New York was an independent Sovereign State, mistress of herself, and as such was one of the thirteen independent Sovereignties so acknowledged by the British Treaty of Peace in 1783. While in this condition her Legislature divided her territory into counties and townships, and made some changes in the former from what they had been under the Province of New York. This was done by two acts pa.ssed on the 7th of March, 1788, chapters 63 and ()4 of the Laws of 1788.- Both acts, however, were only to take effect from and after the first day of Ajjril, 1789. By the former, which related to the counties, the State was divided into sixteen counties, four more than by the act of 1691, to be called by the names of New York, Albany, Suffolk, Queen's, King's, Richmond, Westchester, Orange, Ulster, Dutchess, Columbia, Washington, Clinton, Montgonu'ry, Cumberland and (lloucester."

AVestchester is thus described : " The County of Westchester to contain all that part of this State, bounded southerly by the Sound, easterly by the State of Connecticut, Tiortherly by the North Bounds of the Manor of Cortlandt, and the same line continued east to the bounds of Connecticut, and west to the middle of Hudson's River, and westerly by a line running from thence down the middle of Hudson's liiver until it comes opposite to the Bounds of the State of New Jersey, then west to the same, then southerly along the east Bounds of the State of Neu- Jer.iey to the Line of the Coiuity of New York, and then along the same easterly and southerly to the Sound, or East Rioer, including Captain's Island, and all the islands in the Sound to the east of