener- ally, lost the 1, and the musical sound of oa, so often heard in the Lenapee, as in the verb Ahoala, to love. They were characteristically a stern and warlike people. This was particularly true of the early Mon-a-tons, who warred east upon the Matoacs, and west upon the Sanhicans, a band of the Mincees. There is but little reason to doubt that the Mohegan stock extended eastward across the sea shores of Connecticut, to the boundaries of the Narragansetts, and that the Mohegans and the indomitable Pequots were originally, one people. This opinion was affirmed by the Connecticut government, 1474, when they declared the title of the Pequots to extend to the banks of the Hudson. Had this argument been reversed, and the title of the Mohegans of the Hudson, been asserted up to the west line of Rhode Island, the force of it would appear to have been more in consonance with the probable events of history. As a question of origin merely, it must naturally have been de- cided in favor of the parent source, which from all known tradition was west. It was a question, at that day, whether the Mohegans were originally Pequots, or the Pequots, Mo- hegans. Gov. Clinton, in his discourse before this Society, in 1814, inclines to the Mohegan type of supremacy, and this opinion is certainly favored by well known events in the early history of Connecticut. The rise and dynasty of Uncas, can be regarded in no other light, but as a resump- tion and appeal to, by him, of the original generic and true name, while he left Sassacus to perish with the ill-starred soubriquet of Pequot. appendix. 91 § Question of supremacy between the Algonquin and Iroquois race at the era of the settlement of New York. But however, the Mohegans and their western neighbors, the Mincees differed, both in their language and otherwise, they were united in their variance with the Iroquois. The Hudson river, which constituted a national boundary be- tween them, served only as an avenue of descent for their more fierce and powerful enemy from the north. The dis- covery of the Hudson and arrival of the Dutch in this con- dition of the affair, were fortunate events for these two tribes of so-called Mixed or River Indians. Obvious prin- ciples of policy led the Dutch to sustain the latter. It was equally also their policy to maintain a peace with the for- mer. Their prosperity depended upon the Fur Trade, and these nations were the elements of it. A noted and long remembered convocation of the chiefs of all parties, took place about twenty-one years after Hudson first dropped anchor in the river, say in 1630, or about fifteen years after the building of the first fort at Albany. It occurred but a few miles from fort Orange, on the banks of a stream then called the Towasentha, flowing in from the Helderberg mountains. This stream is known in modern geography as Norman's Kill. At this council, a general peace was made, between the Mohegans, the Mincees, the Lenni Lenapees and the Iroquois. The supreme power of the latter was ac- knowledged, as it had been obtained in former conquests on the Hudson, the Delaware, and the Susquehanna. This general peace and alliance was established, under the super- vision of the Dutch authorities, and the right of the Iroquois affirmed to preside over and convey the title, in all cessions of Indian territory. This right all the southwestern tribes recognized, as far south as the Kentucky river, the title to the north bank of which, was ceded to the whites by the Iroquois.* The Lenapees had long before been conquered by these " Romans of the North.'f and dropt the war-club. And * Im lay's Hist. Kentucky. t Clinton's Discourse. 92 APPENDIX. this is, in truth, the whole foundation, for that precious piece of fanciful reminiscence, in which a subjugated peo- ple have endeavored to solace their pride and hide their de- feat, by the tradition put forth by the Lenapees that they had voluntarily assumed the attitude of Peace Makers. Or in symbolic language, put on the Petticoat.* It would require, however, greater means of research than the Committee has been able to bring to the task, to tell when ? or where ? in the whole history of Indian nego- ciations they were ever consulted or employed by other tribes as ambassadors of peace. The Iroquois would not permit them, even to sell land, which they occupied on the Susquehanna, without their concurrence and consent. f It has been equally difficult to perceive at what time or place they ever omitted to take up the tomahawk, when their position rendered success probable. Some apology may seem to be due for taking so general a view of the historical traits of the territorial area to be commented on, but it is believed that by this course, the Committee will be relieved of embarrassment in its progress. Nothing now remains but to indicate the plan of procedure. There will be an advantage, it is believed, so far, at least, as relates to the labor of investigation, by taking up the State geographically or in sections. 1. Long Island is sufficient in extent, and in the number and separation of its aboriginal tribes, to justify the labors of a separate report. 2. The tide waters of the Hudson constitutes another separate and ample field for study. 3. The Valley of the Mohawk is rich in accessible and highly interesting aboriginal associations. 4. The sources of the Delaware and the Susquehanna, require to be investigated for their names, through many volumes, and appear to embrace materials enough for a distinct report. 5. The northern sources of the Hudson, of which the * Colden. tJ. Heckewelder Historical Com. Am. Phi. Transactions. APPENDIX. 93 true discovery and exploration, is, to a great extent, modern, and is connected with the State Geological Survey, de- mands besides these documents local aid, in gathering up its traditions of names. 6. The borders of lake Champlain, and the valley of the St. Lawrence, must also be investigated with particular reference to the fact of their early Indian occupancy and comparatively recent date of white settlement. 7. The wide field of western New York, beyond the Stanwix Summit, presents, in its sonorous vocabulary of names, a still more interesting section of philological re- search. Each of these fields of observation, demand time and care, with every aid of books, and maps, and reference to early surveys, title deeds, and traditions. Little more can, indeed, be now attempted, than to make a beginning, and it is hoped that the amount of time demanded, and the difficulty of acquiring documents, or even enlisting personal aid, will plead some indulgence, for the little that is offered. § Indian terminology of the islands and bay of New York. The first name, which occurs, is that of the Hudson river. It does not appear that the discoverer thought of giving it his own name. In the narrative of his voyage, it is called the Great river of the Mountains, or simply, the Great river. This term was simply translated by his employers, the servants of the Dutch West India Company, who, on the early maps of Nova Belgica, called it Groote Riviere. It was afterwards called Nassau, after the reigning House, but this name was not persevered in. At a subsequent time, they gave it the name of Mauritius, after Prince Maurice, but this name, if it was ever much in vogue, either did not prevail against, or was early exchanged for the popular term of North River — a name, which it emphati- cally bore to distinguish it from the Lenapihittuck or Dela- ware, which they called the South river. [Zuydt Rivier.] That the name of Mauritius was but partially introduced. 94 APPENDIX. is indicated by the reply made by the New England autho- rities to a letter respecting boundaries of Gov. Kieft, in 1646, in which they declare, in answer to his complaint of encroachments on its settlements, their entire ignorance of any river bearing this name. Neither of the Indian names, by which it was called, appear to have found much favor. The Mohegans called it Shatemuc. Shaita, in the cognate dialect of the Odjibwa, means a pelican. It cannot be affirmed, to denote the same object in this dialect, nor is it known that the pelican has ever been seen on this river. Uc is the ordinary inflection for locality. The Mincees, occupying the west banks, called it Mohegan-ittuck. The syllable itt, before uck, is one of those transitive forms, by which the action of the nomina- tive is engrafted upon the objective, without communi- cating any new meaning. The signification of the term is, Mohegan river. The Iroquois, (as given by the interpreter John Bleeker, and communicated by the late Dr. Samuel L. Mitchill in a letter to Dr. Miller in 1811,) called Ca ho ha t.a te a,* — that is to say, if we have apprehended the word, the great river having mountains beyond the Cahoh or Cahoes Falls. The three prominent Indian names for the Hudson are, therefore, the Mohegan, the Ciiatemuc, and the Cahotatea. The river appears to have been also called, by other tribes of the Iroquois confederacy, Sanataty. The word ataty, here, is the same written atatea, above, and is descriptive of various scenes according to its prefix. The English first named the river, the Hudson, after the surren- der of the colony in 1664. It does not appear, under this name, in any Dutch work or record, which has been ex- amined. It may be observed, that the term has not exclusively prevailed, to the present day, among New Yorkers in the river counties, where the name of North River is still popular. It will be recollected, as a proof of the prevailing custom, that Fulton called his first boat, to test the triumph of steam, "The North River." * Vide Dr. Miller's Historical Discourse. APPENDIX. 95 If the river failed to bear to future times, either of its original names, the island, as the nominative of the city, was equally unfortunate, the more so, it is conceived, as the name of the city became the name of the state. Regret has been expressed, that some one, of the sonorous and ap- propriate Indian names of the west, had not been chosen to designate the state. The colonists, were but little regardful of questions of this kind. Both the Dutch in 1609 and the English in 1664, came with precisely the same force of national prepossession — the first, in favor of Amsterdam, and the second in favor of New York — both connected with the belittling adjective " New." It is characteristic of the English, that they have sought to perpetuate the re- membrance of their victories, conquests and discoveries, by these geographical names. And the word New York, if it redound less to their military or naval glory, than Blen- hiem, Trafalgar and Waterloo, may be cited to show, that this was an early developed trait of character of the Eng- lish, abroad as well as at home. It would be well, indeed, if their descendants in America had been a little more alive, to the influence of this trait. Those who love the land, and cherish its nationalities, would at least have been spared, in witnessing the growth and development of this great city, the continued repetition of foreign, petty or vulgar names, for our streets and squares and public resorts, while such names as Saratoga and Ticonderoga, Niagara and Ontario, Iosco and Owasco, are never thought of.* The Indians called the island Mon-a-ton — dropping the locol inflection uk. The word is variously written by early writers. The sound as pronounced to me in 1827 by Me- toxon, a Mohegan chief, is Mon ah tan uk, a phrase which is descriptive of the whirlpool of Hellgate. Mon or man, as here written, is the radix of the adjective bad, carrying, as it does, in its multiplied forms, the various meanings of violent, dangerous, &c, when applied in compounds. Ah tun, is a generic term for a channel, or stream of run- * Vide Letter to Hon. J. Harper, appended. 96 APPENDIX. ning water. Uk, denotes locality, and also plurality. When the tribe had thus denoted this passage, which is, confessed- ly, the most striking and characteristic geographical feature of the region, they called the island near it, to imply the Anglacized term, Man-hat-tan, and themselves Mon-a-tuns, that is to say, " People of the Whirlpool." It is well known that the Indian tribes, have, generally, taken their distinc- tive names from geographical features. The Narragan- setts, as we are told by Roger Williams, took that name, from a small island off the coast.* Massachusetts, accord- ing to the same authority, signifies the Blue Hills, and is derived from the appearance of lands at sea. Mississaga, signifies they live at the mouth large river, and by an inflection, the people who live at the mouth of the large river or waters. Onondago, means the people who live on the hill. Oneida, the people who sprang from a rock, &c. These names afford no clue to nationalty, they pre- serve no ethnological chain. The traditionj- that this island derives its name from the accidental circumstance of the intoxication of the Indians on Hudson's first visit, in 1609, is a sheer inference, unsup- ported by philology. That the tradition of such an event was preserved and related to the early missionaries by the Mohegan Indians, admits of no doubt, nor is there more, that the island was referred to as the place where their ancestors first obtained the taste of ardent spirits. That the island had no name prior, to 1609, or if well known by a characteristic name, that this elder name was then dropped and a new name bestowed, in allusion to this circumstance of the intoxication, is not only improbable, on known principles, but is wholly unsustained, as will have been perceived by the above etymology. The word for intoxication, or dizziness from drink, in the Algonquin, and with littje change in all the cognate dialects, is Ke wush ku a bee. The verb to drink in the same dialects is Min e kua, * Collections of the Rhode Island Historical Society, Vol. 3. t Collections New York Historical Society, vol. 1. New Series. APPENDIX. 97 in the Mohegan " Minahn" — words having none of the ne- cessary elements of this compound. Very great care is, indeed, required in recording Indian words, to be certain that the word given, is actually expressive of the object of inquiry. Some curious and amusing examples of mistakes of this kind might be given, did it comport with the limits of this report. There were several Indian villages, or places of resort, on the island of Mon-a-tun, for which the original names have survived. The extreme point of land, between the junction of the East and North rivers, of which the Battery is now a part, was called Kapsee — and within the memory of per- sons still living was known as " the Copsie point" — a term which appears to denote a safe place of landing, formed by eddy waters. There was a village called Sapokanican, on the shores of the Hudson, at the present site of Greenwich. Corlear's Hook was called Naghtongk.* The particle tonk, here, denotes sand. A tract of meadow land on the north end of the island, near Kingsbridge, was called Muscoota, that is, meadow or grass land. Warpoes was a term bestowed on a piece of elevated ground, situated above and beyond the small lake or pond called the Kolck. This term is, apparently, a derivative from Waw- bose, a hare. The islands around the city had their appropriate names. Long Island was called Metoac, after the name of the Metoacks, the principal tribe located on it. It is thus called by Van Der Donck in 1656, and in all the subsequent maps of authority, down to Evans', in 1755. Smith calls it Meitowacks. In Gov. Clinton's discourse, it is printed Meilowacks, but this is evidently a typographical error. Staten Island, we are informed by De Vries, was occu- pied by the Mon-a-tans, who called it Monocknong with a verbal prefix. The termination is ong, denotes locality. Manon is the ironwood tree, ack denotes a tree, or trunk, and admits a prefix from " manadud," bad. By enquiry it * Nechtank (Dutch notation.) 9 98 APPENDIX. does not appear that the ironwood, although present, ever existed in sufficient abundance to render the name from that characteristic* The other, it is too late to investigate. It is believed the expression had an implied meaning, and denoted the Haunted Woods. Thus far the colonial maps and records, so far as they have fallen under the committee's notice. The vocabulary of the Mohegans affords, however, a few other terms, the application of which may be well assumed from their etymology. Of this kind is the term Naosh, for Sandy Hook, meaning a point surpassing others. Minnisais, or the lesser island, for Bedlow's island ; and Kioshk, or Gull island, for Ellis's island. The heights of Brooklyn are graphically described in the term Ihpetonga; that is, high sandy banks. The geological structure of the island was such as to bring it to a much narrower point, than it now occupies. By the recent excavations for the foundations of Trinity Church, and the commercial buildings now in the process of erection on the site of the old Presbyterian Church in Wall-street, the principal stratum is seen to be of coarse grey sea sand, capped with a similar soil, mixed with vege- table mould and feruginous oxide. From the make of the land, the Indian path, on the Trinity plateau, forked at the foot of the Park, and proceeded east of the small lake called the Kolck [Agiegon] to the rise of ground at Chat- ham square. Here, or not far from it, was the eminence called Warpoes, probably the site of a village, and so named from its chief. The stream and marsh existing where Canal street now runs, gave this eastern tendency to the main path. At or beyond Warpoes, another fork in the path became necessary, to reach the banks of the Hud- son at the Indian village of Lapinikan, now GreenM'ich. In this route laid the eminence of Ishpatena, late Richmond Hill, at the corner of Charlton and Varick streets. The path leading from the interj unction at Warpoes, or Chat- * MS. letter from R. M. Tyson, Esq. L APPENDIX. 99 ham square, to Nahtonk, or Corlear's Hook, had no interme- diate village, of which the name has survived. This portion of the island was covered with a fine forest of nut wood, oaks and other hard- wood species, interspersed with grassy glades, about the sites of the Indian villages. The upper part of the island was densely wooded. Above 40th street it was unfavorable for any purpose but hunting, and much of the middle part of it, as between 5th and 8th Ave- nues, was either shoe-deep under water or naturally sphagnous. This arose, as is seen, at this day, from a clayey stratum, which retains the moisture, whereas the whole island below this location, particularly below the brow of the sycnitic formation of 37th street, &c, consisted of gravel and sand, which absorbed the moisture and render- ed it the most favorable site for building and occupation. On the margin of the Hudson, the water reached, tradition tells us, to Greenwich-street. There is a yellow painted wooden house still standing at the northeast corner of Courtland and Greenwich streets, which had the water near to it. Similar tradition assures us, that Broad street was the site of a marsh and small creek. The same may be said of the foot of Maiden lane, once Fly Market, and of the outlet of the Muskeeg or Swamp, now Ferry street. Pearl street marked the winding margin of the East river. Foundations dug here reach the ancient banks of oyster shells. Ashibic denotes the probable narrow ridge or ancient cliff north of Beekman street, which bounded the marsh below. Ocitoc is a term for the heighth of land in Broadway, at Niblo's ; Abik, a rock rising up in the Bat- tery; Penabic, Mt. Washington, or the Comb Mountain. These notices, drawn from philology, and, in part, the earlier geographical accounts of New Belgium, might be extended to a few other points, which are clearly denoted ; but are deemed sufficient to sustain the conclusions, which the committee have arrived at, that the main configuration of the leading thoroughfares of the city, from the ancient canoe-place at Copsie or the Battery, extending north to the Park, and thence to Chatham square and the Bowery, 100 AITliNDIX. and west to Tivoli Garden, &c, \\ r ere ancient roads, in the early times of Holland supremacy, which followed the primary Indian foot paths. Governor's island bore the name of Nut island, during the Holland supremacy, in Dutch Nutten; but whether, as is suspected, this was a translation of the Indian Pecanuc, or " nut trees," is not certain. As a general remark, it may be said that the names of the Mon-a-tons, or Manhattanese, were not euphonous, certainly less so than those of the Dela- ware or Iroquois. § Aboriginal names of the valley of the Hudson between New York and Albany ; east banks, as high as the mouth of the Mohawk. We are now prepared to ascend the Hudson. The first name of importance, above the island, is Croton — a name of classic sound but unquestionably derived from the Indian, though a corruption of the original, and not originally ap- plied by them to the river. In a deed dated in 1685, which is quoted by Judge Benson, the river is called Kitchawan — a term which is descriptive of a large and swift flowing current. Croton, as stated by the same authority, is a cor- ruption of the name of a Chief, who lived and exercised his authority, at the mouth of this stream. It is clearly, a de- rivative from Kenotin, or Knoten or, as it is often used without the pronoun prefixed, Notin, meaning, in either case, the wind, or a tempest. It is a man's name, still com- mon in the west and north. The first Indian village above this stream was called Wickquaskeck, or the Place of the Bark Kettle. Above it, on the same shore, was the village of Alipkonck, that is a Place of Elms. This part of the shores of the Hudson, assumes a rocky character — the banks immediately opposite consist of a continuous elevated line of precipices, in the well-known Palisadoes ; but the for- mation on the east banks developes itself in broken, pro- tuberant rocks. Quarries of the dolomite and white coarse grained marble, are opened here. There is nothing more APPENDIX. 101 characteristic of the structure of the coast, than its "muni- tions of rocks." The judgment of the aborigines is vindi- cated in the name of " OsiNsiNo" bestowed upon their village seated on this coast. This is the origin of the word Sing Sing. It is written on some of the earlier maps, Sinsing, .and Sixsinck. It is a derivative from Ossin, a stone, and ing, a place. This shore was inhabited, during the times of Governor Kieft by a band of the Manhattans or Mon-a- tuns, called the Sintsings, who sent a delegate to the general council held at Fort Amsterdam, on the 30th August, 1645. Mr. Irving has preserved in the word Pocantico, the name of a tributary stream of the Hudson above this point, in Westchester county. On early maps, the next Indian vil- lages, in their succession, are, Kiskisko, Pasciuashic, and Noapaim. There was also, along the east shores of the Tappan, the village of Kastoniuck, (a term still surviving in the opposite village of Niuck or Nyack.) All these were situated south of the Highlands. The Highlands east, were occupied by a band of Indians called the Wiccapees, or as sometimes written Weckees. They were of the tribe of the Waoranacks. Above them, and along that part of the river, which now composes the county of Dutchess, lived the derivative tribe of the Abingas, or Wappingers. Fish- kill, which constituted the chief locality, was called Mat- tea wan, a term still retained. It is said, in the popular traditions of the county, to signify " good furs," as the stream was noted, in early days, for its peltries.* It is a derivation as the term plainly denotes, from Metai, a magician, or medicine-man, and wian, a skin, and means, in this connec- tion, not simply " good fur," or a good skin, but a charmed, or enchanted skin. Much of the medical power of all the early Indian priests and doctors — the two practices were united— was devoted to the arts of medical magic. They affected, by the power of magic or secret enchantment, to govern the movements of animals in the chase, and taught their followers the art of hunting bv charms, as the cognate * R. G. Rankin, Esq. 9* 102 APPENDIX. tribes still do, in the west, and north-west, where thejr often exact high fees for these services. The true import and im- portance of this name, will appear from these hints. One such name is, in fact, sufficient, in its full development, to invest the scenery of the country, with the poetic associa- tions of these ancient, wild foresters. The stream now called Wappinger's Creek, was in the same dialect, called the Waha-manessing — a term, having its ground-form in minnis, an island, with the common local inflection in ing ; but without particular enquiry into the geographical characteristics of this stream, its nominative prefix, in waha, could not be satisfactorily determined. There is a prominent mountain range, above the High- lands, east of the Hudson, which rises in Dutchess county and extends northwardly through the back part of Colum- bia. This range separates, geologically, the upper part of the valleys of the Hudson and the Housatonic. The earlier orthography of the Indian name for it is Tachkanic. It is more commonly written, at this day, and with some advantage, while the original sound is essentially preserved, Taconick. Another mountain spur, of a detached character, in the south part of Dutchess, is called the Shenandoah mountain. Tradition tells us, that it is so called from the name of a band, or sub-tribe of Indians who inhabited this part of the county, and who, at the era of the American Revolution, were reduced to one man.* The word is the same which is applied to the valley of Virginia, having its exit into the Potomac at Harper's Ferry ; and may be cited, among some other philological evidences, to be found in the valley of the Hudson and its extensive bay and seaward islands, of the early transfusion of the Powhattanic type of the Algonquin, among the more prominent and prevalent Lenapee dialects of the southern part of our State. By a tradition of the Mohegans, it is perceived that intercommu- nications, and strong personal friendships existed, between * MSS. Letter of L. M. Arnold. APPENDIX. 103 some of the tribes, thus widely separated, prior to the era of the colonization.* The name of Poughkeepsie, is variously written. It is spelt, on Evans' map of 1775, Pakepsy ; in Loskiel, Peekipsi. Local tradition, supported by the examination of ancient title deeds from the Indians, reveals the original orthogra- phy of the word in Apokeepsing. There is, at the mouth of the Fallkill, a sheltered inlet, and safe harbor for small boats. As the reach below is wide, and often subjected the Indian canoes and small craft, to peril, this shelter became a prominent place of safety, extensively known to the tribes along the river. It is this geographical feature, which is described by the term Apokeepsing. It denotes, graphically, the locality, and its being a place of shelter from storms. The present orthography of the word, is unnecessarily redun- dant, in the first syllable. It has dropped, in conformity with general English and Dutch usage in adopting Indian words, the local inflection in ing ; which is, to us, a redun- dancy. In other respects, the original is well preserved. The Fallkill was called the Winnakee. The earliest patent was granted to Robert Sanders and Myndert Her- mance, of Albany, dated October 20th, 1686. In this patent the falls are called Pondowickrain. This fall is near the mouth of the stream, and in full view from the Hudson. Crumelbow Creek was called Nancopacanioc. Caspar Creek, a little below Barnegat, five miles from the village, was called Pietawisciuassic. Bands of the Minnisinks, from the west shores, were intermingled in this part of Dutchess. A band, or sub tribe called Sepascoots, lived at Rhinebeck. They had their principal seat 18 miles north of Poughkeep- sie, and 3 miles east of the Hudson river. At Redhook Landing, there was another clan or large band. Tradition asserts, that a great battle was fought near the latter place, between the River Indians and the Five Nations. The first settlers, it is said, still saw the bones of the slain. For the present eligible site of Hudson, and the bay Vide Oneota, p. 105. 104 APPENDIX. and mountain elevation south of it, no aboriginal name has been met with, although such doubtless existed. Generally speaking, the Mohegan terms were of greater length than it was found convenient to employ, and the Dutch, who in this respect, coincided with the English, preferred shorter names. Kinderhook is of Dutch origin. The term is a derivative from Kinders, children, and Hook, a point or corner. Tradition asserts that it originated, in the era of its settlement, from the circumstance of the occupant of a well-known house on the point of land called Kinderhook Landing, having a numerous family of children.* There is a small lake in Columbia county, bearing the Indian name of Copake. A township of the same county, is named, after it, Copake. A well known valley, with a small stream in the township of Ghent, in the same county, is called by its original name of Sqompomick. The Mohegans of this bank of the Hudson, extended their villages, up to a point opposite to, and also above the junction of the Mohawk, covering the entire area of the present coun- ties of Columbia and Rensselaer. The seat of their council fire, was, for a length of time, at Schodac. This word appears to be a derivative from ishcoda, a meadow, or fire-plain, per- haps, mediately, through the word straw, and akee, land. Hoo- sic may be traced to Wudyoo, a mountain, and abic, a rock. A branch of the Hoosic, was called Siiackook. It had a fall called Qui-QUEK.f As the settlements pressed upon this tribe, they retired eastwardly to the valley of the Housa- tonic, in Massachusetts, where they came under the notice of the Society for the propagating the Gospel in Foreign Parts, and were, for a long period, under the instruction of the celebrated Jonathan Edwards, and other missionaries. As the place of their principal concentration, was called Stockbridge, this term attached itself to the tribe and their descendants in the west, are now known to us by it. At * Verb. Com. of M. Butler, Esq. of Kinderhook, also, Spofford's Gazetteer, t Cain's Reports. Hoosic Patent, 3 vol. Query for analogy hunters. Quick- Quick ! APPENDIX. 105 Stockbridge, the Mohegans, were converted to Christianity, abandoned the chase, as a means of subsistence, and adopted the arts of civilized life. A regularly organ- ized corps, officered by the chiefs, served in the American cause, in the Revolutionary war. At its close, they migra- ted to the reservation of the Oneidas, in Western New York, whence, after the year 1820, they removed to the banks of Fox river in Wisconsin, having purchased lands of the Menomonees. This location was ceded at a subse- quent period, in lieu of two townships of land eligibly situa- ted on the north-eastern shores of Winnebago lake. Here they are living, at this time (1845) as an agricultural people, having good farms, dwellings, cattle, schools, and churches, and they may, without exaggeration, be pronounced a re- claimed people. Congress should admit them, without hesi- tation, to all the rights of citizenship. § Indian naiMes of the eight or west banks op the Hud- son, FROM THE ATLANTIC TO THE ENTRANCE OF THE MoHAWK. We shall now direct attention to the opposite shores of the river. The first prominent object on the west shore, which attracts the eye of a person coming in from the sea, is the Neversink. From ancient maps, in the possession of the Society, there was a band, or sub tribe, called the Neve Sincks, living in this vicinity, in 1 659. They occupied the angular area lying between the Atlantic waters and Rari- tan bay, embracing these highlands, and extending to Bar- negat bay. As in many analogous cases, it is difficult to decide, whether the highland gave name to the band, or the band to the highland. The former is most in accord- ance with analogy. The signification of the term is, in either case, clear. Nawa, is an adverbial phrase, meaning between. It is derived from the abstract prepositional form, Na-wi-e-e, meaning any inanimate object, intermediate between others. In this case, it denoted the position of this Band between the waters of the Atlantic and Raritan bay, or of the Staten Island waters and New York harbor gene- 106 APPENDIX. rally. Ink is a term for locality. This particle, so common in Algonquin words, means, when applied to dry land, a place, a hill, plain, valley, &c. according to the word, to which it is attached ; when bestowed on waters, it means a bay, cove, inlet, river, &c. The meaning is clearly the mid-mountain, or the Highland between the waters. The tendency of the Dutch language to substitute the sound of v for w, will account for the change in the orthography. In the letter e, in their system of notation, is always used to express the sound of a. The word would have been writ- ten by an Englishman Nawasink, and should, now, in its popular form, be written Navisink. Raritan was the name of one of the local tribes of the Minci. The letter R, in this word is foreign. Amboy is a name descriptive of a peculiarly or bottle-shaped bay. The point at present occupied by Jersey City, was called Ahasimus. Hoboken, is the name of one of the members of a respectable Holland family living, at the era of the settle- ment, in Amsterdam. Weehawken is apparently a deriva- tive from Weeh-ruk-ink, but whether originally applied, as at present, to the commencement only, or to the entire range of the picturesque range of the Pallisadoes, is not certain. The termination in awk, denotes trees ; but is suspected here, to indicate a structure of the rock resembling trees. In the MS. map of Gerardus Bancker, in the Society's Li- brary, this coast is denominated the " Highlands of Tappan." It is perceived, in De Vries, that there was a band of Indians called the Tappans, who are several times mentioned in the capricious and violent transactions which marked the era of Kieft's administration. They were represented in the general council held at Fort Amsterdam in 1645. There is a tradition, which calls this ancient tribe Tappansees. The term " see" now applied to the bay is however generally thought to be of Dutch origin. In the modern Algonquin " Tabanzee," denotes a short or crouching person, which it is merely suggestive, may have been a term applied to the prominent cliff, which casts its shadows into the expanse from the west shores. Whether the bay was named from APPENDIX. 107 them, or they took their name from the place of their resi- dence, on the bay, is indeterminate. The ancient name of Haverstraw bay, was Kumociienack. The name of Nyack does not occur in records of the earliest period, for the posi- tion of the present town. The word is found in an opposite Indian village of Kastoniuk. There was also a band of Indians of the name of Naiack, who in 1645, were living below Red Hook, on Long Island. The clans of the west shores of the Hudson, were very much mixed and sub-di- vided. In the many vicissitudes of the era, and the complex movements of the so called River Indians, or Mohekander, migrations doubtless extended up the Hudson. The Mon-a- tans were on ill terms with the Metdacs, or Long Island Indians, and sometimes at open war, with them, as well as with the Mincees, or Monseys on the west shores. Such a removal, would have been quite in accordance with sound policy ; and there are some other points in the lexicography of the coast, which denote such an intermixture. The stream coming in at Grasy Point, was called the Mininisicongo. A peculiar and remarkable formation of the banks of this stream denotes the origin of the name. After its origin in high grounds west of Haverstraw, it flows to within less than a hundred yards of the Hudson, which it would seem designed to enter, but is deflected back west- ward, and after running around a large island-shaped area, by a channel of several miles, actually enters the Hudson but a mile below the first threatened point of entry. This point is a mere diluvial formation of pebbles, clay and boul- ders, which a little labor would admit the creek to pass through. Such a change would convert the peninsula into an island. It seems indeed quite probable that the island- shaped area, was, at an ancient date, wholly surrounded by the waters of the Hudson. The tide now flows quite around it. The term Mennisecongo, describes this formation. It is a derivative from Minnis, an island, and the adverbial particle ongo, itself a compound from ong, and o, an ob- jective sign. The coast above the Highlands, comprising the present 108 APPENDIX. county of Orange, was occupied by the Waranowankings. The mountains in Orange county, called Shawangunk, ap- pear to have been named either from their structure from sand, and their position south of the Katz-berg group. The word seems a compound from Shawanong, the south, the generic particle tang, denoting sands, with k the sign of locality, These clans were succeeded, in ascending north, through the general area of Ulster and Green counties, by the Min- nisinks, the Nanticokes, the Minsees, and Delawares proper, who poured in the Hudson valley through the Wallkill, and were often vaguely denominated " Esopus Indians" — from the place of their trade. Esorus, though classic in sound, is a word said to be deri- vative from the Indian, but the committee have not been able to trace such an origin. The nearest approach to it, is in Seepus, the name of a river by the Metoacs, and Seepu or Sipu having the same meaning in Minci. The Indians who dwelt here, on the arrival of the Dutch, were a mixed race of the Minci, in their form of the Minnisinks, and the Nanticokes from the sea shore of Maryland and Virginia, whence they had early migrated. They have not left the remembrance of any very high traits, and probably sunk away and disappeared rapidly. The Dutch bestowed the name of Wiltwyck upon the place — a term which may be rendered into English by the word Indiana. The popular name of Esopus, which some suppose, but without much probability, to be of Greek origin, through the Holland race prevailed, till superseded by the present term of Kingston. As the water communication, from this point to the Dela- ware, was a very prominent one, long known and celebrated among the Indians, the probability of its having been called by way of preeminence, The River, or Seepus, as above hint- ed, is still worthy consideration. The dipthong ae with which this word is written, and to which it owes, chiefly, its foreign aspect, is wholly of a comparatively recent date. Colonel Nichols, in 1665, in his proclamation, printed at Cambridge, spells it " Sopes." APPENDIX. 109 The Katskill Mountains, or Katzbergs, as certain of our popular writers have well called them,* are said to derive their name from the catamount or panther, f the most formi- dable of the feline race, in our latitudes. This animal, which is still known to inhabit the region, is called Catlos in the Dutch language — a term which it is known this people never applied to the domestic cat. The term Kotzaband, has been noticed in one of the earlier maps, as a generic or geological phrase applied to the entire Katzberg groupe. In this sense, it would embrace all the mountainous features of secondary origin, reaching from the Shawangunk to the Schoharie and the Helderbergs. Some pains have been taken to search our Indian archae- ology, for the aboriginal name for this noble group, but without the degree of certainty which is desired. The term Beezhoac, in these dialects, denotes Panther moun- tain ; it is a derivative from Beezhu, a panther, or lynx, and akee land. Ishpiac is another term applicable to the groupe. It denotes, simply, high land, and is derived from Ishpiming, " that is high," and akee land. Ispiming is the local form of the adjective high, and is the term for sky or the heavens. It is not probable that the rythm of either of these, or other aboriginal terms impressed themselves on the notice of the early settlers. It was the practice of both the French and Dutch traders and interpreters, to translate the Indian names of rivers, &c. into their respective lan- guages. This has been found universal, throughout the continent, in relation to points of geography, which bore a prior Indian name. We have the authority of Benson, for stating, that the practice prevailed here, and that the Dutch names of Katzberg and Katzkill, were given from the panther or lynx, animals who infested the gloomy recesses of these mountains, and not from the harmless domestic species. To the Iroquois, however, who came into the val- ley stealthily and on war parties, its natural history would be less perfectly known, and it is from the sonorous vocabu- * Hoffman and W. L. Stone, t Benson's memoir before the Historical Society. 10 110 APPENDIX. lary of this race that we have derived the term Ontiora, meaning mountains of the sky. There are states of the atmosphere when this group appears like a heavy cumulus cloud above the horizon, and this is clearly the feature denoted. Tiorate, in the Onondaga dialect, means the sky or heaven, and Ononta, a mountain. The word Minnisink is derived from Minnis, an island situ- ated in the Delaware, which was formerly occupied by a band of the lineage of the Minci or Moncees. It has its local termination in ink. It was here that Brainerd had some of his severest labors and trials. The entry of the Wallkill into the Hudson from the direction of the Delaware, ren- dered it an eligible point for the Indian trade ; numerous small bands were seated in this vicinity, who have left names in the existing geography of the country. Warwar- sing signifies the place of the bird's nest. Bearen island bore the name of Passapenock.* In the Katskill patent there were several great plains, one of which bore the name Of PoTICK.f The word Coxackie is a compound derivative from Keeshkidg to cut, and a-kee, earth. By observation, it will be seen that the current of the Hudson, at this point, is de- flected against the west shore, an effect which was proba- bly still more striking to the eye before the country was cultivated. Owing to this cause, there is but a narrow strip of land between the river and the hill. There can be no doubt but that, at an early period, the action of the river, trenched on this hill, and cut down, as it were, the earth, and threw it into the river. This is the particular effect described by the word Kuxakee, or the cut-banks. The present site of Coeymans, bore the name of Sanago. J A mill creek, above this point, was called Sektanac. Two miles higher there was a village called Mekago.§ There is a stream entering the Hudson, a little below Coeymans, bearing the aboriginal name of Hakitak, pronounced Hoki- * Johnson's* Reports, 8. t Cain, 3. 293. X Spelt with a plural inflection, Lannahgog, Vide Dutch Records at Albany. § Recorded with its diminutive inflection in nse, Alb. Rec. APPENDIX. Ill toc. This is the highest point, except an ancient term for Albany itself, to which the Minci type of the Lennopean names has been traced. § Terminology of the ancient site of Albany and its vicinity. The site of Albany appears to have been an important central point, at a very early period in our Indian history. It was at this spot, and the parts adjacent that the tribes of the two great races, the Iroquois and Algonquins, came into contact, and we consequently find, in its geography, a mix- ture of the names of two generic languages. The first Iroquois term noticed, in the ascent of the river to this place, is the ancient Mohawk name for the Norman's Kill. This stream was called the Tawasentha, meaning the place of many dead.* The term Iosco, applied to one of its branches issuing from the Pine Plains, in Guilderland town- ship, is of Algonquin origin. It was on the island, in the Hudson, at the mouth of this stream, that the first Dutch fort, commanded by Captain Christians, was built, A. D. 1614. This island was, at the time, a noted place of encampment and trade for the Iroquois. The portage path from the Mohawk across the Pine Plains reached the river, and terminated about two miles above, at the pre- sent site of Albany. The location of the city itself, under the preponderating influence of the fur trade, at that early day, seemed to have been, in a great measure, determined by the importance of this terminal point of this great Indian thoroughfare. The Mohawks, and other kindred tribes, who came from the west, and were compelled to traverse this sandy tract, called its southern terminus, as the word was recently pronounced by Mrs. Kerr,f Skahnektate — a word which has been uniformly written Schenectady. By the Oneidas and by the Senecas, the pronunciation of the term * Giles F. Yates, Esqr. Newspapers. t A daughter of Thyandanegea. 112 APPENDIX. is much softer and more euphonious, conformably with the general idiom of those two dialects. From the lips of either of these tribes the modern orthography would be perfect, were the penultimate syllable exchanged for the dipthong ae, preceded by the letter t instead of d. Its mean- ing, as imparted by the above quoted authority, is, Beyond the Pines. The objective phrase tatea, is the same, with very little variation, which is found in the name for the Hudson, and denotes how varied and flexible the language is, in its descriptive poweu . By the Mincees and other tribes of the Lennopean stock, who occupied the right banks of the Hudson, but who were not alone limited to that side, this site was called Kaishti- nic, or Gaishtinnic, of which the meaning is not known. The Mohegans, who. with the other tribes, were from the earliest date of the settlement in the habit of resorting to it, as a place of treaty and trade, denominated it Chescodonta, or "the hill of the great Council Fire." Council Fire is, with all our tribes, the equivalent phrase for seat of govern- ment, and we may thus yield them precedence in predict- ing the future capitol of the state. The Dutch, who soon transferred the fort from the island to the river's margin in the lower part, the present site of South Market street, named it, after the reigning house, Orange. The village which soon clustered around it, they named Beaverwyck. The manor granted to K. Van Rens- selaer, had its boundaries assigned under the name of Rensselaerwyck. The civil jurisdiction, baliwick, or Sheriff- dom, which extended to the Mohawk, bore the title of Schenectady. This constituted the nomenclature of the place, according to the best authorities, when the colony was taken by the English crown, under the authority of the Duke of York and Albany, who bestowed his Scottish title on the place. The civil jurisdiction established, on this change, left a part of the former boundaries, with the Sheriff actually in office, residing on the other verge of the Plains, on the banks of the Mohawk, and thus the name of APPENDIX. 113 Schenectady was transferred.* The transference of name, to the present city of Schenectady, took place in 1664. A considerable hill, about three miles northwest of Albany in the Plains, formerly a place of Indian trade, was called, by the Mohawks, Itsutehera, or by using its common prefix — Yonondis-Itsutchera. The meaning is, the Hill of Oil. It is not known how this name originated. It was called, till within late years, Trader's Hill. The present site of Waterford was called Nachtenac, a word whose termination in ac, reveals the term akee, earth or land. Na, is an inseparable particle, which carries into all its combinations, in the Algic dialects, the meaning of excellent. The junction of the Mohawk with the Hudson was called Tiosaronda. It describes the mingling of two streams. We have thus reached the point to which this first part of the Report is limited. Before leaving the consideration of the Hudson, and pro- ceeding to another field, in which the nomenclature takes its character entirely from a different language, the com- mittee would invite attention to a generic term for the entire valley, which has been found on one of the earliest Dutch maps consulted. It is the word To-areyuna. It was applied to both its banks, and was supposed, at first, to refer to the Highlands. But its etymology does not sustain this opinion. We have in the particle To the term for water; Ar, is the same particle which, in Cataracqua, de- notes rock, and una, the same syllable, which, in Niskayuna, means the green vegetation of spring, or foliage, as in green corn. By these elements the three grand and cha- racteristic features of this valley — namely, its waters, rocks, and foliage, are described. It must be borne in mind, that the Hudson is south of the Iroquois country, that Avar excur- sions are made in spring when the leaves newly bud, and that when the warriors proceeded into this valley on their earliest war excursions towards the ocean, every step they * Benson's Memoir. 10* 114 APPENDIX. advanced rendered the spring vegetation more forward and enchanting to their eyes. And it is not a matter of wonder, that with this foliage hanging, as it did, in many places, about the brows of cliffs, in others, towering in the exfo- liating tops of the forest, and in all, reflected in the noble stream, these images should, with their flexible constructive language, have been immediately seized upon and embodied in one expressive term. As yet no aboriginal name for the Highlands has been found. By imparting to the above compound term of Toareyuna, an adjective form, the poet may, in the mean- time, deduce, as applicable to this eminence, the term Toaranoc [Toranoc] In these examinations of the aboriginal names of the Hudson valley, little more has been attempted, than to in- vestigate the names of the immediate margin of the river, east and west. The interior of the river counties consti- tutes a field which demands an amount of time, and means of information, which the committee have not possessed.* The larger part of these names, which are preserved by local tradition, are not to be found on maps, or in books. Some of them may, it is believed, be found in the original title deeds of families. A portion of such names, for streams and other local features, has already been put on record, in the reports of land trials and questions of title, and is accessible through the volumes of Legal Reports. A few of these only are quoted. The elaborate examina- tion and description of the county and township boundaries, which form an introductory part of the Revised Statutes, embrace others. The records of the office of the Surveyor General of the State, particularly that portion of them which is due to the zeal and assiduity of the late Simeon De Witt, are known to embrace numerous details of this kind, for the examination of which ample time and oppor- tunity are, however, required. And when every other * In this report, the portion relative to the names of the Mohawk valley, is segregated, and will, it is designed, be revised and reported before the summer recess. APPENDIX. 115 source has been mentioned, it will still, perhaps, be true that, for the effectual prosecution and completion of the enquiry, the Historical Society must look, in a great meas- ure, to the interest felt in the subject, and the urbanity and intelligence of gentlemen actually resident in the various townships, villages, and local precincts. Some aids of this kind, small in amount, but valuable in themselves, have already been received, which are quoted, in foot notes or references. Respectfully submitted, In behalf of the Committee, HENRY R. SCHOOLCRAFT, Chairman. To Albert Gallatin. The following letter was read : Chamber of Commerce, ) New York, February 6, 1844. ) Sir : — At a meeting of the Chamber held this day, the following resolution was unanimously adopted : " Resolved, That the Secretary be authorized to deposit for safe keeping and due preservation, in the Library of the New York Historical Society, the full length portraits of Lieut. Gov. Colden and General Alexander Hamilton, be- longing to this Chamber ; the same to be returned to the possession of the Chamber whenever it shall desire to re- claim them." The portraits referred to in the above resolution, possess an interest derived from their antiquity and the historical associations connected with the distinguished individuals they represent. These valuable pictures were saved from the disastrous conflagration of December, 1835, and the members of the Chamber are desirous to ensure, as far as possible, their 116 APPENDIX. future preservation. I will cause them to be immediately removed to the Library of the Society. Very respectfully, I am, Sir, Your obe't serv't, PROSPER M. WETMORE, Sect'y. Cham, of Com. Hon. Albert Gallatin, President, New York Historical Society. The paintings above mentioned, were exhibited in the Gallery. The full length of Lieut. Gov. Cadwallader Col- den, was painted by Pratt, in 1771, by order of the Chamber of Commerce ; the other, of General Hamilton, was painted for the same body shortly after the termination of the Revo- lutionary War. The last is a work of much merit — but the artist is unknown. These fine pictures were rescued from the flames at the great fire in December, 1835, when the Exchange, in which they were deposited, was destroyed. The Recording Secretary stated that he had been requested by Henry Nicoll, Esq. to present, on behalf of the Rev. Joseph H. Nichols, of New Haven, a copy and translation of the inscription upon the tomb of Richard Nicolls, the first English Governor of New York. It is as follows : "M.S. Optimis parentibus, nunc tumulo conjunctus Pietate semper, conjunctissimus Hie jacet Ricardus Nicolls Francis : ex Margar : Bruce Filius. Illustrissimo Jacobo, Duci Ebor : a cubiculis intimus Anno 1G43, relictis Musarum Castris, Turmam equestrem contra Rebelles duxit Juvenis strenuus ajque impiger, — Anno 1664, ./Etate jam, et scientia militari. maturus In Americam APPENDIX. 117 Septentrionalem, cum imperio missus Longam. insulam cceterasque insulas Belgis expulsis, vero Domino restituit, Provinciam, arcesq: munitissimas Heri sui titulis insignavit, Et triennio pro preside rexit — Academia — Literis Bello — Virtute Aula — Candore animi Magistratu — Prudentia Celebris. Ubique bonis Charus. sibi et negotiis par, 28 Maii 1672 Nave praetoria. contra eosdem Belgas Fortiter dimicans Ictu globi majoris tranfossus, occubuit Fratres habuit Praeter Gulielmum, praecoci fato defunctum. Edwardum et Franciscum — Utrumque, copiarum pedestrium Centurionem, Qui fsedae et servilis Tyrannidis, Quae tunc Angliam oppresserit, Impatientes Exilio praelecto (si modo regem extorrem sequi, exilium sit) Alter Parisiis, alter Haga Comitiis Ad caelestem patriam migrarunt." At the top of the monument is the following, as a heading to the whole : Translation of the foregoing Inscription. " Sacred to Memory, Here lies, now united in the tomb with the best of parents, 118 APPENDIX. and always most closely united to them in filial affection, Richard Nicolls, son of Francis Nicolls and Margaret Bruce. He was a groom of the bedchamber to the most illustrious James, the Duke of York. In the year 1643, forsaking the seats of the Muses, he led a troop of horse against the Rebels, being a youth bold and resolute. In the year 1664, having become ripe in age and military science, he was sent out to North America, invested with supreme command, and having dispossessed the Dutch, he restored Long Island and other islands to their rightful master ; honored the pro- vince and its strongest forts by the titles of his liege lord, and ruled as Governor for three years, In college distinguished in literature, in war renowned for courage ; at the court for sincerity of purpose, and in the magistracy, for prudence. He was every where beloved by the good, and was fully competent to all he undertook. On the 28th of May, 1672, while gallantly fighting against the same Dutch, on board of the flag-ship, he fell pierced through by a large cannon- ball. He had for his brothers, besides William, who per- ished by a premature death, Edward and Francis, both of them Captains of the Foot, who, impatient of the cruel and servile tyranny which at that time oppressed England, hav- ing voluntariiy gone into exile, (if exile it may be called to accompany one's banished sovereign,) departed this world for their heavenly country, the former at Paris, the latter at the court of the Hague." The tomb of Gov. Nicolls, from which the above inscrip- tion has been taken, is in the parish church of Ampthill, Bedfordshire, England. APPENDIX. 119 MEETING OF THE FIFTH OF MARCH. THE PRESIDENT IN THE CHAIR. Mr. Schoolcraft, from the Committee on Indian Names, reported the following Circular, asking for information on the subject of their duties, and the same was ordered to be published : Rooms of the New York Historical Society, University" of New York, March 5, 1844. Sir , — The undersigned, having been appointed a Com- mittee, to prepare a Map of the State, with all the original Indian Names, solicit information on this head. It is be- lieved that sectional maps, made by the early surveyors, exist among family papers, and would be communicated, as well as, in some instances, manuscript journals and letters. Another source of information, is to be found in the names of creeks, rivers, and other boundary marks, in early deeds. Tradition in townships, and neighborhoods, is a third, and still fruitful source of preserving these names, the meaning of which, may sometimes be yet obtained, from the natives, or from interpreters. Every year carries to the grave some of those pioneers and early settlers, who are best qualified to give the desired information, and thus narrows the circle of tradition, at its highest source. This Society furnishes a safe and eligible repository for all such documents, whether presented or de- posited. It is an object of deep interest, with its members, to collect and preserve the sonorous and appropriate Indian terminology of the State. The Committee will make due acknowledgements, in their final report, for all aid in this species of research. 120 APPENDIX. Communications maybe made to either of the undersigned, or under cover, to George Folsom, Esq., the Domestic Cor- responding Secretary. HENRY R. SCHOOLCRAFT, " C. FENNO HOFFMAN, S. VERPLANCK, WILLIAM L. STONE, B. F. BUTLER, EDWARD ROBINSON, WM. W. CAMPBELL, The Librarian submitted a note on the Eclipse, by pro- phesying which Columbus obtained provisions from the natives. It had been copied by a gentleman connected with the American Legation in Spain, from the MSS. vol. of prophecies, relating to the New World, collected by the order of Columbus, and preserved in the Columbian Library of Seville. The original notes were stated to be in the autograph of Columbus himself. APPENDIX. 121 MEETING OF THE FOURTH OF JUNE. THE PRESIDENT IN THE CHAIR. Mr. John W. Edmonds read the following paper : SOME PASSAGES IN THE LIFE OF GOVERNOR TOMPKINS. The writer of this brief sketch imbibed early in life a high regard for the character of Governor Tompkins, aris- ing not merely from a knowledge of the services he had rendered his country, but also from an intimacy which had existed between a near relative of his and the Governor, dur- ing the whole of the late war with England. And while in common with many others, he has had frequent occasion to feel and lament the want of a complete history of that war, he has especially regretted that thirty years have been allowed to pass away without that ample biography of the subject of this paper, which his merits and his services so eminently demand. With thoughts like these running through his mind, he has occasionally occupied his leisure in collecting materials relating to the public conduct of the Governor, in the hope that he might, at some period, be able to essay something towards the performance of a task so grateful to him as would be a compilation of the biography" of Daniel D. Tompkins. From the materials thus collected, it is proposed on this occasion to make some extracts, rather than attempt the more ambitious task of a historical narrative. To under- stand these extracts, however, it will be necessary to advert briefly to the condition of the country at the period to which they relate. 11 122 APPENDIX. In the year 1814, the aspect of public affairs in this quar- ter of the Union, was truly alarming. Our eastern breth- ren not only withheld their support, but threatened serious resistance to the constitutional arm ; a well appointed and veteran army, aided by a strong naval force, was pressing upon our Champlain frontier ; the Ontario squadron was in danger of attack at Sackett's Harbor, from another com- bined land and naval armament ; the lately victorious but now suffering army of Niagara was pent up in Fort Erie by the British forces in that quarter ; the city of New York was menaced with invasion ; the capitol of the Union was smoking in ruins ; and to give the deepest shade to the gloomy aspect of our affairs, and add to the difficulty of their redemption, the national government was literally penniless. At that momentous and trying crisis, the course of con- duct which might be adopted by one, who was a leading and influential member of the party then dominant in the nation, and who was also the chief magistrate of the largest State in the Union, and which was emphatically the seat of the war, was a matter of deep interest to the whole country. Any failure in such a man at such a time, to discharge his whole duty ; any timid shrinking from the responsibility belonging to his position ; any giving up to party what was meant for mankind ; any weakness, either of purpose or of action ; any want of energy or decision of character ; any listening to the whisperings of private interest, rather than to the dictates of an elevated patriotism, might have entailed upon the nation consequences so disastrous that even our day and generation might sadly say, "the end is not yet." To us then who enjoy the exemption from the ills, which it requires no very vivid imagination to paint, as well as to those who at the time felt the reality of their deliverance, the conduct and language of such a man cannot be uninteresting. Tompkins was first elected governor of this State, in 1807, at the early age of 33 years. He occupied that post APPENDIX. 123 at the declaration of war in June, 1812, and although he had from the beginning, entered heart and soul into the pro- secution of it, it was not until the winter of 1813-14, that all the energies of his character were called into action, for not only was the situation of the country thus critical, but he was fated to meet with powerful opposition at home. The federal party, which ranked among its members some of the most able men in the State, had obtained a majority in the House of Assembly, and with it the appointment of almost all the officers of State, civil and military. And that party differed widely from him in regard to the policy to be pursued in that emergency. And it was precisely such a state of things, that was calculated to bring into play the admirable qualities which he possesssed. The year 1814, dawned upon our State with gloomy por- tents. On the 25th of November, 1813, General Brown wrote to Governor Tompkins, dated at Head Quarters, French Mills :— " We are destitute of military comforts for the sick and wounded, and the well have had no bread these three days ; but we have beef and pork, and we have faith and hope, and we will with the blessing of God, live to see more prosperous and glorious days." " I have good reason to believe that the enemy are in considerable force near Cornwall." On the 6th of December, 1813, General M'Clure wrote from Newark, U. C. : " I am placed at present in a delicate situation. The period for which the militia were drafted will expire in three days. There are not more than two hundred regular troops here. [To face an enemy consisting of one thousand regulars and seven hundred Indians.] My Indian force is fluctuating. I have at present about one hundred." " Un- less troops are sent here, this side of the strait will probably fall into the hands of the enemy." " One thousand men would be sufficient to enable me to retain Forts George and Niagara during the winter." 124 APPENDIX. On the 12th of December, 1813, the same officer wrote : — " Since I last had the honor of writing you, the enemy has appeared in considerable force on the opposite shore. * * * He is much exasperated and will make a descent on the frontier if possible. * * I am not a little apprehen- sive that the enemy will take advantage of the exposed situation of Buffalo and our shipping there. * * * My whole force on this frontier, including the garrison at Niagara, does not exceed two hundred and fifty men." On the 20th of December, General Hopkins of the militia, informed the Governor : — " That on the 19th the enemy had crossed over a little below Lewiston. They had burned Lewiston and every house from that place to within two and a half miles of Schlosser ; and the Tuscarora village was also burnt." And that officer added : — " Unless a sufficient regular force is marched to this fron- tier, or the militia ordered out by the commander-in-chief, the whole frontier will be a ruin." Under the same date, General M'Clure wrote that the enemy were " massacreing and laying waste the whole country." A letter from a private source at Canandaigua, dated 23d December, begins with the melancholy detail : — " Before you receive this, you will have heard the most distressing news from the Niagara frontier. Fort Niagara taken and all in it put to death. Lewiston, Schlosser and Manchester burnt, and very many citizens of all classes murdered." On the 26th of December, Mr. J. C. Spencer wrote : — " Our frontier is dreadfully exposed, the enemy is full of indignation, our brethren are flying in every direction, and to complete the picture, the militia will not serve under General M'Clure, or if they do, it will be with the utmost reluctance." " There are but two ways of saving this frontier from destruction. The one is for yourself personally to come out APPENDIX. 125 with all the force you can collect, drive the enemy to Cana- da, pursue them as far as they will go and cut them to pieces? Governor Shelby's example is before you ; the crisis is greater than that which called him out. " If this cannot be done, there is still another course ; let a man fit for the station, and with popular talents, be ap- pointed to the command of this station. Peter B. Porter is the man, and the only one. If he could be appointed a Major General (which he could not be without the consent of the council of appointment) M'Clure's feelings would be saved, and the service benefited beyond measure." On the 26th December, the Secretary of War informed the Governor that the defence of the Niagara frontier must depend on the militia of the West ; and that the force at Sackett's Harbor, French Mills and at Piattsburgh, was at neither point more than was wanted, and could not move. On the 30th December, General Hall who had assumed the command of the Niagara frontier wrote to the Governor in the following desponding terms : " This frontier is wholly desolate. The British crossed over, supported by a strong body of Indians, at a little before day this morning, near Black Rock. They were met by militia under my command with spirit, but overpowered by the numbers and discipline of the enemy, the militia gave way and fled on every side. Every attempt to rally them was ineffectual, their purpose was obtained, and the flourishing village of Buffalo is laid in ruins. The Niagara frontier now lies open and naked to our enemies." On the 5th of January, 1814, the Governor was informed that Sag Harbor at the other end of the State, was exposed from the fact that the militia stationed there were about returning home. On the 7th of January, General Hall wrote from Buffalo, that the deficiency of arms and ammunition would not allow him to arm the militia called out to protect the fron- tier. General M'Clure of the New- York militia, in December, 1813, was in command on the Niagara frontier. In the 11* 126 APPENDIX. early part of that month, he made an excursion into the interior of Upper Canada, with a view of giving confidence to the inhabitants that we had possession of the country. He had with him about 1200 militia and a regular detach- ment of artillerists. He ascertained that the enemy were near him consisting of 1000 regulars and 700 Indians, and he returned. A change soon came over that scene. By the 20th of that month, that General had abandoned Fort George, had burn- ed Newark, and had crossed over to the American shore, and the enemy in great force had invaded our country at Lewiston. They took Fort Niagara by surprise, found its gates open and its commanding officer was with his family at some distance from the fort ; and before the 1st day of January, that frontier was wholly desolate, Buffalo was in ruins, and our people were flying in all directions. The detail given by the commanding general must have been harrowing indeed to one of Governor Tompkins' tem- perament. It cannot be uninteresting to read it. The despatch is dated "Head Quarters, Niagara Frontier, ) January 6, 1814. ) "The confusion into which every thing was thrown by the events of the 30th December, and the imperious necessity of taking precautionary measures against the advances of the enemy, put it out of my power to furnish at an earlier period a detailed account of the operations on this frontier, during my hitherto unfortunate and embarrassing com- mand. Add to this the extreme difficulty of collecting authentic facts relative to our loss since the forces, under my command, were of that multiform description which they necessarily were, being composed almost wholly of volunteer militia and exempts, hastily and confusedly as- sembled in the moment of alarm, and dissipated by the events of a battle. "The storming of Fort Niagara and the burning of Lew- iston, presaging further devastation, threw this whole country into the utmost agitation. On the moment, and with- APPENDIX. 127 out any previous preparation, I hastened to Batavia, with a view to take such measures as might be in my power to repel the enemy and protect the frontier. " I hastily collected from the militia and volunteers of Genesee county, and the brigade of Gen. Wadsworth in Ontario, a considerable force. But generally deficient in arms and ammunition, and the necessary conveniences of a camp. "In the evening of the 22d of December, Gen. M'Clure, with the Regulars under the command of Major Riddle, arrived in Batavia, and on the 23d signified his desire that I would take command during this moment of general alarm. I accordingly proceeded in the best manner in my power to organize the forces then in Batavia, and with the arms and ammunition collected from different sections of the country, and what little could be procured from the Arsenals of Canandaigua and Batavia, I was able to get on the march on the 25th, for Lewiston, a body of infantry 150 strong, supported by one company of cavalry, with orders to join a corps of militia, said to be 200 men, at Forsyth's, on the Ridge Road, fifteen miles east from Lewiston — to collect and save all the ammunition in his power, which was then dispersed on the road and in different parts of the country * * * and if practicable, to effect a junction with the main force at Buffalo, by the way of Manchester, Schlosser, and thence up the river to Black Rock, leaving as a reserve the corps under Colonel Acheson, at their station, near Lewiston. " I then ordered the remainder of the troops to Buffalo. On the morning of the 25th I proceeded to Buffalo. I arrived on the morning of the 26th, and there found a con- siderable body of irregular troops, of various descriptions, disorganized and confused. Every thing wore the appear- ance of consternation and dismay." " On the 27th I ordered a review of all the troops under my command, when I found my numerical force to be as follows : — 128 APPENDIX. At Buffalo, 129 Cavalry and Mounted Volunteers, 433 Exempts and Volunteers, 136 Buffalo Militia, 97 Canadian Refugees, 382 Genesee Militia. At Black Rock, 380 Militia, 37 Mounted Infantry, 83 Indians, and one field piece, with 25 Men — making a numerical force of 1702 Men. Add to this a Regiment of 300 militia from Chatauque, which arrived on the 29th, and swelled the force to 2000 ; which was reduced on the morning of the alarm to less than 1200 ; and so deficient were the supplies of ammuni- tion, that a greater part of the cartridges for one Regiment were made and distributed after the Regiment was paraded on the morning of the battle." The despatch proceeds : — " The movements of the enemy already indicated their intention of attacking Buffalo, or Black Rock, which left me not a moment from the arduous duty of preparing the most effective means in my power for meeting the enemy with the crude force under my command. On the 28th I was so fortunate as to procure information as to the ene- my's movements, from a citizen who made his escape from Canada. "In the evening of the 29th, at about 12 o'clock, I received information that our horse patrol had been fired on a short distance below Conjokatie's creek, and one mile below Black Rock, Lieut. Boughton, an enterprising and brave officer, had his horse shot under him. The enemy advanced and took possession of the Sailor's battery, near the creek. The troops were immediately paraded. I was yet uncertain at what point the enemy would at- tack me. I was apprehensive he designed to make a feigned attack below Black Rock, for the purpose of draw- ing off my force from Buffalo preparatory to landing above APPENDIX. 129 the village, intending thereby to take it by surprise. At the same time being anxious to anticipate his landing, and meet him at the water's edge, I ordered the troops at the Rock to attack the enemy and dislodge him from the bat- tery, and drive him to his boats. The attempt failed, through the confusion into which the militia were thrown on the first fire of the enemy. They dispersed and were not again embodied during the day. I then ordered the corps, under Major Adams and Col. Chapin, to make the attack. This was attended with no better effect. The men were thrown into confusion by the enemy's fire, and after skirmishing a short time, fled, and were not again embodied during the day. I then ordered Colonel Blakeley to attack, and at the same time put the rest of my troops in motion for the same point and proceeded to Black Rock. On approaching I discovered a detachment of the enemy's boats crossing to our shore. The day was now beginning to dawn, I immediately directed Col. Blakeley to attack the enemy's centre at the water's edge instead of his left. " I now became satisfied of the enemy's intention, which was as follows : — His left, composed of 800 Regulars and 150 or 200 Indians, were disposed below Conjokatie's creek, and had been landed under cover of the night. With this force he designed to out flank our right and cut off our re- treat. With his centre, consisting of 400 Royal Scots, the battle commenced. His right, which was purposely weak, was landed near our main battery, under cover of a high bank, and was merely to divert our force from his main attack. The whole under the command of Lieut. Gen. Drummond, conducted to the attack by Maj. Gen. Riall. "I therefore ordered his left, which was wheeling upon our right, to be attacked by the Indians and Canadian volun- teers ; at the same time I posted a regiment at a battery as a reserve. " The attack was begun by a fire from our six pounders below Gen. Porter s house, and one 24 and 2 twelves at the battery. At the same time the enemy opened a heavy fire from their batteries on the other side of the river, of shells, 130 APPENDIX. hot shot and balls. Col. Blakeley's regiment were regu- larly in line, together with detached bodies from other corps, amounting to about 600. These few brave men began the attack with musketry, upon the enemy in their boats, and poured upon them a most destructive fire. Every inch was disputed with the steady coolness of vete- rans, and at the expense of many valuable lives." " Perceiving that the Indians were offering no assistance, and that our right was endangered by the enemy's left, I ordered the reserve to attack the enemy in flank on our right, but terror had dissipated this corps, and but few of them could be rallied and brought to the attack. "The defection of the Indians and my reserve, and the loss of the services of my mounted men, left the forces engaged exposed to the enemy's fire in front and flank. After stand- ing their ground about half an hour, opposed to veteran and disciplined troops, overwhelmed by numbers and nearly surrounded, a retreat became necessary. " I made every effort to rally the troops, with a view to renew the attack on the enemy's approach to Buffalo, but in vain. With militia retreat becomes a flight, and a battle once ended, the army is dissipated. "Deserted by my principal force, I fell back that night to Eleven Mile creek, and was forced to leave the flourishing villages of Buffalo and Black Rock a prey to the enemy, which they have pillaged and laid waste. At the Eleven Mile creek I collected between 2 and 300, who remained faithful to the country. With those I preserved the best show of defence in my power, to cover the fleeing inhabi- tants and check the advances of the enemy." Such is the account of the attack upon and devastation of our western frontier, which spread sorrow and anxiety through the land. James Wadsworth, on the 6th of January, wrote : — " Major Mallory, of the Canada volunteers, has in effect the command of our frontiers. In fact the consternation of the militia is so great that they cannot be reduced to tolera- ble order for some time. A hundred Regulars and fifty APPENDIX. 131 Indians would now march to Batavia without serious opposition. The frontier is dependant for its safety on the clemency of the English, Butler's Rangers, and the Indians." On the 20th of January, 1814, General Wilkinson wrote from Waterford : — " The enemy are weakening their forts in the neighbor- hood of Montreal, with the intention to strengthen those to the westward. This circumstance, and the exposed situ- ation of Sackett's Harbor, induces me to request that you may be pleased to order to that place, with as little delay as possible, a reinforcement of 1000 militia or volunteers." On the 17th February, General Hall wrote from the Niagara frontier : — " The enemy are undoubtedly in considerable force near the frontier, and adequate security cannot be afforded with- out considerable addition to the number now in service." On the 14th April, 1814, General Gaines, from Sackett's Harbor, informed the Governor that " the enemy had fitted out his old fleet, with a considerable number of small craft, and had them lying off in the stream, waiting for a favor- able wind to sail for that port with 3000 men." On the same day Commodore Chauncey communicated the same information, and added : " I have no doubt that the enemy mean to make a desperate push at this place, while it is left so weak." General Porter, on the 27th March, apprised the Gover- nor "that apprehensions were entertained for the safety of the village at the mouth of the Genesee, where there was a large deposit of public provisions." He was also informed by letter of the 29th March that " Sag Harbor was in imminent danger of invasion." On the 5th April, he was informed by General Wilkinson, that there were considerable magazines of provisions and stores at Vergennes and Whitehall, where we had no military force, and he was not able to spare any for the protection of those places. On the 15th April, the Secretary of War wrote that there 132 APPENDIX. was reason to believe that the enemy meditated an attack on Sackett's Harbor. Without, however, occupying any more time with these details, it will be sufficient to know that our Government had good reason to believe that a combined attack would be made upon the whole of our northern frontier, and upon New York in the south, in the hope of being able, by form- ing a communication by means of the Hudson river, to isolate the Eastern States from the rest of the Union. Many are yet living, perhaps some now hear me, who remember full well the anxiety with which this crisis in our affairs was regarded by every true patriot. There are but few, however, who can fully appreciate the intensity of feeling with which Gov. Tompkins regarded it. Urged to unwonted efforts by every consideration of duty and patriot- ism, called upon by the General Government in most earnest appeals for men and money, and incited by his fellow citi- zens to exert himself to meet all the emergencies and pecu- niary difficulties with which we were pressed, even at the hazard of ruining himself, he was equal to the occasion. In answer to the representations of General Gaines and Commodore Chauncey, as to the danger threatened to Sackett's Harbor, he wrote on the 17th April that he had by return of the express " directed the officers commanding the militia in Jefferson, Lewis and Oneida counties to com- ply, promptly and without waiting for further orders, with any requisition which might be made by the commanding officer at Sackett's Harbor, and had advised General Martin of Lewis, and the senior officer of Jefferson to repair imme- diately to the harbor and receive advice, instructions and orders in person." He also informed those officers that " all the precautior which his authority and resources warranted, had bee taken with respect to Oswego ;" that he had " commur cated by express to the Generals of Madison, Oneida, Ono daga, Cortland and Cayuga counties his apprehensions for the safety of the village and port of Oswego, and directec them to be prepared for the event." Simultaneous with these efforts at the north, he directc APPENDIX. 133 his attention to our eastern border. The following letter from him to the Secretary of War, under date 7th May, 1814, will show the precautions he adopted in that quarter: " Sir, — Your communication of the 28th April did not come to hand until yesterday, on account of my absence from town. " Previously to the receipt of your requisition for Sackett's Harbor, the general officers of militia in Jefferson and Lewis counties had been directed to repair in person to the Harbor, and if an attack of that port was apprehended, to receive and immediately comply with any requisition which the commanding officer might think proper to make. " The militia generals have reported, that by the time of their arrival at the Harbor the alarm had subsided, and that no militia were or would be called for the present. " The communication which I received from General Wil- kinson apprised me of his apprehensions, that the enemy would be in force on Lake Champlain before M'Donough would be in readiness to meet him, and that an attempt would probably be made to destroy our flotilla in dock, and the public property at Whitehall. " I deemed it prudent to send an express with that infor- mation, and with instructions to the Commandant of the militia of Washington county, to hold themselves in readi- ness. Generals De Ridder and Pettit, with the Command- ants of the regiments of militia nearest to Whitehall, visited the place, and went a considerable distance down the Lake to ascertain the best positions for annoying an enemy in his approach to Whitehall, and made arrangements for obtain- ing particularly, the earliest information of his advance to the upper part of the Lake. The Brigadiers have likewise ordered three regiments to be held in readiness to march at a moments warning. " No militia have, however, yet been ordered into service in that quarter, nor will there be, unless the enemy's flotilla should ascend the lake as far as Crown Point." To prepare for action on the Niagara frontier, he des- patched one of his Aids to Buffalo with very nlenary powers. 12 134 APPENDIX. " You will please to repair," (so runs his letter of instruc- tions to Colonel Yates.) to the army at Buffalo, and if, upon consultation with Major General Brown, Brigadier General Porter and others, whom you may suppose capable of giving prudent advice in the premises, it shall be proper and neces- sary, you will issue, in my name and as my aid, a general order, calling out, en masse, or in detachments such portion of the militia west of Utica as may be required by Major General Brown." " You are to consider yourself vested with full and entire discretion in relation to the premises, and to exercise all needful authority to carry the object of this order into full and complete effect. You may return so soon as in your judgment your longer presence on the Niagara frontier shall have become unnecessary." He wrote to General Brown as follows : — Albany, August 13th, 1814. " Dear Sir — My absence from this city, prevented my receiving your letter of the 1st instant, until recently. The alarm which exists at New York compels me to devote at- tention to that place, and upon the requisition of the Presi- dent, I am getting out 3000 troops from the middle district ; they rendezvous on Thursday, and I am well aware that unless I accompany them personally and see to their organi- zation, accommodation and equipment at New York, some pretext will be seized for flying off in a tangent. Were it not for the indispensable necessity of personal attention to this duty, I should visit you at Buffalo. " Colonel Yates, who will present this communication, is one of my Aids. He is instructed, after consulting with you, to issue any order for the assemblage of the mili- tia, for which you may issue a requisition, and to call them out en masse, or by detachments, as may be most expedient. He is also empowered to direct the superintendents of State Arsenals to supply the militia to be called out, with equip- ments, so far as our resources will enable them. " Your requisition on General Hall receives my approba- APPENDIX. 135 tion, and his compliance I hope will be prompt and satisfac- tory. " With respect to the increase of General Porter's corps, I do not well know what to say. Had I the power to enlarge their allowance by adding to the pay of eight dollars per month, about four dollars and fifty cents in lieu of clothing, it would certainly have a benign influence ; for, it is not to be denied that the patriotism of too many of our citizens is of the pound, shilling and pence kind ; and that avarice has become with too many, the master passion, which, like Aaron's rod, swallows up all the rest. " We are considerably embarrassed for equipments by reason of the wanton destruction and embezzlement of public property on the Niagara frontier, by those to whom it was entrusted for the defence of their country, indeed of their own firesides ; and I have therefore, long since been convinced that a more economical and at the same time a more efficient and subordinate corps than drafted militia is indispensable. For two years I have endeavored to per- suade the Legislature to organize a substitute for militia, but they have hitherto thwarted my views. " The President has now convened Congress, and it is not improbable that I may call our Legislature about the same time. This however must be inter nos. The State authori- ties cannot raise troops without the assent of Congress ; and to have brought the Legislature together at a time when that assent could not be obtained would have left the patri- otic Legislature lately elected, no alternative but to call out large bodies of militia and to waste the resources of the State in paying expenses disproportionate to the services. I wish you to advise Colonel Yates as to the exercise of the discretion and power vested in him, which are very ample. With high consideration and esteem, I have the honor to be Sir, Your ob't ser't, DANIEL D. TOMPKINS. Major General Jacob Brown. / 136 APPENDIX. Not content with a mere technical discharge of his duties, he seems to have sought out with earnest zeal, every means of defending the country. On the 13th of August, he wrote to De Witt Clinton, in behalf of the Committee of defence, apprising him of his having ordered from Albany, for the defence of the city, certain munitions of war, and also that at West Point, and at the Navy Yard at the Wallabout, there were other articles of the kind, and he adds : " It is a matter of the utmost importance, both for the General Government and the State of New York, to estab- lish a Cannon Foundry on the Hudson, above the Highlands. The organization of a company for that purpose is on foot. I have this day addressed to Oliver Wolcott, of that Com- pany, a communication upon the subject, and beg leave to recommend to the Corporation of New York to patronize the establishment by a subscription of $10,000. A cannon foundry is of more vital importance both to the City of New York, to our Northern and Western frontiers, and to the State at large, than is generally imagined." " Previously to my departure from New York, I had the honor to address to the Secretary of the Navy, a communi- cation soliciting the control of a portion of the cannon at the Navy Yard, and promising to mount them immediately at State expense. The moment an answer is received, it shall be communicated for the information of the Committee of defence." The prompt and decided measures adopted by the Gover- nor, in the emergency presented by the campaign of 1814, will be further learned from others of his letters written at the same time. On the 16th of August, he wrote to the Governor of New Jersey. " Dear Sir, — I should have visited Newark when I was last at the seaboard, had I not learned from Mr. Riggs, that you were at Trenton. I am extremely anxious for an interview, and shall go to New York on Thursday of this week, where I may remain for a week at least. If, during that time, you should be at Newark, or at any other part of New APPENDIX. 137 Jersey, within thirty miles of New York, and will have the goodness to acquaint me with it by a line, I shall have the honor of calling upon you." In addition to the promptitude with which he responded to every call for aid in defence of our whole line of frontier, he displayed equal energy in preparing the City of New York to resist an attack from forces which were then un- questionably aimed at this Port, but which were afterwards directed to New Orleans by the very efficient means which were taken here to meet them. His correspondence at this period, evinces not merely the ardor of his patriotism and a comprehensiveness of mind equal to all the difficulties of the crisis, but a minute atten- tion to detail, and a regard for the feelings and comforts of his fellow citizens, which commends his example to us as one worthy of all imitation. To read all his correspondence at this important era, though very interesting in itself, would swell this paper far beyond reasonable bounds. We must therefore content ourselves on this occasion, with such extracts only as will tend to give us just conceptions of the task which devolved upon him and the manner in which he performed it. In August, 1814, he repaired to New York to superintend in person the measures of defence. On the 27th of August he wrote to the General commanding the forces in this dis- trict, as follows : — " The alarming state of affairs renders it indispensably necessary that an immediate understanding should exist between yourself, the Commodore and myself with respect to the order of battle, or system of operations to be pur- sued in the event of an attack upon this city. It is the more necessary that I should in particular be made acquainted with it beforehand, because the collection of additional forces from abroad, and my duty to the citizens of the west- ern and northern frontiers may call me occasionally from the city, and were I to arrive at the moment of an attack, and there were no previously digested plan or order of battle, the services of any militia which I might command, 12* 13S APPENDIX. would of course be less important and beneficial than they might otherwise be. May I therefore request that you will arrange and digest, either separately or in concert wi'th Commodore Decatur, and acquaint me with the plans of operation or order of battle proposed, upon the several hypotheses of attack through the sound, either on the West- chester or Long Island side — of a landing upon any part of the south side of Long Island, or of the approach of the enemy by the way of the Hook, or of a simultaneous at- tack in two or more directions. " The militia of Rockland, Westchester, Queens, Kings, New York and Richmond, together with such as I may be able to get down seasonably from above the Highlands, and those now in service, are the only corps of the militia of this State that I shall be able to furnish at short warning. " Governor Pennington informs me that* the militia of Essex and the adjacent counties will be ordered by him to obey your requisitions promptly, without waiting for the orders to pass through him, and that upon hearing of an alarm he will repair immediately to that part of his State nearest the harbor of New York, to co-operate in its defence." On the 29th of August he informed the Corporation of this city that he had it in contemplation to assemble immediately, an additional number of ten thousand militia at this place ; and on the 15th September he communicated to the Com- manding General a statement of the force which he had brought into the field. On Staten Island he had - - - - 2164 At Brooklyn, 4300 On Barn Island, 1600 At Harlem Heights, - - - 3500 In New York City, 4000 Total, 15,564 The extent of the services rendered by him, is however, best detailed in his own unpretending language, fn a letter APPENDIX. „ 1 39 to Mr. Monroe, then Secretary of war, of the 29th of Sep- tember, he says : — " The measures which you suggest had been in part anti- cipated. So early as the 16th of August the Generals of militia in the counties of Montgomery, Herkimer, Otsego, Oneida, Madison, Lewis, Jefferson and St. Lawrence, had been instructed by me to comply instantly, without waiting for orders to pass through me, with any requisition that might come from your commanding officer at Sackett's Harbor. " They have accordingly reinforced the harbor occasion- ally, and a considerable body of militia is now in service there. One of my Aids, (Washington Irving) is now on his way to the harbor with ample powers to supply any addi- tional force, which upon consultation with the commanding officer there may be thought needful for the safety of the Harbor. " For the defence of the City of New York, I have exerted myself to the utmost. Full fifteen thousand of the militia of this State and one thousand sea-fencibles, organized under State authority, are now in service in the third military district. " These, with Commodore Decatur's command, the Regu- lars, Sea-fencibles of the United States, Jersey militia, corps of exempts and neighboring militia kept in reserve, will, if well disciplined and commanded, be adequate to the defence of New York. " So soon as I learned that General Brown's army had retrograded to Erie, Colonel Yates, one of my Aids, repaired immediately to that frontier with plenary powers to give any assistance with militia that might be required. The number proposed by General Brown has been furnished, and he writes me that in the recent sortie they greatly dis- tinguished themselves. " I was for a time in great apprehension for the safety of our northern frontier. The withdrawal of General Izzard's army from that quarter, was an entire secret to me until some days after he was on the march. 140 APPENDIX. " Major General Mooers had but a short time before, sent me a copy of a correspondence between him and General Izzard, in which the latter declined the acceptance of Gen- eral M ? s. offer to reinforce him with militia. I therefore directed my whole attention to New York, and was not ap- prized of the necessity of strengthening Plattsburgh until it was too late." " Nearly twenty-five thousand of the militia of the State are now in the service of the United States. It is a hercu- lean task, at the busy season of the year, and without funds in the hands of any of your Quarter-masters and without any authority or control over the District Departments, to get up, transport and equip, at various and remote points, so large a body of troops." " Permit me to say that every exertion will be made on my part to comply with the future requisitions of the National Government, to the full extent of my authority and resources." This letter was in answer to one from Mr. Monroe, in which, in brief and emphatic language he announced to Gov. Tompkins : — "General M'Clure, at Plattsburg, is in danger from a superior force marching against him, and General Brown is alike exposed to imminent danger." " It is the object of the enemy to overwhelm us this campaign, and I have satisfactory reason to believe that they indulge the presumptuous hope of penetrating by the Lakes, by Albany, to the city of New York. " A vigorous and manly exertion is therefore peculiarly necessary on your part." Governor Tompkins had well said in his reply that the measures suggested had been in part anticipated, for before this letter reached its destination, the battle of Plattsburgh had been fought by General M'Comb and the enemy were in full retreat, and General Brown had made his sortie from Fort Erie, in which the enemy's batteries were destroyed and 800 of their men left on the field. In both instances the militia called out by the Governor behaved extremely APPENDIX. 141 well, and in the sortie drew from General Brown the strong expression — " The militia of New-York behaved gallantly and were of immense importance." So great and beneficial was the influence of the prompt and energetic measures of the Governor, that in the course of that year he was tendered the situation of Secretary of State by Mr. Madison, which he declined. That he richly deserved the promotion tendered him all would concede, and that he had fairly earned the comparative exemption from toil and anxiety which the new place would have afforded him was equally apparent. But that he would so far consult his own ease and interest as to abandon the po- sition in which he then stood, as laborious and responsible as it was honorable, no one expected. Instead of abandon- ing or even attempting to lessen the burdens then resting upon him, he cheerfully assumed more. On the 14th October, 1814, the command of the third military district was entrusted to him by the President, and from that time until he was relieved in April following, he discharged all the duties of that station, in addition to those of Chief Magistrate of this State. The arduous nature of these manifold duties can only be faintly imagined by us, who stand at this distance from the scene, unless we could be fortunate enough to read all his correspondence in connection with an intimate knowledge of the history of the period. We should then observe that besides the ordinary duties of Chief Magistrate, (which of themselves in times of peace have been too grievous a burden for some of the incum- bents to bear gracefully and well,) he had imposed on him all the anxieties growing out of the alarming state of pub- lic affairs — all the labor and perplexity of calling into service and organizing for efficient action 25,000 militia at several points, and of putting into form and order the chaos which our inexperience had created in the Pay, Quarter- Master and Commissary departments — the responsibility of raising large sums of money for the national government 142 APPENDIX. which was almost penniless — the fatigue of personal com- mand — rendered infinitely perplexing by the constant occur- rence of paltry questions and disputes about rank and precedence, among the inexperienced yet fiery spirits he had awakened to action. The effect produced upon himself and his friends by these Herculean labors, as he himself justly calls them, is best learned from an anonymous letter which he received, and which I cannot forbear transcribing. It has no date, but must have been received by him about the 1st September, 1814, and is evidently from one of a sect who do not be- lieve much in wars and bloodshed. It reads as follows : " Very dear friend, — I am so troubled for the public good, that to keep silence would implicate me to myself in the charge of treason. " God has raised thee up and appointed thee to be the first magistrate of a great and affectionate people, and in thy official capacity imposes upon thee very complicated and arduous duties. But he has not given thee sinews of iron nor joints of brass. Thy constitution and strength are but what belong to a common man. " When Moses was told by one ' Thou wilt surely wear away, for this thing is too heavy for thee,' he hearkened to the counsel and took means to lessen his excessive labors. And when King David was advised that his safety was of greater consequence than the lives of 10,000 of his subjects, he modestly acquiesced. How intimately the salus populi is connected with thy health and life, would be presumption in mere man to undertake to determine. " But I speak safely when I say that the perplexing cares, the excessive fatigues, and common abstinence which every returning day brings upon thee, do greatly endanger thy health' and of consequence thy life, and we need no spirit of inspiration to tell us, respected friend, that the loss of one or both would at the present fearful crisis be most deplora- ble to the community. For Heaven's sake then be admon- APPENDIX. 143 ished by an obscure citizen who has thy personal good and the welfare of our common country near at heart, so to moderate and lessen thy toil and labor as to indulge in necessary recreation, to take thine ordinary meals in regu- larity, and to give nature its required rest in the common season of sleep. Patriotism does not demand of thee the sacrifice thou art making. Duty forbids it. It is common language in the city — the Governor cannot bear his fa- tigue — the Governor will bring sickness upon himself, &c. &c. " Pardon, respected friend, this obtrusion of an anxious fellow-citizen and a cordial " WELL WISHER. " Governor Tompkins." His toil and anxieties were greatly increased by the fact that one branch of the legislature, and the council of ap- pointment, were during the session of 1813-14, controlled by his political opponents : by the panic which spread over the whole country by the burning of Washington in August of that year, and by an extra session of the legislature called in the following month of September. It seemed however that he grew with the emergency, and in proportion to the necessity for their exercise there sprang up in him powers of mind, which he was himself scarcely conscious of possessing. And it is delightful to witness the ease with which he carried the burden imposed upon him, the good and kindly nature which pervaded his con- duct, and the abiding confidence he had in the justice of our cause and its ultimate triumph. He could be severe, however, when occasion required it. In answer to the Colonel of a Regiment who complained of some fancied or real slight, he wrote : — " I became acquainted with the approach of Sir George Prevost towards Plattsburgh, and therefore directed your detached battalion to march immediately in that direction. You came instantly to Albany, stated your repugnance to going to Plattsburgh, and entreated me to excuse you from 144 APPENDIX. it, and to let Major Yale take the command of the Bat- talion. I thought proper to comply with your request, be- cause I believed that a commanding officer who was so violently opposed, as you seemed to be, to march to the defence of the nearest frontier, where the greatest possible danger existed, and where the fairest opportunity was afforded of distinguishing himself, could not be of much importance on the expedition." On the occasion of one of his visits to Albany, during that summer, it seems he left one of his aids in this city, charged with somewhat plenary powers to act in his absence. On the 29th of September that aid wrote him : — " Dear Sir, — I have entered on the duties of the execu- tive department, which I have sustained with becoming dignity and moderation. I have made sundry requisitions, &c., and among others a requisition in favor of Mr. Ed- monds for $107,000. " The enclosed diary will show what has been done. " I am out of commissions, and pray you to forward me some of all kinds, signed. " With most sincere attachment, " Your friend, R. M. To which the Governor made this reply: — "Albany, September 30th, 1814. " Dear Sir, — I have just received your letter, acquainting me ' with your having entered on the duties of the Execu- tive with dignity and moderation.' You must permit me, however, to say, that when the next sentence met my eyes, I thought you were a pretty bold beginner. " The troops not having been in service two months, there could have been no immediate actual necessity for the sum of 107,000 dollars. Besides, Mr. Edmonds had written me a letter, wishing me to ascertain, before I left town, through what channel he was to obtain the Corporation funds to pay the troops, as he understood the Corporation Commit- tee, which had been despatched to Washington to make APPENDIX. 145 arrangements with the General Government, as to the man- ner of and vouchers for the advances which were to be made by the Corporation upon the credit of the General Government, had returned. He, therefore, did not expect they were to be obtained through me. " When the committee returned, their report contained an expression that the advances were to be made for the General Government, to be refunded by the state of New York, in the first instance, which was to be reimbursed, therefore, by the United States. As the state was not a party to the arrangement, and had made no agreement to be the go-between, I applied to the Mayor, who being per- fectly convinced of the impropriety of implicating the state of New York in an arrangement to which it was not a party, and of the misunderstanding it might thereafter create, sent for the committee, and had the report altered in my presence, so as to read that the Militia were to be paid by the Corporation, who were to be reimbursed by the General Government." " I have likewise informed the Legislature by message, that the Corporation were to pay the Militia in service at New York, upon the credit of the General Government. Now, after all this, immediately after I left town, without consultation with, or instructions or authority from me, without any law therefore, and without any immediate necessity for it, that you should have signed a requisition, pledging the credit of the state for so large a sum as 107,000 dollars, I acknowledge surprised me. I should not have done it myself had 1 been in New York, and I here men- tion it as a general rule for your future government, that I never delegate executive authority of such magnitude and responsibility. I would, therefore, suggest the propriety of your requesting General Edmonds, if he shall have received, it, to refund the money to the Comptroller of the Corpora- tion and take up your requisition. " By a reference to the Mayor, you will learn upon whose requisitions the pay for the troops is to be advanced, ac- cording to the agreement which may have been made by 13 146 APPENDIX. Messrs. Bracket & King ; and General Edmonds must obtain the money through the channel so arranged between the General Government and the last mentioned gentlemen. You must allow me to caution you against signing requi- sitions of any kind, affecting the credit or property of the State. Such subjects must be referred to me." When he believed that the militia of his state had been unjustly treated, he gave vent to his indignation in a tone of manly remonstrance. In a letter to Jonathan Fisk, one of the Committee of Defence, then at Washington, under date of October 3, 1814, he says: — " I have observed with considerable regret the pointed neglect of General P. B. Porter and his gallant volunteers in the President's message. When I inform you that Gene- ral Porter raised his own corps at his own expense, under desponding circumstances, the Niagara frontier having just before been desolated, and there being, when he began, no prospect of the assistance of a considerable regular force there ; that the Legislature had tied my hands so that I could only help him by commissions and general orders, and he had no funds to recruit with, no bounty money or allowance in lieu of clothing, and no pay beyond what regulars received. Besides all this, he was odious to the federal party. A contested election was just coming on, and Lovett, V. R., and others had slandered him and im- puted to him a want of courage, patriotism, &c. ; that he had to make his way through a load of detraction and malignity, and a mountain of difficulties. He surmounted all these obstacles, and raised a considerable force. With these, he has distinguished himself in every action which has been fought, and put his calumniators beneath his feet. He opened the ball at Chippewa, went with Scott to the shore of Lake Ontario, fought bravely at the battle of Bridgewater, at the attack upon Erie under Gaines, and in the late sortie under Brown, &c, and has lost General John Swift and a number of brave companions. He has been twice wounded himself. APPENDIX. 147 " These distinguished instances of gallantry and public services have been repeatedly and officially communicated to the General Government. Yet whilst all others have been breveted and complimented, General Porter and his little band alone are neglected, and are not even mentioned by the President in his message. I admit the President was under no necessity of naming subordinate officers and corps, but he has done it in respect to Scott and Gaines, which makes his omission of Porter more unjust and cruel. None of the others have been in actions in which Porter was not, but not one of them can say the same of him, for they have been alternately absent from actions in which Porter was engaged. " I could, however, have overlooked the omission of the President in this instance, as the result of the confusion and agitation at Washington, but I see resolutions have been proposed in Congress to compliment Brown, Scott and Gaines, and other troops, carefully omitting General Porter again. Now, with this repetition of cold neglect, I am compelled to suppose that some personal or local prejudice withholds the meed of praise that is due to him, either of which is unworthy of liberal minded politicians, and wholly unpardonable in the rulers of the nation. " In noticing the affair at Plattsburgh too, the President seems carefully to have avoided the mention of New- York or Vermont militia. At Baltimore where all would have distinguished themselves had not the enemy retired unmo- lested and in safety on board without even being observed, the praises of the militia are trumpeted forth, but it is said that at Plattsburgh the enemy was gallantly repulsed by a force a part only of which was regulars. Now it is well known that one column of the British army took the Beek- mantown Road, and that this column was opposed both in its advance and retreat by militia alone, not a regular being opposed to that column. " The regulars had their strong works to retire to, and did retire to them on the advance of the other column of the enemy, whilst the militia both in retreat and pursuit were 148 APPENDIX. exposed in the open field and suffered most, as will be seen by the ultimate return of killed and wounded of New-York and Vermont militia and volunteers. It may be said that McDonough's victory caused the retreat of the British land force. Still that detracts from the praise due the regulars who were in works more than it does from that due the militia ; for the one was exposed to field attack and pursu- ed the enemy in his retreat and the other was in strong works and did not pursue. " Enclosed is an order of General Brown, which shows that even the common militia of New- York assembled in haste, has behaved gallantly in the late sortie at Erie. The storming of strong works by militia, certainly demands un- bounded applause. " Now with the exception of General Brown, the mention of whom could not be avoided because he commanded the army, not a New-Yorker is praised or even mentioned, and Math respect to Brown even, the honor of the mention is greatly impaired by coupling subordinate officers with him. Nor are the patriotism, volunteers or militia of the state mentioned, although at the time the President penned his message, nearly 30,000 of the yeomanry of the state were in the service of the United States, and without whom, two of their armies would probabty have been lost and the me- tropolis of the state before this time have been in the pos- session of the enemy. " I am far from detracting from the services of the gallant Generals noticed by the President. It is of the injustice done to others by the omission of their names and services, that I complain. " Should the complimentary resolutions introduced into congress exclude Porter and his brave comrades, I am satis- fied that our legislature will feel themselves called upon to do them justice by recitals and resolutions that will give your great men at Washington a Rowland for your Oliver." The ardor of his patriotism did not cool with the occasion which excited it. After the termination of the war, he availed himself of every opportunity which offered, to re- APPENDIX. 149 ward and defend those who had faithfully discharged their duty to their country in the hour of its adversity. A few instances will be all that time will now allow me to give. In a letter to General Jackson, dated April 21, 1815, he says : — " I am directed by the Legislature of this State, to trans- mit to you their unanimous resolution of thanks for your gallant and glorious defence of New-Orleans, and to request you to communicate to your brave associates in arms, the grateful sense which the Legislature entertains of their signal services. " I cannot, sir, sufficiently express my admiration of that firmness and distinguished conduct which saved from the ravages of an excited soldiery the capital of the district committed to your charge. In most of the incidents of the late war, we have perceived displays of the military pre- tensions of our country ; but this last achievement, both as respects the preparatory arrangements and the brilliancy of the victory, manifests most distinctly and emphatically, how capable the American people are of the highest military results when skilfully and courageously directed, and ex- cites universal gratitude and applause." On the same day he wrote a letter to an individual of a different calling, which, while it demonstrates his patriot- ism, shows the prevalence of a feeling among the people which was certain to be attended with the happiest results. The letter is addressed to the Rev. Benjamin Wooster, Fairfield, Franklin County, Vermont. " Albany, April 21, 1815. " Reverend Sir, — General Strong who commanded the in- trepid volunteers of Vermont, on the memorable 11th Sep- tember, 1814, has made me acquainted with the very dis- tinguished part you bore in the achievements of that day. " A portion of your parishioners, roused by the dangers which hung over our invaded country, generously volun- teered in her defence and chose you, their pastor, for their 13* 150 APPENDIX. leader. You promptly obeyed the summons, and placing yourself at the head of your little band, repaired with alacri- ty to the tented field. Here you endured with patient for- titude, the vicissitudes of the camp, spurning the proffered indulgences which were justly due to the sanctity of your character. In the hour of battle you were found with your command in the ranks of the regiment to which you were attached, bravely contending for the imperishable honors of victory. The invaders being expelled, you quietly returned with your small, but gallant troop, to the duties of your sa- cred calling, and there inculcated by precept those princi- ples of morality, patriotism and piety, of which you had just given a practical demonstration. " At a period, sir, when principles inconsistent with what we owe to ourselves, our country and our God, had gone abroad, your example on the occasion alluded to, could not fail to carry with it an irresistible influence. It illustrated the perfect compatibilitj^ of the injunctions of patriotism with the duties of religion, and was a striking and affecting instance of that attachment and self devotedness to the cause of a beloved country which ought always to distin- guish the conduct of the virtuous and the pious in times of peril and of war. " As a memorial of my veneration for your disinterested, noble and patriotic conduct, on the 11th September, 1814, and of my grateful sense of the eminent benefits which this State and the Union have derived from your example and exploits, I request your acceptance of this sacred volume, and beg you to convey to your brave associates, the assur- ance of my highest estimation of their patriotism and sig- nal services. « DANIEL D. TOMPKINS." This letter called forth the following reply : — " His Excellency Daniel D. Tompkins, Esq., Governor of the State of New- York. " Sir, — Last evening my sensibility was awakened by the reception of Brown's gold-gilt family Bible, which your APPENDIX. 151 Excellency was pleased to forward by the politeness of Colonel Anthony Lamb, Aid-de-camp to your Excellency. And if the stores of Heaven had been unlocked, your Ex- cellency could not have found a more precious gift than the Word of God, except you could have bestowed the very God of Word. And as if it were possible to enhance the value of the present, your Excellency was pleased in a let- ter dated Albany, April 21, 1815, to bestow many encomi- ums on me and my intrepid band, for our conduct at Pitts- burgh on the memorable 1 1th of September, 1814. You are pleased to observe that ' General Strong who commanded the intrepid volunteers from Vermont, had made you ac- quainted with the part I bore in the achievement of that day.' I did not, sir, expect to be particularly noticed by General Strong ; nor by the Governor of the first State in the Union: but by this I have assurance that our patriotic fathers delight to search out and reward the honest attempt to deserve well of our country. Should a candid public consider your very handsome encomium too freely bestowed, I hope they will also believe that nothing but the speedy flight of the invaders could have prevented our deserving all which your Excellency has been pleased to say. " The calls of a sister state in a common cause, wafted to our ears by the western breeze, were powerful. The Gov- ernor of Vermont called for volunteers — fourteen thousand British pressed upon Plattsburgh — the shock was like elec- tricity, and the language of the brave was ' I will go.' The act looked like temerity in the eyes of the over-prudent — the event was dubious and hung in awful suspense, but our lives had no value when our country was in disgrace. My aged brethren and sisters, whom I loved as my life, that moment collected to hear a sermon preparatory to the sacra- mental supper, from my lips, expressed their fears that I was depriving them of their pastor forever. They said, will you not preach for us this once — we expect to see you no more ! Come go with us into the house where the church are col- lected. Fearing what effect so tender a meeting might have upon my mind, I bade them a tender adieu, em- 152 APPENDIX. braced my family in tears, kissed my clinging babes, and set out immediately with my companions to Plattsburgh. The conduct of my men on that hazardous expedition will endear them to me while my heart beats for my country, or the blood remains warm in my veins. " The honor done me on this occasion, will be considered as rendered to all my companions in arms — and it is hoped will prove a stimulus to others to seek to deserve well of their country. " Your Excellency is pleased to observe that I ' obeyed the summons, repaired to the tented field and there endured the vicissitudes of the camp, spurning the proffered indulgences which were justly due to the sanctity of my character.' The sanctity of my station, Sir, I would seduously guard. But I have yet to learn that sanctity of character will make bondage sweet, danger unbecoming, or justify idleness when it is the duty of every man to act. Law and custom rendered me an exempt, but my conscience and my country forbade me to make appeal. Hard indeed had been my lot to be chained by custom to a bed of down, when General Strong and his men were braving the dangers of the field of honor. How could my heart endure, when my people were in danger, and yet could not find me dividing those dangers by their side ! " I grew up, Sir, with the principles that dangers lessen by being divided — that States are strengthened by union, and that regular armies and fleets are invigorated by seeing citizens contending for the honors of victory by their sides. Hard is the fate of the soldier, when those who should be his friends, whose battle he fights, and whose property he defends, are idle or pining for his fall. " The sacred volume alluded to as above, your Excellency is pleased to present ' as a memorial of your veneration for my distinguished conduct on the 11th of September, 1814.' Gratefully I receive it as such, and beg leave to remind your Excellency that this same holy book taught me to seek for Plattsburgh, and told me how to behave while I was there. APPENDIX. 153 " You are pleased to request me ' to convey to my brave associates the assurance of your high estimation of their patriotism and signal services.' It shall be done — and your Excellency may be assured, that should such a day as the 11th of September, 1814 ever return while we have life — the SAME MEN, yes many more, will appear in the field as volunteers from Fairfield. "BENJAMIN WOOSTER.f " Fairfield, June 15, 1825." The kindness of his heart seems never to have failed him. Among the citizens of our State who distinguished them- selves during the war, were John Swift and Daniel Davis, Generals in our militia, who fell in the sortie from Fort Erie. Our Legislature, in commemoration of their valor, directed the Governor to present a sword to the eldest male heir of each of them. The heir in each case, was a son, a young lad, and the Governor took pains in both instances, to have the SAvords presented in such manner as would be most likely to be most serviceable to them through life. He therefore se- lected as his agents in the task, distinguished persons from the vicinity where the young men lived, and was careful to let them understand his object. To Gideon Granger, who was one of those agents, he wrote : " One object I have in view by presenting to young Swift his sword in the county where he , lives, is to bring him into notice and respect amongst that portion of his fellow citi- zens, whose good opinions will be most serviceable to him hereafter. As the father was a distinguished member of the corps of volunteers which was raised by my orders and upon my responsibility, without Legislative authority. I feel a particular attachment to the son, and a strong desire to promote to the utmost of my power, his prospects and fame." To James W. Stevens, who was one of his agents in the other case, he wrote in the following glowing terms : 154 APPENDIX. " I have a particular desire that the sword intended for the eldest male heir of General Davis, deceased, should be presented in that quarter of the country in which he resides, and in the midst of those citizens whose good opinion will be most likely to be of use to him at his entrance into life. It is therefore important to him that the sword should be presented in as large an assemblage of the most respecta- ble ladies and gentlemen that can conveniently be brought together. " I need not mention to you that General Davis was a volunteer for the occasion of the sortie, and induced others to follow his example, and that too when it was reduced to a certainty that desperate fighting must be endured, and that victory, captivity or death were the only alternatives which those who crossed at that period could promise themselves. " He may, therefore, be considered as a voluntary de- voted martyr to save that gallant little army, and thereby 2 save the district of the country in which he lived, if not the nation, from impending overthrow and destruction. These circumstances, together with his remarkably honorable and steadfast conduct in the daring and noble enterprise of the sortie, and that of his being my fellow militia officer in- spires my greatest sympathy for his family, my utmost veneration for his memory, my warmest attachment for his son, and my most earnest wish to promote his welfare, tem- poral and spiritual, and make me anxious that the part of their address, in which the committee as my representa- tives may express my ardent wish for his future welfare, be in glowing and affectionate terms, and they may rest as- sured I shall feel for ever as much as they can express. " As I take it for granted you will be the composer and orator on the occasion, I have thought this declaration in confidence, of my sympathy, veneration and affectionate regard for the departed hero and his bereft family would not be unacceptable to you, and that you will appreciate my motives in wishing that the utmost publicity and effect may be given to the ceremony, with a view to its benign APPENDIX. 155 operation upon the character and future prospects of the tender youth." He was not content, however, simply with discharging the duty thus imposed upon him by the Legislature. Having learned that young Davis had had very little op- portunity for improvement — that with the advantages of an education he would be likely to make a shining character, and that his circumstances were by no means affluent, he addressed an earnest appeal in his behalf to the Govern- ment. " His father," such was his language, " nobly died in defence of his country at the sortie from Fort Erie, where he headed a patriotic band of volunteers which he had called together for the purpose of joining the army at the most momentous period of the war, when certain that either victory or death must be the result." He therefore urged the appointment of young Davis as a cadet or midshipman, which ever might be deemed most beneficial to him. I will not attempt to disguise the reluctance with which I am compelled by the limits allowed to these papers, to draw these extracts to a close. They are pervaded by so kindly a spirit — by so active a benevolence — by patriotism so ardent and pure, and by uniform elevation of thought and purpose, that it is most delightful to revel among their pages. Years having rolled away since he played so prominent and active a part on the stage, and the party rancor with which he was sometimes beset having been long since buried in the grave of the past, ample justice may now, without offence, be done to him who was in every sense of the word, " A statesman lofty and a patriot pure." The task, however, of doing full justice to his memory, belongs to an abler pen ; but no one is too feeble to admire the elevated patriotism which induced him, at a most trying crisis, to forego the honor intended for him by the President, to sacrifice his own health and the comfort of his family to the paramount duty of serving his country in that sphere 156 APPENDIX. where he could be most useful, and to offer himself a vic- tim for its safety if it should be necessary ; and the indomi- table energy which enabled him, in less than forty days, without assistance in money from the national government, to bring into the field at various points of danger nearly 50,000 men, organized, armed and equipped, to endure the toil, expense and embarrassment of commanding 20,000 of them in person, and at the same time to administer the government of the state : and in less than sixty days, when the national credit was at its lowest point of depression, when the payment of even the interest of its notes could not be provided for, to raise for the public service upwards of $1,000,000. If it should be asked what was his reward, for his great services to his country, and where stands his monument ? the veneration in which his memory is yet regarded by the whole nation, answers that it is erected in the hearts of his countrymen — " Such honors Ilion to her hero paid, And peaceful slept the mighty Hector's shade." APPENDIX. 157 MEETING OF THE FIRST OF OCTOBER. THE FIRST VICE PRESIDENT IN THE CHAIR. Mr. Wetmore announced the death of John Pintard, LL.D., and remarked that he should rely on some of the older members, who had been cotemporary with the deceased while actively engaged in the duties of the Society, to do justice to his memory. Recently one of the small number of the surviving founders of the Institution, he had always been its ardent friend and efficient advocate, and it was certainly proper that a fitting tribute of respect for his many virtues, should be placed upon the records of a So- ciety of which he had been a constant and disinterested benefactor. Mr. W. submitted the following resolutions : Resolved, That in the dece^e of John Pintard, LL.D., this Society has lost one of its earliest and most devoted friends — one of those, indeed, to whom the Institution owes its origin and much of its usefulness. Resolved, That the memory of Mr. Pintard is cherished by the members of this Society, for the many excellent features of his private and public character. Resolved, That copies of these resolutions be transmitted to the family of the deceased. Mr. Philip Hone, in rising to second the Resolutions, made the following remarks : I am not prepared, Mr. President, for the performance of the melancholy, but grateful duty which seems to have fallen upon me, as the friend of the venerable and excellent man whose memory your Resolution proposes to honor, 14 158 APPENDIX. to respond to the sentiment of that Resolution, and by- seconding, to present it for your adoption. The want of previous reflection and preparation, compels me to be more brief in the remarks I shall make, than my subject might justify, or my materials warrant. And I am moreover ad- monished to that prudent course by the knowledge that my friend opposite, is better prepared for your edification, and that I may not occupy too much of the time which will be more profitably employed in listening to the memoir which he is about to present to the Society. I have been for so long a period actively engaged in the af- fairs of my native city, that my recollection of old times is better, and my acquaintance with old men more extensive than my age would seem to warrant. I am not exceedingly anxious for patriarchal honors, but begin to find that my services henceforth are likely to be confined to the corps of veterans ; and to prove myself eligible, I would state the interesting fact that I have been invited, within the space of four months of the present year, to assist as a pall bearer in the performance of the last offices of friendship, at the funerals of five of our most respectable and venerated fellow-citizens, whose unite^ages amounted to four hundred and thirty years.* On this " time-honored" list of names, is that of the gentleman who is the subject of the resolu- tion under consideration, and by this I am warranted in discoursing on this theme. Few men in civil and unofficial life have moved in a sphere of public usefulness so large, or occupied it so well as John Pintard. He was a descendant of the Huguenots, and inheriting the love of civil and religious liberty which characterized that band of persecuted patriots, and influenced by a zealous and ardent temperament, he was, during the Revolution an * Major General Morgan Lewis, who died April 7th, aged - - 90 Mr. Jonathan H. Lawrence, June 4th, aged . ... 8-2 Mr. John Pintard, June 20th, aged 87 Mr. Gabriel Furman, July 23d, aged 89 Mr. John G. Coster, August 8th, aged - - - - 82 APPENDIX. 159 old fashioned Whig of the best stamp, and continued, ever after, a friend of liberty, and a republican, according to the standard then established. At a subsequent period, when the master spirit of De Witt Clinton began to move the impulses of public opinion in favor of internal improvement, and the plan of the great work was developed, so magnificent in conception, and which has proved so successful in its results, when among the leading men of this city, destined as it was to be the recipient of its greatest benefits, scarcely half a dozen avowed their faith in the glorious enterprize, the subject of your resolution chose to arrange himself on the side of its advocates in Albany ; and De Witt Clinton, Jonas Piatt, James Kent, Stephen Van Rensselaer, and Joshua Furman found in John Pintard a firm advocate and zealous coadjutor. Among the great objects of public utility in our city, the philanthropic mind of Mr. Pintard was directed to the establishment and organization of the Bank for Savings. He was one of the fathers of this great institution, the use- fulness and magnitude of which may be estimated from the fact, that the last semi-annual statement of its affairs showed an amount of deposits (literally the savings of the poor) of nearly four millions and a half of dollars, and of 30,841 open accounts on the ledgers. He labored inces- santly "in season and out of season," in its service, and never gave up the laboring oar whilst his physical strength kept pace, in any degree, with the energy of his mind, and the benevolence of his heart. It was in his capacity of a Trustee of this institution, and its President, that I was best acquainted with this good Samaritan. I was his companion in the former station for nearly twenty years, and now enjoy the honor of being his successor in the latter. Here, as in all other stations of life, he joined to his other virtues, the characteristics of a perfect gentleman, of the old school. In my enumeration of the public institutions of which he was the early and devoted friend, I may not omit to men- tion your own. No individual made greater personal and 160 APPENDIX. pecuniary sacrifices to sustain and support it, when the sun of popular favor withheld its beams, and the clouds of neglect obscured its future prospects. Happy would he have been to witness its present renovation, and most fitting is it that you, gentlemen, should embalm his memory in your hearts, and render to it the tribute of respect which this resolution proposes. These are some of the many objects of public spirit and philanthropy to which the energies of his mind, during a long and active life, were disinterestedly directed. I could say more, Mr. President, on this subject, did time and circumstances permit. I could not say less, for my discourse was of a venerated associate and dear friend, and I conclude by begging permission to second the resolutions. The resolutions were thereupon unanimously adopted. Mr. Jay said he rose to offer a resolution which he knew would be responded to by the society, with deep sincerity. It related to one whose public services and private worth were as well known to the community at large as to that body — the late William L. Stone — whose name was identi- fied with American Literature, and especially with her Historic Literature, and whose long-continued and active service as a member of the Historical Society, had won for him their warm respect, and had entitled him to the grati- tude of those who should succeed them. Mr. Jay said, that having often been associated with Colonel Stone upon committees, and having frequently met him in private life, he was glad of an opportunity of offer- ing this slight, but well-deserved, tribute to his memory. But he would not detain the society by any farther remarks upon his character ; for he saw around him many whose personal intercourse with Mr. Stone had been more inti- mate and frequent, who he doubted not would be glad to speak on the subject of their departed friend. Resolved, That in the recent death of the late William L. Stone, we mourn the loss of an associate, whose public APPENDIX. 161 and private character commanded our respect — whose many and varied writings, both as editor and author, have greatly furthered the advancement of our historic litera- ture, and whose warm enthusiasm and active efforts in behalf of this society justly claim this tribute to his memory. Resolved, That a copy of the foregoing resolution be transmitted to the widow of Mr. Stone, as an expression of sympathy and condolence from this society in the loss she has sustained. Hon. Marshall S. Bid well seconded the resolutions, in a speech of some length, in which he eulogized the subject of them for his abilities, uprightness and consistency. In the course of his remarks, Mr. Bidwell observed that Colonel Stone, as all knew, was zealously attached to his party, and was uniform and consistent in support of the principles he espoused, but was at the same time characterized by great candor, and ever exhibited frankness in the expression of his opinions, and a scorn of dissimulation. His indepen- dence of these trammels of party, by which so many are shackled, was not only honorable to himself, but of vast importance to the thousands who were in a measure guided by his editorial pen. His opinions on all topics of mo- ment, had a great influence through a wide extent of coun- try. With many he was regarded as an oracle ; and all his influence was exerted in favor of civil liberty, of social order, of virtue, justice, and the supremacy of the law. In private life, his character was peculiarly delightful ; and all who enjoyed his intimacy must admit that when he died they lost a rare friend, and a most pleasant companion. His wit, ever ready, and often brilliant, was always good natured, and on the side of virtue. But his great feature was kindness of disposition — inducing him to feel and ex- hibit an active interest in all that concerned the welfare of his fellow men. Mr. Bidwell referred, among other instances of this trait, to his warm, earnest, and signal efforts in favor of the 14* 162 APPENDIX. Greeks, when struggling for their independence, and spoke of his ready kindness to individuals, as frequently shown, not in mere cordial sympathy, but in prompt and efficient action; and stated, that the last time he had been sent for by his friend, on his death-bed, was to receive instructions to do a kind service to a stranger, who had no other claim upon his aid except as presenting an opportunity for the exercise of his benevolence. The resolutions were unanimously adopted. William B. Hodgson, Esq., of Savannah, Ga., was intro- duced to the society, and read a paper entitled, " Remarks on the past History and present Condition of Morocco, Algiers, and the Barbary Regencies." Mr. Hodgson commenced by remarking — " The shores of the Mediterranean sea have, in all historic times, been the theatre of great political and commercial revolutions. They have witnessed the rise and fall of empires ; and as those classic lands were the cradle of letters, of science, of human polity and religion, so has time produced their de- cline and decay, or their subversion, by other forms of de- generate government or debasing creeds." After this introduction Mr. Hodgson sketched in a very hasty manner the changes of nations, governments, and re- ligions which history records, to the time of the Saracen conquest, whose dominion in Africa as in Spain, was limit- ed to a period of eight centuries ; for shortly after the ex- pulsion of the Moors from the peninsula, a host of Turkish or Tartar adventurers seized upon the chief towns of Bar- bary, and for three centuries their dominion was maintained in the regencies of Tripoli, Tunis and Algiers. Hair-ed-din, or Barbarossa, the first Turkish conqueror, did not extend his rule to Morocco ; and that empire has never since been invaded by the Turk. Although it adopted the same policy as the Turks in relation to Christendom, it always remained subject to Arab or Moorish Sultans. The memoir presented, in a striking and gratifying man- ner, the influence which the United States have had in im- APPENDIX. 163 proving the condition of things in the Mediterranean, by- leading to the overthrow of that system of piracy and op- pression, which was so long carried on by the petty Moor- ish powers. History informs us that these depredations were first made by way of reprisal, or under the general character of belligerent operations against Spain by the Moors, whom she had persecuted and expelled. They were, however, ere long extended against the ships of all Christian nations. The nations of Europe, as Mr. Hodgson stated, had taken no efficient measures to put an end to this system, so dis- graceful as well as injurious to them, at the time when our revolutionary war was ended. Soon after it closed, Lord Sheffield, in his work on the commerce of Great Britain, expressed the opinion that the Americans would not be able to participate in the Mediterranean trade, in consequence of the corsairs of Barbary. The rovers of Salee in Morocco, continued Mr. Hodg- son, and the corsairs of Algiers, Tunis and Tripoli, had for centuries been the terror of the smaller maritime states of Southern and Northern Europe. The gates of the Gibraltar straits were opened only to the payers of tribute, and the right of way received by these humiliating conditions was often violated by these Mohammedan pirates, as their cu- pidity or caprice suggested. But the most barbarous and fearful feature of this system was slavery. Men, and even women were fettered, imprisoned in dungeons, sold and often treated with cruelty. Thousands of seamen and travellers, in the course of three centuries, had suffered captivity, and many of those who were restored obtained their liberty by paying high ransoms. The only opposition made to this system of piracy, was by an occasional cap- ture by such commanders as Anson and Du Quesne. But soon after the establishment of American Independ- ence, the great principles of Washington's foreign policy were brought into operation : friendship was cultivated with all nations: entangling alliances with none. But the 164 APPENDIX. payment of tribute and ransoms also was unavoidable while we had not power enough to cope with the forces of the Barbary pirates. Nearly a million of dollars was paid them, at one time, for the ransom of Americans whom they held in captivity. But this was submitted to only until we had power to resist it. After the close of the last war, when we had ships to spare for such a service, Commo- dore Decatur, with a large naval force destroyed the cor- sairs of Algiers, and dictated terms of peace to all these piratical states. Tribute and the enslaving of American citizens were forever abolished. Influenced powerfully by our example, no doubt, Great Britain soon showed an inclination to adopt our policy. Lord Exmouth, in 1816, brought the Algerines to terms : but his government did not pursue its new course with equal decision, so that it seemed doubtful whether a suppression of piracy was designed. Not until 1830 was the system brought to its complete overthrow. France took Algiers by storm and is now engaged in extending her conquests over Barbary. In the present condition of the Barbary states, said Mr. Hodgson, Tripoli is again dependsnt upon the Ottoman Porte as a Pachalic ; Tunis is under the government of a native Turkish Pacha, and acknowledging no allegiance to the Porte but that which religious dependence implies ; Al- giers is a French colony, and Morocco is an independent Arab empire, under the dominion of Sultan Abd-errach* man, whose navy is dismantled. In a small volume of notes upon Northern and Central Africa, which is now in press, Mr. H. has made these re- marks : " On the African shores of the Mediterranean, there are now in progress great political and commercial revolutions. There now exists in that region a sanguinary and un- ceasing conflict of Christianity with Mahommedanism, of civilization with semi-barbarism. France having conquer- ed Algiers, is now pushing her victorious legions into the APPENDIX. 165 neighboring empire of Morocco. One of the elements in this strife of arms and of religion has not been fully appre- ciated. It is not with the Arab population alone that France has to contend. This is the more intellectual but smaller portion of the inhabitants of that region. The larger, but less informed, and more ferocious population, is that of the Berbers, who are the descendants of the ancient Numidians, and the aborigines of the land. The Romans termed this race genus insuperabile hello. It remains to be proved if they have lost that proud character. They have at least remained till now unconquered. While the plains have been abandoned to successive invasions, they have ever preserved their nationality and independence in their inaccessible mountains. In a question of valuable and per- manent conquest, Sir Robert Peel has doubtless drawn the distinction of races of men. The Hindoo, Chinese and Poly- nesian have submitted to conquest and supremacy. The Berber may now, as ever, resist foreign invasion and do- minion. This race has, to a certain degree, coalesced with the Saracens, having embraced the religion of the Arab prophet. The French invader has all the elements of reli- gious fanaticism and of warlike independence to oppose him. The Berbers are the original lords of the soil, and the per- manent conquests of France will depend on the peculiar genius and abilities of this race. " The military occupation of Morocco by France cannot be a subject of jealousy or remonstrance to the cabinets of Europe. Great Britain, who may be supposed to have the greatest interest in this question, esteems it to be of little importance, while she will certainly, at a proper time, in- demnify herself in Egypt. She is aware, that while brilliant feats of arms in Africa may flatter the martial spirit of France, her expenditure of treasure and men is certain, while no valuable resources can be derived from her con- quests." " I cannot conclude this paper," said Mr. Hodgson, " without paying a small tribute of affectionate respect, and of enduring admiration to the memory of a distinguished 166 APPENDIX. American citizen, whose name is intimately connected with the history of our relations with Barbary. I allude to the late William Shaler, Consul General of the United States at Algiers. His appointment in this capacity, by the late Pre- sident Madison, was contemporaneous with the operations of Decatur, and the honorable peace which they enforced. He remained at Algiers, with a general superintendence of our relations with all the Barbary Regencies, until the year 1828, when he was appointed Consul at Havana, where he terminated his career of signal usefulness to his country. " Mr. Shaler had recommended himself to the then Secre- tary of State, Mr. Madison, at an earlier period, by his' po- litical sagacity and knowledge of our foreign relations, and by his disciplined judgment and consummate^ prudence. In the capacity of a confidential agent, he was sent to Mexico, before the late war, to report upon the state of the revolt, then in progress against Spain. He was subse- quently despatched by Mr. Madison to Europe, at the period of the Treaty of Ghent. If his confidential services related to that Congress of Plenipotentiaries, I have never learned. His last appointment under that wise and distinguished statesman was to Algiers. " There it was my good fortune first to have acquired his friendship. The official dependence which I bore to him, secured for me, the invaluable lessons of his large expe- rience with men and things, and what I esteemed more, the instruction of his virtuous mind. In my official service, I learned how important it was, that certain men should be selected for particular office, and that Mr. Shaler was the peculiar man to superintend an intercourse with semi-bar- barians. Stern, inflexibly just, unostentatious and quick, the Algerines feared while they respected him. The sanctity of his house alone was observed, of all the Consuls, at the English war in 1824. Mr. Shaler resisted the demands of the Algerines. He was allowed to do so ; but the house of the English Consul was violated. Such is the importance of personal character, in every relation of life, public and private, but especially so among barbarians. APPENDIX. 167 " The history of Mr. Shaler's private career was to me, philosophy teaching by example. To illustrate the force of industry and perseverance, he referred to his own case. Born in Middletown, Conn., he early embarked in a subor- dinate capacity on board of one of the coasting vessels. His education had been limited to reading, writing and arithmetic. In the lapse of time, he found himself captain and owner of an East-India-man, and the first navigator who traded between China and the Columbia river. Pos- sessed of ambition, a laudable curiosity and desire for general information, he employed his many leisure hours, in the study of history and physical science. In his voyages to every port of Europe, he was prompted to acquire the languages of the countries which he visited. Such was his success in this study, I can assert, that few foreigners ever have acquired so perfect a knowledge of French in its abundant idioms, as he had. He spoke grammatically and pronounced correctly. His attainments in Italian are evinced by his translation of the Abbe Molina's history of Chile, which he rendered into English, during a voyage from Valparaiso. " As an author and a historian, his Sketches of Algiers place him in a high rank. He was not a narrator. His Sketches of Algiers show that he was a profound philoso- pher, and possessed the critical judgment in tracing events to their causes, and deducing the moral laws of society and government. " He had acquired a competent knowledge of Latin, and when I first arrived at Algiers, he had nearly completed a translation of Buttman's Greek Grammar, which he sus- pended when I informed him that this work was about to be executed by the Hon. Edward Everett. " The character of such a man could not but elevate that of his country. I witnessed a beautiful illustration of the estimation in which himself and his countrymen were held by the Dey of Algiers. One of our ships of war visited Algiers on her way to Smyrna. The Dey sent a compli- mentary message to Mr. Shaler, with a package of docu- 168 APPENDIX. ments and a bag of gold, unsealed, with a request that he would ask of the captain the favor to deliver it to the American Consul at Smyrna. He represented to the Ba- shaw, that his seal should be placed on the treasure to avoid accident. His reply was that he knew the character of the Americans, and that the money was safe in their hands. It was accordingly so received and delivered. This confidence between man and man, is one of the pleasing and charac- teristic traits of the Turk — but I cannot say this of any other Oriental people. " The many high moral qualities of Mr. Shaler received much grace and perfection from his affection for his family. His sister and her orphan children continued to be the objects of his unceasing solicitude and affection. He provided for their comforts, and superintended their education. " I shall conclude this brief sketch of my lamented friend, with the heartfelt testimony, that never had my youth a more faithful guardian and counsellor, or my manhood a nobler object of grateful retrospect and worthy example." Mr. Gibbs read the following : — Account op the statue of George III., formerly standing in the Bowling Green, New York. Most of the members are probably aware that an equestri- an statue of King George III. stood upon the Bowling Green, in this city, prior to the Revolution, and was overthrown soon after its commencement. I believe, however that its subsequent fate has never been recorded, and having in my possession a paper giving authentic information on the subject, I have supposed that the royal effigy might be worth a brief obituary. The first mention of it I have met with is in the Laws of the Colony of New York, Act of 8th, George III, Ch. 1352, passed 6th February, 1768, entitled " An act to empower Sir William Baker, Knight, and Robert Charles, Esq., to pay for the statues of His Majesty and the Right Hon. APPENDIX. 169 William Pitt, Esq., now Lord Chatham ;* and also for a piece of plate to be presented to John Sargent, Esq." The title of this act only, is given by Van Schaack in his edition of the statutes ; the act at large I have never seen, but it would probably be found to give some particulars not else- where to be seen. Holt's (New York) Gazette, as quoted by Mr. Dunlap, gives the following notice of its erection : " August 21st, 1770, being the birth day of Prince Freder- ick, the father of George III., anj elegant equestrian statue of his present Majesty, George III. was erected in the Bowl- ing Green, near Fort George. On this occasion the mem- bers of his Majesty's Council, the City Corporation, the Corporation of the Chamber of Commerce, the Corporation of the Marine Society, and most of the gentlemen of the City and army waited on his honor, the Lieutenant Governor C. Colden, in the Fort, at his request ; when his Majesty's and other loyal healths were drank under a dis- charge of thirty-two pieces of cannon, from the Battery, accompanied with a band of music. This beautiful statue is made of metal, (Dunlap says by way of parenthesis, 'the writer did not on such an occasion like to say what metal represented his royal majesty, the best of Kings ; it was lead^ being the first equestrian one of his present majesty, and is the workmanship of that celebrated statuary, Mr. Wilton of London." Symptoms of disloyalty, betokening revolution I presume, soon manifested themselves in the rude treatment of the effigy, for on the 6th February, 1773 (13th Geo. III. Ch. 1580,) another act was passed " to prevent the defacing the statues which are erected in the city of New York." The preamble recites that " there had been erected in the city of New York an Equestrian Statue of our most Gracious Sovereign, as a monument of the deep sense with which the inhabitants of this Colony are impressed of the blessings they enjoy under his illustrious reign, as well as * Lord Chatham's Statue was of marble and stood in Wall street. 15 170 APPENDIX. their great affection for his royal person ; and also a statue of the Right Hon. William Pitt, Earl of Chatham, in com- memoration of the many eminent services which he has rendered by his patriotic conduct in Parliament, to his fellow subjects in North America ;" and the act then proceeds to impose a penalty of £500, New York currency, on any per- son who should injure or deface them, or in default one year's imprisonment in the common jail, without bail or mainprize. Upon the above account of Holt's Mr. Dunlap observes : " This statue stood till sometime in 1776. I saw it in 1775. In 1776 it was thrown down, and tradition says converted into bullets to resist his gracious majesty's soldiers when sent to enforce the doctrine of ' the sovereignty of British Parliament over the Colonies in all cases whatsoever,' the doctrine of Mr. Pitt, Lord Chatham, which he died in an effort to enforce. The pedestal stood until long after the Revolution. No fragment of the horse or his rider was ever seen after its overthrow, and so completely had the memory of this event (the erecting the only equestrian statue ever set up in New York) been lost, that I have never found a person who could tell me on what occasion it was ordered, or when placed in the Bowling Green." In fact so much was the statue forgotten, that Watson in his sketches (p. 30,) has entirely mistaken the personage represented. Speaking of the overthrow, he says with a curious revival of tory feeling ; " My friend, Mr. John Baylie was present in April, '76 and saw the degrading spectacle. lie saw no decent people present ; a great ma- jority were shouting boys. The insult, if so meant, was to the dead, as the statue was of George II., our most gracious King." Some cotemporary notices of the destruction of this effigy have been pointed out to me, which I will cite, and which will show that Watson was wrong not merely as to the person, but as to the time of its occurrence, which was im- mediately after the news of the declaration of Independence. The first is from a book of general orders issued by Wash- APPENDIX. 171 ington, the original of which is in the possession of the Society. It is as follows : " July 10. Tho' the General doubts not the persons who pulled down and mutilated the statue in Broadway last night, acted in the public cause, yet it has so much the ap- pearance of riot and want of order in the army, that he disapproves the manner and directs that in future these things shall be avoided by the soldiery and left to be execu- ted by proper authority." The next is in a letter from Ebenezer Hazard to General Gates, dated July 12th, 1776, which will be found among the Gates papers, also in the Society's Collection, and is as follows : " The King of England's arms have been burned in Phi- ladelphia and his statue here has been pulled down to make musket balls of, so that his troops will probably have melted majesty fired at them." Another is in a letter from New York, of July 11th, 1776, published in the New Hampshire Gazette of the 20th. "New York, July 11. Last Monday evening the eques- trian statue of George III., with tory pride and folly raised in the year 1770, was by the Sons of Freedom laid prostrate in the dust, the just desert of an ungrateful tyrant. The lead wherewith this monument is made is to be run into bul- lets, to assimilate with the brains of our infatuated adver- saries, who to gain a peppercorn, have lost an empire. Quern Deus vult perdere, prius dementat. A gentleman who was present at the ominous fall of leaden majesty, looking back to the original's hopeful beginning, pertinently exclaim- ed in the language of the angel to Lucifer ' If thou be'est he ; but ah, how fallen ! how changed ! !' " A note to this letter by the editor marks the allusion to Lord Clare's declaration in Parliament, that a peppercorn in acknowledgment of Britain's right to tax America, was of more importance than millions without it. The destruction of the statue is also alluded to and in- correctly attributed to General Washington in a smutty tory production, entitled " The Battle of Brooklyn, a farce in 1 72 APPENDIX. two acts, as it was performed on Long Island, on Tuesday, the 27th day of August, 1776, by the Representatives of the Tyrants of America assembled at Philadelphia : New York, printed for J. Rivington, in the year of the Rebellion, 1776." Betty, a servant of " Lady Gates," is represented as com- plimenting General Washington in this wise : Betty. " Lord ! Lord ! mem, did he not make codfish of them all at Boston ! and has he not seen tory men rid upon rails at New York by the tailors and coblers of the town ? And more, my Lady, did he not order the King's statue to be pulled down and the head cut off? For God's sake, mem, what would'st have of a hero ? " Lady G. " Codfish at Boston ! It is really an odd term Betty ; but he did no more than that old fool Putnam would have done. His not forbidding that insult to humanity at New York, was countenancing an act of barbarism, and none but a little minded barbarian would have suffered the arts to be trampled under foot as he did, in the case of the king's statue." Such are the only notices I have met with of the statue, though probably others exist in the journals of the day. Mr. Stephens however, (Incidents of Travel in Russia, &c, vol. 2, p. 23) mentions having met with a curious memorial of its destruction, and at an out of the way place. This was a gaudy and flaring engraving in a black wooden frame, representing the scene of its destruction, which he found in a tavern at Cliioff, in Russia. " The grouping of the picture," he says, " was rude and grotesque, the ring- leader being a long negro, stripped to his trowsers, and straining with all his might upon a rope, one end of which was fastened to the head of the statue and the other tied round his own waist, his white teeth and the whites of his eyes being particularly conspicuous on a heavy ground of black." How this picture found its way to Russia, it would be difficult to imagine ; it would certainly be not less a cu- riosity here than there. The document I have mentioned gives an account of its remaining history in a shape which history seldom assumes, APPENDIX. 173 that of an account current. It is preserved among the pa- pers of General, afterwards Governor, Oliver Wolcott, of Connecticut. It is a statement of the number of cartridges made from the materials of the statue by the ladies of Litchfield, and is in these words : — Mrs. Marvin, " " on former account, Ruth Marvin on former account, Not sent to court house, 449 packs, Laura, on former account, . Not sent to court house 344 packs, Mary Ann, on former account, Not sent to the court house 119 packs, out of which I let Colonel Ferley Howe have 3 packs, Frederic, on former account, Not sent to court house, 19 packs, . 3456 cartridges. 2602 6058 6204 5388 11,592 4250 4128 5762 8370 5028 708 228 10,790 936 37,754 Mrs. Beach's two accounts, . . . 2002 Made by sundry persons, . . . . 2182 Gave Litchfield militia, on alarm, . . 50 Let the regiment of Col. Wigglesworth have 300 Cartridges, No 42,288 Overcharged in Mrs. Beach's account, 200 42,088 The original account is in General Wolcott's hand- writing, and is endorsed "an account of the number of cartridges made." There is no date to it, nor is there men- tion made by him of the fact of their being made from the statue, but a memorandum added by his son, the last Gover- nor Wolcott, explains it as follows : — 15* 1 74 APPENDIX. " N. B. An equestrian statue of George the Third of Great Britain, was erected in the city of New York on the Bowling Green, at the lower end of Broadway ; most of the materials were lead, but richly gilded to resemble gold. At the beginning of the revolution this statue was over- thrown. Lead being then scarce and dear, the statue was broken in pieces, and the metal transported to Litchfield as a place of safety. The ladies of this village converted the lead into cartridges, of which the preceding is an ac- count. O. W." The Mrs. and Miss Marvin and Mrs. Beach, mentioned in the paper, belonged to families who yet reside in Litch- field ; the other persons named were the two daughters and the youngest son of General Wolcott. Litchfield, it may be noticed, was, during the war, a place of great importance as a military depot. After the capture of New York by the British in 1776, all communi- cation between New England and Pennsylvania was turned to the westward of the Highlands on the Hudson, and the troops and stores were usually passed through that village as a point on the most convenient route to the posts on the river yet in possession of the Americans. General Wolcott, who was a member of the Continental Congress, lived there, and during the intervals of his congressional attendance, was constantly occupied in raising troops to supply the requisitions of Washington, Putnam and Gates. It appears from his letters that he returned to Connecticut shortly after the adoption of the Declaration of Indepen- dence, of which he was one of the signers, and it is proba- ble that the statue was transported there at his instance, immediately after its destruction. Of its identity as the material for the cartridges above mentioned, there can be no doubt. The late Governor Wolcott, on graduating from Yale College in 1778, was appointed to an office in the quartermaster's department, under General Greene, and was posted at Litchfield, in charge of the stores there. His opportunity for knowing the fact, as mentioned in his note, was therefore certain. The late Hon. Judge Wolcott, more- APPENDIX. 175 over, who figures in the account as " Frederic," and who was a boy at the time, informed me a few years ago that he well remembered the circumstance of the statue being sent there, and that a shed was erected for the occasion in an apple orchard adjoining the house, where his father chopped it up with the wood axe, and the " girls " had a frolic in running the bullets and making them up into cartridges. I suppose the alarm of the militia, on which some were distributed, was Tryon's invasion in 1777, when Danbury was burnt. On this occasion fourteen men, the last in Litchfield capable of bearing arms, were started at midnight to aid in repulsing the enemy. The estimation in which lead was held in those days may be imagined from the fact, that the above account of cart- ridges is filed carefully among returns of troops, accounts of requisitions upon the states, and issues of bills of credit. This incident in revolutionary history might, had it found its way to him, have well barbed a shaft at King George from Peter Pindar's own bow ; and we may suppose, from the grave attempts at waggery in the extracts above given, that a great deal of wit of one kind and another was ex- pended on the occasion. I suspect that the monarch, could he have listened to the gossip over the melting ladle, might have exclaimed with Richard, " Let not the heavens hear these tell tale women Rail at the Lord's anointed." 176 APPENDIX. EXTRACTS FROM THE DOMESTIC CORRESPONDENCE (referred to in the preceding pages.) FROM E. CHAMPION BACON. Litchfield, Conn., January 24, 1844. Dear Sir, — I have to acknowledge your letter of the 5th, post-marked the 20th instant, informing me of my election as Corresponding Member of the New York Historical Society, for which honor I beg to return my thanks. I find among my MSS. a bill of sale from John Underhill, of the Dutch fort at Hartford. If you have not seen it, (and I believe it has not been printed,) you ought to have it. " Hartford, 28 June, 1653 " These presents do declare that I John Underhill, senior, I having seized the house Dehope with the land and all appurtenances thereunto belonging, as Dutch goods lying in and about Hartford, by virtue of State power, do hereby engage, sell and pass over all my right and title in the said siezure, to Mr. Richard Lord and Mr. William Gibbons, merchants, in the said place, on conditions agreed upon between us, and do promise to give further confirmation unto them the said Richard and William, of this my sale of the premises to them. " Witness my hand, day and date above said. « JOHN UNDERHILL, Senior. " In presence of us — Nathaniel Thee, his James X Brock, mark." The following was written on the back side : "Huntingdon, Sept. 21,1667. " These on" the other side specified/ is this day owned and acknowledged of Captain John Underhill to be Ins own act and deed. " Before me, as witness my hand. Jonas Ward, Magistrate in the East Ri- ding of New-Yorkshire," Very respectfully and sincerely yours, E. CHAMPION BACON. Geo. Folsom, Esq. APPENDIX. 177 FROM BRANTZ MAYER, ESQ., Corresponding Secretary of the Maryland Historical Society. Baltimore, 21st March, 1844. My Dear Sir, — I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 13th instant, (post-marked 20th) and am happy to find that a feature in the organization of our Maryland Historical Society has proved sufficiently attractive to elicit your enquiries. The " chapters " to which our circular alludes are not as you suppose — Branch Societies. We were particularly careful not to give them that character — in order to avoid a conflict of interests in different sections of our State — (small as it is, in comparison with New- York.) Our chapters are to be composed of members of the society who reside more than fifteen miles from the city of Baltimore, and to whom we have given the name of corresponding mem- bers, in contradistinction to active members, who are residents of the city or within the prescribed limit. These chapters have the privilege of meeting as often as they choose ; — of selecting their own officers — collecting historical works, documents or materials — of preparing illustrative essays or papers relative to lo- cal histories, legends or interests — and, in fact, of gathering all information of utility to the general society in Baltimore, to which all such collections must be sent through their president, who is ex-officio a vice president of our institution. You will at once perceive the object of this proviso. There are hundreds of persons of literary tastes and pursuits scattered over the State, to whom the ob- jects of a Historical Society are naturally attractive. But when they are told that a society exists only in a distant capital, they at once object to unite them- selves with it when they find that they can never participate personally in its de- liberations. Our chapters, we think, afford a ready reply to this objection. They give gentlemen in the counties an [opportunity to collect together for mutual in- formation ; they stimulate them to search the archives of their families, for those perishable materials of revolutionary and colonial story which may beguile a tedious winter night in their remote neighborhoods ; — they induce them to com- pare local information as to the natural advantages of their respective counties — and, finally, our citizens are certain that there is a safe depository, where all this knowledge, which has afforded so much occupation and entertainment in the gathering, is safely kept and accessible to them whenever they come hereafter to the capital. We have cherished the hope, that in this manner every sectional feeling would be destroyed, and that a sort of federal institution would be created, whose mem- bers, acting unitedly on the principles of a literary brotherhood, would emulate each other to bring to light the latent materials of their particular portions of Ma- ryland. In creating branches, therefore, in New York, you must be careful to avoid doing any thing which will estrange or give individuality, or the least separate- ness of character, to your county re-unions of members. The idea of their oneness with the parent board, must never be lost sight of; and, in fact, they must at all times be no more than so many useful streams — falling from the mountain, or meandering along the distant plain — all tending toward the larger 178 APPENDIX. river, whose waters they contribute unenviously and unostentatiously to swell with their tributes. I cannot but believe, that among men united for so purely an intellectual pur- pose as that of history, you will find none to thwart your noble views ; and, I assure you, that I shall feel very proud if your society shall see fit to adopt a plan from which we anticipate so much successful enterprise in Maryland. I beg you to pardon the hand-writing of this brief note, which I should have liked to extend, did my poor eyes permit me ; but I trust you will command me freely whenever I can serve you, and believe me to be ever yours faithfully. BRANTZ MAYER. To John Jay, Esq., &c. &c. &c, New York. FROM MAJ. J. D. GRAHAM, OF THE U. S. ARMY. Washington, D. C. March 20, 1843. Hon. Albert Gallatin, President of the New York Historical Society : I beg leave to present, through you, to the New York Historical Society, for its library, the accompanying charts, maps and documents, viz : 1. A chart of the city and harbor of Charleston, South Carolina, and of the surrounding country, in four sheets, on a scale of four inches to one mile, from surveys executed in the years 1823-24, and '25, by Harman Bache, Captain of Topographical Engineers, James D. Graham, Lieutenant 3d Artillery, C. M. Eakin, Lieutenant 2d Artillery, and William M. Boyce, Lieutenant 1st Infantry, in the U. S. Army. 2. A chart of the northern extremity of Cape Cod, Mass., including the harbor of Provincetown, in four sheets, on a scale of six inches to one mile, from surveys executed in 1833 '34, and '35, under the direction of Major James D. Graham, of the corps of Topographical Engineers of the United States Army. 3. A printed memoir, in folio, upon the mode of executing the said survey, embracing numerous tidal observations in a tabulated form, observed during the progress of that survey, by the same. 4. A reduced copy of the above chart, in one sheet, on a scale of three inches to one mile, published under the patronage of the Boston Marine Insurance Com- panies, in 1841, by L. W. P. Lewis, of Boston. 5. A chart of the entrance of Sandusky Bay, on Lake Erie, state of Ohio, in one sheet, on a scale of four inches to one mile, from surveys made in 1828, by Campbell Graham, Lieutenant 3d Regiment of Artillery in the U. S. Army. 6. A chart of the entrance of the river Sabine, and of Sabine Pass, in one sheet, from surveys executed in 1840, under the direction of Major J. D. Gra- ham, of the United States Corps of Topographical Engineers, by Lieutenant Thomas J. Lee, of the said corps, and Captain P. J. Pillans, of the Texan Army, attached to the joint commission for the demarkation of the boundary between the United States and Texas. 7. A map of the river Sabine, from its mouth in the Gulf of Mexico, to Lo- gan's Ferry, near the 32d degree of north latitude, showing the boundary between APPENDIX. 179 the United States and Texas, between those two points, as marked in 1840, by the joint commission appointed for that purpose by those two governments. 8. A map in one small sheet, showing the continuation of the aforesaid boun- dary, from Logan's Ferry to the 32d degree of north latitude on the river Sabine, as marked in 1841, by the aforesaid joint commission. 9. A map in three sheets, showing a continuation of the aforesaid boundary, by a due north line from the 32d degree of north latitude on the river Sabine, to the Red River ; as marked by the aforesaid joint commission, in the year 1841. 10. A map on a reduced scale, showing in one sheet, the river Sabine from its mouth to Logan's Ferry, near the 32d degree of latitude, as specified in item No. 7. 11. A map in 1 small sheet, showing on a reduced scale, the river Sabine from Logan's Ferry, to the 32d degree of north latitude, as specified in item No. 8. 12. A map in 3 sheets, showing on a reduced scale, a continuance of said boundary by a due north line, from the 32d degree of north latitude on the river Sabine, to the Red River, as specified in item No. 9. 13. A printed copy of the correspondence of the commissioners charged with the demarcation of the aforesaid boundary, and of their journal, accompanying documents, &c. 14. A profile with the spirit level, of the due north line from the monument at the source of the river St. Croix, to the river St. John, from surveys executed in the years 1840 and 1841, under the direction of the undersigned, while serving as one of the commissioners appointed under the act of Congress of July 20th, 1840, for surveying the north-eastern boundary of the United States, then in dispute with Great Britain ; 2 copies. Should you consider the foregoing as worthy a place in the library of the His- torical Society, over which you preside, I take leave to ask you to present them accordingly. With assurances of the highest consideration and respect, I am, sir, Your most obedient servant, JAMES D. GRAHAM. FROM PROFESSOR VON RAUMER, OF BERLIN. Boston, Sept. 15, 1844. Verehter Herr : Erlauben Sie mir, dass ich den vielfachen Dank den ich Einen schuldig bin, mit doppelter Herzlichkeit in meiner Muttersprache ausspre- che. Zuvorderst fur die grosse Ehre mich unter die Mitglieder Hirer Gesellschaft aufgenommen zu haben ; dann fiir die giitige Uebersendung der lehrreichen Schriften dieser Gesellschaft ; endlich fiir all das Liebe und Gute, welches Sie mir in New York erzeigten. Die vereinte Thiitigkeit so vieler Gesellschaften in America, verbreitel mehr Licht iiber die friihere und neuere Geschichte dieses Landes, als man zu hoffen wagte, und aus so griindlichen Vorarbeiten miissen zuletzt auch geschichtliche Kunstwerke hervorgehn. Moge nur auch durch verbreiteten Unterricht in den 180 APPENDIX. Schulen, Sinn und Neigung fiir die Geschichte iiberhaupt, immer mehr geweckt werden ; denn so wie die alte Welt von der grossartigen Entwickelung der vereinigten Staaten lernen soil, darf audi America den Faden nicht abreissen, der die Menschheit zu einem Ganzen verkniipft. Nochmals, mit der grossten Auchtung und Dankbarkeit Ihr ergebenster, v. RAUMER. John Jat, Esq., Secretary of New York Historical Society. [translation.] Esteemed Sir : Allow me to express in my mother tongue, with double heart- felt cordiality, the many thanks I owe you ; first for having done me the great honor of receiving me among the members of your Society ; then for having kindly furnished me with the learned papers of that body ; and la9tly, for all the kindness and goodness you have shown me in New York. The united activity of so many societies sheds more light on the early and recent history of this country, than one might have ventured to hope ; and from such fundamental and preliminary labors scientific historical works must at last proceed. May a desire and inclination for history in general be more and more aroused through the improved state of scholastic instruction ; for as the old world has much to learn from the wonderful development of the United States, America also must never sever the tie which binds together all mankind in a common brotherhood. Again, with the greatest esteem and thankfulness, your most obedient, v. RAUMER. Boston, Sept 15, 1844. FROM ROBERT GREENHOW, ESQ., OF WASHINGTON. Washington, City, Nov. 16, 1844. - Sir : I received the letter by which you were so kind as to invite me to attend the meeting of the Historical Society on the — th instant, and it is with extreme regret that I find myself unable to enjoy the pleasure which I could not fail to derive from an assemblage of persons so distinguished, for objects so interesting to myself. I can therefore only request you, sir, to present to the Society, as a mark of m^ respect, a copy of my sketches of the " History of Tripoli and the other Barbary States," written a few years since. I hope ere long to be able to add to the Library my " History of Oregon and California," with the accompanying map of the western division of our continent ; the fruits of long devotion to the subject, which, though for several months in print, has from peculiar circumstances not yet been published. Could I be present at the meeting, I should endeavor to engage the attention of the Society to a subject which would, I think, form a proper theme for its labors. I would recommend that some member or committee be charged to pre- pare a memoir on the discovery of the Atlantic Coasts of our Republic. Much has been recently collected and communicated to the world, by Biddle, Bancroft, APPENDIX. 181 Graham, and others, on this interesting subject ; but the particulars of the dis- covery and exploration of many of the most important parts of those coasts, are only to be learned from the old writers by whom they were first made known to the public. In confirmation of this, I will ask, what recent work contains any account of the first discovery of Chesapeake Bay ? though it is related, with enough of details to establish the facts, in a venerable volume which forms a part of your precious Library. Should you, sir, consider what I have said on this last point worthy of being submitted to the Society, and any measures taken by that body for the objects proposed, I shall be happy to aid in furthering them by any means in my power. I have the honor to be, sir, very respectfully, Your obedient servant, ROBERT GREENHOW. To Frederic De Peyster, Esq., Corresponding Secretary of the New York Historical Society. FROM MR. GEORGE A. WARD. To the Hon. Albert Gallatin, LL. D., President of the New York Historical Society. Dear Sir : Unable to give my early attendance at this evening's meeting, I beg to inclose a communication this day received by me, respecting the Hugue- nots who settled in Virginia. The history of such of that persecuted but admirable class as reached America, ought not to be lost, and to me it is an object of interest to gather whatever will illustrate it, even in a very partial degree. Ought we not to look to the descendants of the illustrious Jay for much matter relative to those who settled in New York 1 and to the Bowdoins for a history of those who established a church in Boston, which was for many years under the charge of the Rev. Andrew Le Mercien 1 Mr. Disosway, the gentleman who made the inclosed communication, in late researches on Staten Island, has discovered an illuminated parchment grant, made by Queen Anne, of lands of several miles in extent on the western part of that island, to sundry Huguenots who settled there, (among whom were ancestors of his) which document he will present to the Society at the next meeting. With profound respect, I am, dear sir, Your ob't servant, GEORGE A. WARD. New Yore, Dec: 3, 1844. New Yokr, Dec. 2, 1844. My Dear Sir, — With all the research that characterizes the historical investi- gations of this day, we know but little of that noble race, the Huguenots. A 16 182 APPENDIX. succinct history of the French Protestants, before the French Revolution of 1789, would have been considered as libellous ; hence the almost general silence of French authority on the subject. But little is even known of the violence and persecutions at Nismes in 1815, and of those modern persecutions which then desolated'the South of France. Their American history is also a work yet to be written ; but still we may gather up and preserve many valuable fragments for such an undertaking, import- ant as such a work will be at some day to the American people. As early as the year 1699, King William, then on the throne of England, en- couraged the emigration of the French Huguenots to his plantations in Virginia, and about 300 families emigrated the year following ; about two hundred more followed, and thus adding to their numbers, until between seven and eight hun- dred men, women and children fled from France to Virginia, on account of the reformed faith. The first emigrants settled on some rich lands about twenty miles above Rich- mond, on the south side of James river. The lands were formerly occupied by a powerful and warlike tribe of Indians, called the Monacans. This land still re- tains its name, and is now called the Monacan Town ; and an old church erected there is yet called the Monacan Church. Those who arrived the second year went also to the same place, but many of them dispersed about the neighboring country. The Assembly of Virginia pur- sued a liberal course of policy to the settlers at the Monacan Town, making them large grants of money and provisions, and freeing them from all taxes for several years. They were celebrated for their industry in agriculture and the useful arts, manufacturing their own clothes. They distilled brandies and a wine from the wild grapes of the woods, which was a strong claret and of a curious flavor. I have recently ascertained the existence of a rare curiosity, formerly belonging to this settlement at the Monacan Town. It belongs to a gentleman in Petersburg, Va., and is a valuable Huguenot relic. I know of nothing of the kind except this in existence, and should your Historical Society deem it of sufficient importance, the article might possibly be obtained for its cabinet. It is entitled, " A Register containing the Baptisms made within the Church of the French Reformers, in the Manakin Town in Virginia, within the Parish of King William, in the year of our Lord 1721, the 20th of March. Done by Jacques Loblet, clerk." The Register contains about twenty-five pages of foolscap paper, written in French. I will give you, as a specimen of the whole, the following entries. The bad orthography, &c, is literally copied : " Jean Chostain, fils de Jean Chostain ett de Marianne Chostain, les pere et mere, nee le 23 de Septembre 1721, est baptise le 5 d'Octobre, par M. Fountaine. Us ava pour parain et marene Pierre David et Anne sa femme, le quels ont de claree que cest enfan est nee le jour et an que deshus. " Signee, JACQUE LOBLET, Clerk." " John Chostain, son of John Chostain and of Marianne Chostain, the father and mother, born the 26th of September, 1721, was baptized the 5th of October, APPENDIX. 183 by Mr. Fontaine.* He had for godfather and godmother Pierre David and Anne his wife, who have declared that this infant was born the day and year aforesaid. " Signed, JACQUE LOBLET, Clerk." Here is another : " Le 1 avril, 1740, est nee Marie Wattkins, fille de Stephen Wattkins et de Judith sa femme, a eu pour parain William Hampton, pour Marianne Magdelaine Chostain et Marie Farsi. "JEAN CHOSTAIN." "April 1, 1740, was born Mary, daughter of Stephen' Wattkins and Judith his wife. She had for godfather William Hampton, for godmothers Magdalen Chostain and Mary Farsi. " JEAN CHOSTAIN." Other pages contain a record of deaths. This is one : " Le 29 de Janvier 1723-24, mourt le Sieur Anthoine Trabue, agee danviron sinquaint sik a sept annees fut enterree le 30 du meme mois. " J. LOBLET, Clerk." "January 29th, 1723-24, died Sir Anthony Trabue, aged about fifty-six or seven years. He was buried the 30th of the same month. " J. LOBLET, Clerk." I subjoin some of the names found in the Baptismal Register : David Monford Nerin, (minister,) Dupuy, Salle, Martain, Mallett, Guenant, Dupre, Bernard, Amonet, Goin, Rassine, Benin, Reno, Leseur, Pinnot, Sumpter, Jordin, Gavain, &c, &c. ; and these English names, probably introduced by intermarriage : Harris, Flomnoy, Ford, Wattkins, Cooke, Robinson, Edmon, Stanford, Smith, Williamson, Brook, &c, &c. They deserve credit for their attention, in these religious matters, to the negroes. In the same register of Baptisms, we find Thomberlin, (Northumber- land,) Joan, Jaque, Annibal, Ollive, Robert, Jak, Susan, Primus, Moll, Pegg, Nanny, Tobie, Dorote, Agge, Pompe, Caesar, Amy, Johann, Tom, Harry, Cipio, Bosen, Sam, Tabb, Jupiter, Samson, Pope, Yarmouth, Cuffy, Robin, Diana, Ester, Tullis, Judy, Adam, &,c, &c, &c. Intending to trouble you with only a few lines, and to direct the attention of your Society to the document in Virginia, my communication has run to several pages. I hope it may not be uninteresting to you, however. With kind regard, yours, GABRIEL P. DISOSWAY. * Note. — It is worthy of remembrance, that from this family, the Rev. Mr. Fontaine and his brother4n-law, the Rev. James Maury, have descended hundreds of the best citi- zens of old Virginia, embracing ministers, members of the bar, legislators, and public officers. Another Huguenot minister of the same name, and probably related to the one referred to, embarked with his wife and five children for America. When in sight of Boston, they all perished at sea. A relative of the family thus writes at that day: "We may with great justice reckon seven persons among the martyrs of our family ; for they come out of France, abandoning a very good property for the fruit of the tree of life, for the leaves and the bark." SUPPLEMENT, ANNUAL MEETING, JANUARY 7, 1845. FIRST VICE-PRESIDENT IN THE CHAIR. The following gentlemen were elected officers for the en- suing year : — Hon. ALBERT GALLATIN, LL. D., President. Hon. LUTHER BRADISH, First Vice-President. Rev. THOMAS DE WITT, D. D., Second Vice President. CYRUS MASON, D. D., Treasurer. JOHN R. BARTLETT, Foreign Corresponding Secretary. JOHN JAY, Domestic Corresponding Secretary. JOHN BIGELOW, Recording Secretary. GEORGE GIBBS, Librarian. The annual Reports of the Executive Committee, Libra- rian and Treasurer, were severally read and ordered to be published. Dr. Thomas Ward read the following Poem, prepared by him for the Anniversary Celebration : — THE ROMANCE OF AMERICAN HISTORY. There are who doubtless deem it justly said That fact with poesy should never wed : That the rash ardor which the bard inspires Disturbs the calm, true History requires : Who draws from Nature, and her matchless hues Need no intrusive touches of the Muse : Which mar, though graceful, and offend, though smooth, The Greek simplicity of sober truth. SUPPLEMENT. 185 'Tis just — when Fancy, passing lawful bounds, The fair proportions of the truth confounds ; Not, when she simply to the light would hold, And crown the picture with her frame of gold ; And reasons throng me why the Muses twain, That o'er the realms of fact, and fancy reign, Would search the heart more surely hand in hand, And rule more widely with a twin command. So thought the Greek : and in his lofty love Would have them sisters, sired by mighty Jove, And for a brother gave the God of song — May his high fantasy survive him long ! And the fair sisters, linking art with art, Still sway the common empire of the heart ! Still — sober History with style severe On brazen tablet grave her record clear ; While song all-glowing melts the heart of youth To take the sovereign impress of the truth. In sooth, historic pictures might be shown So richly bright with splendors all their own That wildest Fancy scarce could tint so high : As sun-born rainbows would a Claude defy. Not travelled Fiction from her starry range Can tales rehearse than History's own, more strange : Whose record, various with all human ill, Rivals romance in every power to thrill. Nay — I am bold to proffer to disclose From the full chronicle of human woes — Of human trial — human enterprise — More hardy venture, more self-sacrifice, Heroic virtue in a righteous cause, Patience in shame — forbearance in applause, Garnished with scenes more rare from Nature's reign, Than lawless Fancy in her cups could feign. To look no further down the slope of time — Whate'er of wondrous, chivalrous, sublime, Romance could fable, shall outrivalled prove By the strange story of the land we love. 16* 186 SUPPLEMENT. Take first the scene wherein she sprang to birth> And rose a wonder to the startled earth : For dim, mysterious ages did she lie, And bare her waste of beauties to the sky. A dream, a hope, a fable, all unknown — Save to the bard's far-seeing eye alone : Earth had grown old in empire's dull decay Before the bold world-hunter to the day Revealed her treasures : Lo ! upon the main His bark is launched — through struggling years of pain; Master at length of action, and the way : The sneer of fools, the life-long, sick delay, The tardy aid of princes — all o'ercome, Behold him battling with the storm, and foam, The mutinous crew — the frightful waste unknown — ■ Fame, fortune staked, and nations gazing on. No picture in the annals of our kind So marks the ruling majesty of mind, As lone Columbus following the sun : By the Great Thought sustained, that led him on. True to the light, that, beckoning to the west, Like Israel's pillar points the promised rest, Cheering his bosom as the pressing gale Still onward — onward drives his constant sail. How leaped that noble heart, as on the west In anxious gaze, like lover all unblest He stood — when sudden through the dusk afar A light ! — and what ? — a torch ? — or but a star ? — Aye ! — His a star — a world ! — the strife is past, And genius triumphs in the proof at last. No art may counterfeit that blushing land, All fresh, and virgin from the Maker's hand : The isles of beauty, with their groves of balm, The idle seas, the skies' perennial calm ; All fruits, all flowers of Nature's lavish prime Steeped in the rapture of voluptuous clime ! Go read the story in the graceful dress Of our own faultless Irving — whom God bless !■— SUPPLEMENT. IS 7 And own his cunning pencil never drew A sketch so wondrous — yet, so surely true. Now, from these golden regions of the sun Turn we to ruder scenes, and triumphs won On stern New England's iron-fronted shore : Frightful with storms, and baffled ocean's roar. Behold ! — new-landed, houseless, on the strand, Bare to the icy blast, a pilgrim band : Old men, young maidens, children, side by side With strenuous manhood, their defence and guide : A solemn group upon the rocky verge — Before — the savage, and behind — the surge : By cruel beasts, and more rapacious man Opposed, with heartless winter in the van. But what are foes, or obstacles to thee ? Unprisoned wanderer ! since the mind is free — He bares his manly forehead to the sky, In thanks for woes that bring him liberty ; And his full anthem swallows in its flood Remorseless winter howling through the wood : " Rent, the rude links of Europe's galling chain ! Burst, the long trammels of the bigot's reign ! The dreariest wild where Freedom lights her shrine Already blooms — the praise, God ! be thine !" Now mark a picture on a scale more vast ! — For moral grandeur, noblest of the past. No gallant venture, with its own wild charms — No tame-heroic enterprise of arms — A crisis, heroes vainly would control — That claims the stoutest sinews of the soul. 'Twas when our Great First Senate, on the brink Of published freedom, paused — but not to shrink — Paused their deep wrongs full measure to review, For so long years that ever gathering grew : Remonstrance, prayer, petition, all in vain — Oppression but more tightly drew the chain : 188 SUPPLEMENT. At length, the Great Necessity, long fed With daily wrongs, swelled — that the brimming head Lacked but the final drop to overflow : That drop at Lexington was shed — and now The hour is come to cleave the cramping chain, And loose their fortunes to the stormy main. Tremendous moment ! teeming with the doom Of shadowy nations yet within the womb. Solemn, in silence awful, and profound The Fathers sit in majesty around : Resolved, not rash ; — for wisely had they weighed The power they braved, the stake, the hopeless aid : Unmoved, not senseless ; — for at heart they wring With the sure woes success itself must bring : And now they rise to cast their load of ill — And with an impulse of courageous will, Mightier than Caesar's when he leaped the line, Defying augury and Rome — they sign ! The bond is rent, and perish or prevail, The bark of Freedom drives before the gale ! The time would fail me — and the skill indeed — To paint the crowding terrors that succeed ; Th' invasion, strife, retreat, the wide dismay, The flying Senate, the victorious fray, The flame, the pillage of the hireling foe, The dreadful winter — the desponding woe — Privation, treason — all the trials sore The faithful army and their leader bore — Their peerless leader ! — he, whose household name No mention needs — that won them more than fame. Nor need I dwell on later wreaths than these Wrung from the High Dictatress of the seas : Who scattered wreck her panic foes among, And with the iron thunder of her tongue Silenced the world, that truckled like a slave, And rode sublime the undisputed wave. Then, fired with wrongs our little Navy spake — That from the strongest would no insult take — SUPPLEMENT. 189 But sought as boldly as an equal foe : Confronting, closing, dealing blow for blow — Matching the giant's strength with desperate zeal, That every pellet of her iron hail Winged with young Freedom's earnest shout, sank home In virgin timbers, never yet o'ercome. And now with well earned pride she rears her crest, And towers among her peers : or, moored at rest, Mute as the sea-bird after stormy times, Rocks on all waves, familiar to all climes. 'Tis not alone the past, so strangely true, Dishonors fiction, but the future too — The soaring future of the land we prize ! — For man's last dwelling shall the proudest rise. Go stand in fancy on the lordly side Of Alleghanian mountains : mark the tide Of streaming millions, spread with endless trail To take their places in that mighty vale — Swelling, and surging onward without rest, Topping the rocky barrier of the west 'Till far Pacific bounds the torrent's reach, Beating with steady pulse, along the solemn beach. Hark ! from the swarming hosts, along the breeze, Not loud, but vast, a voice like murmuring seas : — And lo ! a vision, flush with golden flame — Domes, marble cities, monuments of fame — A people numberless as now the leaves That roof their forests — all that peace achieves, Trophies of art — of science, still unfold — Chaos of unimagined glories, hold ! — For reason's eye is baffled with the glare, And fancy drops her pencil in despair ! My task is finished : — proving as I hope — If proof may ripen in so brief a scope — More rare romance is wedded with the true Than braggart Fancy ever dreamed, or drew. 190 SUPPLEMENT. Fain would I hope we ne'er, without avail, May list the briefest version of our tale : But feel at all the struggles of the state How much it needs to make a people great ; And as our fathers' triumphs we review, Ask of our hearts if nought from us be due : — If theirs the high commission of the skies To win of land, and liberty the prize, Our own, though haply of an humbler strain, Is no less truly vital — to sustain. Such be our worthy purpose — come what must — With hand, head, heart to keep the sacred trust ! O ! who can stand upon the solemn ground, By such a past — by such a future bound — By all the charms encircled, soft, or grand, That make a wonder of his native land, Nor with devotion prove her high control — Nor feel the noble impulse thrill the soul, To add one leaflet to her laurelled name — One stone to pile her pyramid of fame ! The Vice President having left the Chair, it was taken at the request of the Society, by Hon. Benjamin F. Butler, and on the motion of Hon. William W. Campbell, the fol- lowing resolution was unanimously adopted : — Resolved, That this Society tender their thanks to William Beach Lawrence, Esq., for the faithful manner in which he has discharged the duties of First Vice President during the many years in which he has filled that office. Mr. Lawrence briefly expressed his acknowledgments and the Society adjourned. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. APPOINTED BY THE PRESIDENT FOR THE YEAR 1845. PROSPER M. WETMORE, Chairman, EDWARD ROBINSON, D. D., ERASTUS C. BENEDICT, HENRY R. SCHOOLCRAFT, WILLIAM BEACH LAWRENCE, FREDERIC DE PEYSTER, JOHN R. BRODHEAD. The officers of the Society are ex-officio members of this Committee. MEMBERS NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY. i FEBRUARY, 1845. RESIDENT. Abbott, Rev. G. D. Abbott, Rev. Jacob *Abeel, John Nelson, D. D. Adams, William, D. D. Adriance, Isaac Agnew, Rev. J. Holmes Andrews, Rev. Edward W. Anthon, Henry, D. D. Anthon, John Amory, Jonathan Aspinwall, William H. Ashley, James, M. D. Astor, John Jacob Astor, William B. *Backus, Azel, D. D. Bailey, John J. ^Baldwin, Charles Baldwin, Micah Baldwin, Simeon Baretto, Francis Barron, Thomas Bartlett, Edwin Bartlett, John R. *Bassett, John, D. D. *Bayard, Samuel *Bayard, William Beakley, Jacob, M. D. Beals, Samuel J. Bean, M. Dudley Bedell, Rev. Gregory T. Bedford, Gunning S., M. D. Beebee, Samuel J. Beebee, Welcome R. Beekman, James W. Beers, Joseph D. Bell, George Benedict, Abner Benedict, Erastus C. *Benson, Hon. Egbert, LL. D. *Berrian, Samuel Betts, Hon. Samuel R., LL. D. Betts, William Bidwell, Marshall S., LL. D. Bigelow, Horatio Bigelow, John *Blatchford, Rev. Henry *Bleecker, Anthony 17 * Deceased. 194 MEMBERS OF THE ♦Bleecker, William Bliss, James C, M. D. Bloodgood, S. De Witt fBlunt, Joseph ♦Bogart, Rev. David S. *Bogert, John G. Bolton, Robert, Jr. (East Chester. Boorman, James Borrowe, Jacob H., M. D. Bosworth, Joseph S. ♦Bowden, John, D. D. ♦Bowen, Rt. Rev. Nath., D. D. *Boyd, Samuel *Brackett, Joseph W. Bradford, Alexander W. Bradish, Hon. Luther Bradsur, J. D. Brett, Gustavus A. Brevoort, J. Carson Brigham, Joseph f Brodhead, John R. ♦Bronson, Isaac Bronson, Oliver, M. D. Brooks, Joshua Brown, Gardiner S. fBrown, James Brown, Thomas *Bruce, Archibald, M. D. ♦Buchanan, Walter W., M. D. f Bucknor, William G. ♦Bullus, John Bulkley, Thomas, Jr. ♦Bunner, Rudolph Burritt, Francis ♦Busby, Charles A. *Bushnell, Campbell Bushnell, Orsamus Butler, Benj. F., LL. D. Butler, Charles Butler, Charles E. Butler, George B. Campbell, William W. Case, George (New Rochelle.) Catlin, George )Catherwood, Frederic Chauncey, Henry Chauncey, William ♦Chester, John, D. D. Childs, Samuel R., M. D. Childs, Heman W. ♦Chilton, Charles ♦Chilton, George Choules, Rev. John Overton fClark, Gerardus ♦Clark, Thomas ♦Clarkson, Gen. Matthew ♦Clement, James Cleveland, Augustus ♦Clinton, De Witt, LL. D. Clinton, Charles A. •j-Clowes, Rev. Timothy Cobb, Lyman Cooley, James Ewing Coit, Joshua Cogswell, Joseph G., LL. D. ♦Colden, C. D., LL. D. Colden, David C. ♦Coles, Benjamin U. ♦Cooper, William fCollins, Thomas Cotheal, Alexander J. ♦Cowdrey, Samuel Cozzens, Abraham M. Crosby, John P. Curtis, Edward Curtis, George Cutting, Francis B. t Life Members. NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 195 *Cutting, William Daly, Hon. Charles P. *Da Ponte, Lorenzo L. Darby, William Davies, Henry E. Davis, Chas. Aug. Davis, Thomas A. Day, Sherman De Kay, George C. De Kay, James E., M. D. Deming, Henry C. *De Peyster, Frederic f De Peyster, Frederic De Peyster, James F. *Depuy, Cornelius E., M. D. Devereux, John C, Jr. *De Witt, Simeon De Witt, Thomas, D. D. Dickinson, Richard W., D. D. Dillon, Robert J. Dodge, Robert Dorr, Henry C. Dorr, Francis O. ^Dougherty, Addison Douglas, Jonathan H. Draper, Prof. J. W., M. D. Draper, Simeon Dubois, Cornelius, Jr. Duer, John *Dunlap, William Duyckinck, Evert A. fDurand, A. B. Dwight, Henry, Jr. fDvvight, Theodore Dwight, Theodore, Jr. *Dyckman, Jacob, M. D. Earle, Pliny, M. D. *Eastburn, James Eastburn, Rt. Rev. M., D. D. Ebbetts, J. J. A. *Eddy, Caspar Wistar,JVf. D. *Eddy, John *Eddy, John H. *Eddy, Thomas *Edgar, William *Edgar, William Jr. Edmonds, Francis W. Edmonds, John W. Edwards, Henry P. *Emmet, Thomas Addis Emmet, Thomas Addis Endicott, George Endicott, William Evarts, William M. Fairman, William *Fay, Joseph D. Fellows, Richard S. Ferguson, Jordan G. Fessenden, Thomas Field, Benjamin H. Field, David D. fField, Hickson W. fField, H. W., Jr. Field, Osgood Fish, H:>n. Hamilton *Fish, Witehead Fisk, Jonathan Fleming, Augustus Folsom, George *Forbe , John *Forry, Samuel, M. D. Foster, Charles W. Foster, Frederick G. Foster, Samuel H., Jr. Fowler, Joseph 196 MEMBERS OF THE | Francis, John W., M. D. *Francis, Henry M., M. D. Frelinghuysen, T., LL. D. Fuller, Hiram *Fulton, Robert Furman, Gabriel *Gahn, Henry |Gallatin, Albert, LL. D. Gallatin, Albert, R. Gallatin, James Gardiner, Samuel S. Gardner, C. K. *Gibbs, Col. George fGibbs, George Goodhue, Jonathan fGoodrich, A. T. Gracie, Robert *Gracie, William *Graham, John *Graham, John A., LL. D. Graham, John L. *Graves, Roswell, M. D. Gray, John F., M. D. Greacen, James R., M. D. Green, Horace, M. D. Greene, John C. Greenhow, Robert Griffing, Samuel fGriscom, John, M. D., LL. D. Griswold, George C. Haggerty, John *Haight, Benjamin Haight, Benjamin I., D. D. *Haines, Charles G. Hall, Willis Hallett, William P. Halliday, Edward C. Hamilton, John C. Hammersley, Andrew S. ^Harris, William, D. D. Harris, Townsend Harvey, Jacob Hatch, George W. *Hawes, William P. Hawks, Francis L., D. D. *Henderson, William Henry, Prof. Caleb S., D. D. •fHerring, James Herring, Thomas fHerring, William Hicks, Henry W. Hicks, Samuel M. Hilger, Maurice *Hobart, Rt. Rev. J. H., D. D. Hobart, Dayton Hoffman, Charles Fenno Hoffman, Ogden Hoffman, Murray *Hopkins, S. M.', LL. D. Hoppin, William J. Hone, John fHone, Philip Horn, William T. *Hosack, Alexander, M. D. Hosack, Alexander H., M. D. *Hosack, David, M. D., F. R. S. Howe, Josiah Howland, Samuel S. *Hunn, John S. Hunt, Freeman Hunter, Charles F. Hurlburt, Elisha P.I Ingraham, Hon. D. P. Inglis, William Inman, Henry *Inskeep, Abraham H. Hrving, Washington, LL. D. NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 107 *Ives, Ansell W., M. D. Jackson, William H., M. D. Jarvis, Jay *Jarvis, John Wesley fJarvis, Samuel F., D. D., LL. D Jaudon, Samuel *Jay, John, LL. D. f Jay, John Jay, John C, M. D. *Jay, Peter Augustus, LL. D. Jay, Hon. William Jenny, Ephraim H. Jones, David S. Jones, George *Jones, Rev. Cave Jones, James I. * Jones, John Q. * Jones, Samuel fJones, Hon. Samuel, LL. D. Johnson, Alexander Johnson, William Samuel •[■Johnson, William, LL. D. Johnston, John Keese, John *Kemp, John, LL. D. Kelly, Robert E. Kelly, William Kennedy, David S. ■[■Kent, James, LL. D. *Kermit, Henry fKing, Charles King. Charles R., M. D. *King, Frederic G., M. D. -fKing, John Alsop *King, Rufus, LL. D. Kingsland, Richards Kinney, Franklin S. Kip, Rev. William J. 17* Kissam, Richard S., M. D. Knapp, Shepherd *Kunze, John C, D. D. Laight, Edward W. Laight, Henry *Lambert, David R. Lane, Josiah *Lawrence, Augustine H. *Lawrence, John Lawrence, John L. Lawrence, John S. Lawrence, Thomas *Lawrence, William fLawrence, William Beach Lawrence, Richard M. Lawson, James Lee, Charles A., M. D. Lee, James Lenox, James Leupp, Charles M. *Lewis, General Morgan Lewis, Prof. Tayler, LL. D. *Lewis, Zachariah Ledyard, Henry *Linn, William, D. D. *Livingston, B., LL. D. Livingston, Cambridge Livingston, Charles L. ^Livingston, E., LL. D. ^Livingston, Edward P. ^Livingston, John H., D. D. ^Livingston, R. R., LL. D. Logan, Adam D. *LcrilIard, Jacob Lord, Rufus L. Low, Cornelius *Ludlow, John C. Ludlow, Thomas W. Lydig, Philip M. 198 MEMBERS OF THE Macdonald, James, M. D. Macdonald, John Macdonald, John M. *Macneven, Wra. Jas., M. D. * Macomb, Robert Mackenzie, Alex. S., U. S. N. fMarchant, Edward D. Marx, Henry- Mason, Prof. Cyrus, D. D. Mason, Erskine, D. D. ♦Mason, John Mason, John L. ♦Mason, John M., D.D. fMathews, James, M., D. D. McMurray, William McKeon, John ♦McKesson, John ♦McLeod, Alexander, D. D. McVean, Charles McVickar, Prof. John, D. D. ♦Mercein, Thomas R. ♦Meyer, John •[Miller Samuel, D 4 D. *Miller, Edward, M. D. -(-Miller, Silvanus ♦Mitchell, Sam'l L,, M.D., LL ♦Moore, Rt. Rev. Ben)., D. D Morel 1, Geoi-ge W. Morgan, Matthew ♦Morris, Gouverneur Morris, Gouverneur Morris, Gerard W. -f Morris, Thomas ♦Morton, Gen. Jacob Mott, Valentine, M. D. Mulligan, Henry S. •(-Mulligan, John W. ♦Mumford, Gurdon S. Mumford, William W. Murray, George W., M. D» ♦Murray, John, Jr Murray, James B. Murray, John B. -("Murray, John R. Murray, Robert I. Neilson, Anthony B. f Neilson, William Neilson, William H. Nevins, Russell H. Nevins, David H. Nicoll, Henry Noah, Mordecai M.. -j-Nott, Eliphalet, D. D. Noyes, William Curtis fOgden, David B. Ogden, J. De Peyster Ogden, Richard H. ♦Ogilvie,. Rev. J. G. Olmsted, Francis ♦Osborn, John C, M. D.. O'Sullivan, John L. Packwood, Samuel D. Palmer, Aaron H. Palmer, John J. Parker, Rev. B. C. C. Parker, Willard, M. D. Partridge, James H. Paulding, James K. -fPaulding, William, Jr. Pearson, Isaac Green Peck, Rev. Isaac Peckham, Walton H. Peet, Harvey P. Pell, Ferris Pell, R. Livingston ♦Pendleton, Nathaniel ■[Pendleton, Edmund, Jr. NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 199 Pendleton, Edmund H. *Pendleton James, M. D. *Perkins, Benjamin D. *Perkins, Richard D. Perkins, Cyrus, M. D. Peters, Absalom, D. D. Peters, John R. Phalen, James Phillips, William W., D. D. Pickett, Albert Pickett, John W. Pierrepont, Henry E. *fPintard, John, LL. D. *Platt, James Kent, M. D. Post, Alfred C., M. D. Post, Minturn, M. D. Post, Waldron, B. *Post, Wright, M. D. Potts, George, D. D. fPowell, William H. Powers, William P. Prime, Rev. Samuel J. Putnam, George P. Putnam, R., M. D. j-Quitman, Fred. H., M. D. *Rafinesque, Prof. C. Rapelje, Silvanus *Ray, Richard *Remmey, John Remsen, Henry *Remsen, Peter Rhinelander, William C. Richards, Edgar U. Richmond, Rev. William *Riker, Richard Robbins, George S. Robinson, Prof. E., D. D., LL Robinson, Beverly Rockwell, William, M. D. fRodgers, Benjamin Woolsey Rogers, J. Smyth, M. D. *Romayne, Nicholas, M. D. *Romeyn, John B., D. D. •f Roosevelt, Isaac, M. D. Ross, William M., M. D. Rudd, John C. Ruggles, Samuel B. -j-Russell, Archibald Russell, Charles H. Russell, Richard F. *Rutherford, John Rutherford, Walter *Sampson, William Sandford, Charles W. Sanford, Edward *Sanford, Nathan *Sands, Robert C. Saunders, Frederick Savage, Cornelius *SchaefFer, Rev. Fred. Chas. Schell, Augustus Schell, Richard Schermerhorn, Peter f Schultz, Christian, Jr. *Seaman, John E. *Sedgwick, Henry D. *Sedgwick, Robert Sedgwick, Theodore Selden, Dudley Sheldon, Frederick, Jr. Sherwood, John D. *Simond, Louis Sistare, Horace Smith, James O., M. D. Smith, John Adams D. Smith, Joseph W. Smith, Jotham 200 MEMBERS OP THE *Smith, Lemuel Smith, William H. Sommers, Thomas S. *Spafford, H. Gates, LL. D. Spier, Gilbert M. Spoffbrd, Paul Spofford, Paul N. Stebbins, Henry G. Stephens, John L. Stetson, Charles A. Stevens, Alexander H., M. D. Stevens, John Austin Stewart, F. Campbell, M. D. Stewart, James B. *Stoddard, Amos *fStone, William L. Strong, Edward A. Strong, George T. *Stoughton, James Sturges, Jonathan *Stuyvesant, Nicholas W. •j-Stuytesant, Peter Gerard Suydam, Lambert Suydam, D. Lydig j-Swan, Benjamin L. Tallmadge, James, LL. D. *Tallmadge, M. B. Tappan, Edward A. Taylor, Rev. William Tellkampf, Prof. Louis J. *Thomas, Robert ^Thompson, James *Thompson, Jeremiah ^Thompson, William A. •j-Thompson, C. Giovanni Tilden, Samuel J. Tomes, Francis, Jr. *Tompkins, Daniel D. -{Townsend, Elihu *Trumbull, Col. John Turner, Prof. Sam. H., D. D. Van Alen, John T. Van Beuren, John D. Van Cott, Joshua M. *Van Cortlandt, Philip Van Heuvel, Jacob A. *Van Hook, William A. *Van Ness, William P. Van Nest, John Van Norden, William Van Rensselaer, Philip S. *Van Rensselaer, Stephen Van Rensselaer, William P. Van Schaick, Garrat C. *Varick, Richard -jVerplanck, G. C, LL. D. *Verplanck, Johnston Verplanck, Samuel Waddell, W. C. H. fWainwright, J. M., D. D. Walter, Rev. Wm. H. Ward, Augustus H. Ward, Elijah Ward, George A. *Ward, Henry Ward, Henry Hall -j-Ward, John *Ward, Samuel Ward, Samuel Ward, Thomas, M. D. Waring, Samuel Warner, Andrew Warren, Winslow, M. D. Washington, J. A., M. D. *Watts, John M. D. Webb, James Watson Weeks, J. Abeel NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 201 Weir, Robert W. Weld, H. Hastings Welford, Charles *Wells, John West, Charles E. fWetmore, Prosper M. Wetmore, William S. *Weyman, John W. fWheaton, Hon. Henry, LL. D. Whitehead, William A. Whitlock, Samuel H. * Wilkes, Charles Wilkins, Gouverneur M. *Willet, Col. Marinus *Williarns, Col. Jonathan Williams, Stephen C. * Williamson, Hugh, M.D., LL. D Wilmerding, William E. *Wilson, George *Wilson, Peter, LL. D. Wilson, William Winthrop, Benjamin R. *Winthrop, Francis B. Winthrop, Henry R. Winthrop, John S. Winthrop, Thomas C. Wolcott, Frederic H. *Wolcott, Oliver, LL. D. Wolfe, Christopher Wright, Amariah W. Wright, Henry A. Wright, William Wyckoff, Alexander R. Young, Edmund M. Zabriskie, Albert G. Zabiiskie, Martin R. 202 MEMBERS OF THE CORRESPONDING.* Arnold, Samuel Greene, Bacon, E. Champion, Barnard, Henry, 2d, Bleecker, Hon. Harmanus, Bogart, William TL, Bowditch, Nathaniel L., Brown, Henry, Brown, John Carter, Cary, Edward L., Colton, Ceorge H. Conant, Marshall, Cruikshank, N., Davis, Thomas T., De Hass, Wills, De Zwaan, Dickinson, Hon. D. S., Dillingham, William H., Disosway, Gabriel P., Gebherd, John, Gliddon, George R., Grattan, Thomas Colley, Griswold, Rev. Rufus W., Hale, Benjamin, D. D., Haring, Clinton, Haven, Samuel F., Hosmer, Hezekiah S., Hosmer, Wm. H. C, Jones, Rev. Isaac, Kirtland, Jared P., M. D., Providence, Rhode Island. Litchfield, Connecticut. Hartford, " Albany. Ithaca. Boston . Chicago, Illinois. Providence, Rhode Island. Philadelphia. Framingham, Mass. Ohio. Syracuse. Pomeroy, Meigs Co., Ohio. The Hague, Netherlands. Binghampton. Philadelphia. Staten Island. Schoharie. Egypt. II. B. M. Consul, Boston. Philadelphia. Geneva. Detroit, Michigan. Worcester, Mass. Perrysburgh, Ohio. Avon. Litchfield, Connecticut. Cleveland, Ohio. * The Class of Corresponding Members was established, March 7, 1843. NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 2(J Law, Hon. John, Vincennes, Indiana. Lovejoy, E., M. D., Owego. Matthias, John T., Philadelphia. Mayer, Brantz, Baltimore, Maryland. Maxwell, Thomas, Chemung. Miles, Pliny, Watertown Moore, Jacob Bailey Washington, D. C. Morgan, Christopher, Aurora. Morrison, Hon. William, Key West. O'Rielly, Henry, Albany. Paine, Robert Treat, Boston. Penington, John, Philadelphia. Poore, Benjamin P., Paris. Potter, Alonzo, D. D., Schenectady. Pruyn, J. V. L., Albany. Randall, S. S., Albany. Rankin, Robert G., Matteawan. Sampson, William B., London. Saunders, Edwin, London. Scoresby, William, D. D., England. Smith, Henry K., Buffalo. Stevens, Henry, Jr., Boston. Street, Alfred B., Albany. Sumner, Charles, Boston. Swetland, William, Plattsburg. Thom, Robert, China. Thompson, Benjamin F., Hempstead, Long Island* Townsend, Isaiah, Albany. Trumbull, James H., Stonington, Connecticut. Turner, Levi C, Cleveland, Ohio. Washburn, Emory, Worcester, Massachusetts. Webster, Prof. Horace, LL.D., Geneva. *Webster, Horace B., Albany. Whitney, Asa, Canton, China. Yates, Giles F., Schenectady. 204 MEMBERS OF THE HONORARY. *Adams, John, President United States. Adams, John Quincy, President United *Adams, Jasper, D. D., *AIden, Timothy, D. D., Alexander, Sir James Edward, Allen, William, D. D., *Allston, Washington, Anderson, Andrew, M. D., Antinori, Cavalier Vincenzio, Amici, Cav. Giovanni B., Amici, Dr. Vincenzio, Arfwedson, Charles David, Bacon, Leonard, D. D., Bancroft, George, LL. D., *Banks, Sir Joseph, *Bard, Samuel, M. D., LL. D. Barlow, Timothy, Barstow, Gamaliel H., Beck, Lewis C, Beck, T. Romeyn, M. D., *Bentley, William, D. D., Berrien, Hon. John M., Bethune, George W., D. D., Binaey, Horace, Birdseye, Victory, *Blatchford, Samuel, D. D., *Bloomfield, Joseph, Blythe, Calvin, *Bostock, John, M. D., *Botta, Carlo, *Boudinot, Elias, *Boudinot, Elisha, *Bowditch, Nathaniel, LL. D., F. R.S. Bozman, John Leeds, States. South Carolina. Pennsylvania. British Army. Massachusetts. Massachusetts. Edinburgh. Italy. Italy. Italy. Sweden. Connecticut. Massachusetts. London. New York. Missouri. New York. Mississippi. Albany. Massachusetts. Georgia. Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania. New York. Connecticut. New Jersey. Pennsylvania. Liverpool. Italy. New Jersey. New Jersey. Massachusetts. Maryland. NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 205 *Breckenridge, Henry W., ♦Bradford, Alden, LL. D., ♦Brewster, Sir David, F. R. S. Brignoli di Brunnhoff, John, *Bro\vn, Charles Brockden, ♦Brown, Gen. Jacob, ♦Brown, Francis, D. D., *Buchan, Earl of, F. R. S., Bucklin, David W., ♦Buckminster, Joseph S., D. D., Burci, Dr. Charles, Virginia. Massachusetts. Edinburgh. Italy. Pennsylvania. Washington. New Hampshire. Scotland. New York. Massachusetts. Italy. Carmichael, M. D., Carillo, Cura Don Estanislaus, ♦Carroll, Charles, of Carroll, Charles H., ♦Carter, Nathaniel H., Cass, Hon. Lewis, ♦Channing, William Ellery, D. D., Chapman, Capt. Chase, Rt. Rev. Philander, D. D., ♦Chauncey, Commodore Isaac, Chauncey, Charles, LL. D., Chisholm, Colin, M. D., ♦Clarke, Adam, LL. D., F. R. S., Clarkson, Thomas, ♦Clinton, George, Vice President of the Cochran, William. Coffin, Rev. Charles, Cogswell, Jonathan, D. D., Cogswell,William D. D., Condit, John S., M. D., ♦Cooper, Thomas, M. D., ♦Correa, Jos. de Serra, LL. D., F. R. S Croswell, Edwin, Cushing, Caleb, Mississippi. Yucatan. Carrollton. New York. New York. Michigan. Massachusetts. B. Army. Illinois. U. S. Navy. Connecticut. Bristol, England. London. England. United States. Nova Scotia. Tennessee. Connecticut. New Hampshire. New Jersey. South Carolina. , Portugal. New York. Massachusetts. ♦Dalhousie, Earl of, Davidson, Richard.. M. D. Davidson, Robert, D. D., 18 Scotland. South Carolina. New Jersey. 206 MEMBERS OF THE Davies, Charles S., Davis, John, LL. D., Day, Thomas, LL. D., Dewar, Henry, M. D., De Jonge, Jongheer J. C, De Lile, Alire Raffineau, M. D., Dickerson, Mahlon, Dinsmore, Silas, Dod, Prof. Albert B., Dunbar, Rev. Elijah, Ducachet, Henry W., D. D., Duer, William A., LL. D., Duncan, Andrew, M. D., Dunn, Henry, *Duponceau, Peter S., LL. D. *Dwight, Timothy, D. D., LL. D., *Ebeling, Christoph Daniel, *Eddy, Samuel, Edelcrantz, Baron, ♦Eliot, John, D. D., Elton, Prof. Romeo, Evans, David E., Everett, Edward, LL. D., Maine. Massachusetts. Connecticut. Scotland. Netherlands. France. New Jersey. Alabama. New Jersey. New Hampshire. Pennsylvania. New York. Scotland. England. Pennsylvania. Connecticut. Hamburg. Rhode Island. Sweden. Massachusetts. Rhode Island. New York. Massachusetts. ♦Farmer, Henry T., M. D., South Carolina. ♦Farmer, John, New Hampshire. Felt, Rev. Joseph B., Massachusetts. Fenner, James, Rhode Island. Ferdinand III., Grand Duke of Tuscany. Fine, John, New York. Flagg, Azariah C, New York. ♦Follen, Rev. Charles Massachusetts. Foote, E. T., New York. Fossombroni, His Excellency Victoria, Florence. Franklin, William T., England. Friedrichstahl, Le Chevalier, Austria. Fromentin, E., Louisiana. *Freeman, James, D. D., Massachusetts. ♦French, Jonathan, D. D., New Hampshire. NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 207 *Gahn, Henry, Swed. Consul, Sweden. Galusha, Jonas, Vermont. Gallizioli, Ar. Filippo, Italy. Garden, Maj. Alexander, U. S. Army. Gaines, Maj. Gen. E. P., U. S. Army. *Gardiner, David, New York. German, John F., Pennsylvania. Gilpin, Henry D. " ♦Good, John Mason, M. D., England. ♦Gore, Christopher, LL. D., Massachusetts. Gordon, Thomas F., New Jersey. *Gorham, John, M. D., Massachusetts. Graberg, Count J. de Hemso, Italy. Granger, Francis, New York. Gray, Francis C, LL. D., Massachusetts. Green, Ashbel, D. D., Pennsylvania. Greene, George W., American Consul, Rome. ♦Gregoire, Abbe, France. Greig, John, New York. Hall, John E., Hamilton, Sir William R., ♦Harris, Thaddeus M., D. D., *Harrison, Gen. William Henry, President ♦Harby, Isaac, Hartman, C. F. A., Hay, William, Jr., Hawley, Gideon, LL. D., ♦Hawley, Jesse, ♦Hawkins, Samuel. Haygarth, John, M. D., ♦Hazard, Ebenezer, Henry, William, M. D., Heri, Don, of the Princes Corsini, Herschell, Sir John, Hitchcock, Edward, LL. D., Hoffman, George Frederick, M. D., Hodgson, William B., ♦Holmes, Abiel, D. D., Pennsylvania. Ireland. Massachusetts, of the United States. South Carolina. Hamburg. , New York. New York. New York. England. Pennsylvania. Manchester, Eng. Italy. England. Massachusetts. Germany. Georgia. Massachusetts. 208 MEMBERS OF THE *Hopkinson, Joseph, Pennsylvania. Hoyt, Gen. Epaphras, Massachusetts. Hunt, Montgomery, New York. Humboldt, Baron Alexander, Prussia. ♦Humphreys, David, LL. D., Connecticut. Hurlburt, Rev. Martin L., South Carolina ♦Ireland, William M., M. D., England. Ives, Eli, M. D., Connecticut. Jackson, General Andrew, President of the United States. Jackson, James, M. D., Massachusetts. Jameson, Robert, Scotland. Jamieson, Robert, D. D., Scotland. ♦Jefferson, Thomas, President of the United States. Jeffrey, Francis, Lord, Scotland. *Jenner, Edward, M. D., England. Johnson, Alexander B., New York. * Johnson, William, South Carolina *Johnson, William Samuel, LL. D., Connecticut. Jomard, M., France. Jordan, Ambrose L., New York. Julius, Dr. N. C, Prussia. Kendall, James, D. D., Massachusetts. Kemper, Jan Melchior, Holland. ♦Kirkland, John T., D. D., LL. D., Massachusetts. ♦Kirkland, Joseph, New York. Knight, Thomas Andrew. *Lafayette, The Marquis de, France. Lafayette, George Washington, France. *Lambrechtsen, Sir N. C, Holland. Lansing, Derick, New York. L'Escalier, Baron, France. Lelevel, M. Joachim, Paris. Lemon, Robert, F. S. A., England. *Lee, William, Washington. Leopold, Arch Duke of Tuscany, Italy. NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 209 Lettsom, John C, M. D., England. Low, James, M. D., New York. Lowell, Charles, D. D., Massachusetts. *Madison, James, President of the United States. Magini, Dr., Italy. Magnusen, Prof. Finn, Denmark. ♦Marbois, Barbe, France. Marcy, William L., LL. D., New York. Markoe, Francis, Jr., Washington, D. C *McClure, William, Pennsylvania. Mcllvaine, Rt. Rev. C. P., D. D., Ohio. Mease, James, M. D., Pennsylvania. *Mellen, John, Massachusetts. Michaux, Andre, France. Milledoler, Philip, D. D., New York. Milnor, James, D. D., New York. ♦M'Kean, Prof. Joseph, D. D. LL. D., Massachusetts. ♦Moore, Rt. Rev. Richard, D. D., Virginia. *Monroe, James, President of the United States. Morpeth, Rt. Hon. Viscount, England. Moseley, Daniel, New York. Mossell, Amos S., Pennsylvania. ♦Morse, Jedediah, D. D., Massachusetts. Moulton, Joseph W., New York. ♦Muhlenburgh, Henry, D. D., Pennsylvania. Murdoch, James, D. D., Connecticut. Murray, Hon. Charles Augustus, England. Murray, John, Scotland. ♦Murray, Lindley, England. ♦Nason, Rev. Reuben, Maine. Navarrete, Don Martin Fernandez de, Spain. Nichols, Ichabod, D. D., Maine. Niel, Patrick, Scotland. Norman, B. M., Louisiana. Oakley, Hon. Thomas J., New York. ♦Ogden, Aaron, LL. D., New Jersey. Ombrosi, James, Italy. 210 MEMBERS OF THE Pazos, Don Vincent, South America. Peale, Charles W., Pennsylvania. Pearson, George, M. D., .England. *Peck, William D., Massachusetts.. Pennington, William, New Jersey. Perez, Don Juan Pio, Yucatan. Perkins, Cyrus, M. D., New York. Pierce, John, D. D., Massachusetts. ♦Pickering, Timothy, LL. D., <( Pickering, John, LL. D., « ♦Pitcher, Nathaniel, New York. Pitkin, Timothy, LL. D., Connecticut. Plumer, William, New Hampshire ♦Porter, Gen. Peter B., New York. Prescott, Samuel J., Massachusetts. Prescott, William H., LL. D., u ♦Prince, Rev. John, LL. D., u Puccini, Aurelio, Italy. ♦Putnam, Gen. Rufus, Ohio. Quincy, Josiah, LL. D., Massachusetts. Rafn, Prof. Christian C, Denmark. 1 ♦Ramsay, David, M. D., South Carolina. Ranke, Prof. Leopold, Prussia. Randolph, Edward, Mississippi. Raumer, Prof. Frederick Von, Prussia. Reed, William B., Pennsylvania. Ridolfi, Marquis Cosimo, Italy. ♦Riley, Capt. James, Ohio. Ritter, Prof. Carl, Prussia. Robbins, Thomas, D. D., Massachusetts. ♦Roberdeau, Major. ♦Robertson, William D. Root, Erastus, New York. ♦Roscoe, William, England. Roxburgh, William, M. D., Calcutta. ♦Rumford, Benjamin Thompson, Count, France. *Rush, Benjamin, M. D., Pennsylvania. Rush, Richard, Pennsylvania, NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 211 Sabine, Capt. Joseph, Salva, Dr. Jayme, Savage, James, Savage, John, LL. D., Schoolcraft, Henry R., Simms, W. Gilmore, ♦Sinclair, Sir John, ♦Schaeffer, Rev. F. D., Schwartz, John G., Serreistori, Mr., Sill, Theodore, *Southey, Robert, LL. D., ♦Smith, Sir James E., M. D., ♦Smith, Rev. Samuel S., D. D., Smith, Rev. Isaac, ♦Smith, William, Smith, Charles H., Smith, William, Smith, Gerrit, *Shavv, William S., Sparks, Prof. Jared, LL. D., Spencer, John C, LL. D., Staples, William R., Starkweather, Samuel, Steinhauer, Rev. H., Stebbins, Charles, Steel, John H., Stevens, Samuel, Stevens, Rev. William Bacon, Stewart, Arch Deacon, Stewart, Commodore Charles, Stickney, J. B., ♦Stockton, Richard, *Storer, Clement, Story, Hon. Joseph, LL. D., ♦Sullivan, William, LL. D., Sutherland, Jacob, LL. D. Swainson, James, Swift, Gen, J. G.., England, Spain. Massachusetts. New York. New York. South Carolina. Scotland. Pennsylvania. Austria. Italy. New York. England. England. New Jersey. Massachusetts. Lower Canada. Antwerp. Lower Canada. New York. Massachusetts. Massachusetts. New York. Rhode Island. New York. Pennsylvania. New York. New York. New York. Georgia. Upper Canada. U. S. Navy. Indiana. New Jersey. New Hampshire. Massachusetts. Massachusetts. New York. England. New York.. 212 MEMBERS OF THE *Talcott, Samuel A., New York. Tallmadge, James, LL. D., New York. Tappan, Benjamin, D. D., Maine. Tappan, Christopher, New York. *Taylor, John W., New York. Tefft, I. K., Georgia. ♦Teignmouth, Lord, England. Ternaux-Compans, Henri, France. *Thomas, Isaiah, LL. D., Massachusetts. Thonching, Canton, China. Thouin, Andre, M. D., France. Tracy, Albert H., New York. Treadwell, John D., Massachusetts. Trevett, Samuel R., M. D., Massachusetts. Trullani, Leonardi, Italy. ♦Trumbull, Rev. Benjamin, D. D., Connecticut. Tyler, John, President of the United States. Uberto, Chev. del Nobili, Italy. Vallancey, Charles, Ireland. Van Buren, Martin, President of the United States. Vandenbroek, J. W., Netherlands. ♦Vander Kemp, Francis Adrian, New York. Vander Palme, Johannes H., Netherlands. Van Royen, Henricus, Netherlands. ♦Van Schaack, Peter, LL. D., New York. ♦Vaughan, Benjamin, LL. D., Maine. ♦Vaughan, John, LL. D., Pennsylvania. ♦Viele, John J., New York. Vroom, Peter D., New Jersey. Wadsworth, James, Wall, Garrett 1)., Wallace, Joshua M., Walsh, Robert, LL. D., Warden, David Baillie, Warren, Joseph C, M. D., Waterman, Thomas G., Watson, John F., New York. New Jersey. New Jersey. Pennsylvania. France. Massachusetts. New York. Pennsylvania. NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 213 Watts, Charles, Louisiana. Webb, Thomas H., M. D., Rhode Island. Webster, Hon. Daniel, LL. D., Massachusetts. *Webster, Noah, LL. D., Connecticut. Westbrook, Rev. Cornelius D., New York. *Wheelock, John, D. D., LL. D., New Hampshire. Williams, Sir John Bickerton, Knt., England. *Williams, Rev. Samuel, LL. D., Vermont. Williams, Stephen W., Massachusetts. Williams, Nathan, New York. Williams, Charles, Vermont. Williamson, William D., Maine. Willis, William, Maine. *Wilson, James, Pennsylvania. *Wilkinson, Gen. James, U. S. Army. *Winthrop, James, LL. D., Massachusetts. *Winthrop, Thomas L., LL. D. Massachusetts. *Winthrop, William, Massachusetts. Winthrop, Adam, Mississippi. Wilson, Rev. Joshua L., LL. D. Ohio. Wilson, Prof. John, Scotland. Wilkes, Commander Charles, U. S. Navy. Wilkeson, Samuel, New York. *Wistar, Caspar, M. D., Pennsylvania. Wood, Silas, New York. Woods, Prof. Leonard, D. D., Massachusetts. Woodworth, John, New York. Wright, Hon. Silas, New York. *Yates, John Van Ness, Yeates, G. D., M. D., F. R. S., Young, Rev. Alexander, Young, Samuel, New York. England. Massachusetts. New York. AN ADDRESS DELIVERED BEFORE THE NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY, AT ITS FORTIETH ANNIVERSARY, 20TH NOVEMBER, 1844 ; BY JOHN ROMEYN BRODHEAD, ESQ., HISTORICAL AGENT OP THE STATE OF NEW YORK, TO HOLLAND, ENGLAND, AND FRANCE. WITH AN ACCOUNT OF THE SUBSEQUENT PROCEEDINGS AT THE DINNER GIVEN IN THE EVENING. NEW YORK: PRESS OF THE NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 1844. At a stated meeting of the New York Historical Society, held on Tuesday Evening, the Third of December, 1844, at the Historical Rooms, in the University, the First Vice President in the Chair. It was unanimously Resolved, That the thanks of the New York Historical Society, are hereby tendered to J. Romeyn Brodhead, Esquire, for the interesting and instructive Address delivered before this Society at its recent Anniversary celebration ; an Address which furnished abundant evidence of the zeal, ability, and intelligence, with winch the duties of his late mission had been discharged. Resolved, That Mr. Brodhead be requested to furnish a copy of his Address, to be placed among the Archives of the Society, and published. A true Extract from the Minutes. JOHN JAY, Recording Secretary. Dated at the Historical Rooms, } University of the City of New York, > December 6, 1844, j WM. VAN N0RDEN, PRINTER. AN ADDRESS. Gentlemen op the New York Historical Society : — I will not affect to conceal the emotions of pride, and of humility, with which your invitation has filled me. To be asked to fall in the file of illustrious men who have, from time to time, addressed this body, is a compliment of no common order. To dare the venturesome attempt — to essay to take a place in that brilliant array — may seem to be rash, if not presumptuous. Yet, the peculiarity of the circumstances which must, alone, have induced your unex- pected invitation, seems almost to have modified it into a command ; and though, had the personal feelings of him who has the high honor now to address you, prevailed, some worthier associate would have occupied the time of his fellow-members on this occasion, the duty you have imposed is too peremptory to be declined, while its execu- tion is attempted with the most unfeigned diffidence. It has been suggested that some reference to the recent investigations of the Historical Agent of this State, in Eu- ropean Archives, may not be inappropriate to the present occasion. Although a detailed account of the Agent's proceedings in the execution of his duties, will form the legitimate sub- ject of an official Report to the State Government, the Agency, itself, being, as it were, the child of this Society, it is supposed that a few particulars respecting the Foreign Record Offices that have been visited, and some references to the documents that have been gleaned from them, relating AN ADDRESS. to periods and events hitherto unknown, or but imper- fectly known to the Historians of our State, may be inter- esting to the members of this Society. What I propose, therefore, in the altogether practical remarks I have now the honor to address to you, is, to take a rapid glance at the archives of Holland, England, and France, to which the Agent had access ; and to refer, briefly, to some of the more interesting of the Documents transcribed. In doing this, I shall follow, as nearly as may be, a chronological order ; and simply state facts, without attempting to weave a connected narrative. It is known to some, at least, now present, that the in- spection of the State Papers of Foreign Governments is a privilege of a high order ; and granted in many cases, only, upon applications backed by high, personal, or official influence. A feeling of liberal and expanded courtesy may often prompt a compliance with the applications of foreign- ers, supported by the zealous and active exertions of their national representative, when the request of a subject or citizen, merely, would perhaps be disregarded. In every case, the permission to examine the Archives of a Foreign Government, is a favor granted — not a right enjoyed. It was fortunate for the interests of the State, and of this Society, that our country was represented by such men as Harmanus Bleecker, at the Hague, Edward Everett, at London, and Lewis Cass, at Paris, when the Agent pre- sented himself, to ask the privilege of an inspection of the State Papers in those Capitals. And it would be inexcusa- ble, if this opportunity were not taken to declare my con- viction, that, to the warm interest displayed, on every occasion, by these eminent gentlemen, in the objects of the agency, and to their zealous and well directed efforts in its behalf, is to be attributed, — more than to any other cause, — whatever of success may have attended the enterprise of the State. The application made to the Government of the " Father- land" received a ready, and most favorable consideration. A prompt order, directed by the King, himself, to be as AN ADDRESS. 5 liberal in its provisions as the exigencies of the service would allow, was issued by the Minister of the Interior ; and the Agent, on presenting himself at the Royal Archives at the Hague, was received by the officer in charge, with a courtesy and interest that left him nothing further to desire. Every document, book, pud paper, known or sup- posed to contain information relative to our Colonial days, was thrown open to his inspection ; and every arrangement was made, and every facility afforded, that a generous and liberal policy could dictate. Thus then — in the very seat of government of the land of our forefathers — in the very Palace of the Stadt-holder — was the attempt commenced, to rescue from obscurity the papers which, it was supposed, would fill up the gaps in our early annals, and throw light upon the events of our Colo- nial days. The Palace of the Binnenhof — itself so rich in Historical association — is well chosen as the depository of the immense collection of Documents which regard the annals of Holland and her dependencies, not only, but in which are also to be found most authentic materials for the History of Europe. These papers are contained in an immense suit of apartments — overlooking the quadrangle which witnessed the execution of Barnevelt — connected, one with another, by many a stair and winding passage, and opening into many a long gallery and corridor. Many a memorial of ancient days, yet remains in the old apart- ments, to attest the former splendor of the Palace ; and many a painted and gilded ceiling yet arrests the eye, and contrasts, strangely, with the parchment-bound volumes, and dusty files, and worm-eaten cases, that occupy the places of the Courtiers and the Nobles of the days of old. The documents in this repository are, in general, very well arranged. The greater part are preserved in volumes bound in parchment, in a style of durability and neatness characteristic of our Dutch ancestors. They consist, chiefly of minutes of the proceedings of the States General at their ordinary and secret meetings — diplomatic and other corres- pondence, and commissions and instructions to officers, &c. 1* 6 AN ADDRESS. The original papers received by the States General, from time to time, are arranged in files, or deposited in bundles in various separate cases and repositories, and have suffered from the effects of time and exposure to dust, much more than the bound volumes. It was in these files and bundles, that many of the original papers received from " New Netherland" were found ; and the reason why, in some instances, Records of presumed importance to the illustration of our Colonial History, appear to be missing, may, perhaps, be found in a Resolution of the States General of 29th November, 1622, that the Documents in their pos- session, relating to the West India Company, be delivered to the Directors of that Corporation. The Agent was occupied, during several months, in a laborious investigation, in the course of which, upwards of Four Hundred Volumes and bundles of papers, many of them, old, decayed, and worm-eaten, were examined ; and the difficulty of the research was by no means lightened by the circumstance that most of the Documents which were read, were written in the perverse and obscure charac- ters common in the 17th Century. The results of the examinations at the Hague, however, satisfied the Agent, that though a great and valuable mass of information, on points either entirely novel, or at best, very imperfectly known in the annals of our State, was there contained ; the Archives of the West India Company, which had the supervision and direction of the Colony of New Netherland, was the grand magazine in which he might hope to find those more particular details of voyages, discoveries, emigrations, settlements, and personal narra- tives, which would be of the highest interest to the descend- ants of the early colonists, as well as to the Historian of our State. This indeed, was anticipated before the investigations in the Royal Archives were commenced : and with this view, an order was obtained from the Minister of the Colonies, di- recting the keeper of the old East and West India Company's papers at Amsterdam, to afford the Agent every assistance, AN ADDRESS. 7 in the examination of the Documents in his custody. But the surprise, mortification, and regret that were experienced, when he was told, on application at the West India House, that all the books, documents, and papers, of every kind, be- longing to the old JVest India Company, of a date anterior to the year 1700, had been publicly sold, in the year 1821, by order of the Government, can be more easily conceived than expressed. The truth however, unwelcome as it was, be- came confirmed after a thorough examination of the remain- ing papers ; and the Agent became satisfied that nothing whatever, affecting the early History of our State, (with an exception which will presently be noticed,) now remains in the Archives of the West India Company at Amsterdam.* It was subsequently ascertained that a portion of the papers thus sold, was in the possession of the original pur- chaser. Permission was obtained from him to make an examination of this portion ; which was effected. Nothing however, relating to our early History was found ; the Documents remaining in the possession of the purchaser, being, chiefly, mercantile entry books of the East India Company. The mortifying conviction is now forced upon us, that the valuable papers of the West India Company relating to New Netherland, (and if what was heard of them at Amsterdam be true, they were very valuable,) which until the year 1821, were easily attainable by our State, are now irrecoverably lost ! Scattered and dissipated through Holland and Germany — used as wrapping paper by shopkeepers and tradesmen, or ground up in paper mills — the destruction of these priceless old memorials has left a chasm in the original materials for the illustration of our history, which we look, in vain, to any other source fully to supply. The City of Amsterdam, having in 1 650, purchased land in New Netherland from the West India Company, and * 80,000 pounds weight of these papers are said to have been sold by public auction, to the highest bidder. It is understood they were purchased by the pound weight, for a very small sum. 8 AN ADDRESS. undertaken to manage a colony there, examinations were made in the Records of the City Government, for Documents relating to this subject. Every possible courtesy was shown by the authorities of the city, and quite a number of interesting papers were found and copied. The result of the investigations in the archives in the Netherlands, is the procurement of sixteen large volumes of Transcripts, which are now in the Secretary of State's office at Albany.* In England, the chief repository in which the Documents relating to the American Colonies are contained, is the Queen's State Paper Office. The Board of Trade, it is well known, had for many years, the general supervision of the American Plantations ; and their Records, which were formerly in the custody of the officers of the Board, in Whitehall, are of exceeding interest. These Records, (amounting to upwards of 2000 volumes,) were lately re- moved, by order of Government, to the State Paper Office, where they are hereafter to remain. The regulations of this office, however, are very precise and formal. It is, in reality, a part of the Sovereign's own Private Library — an appendage to the Secretary of State's Office. Before any person is allowed access to the office, for the pupose of consulting Documents, an order must be obtained from the Secretary of State, directed to the keeper, * While Mr. Brodhead was at Amsterdam, he had an interview with the Classis of Amsterdam, (under whose care and direction the Dutch Churches in America remained until 1771,) and readily procured access to the archives of that reverend body. A large amount of valuable Historical materials was found, consisting of Original Letters received from the Dutch Clergy in New Nether- land and New York, from 1648 to 1785 ; and records of the correspondence of the Committee of Classis, with these ministers. The Classis of Amsterdam, at his request, loaned the original letters, &c, to the General Synod of the Re- formed Dutch Church ; and allowed him to have copies made for the Synod, of the Correspondence of the Committee. The letters, and the copies of the com- mittee's correspondence, are now in the Archives of the General Synod ; and it is hoped that proper measures will be taken to obtain the permanent possession of these very curious and valuable original Documents. AN ADDRESS. and stating the extent of the privileges to be enjoyed by the visitor. The enlightened statesmanship, and liberal disposition of the present noble Foreign Secretary of Great Britain, (Lord Aberdeen,) induced a much more favorable consideration of the application of the Agent, than had been extended by his predecessor; and an order was granted, to permit the inspection of the volumes in the State Paper Office, relative to the Province of New York. This order was, however, very precise in its terms ; and was interpreted by the keeper of the State Papers, with the most rigid and embarrassing strictness. The several Documents selected for transcription by the Agent, were re-examined by an officer under the direction of the Secretary of State ; and none were permitted to be transcribed, until they had Teceived the allowance of this officer. Several hundred volumes were thus examined, and a very large mass of papers copied. Researches were also made in the Library of the British Museum ; in the Office of the Privy Council ;* and in the Library of the Archbishop of Canterbury, at Lambeth. The utmost courtesy was exhibited by the gentlemen in charge of these repositories ; and every attention was shown that could have been desired. The result of the Agent's researches in England, is a mass of papers, filling forty seven volumes ; comprising the official correspondence of the Governors of New York from its surrender by the Dutch, in 1664, to the end of the Revo- lution — as well as various Documents of high interest received from private hands. There are, also, several very important papers relating to the period between 1614 and 1664. It may be gratifying to many to know, that copies have been made of all Sir William Johnson's official letters to the British Government, which remain in the office ; and that though the Agent was unable to find any trace of the * There are no separate papers in the Privy Council Office, of an earlier date than 1700. The Registers, however, are perfect from the time of Queen Elizabeth. 10 AN ADDRESS. original Books of Records of the Indian Commissioners, which are supposed to have been removed from this State during the Revolutionary War, the greater part of these proceedings, as transcribed and sent to London, from time to time, have been recovered and secured. And, without venturing to affirm, that every thing of importance to the illustration of the History of this State, in the British Archives, has been obtained, the belief is confidently ex- pressed that, at any rate, the greatest and most valuable portion of these materials is now in our possession. The influence that France for so many years exercised over the Indian tribes on our borders, and within our very territory itself, was too important, to allow the opportunity of examining her Records to pass unimproved. Canada, and Canadian affairs, must always occupy a prominent place in any history of this State ; and applications were accordingly made to the proper departments of the French Government, for permission to investigate the Documents relating to that Colony, in their Archives. It need scarcely be said, that these applications were received, and acceded to, in the spirit of broad and liberal courtesy, for which the French Government has become almost proverbial. The Historical riches which were found in the archives at Paris, are only equalled by the prompt and generous liber- ality with which His Majesty's Government threw them open to the researches of the Agent. The general management of Canadian affairs, was, for a long time, entrusted to the department of the Marine ; to whose head was also confided the Portfolio of the Colonies. It was not until about the year 1754, when the troubles in America began to grow serious, that the Department of War appears to have had particular communication with the French Agents in America ; at any rate, nothing of any consequence, in this respect, was discovered in its Records before that period. The Archives of the Department of the Marine and Colonies, are very rich in documents relating to the history of the French dependencies in this continent. Here are to AN ADDRESS. 11 be found the instructions of the French Government to its Agents in America ; letters and despatches from the King and his Ministers, and original papers from the Colonial authorities to the Government at home ; correspondence with the neighboring English Colonies; reports of inter- views with the Indians on their borders ; plans of cam- paigns ; details of battles and skirmishes ; in short, the official and cotemporaneous documents, which form, (with those in the Department of War,) materials for the illustra- tion of one of the most interesting and romantic portions of the History of North America. Owing, however, to various causes, (prominent among which may be named the wild and ruthless spirit of destruc- tion which seemed to actuate the Revolutionaires of 1793.) these Records were found to be in a state of deplorable confusion ; and the toil and patience required to examine and select from the vast mass of unarranged papers that load the shelves, can scarcely be appreciated by any one who has not had personal experience of the difficulty. At the period of the French Revolution, these Archives were at Versailles, where they had been kept since the days of Louis XIV. ; and when the Government offices were subsequently transferred to Paris, the old Colonial papers were still left at Versailles — year by year accumu- lating dust, and abandoned to decay and deterioration. Here they remained through successive reigns, apparently unheeded ; and it was not until 1837, that they were finally installed in their present Depot facing the " Place de la Concorde." It is to be hoped, that, under the supervision of the present very competent and intelligent chief, they will soon be arranged in a manner consistent with their high value, and worthy the dignity of the nation. The papers relating to Canada, are contained in two several divisions. The one — a series of bound volumes, containing the despatches and instructions of the King and his Ministers, to the Colonial functionaries — the other, and by far the most fertile repository, is a series of enermous " Cartons," or Portfolios, in which are placed, loosely, and 12 AN ADDRESS. without the slightest attempt at arrangement, a vast mass of original Documents, relating to Canada, from 1 630 to the treaty of Paris, 1763. There were upwards of a hundred of these Cartons to be thoroughly and carefully examined ; and a task more appalling to the investigator could scarcely have been proposed. Dusty — decayed — imperfect — without order — often with- out a date to identify the Document — a paper relating to Dieskau's defeat jostling a despatch of Count Frontenac — an account of Montcalm's last effort at Quebec pele-mele with a letter of Governor Dongan — the expedition of 1690 mixed up with the attack on Fort William-Henry ; — De la Barre and Duquesne— the Hurons and Manhattan — Boston and the Ottawas, side by side, in the most admirable con- fusion, — the contents of these cartons furnish, indeed, the materials of a brilliant Historical Mosaic, whose riches well repay the patient investigator, but whose lamentable disorder might almost deter him from the painful research. The Archives of the " Department of War," however, present a gratifying contrast, in respect to arrangement, to those of the " Marine and Colonies." The papers are chro- nologically arranged in bound volumes ; and their exami- nation was as agreeable and pleasant, as that of the Canada cartons was laborious and annoying. The papers found in this Repository relate, chiefly, to the period between 1755 and the Treaty of Paris ; and comprise the correspondence of the Military Commanders in America, with the home Government, during the " French War." Seventeen folio volumes, containing upwards of six thousand pages of transcripts, are the results of the Agent's researches at Paris. It is confidently believed that they wilLbe found of high interest to the Historian, and to sup- ply a long perceived and regretted deficiency in our own State Records. It is now proposed to refer, briefly, to a few of the points in our Colonial History, which the documents gleaned from the Archives just spoken of, open, illustrate, and explain. AN ADDRESS. 13 We are already familiar with most of the circumstances connected with Henry Hudson's discovery and exploration, in the year 1609 — under the auspices of the Dutch East India Company — of the,- noble River that now bears his name. To this voyage, we may, perhaps, properly refer, as the period of the commencement of our State Annals. There are two leading authorities on this subject. One is the Journal of the Voyage, kept by Robert Juet, Hudson's mate : for the preservation of which we are indebted to the zeal and diligence of the Rever