They had a court-house, it is true, -- a room upon the second floor of a house within the fort, -- but Vander Donck, the first and at th^it time the only law)'er of the ])laee, was not permitted to practice, as there -was no one to o Pilose hi in. The Schepeii heard and decided, without haste or delay, upon the few cases that were brought before him, ruling by a code as simple and effectual as that of Solomon. From the pages of Dol])h He}diger we may borrow a vi\4d i)icture of the Albany of that day :

On their arrival at All)any, the sight of Dolph's companion seemed to cause universal satisfaction. Many were the greetings at the river-side, and the salutations in the streets; the dogs bounded before him; the bovs whooped as he passed; evervbody seemed to know Antony Vander Hey den. Dolph followed on in silence, admiring the neatness of tliis worth v l)urgh; for in those days Albany was in all its glory, and inhabited almost exclusively bythe descendants of the original Dutch settlers, not having as yet been discovered and colonised by the restless people of New England. Everything was quiet and orderly; everything was conducted calmly and leisurely; no hurry, no bustle, no struggling and scrambling for existence. The grass grew about the unpaved streets, and relieved the eye by its refreshing verdure. Tall sycamores or pendent willows shaded

530 The Hudson River the houses, with caterpillars swinging, in long silken strings, from their branches; or moths, fluttering about like coxcombs, in joy at their gay transformation. The houses were built in the old Dutch style, with the gable-ends towards the street. The thrifty housewife was seated on a bench before her door, in close-crimped cap, bright-flowered gown, and white apron, busily employed in knitting.