-- Castle of Indolence.

Castle Philipse, the ancient residence of the lords of Philipsburgh, occupies a pleasant position on the west side of the mill-pond, nearly facing the old Dutch church ; having acquired the appellation from the fact that, in the early days of the colony, it was strongly fortified with cannon -- a necessary precaution against any sudden attack of the Indians. The embrasures or port holes can yet be traced on the cellar walls.

The western end of the building is evidently the remains of a much older edifice, probably coeval with the erection of a mill in 16S3.

The mansion is seen to the best advantage from the Sleepy Hollow bridge. The principal entrance is through a porch on the north-east front.

Here within the compass of a broad territory, the Philipses enjoyed every distinction, feudal and ecclesiastic, which the Colonial Government could bestow. The manor, baronial courts, hunting, fishing,

HISTORY OF THE COUNTY OF WESTCHESTER.

advowson, and family sepulchre, together with all the blessings which the retirement of a country life and religion could afford.

The old mill adjoining the mansion is quite in unison with the scenery of the Hollow. In the palmy days of the manor, the tenants brought hither their grain to be ground, and from hence the lords of the manor shipped their flour for the metropolis.

The keel of the famous Roebuck that so often navigated the neighboring waters with her cargo to and from the city, quietly reposes in the muddy bed of the Pocanteco creek. The old miller (who lived to the advanced age of 94,) was in the habit of calling it his iron mine, as the keel actually furnished him with bolts and nails for his lifetime.