Lossing, Benson John. The Hudson, from the Wilderness to the Sea. New York: Virtue & Yorston, 1866. Internet Archive identifier: hudsonfromwilder00lossi. Illustrated travel-history of the Hudson River valley by the writer and artist Benson J. Lossing, whose chapter on Teller's / Croton Point is a primary source for Senasqua place-name etymology, Sarah Teller's 1682 purchase, and the Underhill vineyard.
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As I looked upon that good man of gentle, loving nature, a bachelor of sixty-five, I thought of his exquisite picture of a true woman, in his charming little story of " The Wife," and wondered whether his own experience had not been in accordance with the following beautiful passage in his ' ' Newstead Abbey," Jin which he says: -- "An early, innocent, and unfortunate passion …
A large easy-chair, and two or three others, a writing-table with many drawers, shelves filled with books, three small pictures, and two neat bronze candelabra, completed the furniture of the room. It was warmed by an open grate of coals in a black variegated marble chimney-piece. Over this were the three small pictures. The larger represents "A literary party at Sir Joshua …
I took the first course of dinner with him, Avhcn I was compelled to leave to be in time THE HUDSON. 345 for the next train of cars that would convey me home. He arose from the table, and passed into the little drawing-room with me. At the door he took my hand in both of his, and with a pleasant smile said, " I wish you success in all your undertakings. God bless you." It was …
I was too far from home to be at the funeral, but oue of my family, very dear to me, was in the crowd of sincere mourners at his grave, on the borders of Sleepy Hollow. The day was a lovely one on the verge of winter, and thousands stood reverently around, on that sunny slope, while the earth Avas cast upon the coffin and the preacher uttered the solemn words, " Earth to …
"Tradition declares," says Mr. Irvmg in his admirable story of " Wolfert's Boost," •' that it was smuggled over from Holland in a churn by Femmelie Van Blarcom, wife of Gooseu Garrett Van Blarcom, one of the first settlers, and that -she took it up by night, unknown to her husband, from beside their farm-house near Rotterdam ; being sure she should find no water equal to it in …
it abruptly, leaving only space enough for a path, and on others it washes the feet of gentle grassy slopes. This is one of the many charmiag pictures to be found in the landscape of Sunnyside. After strolling along the pathways in various directions, sometimes finding myself upon the domains of the neighbours of Sunnyside (for no fence or hedge barriers exist between them), I …
His own dream-life for ever share ; "He who with England's liousehold's grace, And with the brave romance of Sijain. Tradition's lore and Nature's face, Imbued his visionary brain : " Mused in Granada's old arcade As gu^h'd the Moorish fount at noon. With the last minstrel thoughtful stray'd, To ruin'd shrines beneath the moon ; "And breathed the tenderness and wit Thus …
'■ But allow mo to speak wliat I liumbly feel,-- To a true poet-heart add the fun of Dick Steele Throw in all of Addison, mmiis the chill ; With the whole of that partnership's stock and good- will, Mix well, and while stirring, hum o'er as a spell, The fine old English Gentleman ; simmer it well. Sweeten .just to j'our own private liking, then strain. That only the finest and …
Around that cottage, and the adjacent lands and waters, Irving's genius has cast an atmosphere of romance, f The old Dutch house -- one of the oldest in all that region -- out of whuJh grew that quaint cottage, was a part of the veritable "Wolfert's Roost -- the very dwelling wherein occurred Katrina Yan Tassel's memorable quilting frolic, that terminated so disastrously to …
Lawrence." n:t was built, the chronicler tells us, by Wolfert Acker, a privy councillor of Peter Stuyvesant, "a worthy, but ill-starred man, whose aim through life had been to live in peace and quiet." He sadly failed. "It was his doom, in fact, to meet a head wind at every turn, and be kept in a constant fume and fret by the perverseness of mankind. Had he served on a modern …
Van Tassel had much trouble : his house was finally plundered and burnt, and he was carried a prisoner to New York. When THE HUDSON. 351 the war was over, he rebuilt the Roost, but in more modest style, as seen in our sketch. "The Indian spring" -- the one brought from Rotterdam -- "still welled up at the bottom of*the green bank; and the wild brook, wild as evei', came …
On one occasion, Jacob and some fellow bush-fighters peppered a British transport that had run aground. "This," says the chronicler, " was the last of Jacob's triumphs ; he fared like some heroic spider that has unwittingly ensnared a hornet, to the utter ruin of its web. It was not long after the above exploit that he fell into the hands of the enemy, in the course of one of …
The invaders therw pounced upon the blooming Laney Van Tassel, the beauty of the Eoost, and endeavoured to bear her off to the boat. But here was the real tug of war. The mother, the aunt, and the strapping negro wench, all flew to the rescue. The struggle continued down to the very water's edge, when a voice from the armed vessel at anchor ordered the spoilers to desist; they …
One of the most picturesque of the station-houses upon the Hudson River Railway is there, and a ferry connects the village with Piermont. Morning and evening, when the trains depart for and arrive from Xew York, many handsome vehicles may be seen there. This all seems like the work of magic. Over this beautiful slope, where so few years ago the voyager upon the Hudson saw only …
in the midst of a charming lawn, that extends from the highway to the Hudson, a distance of half a mile, and commands some of the finest and most extensive views of that portion of the river. The mansion is large, and its interior elegant. It presents many attractions to the lover of literature and art, aside from the delightful social atmosphere with which it is filled. There …
* From this point the Jraveller soutliward first obtains a good view of tlie Palisades on the west side of the river. THE HUDSON. visitor. It is the summer residence of Mr. Schuyler (a grandson of General Schuyler), Mr. Hamilton's son-in-law. Near it is a more pretentious residence belonging to Mr. Blatchford, another son-in-law of the proprietor of " Nevis.'M Within call of …
Its present name is from Dobbs, a Swede from the Delaware, one of the earliest settlers on Philipse's Manor. The village is seated pleasantly on the river front of the Greenburgh Hills, and is the place of summer residence for many New York families. Here active and important military operations occurred during the war for independence. There was no fighting here, hut in the …
marched to the attack at Eort Lee, and then pursued the flying Americans under "Washington across New Jersey to the Delaware river. Here, in 1777, a division of the American army, under General Lincoln, was encamped ; and here was the spot first appointed as the meeting-place of Andre and Arnold. Circumstances prevented the meeting, and it was postponed, as we have already …
The subject was freely talked over, and Greene bore from Robertson a verbal message to "Washington, and a long explanatory and threatening letter THE HUDSON. from Arnold. No new facts bearing upon the case were presented, and nothing was offered that changed the minds of the court or the commanding general. So the conference was fruitless. The Livingston mansion, owned by …
the Hudson from near Haverstraw almost to Hoboken, a distance of about thirty-five miles. Between Piermont and Hoboken, these rocks present, for a considerable distance, an uninterrupted, rude, columnar front, from 300 to 500 feet in height. They form a mural escarpment, columnar in appearance, yet not actually so in form. They have a steep slope of debris, which has been …
The most elevated of all is one nearly opposite Sing-Sing, which juts into the river like an enormous buttress, and is a prominent object from every point on the Hudson between New York and the Highlands. It rises 660 feet above tide-water. The Dutch named it Verdrietigh-Hoeclc -- Grievous or Yexations Point or Angle -- because in navigating the river they were apt to meet …
Yonkers derives its name from TonJcIieer -- Young Master or Lord -- the common appellation for the heir of a Dutch family. It is an old settlement, lands having been purchased here from the sachems by some of the Dutch West India Company as early as the beginning of Peter Stuyvesant's administration of the affairs of New Netherland.*' Here was the Indian village of …
n'he chief attraction at Yonkers for the antiquary is the Philipse Manor Hall, a spacious stone edifice, that once belonged to the lords of Philipse Manor. The older portion was built in 1682. The present front, forming an addition, was erected in 1745, when old " Castle Philipse," at Sleepy Hollow, was abandoned, and the Manor Hall became the favourite dwelling of the family) …
After the English conquest of New Netherland, Frederick Pliilipse and others purchased a greater portion of his estate on the Hudson and Harlem rivers. 3 A THE HUDSON. broad, and the staircase capacious and massive. The rooms are largo, and the ceilings are lofty; all the rooms are wainscoted, and the chief apartment has beautiful ornamental work upon the ceiling, in high …
exploring vessel, made her second anchorage after leaving New York Bay. It was toward the evening of the 12th of September, 1609 ; the explorer had then been several days in the yiciniij oi: Man-7i(i-Jiat- fa, as the Indians called the island on which New York stands, and had had some intercourse with the natives. " The twelfth," says " Master Ivet (Juet) of the Lime House," …
That event, and the assurance of the natives that the waters northward, upon which he had gazed with wonder and delight, came from far beyond the mountains, inspired Hudson with great hope, for it must be remembered that his errand was the discovery of a northern passage to India. He now doubted not that the great river upon which he was floating flowed from ocean to ocean …
Forrest was induced to visit England in 1844. He was accompanied by his wife. There he soon became involved in a bitter dispute with the dramatic critic of the London Examiner, and Macready the actor. This quarrel led to the most serious results. Out of it were developed the mob and the bloodshed of what is known, in the social history of the city of l^ew York, as the "Astor …
The whole were under the general direction of Mother Superior Mary Angela Hughes. At Font Hill they erected an extensive and elegant pile of buildings, of which they took possession, and wherein they opened a school, on the MOUNT ST. VINCENT ACADEMY. ist of September, 1859. It was much enlarged in 1865. They had, in 1860, about one hundred and fifty pupils, all boarders, to …
The view from the mouth of the Spyt den Duyvel, over which the Hudson River Railway passes, loolving either JJi^N DUiVEL CEtEK across the river to the Palisades, as given in our sketch, or inland, embracing bold Berrian's Neck on the left, and the wooded head of Manhattan Island on the right, with the winding creek, the cultivated ridge on the borders of Harlem River, and the …
For a short time he vapoured like an impatient ghost upon the brink, and then bethinking himself of the urgency of his errand (to arouse the people to arms), he took a hearty embrace of his stone bottle, swore most valorously that he would swim across in spite of the devil {en spijt den (hiyvel), and daringly plunged into the stream. Luckless Anthony ! Scarcely had he buffeted …
Here an old Dutch burgher, famed for his veracity, and who had been a witness of the fact, related to them the melancholy affair ; with the fearful addition (to which I am slow in giving belief), that he saw the Duyvel, in the shape of a huge moss-bonker (a species of inferior fish) seize the sturdy Anthony by the leg, and drag him beneath the waves. Oertain it is, the place …
This creek was called Mosli-u-la by the Indians, and the valley was ^e favourite residence of a wavlike Mohegan tribe. Its lower portion was the scene of almost continual skirmishing during a portion of the war for independence. THE CiiM'LKV llOLSE. Tippett's Creek is crossed by a low bridge. A few yards beyond it is Kingsbridge, at the head of the Harlem River, which here …
Upon the heights each side of the bridge redoubts were thrown up ; and here, in January, 1777, a bloody conflict occurred between the Americans, xmder General Heath, and a large body of Hessian mercenaries, under General Knyphausen. The place was held alternately by the Americans and British ; and little more than half a mile below the bridge an ancient story-and-a-half house …
The tourist will find much pleasure in a voyage from the city through the East and Harlem liivers. The " High Bridge," or aqueduct over which the waters of the Croton How from the main land to Manhattan Island, crosses the Island at One Hundred and Seventy-Third Street. It is built of granite. The aqueduct is fourteen hundred and fifty feet in length, and rests upon arches …
The drive over this road is very agreeable. The winding THE HUDSON. avenue passes tliroiigli a narrow valley, part of the way between rugged hills, only partially divested of the forest, and ascends to the south-eastern slope of Mount Washington (the highest land on the island), on which stands the village of Carmansville. f At the upper end of this village, on the high rocky …
It commands a fine view of the Harlem Eiver at the High Bridge, to the village of Harlem and beyond ; *^ also of Long Island Sound, the villages of Astoria and Flushing, and the green fields of Long Island. Nearer are seen Harlem Plains, and the fine new bridge at Macomb's Dam. This house was built before the old war for independence, by Iloger Morris, a fellow- soldier with …
Eobinson's sister, Mary Philipse, was also a guest there, in the summer-time. Her bright eyes, blooming cheeks, great vivacity, perfection of person, aristocratic connexions, and prospective wealth, captivated the young Virginia soldier. He lingered in her presence as long as duty would permit, and would gladly have carried her with him to Virginia as his bride ; but his …
It is about eight miles from the heart of the city, completely embowered, and presenting a pleasing picture at every point of view. ("This was the home of General Alexander Hamilton, one of the founders of the Itepublic, and is one of the few " undesecrated " dwelling- IHF GRAIiCtL. places of the men of the last century, to be found on York Island. Near the centre of the …
It well typifies the state of South Carolina in its past history as represented by its ruling class, which was composed, to a great extent, of professional politicians, who were arrogant, narrow, opposed to simple republican institutions, and longing for an alteration in the fundamental principles of their government so as to have political power centred in few great land and …
It is just within the outer lines of the entrenchments thrown up by the Americans in 1776, and is in the midst of the theatre of the stirring events of that year. "Wc have now fairly entered upon Manhattan Island, inour journeyings from the "Wilderness to the Sea, and are rapidly approaching the commercial metropolis of the country, seated upon its southern portion, where the …
Before making excursions over these ways, and observing their surroundings, let us turn aside from the Kingsbridge Road, in the direction of the Hudson, and, following a winding avenue, note some of the private rural residences that cover the crown and slopes of old Mount "Washington, now called Washington Heights, The villas are remarkable for the taste displayed in their …
Following this road a few rods farther down the heights, we reach the station-house of the Hudson River Railway, which stands at the southern entrance to a deep rock excavation through a point of Mount Washington, known for a hundred years or more as Jeffrey's Hook. This point has an interesting revolutionary history in connection with Mount Washington. At the beginning of the …
The citadel was on the crown of Mount Washington, overlooking the THE HUDSON. country in every direction, and comprising within the scope of vision the Hudson from the Highlands to the harbour of New York. The citadel, with the outworks, covered several acres between One Hundred and Eighty-first and One Hundred and Eighty-sixth Streets. On the point of the chief promontory of …
Eut the ruthless hand of pride, forgetful of the past, and of all patriotic allegiance to the most cherished traditions of American citizens, has levelled the mounds, and removed the flag-staff ; and that spot, consecrated to the memory of valorous deeds and courageous suffering, must now be sought for in the kitchen-garden or ornamental grounds of some wealthy citizen, whose …
It is one of the oldest institutions of the kind in the United States, the act of the Legislature of New York incorporating it being dated on the day (April 15, 1817) when the Asylum for the Deaf and Dumb at Hartford, Connecticut, was opened. The illustrious De Witt Clinton was the first president of the association. Its progress was slow for several years, when, in 1831, Mr …
As thitherward endeavowing, and upright Stood on my feet ; about me round I saw Hill, dale, and shady woods, and sunny plains, And liquid lapse of murmuring streams ; by these, Creatures that lived, and moved, and walked, or Hew ; Birds on the branches warbling ; all things smiled ; with fragrance and with joy my heart o'erflowed. Myself I then perused, and limb by limb …
In the midst of a delightful grove of forest trees, a short distance below ESIBENCE. the Asylum for the Deaf and Dumb, is the dwelling of the late J. J. Audubon, the eminent naturalist, where some of his family still reside. Only a few years ago it was as secluded as any rural scene fifty miles from the city ; now, other dwellings are in the grove, streets have been cut …
Baron Cuvier said of it, -- " It is the most gigantic and most magnificent monument that has ever been erected to Nature." Audubon was the son of a French admiral, who settled in Louisiana, and his whole life was devoted to his favourite pursuit. The story of that life is a record of acts of highest heroism, and presents a most remarkable illustration of the triumphs of …
It was not, however, a parlour, or an ordinary reception room that I entered, but evidently a room for work. In one corner stood a painter's easel, with a half-finished sketch of a beaver on the paper ; on the other lay the skin of an American panther. The antlers of elks hung upon the walls, stuffed birds of every description of gay plumage ornamented the mantelpiece, and …
"His greeting, as he entered, was at once frank and cordial, and showed you the sincere, true man. ' How kind it is,' he said, with a slight French accent, and in a pensive tone, ' to come to see me, and how wise, too, to leave that crazy city ! ' He then shook me warmly by the hand. < Do you know,' he continued, * how I wonder that men can consent to swelter and fret their …
His body was laid in a modest tomb in the beautiful Trinity Cemetery, near his dwelling. This burial-place, deeply shaded by original forest trees and varieties that have been planted, affords a most delightful retreat on a warm summer's day. It lies upon the slopes of the river bank. Poot-paths and carriage-roads wind through it in all directions, and pleasant glimpses of the …
Manhattanville, situated in the chief of the four valleys that cleave the island from the Hudson to the East River, now a pleasant suburban village, is destined to be soon swallowed by the approaching and rapacious town. Its site on the Hudson was originally called Harlem Cove. It 3 D THE HUDSON. was considered a place of strategic importance in the tvar for independence and …
The main, or older portion of the building, was erected, I believe, by the elder Dr. Post, '^yyv'S^^^ii^^^^ CLAEEMONT. early in the present century, as a summer residence, and named by him Claremont. It still belongs to the Post family,. It was an elegant country mansion, upon a most desirable spot, overlooking many leagues of the Hudson. There, more than fifty years ago …
Claremont was the residence, for awhile, of Joseph Buonaparte, ex-king of Spain, when he first took refuge in the United States, after the battle of "Waterloo and the downfall of the Napoleon dynasty. Here, too, Francis James Jackson, the successor of Mr. Erskine, the British minister at Washington at the opening of the war of 1812, resided a short time. He was familiarly …
Beyond Seventieth Street it is still called Bloomingdale Road -- a hard, smooth, macadamised highway, broad, devious, and undulating, shaded the greater portion of its length, made attractive by many elegant residences and ornamental grounds, and thronged every fine day with fast horses and light vehicles, bearing the young and the gay of both sexes. The stranger in New York …
was opened in the year 1821, for the reception of patients. It may be considered a development of the Lunatic Asylum founded in 1810. Its establishment upon more rational principles is due to the benevolent Thomas Eddy, a Quaker, who proposed to the governors of the old institution a course of moral treatment more thorough and extensive than had yet been tried. The place …
A short distance below the Asylum for the Insane, on the east side of the Blooming-dale Road, is the fine old country seat of the Apthorpe family, called Elm Park. It is now given to the uses of mere devotees of pleasure. Here the Germans of the city congregate in great numbers ASYLUM FOE THE INSANE. during hours of leisure, to drink beer, tell stories, smoke, sing, and enjoy …
Washington himself had a very narrow escape here, for he left the house only a few minutes before the advanced British column took possession of it. Elm Park, when the accompanying sketch was made (June, 1861), was a sort ol camp of instruction for volunteers for the army of the Bepublic, then engaged in crushing the great rebellion, in favour of human slavery and political …
From one hundred and fifty to two hundred of these children of misfortune are there continually, with their physical, moral, intellectual, and spiritual wants supplied. Their home is a beautiful one. The building is of stone, and the grounds around it, sloping to the river, comprise about fifteen acres. This institution is the child of the " Society for the Eelicf of Poor …
It was founded by John George Leake, who bequeathed a large sum for the purpose. His executor, John "Watts, also made a liberal donation for the same object, and in honour of these benefactors the institution was named. These comprise the chief public establishments for the unfortunate in the city of New York, near the Hudson river. There are many others 3 E THE HUDSON. in the …
The view northward, over Harlem Plains, is delightful. From the road at our feet stretch away numerous "truck" gardens, from which the city draws vegetable supplies. On the left is seen Manhattanville and a glimpse of the Palisades beyond the Hudson. In the centre, upon the highest visible point, is the Convent of the Sacred Heart ; and towards the right is the Croton …
and Mount Washington, within which occurred most of the sanguinary scenes in the capture of Fort Washington by the British and Hessians. Our rocky observatory, more than a hundred feet above tide-water, overlooking Harlem Plains, is included in the Central Park. Let us descend from it, ride along the verge of the Plain, and go up east of McGowan's Pass at about One Hundred and …
"We may only convey a few hints. The park was suggested by the late A. J. Downing, iu 1851, when Kingsland, mayor of the city, gave it his ofiicial recommendation. Within a hundred days the Legislature of the State of New York granted the city permission to lay out a park ; and in February, 1856, 733 acres of land, in the centre of the island, was in possession of the civic …
Its chief feature will be a Mall, or broad walk of gravel and grass, 208 feet wide, and a fourth of a mile long, planted with four rows of the magnificent American elm trees, with scats and other rc(|uisites for resting and lounging. This, as has been suggested, will be New York's great out-ofdoors Hall of Ee-union. There will be a carriage-way more than nine miles in length …
Pleasure-boats glide over it in summer, and in winter it is thronged with skaters.*' One portion of the Skating-Pond is devoted exclusively to the gentler sex. These, of nearly all ages and conditions, throng the ice whenever the skating is good. Open spaces are to be left for military parades, and large plats of turf for games, such as ball and cricket, will be laid down …
This structure will be composed of exquisitely wrought light brown freestone, and granite. Such is a general idea of tlie park, the construction of which was begun at the beginning of 1858; it is expected to be completed in 1864-- a period of only about six years. The entire cost will not fall much short of 12,000,000 dollars. As n;any as four thousand men and several hundred …
Of visitors to the pond, the least number on any one day was one hundred; the largest number on one day (Christmas) estimated at 100,000; aggregate niunber during the season, .540,000 ; average number on skating days, 12,000." t This brief description was written, and the accompanying sketches were made, in 1861. Tlie great work of fashioning this Park, leaving Nature, in the …
undermining their castles -- for in New York, as in England, "every man's house is his castle." These form the advanced guard of the growing metropolis ; and so eccentric is Fortune in the distribution of her favours in this land of general equality, that a dweller in these "suburban cottages," -where swine and goats are seen instead of deer and blood-cattle, may, not many …
of pleasure-seekers during the hot months of summer, and the delightful weeks of early autumn. There, in profound retirement, in an elegant mansion on the bank of the East River, lived David Provoost, better PROVOOSTS TOMB-- JONES'S \YOODS. known to the inhabitants of New York -- more than a hundred years ago -- as "Eeady-money Provoost." This title he acquired because of the …
Near its site, large assemblages of people listen to music, hold festivals, dance, partake of refreshments of almost every kind, and fill the air with the voices of mirth. The Germans, who love the open air, go thither in large numbers ; r.nd tents wherein lager bier is sold, form conspicuous objects in that still half sylvan retreat. There Blondiu walked his rope at fearful …
It is no longer dangerous to navigators, the sunken rocks which formed the whirlpool having been leniovcd in 1852, by submarine blasting, in which electricity was em- Tic tilab bears 'lie fdlow injr inscriplii n : '■ Joa.nnah Rykdees, who was the mcst loving wife of Kavi 1 Provoost. It was lier will to be interred in lliis hill. Obitus 8 Xember, 1749, aged 43 years." "Sacrea …
On Mill Rock, a strong block-house was erected during the war of 1812; and on Hallett's Point, a military work called Fort Stevens was constructed at the same time. Near Hell-gate the Harlem River enters the East River, and not far distant are Ward's and Randall's Islands. These belong to the corporation of New York. The former contains a spacious emigrants' hospital, THE …
The House of Eefuge is on the southern part of the island, opposite One Hundred and Seventeenth Street. There youthful criminals are kept free from the contaminating influence of old ofi'enders, are taught useful trades, and are continually subjected to reforming influences. Good homes are furnished them when they leave the institution, and in this way the children of depraved …
Andre's have been compared, was brought before General Howe at this place soon after his arrest. He was confined during the night in the conservatory, and the next morning, without even the form of a trial, was handed over to Cunningham, the inhuman provost marshal, who hanged him upon an apple-tree, under circumstances of peculiar cruelty. The act was intended to strike the …
It was a fine old relic of New York aristocracy a hundred years ago, and one of only three or four coaches owned in the city at that time. Such was the prejudice against the name of coach -- a sure sign of aristocracy -- that Robert Murray, a wealthy Quaker merchant, called his "a leathern conveniency." But the beauty of the Beekman homestead has departed ; the ground is …
Washington was anxious to ascertain the exact position and condition of the British aiToy on Long Island, and Hale volunteered to obtain it. He was an-ested, and consigned to Cunningham for execution. He was refused the services of a clergj'man and the use of a Bible, and letters that he wrote during the night to his mother and sisters were destroyed by the inhuman marshal …
THE HUDSON. which our sketch of Blackwcll's Ishuid was taken -- Avas a theatre of some stirring scenes during the revolution. Until within a few years it remained in its primitive condition -- a sheltered cove with a gravelly beach, and high rocky shores covered with trees and shrubbery. Here the British government had a magazine of military stores, and these the Sons of …
Eclow this point almost every relic of the past, in Nature and Art, has been swept away by pick and powder ; and wharves, store-houses, manufactories, and dwellings, are occupying places where, only a few years ago, were pleasant country seats, far away from the noise of the town. Our ride in this direction will, therefore, have no special attractions, so let us turn towards …
Its walls, in Egyptian stylo, are of dark granite, and average forty-fonr feet in height above the adjacent streets. Upon the top of the wall, which is reached by massive steps, is a broad promenade, from which may be obtained very extensive vie^vs of the city and the surrounding country. This is made secure by a Illltl ^4\W"''%*' FIFTH AVENUE HOTEL, MADISOX PARK. strong …
At the request of the Corporation of the City of New York, George P. Morris wrote the following Ode, which was sung near the fountain then playing in the City Hall Park, by the members of the New York Sacred Music Society : -- THE CROTON ODE. Gashing from this living fountain, JIusic pours a falling strain. Ad the goddess of llie mountain Comes with all her sparkling train …
Hail the wanderer from a far land ! Bind her flowing tresses up ! Crown her with a fadeless garland, And with crystal brim the cup ; From her haunts of deep seclusion, Let Intemperance greet her too, And the heat of his delusion Sprinkle with this mountain-dew. THE HUDSON. 411 Water leaps as if delighted, While her conquered foes retire 1 I'alc Contagion Hies affrighted With …
In Westchester county it crosses twenty-five streams, from 12 to 70 feet below the line of grade, besides numerous small brooks furnished with culverts. After crossing the Harlem River over the high bridge already described, it passes the Manhattan valley by an inverted siphon of iron pipes, 4, 180 feet in length, and the Clendening valley on an aqueduct 1,900 feet. It then …
For two miles we may pass between houses of the most costly description, built chiefly of brown freestone, some of it i * The principal one of the remote sources of the Croton Eiver is a spring near the road side, not far from the liouse of William Hoag, on Quaker Hill, in the town of Pawling. The spring is by the side of a stone fence, with a barrel-curb, and is 1,300 feet …
At the intersection, and fronting Madison Park, is the magnificent Fifth Avenue Hotel, built of white marble, and said to be the largest and most elegant in the world. As wo look up from near the St. Germain, this immense hoixsc, six stories in height, is seen on the left, and the trees of Madison Park on the right. In the middle distance is the "Worth House, a large private …
The monument was erected in 1858. jij OWN Broadway, a few streets below the Fifth Avenue Hotel, is Union Park, whose form is an ellipse. It is at the head of Old Broadway, at Fourteenth Street, ■^' and is at such an elevation that the Hudson and East Eivers may both be seen by a spectator on its Fourteenth Street front. It is a small enclosure, with a large fountain, and …
This is the only public statue in the city of New York, if we except a small sandstone one in the City Hall Park, and a marble one of William Pitt, at the corner of Franklin Street and West Broadway, which stood at the junction of Wall and William Streets, when the old war for independence broke out. The latter is only a torso, the head and arms having been broken off by the …
"We are going to visit the oldest living thing in the city of New York, -- an ancient peartree, at the corner of Thirteenth Street and Third Avenue. It was rXIOX PARI, brought from Holland by Peter Stuyvcsant, the last and most renowned of the governors of New Netherland (New York) while it belonged to the Dutch. Stuyvesant brought the tree from Holland, and planted it in his …
He built a chapel, at his own cost, on the site of St. Mark's, and in a vault within it he was buried. The slab of brown freestone that covered it, and which now occupies a place in the rear wall of St. Mark's, bears the following inscription: -- "lu this vault lies Peteus Stuyvesant, late Captain-General and Commander-in- THE HUDSON. chief of Amsterdam, in New Netherlands …
The latter is one of the most flourishing and important associations in New York, and numbers among its membership -- resident, corresponding, and honorary -- many of the best minds in America and Europe. It has a very large and valuable library, and an immense collection of manuscripts and rare things ; also the entire collection of Egyptian antiquities brought to the United …
He was " Peter the Headstrong " in Knickerbocker's burlesque history of New York, -WTitten by Irving, who describes him as a man "of such immense activity and decision of mind, that he never sought nor accepted the advice of others." . ..." A tough, sturdy, valiant, weather-beaten, mettlesome, obstinate, leather-sided, lion-hearted, generous-spirited old governor." t The New …
It was incorporated in the year 1700, under the title of " The PubUc Library of New York." Its name was changed to its present one in 1754. It contains almost 50,000 volumes. THE HUDSON. the k'ft, and Clinton Hall in the distance. The open area is Astor Place. The Bible Honse occupies a whole block or square. It belongs to the American Bible Society. A large portion of the …
300,000 dollars. The primary object of the founder is the advancement of science, and knowledge of the useful arts, and to this end all the interior arrangements of the edifice were made. "When it was completed, Mr. Cooper formally conveyed the whole property to trustees, to be devoted to the public good.^' By his munificence, benevolence, and wisdom displayed in this gift to …
Let us now ride down the Bowery, the broadest street in the city, and lined almost wholly with small retail shops. It leads us to Franklin Square, a small triangular space at the junction of Pearl and Cherry Streets. This, in the " olden time," was the fashionable quarter of the city, and was remarkable first for the great "Walton House, and a little later as the vicinity of …
There is a large hall, with a gallerj-, designed for a free Public Exchange. THE HUDSON. between it and Franklin Square, it formed a front on that open space. In 1856, the Bowery was continued from Chatham Square to Franklin Square, when this and adjacent buildings were demolished, and larger edifices erected on their sites. There Washington held his first levees, and there …
A latelydeceased resident of "New York once informed mc, that when he was a schoolboy and lived in "Wall Street, he was frequently rewarded for good behaviour, by permission to "go out on Saturday afternoon to see Master Walton's grand house." The family arms, carved in wood, remained over the street door until 1850. It was a place of great resort for the British officers …
It was founded nearly fifty years ago, by two of the four brothers who compose the firm. They are all yet (1866) actively engaged in the management of the affairs of the house, with several of their sons, and may be found during business hours, ever ready to extend the hand of cordial welcome to strangers, and to give them the opportunity to see the operation of book-making in …
On the brow of that declivity, where Tammany Hall now stands, Jacob Leisler, "the people's governor," when James II. left the FEANKLIN SQUAEE. English throne and William of Orange ascended it, was hanged, having been convicted on the false accusation of being a disloyal usurper. He was the victim of a jealous and corrupt aristocracy, and was the first and last man ever put to …
Paul's Church, a chapel of Trinity Church ; where, in after years, when the objects for which the "Sons of Liberty" had been organised were accomplished, namely, the independence of the colonies, the Te Deum Laudamus was sung by a vast multitude, on the occasion of the inauguration of Washington (who was present), as the first chief magistrate of the United States. There it …
The present fine building was then commenced, and was completed in 1843. Within the burial-ground around the church, and the most conspicuous object there, is the magnificent brown freestone monument, erected by order of the vestry, in 1852, and dedicated as "Sacred to the Memory," as an inscription upon it says, " of those brave and good men who died, whilst imprisoned in the …
On Sunday morning, one of Washington's generals called on Dr. Inglis, and requested him to omit the violent prayer for the king and royal family. He paid no regard to it. He afterwards said to that officer, "It is in your power to shut up the churches, but you cannot make the clergy depart from their duty." Tlie prisoners alluded to in the inscription on the monument, were …
His affirmative answer, with proofs of its sincerity, was a sufficient passport. They pryed not into private opinion or belief ; and bigotry could not take root and flourish in a soil so inimical to its growth. The inhabitants were industrious, thi'ifty, simple in manners and living, hospitable, neighbourly, and honest ; and all enjoyed as full a share of human happiness as a …
Their charter gave them territorial dominion, and the country, called New Netherland, was made a county of Holland. The seal bore the representation of a beaver rampant-- an animal very valuable for its fur, and then abundant. The seal of the city of New York (seen in the engraving) has the beaver in one of its quartermgs. New Amsterdam remained in tlie possession of the Dutch …
Broadway, the famous street of commercial palaces, terminates at a DUTCH MANSION AND COTTAGE IN NEW AJISTEEDAM. shaded mall and green, called -The Battery," a name derived from fortifications that once existed there. The first fort erected on Manhattan Island, by the Dutch, was on the banks of the Hudson, at its mouth, in the rear of Trinity Church. The next was built upon the …
It covered a portion of the ground occupied by the Battery of to-day. It was called Fort hOiiccTipTajJiiJiYrr MJiMMiiiliiB^ THE BOWLING GREEN AND FOET GEORGE IN 1783.* George, in honour of the then reigning sovereign of England. Within its walls were the governor's house and most of the government offices. In the vicinity of the fort many stirring scenes were enacted when the …
Here the boldness of the Sons of Liberty was displayed at the opening of the revolution, by the removal of guns from the battery in the face of a cannonade from a British ship of war in the harbour. From here was witnessed, by a vast and jubilant crowd, the final departure of the British army, after the peace of 1783, and the unfurling of the banner of the Republic from the …
The round heads of the iron fence-posts were knocked off for the use of the artillery, and the leaden statue of his Majesty was made into bullets for the use of the republican army. " His troops," said a writer of the day, referring to the king, " will probably have melted majesty fired at them." The pedestal of the statue, seen in the engraving, remained in the Bowling Green …
Near the Bowling Green, across Eroadway (No. 1), is the Kennedy THE BOWLING GREEN IN ISfil. House, where "Washington and General Lee, and afterwards Sir Henry Clinton, Generals Eobertson and Carleton, and other British officers, had their head-quarters. It has been recently altered by an addition to its height. ■^'• * This house \ with the (laiighte as built by Captain …
All of old New York has been converted into one vast business mart, and there are very few respectable residences within a mile of the Battery. At the present time (September, 1861), it exhibits a martial display. Its green sward is THE HUDSON. covered with tents and barracks for the recruits of the Grand National Array of Volunteers, and its fine old trees give grateful shade …
which 0 fine marble building was erected for a Custom House, and which is now used for the purposes of a branch Mint. In the gallery, in front of the hall, the President took the oath of office, administered by Chancellor Livingston, in the presence of a great assemblage of people who filled the street. The Hudson from the Battery, northward, is lined with continuous piers and …
" whilst the hoarse voices of escaping waste-steam, and the discordant tintinnabulation of a score of bells, hurry on the laggards by warnings of the near approach of the hour of departure. Several bells suddenly cease, when from different slips, steamboats covered with passengers will shoot out like race-horses from their grooms, and turning their prows northward, begin the …
From every point of view interesting landscapes meet the eye. The broad Tappan Sea is before it, and stretching along its shores for several miles are seen the towns, and villas, and rich farms of Westchester County. In its immediate vicinity the huntsman and fisherman may enjoy his favourite sport. In its southern suburbs is the spacious building of the Kockland Female …
freight is transferred to cars and barges. Tappantown, where Major Andre was executed, is about two miles from Piermont. A short distance below Piermont is Eockland, a post village of about three hundred inhabitants, pleasantly situated on the river, and flanked by high hills. Here the Palisades proper have their northern termination ; and from here to Fort Lee the columnar …
The site of the fort is on the left of the head of the ravine, in the ascent, and is now marked by only a few mounds and a venerable pine-tree just south of them, which tradition avers once sheltered the tent of Washington. As the great patriot never pitched his tent there, tradition is in error. Washington was at the fort a short time at the middle of November, 1776, while …
The title of Port Washington was changed to that of Port Knyphausen, in honour of the Hessian general who was engaged in its capture. Port Lee was speedily approached by the British under Cornwallis, and as speedily abandoned by the Americans. The latter fled to the Eepublican camp at Hackensack, when Washington commenced his famous retreat through New Jersey, from the Hudson …
pleasant paths through the woods leading to vistas through which glimpses of the city and adjacent waters arc obtained. Hither pie-nic parties come to spend warm summer days, where -- '■ Overhead The braiu'hos arch, and ^hape a iileasant bower. Breaking white doud, blue sky, and sunsliiiie bright. Into iiure ivory and sapiihiro spots, And flocks of geld ; a soft, cool emerald …
He sent General Wayne, with some Pennsylvanian and M^aryland troops, horse and foot, to storm the block-house, and to drive the THE HUDSON. cattle within the American lines. Wayne sent the cavalry, under Major Henry Lee, to perform the latter duty, whilst he and three Pennsylvanian reo-iments marched against the block-house with four pieces of cannon. They made a spirited …
It was written upon small folio paper. The poem is entitled THE cow CHASE. Canto I. To drive the kine one summer's n The tanner* took his way ; The calf shall rue, that is unborn, The yumbling of that day. And Wayne descending steers sliall know And tauntingly deride, And call to mind, in every low, The tanning of his liide. Yet IJergen cows still ruminate Unconscious in the …
Whether the wing that's doomed to fight, Or tliat to drive the cows ; * This is in allusion to the supposed business of General Wayne, in early life, who, it was said, was a tanner. He was a surveyor. t A common name for hasty-pudding, made of the meal of maize or Indian com. t Major Harry Lee was cormuander of a corps of light horseman, and Colonel Proctor was at the liead of …
And ravish wife and daughter. " I under cover of tli' attack. Whilst you are all at blows. From English Neighborhood and Tinack Will drive away the cows. " For well you know the latter is The serious operation, And fighting with the refugees Is only demonstration.'' His daring words from all the crowd Such great applause did gain, That every man declai-ed aloud For serious …
At Irvine's nod,* 'twas fine to see Tlie left prepared to figlit, The while the drovers, Waj-ne and Lee, Drew off upon the right. Whiuli Irvine 'twas Fame don't relate, Kor can the Muse assist hei', Whether 'twas he that cocks a hat, Or he that gives a glister. For greatly one was signalised. That fouglit at Chestnut Hill, And Canada immortalised The vendor of the pill. Yet …
Impending o'er their heads. Here one bewails a brother's fate, '1 here one a sire demands, Cut off, alas ! before their date. By ignominious hands. And silver'd grandsires here appear'd In deep distress serene, Of reverend manners that declared The better days they'd seen. Oh ! cursed rebellion, these are thine, Thine are these tales of woe ; Shall at thy dire insatiate shrine …
Eode like a soldier big. And secretary Harrison, With pen stuck in his wig.* But, lest chieftain Washington Should mourn them in the mumps,t The fate of Withrington to shun, They fought behind the stmups. But ah! Thaddeus Posset, why Should thy poor soul elope ? And why should Titus Hooper die, Ah ! die-- without a rope ? Apostate Murphy, tliou to whom Fair Shela ne'er was …
A word about the rattle. * Colonels Hamilton and Han-ison, of Washington's staff. t A painful swelling of the glands, then prevalent in the Republican ami)-. THE HUDSON. The chief whom we beheld of late, Near Schralenberg haranguing, At Yan Van Poop's unconscious sat Of Irvine's hearty banging. Wliile valiant Lee, with courage wild, Most bravely did oppose Tlie tears of women …
No human lamentations, Tlie trees you see them cutting yonder Are all my near relations. " And I, forlorn, implore thine aid To free the sacred grove : So shall thy prowess be repaid With an immortal's love." Now some, to prove she was a goddess I Said this enchanting fair Had late retired from the Bodies,* In all the pomp of war. That drums and merry flfes had play'd To …
All in a cloud of dust were seen, The sheep, the horse, the goat. The gentle heifer, ass obscene, The yearling and the slioat. And pack-horses with fowls came liy, Befeathered on each side. Like Pegasus, the horse that I And other poets ride. Sublime upon the stirrups rose The mighty Lee behind. And drove the terror-smitten cows, Lilce chaff before the wind. But sudden see the …
Five refugees ('tis true) were found Stiff on the block-house floor, But then 'tis thought the shot went round, And in at the back door. THE HUDSON. 447 Poor Parson Caldwell,* all in wonder, Saw the returning train, And mourn'd to Wayne the lack of plunder, For them to steal again. For 'twas his right to seize the spoil, and To share with each commander. As he had done at …
I tremble as I show it. Lest this same warrio-drover, Wayne, Should ever catch the poet. It has been remarked as a curious coincidence, that on the day when the last canto of the above poem was published in Rivington's Gazette, Major Andre was arrested; and that General Wayne, so ridiculed in it, and who is so peculiarly alluded to in the last stanza, was the commander of the …
The Dutch spelt It Wlehachan, and it is now commonly wi-itten Weehawken ; I Jiave adopted the ortliography that expresses the pure Indian pronunciation. THE HUDSON. 449 famous by its connection with the duelling ground where General Alexander Hamilton, one of the founders of the Eepublic, was mortally wounded in single combat, by Aaron Burr, then Vice-President of the United …
This crime, added to his known vices, made him thoroughly detested, and few men had the courage to avow themselves his friend. A monument was erected to the memory of Hamilton, on the spot where he fell. It was afterwards destroyed by some marauder. The place is now a rough one, on the margin of the river, and is marked by a rude arm-chair or sofa (seen in our sketch, in which …
There, on a warm summer afternoon, or a moonlit evening, might be seen scores of both sexes strolling upon the soft grass, or sitting upon the green sward, recalling to memory many beautiful sketches of life in the early periods of the world, given in the volumes of the old poets. All is now changed ; the trips of Charon to the Elysian Fields are suspended, and the grounds …
At length the fierce Mohawks, bent on procuring tribute from the weaker tribes westward of the Hudson, came sweeping down like a gale from the north, driving great numbers of fugitives upon the Hackcnsacks at Hobock. !N'ow was the opportunity for the Dutch. A strong body of them, with some Mohawks, crossed the Hudson at midnight, in February, 1643, fell upon the unsuspecting …
Our space will allow nothing more than an outline description of it. It is a vessel 452 THE HUDSON. seven hundred feet long (length of the Great Eastern), covered with plates of iron so as to be absolutely bomb and round shot proof. It is to be moved by steam engines of sufficient power to give it a momentum that will cause it to cut a man-of-war in two, when it strikes it at …
This was an important strategic point in the revolution. Here the British established a military post after taking possession of the city of JSTew York in 1776, and held it until August, 1779, when the active Major Henry Lee, mentioned in Andre's satire of "The Cow Chase," with his legion, surprised the garrison, killed a number, and captured the fort, just before the dawn …
opposite the city of New York, is the large and beautiful city of Brooklyn,* whose intimate social and business relations with the metropolis, and connection by numerous ferries, render it a sort of suburban town. Its growth has been wonderful. Less than sixty years ago, it contained only a ferry-house, a few scattered dwellings, and a church. Now it comprises an area of …
Near its banks was born Sarah Eapelje, the first child of European parents that drew its earliest breath within the limits of the State of New York.'''' Upon that aceldama of the old war for independence in the vicinity of the Hudson, is now a dockyard of the United States Government, which covers about forty-five acres of land. "Within the enclosure is a depository of curious …
constructed, known as the Atlantic Docks, covering forty acres, and aftbrding within the "slips" water of sufficient depth for vessels of largest size. There is an outside pier, three thousand feet in length, and on the wharves are extensive warehouses of granite. These wharves afford perfect security from depredators to vessels loading and unloading. A little below Brooklyn …
456 THE HUDSON. the grave of M 'Donald Clarke, known in New York, twenty years ago, as the "Mad Poet." His monument is seen upon a little hillock in our sketch of Sylvan Water, Clarke was an eccentric child of genius. He became, in his latter years, an unhappy wanderer, with reason half dethi'oned, a companion of want, and the victim of the world's neglect. His proud spirit …
From two or three prominent points in Greenwood Cemetery fine views of New York city and bay may be obtained, but a better comprehension of the scenery of the harbour, and adjacent shores, may be had in a voyage down the Bay to Staten Island. f This may be accomplished G0VEEK0E"S and liEKLUt'S LSLANDS. many times a day, on steam ferry-boats, from the foot of "Whitehall Street …
On the right is Bedloe's Island,* mostly occupied by Fort Wood, a heavy fortification, erected in 1841. Near it is Ellis's Island, with a small military work, called Fort Gibson. This was formerly named Gibbet Island, it being then, as now, the place for the execution of pirates. These islands belong to the United States. The forts upon them were used as prisons for captured …
These country-seats usually overlook the bay. The tourist will find an excursion over this island a delightful one. On the northern extremity of Staten Island, the State of New York established a quarantine as early as 1799, and maintained it until the beginning of September, 1858, when the inhabitants of the village that had grown up there, and of the adjacent country, who …
On the left is the Long Island shore, with Fort Hamilton on its high hank, and Fort Lafayette, formerly Fort Diamond, in the stream below. The latter fort is upon Hendrick's Eeef, two hundred yards from the Long Island shore. It was commenced in 1812, but had not been thoroughly completed when the Civil War commenced, although 350,000 dollars had been spent upon it. It was …
It was enlarged and strengthened during the Civil War. At the beginning of the rebellion it mounted sixty heavy guns (a portion of them en harbette), forty-eight of which bore upon the ship channel. The fort is elevated, and commands the Lower Bay from the Narrows towards Sandy Hook. This work, with the fortifications on the opposite shore of Staten Island, and the water …
ISTear the Pavilion, at its western end, the scene of our little sketch, the beach is very flat, and surf bathing is perfectly safe. There crowds of bathers of both sexes, in their sometimes grotesque dresses, may be seen every pleasant day in summer, especially at evening, enjoying the water. Eefreshments are served at the Pavilion near, and a day may be spent there …
Sandy Hook is a long, low, narrow strip of sandy land, much of it THE HUDSON. covered with shrubs and dwarf trees. It is about five miles in length, from the Navesink Lights to its northern extremity, whereon are two lighthouses. It is the southern cape of Raritan Bay, and has twice been an island, within less than a century. An inlet was cut through by the sea during a gale …
About a mile below the pier, near the lighthouse, on the inner shore of the Hook, once stood an elegant monument, erected to the memory of a son of the Earl of Morton, and thirteen others, who were cast away near there, in a snow-storm, during the revolution, and perished. All but one were officers of a British man-of-war, wrecked there. They were discovered, and buried in one …
We have looked upon almost every prominent object of Nature and Art along the borders of the Hudson, and have communed • profitably, I hope, with History and Tradition on the way. We have seen every phase of material progress, from Nature in her wildest forms, to Civilisation in its highest development. Our journey is finished-- our observations have ceased-and here, with the …