followed the mine road to the large flats on Delaware, that smoothed cleared land, and such an abundance of large apple trees suited their views, that they bona fide bought the improvements of the native Indians, most of whom then removed to Susquehanna, that with such as remained there was peace and friendship until the year 1755. I then went to view the Paaquarry Mine holes, there appeared to have been a great abundance of labor done there at some former time, but the mouth of these holes were caved full and overgrown with bushes. I concluded to myself if there ever had been a rich mine under that mountain, it must be there yet in close confinement.

"The other old men I conversed with gave their traditions similar to Nicholas Depui, and they all appeared to be the grandsons of the first settlers and generally very illiterate as to dates or anything relating to chronology.

In the summer of 1789 I began to build on this place, when there came two venerable gentlemen, on a surveying expedition; they were the late General James Clinton, the father of the late De Witt Clinton, and Christopher Tappan, Esq.; he was the clerk and recorder of Ulster county; for many years before they had both been surveyors under General Clinton's father, when he was surveyor general. In order to learn some history from gentlemen of their general knowledge, I accompanied them in the woods; they both well knew the mine holes, mine roads, and as there were no kind of documents or records thereof, united in opinion, that it was a work transacted while the state of New York belonged to the government of Holland, that it fell to the English in the year 1664, and that the change of government stopped the mining business and that the road must have been made many years before such digging could be done, that it must undoubtedly have been the first good road of any extent ever made in any part of the United States. That from the best evidence that I have been able to obtain, I am clearly of opinion that Meenesink was the oldest European settlement of equal extent ever made in the territory afterwards named Pennsylvania. And these enterprising Arminians and followers of Hugo De Grotius, by their just and pacific conduct to the natives, so as to maintain peace and friendship with them for perhaps one hundred years, have left a traditional memorial of their virtue that time ought not to obliterate."

It seems the best interpretation Scull could make of the word Meenesink, was "the water is gone," and Mr. Preston offers the following theory: "From every appearance of so much alluvial or made land, above the mountain, there must, in some former period of the world, have been a great dam against the mountain, that formed all the settlement named Meenesink into

a lake, which extended and backed the water at least 50 miles, as appears by the alluvial or made land. What height the dam was, is quite uncertain; had it been as high or half as high as the mountain, the water would have run into the North river, at or near the old mine road or Hudson and Delaware canal. From the water made land, and distance that it appears to have backed over the falls in the river, the height must, at a moderate calculation, have been between 150 and 200 feet-which would have formed a cataract in proportion to the quantity of water similar to Niagara.

*

*

"By what convulsion of nature, or in what age of the world, can never be known; but, in my opinion, from every observation that I have been able to make, in so frequently passing through the Gap by water and land, it appears that the dam must have been sunk into some tremendous subterraneous cavern, and to a depth that cannot be known or estimated. The distance through the mountain is called two miles, and say, the river will average near half a mile wide, the water as still as a mill pond; so that a raft will float either up or down as the wind blows. As to the depth of the water, I have been told by old men, that formerly they could not find any bottom by sounding with the longest ropes or cords they could obtain.

"Nicholas Scull was esteemed a first rate man of his day as to science and general knowledge. Ninety-eight years ago he was on Depuis' Island, and from the vast size of a hollow buttonwood and apple tree he concluded that the water must have been gone one thousand years or more, for trees to have grown to such an uncommon size." After some further speculations on the subject Mr. Preston naively adds, "if any person thinks my hypothesis erroneous, the Water Gap will not run away. They may go and examine for themselves," and we know no spot better deserving scientific explorations.-Hazard's Register, I, 428, 439, 440.

The discrepance between Depuis's alleged ignorance of the existence of Philadelphia or where the river ran, and the statement in the text, will present itself to the reader. We are unable to offer any explanation.

The year 1615 is the alleged date of the settlement of Esopus by the Hollanders (Answer of Dutch to English Manifesto, Doc. Rel. Col. History of New York, edited by Dr. O'Callaghan's, II, 325; O'Callaghan's New Neth., I, 390), and it is probable that the settlers at Meenesink must have found their way there from the former place. Our author does not allude to the existence of copper mines, but so early as 1659 the directors of the Dutch West India Company say "we lately saw a small piece of mineral, said to have been brought from New Netherland, which was such good and pure copper that we deemed it worth enquiry of one Kloes de Ruyter about it, as

we presume he must know, if the fact is as stated." He asserted that there was a copper mine at Menesink.- Hazard's Annals, 255, and Doc. Rel. Col. History of New York II, 633. This was, it is likely, from the mine at Paaquarry flat, the present Pahaquarry, in the northeast corner of Warren county, New Jersey. Any discovery of copper must have been made between the years 1641 and 1649, for, in a Journal of New Netherland begun in the former year (Doc. Rel. Col. Hist. of N. Y., I, 180), it is stated that in the interior are pretty high mountains, exhibiting generally pretty strong indications of minerals, and in a document dated 1649 (Id., 262), fully an hundred different samples of minerals are said to have been lost on their way to Holland.

In 1715 Governor Hunter of New York, in his letter to the Lords of Trade referred to a copper mine in New York, "brought to perfection, of which in one month a ton of ore had been sent to England;" but he does not state its location-Doc. Rel. Col. Hist. N. Y., V, 462. The same authority states that in 1720 "there was iron enough, that copper was rarer, lead at a great distance in the Indian settlement, and coal mines on Long Island, but not yet wrought," and in 1721 "a great quantity of iron ore was stated to exist in New Jersey, and some copper."-Id., 556, 603.

Note 8, page 31.

Our knowledge of the first attempt at establishing a whale fishery upon the Delaware is derived from the account contained in the narrative of that most minute, truthful and graphic of all voyagers, David Pietersz. de Vries, to which we have before referred. This navigator, with whom was associated eight others, formed themselves into a patroonship, and "at the same time equipped a ship with a yacht for the purpose of prosecuting the voyage, as well as to carry on the whale fishery in that region, as to plant a colony for the cultivation of all sorts of grain, for which the country is very well adapted, and of tobacco. This ship, with the yacht, sailed from the Texel, the 12th of December, 1630, with a number of people and a large stock of cattle, to settle our colony upon the South river,1 which lies on the 38th and half degree, and to conduct the whale fishery there, as Godyn represented that there were many whales which kept before the bay, and the oil at sixty guilders a hogshead he thought would realize a good profit, and consequently that fine country be cultivated." This attempt was unsuccessful; the captain on his return to Holland reporting that they had arrived too late in the season for their purpose. "It was therefor again resolved to undertake a voyage for the whale fishery, and that I myself (De Vries) should go as patroon, and as commander of the ship and yacht and should endeavor to be there in December, in order to

1The Delaware.

conduct the whale fishery during the winter, as the whales come in the winter and remain till March." De Vries accordingly sailed and found, on his arrival at Swanendael, that the little colony had been murdered by the Indians; not a soul was left to tell the tale, and its particulars and the cause which led to the sad event were ascertained from the natives themselves. Our navigator allowed his people to prosecute their undertaking at Swanendael, while he sailed up the river. On his return he found seven whales had been caught, "but there were only thirty-two cartels of oil obtained, so that the whale fishery is very expensive when such meagre fish are caught. We could have done more if we had had good harpooners, for they had struck seventeen fish and only secured seven, which was astonishing. They had always struck the whales in the tail. I afterwards understood from some Basques, who were old whale fishers, that they always struck the harpoon in the fore part of the back. This voyage was an expensive one to us, but not so much, since I had laid in a good cargo of salt in the West Indies, which brought a good price. Having put our oil in the ship, taken down our kettle and hauled in wood and water, we got ready to sail."-De Vries's Voyages, translated by Mr. Henry C. Murphy, and privately printed by Mr. James Lenox, New York, 1853.- This appears to be the most circumstantial narrative extant of any attempt to prosecute whale fishing, as a commercial enterprise. The trade seems to have continued of some importance, and so late as 1693 was made the subject of an enactment, for in that year a law was passed, in which a preamble set forth that, Whereas, the whalery in Delaware Bay has been in so great a measure invaded by strangers and foreigners, that the greatest part of Oyl and Bone recovered and got by that imploy, hath been exported out of the Province to the great detriment thereof, to obviate which mischief Be it enacted, &c., that all Persons not residing within the Precincts of this Province, or the Province of Pennsylvania, who shall kill, or bring on shore any whale or whales within Delaware Bay or elsewhere within the Boundaries of this Government shall pay one full entire Tenth of all the Oyl and Bone, made out of the said Whale or Whales unto the present Government of the Province for the Time being.-Leaming and Spicer, 519 and 520, Chapter ix of Laws of the Province of West New Jersey.

Note 9, page 35.

The cultivation of the grape, especially with reference to the production of wine, very early attracted the attention of the emigrants to America, of which fact some remarkable evidence is upon record. And it is curious to compare the sanguine expectations upon this subject, and upon the raising of silk, with the results of two hundred and fifty years' experience.

Our progenitors, mostly coming from a land where the sun was oftener clouded than unobscured, warmed into enthusiasm under the genial influences of a more southern sky. Their spirits were led captive, and their descriptions, imbued with the language of poetry, held forth to the fortunate adventurer all the good the most fruitful imagination could conceive of what the earth might produce or the air and water contained for the comfort and advantage of the race.

In a curious tract entitled A DECLARATION OF THE STATE OF the COLONIE and Affaires in VIRGINIA: WITH the Names of the Adventurors, and Summes adventured in that Action. By his Majesties Counseil for VIRGINIA, 22 Iunij, 1620. LONDON: Printed by T. S., 1620, 8vo, pp. 30 and 39, the advantages are set forth in terms sufficient to allure the most unimaginative aspirant for better fortune. "And first to remove that unworthy aspersion, wherewith ill-disposed mindes, guiding their Actions by corrupt ends, have, both by Letters from thence, and by rumours here at home, sought unjustly to staine and blemish that Countrey, as being barren and unprofitable;-Wee have thought it necessary, for the full satisfaction of all, to make it publikely knowne, that, by diligent examination, wee have assuredly found, those Letters and Rumours to have been false and malicious; procured by practise, and suborned to evill purposes, and contrarily disadvowed by the testimony, upon Oath, of the chiefe Inhabitants of all the Colony ; by whom we are ascertained, that the countrey is rich, spacious, and well watered; temperate as for the climate; very healthfull after men are a little accustomed to it; abounding with all God's naturall blessings: The Land replenished with the goodliest Woods in the world, and those full of Deere, and other Beasts for sustenance: The Seas and Rivers (whereof many are exceeding faire and navigable) full of excellen 1Fish, and of all Sorts desireable; both Water and Land yeelding Fowle in very great store and variety; In Summe, a Countrey, too good for ill people; and we hope reserved by the providence of God, for such as shall apply themselves faithfully to his service, and be a strength and honour to our King and Nation. But touching those Commodities for which that Countrey is proper, and which have beene lately set up for the adventurors benefit: wee referre you to a true note of them latety delivered in a great and generall Court, and hereunto annexed for your better information ***The riche Furres, Caviary and Cordage, which we draw from Russia with so great difficulty, are to be had in Virginia, and the parts adjoyning, with ease and plenty. The Masts, Planckes and Boords, the Pitch and Tarre, the Pot-ashes and Sope-ashes, the Hempe and Flax (being the materials of Linnen), which now wee fetch from Norway, Denmarke, Poland, and Germany, are there to be had in abundance and great perfection. The Iron which hath so wasted our