At the communion table church members always wore black, and invariably stood to receive the sacrament. The Kingston church is ]particularly worthy tof >- notice from the fact that it occupied a unique position, being an inde])endent church as late as 1808. For a century and a half it had rejected the jurisdiction of the General Synod of the Dutch Church in America. The ministers had been called from Europe, and an individual charter was granted in 17 19 by the British Crown. Besides these Dutch and Huguenot settlers, it is said that a few Irish found their way into Kingston at an early day; however that may be, we know that not the least energetic and successful of her citizens to-day ma\^ boast of forbears that may have hung their shields in Tara's halls. In Dr. Miller "s History of Nciv York, published in London in 1695, there were shown the plans of three places on the Hudson River. New Amsterdam was the first of these in importance ; Albany (Fort Orange) , the second; and Kingston, third. This same order is preserved to-day. It is a fact to remember that, in expressing her choice for a site for the national capital, New York voted in favour of Kingston. Ulster County, formed in 1683, lay between Moodna or Murderer's Creek on the south, and Sawyer's, the line dividing: from Greene Count\', on the north. It

450 The Hudson River borders the west bank of the river and embraced at that time all of the important settlements between the Highlands and vSaugerties. The trading post of Rondout, one of the very earliest to be established, antedated the landing of the Pilgrim Fathers at Plymouth by six years. The Indian name, Ponckhockie, is still retained to designate a section of the town.