mm warn m mm mm m mm HUffftfl II ilrawS ■i -MM m LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON RIVER, VICINITY. WRITTEN IN 1835—1837. A (shield's amang ye takin' notes, And, faith, he'll prent it.— Burns. I t87e- WITH ADDITIONS AND ENGRAVINGS. THIRD EDITION, ^Weto ¥orfc: PUBLISHED BY FREEMAN HUNT & CO. No. 141 Nassau Street. 1837. Enterbd, According to Act of Congress, in the year 1838, by FREEMAN HUNT, 111 the Clerk's office of the District Court of the Southern District of New York. BTERKOTVPfiU BY FHANCIS P. KirLEY, NEW YORK. TO THE HON. JAMES EMOTT, OF POUUHKEEPSffi, THE FOLLOWING PAGES ARE RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED, IN TESTIMONY OP THB high appreciation in which he is held by his friend and servant, THE AUTHOR. PREFACE The following letters were originally writ- ten for the American Traveller. They were commenced without the remotest expecta- tion of their obtaining a circulation beyond that print. They have, however, been cop- ied into other journals, and it has occurred to the writer, that their publication in a con- nected form, might prove interesting and use- ful to the thousands who travel for business or pleasure in the steamboats that daily navi- gate the Hudson River. The letters, he is aware, possess no pecu- liar merit. They are plain, matter-of-fact epistles ; embracing, however, a variety of geographical, historical, statistical, and other matter, connected with the noble river, and the flourishing villages on its borders. As several important villages and towns on the river have been very briefly noticed, or altogether passed by, it is the purpose of the writer to continue his epistles to the Edi- 1* V! PREFACE, tor of the Traveller : and should the present collection meet with encouragement, a second series, a volume of corresponding size and appearance, will, in the course of the coming fall, or ensuing spring, be published. The writer would not omit this opportu- nity of acknowledging his obligations to Capt. Lathrop, A. J. Downing, Esq., P. Potter, Esq., and several other gentlemen, for the facilities afforded by them, severally, in procuring much valuable information. New York, July 25, 1836. NOTE TO THE THIRD EDITION. It was the intention of the writer of the following series of letters, to have introduced a sketch of the history of steam navigation on the Hudson ; and, to gratify the cu- riosity of the distant reader, to have described the splen- did boats that plough its waters : — to have spoken of the speed of the Swallow, Erie, Champlain, Robert L. Stevens, Utica, and Rochester; of the elegance and comfort of the North America, Ohio, De Witt Clinton, and Albany, and of their efficient and gentlemanly officers. The boats on the North and East Rivers, are not surpassed by any in the world, for splendor or speed. Several towns have also been omitted, as well as the names of individu- als who have done the " state some service ;" but should another edition be called for, the writer will introduce other matters, that would prove interesting to him that travels up and down the river, and to him, who may thank Providence that he dwells on its beautiful banks, and in- hales its healthful and invigorating breeze. CONTENTS. Page LktterI 11 Poughkeepsie — Location— Products of Dutchess County- Population of Poughkeepsie — Sidewalks — Churches — Enterpri- sing men— Education— College and Academies— Remarkable rise of real estate — Cause of it — A place for mechanics — Pros- pect from Mansion Square— Hatch's Hotel, etc. Letter n 16 Col. Stone's description of the view from College Hill— Streets — Reservoir — Whaling Companies — Manufacture of Silk— New . Whale Ship— Anecdote— Good Wives. LbtterIII 20 Peekskill— High tide— East winds— High-School— Paulding's Monument— Visit to Gen- Van Courtlandt— Antony's Nose— Bank —Religious Societies— Hotels— Capt. Tuthill— Steamboat Union. Letter IV. Dobbs' Ferry— Tarrytown— Population— Washington Irving- Churches— Circumstances at a Hotel, or treatment of travellers — The place of Andre's capture— An old Dutch Church— Rev. Mr. Smith— Schools— Road to White Plains— Inscription on Van Wart's Monument— White Plains— Imprisonment for debt. Letter V. 37 Put up at the Mansion House— Troy a prominent point of inter- est— Visit to Mrs. Willard's Female Seminary— The Amateur Vocalist— Mrs. Willard's zeal in the cause of Education, etc. VU1 CONTENTS. Page Letter VI 43 Location and plan of Troy— Public Buildings— View from Mount Ida— Original proprietor of the City— Historical notice- Religious Societies— Banks and Insurance Companies— Water Works — Fountains— Washington Square — Legrand Cannon's Building— Causes of prosperity— Self-made men— Gov. Marcy an Attorney. Letter VII 51 Revolutionary Reminiscences— Tree near the Academy— Ex- ecution of Strang and Palmer— Gen. Putnam's memorable Let- ter—Circumstances which led to the capture of Major Andre- Vignette on the bills of Westchester Bank, etc. Letter VIII 60 Origin of "Sing Sing"— Statistics— Description of Sing Sing Prison— The Chaplain— System of Discipline— The Lynd System — Folger and Matthias— Mount Pleasant Academy — Franklin Academy — The Newspaper— Public House, etc. Letter IX 69 Views of the Hudson— Historical Items— The Hudson a Lake — The old man's story. Letter X 77 The Travellers' Home— Mansion House, and its new proprie- tor — Troy House— Washington Hall— Apology— The Rail Road Cars — Description of Troy Bridge, etc.— Route to Balston and Saratoga Springs — Revolutionary Reminiscence — Battle at Se- mis' Heights— Distance to Balston—" Sans Souci"— Balston— Re- turn to Troy— Henry Burden— His residence— His genius, etc. —Reading Room, Troy— West Troy— Its business— M Adamized road to Albany— Stages, etc. Letter XI 96 Revolutionary Reminiscences of the Hudson— Fort Edward- General Lyman— Story of the fate of Mise Jane M'Crea. CONTENTS. IX Page Letter XII 103 Master Lipsey's Boat— Revolutionary Incident— The Boat Club — The passing of a Steamboat— Cold Spring— Col. George P. Morris's Mansion— Scenery— Old Cro'-Nest— Magnificent Site- Description of Col. Morris's House — The Gardener of an English Earl— Mischief of Ignorance— Our Lady of Cold Spring— Lines for Music, etc. Letter XIII 113 Strictures on Albany— The Clergy— Historical sketch of Al- bany— Head-Quarters of Gen. Layfayette— Mrs. Grant's descrip- tion of Albany in olden time— Manner of living there— Hermit- age— Gentle treatment of slaves among the Albanians — Conse- quent attachment of domestics, etc. Letter XIV 134 Academies and Common Schools — Albany Academy for Boys — Dr. Beck — The Female Academy — Introduced by Mr Critt en- ton to the Different Departments — The plan of Instruction— Dr. Barber's System of Elocution — "The Language of the Flowers," a poetical effusion from a young Lady of the Academy — Descrip- tion of the Building— Location, etc.— The Baptist Church— The old Capitol— Architectural description of the new State Hall— Of St. Paul's Church— South Dutch Church— The Old Stone Pulpit— North Dutch Church. Letter XV 151 Revisit Poughkeepsie— Rapid Progress of Improvement— New Silk Factory— Inventive genius of Gen. Harvey— Patent Screw Company— Coining Money— Patent Saw for felling trees— Patent Stock Frames— Advantages of Poughkeepsie, etc.— Report of the Inspectors of Grain— Dutchess Plains— Scenery— Poetry- Ride to Hyde Park— Derivation of the name— The late Dr. Ho- sack's place— Churches and population— Cultivated grounds- Death of Dr. Hosack. etc. X CONTENTS. Lester XVI 164 How the writer obtained the History of the Military Academy at West Point— Lt. Roswell Park— West Point a place of inter- est—Hallowed by Washington, Kosciusko, Lafayette, etc.— View of West Point after entering the Mountain Gap above— The Monuments— Links of the chain broken by the British vessels in 1777— Early History of the Academy— The Officers— Practi- cal considerations which should influence those who are seek- ing or who may gain admission to the Military Academy, etc. Letter XVII 189 Settlement of Newburgh — Location — Population — Showy ap- pearance from the River— Place of business— Steamboats— Ex- tensive manufacture of Bricks in Newburgh and vicinity— Iron Foundry — Newburgh Brewery — Col. Crawford's extensive Storehouse — Business crowded into one street — Botanic Gardens and Nursery of the Messrs. Downing — Description of the same — J. W. Knevels' collection of exotic Plants, the most extensive in the country — View from Beacon Hill — Splendid Scenery — Reasons for supposing the Hudson was once a Lake — Washing- ton's Head-Quarters— The United States Hotel— Walden, a man- ufacturing village on the Walkill— Its resources, etc. Letter XVIII 201 Original purchase and first settlement of Hudson— The Whale Fishery— Reverses of Hudson — Hudson and Berkshire Rail Road— Statistical Estimates— Girard College— Lebanon Springs — Capital, &c, of Whaling Companies— Capt. Paddock— The Shipping of Hudson— Rail Road ropes— Alexander Coffin— Cap- tain Gordon— New Court House and Jail— Private Dwellings- Churches — Doctor White's Asylum for the Insane — Education —Distinguished men of Hudson— Grave of Lieut. Win, II. Allen — Col. Jenkins— Location of Hudson, &c— Views— North Bay —View from Prospect Hill— Steamboats— Banking Capital— Vil- lage of Athens— Ferry, &c. Letter XIX 223 Literary Institutions of Poughkeepsie— Distinguished Men — Stranger's Grave— Public Journals— Manufactures— Mines of Dutchess County, &c. &c. Saratoga Springs 244 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON, &c, LETTER I. Poughkeepsie — Location— Products of Dutchess County — Population of Poughkeepsie — Sidewalks — Churches — En- terprising men—Education — College and Academies — Re- markable rise of real estate — Cause of it-^A place for me- chanics — Prospect from Mansion Square— Hatch's Ho- tel, etc. Poughkeepsie, N. Y., Sept. 5, 1835. Dear P. — In my last from New York city, I promised the disclosure of some facts relative to this interesting and nourishing village. But the peculiar advantages of its location, its rapidly in- creasing population, the public spirit of the citi- zens, the great advance of real estate, and the in- troduction of new sources of improvement and wealth, have been of late so generally the subject of newspaper remark, that I am fearful I shall not be able to add much that is new or interesting to the general stock. But to begin. — Poughkeepsie may justly rank with the first villages in New York or New England. Indeed, I am not ac- quainted with a single village which in some im- portant particulars equals it, and but few that will 12 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. bear a favourable comparison. It is situated on the east bank of the Hudson, midway between Albany and New York. It is the court town of the rich- est county save one in the " Empire State," and as a highly cultivated agricultural county, it is, I ap- prehend, unsurpassed by any other in the Union. The gross products of the county, from its soil, its mines, and its manufactories, are believed by per- sons best qualified to judge, to approach very near to five millions of dollars per annum. The pro- ducts of Dutchess and Ulster counties, and a por- tion of the western towns of Connecticut, are brought to this village, where they are shipped for the great commercial market. The village is very compact — the streets numerous, spacious, and well paved. The sidewalks too are neatly paved, and give the traveller a very favourable impression of the public spirit of the corporation. The popula- tion of the village in 1830 was 5022, and the town about 7000; now the population of the village exceeds 7000, and the town contains well nigh 10,000. The assessment of real estate in the cor- poration in 1834 was $1,099,085; of personal, $937,700. There are seven places of public wor- ship : one Baptist, two Friends, one Episcopal, one Methodist, one Presbyterian, and one Dutch Re- formed. The Episcopal church is a beautiful Gothic edifice. It was built in 1833. A second LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 13 Episcopal church is about being erected. A se- cond Presbyterian church is now going up, and another Baptist and Catholic church are, ^1 un- derstand, to be commenced without delay. The public spirit of such men as Cunningham, Tal- madge, Potter, Oakley, Vassar, Hatch, and a few others, gentlemen of intelligence and liberality, will not stop till it has given the place not only a beautiful external appearance and a business char- acter, but endowed it with the means of education and intellectual improvement. They have project- ed, and are making rapid efforts for building a large and commodious academy for girls and boys; and a lofty and one of the most beautiful sites in the county has been purchased, on which an im- posing edifice is to be built, to be occupied as a collegiate school of the highest order. Another is to be erected and liberally endowed for young la- dies. These advantages of general education, will unquestionably hold out inducements of the most powerful kind, to wealthy gentlemen with families to settle in this healthy and delightful village. At a recent sale of land, quite a number of persons of this description were present, and one hundred and eighty-three lots of ground, suitable for house lots, together with a farm of one hundred and three acres, situated two miles south of the courthouse, w-ere sold for $79,279. Lots which were sold i 14 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. eighteen months since for $600, have been sold for $4000. A plot of fourteen acres in the suburbs of the village, which was purchased ten months since for $4000, was recently sold for $14,000. An- other plot, which could have been purchased nine months before for $10,000, was sold a few days since for $24,000. A farm in the vicinity, which was offered twenty months since for $22,000, has lately been sold for $68,000. A lot in the village, purchased sixty days since for $2000, has been sold for $5000. This enumeration of facts I have from the most unquestionable authority. Some view this rise as the result of the " speculating ma- nia," which exists all over the country at this time. But I must, I confess, concur with an intelligent gentleman of New England, whom I have just seen, in the opinion, that the primary cause of this advance is to be found in the enterprise and public spirit manifested by the gentlemen alluded to above, and which now seems to prevail with the whole population. Few places in the country afford better oppor- tunities for ingenious and industrious mechanics. The enterprising gentlemen who are labouring with laudable zeal to promote the growth of Pough- keepsie, have struck out a course which cannot fail of success, that of introducing new branches of business; hence every ingenious mechanic is ta- LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 15 ken by the hand, and every facility afforded him for starting and prosecuting his business. I have, perhaps, already extended my letter be- yond the limits allotted a correspondent; but I consider the general diffusion of the statistical, commercial, and geographical knowledge of inter- esting portions of our wide-spread republic, of vast importance to enterprising Yankees; and as your paper has an extensive circulation, and particu- larly in our best hotels, where such information is eagerly sought for by the traveller, I feel per- suaded that the space occupied will not be thrown away, and therefore, with your permission, I shall devote one or two letters more to this place. The delightful prospect from Mansion Square, and the neighbouring hill, which affords the most extended view of hill and dale, cultivated to a charm, the courteous and intelligent society, and the comforts of one of the best hotels in the country, have ren- dered my tarry very pleasant, and induced me to linger much longer than I anticipated on my ar- rival. It is scarcely necessary, but in justice I am induced to mention, that the hotel alluded to, is now kept, and has been for the last seven years, by Messrs. A. S. Hatch & Son — and a more airy, comfortable, and commodious house, or more cour- teous and gentlemanly hosts, I have seldom met with in my journeyings. LETTER II. Col. Stone's description of the view from College Hill- Streets — Reservoir — Whaling Companies — Manufacture of Silk— New Whale Ship — Anecdote — Good Wives. Pougbkeepsie, Sept. 25, 1835. Dear P. — Since writing my last from this place I have seen the letters of Col. Stone, the elite edi- tor of the Commercial Advertiser, written while "luxuriating" on the delicacies of the Mansion House, and although I alluded to the splendid views afforded from the hill in the vicinity of " Mansion Square," whose brow is to be crowned with the classie temple of learning, I cannot re- frain from introducing a passage from the Colonel's graphic description. He says \—" It is neither of steep nor of diffi- cult access, and is sufficiently elevated to afford a landscape of great extent, and of mingled grandeur and beauty. It will be studded with villas on all sides to its base. On the south, it will overlook the town of Poughkeepsie and the beautiful district of country, thence to the Fishkill range of mountains and the highlands. On the west and the north, the Shawangunk and the Catskill mountains rear their azure crests in the distance,— the Hudson si- LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 17 lently rolling his mighty volume of waters through the vale below ; while on the east the prospect is only hounded by the mountainous regions of west- ern Connecticut and Massachusetts. And on all sides, within the circle I have thus indicated, the landscape is of surpassing beauty — composed of fertile villas and gently swelling hills — of farms, orchards, and gardens, in a high state of cultiva- tion, studded with villas, and ornamented with for- ests of various timber — : among which are the oak and the locust. Such will be the position of the Poughkeepsie University — the eye resting, on which soever side it falls, upon a country resem- bling an immense garden — rich, fertile, beautiful !" Since 1831, more than $100,000 have been ex- pended in opening, regulating, and paving streets. A reservoir has been built on an eminence about half a mile from Hatch's Hotel, for supplying the village with water for the extinguishment of fires, at an expense of from 25 to $30,000, showing a degree of liberality on the part of the corporation, not surpassed, if we take into the account the rela- tive means, by the city of New York, in their pro- ject for bringing spring water to that city. Two whaling companies, with a capital of $200,000 each, have been established. A company for the growing and the manufacture of silk, with a capi- tal of $200,000, has commenced the erection of a 2* 18 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. brick factory, thirty-six by one hundred feet, four stories high. The silk factory will be in opera- tion before the close of the present season. One of the ships now building in the extensive shipyard of Messrs. Tooker & Hait is to be called the Nathaniel P. Tallmadge, a compliment to that gentleman, as merited as it is just; for to his liberal and enterprising spirit, in a great meas- ure, belongs the present prosperity and future pros- pects of the village. And here I cannot refrain from relating an an- ecdote of one of the gentlemen who have been very active in every laudable effort to promote the good of Poughkeepsie. Possessed of ample resources, but a heart much larger than his ability, his libe- rality was scarcely circumscribed by his means ; his purse and his credit were never solicited in vain. His resources, however, in time failed, and he became a bankrupt; but in order to provide for his family, he commenced the business of a broker, and as usual, before the traffic was prohibited by law, sold lottery tickets. At the drawing, half a ticket was left on his hands, and that ticket came out a prize of $50,000 ; and although he had ta- ken the benefit of the insolvent act, and was not of course legally obliged, he very magnanimously paid every creditor to "the uttermost farthing." He had something left. Fortune has continued to LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 19 smile on the liberal soul, and he is now once more independent, actively engaged in advancing the public good. Such men are an honour to human nature. Would to God we had them in every vil- lage throughout our wide spread country. 4 By the way, friend Porter, if you have any young men in your goodly city in want of wives, and good ones I have no doubt — some of the fair are certainly very beautiful — I advise you to send them on forthwith to the care of our gallant young friend of the Poughkeepsie Hotel, as there are in the village, according to a census just completed, one thousand one hundred and thirteen unmarried young ladies, ready, doubtless, to enter into the blissful estate of matrimony. Hatch takes the best care of all visiters, whatever may be their business, when put under his protection. Adieu for the present. Yours, &c. LETTER III. Peekskill—High tide-East winds — High-school— Paulding 1 s monument — Visit to Gen. VanCourtlandt — Antony's Nose — Bank — Religious societies — Hotels — Capt. Tuthill — Steam- boat Union. Peekskill, Sept. 1835. Friend P. — Here I am, at Peekskill, com- pletely hemmed in by the overflowing tide of the Hudson. The street in front of the house is cov- ered with water ankle deep, and still increasing. The water has nearly reached the window where I sit writing, which overlooks the river to Cald- well's Landing, and the noble Dunderberg but two miles distant, yet scarcely visible in consequence of the dense state of the atmosphere. Peekskill is about forty-five miles from New York, containing well nigh fifteen hundred inhabit- ants, and with a little more enterprise would, from its pleasant and healthy location, and its proximity to the city of New York, become a place of consid- erable mercantile importance. The high tide, al- luded to above, is not an uncommon occurrence at this season of the year on the river. The east winds are not one half so unpleasant in their effects upon the system here as in your city. They be- LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 21 come somewhat softened in their passage over the country; and the highlands of the north stand up as an impregnable barrier to keep off these " down east" intruders. But for Peekskill. The most interesting evi- dence that there is a spark of public spirit ex- isting in this ancient settlement, which will sooner or later burst into a flame, is to be found in the establishment of a high-school, and the erection of a very neat, spacious and appropriate edifice for that purpose, on a most delightful eminence ; where the healthful and invigorating breeze from the tow- ering mountains in the vicinity, pours forth its " medicinal" influence ; and where the soul alive to the sentiments of beauty, variety, and sublimity, can view with rapture the variegated and pictur- esque scenery, the beautiful and expansive bay, the towering and gigantic Dunderberg, the "race," and the opening of the majestic highlands. But my pen affords an altogether inadequate descrip- tion of the scene. Peekskill is certainly well sit- uated for purposes of education ; furnishing, as it does, facilities for communicating daily, nay almost hourly, with the great city; and from my own per- sonal inference, as well as the testimony of others, I doubt whether there is a place in the whole range of the Hudson, where health can be more con- veniently sought, or more surely gained. The 22 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. academy was built with a capital stock, divided into shares of five dollars each, and taken up princi- pally by the inhabitants of the village. The prin- cipal, Mr. Thompson, is a very worthy, intelligent teacher. The present number of pupils is about sixty. Board is furnished in the same building to scholars, whose parents do not reside in the vil- lage. It should not be forgotten that this is the birth- place of John Paulding, the American farmer, who intercepted Andre, the British spy, at Tarrytown, some fifteen miles below this place. I rode out to his monument a few days since. It is situated about two miles to the north of the village. The monument is of marble, a pyramid, about fifteen feet high, running to a point. It is enclosed in an iron railing about twelve feet square. The main inscription is on the south side, and runs thus : — " Here reposes the mortal remains of John Paulding, Who died on the 18th day of February, 1818, in the 60th year of his age. On the morning of the 23d of September, 1780, Accompanied by two young farmers of the county of Westchester, (Whose names will one day be recorded on their own deserved monuments,) LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. IS He intercepted the British Spy, Andre. Poor Himself, He disdained to acquire wealth by sacrificing His Country; Rejecting the temptation of great rewards, He conveyed his prisoner to the American camp, And By this act of noble self-denial, The treason of Arnold was detected; The designs of the enemy baffled ; West Point and the American Army saved, And these U. S. Now by the grace of God free and independent, Rescued from imminent peril." On the opposite side is written — " The Corporation of the City of New York Erect this tomb as a memorial Raised to Public Gratitude." On the east side is a beautiful wreath engraved On the marble with the word "Fidelity." The inscription on the other side I have forgotten. On the way to the monument, and but a few rods this side, is the residence of Gen. Pierre Van 21 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. Courtlandt, an old gentleman of sixty. I called on him and spent an hour very pleasantly. He was reading " Horse Shoe Robinson," and remarked, as he laid it down, that he was not a little inter- ested with it, as he liked every thing which rela- ted to the revolutionary war. His father was an officer in that war, and his grandfather was the first Lieutenant Governor of this State ; an office which he held for more than twenty years. The place where he lives, and all his real estate, he holds by the will of his father ; and the original grant of the British King to his grandfather. Gen. V. is the owner of Antony's Nose, (on the river,) as it is called. He gave me the origin of that name. Before the revolution, a vessel was passing up the river, under the command of a Capt. Hogans ; when immediately opposite this mountain, the mate looked rather quizzically, first at the mountain, and then at the captain's nose. The captain, by the way, had an enormous nose, which was not un- frequently the subject of good-natured remark; and he at once understood the mate's allusion. " What," says the captain, " does that look like my nose 1 call it then if you please Antony's nose.' The story was repeated on shore, and the mountain thenceforward assumed the name, and has thus be- come an everlasting monument to the memory of the redoubtable Capt, Antony Hogans and his nose. LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON, The elevation of Antony's Nose is one thousand two hundred and twenty-eight feet from the level of the river, and directly opposite Fort Montgomery Creek. Washington Irving supposes its name to be derived from the nose of Antony Van Corlaer. It differs from the origin given me by Gen. V. The christening of the mount is described in the story of the Dutch governor's first voyage up the Hudson, as follows : " Just at this moment the illus- trious sun, breaking in all his splendour from be- hind one of the high cliffs of the Highlands, did dart one of his most potent beams full upon the re- fulgent nose of the sounder of brass. The reflection of which shot straightway down, hissing hot into the water, and killed a mighty sturgeon that was sporting beside the vessel ! When this astonishing miracle came to be made known to Peter Stuyve- sant (the governor,) he, as may well be supposed, marvelled exceedingly; and as a monument thereof, gave the name of Antony's Nose to a stout prom- ontory in the neighbourhood, and it has continued to be called Antony's Nose ever since." From here to Fort Montgomery, which is now in ruins, on the opposite side, a large boom and chain was extended during the revolutionary war, which cost about seventy thousand pounds sterling. It was partly destroyed by Gen. Sir Henry Clinton, in Oc- tober, 1777. LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. Gen. V. gave me the time from a small buli's eye gold watch, which he drew from his fob, and which he said must be at least one hundred and fifty years old, as it was the property of his great- great grandfather, and had come down regularly to him. After drinking the hospitable General's health, in a glass of fine old Madeira, I took my depar- ture. The residence of Gen. Van Courtlandt is antique, but the grounds around are in the highest state of cultivation. A Bank, with a capital of $200,000, was established in Peekskill about two years since, and General V. was elected President. It is in a flourishing condition. The stock has sold at almost as great an advance as ever the United States Bank stock did. There is a bust of Gen. Van Courtlandt's father in the bank. The produce of many towns in Westchester, and most of the towns in Putnam county, is shipped in the Peekskill sloops for New York. There are seven which are constantly in motion, with produce of various kinds for the New York market. There are six religious societies in Peekskill — two Friends or Quakers — one Presbyterian — one Dutch Reformed — one Methodist— one Universal- ist — and an Episcopal Church is about being erect- ed. With a portion of the funds of the Trinity corporation, it will doubtless flourish. LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 27 The Hotels in Peek skill are not remarkable for the splendour of their construction, or their commo- diousness, neither are they managed with remark- able liberality or comfort. I would, however, ex- cept the house kept by Col. Williams, who, by the way, is a very gentlemanly, worthy man ; and has the reputation of keeping a good house, al- though I have had no opportunity of judging. He is about removing into a neat and spacious build- ing, which is nearly finished, and then I hope to speak more understandingly of his establishment. A new hotel is soon to be erected on Antony's Nose, as a summer house. Although I have "spun out" this epistle to a great length, I cannot forbear the present opportu- nity of alluding to the fine little steamer Union, which plies between New York and this village daily, landing passengers at Greenburgh, Yon- kers, Tarrytown, Sing Sing, Grassy Point, and Caldwell's. Capt. Tuthill, of the Union, is an af- fable, courteous officer. He unites these qualities with great experience, having been connected with the Hudson River steamboats for more than twelve years. A few days since, a party of gentlemen presented him with a splendid silver pitcher, as a token of their respect for his private worth, and excellent conduct as a steam navigator. But I must close. Adieu for the present. LETTER IV. Dobbs* Ferry— Tarry town— Population — Washington Ir- ving — Churches — Circumstances at a Hotel, or treatment of travellers — The place of Andre's capture — An old Dutch Church— Rev. Mr. Smith— Schools— Road to White Plains — Inscription on Van Wart's Monument— White Plains — Imprisonment for debt. New York, Oct 20, 1835. Friend P. — On Wednesday I left New York in the good steamer Union, " not knowing the things that would befall me." * * * * I, however, landed at Dobb's Ferry, about twenty miles up the Hudson, and lingered about the place two hours, viewing the thrifty orchards and highly cultivated grounds of Livingston and Constant, and then took private conveyance to Tarrytown. Dobb's Ferry and Tarrytown are two small villa- ges in the township of Greenburgh, both market and steamboat landings, situated about five miles apart on the east side of the Hudson. The popu- lation of the whole township does not exceed fifteen hundred. There are a number of delightful, picturesque, and extensive prospects, and several wealthy gen- tlemen farmers reside in the vicinity. On our road to Tarrytown we passed the elegant man- LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. sion of a Mr. Hamilton, son of Alexander Hamil- ton, the distinguished statesman, who fell in a duel with the ambitious Burr. A quarter of a mile from the main road towards the Hudson, about midway between Dobbs' Ferry and Tarrytown, is the residence of Oscar Irving, a nephew of our distinguished countryman, Washington Irving, who js erecting a cottage near that of his relatives, where hs intends to pass his life in rural retire- ment, and the pursuit of literature and learning. His elegant and graphic pen, and his chastened and classic imagination, will add new charms to the noble, the majestic, the exquisite scenery of the Hudson. With a heart alive to the emotions of benevolence, and with habits congenial to the genius of domestic bliss, 1 am not a little surprised that one who has portrayed with grace and delicacy, and has in his works rendered the most exalted tribute to the female character, should so long re- main in "single-blessedness," as a certain condition is sometimes falsely called. But the busy tongue of rumour says, that the charm of celibacy will soon be broken, and that the best of writers, will become the best of husbands. So mote it be. At Dobbs' Ferry there are two places of public worship. A Presbyterian meeting house, a small wooden building; and a neat little Episcopal church, built of stone, in the gothic order. There are two 3* 30 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. public houses, and a post-office. On the land of Livingston, are the remains of an old fort thrown up in the war of the revolution. Harvey, the painter, resides here. The village has a " newness" which indicates improvement. Building lots, and farms I am told, advance with the general rise all over the country. On my arrival at Tarrytown, I put up at a place purporting to be a Hotel ; but unlike any thing I ever before visited ; and God forbid that I should ever "see the like again." It was towards sun- down when I arrived. My small baggage I took to my lodgings, and coming down, I inquired of a young woman, a daughter of " mine host," the hour of tea. " Oh," said she, " some time after dark, when the folks come in from picking apples." This answer sounded rather queer and indefinite, but I let it pass. Appearances were much in fa- vour of the house: it was neat — the beds were com- fortable, and every thing around had an air of cleanliness. The next morning, at breakfast, " mine host" was repeating a quarrel which took place be- tween him and a lodger during the night. He said "he would not entertain these d d Yan- kees — he was rich enough to live without keeping a public house, and those who stopped with him must behave themselves and do as he wished them, or he'd kick them out quicker than they came in." LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 31 He was, however, very civil to me that day. In the evening, I called on a reverend gentleman, and returned about nine, when I found the house closed and barred, and not the glimmer of a light to mark the mansion of the living. A few gentle taps, however, brought " mine host," in the condition so delicately and so graphically described by Tom Cringle. The door opened, and the mouth of "mine host" at about the same time, in tones of corresponding harmony — (vocal and instrumental) — " What are you out so late for . ? " said he. I made no reply, but took the light from the " impu- dent varlet's" hand, and made my way to bed. The next morning I arose at half past 7, and seeing no indications of approaching breakfast, I sallied forth in pursuit of a barber, which not finding, I return- ed, and inquired if breakfast was ready. "We have been to breakfast," said the hostess. "Been to breakfast! — why didn't you call me, madam?" said I. " We have other business to attend to with- out calling folks up to breakfast," said she. " Well then," said I, "you may attend to it — give me my bill, if you please, madam." I paid my bill, two shillings and sixpence a meal, including boiled pork and cabbage, and exclusive of any thing else, save and except potatoes, turnips, and onions, in one miscellaneous dish of salmagundi. I related my sufferings to the good people of 32 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON*. Tarrytown, and excited no little commiseration, and the most courteous and friendly proffers of kindness and hospitality ; but as I intended leaving town that day, I declined the invitations. I found, however, that the host and his house were well known, and that scarce a traveller stopt there with- out having some difficulty with the ignorant booby who pretends to keep a hotel. Indeed, many trav- ellers go four or five miles out of the way, to avoid stopping at this house. I have related these cir- cumstances for the benefit of your numerous sub- scribers in this State, and those who may chance to pass through this place, and hear the name of Smith of the " Tarrytown Hotel." Tarrytown is a still, quiet village, famed in the history of the first American war, as the place where Andre was captured by Paulding and his associates. No monument marks the spot where this scene occurred, although it is pretty accurately ascertained. The inhabitants of the village made the attempt some years ago, but for want of energy and spirit did not accomplish the design. It was a memorable event, and one of great importance to our national liberty, and some monument should tell the place and record the circumstances. It is said that the tree, under which Andre was taken, was struck by lightning on the very day the news of Gen. Arnold's death was received at Tar- LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 33 rytown. Singular coincidence this ! It was a white- wood tree, and uncommonly large, being twenty- six feet in circumference and forty-one high. There is a " Dutch Reformed Church" at Tar- rytown, one hundred and sixty-two years old, and a very ancient burying ground, supposed to be older than the church. The pulpit and the communion table are of oak, and were brought from Holland. The bricks were made in Holland. The Rev. Thomas G. Smith, the present pastor of this church, is a Scotchman, but was an American patriot in the revolutionary war. He is a worthy, intelli- gent, and hospitable old gentlemen, of upwards of seventy, and has been the spiritual pastor of the flock for more than thirty years. There are two excellent private boarding schools in this village, one for boys and the other for young ladies. The former is under the superintendence of a Mr. See, and the latter is managed by two Quaker ladies. On Friday, I hired a conveyance to White Plains, seven miles east of Tarrytown. The route is a per- fect zigzag, and I can assure you that we headed every one, at least, of the cardinal points of the compass. And for roughness, the passage of the Green Mountains does not even vie with it. This is all absolute matter of fact, and I am prepared to make affidavit to that effect before any justice of the 34 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. peace in Christendom. About midway, we passed the monument of Van Wart, of Andre memory. I alighted, and taking out a pencil, took down the sev- eral inscriptions on the four sides. On the North— • Here reposes the mortal remains of Isaac Van Wart, An Elder of the Greenburgh Church, who died on the 23d of May, 1828, in the 69th year of his age. Having lived the life, he died the death of the Christian. On the South side it is written — The Citizens of the County of Westchester Erected this Tomb, in testimony of the high sense they entertained for the Virtuous and Patriotic conduct of their fellow citizen, and as a memo-rial sacred to Public Gratitude. LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 35 On the East side we have — Vincit Amor Patriae. Nearly half a century before this monument was built, The Conscript Fathers of America had, in the Senate Chamber, voted that Isaac Van Wart was a faithful Patriot — one in whom the love of Country was Invincible, and this Tomb bears testimony that the Record is true. On the West side the inscription reads after this manner — "Fidelity. On the 23d of Sept. 1780, Isaac Van Wart, accompanied by John Paulding and Daniel Williams, all Farmers of the county of Westchester, intercepted Major Andre on his re- turn from the American lines in the character of a Spy, and notwithstanding the large bribes offered them for his release, nobly disdained to sacrifice their country for gold, secured and carried him to the commanding officer of the district, whereby the dangerous and traitorous conspiracy of Arnold was brought to light, the insidious designs of the ene- my baffled, the American army saved, and our be- loved country free," &c. Paulding was, unquestionably, the maeter spirit 36 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. of the trio. He is represented by those who knew him, as a brave man and a good soldier. White Plains is a small village, with about five hundred inhabitants, and is the county town for Westchester. The Court House and the Jail, of course, have their location here. Thank God, however, the poor debtor is not incarcerated for pov- erty, in the prisons of New York. I blush for the attempt making in my native State to restore that relic of barbarism to the code. Continue in the same fearless way you have commenced, to advo- cate the cause of the poor and the oppressed, in opposition to a few interested enemies of popular rights, and the " inglorious twenty"* will hide their diminished heads, and retire to the obscurity they deserve. I had intended to notice the last named village more fully, but the foregoing digression fills the second sheet of your New York Traveller. * Mr. Porter, the editor of the American Traveller a paper which he has conducted with ability for the last ten or twelve years, has ever fearlessly advocated the abolishment of im- prisonment for debt. The " inglorious twenty," is a term he applied to twenty Senators, who voted for the perpetuation of this barbarous law. LETTER V. Put up at the Mansion House — Troy a prominent point of interest— Visit to Mrs. WillaroVs Female Seminary— The Amateur Vocalist — Mrs. Willard's zeal in the cause of Education, fyc. Mansion House, Troy, N. Y., November 13, 1835. Friend P. — My epistle, in one respect at least are " like angels visits, few and far between," but on that account may, I presume, be the more ac- ceptable to that portion of your readers who prefer the sparkling effusions of a brilliant imagination to the plain matter of fact letters of a plain man, like your humble servant. 1 arrived here two days since, and find myself so pleasantly located under the protecting care of the worthy Doctor, who presides over the destinies of the transient re- sidents of the Mansion House, that my tarry will be somewhat protracted, and you may expect to hear from me several times before I take up the line of march. Troy may be considered a prominent point of interest as the mercantile head of navigation on the noble Hudson ; and its enterprise and public spirit, as well as its topographical situation, entitle it to more than a passing notice. I have just returned from a visit to Mrs. Willard's Female Seminar y, 4 38 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. and it affords me unfeigned pleasure to be able to give some account of one of the most interesting establishments of the kind in the Union. The principal of this Institution is a lady of no ordi- nary mind, and possesses in an eminent degree all those traits of character which add to the dignity of the sex. Mrs. Willard has been engaged in the cause of female education more than fifteen years past. In 1819 she established a Female Academy at Waterford, and obtained an act of incorporation from the New York Legislature, without, however,, receiving any aid from the State. The plan of her institution at that time unmatured by the ex- perience of yearn, met the decided approbation of the intelligent, and gave to the female sex advan- tages in point of soi\d mental acquirements, and general improvement, m branches of taste, utility, and science, much beyond vrhat they had previously enjoyed in this vicinity. Encouraged by the liber- ality of a few gentlemen at Troy, she was induced to remove hither, in May, 1821; when she entered a new building erected for that purpose. Since that time her school has increased in importance and favour with the public, and has now probably a larger number of boarding scholars than any Female Academy in the Union. The building was enlarged in 1824. and in 1828 an additional edifice was erected, fifty by thirty-seven feet, con- LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 39 nected by a sort of out-door-chamber entry. An- other addition to the main building was made in 1833. The several alterations have all been made without affecting- the unity of the original design, and the main structure is now one hundred and thirty feet by forty. There are at present about two hundred and sixty young ladies, from every state in the Union, from the Canadas, the West Indies, one from Scotland, •one from London, and two from Paris. The last came over with Mrs. W. on her return from Eu- rope, a few years since. Her family consists of one hundred and sixty persons, one hundred and ten of whom are boarding scholars. Mrs. Willard, as principal, is assisted by two " vice principals," and twenty-two teachers and officers, two only of whom are gentlemen. Were I a Bachellor, I should have hesitated about accepting the pressing invitation of the hospitable head of the institution, to take tea with her numer- ous and attractive family. But the courtesy was extended so sincerely and frankly, and being anx- ious to learn something of the domestic arrange- ments of the institution, I cheerfully complied, al- though I confess I felt somewhat abashed, on en- tering a dining-room with one hundred and thirty blushing and beautiful maidens. My worthy host- ess, however, by her ease of manners and a^reea- 4\J LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. ble conversation, soon dispeled this feeling". There were six tier of tables. We sat down at the head of the middle tier. Sweet home-baked wheat bread, with butter, hasty pudding and molasses, and an excellent cup of black tea, was the simple, but wholesome fare, set before us. Here, perhaps, I shoujd remark, that the "National dish" alluded to is only served up occasionally. At breakfast, tea and coffee, with bread or toast, and meat, form the meal. The dinners are uniform, all alike ; but one dish of meat is served, be it roast beef, lamb, or poultry ; with, however, the usual and appropriate variety of vegetables. After tea I accompanied my hostess to the lecture- room, directly over the dining-room, and listened with great pleasure to the vocal and instrumental performances of several young ladies. A sweet- toned piano of your Boston Chickering, "discoursed most eloquent music." I imagined myself listen- ing to the masterly performance of some great pro- fessor, instead of a girlish amateur of sixteen. And, O ye powers of Jove, not to speak profanely, if the melody of that holy and happy world beyond the spangled sky, partakes of the exquisite harmony of the blooming beauty whose rich soft notes fell upon my ears, then is heaven worth all the miseries, suffer- ings, toils, and privations of life, aye, and the pains of martyrdom. I have heard our best theatrical LETTERS AEOUT THE HUDSON. 41 singers — I have heard those who possessed more power and compass of voice: but for rich, soft, silvery, exquisite, inexpressible sweetness, the fair pupil of the Troy Female Academy, in my estima- tion, is without a superior. At least, I have never listened to melody more fascinating. Put this down -as a burst of enthusiasm. — It is, I assure you, an honest expression of feeling, enkin- dled by the entrancing music of the fair lady's voice. I never before experienced the full power of mu- sic. But enough of what I can but poorly express. Few women have laboured more arduously or more successfully in the cause of female education, than Mrs. Willard. Her zeal seems only to have been controlled by circumstances. Her plan of in- struction is before the public. It has received the approbation of some of the wisest men of Europe. Dr. Combe quotes it in his essay on education, with unqualified approbation. Her academy furnishes every year more than thirty teachers, who scatter over the remotest parts of the Union. Her efforts in the cause of education in the once classic Greece, are, I believe, pretty well known. Through her instrumentality, a school has been established at. Athens, " for the more especial purpose of instruct- ing female teachers." During one single quarter, as far back as 1833, twelve female teachers went out among the Georgians, the Carolinians, the 4* 42 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. Michiganians, the Vermonters, New Yorkers, &c, prepared under her auspices for the noble purposes of education. The fact, that Mrs. Willard's insti- tution is applied to for teachers, induces young wo- men who desire to devote themselves to the busi- ness of instruction, to turn their eyes hither, not only as the place for preparation, but as the start- ing point for enterprise. A large portion of this class are of New England descent, from the mid- dling class of society: "They come to us," says Mrs. W., "with all that we could desire in the frame-work of their moral, intellectual, and phys- ical character. Thirsting for knowledge, physi- cally able to endure the labour of study, feeling the necessity of improving the time — they are pupils whom it is delightful to teach ; and the seed of in- struction, while we are yet sowing it, buds, springs forth, and blossoms before our eyes. Thus they cheer our labours, and they increase our reputation, by their decisive evidence of improvement. They go forth to do good to others, and they throw it back to us." But Mrs. Willard's pupils are not confined to the middling class. The daughters of the rich are with her, and many of them, she assures us, rank among the first in moral dignity and intel- lectual elevation. The management is purely repub- lican, and illustrates the beauty of that form of gov- ernment when directed by intelligence and energy. LETTER VI. Location and plan of Troy — Public Buildings — View from. Mount Ida — Original proprietor of the City — Historical notice — Religious Societies — Banks and Insurance Compa- nies — Water Works — Fountains — Washington Square— Lcgrand Cannon's Building — Causes of prosperity — Self' made men — Gov. Marcy an Attorney. Mansion House, Troy, Nov. 23, 1835. Dear P. — In my last, I briefly alluded to the location of Troy, as the head of navigation — as a place of great enterprise and public spirit — and gave a somewhat minute account of the Female Semi- nary. My present epistle will be chiefly confined to a brief historical sketch of the city, with perhaps an occasional digression. Troy then, to begin, is handsomely situated upon the east bank of the Hudson, and with a foresight seldom observed, is laid out with a view of its ulti- mately becoming a place of considerable magni- tude; and Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love, (with the exception of River street, whose course is guided by that of the river, and which, as it re- curves towards the east, receives the other streets running north and south, as well as those in the opposite direction,) with its regular squares and rectangular avenues, was selected as its model, by 44 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. the advice of a gentleman, who had made a then rare visit to that celebrated city. In the course of a few years, stores and dwellings sprang up in abundance, principally in River and First streets. The stores indeed are now generally confined to River and Congress streets. Nearly all the busi- ness is transacted there. River street is, in fact, the Pearl, the Front, the Water street, and the Broadway of Troy. The stores in River street are very spacious, and extend nearly a mile and a half. The remainder of the city exhibits the tran- quil aspect and noiseless quiet seldom found but in the country. Many of the buildings, public and private, particularly those erected within the last five years, are spacious and elegant, while all dis- play a neatness and propriety of construction, une- qualled by those of any city of its size with which I am acquainted. The Court House, built of Sing Sing marble, is a splendid edifice after the Grecian model, perfectly chaste and classic in all its parts. The new Presbyterian Church, nearly completed, displays taste and liberality in its construction ; and St. Paul's (Episcopal) will vie with any Gothic edi- fice of its class in the United States. It w T as erect- ed some eight or nine years since. It is one hun- dred and three feet by seventy ; and the walls are of a dark coloured limestone, hammered and laid in mortar. At the west end of the building, a tower LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 45 projects twelve feet, and is one hundred feet in height. There is a basement of nine feet, and the walls of the main building rise thirty-eight feet above it. The window over the altar is large, be- ing forty feet by twenty. On each side of the building there are five windows, and three on each end. The galleries and ceilings are supported by clustered columns; the wood work is painted in imitation of oak. The cost of the church and lot amounted to about $50,000. There are in Troy twelve places of public wor- ship — three Presbyterian, two Episcopal, one Qua- ker, two Methodist, one Scotch Presbyterian, one Roman Catholic, one Universalist, and an African Church, with a coloured preacher. One of the Methodist churches is of brick, and its architecture manifests good taste and judgment. East of the plain upon which Troy is built, and not more than a quarter of a mile from the river, Mount Ida rises abruptly to the height of three or four hundred feet, from whose summit every house and store may be seen with perfect distinctness, while the eye is likewise gratified by a very ex- tensive view, north and south, embracing nine locks at the junction of the great western and northern canals, Waterford, Lansingburgh, and Al- bany. The greater part of the land where the city of 46 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. Troy now stands, was formerly owned by three farmers, relatives, of the name of Vanderheyden. That which now forms the most compact part, con- taining nearly two thirds of its population, belong- ed to the late Jacob D. Vanderheyden, long and well known in this vicinity under the appellation of " the Patroon." Public worship was first per- formed here in a small school house in 1792. The place was for some time called Vanderheyden, un- til, with reluctance, the proprietors consented to change it for the more brief and classic name of Troy. It was incorporated as a village in 1801, with a population of near two thousand inhabitants. In 1810, it contained a population of three thousand eight hundred and ninety-five. The legislature in 1816, granted it a charter, creating it a city, and vesting it with the usual powers and privileges of such corporations. In 1820, the population in- creased to five thousand two hundred and sixty- four; in 1825, to seven thousand eight hundred and sevemy-five, and in 1 829, to ten thousand eight hundred and forty. The present population is about eighteen thousand, showing an increase, du- ring five years, at the rate of 40 per cent., and more than half that of any equal time preceding. For this it is indebted, in part, to the opening of the Grand Canal, whose beneficent w r aters reached the JIudson in 1 824. Troy has reaped a liberal share LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 47 of the boundless benefits diffused by that great un- dertaking, as it has opened her markets to the im- mense, the fertile regions of the west, from which they had been previously almost entirely excluded. The name of Clinton, the wise projector of this noble enterprise, should be had in everlasting re- membrance by the citizens of this justly styled "em- pire state." Two streams, affording immense water facilities, empty into the Hudson within the limits of the city, and one of them rolls down a beautiful cascade, about a mile from the Court House, well worth visiting as a curiosity. They already move the machinery of numerous mills and factories. There are four Banks, the Merchants and Me- chanics, Farmers, Troy City, and Bank of Troy, with an average capital of about $350,000 ; and two Insurance Companies, the Rensselaer and Sa- ratoga, and Troy. There is also one of those ex- cellent institutions — a Savings Bank. The city of Troy is abundantly supplied with excellent water from the neighbouring hills, at an expense of $150,000, on the Philadelphia plan, ex- cept, that in that city it is raised by artificial means, and in this by its natural head, being seventy-five feet above the level of the city. On the corner of every street there are hydrants, and a hose placed on these, sends the water up higher and with much 48 LETTERS AEOUT THE HUDSON. greater force than a fire engine ; consequently, their use has been superseded. The squares and private gardens are ornamented with perpetual water fountains. There is one of Italian marble, chaste, classic, and of course, of beautiful construction, directly in front of the Man- sion House ; it sends up the water ten or fifteen feet, and in its descent resembles the weeping wil- low. The noise produced in the fall sounds like the continually pelting rain. Indeed, strangers, who put up at the Mansion House, not unfrequently, in passing the morning compliments with the affa- ble Doctor, allude to the last night's shower. Washington is one of the finest squares in the city. The Mansion House, belonging to Dr. Huddleston, facing the south, has quite an impo- sing appearance. On the east side, Legrand Can- non, Esq. a gentleman of enterprise and spirit, has nearly completed a block of stores that will vie with any I have ever seen in New York, Philadel- phia, or Boston. There are eight of them, four sto- ries high, with freestone fronts, making altogether a noble, business-like appearance. Troy is indebted for its wealth and population, to its advantageous situation for commercial pur- suits, and to the enterprise and economical habits of its citizens. Many, aye, most of the leading men in Troy, commenced life penniless. But industry, LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 49 energy, perseverance, and the smiles of that kind Providence, whose dews descend alike on all, have produced a mighty change. Three of the leading men in particular, nearly related to each other, came here in early life from one of the New Eng- land States, humble mechanics, and in time amassed princely fortunes. Two of them have departed this life, leaving their children an abundance of this world's goods, and the inheritance of a name, more valuable than gold. Their loss was deeply felt, and lamented by the whole population. The remain- ing individual stands high in the esteem of the citi- zens, and is at the head of several institutions. The present Ma }ror of Troy was once a day labourer — he is now one of the most wealthy and influential men of the city. These are but a few of the many examples of the kind, even in this city. The state is full of such instances. In a " Troy Post" of 1822, I saw the other day the advertisement of W. L. Marcy, stating that he, in company with another individual, had taken an office, and would be happy to wait upon the public as attorneys at law. Step by step he has risen to the Chief Ma- gistracy of the " Empire State." But to return to the causes of prosperity in this city. The great Western and Northern Canals empty into the Hud- son directly opposite the centre of business, while she administers to an extensive country, east and 5 50 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. north, in the most minute articles of daily use by retail. With great natural facilities, and the in- vincible enterprise of the citizens, the prosperity of Troy must go on, increasing with a rapidity equal to that, at least, of the last ten years. LETTER VII. Revolutionary Reminiscences — Tree near the Academy— Ex- ecution of Strang and Palmer — Gen. Putnam's memora- ble Letter — Circumstances which led to the capture of Major Andre— Vignette on the bills of Westchester Bank, fyc. Peekskill, December 4th, 1835. Dear P. — In September, while on a visit to this place, I gave a few rambling- sketches of men and things. Among- other matters, I alluded to the Academy, and its beautiful and commanding loca- tion; gave the inscription from Paulding's monu- ment, etc., but neglected noticing the many inter- esting revolutionary associations connected with the place. Now as every thing relating to the re- volution, that resulted in the establishment of our Independence, possesses an interest entitling it to attention, I cannot, while on the very spot so fraught with these reminiscences, forego the plea- sure of alluding to what can never become dull to the ear of patriotic Americans. But two miles from the village stands the dwell- ing occupied by Washington, while the American army were encamped in this place. The majestic tree near the Academy, on which Strang was hang- ed for some misdemeanour, still remains ; and here. 52 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. too is the place where Palmer, the American tory, was executed, by order of Gen. Putnam, whose memorable reply to Gov. Tryson, who wrote for his release, threatening vengeance if he were ex- ecuted, deserves an enduring record. It briefly — emphatically unfolds the true character of that dis- tinguished hero. The note runs thus : — "Sir — Nathan Palmer, a lieutenant in your service, was taken in my camp as a spy ; he was condemned as a spy ; and you may rest assured, sir, he shall be hanged as a spy. I have the honour to be, &c. " Israel Putnam. " P. S. — Afternoon. He is hanged." Not the threats of the British Governor, or the entreaties of Palmer's wife, could change the pur- pose of the determined General. I am informed by an old inhabitant of Peekskill, that the man who led Palmer to the gallows afterwards married his widow, and that a child of this union still survives. I have before alluded to the capture of Andre, by Paulding and his associates; but there is a tra- ditionary circumstance, which occurred in Peeks- kill, or rather in Courtland, of which Peekskill is the principal village, that placed Major Andre in the path of the captors. For the facts connected with this tradition, I am indebted to R. E. Ward, LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 53 Esq. It seems that in the autumn of 1780, a far- mer of this village was making- cider, having been for a few days released from his country's service to follow his agricultural pursuits. The mill in which he was at work was situated on the east bank of the Hudson, near that part of Haverstraw bay, called "Mother's Lap." While busily em- ployed in the manufacture of his cider, two young men (Sherwood and Peterson) with their muskets, (the usual accompaniment in those days,) approached the farmer, and after passing the usual salutations, and refreshing themselves with the new cider, seated themselves upon a log that lay near the mill. The farmer observing them in close conversation, and looking very intently on some distant object, asked them the cause of their alarm and anxiety. " Hush," speaking low, says Sherwood, "the red coats are about us." "Where?" asked the farmer, in a whisper. " Yonder, yonder, just within the Lap," answers Peterson, pointing at the same time to a spot where was an English gun-boat, with twenty-four men laying upon their oars. " Return to your mill,'' he added ; and addressing himself to Sherwood, ■' we will crawl to the bank of the river, and give the red boys a shot." Peterson and Sherwood drew near the margin of the Hudson, and placed themselves behind a large 54 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. rock, which was directly between them and the gun-boat. Here, after reconnoitring the situation of the gun-boat, and examining their guns, they fired upon the crew, and killed two persons. The soldiers that manned the gun-boat belonged to tho British sloop of war Vulture, which lay at anchor in the Hudson, off Teller's Point. Not expecting to meet with the enemy, they had prepared them- selves with no weapons of attack or defence, except a blunderbuss. This they hastily fired towards the shore, but without giving it any particular direc- tion, and of course, without producing any effect. Quickly perceiving that all their efforts to defend themselves must be unavailing, as they were con- tending with a hidden foe, they put their boat about as speedily as possible, and proceeded towards the Vulture, presuming that its heavy arms would secure to them a far better protection from rebel out- rage, than their own small blunderbuss. In pro- ceeding back to the Vulture, they kept a proper distance from the shore, for the purpose of evading all further annoyance from the rebel muskets. The retreat was made good, and as the sun was just losing himself behind the towering mountains that border the Hudson in the vicinity of Haverstraw bay, the disappointed sailors might have been seen lifting themselves up the side of the Vulture. Peterson and Sherwood remained in their place LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 55 of concealment, until some time after the crew of the gun-boat had reached their vessel, expecting that a reinforcement might probably be sent on shore to reconnoitre. But no movement of the kind was made, and they abandoned the rock, and rejoined the old farmer at the mill. " What luck with the red coats ?" inquires the farmer, hastily. " Good luck and bad luck? if it is a possible thing," replies Peterson. "How can that be?" says the farmer. "Easy enough," answers Peterson. "We had the good luck to come off unhurt, and the bad luck to kill two of the sailors in the gun-boat, whose only crime was being engaged in arms against us." While Sherwood and Peterson were informing the farmer of the result of the skirmish, a man was observed coming down the east bank of the river, just below Collabergh landing, and cautiouslv ex- amining every thing around him. The stranger had gained the spot nearly opposite where the gun- boat had been stationed, before he observed the men at the mill ; upon discovering them, he retraced his steps for a few rods, and took an easterly course towards Croton River. That man was no less a personage than Major Andre, bearing the traitor Arnold's despatches to the British General. The gun-boat was to have received him at the point 56 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. where it had been stationed, and conveyed him in safety on board the Vulture. The Vulture was to have conveyed him and his despatches to New York. He had conferred with the traitor the even- ing previous, a few miles below West Point, justly considered as the key of the Hudson. After all the necessary and proper arrangements had been made between the traitor and the spy, they separated, the one for his camp, and the other for the Vulture. The course of the latter lay along the west bank of the Hudson, about three miles below Caldwell's landing, and opposite Verplank's Point. At that place he crossed the river, and followed its course until he arrived at the particular spot in "the Lap," where the gun-boat had been stationed to receive him. Having heard the firing, and perceiving that the gun-boat had been forced or frightened from the place of assignation, he was compelled to alter his course, and proceed towards the interior of the county of Westchester. About eleven o'clock on the evening of that day, he found himself approach- ing Crumpond. At that place he remained through the night with a Mr. Smith. Early on the morn of the ensuing day, having procured a horse, he started for New York, determining to travel the distance by land. He crossed the Croton river at Pinesbridge, and at the time of his capture, was passing the Bcekman woods, the largest forest in LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 57 Westchester county, and adjacent to the old Dutch Church alluded to in my letter about Tarrytown. So you will perceive, friend P., that West Point owed its safety in part to those who were instrumen- tal in putting the Spy in the way of being captur- ed ; and while therefore the proper meed of praise is awarded to Paulding, Williams, and Van Wart, and monuments erected to their memory for the agency they had in the capture, the part acted by Sherwood and Peterson, and the agency they had in enabling the capture to take place, should not remain " unhonoured and unsung." By the way, on the bills of the " Westchester Bank," established in Peekskill about two years since, there is a beautiful vignette picture, repre- senting the arrest of poor Andre. He is in the act of supplicating his captors to let him escape ; the discovered papers are in the hands of one of them, and the stern eyes of the others evince the deter- mination to listen to no suggestions but those of patriotism. The form and features of Andre are admirably depicted — a miniature hangs in his bo- som, exquisitely finished. The worthy editor of the " Westchester and Putnam Republican," printed in this village, has furnished me with some stanzas, suggested by the vignette I have above described, and with them I conclude this epistle, as I leave here to-day in the good steamer Union, for the city. 58 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. Before their country's foe they stand, Each with a stern and searching eye ; Grasped with a firm and honest hand, The hostile records open lie : They read, and as each noble brow Wears the quiet shadow of resolve, The true and just exhibit now The secret which they dared to solve. Away with gold! it has no power To turn the true heart from its quest; The ordeal of this solemn hour Gives firmness to the patriot's breast : And as the tempter's art is tried, He finds each supplication vain ; The weary prisoner turns aside, To hide his labouring bosom's pain. Tumultuous thoughts upon his mind In quick succession wildly crowd, As urged by the resistless wind, Spreads o'er the sky the tempest's cloud; Why bends his sad and languid glance Where, near his heart, that picture lies, Affection's fond inheritance, With sunny smile, and loving eyes ! Alas ! upon that face no more The eager gaze of hope can turn, The dream of early love is o'er, And ne'er again its fires will burn ; A shade is gathering o'er each tress, A gloom is lingering on the brow, And all its budding loveliness Is stained with tears of anguish now. LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 59 Brave, yet devoted! On thy head The bolt, by others forged, shall fall; And history on thy name shall shed Of fate, the wormwood and the gall ! Yet wert thou noble— and thy soul The battle and the storm withstood, Till bending to a stern control, 'Twas by a traitor's lure subdued. Peace to thy shade, ill fated one ! Though in the abbey's lengthened aisle, Scarce lit by day's meridian sun, Thy marble bust may sadly smile, , , Yet is there darkness on thy name, , Though gentle pity mourns for thee, While patriots bless the holy flame Which kept thy captor's spirit free. ..,«.. Yours, &c. LETTER VIII. Origin of " Sing Sing"— Statistics— Description of Sing Sing Prison— The Chaplain— System of Discipline— The Lynd System— Folger and Matthias'— Mount Pleasant Academy— Franklin Academy— The Newspaper— Public House, &c. Sing Sing, Mount Pleasant, Feb. 6, 1836. Dear P. — " Sing Sing" is the principal village of the town of " Mount Pleasant," and is situated 34 miles north of New York, on the east side of the Hudson river. The name is derived from the Chi- nese, Tsing Sing, the title of a celebrated governor in China, of a city so called. It is said to be brought to this country by a Dutch settler who had traded with China. The whole town, the largest in point of population in Westchester county, con- tains by the state census of 1835, four thousand seven hundred and fifty-eight souls, and more fe- males than males by one hundred and twenty-eight. ~\There are, it also appears, in this town, three hun- dred and ninety-eight soldiers, nine hundred and seventy-three voters, forty-nine aliens, one hundred and twenty-four natural abolitionists, or to speak - more significantly, people of colour ; five hundred and sixty-seven married females under the age of LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 61 45 ; four hundred and thirty unmarried females be- tween 16 and 45; and one thousand and sixty-nine unmarried females under 16. The township con- sists of 23,605 acres of land, the largest number of 21 towns in the county, except Cortlandt, which contains 33.315 acres. So much for statistics. Sing Sing is pleasantly situated on an elevation gradu- ally rising from the river to the height of 300 or 400 feet. The principal object of interest or cu- riosity here is the State Prison. Through the courtesy of R. Wiltse, Esq. the agent, and Col. Sing, I visited the various departments, and was much gratified with the neatness, order, and regu- larity which prevailed in the several shops and workhouses. The prison is situated on the east margin of the Hudson river, ten feet above high water mark. — The prison grounds contain one hundred and thir- ty acres, and may be approached by vessels draw- ing twelve feet of water. The prison-keeper's house, workshop, &c, are built of rough dressed stone, or " Sing Sing marble." The prison is four hundred and eighty-four feet in length, running north and south, (parallel with the river,) and forty- four feet in width, fronting westerly on the Hudson river, and communicating with the west yard by two doors, which open at the extreme north and south ends of the prison. The w r est yarjl is enclos- 6 62 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON". ed by two buildings forty feet wide and two stories high, which are occupied as the kitchen, hospital, chapel, workshops, storehouses, &c. ; these build- ings extend from the prison westerly to the edge of the dock ; the south wing adjoins the prison, but has no communication but from the hospital. The north wing is connected with the prison by a wall twenty feet in height, running north and south ten feet, thus enclosing an area of four hundred and ninety-four by four hundred and twelve feet. This yard communicates with the east yard of the prison, which is enclosed, by an open arch-way through the centre of the prison, and an arched gate-way through the wall at the north end. There is no door leading from the prison into the east yard. In the centre of the west yard is a range of shops forty feet wide, fronting on the Hudson, and running parallel with the prison two hundred and seventy- six feet, having wings which extend easterly to- wards the prison one hundred and forty feet, occupied as stone shops. The guard house is on the bank, on the east side of the prison, about 170 feet above the level of the yard, and commands a perfect view of the east yard, and most of the west. The prison is five stories high. There are two hundred cells on each floor, in all one thousand. There are at this time about seven hundred and eighty prisoners, and not more than ten or twelve LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON, 63 sick in the hospital. The largest number in this prison at one time, the keeper informed me, was nine hundred and forty. The present chaplain of the institution, the Rev. Jonathan Dickinson, of the Presbyterian order, has the reputation of being- well qualified for the purpose of imparting religious instruction, and im- pressing upon the minds of the convicts the duty they owe to their God and to society. And if any situation in which men could be placed, who have discarded every virtuous principle, is calculated to soften the heart and render them susceptible of re- ligious reformation, it is when confined to the soli- tude of their cells, where they cannot escape the reproof of their own reflections, and where their duties as men and Christians are clearly pointed out by their religious teacher. Mr. Dickinson re- marked to me that he never preached the gospel with more pleasure than he had here, nor indeed with equal interest. Here men in general have not been in the habit of hearing it; it therefore comes to them with the advantages of novelty ; and their peculiar condition helps and even urges them to its consideration. I found the chaplain a very affable, humane, and intelligent gentleman. He politely favoured me with a glance at his unpub- lished report to the inspectors of the prison. " From what I have been led to observe," says Mr. D. "it 64 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. seems to me that while there is no absolute security in education against crime, yet it must be admitted that it imposes a certain amount of restraint on the predominant passions and propensities, which, though broken through in some instances, remains useful afterward as a means of throwing light up- on the darkness of a person's criminal course, and when brought into this state for reflection, he is the better able to see and to weigh the follies of his life." Several instances have come under Mr. D.'s observation, where men had prostituted the privi- lege of early pious education ; but at this distant day, after a series of transgressions, its early influ- ences seem to have arisen from a long sleep, and are now in this secluded state exerting a most salu- tary, reclaiming effect. The system and discipline of the Sing Sing Prison at the present time owe their origin to Elam Lynds, for many years the agent of the Auburn prison. His system combines solitude and the ad- vantages of profitable employment. The convicts are shut up in separate cells at night, and on Sun- days except when attending religious exercises in the chapel. While at work, the prisoners are not allowed to exchange a word with each other under any pretence whatever, nor to communicate any intelligence to each other in writing; not to ex- change looks, winks, laugh, or motion, with each LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 65 other, nor make use of any signs, except such as are necessary to convey their wants to the waiters.* This system was established at Auburn in 1824. Capt. Lynds assembled the convicts together, and giving the rules by which their conduct must be governed, told them they must henceforth labour diligently, and in perfect silence; that for every infringement of the rules which he had then giv- en them, severe corporeal chastisement should be inflicted. The convicts were at first inclined to receive this as a mere threat, bat they were soon con- vinced, from the energy of will and firmness of character exhibited by Captain Lynds at this cri- sis, that submission was inevitable. The adoption of this system of confining each convict in a separate cell at night, rendered the Auburn prison (which at this time, 1824, contained but five hundred and fifty cells) insufficient to ac- commodate all the convicts in the state. An act was therefore passed by the Legislature, author- izing the erection of a new prison. Sing Sing was selected as the location, and Captain Lynds as the agent to build and conduct it. He was directed to take from the Auburn prison one hundred convicts, to remove them to the ground selected for the site of the new prison, to purchase materials, employ keepers and guards, and commence the construc- tion of the prison. The reasons for taking the 6 # 66 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. convicts from Auburn, and transporting them SO great a distance, instead of from New York, were, that the convicts at Auburn had been more accus- tomed to cutting and laying stone, and had been brought by Capt. Lynds into the perfect and regu- lar state of discipline he had established at Auburn, and which was justly deemed indispensably neces- sary to their safe keeping in the open country, and the successful prosecution of the work. The Auburn prisoners arrived at Sing Sing without accident or disturbance in May, 1825, with- out a place to receive or a wall to enclose them. On the same day a temporary barrack was erected to receive the convicts at night; they were then set at work, building the prison, making of each one a carpenter, mason, &c. and having no other means to keep them in obedience but the rigid en- forcement of discipline by Capt. Lynds. During several years, the convicts, whose numbers were gradually increased, were engaged in building their own prison, and finally completed it in 1829. It then contained eight hundred cells. In 1831, an- other story was added, and the number of cells in- creased to one thousand. What a commentary this on the Lynd system! That it has a tendency to restrain crime, will be seen by the following statistics, given in one of the reports of the prison. In 1831, 199 convicts were LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON, 67 received; in 1832, 188; in 1833, 151— total, 538, which shows a gradual decrease in three years, notwithstanding the great increase of population. Thus much for the Sing Sing prison. Mount Pleasant, you know, is famous as being the scene of Matthias' impositions. Folger and his wife still reside in the village. He is a gentleman in his appearance and manners, and apparently not more than thirty-two or thirty-three years of age. They hope to live down the prejudices which have been created against them by their connexion with that fiend in human shape — Matthias, The Mount Pleasant Academy, under the su- perintendence of Albert Wells, Esq. is in a flour- ishing and prosperous condition. The academy edifice is a spacious building of Sing Sing marble, sixty by eighty feet, three stories high, standing on a lot of four acres, delightfully shaded with fruit trees, on one of the most retired streets of the vil- lage, commanding too an extensive prospect of the river and adjacent country. In its internal arrange- ment, there is every desirable convenience for the principal's family and instructors, and the several departments of the school. The remarkable healthi- ness of the place, the beauty of the scenery, and the facility of communication with both city and coun- try, conspire to render this one of the most delight- ful retreats for a literary institution. This academy LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. is under the direction of the " Regents." Boys are boarded and educated for $150 per annum. A fe- male' seminary is about to be erected here on a lib- eral and extensive plan. The Franklin Academy, a boarding school for young ladies in this village, is in high repute. It is under the management of Mr. and Mrs. Bleeker. There are seventy-five young ladies who board in the family, and receive instruction in the solid and ornamental branches. There is also a male de- partment, entirely unconnected as to location, in which about eighty young gentlemen are instructed in the various branches of English and classical education. There are on Mount Pleasant a Presbyterian, an Episcopal, a Baptist, and a Methodist church. One newspaper, the " Westchester Herald," conducted with considerable ability by a Mr. Roscoe. In re- gard to public houses, I can only say that the best is now, and has been for the last thirteen years, kept by Mr. E. Crosby, a son of him of "Spy" memory, where may be obtained very comfortable accommodations. But I have not yet found in my travels, the house that will compare with your "American" and your " New England." Brigham and Gould of the former, and Coleman of the latter, are my beau ideal of publicans. LETTER IX, Views of the Hudson— Historical Items— The Hudson a Lake — The old man's story. New York, March 10, 1836. Friend P. — The congealed waters of the Hud- son at this season of the year, totally exclude my ramblings, and 1 must content myself with the re- collections of past journey ings and the reminiscences of other writers. Yes, I must draw in part upon the resources of abler pens, for facts wherewith to fill up my attempted illustrations of the noble North. Disturnell of this city, has you know, com- menced a series of views from original drawings, under the cognomen of " Picturesque Beauties of the Hudson River and its vicinity ;" and Samuel L. Knapp, Esq. has undertaken to give historical and descriptive illustrations. Two numbers have already appeared, and should adequate encourage- ment be afforded, it is the publisher's intention to issue a number every two months. Each number contains three splendid engravings on steel; and the letter-press illustrations, though brie£ are credit able to the taste and genius of the author. The vignette in the title page, presenting a view of the Palisades, is exquisite — decidedly the best in the 70 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. number. The Danube or Rhine, does not furnish more beautiful or picturesque views than our own beautiful Hudson ; and the illustration of these beauties are worthy of the efforts of our most gifted painters, poets, and historians. The name of Henry Hudson, the discoverer of the noble river which bears his name, and " who is identified with its his- tory," will be had in remembrance while its smooth waters roll on to the ocean's depth. — Hudson, says Col. Knapp, was the friend of Capt. John Smith, of Pocahontas memory. He entered the southern waters of New York on the 3d of September, 1609, and was the first navigator who visited them. Tra- dition says, that he landed at Long Island and traded with the natives. He next discovered the mouth of the river which has ever since been called by his name. He spent a week south of the Nar- rows, before he entered the bay, watching the na- tives, but at the same time holding a friendly traffic with them. He was not then aware, that the pres- ent site of the city and county of New York was an island. On the 14th, he proceeded through Tap- pan and Haverstraw bays, and anchored during the night near West Point. At times, Hudson and his men amused themselves in catching fish, which were found in abundance in the river, and of a fine flavour. The natives appeared more mild and so- cial than those he encountered while entering the LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 71 river. On the 16th, he anchored at a place which now bears his name, Hudson. It is not certain how much further up he sailed. Antiquarians be- lieve that he reached Albany, and that some of his men in boats proceeded still further, to the conflu- ence of the Mohawk and Hudson riVers. His ves- sel was very small for such an exploring voyage, a mere "jly boat" as some lave called her, not larger than a small sloop used for the coasting traffic at the present t?me. Hudson's ship was called the Half Moon and rf not made for comfort, was better calculaied for running into bays and harbours than larger boats. It is the opinion of some, that the Hudson was originally a lake. Mrs. Phelps, late Vice Princi- pal of the Troy Female Seminary, in her " Female Student," an excellent series of lectures delivered before the young ladies of that institution, expresses a similar opinion. She thinks it impossible to pro- nounce with certainty respecting the changes which may have taken place in the region watered by the Hudson and its branches ; but that while passing down its current, and observing the adjacent coun- try on each side, she has been strongly impressed with the belief, that the valley of this river was once a vast lake connected with the lakes on our northern border ; that the highlands and palisades Were the southern boundary of this lake. The 72 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. waters forcibly operating upon these barriers might, by degrees, have worn them away, until opening for itself a passage, this mighty mass rushed on- ward to the ocean. This, however, is mere hy- pothesis. She seems inclined to the opinion, that the region abcnt Troy was once covered with wa- ter, and that Mount Ida and Mount Olympus were islands in this great lake. About two miles from Troy, on the east, there is a beautiful valley; — by following its course, you will find it winding its way toward the Hudson, resembling, in appear- ance, the bed of a river whose channel has beers turned, or whose waters are dried up. On the west side of the Hudson there is a sin- gular ravine, often called the Dry River ; this, in- stead of sloping banks like the beautiful -rale on the eastern side, has abrupt and rugged shores, and a rocky, uneven bed : a little rill yet lingers among the rocks, convincing us, if farther evidence were necessary, that there has been a noble arm of the Hudson. Although on the eastern side, the vale of which Mrs. Phelps has spoken, bears less incon- testable marks of its having been the bed: of a river r there is but little doubt, that too was covered with- water tributary to the large river. Referring then; to the supposition, that the Hudson river is but the remains of a great lake, which suddenly discharged^ its waters into the Atlantic, we might suppose that LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 73 when this event took place, many rivers were form- ed by the inequalities of the surface, and that these rivers in time have changed their channels, or gradually subsided into dry land. But a truce to geographical speculations about the changes of the " Hudson and its vicinity ;" and now for an interesting revolutionary reminiscence, related to me by a gentleman who some time since visited your state. He put up at a house in Green- field, and during the evening, while he sat in the bar room, heard a sensible old man relate the sub- stance of what follows. On retiring to his room, he sat down and made a transcript ; and gave it to the editor of the Greenfield Mercury, with whom he was acquainted. But for the " Old Man's story." " During the revolutionary war," said he, "there Was a point of land on the Jersey side of the Hud- son River, and not far distant from New York, which was the scene of a bloody conflict. There were about three hundred acres next to the river, from which the wood and timber had been cleared off; back of this was a heavy forest. On this ele- vated point, a large number of fat cattle, destined to supply the American army, were placed. Four or five miles distant, in New Jersey, there were three thousand light infantry, under the command of Lafayette. I was one of that detachment. Our business was to see that the cattle were not taken 7 74 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. from the point by the enemy. One morning, in- telligence was brought into the camp, that several vessels had approached the point, and that a large body of British soldiers were landing. My regi- ment was ordered to march immediately for the Point. Rufus Putnam, a nephew of the old Gene- ral, was our Colonel. He was well stocked with the Putnam mettle. He was a brave officer. I could never discern that he was not just as cool and self-possessed when going into battle as when sitting in his tent. We made a hurried march, and upon approaching the edge of the woods, the Col- onel ordered the Adjutant to go forward and see where the troops were, and what was their num- ber. The Adjutant soon returned, and reported they were forming upon the shore in three columns, and he should think the columns contained about one thousand each. 'Then,' said the Colonel, 'ride back to the camp as quickly as possible, and tell Lafayette to come on.' When the Adjutant had gone, Col. Putnam rode up to my Captain, who was Daniel Shays, of insurrection memory, and, said he, ' well, Capt. Shays, shall we be playing with them until the General comes V ' That must be as you please,' replied Capt. Shays. " Orders were soon given to advance to the open land upon the point. We now stood face to face with our foes. Firing very soon commenced. LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 75 Cannon from the shipping in the river poured forth their volleys ; and small-arms did fatal execution. Col. Putnam rode back and forth in front of the regiment, as calm as a man at home, though the balls were whistling past him in every direction. We worked very fast, and for one regiment made a great noise. The corporal at my right hand, received a ball through the body, and fell, dying. I was young, and a dying man at my feet, bleeding and gasping, might perhaps cause my colour to fade a little. Capt. Shays stepped forward — ' George, said he, 'never mind it, I will take his place; and he was as good as his word ; he took the cor poral's gun and used it. Shays was the best Cap tain I ever served under. He was bold and kind I will give him his due, though he has done un worthily since ; we stood shoulder to shoulder in that day of peril. I was loading my gun the twenty- second time, when General Lafayette, with the main body of the light infantry, issued from the wood. Never shall I forget the feeling of that mo- ment. Wellington was hardly more pleased to see Blucher in the battle of Waterloo, than we were to see our brother in arms. The main body formed at once, upon our left. Lafayette rode forward, (an elegant officer, and never did he fill my eye so entirely as at that moment;) though a mere strip- ling in appearance, in action he was a man — and 76 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. had Cornwallis seen him as we then saw him, he would not have called him ' the boy.' As he ap- proached, ' Col. Putnam,' said he, * how dared you fire before I arrived V • Oh,' said the Col- onel, ' I thought I would be playing with them a little.' Lafayette at that moment seemed full of energy and fire — turning towards the line, and with a loud and distinct voice, marked by his French accent — said he, 'We fire no more — the whole line charge bayonets — rush onward, and drive them, where the devil drove the hogs.' The effect of his presence and his words was astonish- ing ; every heart beat quick and full. We did rush on, and such a scene of carnage my eyes never saw. At first the British force charged to meet us, but they could not stand against us, and fled from the shore ; we followed them, and drove them in the water; of the three thousand, about fifteen hundred got aboard the vessels. The rest were slain, and most of them at the point of the bayonet. " I have described to you the most painfully in- teresting and horrid scene which I had ever wit- nessed. I never enjoyed killing men. I fought because I thought it to be my duty." Yours, &c. LETTER X. (Vie Travellers' Home — Mansion House, and its new "pro- prietor— Troy House— Washington Hall— Apology— The Rail Road Cars — Description of Troy Bridge, etc. — Route to Balston and Saratoga Springs — Revolutionary Reminiscence — Battle at Bemis' Heights — Distance to Balston — " Sans Souci" — Balston — Return to Troy — Henry Burden — His residence — His genius, etc. — Reading Room, Troy — West Troy — Its business — JVT'Adamized road to Albany — Stages, etc. Mansion House, Troy, May 11, 1836. Friend P. — There was an old fashioned virtue, called hospitality — of which we have still extant some records in the history of the patriarchs, and recent traditions of its existence in some later gen- erations. Perhaps there is yet a by-corner of the world, where traces may be found of it, and cer- tainly there is still extant a command to exercise it. " Be not forgetful to entertain strangers; for thereby some have entertained angels unawares." The discontinuance of this virtue, must be as- cribed to the numerous artificial wants, created partly by the whims of fashion, and partly by the regular progress of society — increasing the ex- pense of good house-keeping. We cannot welcome a guest, but at the sacrifice of some money, or time, 7* 78 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. or pride — and, therefore, we close the door, and deny the obligation to open it. Fortunately for the stranger, the same march of civilization has prepared another home, whose doors are always open to all who can pay for the enter- tainment. Many, even amidst the unpaid for cour- tesies of a private dwelling, sigh for the liberty and comfort of that "travellers' home." How often has the truth of these lines been felt, by every way faring man who has read them : — " Whoe'er has travell'd life's dull round, Where'er his changes may have been, Must sigh to think, how oft he's found The kindest welcome at an inn." But prosing and poetry aside. The " Mansion House," so deservedly popular under the adminis- tration of Dr. Huddleston, has become the very ne plus ultra, of " inns," since it passed into the hands of Mr. Henry Hull, long and favourably known by the bon tons who have for the last ten or twelve years resorted to the medicinal " Springs of Leba- non" for health, or fashionable recreation. Mr. H. possesses in an "eminent degree" all the requisites of a good publican. Affable, courteous, and intel- ligent, with twenty years' experience, he never fails to render his guests easy, comfortable, and happy. In a word, the whole tout ensemble of his establish- ment is just what it should be. LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 79 There are several other very good houses in Troy. The Troy House, by Mr. Kidd, is pleas- antly situated, and is favourably spoken of by those who have visited it. Washington Hall, by Messrs. E. & P. Dorlon, is also an excellent house. The building is spacious, the table well supplied, and the beds comfortable ; and what is of importance to many, the prices are moderate. To the traveller for business, and especially for pleasure, the character of a hotel is of paramount importance. It is, in fact, one of the " little things" on which the comfort and pleasure of his journey depends. This, therefore, must be my apology for saying so much about " inns and innholders." Yesterday, I took a seat in one of the passage cars, on the new rail road, for Balston. The road now extends to Saratoga, and will, I venture to pre- dict, become the most fashionable route, as indeed it is the most interesting, to the " Springs." The arrangements for carrying passengers are quite ex- tensive. There are twenty-four cars belonging to the company — at once spacious, elegant, and con- venient. They are twenty-four feet in length by eight in breadth, and sufficiently high within for the passengers to stand erect, the whole divided into three apartments ; the seats of which are cush- ioned and backed with crimson morocco, trimmed 80 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. with coach lace ; each apartment is surrounded by moveable panels, thus affording the comforts and facilities of either a close or open carriage, to suit the convenience of the passengers. The outside of the cars is painted of a beautiful fawn colour, with buff shading, painted in "picture panels," with rose, pink, and gold borders, and deep lake shading; the small mouldings of delicate stripes of vermilion and opaque black. Within the panels are " transferred" some of the most splendid pro- ductions of the ancient and modern masters, among which are copies from " Leonardo da Vinci," "Ho- race Vernet," " David," (the celebrated painter to Napoleon,) " Stuart," and many more of the mod- ern school. The whole number of the subjects of the twenty-four cars, cannot fall far short of two hundred, as each car averages from six to ten subjects : among which may be enumerated, sev- eral copies from the antique, Napoleon crossing the Alps, the two splendid scenes in Byron's Mazeppa, the Hospital Mount St. Bernard, portraits of most of the distinguished men of our own country, among whom Washington (from Stuart's original) stands conspicuous, the wounded tiger, the avalanche, portraits of distinguished women, views of several of our popular steamboats, the rail road bridge near Philadelphia, and several views in the south. The "lout ensemble" is more like a moveable gal- LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 81 lery of the fine arts, than like a train of rail road cars. The springs of the cars are of Philadelphia make, and bear evenly. The "journals" are on a new plan, obviating* all previous objections. The wheels are of cast iron, with patent rolled i>'on tire, well annealed and wrought, being put on the cart wheel while hot. The cooling of the tire, and the contraction of the iron, render it impossible to de- viate from its place. The whole is then turned in a steam lathe by machine tools, thus rendering the circle of the wheel perfect from its centre, which is a great desideratum. The cars were made in Troy by those famous coach builders, Gilbert, Veazie and Eaton, aided by Mr. Starbuck, a scientific machinist. Connected with the cars are two beautiful locomotives called the " Erie" and the " Champlain." The rail road bridge, over which the cars cross the Hudson from Troy to Green Island, on their route to the Springs, is certainly a noble, substan- tial specimen of this kind of architecture. It is one thousand five hundred and twelve feet in length, thirty-four feet in width, and seventeen feet to the eaves. It is supported by stone abutments and piers. The sides are double lattice work, covered with boards on the outside. The floors of plank, and the roof shingled. It has thirty-two sky-lights or scuttles. The roof is supported in the centre 82 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. by a tier of pillars. The draw on the east end is one hundred and four feet long, twenty-four feet wide, and ten feet high. The side draw is fifty-two feet long and twenty-four feet wide. A cast iron pipe for conveying water from the main pipe of the Troy Water Works Co. extends along under the roof, the whole length of the bridge. It has six- teen hydrants, one being placed at every other sky- light. After crossing this bridge, before reaching the village of Waterford, you pass three bridges besides the main one. The first crosses the Mo- hawk from Green Island to Vanschaick Island, and is four hundred and eighty-two feet long, the second crosses another sprout of the Mohawk from Vanschaick Island to Hawver Island, and is two hundred and two feet long. Three hundred and sixty feet further north, the third or minor bridge crosses the upper sprout of the Mohawk to Wa- terford, and is three hundred and twenty-six feet long. On Hawver Island may be seen the remains of an old fort thrown up in the Revolutionary war. On the Troy bridge there is a side walk for foot passengers, the rail road track, and a passage for common carriages. A bridge is shortly to be thrown across the Hudson from Green Island to West Troy, and the miserable horse-boats which now convey travellers across the Hudson will eventually fall into disuse. LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 83 The passage over the islands to Waterford, and indeed the whole route to Balston and Saratoga Springs, is really delightful. Then, too, the agents on the rail road are civil to the passengers* and at- tentive to the locomotives. The engineers are ex- perienced, and, although " flying as it were on the- wings of the wind," one feels perfectly safe from accident. A few miles above Waterford, we pass on our right Mechanicsville, a flourishing little manufacturing village ; and within a mile or two of Bemus' Heights, rendered memorable as the scene of battle. A brief historical sketch of this battle will not I presume, friend P., be uninteresting to your read- ers. It is at all events in place ; and perhaps con- tains some facts not mentioned in the history of the American Revolution. It seems that Gen. Burgoyne crossed the Hud- son on the 13th and 14th of Sept. 1777, and on the 18th encamped in two lines, about two miles from the camp of Gen. Gates, " his left resting on the river, and his right extending at right angles to it across the low grounds about six hundred yards, to a range of steep and lofty heights occupied by his elite, having a creek or gully in his front." The camp of Gen. Gates was in the form of a segment of a great circle. His right resting on the brow of the hill near the river, with which it 84 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. was connected by a deep entrenchment. The ex- tremities were strengthened by strong batteries, and the interval by a breastwork constructed of trees, logs, and rails. The approach to the right, was almost impassable, and the left could not be reached without great difficulty. The above sketch will give the reader something of an idea of the two armies on the day preceding the bloody and hotly contested action of the 19th. The action of the 19th of September on Bemus' Heights, was accidental. Lieut. Col. Colburn, of the New Hampshire line, was detached, with a light party, to the west side of the river, for the pur- pose of observation. He reported about 8 o'clock, that the enemy had struck the greater part of their tents, and were ascending the heights in the direc- tion of the American line. Col. Morgan was im- mediately directed to march with his rifle corps, to hang on their front and flank, and retard their march as much as possible. At about half past 12 o'clock, the report of small arms announced that Morgan had fallen in with the enemy. The firing Avas of short duration. It was occasioned by falling in with a British picket, which was immediately forced. Pursuing the fu- gitives, he suddenly and unexpectedly fell in with the British line, and was instantly routed, with the loss of several officers and men taken prisoners. LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. '35 An anecdote of Morgan, the rough but intrepid commander of the rifle corps, may be interesting in this place. Col. (afterward General) Wilkinson, was at this time acting as Adjutant General of Gates' army, and attracted by the fire, he entered the wood. The first person he fell in with was Major Deai- born, who, with "great animation and a little warmth, was forming thirty or forty file of his in- fantry ;" on turning to gain the camp, his ears were saluted by an uncommon noise ; following the di- rection of the sound, he approached Col. Morgan, who, attended by only two men, was endeavouring with a turkey call to collect his dispersed troops. On coming up and accosting him, he burst into tears, and exclaimed, " I am ruined ; Major M. ran on so rapidly with the front, that they were beaten before I could get up with the rear, and my men are scattered." Two of the New Hampshire regiments (Cilly's and Scammel's) were then ordered out, with direc- tions to fall too on the left of Morgan. This was done, and the action was renewed with considera- ble spirit till about 1 o'clock, though subject to oc- casional pauses, as the troops on either side shifted their ground. Five other regiments were succes- sively brought on to the field, and about 3 o'clock the action became general, and from this period 86 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. until nightfall, the roar of musketry was incessant. Gen. Scammel's brigade was ordered out towards the close of the action, together with Marshal's regiment of Patterson's brigade and the Massa- chusetts line. Had they been brought out at an early hour, it is supposed that something decisive would have taken place. The force engaged in this action on the part of the Americans amounted to about 3,000 men : on the part of the British, as it appears from Burgoyne's own statement, about 3,500 men. Our loss in killed was reported at about 80, and 218 wounded, while that of the Brit- ish, according to the statements of Lieut. Col. Kings- bury, (Burgoyne's Adjutant General,) amounted to 600 killed and wounded. This action, it appears, was entirely accidental, and originated in a misconception of Gen. Gates of a movement of the enemy, which had reference merely to taking new ground on the heights in front of the great ravine. Thus closely contested, it was more remarkable for the cool determination and gallantry displayed by the American soldiery, than for any other exhi- bition of tactical skill on either side. Says General Wilkinson : j " The theatre of action was such, that although the combatants changed ground a dozen times in the course of the dav, the contest terminated on LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 87 the spot where it began. This may be explained in a few words. The British line was formed on an eminence in a thin pine wood, having before it Freeman's farm, an oblong field stretching from the centre towards the right ; the ground in front sloping gently down to the verge of this field, which was bordered on the opposite side by a close wood ; the sanguinary scene lay in the cleared ground, between the eminence occupied by the enemy, and the wood just described. The fire of our marks- men from this wood was too deadly to be withstood by the enemy, in line, when they gave way and broke ; our men rushing from their covert pursued them to the eminence, where, having their flanks protected, they rallied, and charged in turn, drove us back into the wood, from whence a dreadful fire would again force them to fall back ; and in this manner did the battle fluctuate, like the waves of a stormy sea, with alternate advantage for hours, with- out one moment's intermission. The British ar- tillery fell into our possession at every charge, but we could neither turn the pieces upon the enemy, nor bring them of! The wood prevented the last, and the want of a match the first, as the lint stock was invariably carried of£ and the rapidity of transi- tions did not allow us to provide one. "The morning after the action I visited the wounded prisoners, who had been dressed, and dis- LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. covsred a charming youth, not more than sixteen years old, lying among them, feeble, faint, pale, and stiff) in his gore. The delicacy of his aspect, and the quality of his clothing, attracted my atten- tion, and on inquiry, I found that he was Ensign Philips. He told me he had fallen by a wound in his leg or thigh, and as he lay on the ground, was shot through the body by an army follower, a mur- derous villain, who avowed the deed ; the moans of this helpless youth affected me to tears; I raised him from the straw on which he lay, took him in my arms, and removed him to a tent, where every comfort was provided for him; but his wounds were mortal, and he expired." One fact in this place is worthy of notice, as showing on what a trivial circumstance the fate of an army or a nation sometimes depends. On the morning of the action, a deserter from the enemy's camp came in, and stated that the en- tire British army was under arms, and that Gen. Burgoyne had given orders for the immediate at- tack of our lines, which, in consequence, were promptly manned, as well as circumstances would admit. An hour was passed in great anxiety, in expectation of the threatened attack ; none however was made, and the troops were dismissed. Yet it appears that the information of the deserter was substantially correct. After the surrender of Bur- LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 89 goyne, it was stated by General Phillips that Bur- goyne had determined to attack the left of the American line, with his whole force, on the morn- ing preceding the action ; that the army was formed, only waiting for the dispersion of the fog to com- mence, when General Frazier observed to General Burgoyne, that "the grenadiers and light infantry, who were to lead the attack, appeared fatigued by the duties of the preceding day, and that if he would suspend the operation until the next morn- ing, he was persuaded they would carry the at- tack with more vivacity." This induced Burgoyne to defer it, and the order was countermanded. The same day a spy from Sir Henry Clinton reached Burgoyne, informing him of his expedition against the Highlands. This determined Gen. Burgoyne to postpone the attack, and wait for events. Had he carried his meditated attack into execution, it is very probable that the result would have been highly disastrous to the American arms, as our troops were quite exhausted from the operations of the preceding day; besides, our lines were not completed, and what was worse, the left wing, ow- ing to some mismanagement, had been prevented from drawing ammunition. In point of numerical force, the two armies were about equal, but the ad- vantage was decidedly with the British, as their troops were composed of veterans, while our men 8* 90 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. were badly equipped, and were defective in disci- pline. Under these circumstances, we may well suppose, had the attack been made, that Burgoyne would have gained a decided victory, and that the convention of Saratoga, by which, a short time af- terwards, he surrendered himself and army as pris- oners of war, would not have taken place. But to leave the field of action. The distance from Troy to Balston is about twenty-five miles. We left Troy at half past 2, and arrived at Bals- ton at half past 4 P. M. Abating hinderances, the distance is, I am informed, usually performed in an hour and a half. Determined to return the same evening, my tarry at Balston was necessarily short. I however visited the " Sans Souci" the fashion- able house for visiters to the Balston Springs. Mr. Waters, the worthy proprietor of the establishment, I found busily employed in preparing for the sum- mer campaign. The house is one of the largest, airiest, and most convenient in the country. It i3 three stories high, one hundred and sixty feet in length, with two back ranges of one hundred and fifty feet, and capable of accommodating one hun- dred and twenty-five to one hundred and fifty per- sons. There is a beautiful garden attached to it. Mr, W. is not wanting in capacity or disposition to ca- ter for the hundreds who flock to his house du- LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 91 ring the summer. As an instance of this it may- be mentioned, that he has made arrangements, in connexion with Mr. Hull of the Mansion House in Troy, to procure fresh from the lakes, perch and other choice fish. Balston is rather ancient in its appearance. It contains about one thousand five hundred inhabit- ants. There are several churches, an Academy, a Female Seminary ; and a weekly newspaper is published here. There are also two or three woollen manufactories in operation. The village was chartered in 1807, and is di- rected by three trustees, who are chosen annually. The Balston Lake is situated about six miles from the village. It is five miles long and one in width. This beautiful lake, and the jaw-cracker creek, " Kayaderosseras," which flows along the east end of the village, is a great resort for sportsmen in the summer season. But to return to Troy, (as I did after partaking of the medicinal waters of Balston.) We arrived at the Mansion House before dark, having since half past 2 P. M. travelled fifty miles, and enjoyed the varied beauties of a romantic and interesting section of country. You have heard, friend P., of the "name and the fame" of Henry Burden. Well, his residence is about two miles from the city. Delightfully situ- 92 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. ated upon an eminence, which affords a view of a large extent of country, the most romantic and picturesque imaginable. By the taste of his amia- ble and accomplished lady, and the skill of a Eu- ropean gardener, the grounds adjacent to the Man- sion House have been transformed from a barren waste, such as it was when Henry Hudson « Frightened the Indian in his wild retreat," to an enchanting garden, where the roses of Eng- land, the thistle of Scotland, and the lilies of France, are taught to luxuriate together. At the bottom of the hill rolls, or rather leaps, by a succession of foaming cataracts, a rapid and narrow stream, which discharges its waters into the Hudson. It is here that the most extensive iron works, which are to be found in the vicinity of the Hud- son, during its whole course, are established. The manner in which the nails are manufactured, dif- fers in no respect from similar establishments in New England. But the process by which spikes are produced is the invention of Mr. Burden, and it was this important improvement which first brought him into notice, and greatly augmented his pecuniary resources. The next effort of his genius was the construction of the far-famed steamboat ; the result of which is well known. This discouraging circumstance, to- LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 93 gether with the loss of time and money, which were very great, would have been sufficient to have entirely disheartened an ordinary mind. But in a single week, after the wreck of his steamboat, Mr. B. produced the model for the manufacture of horse shoes, which promises soon to yield an im- mense profit. Mr. Burden is now on a voyage to Europe, to procure letters patent for the exclusive use of his inventions there. Success attend every effort of his inventive cleverness. While in Troy, 1 enjoyed the privilege extended to all strangers, of visiting the well-regulated and extensive reading rooms of the " Troy Young Men's Association." This association is composed of five hundred and fifty young men between the ages of fourteen and forty. Persons over forty are admitted as honorary members by paying $5 per annum. The regular members pay $2. The reading rooms are furnished with about one hun- dred and fifty principal newspapers and magazines, from every state in the Union, as well as from for- eign countries. There is also connected with it a library of about twelve hundred volumes. Lec- tures are delivered before the members of the asso- ciation from December to March, on moral, lite- rary, and scientific subjects. A part of the mem- bers have formed a Debating Society. The asso- ciation is incorporated, and can hold property to the 94 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. amount of $30,000. Ladies are introduced, and not unfrequently visit the rooms in pleasant weather. West Troy, directly opposite the city on the west side of the Hudson River, has but little to at- tract the attention of the traveller. The United States Arsenal, however, is located here, and there are several articles manufactured pretty extensively, such as stone-ware, steam engines, etc. There is a fine smooth Macadamized turnpike on the west side of the river, from West Troy to Albany. This road was completed in 1831, and cost about $100,000. An excellent line of accom- modation stages leave Troy and Albany every half hour during the day. Passengers with their bag- gage are taken up and put down in any part of either city, for the trifling sum of twenty-five cents. The distance over the turnpike is six miles, and it runs parallel and in sight of the river and the great canal all the way. A steamboat, the John Ma- son, plies between Troy and Albany three or four times a day. But travellers generally prefer the pleasant route over the turnpike. There is a very neat public house on the road, where the stages stop, known as the half-way house. In the sum- mer season, the citizens of the two cities find this a delightful resort or stopping place. The facilities of travelling from Troy are quite numerous; besides the steamboats and the rail road, LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 95 stages leave for Castleton, Rutland, Manchester, Chester, Bennington, Brattleborough, Greenfield, Worcester, Lebanon Springs, Pittsrield, Boston, and for Whitehall via Sandy Hill, every day; and for Union Village to Whitehall, three times a week. LETTER XL Revolutionary Reminiscences of the Hudson — Fort Edward — General Lyman— Story of the fate of Miss Jane M l Crea, etc. Troy, May 12, 1836. Dear P. — In my last from this place, I intro- duced a brief account of the battle of Bemus' Heights. No section of the country is, perhaps, more fraught with reminiscences of war than the 11 Hudson and its vicinity." Following the river about fifty miles north of Troy, you reach the vil- lage of Fort Edward. The fort was raised during the memorable war of 1775, for the defence of this point of the Hudson. It was originally called Fort Lyman, after General Lyman, a brave but neglected officer. About half a mile above Fort Edward stands the old pine tree which marks the spot where Miss Jane M'Crea was murdered by the In- dians. The story of her fate, related by an anony- mous pen, will bear repeating in this place. For it " has been a theme which eloquence and sensibility have alike contributed to dignify, and which has kindled in many a breast the emotions of a respon- sive sympathy. General Gates's sympathy in his letter to Burgoyne, although more ornate than for- cible, and abounding more in bad taste than sim j LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. (?) plicity or pathos, was suited to the feelings of the moment, and produced a lively impression in every part of America; and the glowing language of Burke, in one of his most celebrated speeches in the British Parliament, made the story of Jane M'Crea familiar to the European world." This young lady was the daughter of a clergy- man who died in New Jersey before the Revolu- tion. Upon her father's death, she sought a home in the house of her brother, a respectable gentle- man residing on the western bank of Hudson River, about four miles below Fort Edward. Here «he formed an intimacy with a young man named David Jones, to whom it was understood she was engaged to be married. When the war broke out, Jones took the side of the royalists, went to Canada received a commission, and was a captain or lieu tenant among the provincials in Burgoyne's army, Fort Edward was situated on the eastern mar gin of Hudson River, within a few yards of the water, and surrounded by a plain of considerable extent, which was cleared of wood and cultivated. On tke road leading to the north, and near the foot of the hill, about one third of a mile from the fort, stood a house occupied by Mrs. M'Neil, a widow lady, and an acquaintance of Miss M'Crea, with whom she was staying as a visiter at the time the American army was in that neighbourhood. The 9 98 LETTERS ABOUT TBE HUDSON. side of the hill was covered with a growth of bushes, and on its top, a quarter of a mile from the house, stood a large pine tree, near the root of which gushed out a perennial spring of water. A guard of one hundred men had been left at the fort, and a picket under Lieutenant Van Vechten was stationed in the woods on the hill a little beyond the pine tree. Early one morning this picket guard was at- tacked by a party of Indians, rushing through the woods from different points at the same moment, and rending the air with their hideous yells. Lieut. Van Vechten and five others were killed and scalp- ed, and four were wounded. Samuel Standish, one of the guard, whose post was near the pine tree, discharged his musket at the first Indian he saw, and ran down the hill towards the fort ; but he had no sooner reached the plain, than three Indians who had pursued him, cut off his retreat, darted out of the bushes, fired, and wounded him in the foot. One of them sprang upon him, threw him to the ground, pinioned his arms, and then pushed him violently forward up the hill. He naturally made as much haste as he could, and in a short time they came to the spring, where several In- dians were assembled. Here Standish was left to himself, at a little dis- tance from the spring and the pine tree, expecting LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 99 every moment to share the fate of his comrades, whose scalps were conspicuously displayed. A few minutes only had elapsed, when he saw a small party of the Indians ascending the hill, and with them Mrs. M'Neil and Miss M'Crea on foot. He knew them both, having often been at Mrs. M'Neil's house. The party had hardly joined the other Indians, when he perceived much agitation among them, high words and violent gestures, till at length they engaged in a furious quarrel, and beat one another with their muskets. In the midst of this fray, one of the chiefs, apparently in a par- oxysm of rage, shot Miss M'Crea in the breast. She instantly fell and expired. Her hair was long and flowing. The same chief grasped it in his hand, seized his knife, and took off the scalp in such a manner as to include nearly the whole of the hair ; then springing from the ground, he tossed it in the face of a young warrior, who stood near him watching the operation, brandished it in the air, and uttered a yell of savage exultation. When this was done the quarrel ceased ; and, as the fort had already been alarmed, the Indians hurried away as quickly as possible to Gen. Frazier's en- campment on the road to Fort Anne, taking with them Mrs. M'Neil and Samuel Standish. The bodies of the slain were found by a party that went in pursuit, and were carried across the 100 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. river. They had been stripped of their clothing, and the body of Miss M'Crea was wounded in nine places, either by a scalping knife or a tomahawk. A messenger was despatched to convey the afflict- ing intelligence to her brother, who arrived soon afterward, took charge of his sister's remains, and had them interred on the east side of the river about three miles below the fort. The body of Lieut. Van Vechten was buried at the same time, and on the same spot. History has preserved no facts by which we can at this day ascertain the reason why Miss M'Crea should remain as she did in so exposed and un- protected a situation, She had been reminded of her danger by the people at the fort. Tradition relates, however, and with seeming truth, that through some medium of communication she had promised her lover, probably by his advice, to re- main in this place, until the approach of the British troops should afford an opportunity to join him, in company with her hostess and friend. It is said, that, when they saw the Indians coming to the house, they were at first frightened, and attempted to escape; but, as the Indians made signs of pa- cific intention, and one of them held up a letter in- timating that it was to be opened, their fears were calmed and the letter was read. It was from Jones, and contained a request that they would put them- LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. 101 selves under the charge of the Indians, whom he had sent for the purpose, and who would guard them in safety to the British camp. Unfortunately, two separate parties of Indians, or, at least, two chiefs acting independently of each other, had uni- ted in this enterprise, combining with it an attack of the picket guard. It is incredible that Jones should have known this part of the arrangement, or he would have foreseen the danger it threatened. When the prize was at their hands, the two chiefs quarrelled about the mode of dividing the rewards they were to receive ; and, according to the Indian rule of settling disputes in the case of captives, one of them, in a wild fit of passion, killed the victim and secured the scalp. Nor is it the least shocking feature of the transaction, that the savage seemed not aware of his mission. Uninformed as to the motive of his employer for obtaining the person of the lady, or not comprehending it, he regarded her in the light of a prisoner, and supposed the scalp would be an acceptable trophy. Let it be imagined what were the feelings of the anxious lover, waiting with joyful anticipation the arrival of his intended bride, when this appalling proof of her death was presented to him. The innocent had suffered by the hand of cruelty and violence, which he had un- consciously armed ; his most fondly cherished hopes were blasted, and a sting was planted in his soul, 9* 102 LETTERS ABOUT THE HUDSON. which time and forgetfulness never could eradicate. His spirit was scathed and his heart broken. He lived but a few years, a prey to his own sad recol- lections, and sunk into the grave under the burden of his grief. The remembrance of this melancholy tale is still cherished with a lively sympathy, by the people who dwell near the scene of its principal incidents. — The inhabitants of the village of Fort Edward, have lately removed the remains of Miss M'Crea from their obscure resting place, and deposited them in the public burial-ground. The ceremony was solemn and impressive. A procession of young men and maidens followed the relics, and wept in silence when the earth was again closed over them ; thus exhibiting an honourable proof of sensibility and of respect for the dead. The little fountain still pours out its clear waters near the brow of the hill, and the venerable pine is yet standing in its ancient majesty, broken at the top and shorn of its branches by the winds and storms of half a cen- tury, but revered as marking the spot where youth and innocence w r ere sacrificed in the tragical death of Jane M'Crea.* * Sparks Life of Gen. Arnold. LETTER XII. Master Ldpsey's Boat— Revolutionary Incident— The Boat Club— The passing of