The Revolution checked this movement entirely for the time being, nor was it till 1787 or 8 that it began again. But from that time it progressed continually, so that by 1847, there were only about 2500 or 3000 acres of leased land," exclusive of the estate belonging to Gen. Pierre Van Cortlandt, left throughout the Manor. Of this about 1200 acres divided into five farms are, at this moment, still held, in the Great Lot, No. 6, south of Croton, by descendants of the heir to whom that lot fell at the original division. In Nine cases out of ten the tenants themselves acciuired the fee of their own farms. And the result has been that in every township in the Manor, very many of the descendants of the original tenants still live, as owners in fee, upon the same lands which their ancestors originally took ui)on leases, and thus have held them for four, five, and sometimes six generations.

In all the townships there are a few instances where dishonest persons have by trick aud chicanery acquired farms, by a series of " squattings " and fraudulent transfers and so-called sales of leases. But as a body the old tenants dealt honestly and squarely with the owners.

Some of the leases it may be said, provided for a partial payment of the rent fixed, in kind, as in wheat, in two or four fat fowls, and in so many

> Original MS.

HISTORY OF WESTCHESTER COUNTY.

" days work with carriage and horses," meaning not " a carriage " in our sense of the word to-day, but a day's work with wagon and team. Tliis latter was Often spoken and written of as a " day's riding.'' These were all originally introduced as an easy way for the tenants in those times when there was very little mon ey in the country to pay a part of the rents reserved in the leases, which as a rule ran from one or two, to ten pounds a year.