The farmer can get all sorts of cattle in the course of the second summer, when he will have more leisure to cut and bring home hay, also to build houses and barns for men and cattle.

OF THE BUILDING OF HOUSES AT FIRST.

Before beginning to build, 'twill above all things be necessary to select a well located spot, either on some river or bay, suitable for the settlement of a village or hamlet. This is

358 NEW- YORK COLONIAL MANUSCRIPTS.

previously properly surveyed and divided into lots, with good streets according to the situation of the place.This hamlet can be fenced all around with high palisades or long boards and closed with gates, which is advantageous in case of attack by the natives, who heretofore used to exhibit their insolence in new plantations. Outside the village or hamlet, other land must be laid out which can in general be fenced and prepared at the most trifling expense. Those in New Netherland and especially in New England, who have no means to build farm-houses at first according to their wishes, dig a square pit in the ground, cellar fashion, six or seven feet deep, as long and as broad as they think proper, case the earth inside all round the wall with timber, which they line with the bark of trees or something else to prevent the caving in of the earth floor this cellar with plank and wainscot it overhead for ;

a ceiling, raise a roof of spars clear up and cover the spars with bark or green sods, so that they can live dry and warm in these houses with their entire families for two, three and four years, it being understood that partitions are run through those cellars which are adapted to the size of the family.The wealthy and principal men in New England, in the beginning of the Colonies, commenced their first dwelling-houses in this fasiiion for two reasons; first, in order not to waste time building and not to want food the next season ; secondly, in order not to discourage poorer laboring people whom they brought over in numbers from Fatherland.