formerly named the Fuyck by the Hollanders, who first settled there,
on account of two rows of houses standing there, opposite to each
other, which being wide enough apart in the beginning, finally ran
quite together like a _fuyck_,[350] and, therefore, they gave it this
name, which, although the place is built up, it still bears with many,
especially the Dutch and Indians living about there. It is nearly
square, and lies against the hill, with several good streets, on
which there may be about eighty or ninety houses. Fort Orange,
constructed by the Dutch, lies below on the bank of the river, and is
set off with palisades, filled in with earth on the inside. It is now
abandoned by the English, who have built a similar one behind the
town, high up on the declivity of the hill, from whence it can command
the place. From the other side of this fort the inhabitants have
brought a spring or fountain of water, under the fort, and under
ground into the town, where they now have in several places always
fountains of clear, fresh, cool water. The town is surrounded by
palisades, and has several gates corresponding with the streets. It
has a Dutch Reformed and a Lutheran church. The Lutheran minister
lives up here in the winter, and down in New York in the summer.[351]
There is no English church or place of meeting, to my knowledge. As
this is the principal trading-post with the Indians, and as also they
alone have the privilege of trading, which is only granted to certain
merchants there, as a special benefit, who know what each one must pay
therefor, there are houses or lodges erected on both sides of the
town, where the Indians, who come from the far interior to trade, live
during the time they are there. This time of trading with the Indians
is at its height in the months of June and July, and also in August,
when it falls off; because it is then the best time for them to make
their journeys there and back, as well as because the Hollanders then
have more time outside their farm duties.
[Footnote 350: See p. 198, note 3.]
[Footnote 351: Rev. Bernhardus Arensius had since 1674 ministered to
these two Lutheran congregations, and continued till his death in
1691.]
We came to anchor at Kinderhook, in order to take in some grain, which
the female trader before mentioned[352] had there to be carried down
the river.
[Footnote 352: Illetje's mistress.]
MAY _1st, Wednesday._ We began early to load, but as it had to come
from some distance in the country, and we had to wait, we stepped
ashore to amuse ourselves. We came to a creek where, near the river,
lives the man whom they usually call the Child of Luxury,[353] because
he formerly had been such an one, but who now was not far from being
the Child of Poverty, for he was situated poorly enough. He had a
saw-mill on the creek, on a water-fall, which is a singular one, for
it is true that all falls have something special, and so had this one,
which was not less rare and pleasant than others. The water fell quite
steep, in one body, but it came down in steps, with a broad rest
sometimes between them. These steps were sixty feet or more high, and
were formed out of a single rock, which is unusual. I reached this
spot alone through the woods, and while I was sitting on the mill, my
comrade came up with the Child of Luxury, who, after he had shown us
the mill and falls, took us down a little to the right of the mill,
under a rock, on the margin of the creek, where we could behold how
wonderful God is even in the most hidden parts of the earth; for we
saw crystal lying in layers between the rocks, and when we rolled away
a piece of the rock, there was, at least on two sides of it, a crust
or bark, about as thick as the breadth of a straw, of a sparkling or
glassy substance, which looked like alabaster, and this crust was full
of points or gems, which were truly gems of crystal, or like
substance. They sparkled brightly, and were as clear as water, and so
close together that you could obtain hundreds of them from one piece
of the crust. We broke some pieces off, and brought them away with us
as curiosities. It is justly to be supposed that other precious stones
rest in the crevices of the rocks and mines as these do. I have seen
this sort of crystal as large and pointed as the joint of a finger. I
saw one, indeed, at the house of Robert Sanders as large as your fist,
though it was not clear, but white, like glassy alabaster. It had what
they call a table point. Robert Sanders has much of this mountain
crystal at his farm, about four miles from Albany, towards the Cahoos,
on the east side of the river, but we have not been there.
[Footnote 353: This was one Frans Pieterse Clauw, who had come out to
Beverwyck (Albany) in 1656.]
On returning to the boat, we saw that the woman-trader had sent a
quantity of bluish wheat on board, which the skipper would not
receive, or rather mix with the other wheat; but when she came she had
it done, in which her dishonesty appeared, for when the skipper
arrived at New York he could not deliver the wheat which was under
hers. We set sail in the evening, and came to Claver Rack,[354]
sixteen miles further down, where we also took in some grain in the
evening.
[Footnote 354: "Clover Reach," now Claverack.]
_2d, Thursday._ We were here laden full of grain, which had to be
brought in four miles from the country. The boors who brought it in
wagons asked us to ride out with them to their places, which we did.
We rode along a high ridge of blue rock on the right hand, the top of
which was grown over. This stone is suitable for burning lime, as the
people of the Hysopus, from the same kind, burn the best. Large, clear
fountains flow out of these cliffs or hills, the first real fountains
and only ones which we have met with in this country. We arrived at
the places which consist of fine farms; the tillable land is like that
of Schoonechtendeel, low, flat, and on the side of a creek, very
delightful and pleasant to look upon, especially at the present time,
when they were all green with the wheat coming up. The woodland also
is very good for tillable land, and it was one of the locations which
pleased me most, with its agreeable fountains. Coming back to the
shore, I made a sketch,[355] as well as I could, of the Catskill
mountains, which now showed themselves nakedly, which they did not do
to us when we went up the river. They lie on the west side of the
river, deep in the country, and I stood on the east side of it. In the
evening we obtained a still more distinct view of them.
[Footnote 355: Sketch not preserved.]
_3d, Friday._ We took on board early the rest of our lading. Our
tradress left us here in order to go back to Albany, and we received
two other passengers in her stead, a young man of this place, named
Dirck, to whom we made mention of our crystal. He said they had at his
place a rock, in which there was a yellow, glittering substance like
gold, as they firmly believed it was; he did not know we were there,
otherwise he would have presented us with a specimen. We spoke to him,
as he was a good hearted youth, several times of God and Christ, and
of the Christian life, and each time he was much concerned. Truly we
discover gradually more and more there is here a hunger and thirst
after God, and no one to help them. They go everywhere wandering
without a shepherd, and know not where they shall turn. We also spoke
to the skipper's daughter, a worldly child, who was not affected by
what we said. The Lord will, in His own time, gather together those
who are of His elect.
We sailed from there about nine o'clock, but after going eight or
twelve miles got aground in consequence of our heavy lading, where we
were compelled to remain until four o'clock in the afternoon, waiting
for high water. But what was unfortunate, we missed a fine, fair wind,
which sprang up about eleven o'clock. Meanwhile the passengers went
ashore. I walked a small distance into the country, and came to a fall
of water, the basin of which was full of fish, two of which I caught
with my hands. They were young shad. I went immediately after the
other passengers for assistance to catch more, but when they came,
they made such an agitation of the water, that the fish all shot to
the bottom, and remained there under the rocks. We therefore could
obtain no more; but if we had had a small casting net, we could have
caught them in great numbers, or if I had remained there quiet alone.
But as it was, we had to abandon it. These fish come at high water
from the North River into these little streams, where they find clear,
fresh water, and weeds and herbs. They remain there eating and
sporting, and in the meantime at low water they are left in these
holes or basins, and they are thus caught in great numbers in many of
the streams by the Indians.
The water having risen, and the wind being favorable, we went on
board, and as soon as we were afloat, got under sail. We proceeded
rapidly ahead, and at sundown came to anchor before the Hysopus, where
we landed some passengers who lived there.
_4th, Saturday._ We went ashore early, and further inland to the
village. We found Gerrit the glass-maker there,[356] with his sister.
He it was who desired to come up here in company with us, and he was
now happy to see us. He was engaged putting the glass in their new
church, but left his work to go with us through the country, where he
was better acquainted than we were. We found here exceedingly large
flats, which are more than three hours' ride in length, very level,
with a black soil which yields grain abundantly. They lie like those
at Schoonecte and Claver Rack, between the hills and along the creek,
which sometimes overflows all the land, and drowns and washes out much
of the wheat. The place is square,[357] set off with palisades,
through which there are several gates; it consists of about fifty
houses within the stockade. They were engaged in a severe war with
the Indians during the administration of the Heer Stuyvesant, which is
therefore still called the Hysopus war, partly because it was
occasioned on account of the people of Hysopus, and because they have
had to bear there the largest burden of it.[358] In returning to the
village we observed a very large, clear fountain bubbling up from
under a rock. When we arrived there, we went to the house of the
person who was the head of the village, where some people had
assembled, who, having no minister, and hearing that my comrade was a
theologian, requested him to preach for them the next day. But our
skipper having finished what he had to do, we left there. Here and in
Albany they brew the heaviest beer we have tasted in all New
Netherland, and from wheat alone, because it is so abundant. The
glass-maker informed us that Willem, the son of our old people,[359]
was going to follow the sea, and had left for Barbados; that Evert
Duyckert, our late mate on our voyage out, who had gone as captain of
a ketch to Barbados and Jamaica, had arrived; that it was his ship we
had seen coming in, when we were leaving the city, and that perhaps he
would go with her to Holland. This place is about three-quarters of an
hour inland. At the mouth of the creek, on the shore of the river,
there are some houses and a redoubt, together with a general
storehouse, where the farmers bring in their grain, in order that it
may be conveniently shipped when the boats come up here, and wherein
their goods are discharged from the boats, as otherwise there would be
too much delay in going back and forth. The woodland around the
Hysopus is not of much value, and is nothing but sand and rock. We had
hardly reached the river, when a man came running up to us as hard as
he could, requesting to speak to us. We inquired of him what he
desired, when he complained of being sorely afflicted with an internal
disease, and said he had heard we well understood medicine, and knew
what to prescribe for him. We told him we were no doctors, and had
only brought a few medicines with us for our own use, and most of them
we had given away.[360] My comrade told him what he thought of his
disease, and that we could not help him: whereupon this poor wretched
man went sorrowfully back again, for he had spent much to be cured.
We told him, however, we would send him a brackish powder which had
done good in several cases, and which, if it pleased God to bless it,
would perhaps help him. We went on board the boat, and immediately got
under sail, with a favorable but light wind, and by evening arrived at
the entrance of the Highlands.
[Footnote 356: Gerrit Duyckinck.]
[Footnote 357: A ground-plan of Esopus or Kingston, showing the
stockade with its gates, and the houses and fortifications as they are
here described, may be found in Miller's _Description of New York_.]
[Footnote 358: The Esopus war occurred in 1658-1660.]
[Footnote 359: Willem Hellekers.]
[Footnote 360: See p. 202, note.]
_5th, Sunday._ The wind was ahead, but it was calm. When the tide
began to fall, we tacked, or rather drifted along, but with little
progress. We passed through the Highlands however, and came to anchor
by the time the ebb was spent. The weather was very rainy.
_6th, Monday._ The wind was still contrary, and blew hard therefore we
tacked, but in consequence of our being very heavily laden we advanced
but little. We anchored again when we went ashore at a place on the
east side of the river where there was a meadow on fire. We saw there
a beautiful hard stone, as white and as clean as I have ever seen
either here or in Europe, very fine for building; and also many cedar
trees of beautiful color and strong perfume. Some Indians came
alongside of us in their canoes, whom we called on board, and bought
from them a very large striped bass, as large as a codfish in the
Fatherland, for a loaf of stale bread worth about three stivers,
Holland money, and some other fish for a little old salt meat.
_7th, Tuesday._ At daylight the tide served, but the wind was still
ahead, though steady. We continued tacking with considerable progress,
and at ten o'clock arrived before the city of New York, where we
struck upon a rock. The water was falling, and we therefore
immediately carried out an anchor, and wore the yacht off. A slight
breeze soon afterward sprang up, and took us to the city. The Lord be
praised and glorified for His grace. We delivered our letters, and
executed the orders which were committed to us. We inquired for
Ephraim and de la Grange, but they had not yet arrived.
_8th, Wednesday._ We had now nothing more to do, except to get ready
with all speed to leave for Boston. As we had ordered some clothes, as
we have said, to be made, we urged the tailor to finish them. We
inquired for a boat going to Boston, and found there were two, but the
time was up the next day for leaving, and we could not be ready so
soon. We went first to visit Theunis, concerning whom there had been
great talk during our absence. Even the minister Niewenhuyse dared to
say that we had misled him; and he intended to visit Theunis, for he
had been to our house. But Theunis anticipated him, and said he need
not give himself so much trouble, as he could go to him, which he did.
When the domine asked him about these things, he told the domine he
must not have such opinion; that we had not misled him, but had led
him straight; that he was not able to compensate us for the good we
had done him, since he was more edified, instructed, strengthened, and
comforted by us, than he had been by any one in his whole life. The
domine therefore had to be satisfied, and said, "'Tis well then, 'tis
well then, I did not know that." Our old woman told us Theunis had
been so sad and oppressed again, they did not know what to advise him.
We therefore went to see him, and found him at home, in as good a
frame of mind as could be wished for one in such a condition. We asked
him how he got along. He said very well; that God was good to him, and
then related to us about his going to the minister, and his standing
upon the eminence when we were sailing by, looking after us. We spoke
to him affectionately, exhorting him to faithfulness; that he must
instruct his wife and children, and set them a good example. He
informed us that his wife was as changed as day from night in many
respects, and he hoped she would improve still more; that he would
instruct his children as well as he could, if it pleased the Lord they
should be instructed, which comforted us, and we returned home.[361]
[Footnote 361: Theunis Idensen is found becoming a member of the Dutch
Reformed Church at New York in the next month, June 17, 1680.]
The North River is the most navigated and frequented river in these
parts, because the country about it is the most inhabited. Its larger
population as compared with other places is owing, for the most part,
first to the fact that the capital was originally established here,
and has ever since remained here, under whatever government has
prevailed, although the South River was first discovered; secondly,
because it is the most convenient place for the purposes of
navigation, I mean the capital, and is the middle and centre of the
whole of New Netherland; and thirdly, because this place, and indeed
the river, possess the most healthy and temperate climate. We will
hereafter speak of New York, and confine ourselves now to the North
River; which was so called for two reasons, and justly so: the first
of which is because, as regards the South River, it lies in a more
northerly latitude, the South River lying in 39 deg., and the North River
in 40 deg. 25', and being also thus distinguishable from the East River,
which although it is more easterly, as its name denotes, nevertheless
lies in the same parallel. The other reason is because it runs up
generally in a northerly direction, or between north by east and
north-northeast. It begins at the sea in a bay; for the sea coast,
between the North and South Rivers, stretches northeast by north and
northeast, and southwest and southwest by south; and from the North
River along Long Island for the most part east and west. Besides this
name, which is the most common and the best, it bears several others;
such as Maurits River, because it was discovered and taken possession
of in the time of Prince Maurice; Montagne River because one De la
Montagne was one of the first and principal settlers, and lastly,
Manhattans River, from the Manhattans Island, or the Manhattan
Indians, who lived hereabouts and on the island of Manhattans, now the
city of New York.[362] To be more exact, its beginning, it seems to
us, ought to be regarded as at the city of New York, where the East
River as well as Kill achter Kol separate from the North River. The
waters below the city are not commonly called the river, but the bay;
for although the river discharges itself into the sea at Sandy Hook,
or Rentselaer's Hook, this discharge is not peculiarly its own, but
also that of the East River, Achter Kol, Slangenbergh Bay, Hackingsack
Creek, Northwest Creek, Elizabeth Creek, Woodbridge Creek, Milstone
River, Raritan River, and Nevesinck Creek, all of which deserve the
name of rivers, and have nothing in common with the North River, but
with Long Island on one side and Staten Island on the other. The water
below the Narrows to Sandy Hook is usually called the Great Bay; and
that of the Narrows and above them as far as the city, and up to and
beyond Sapocanikke,[363] the Little Bay. Although the Great Bay is so
called, it is not by any means as large as that of the South River.
Above Sapocanikke the river is about two miles wide, and is very
uniformly of the same width as far up as the Hysopus and higher,
except in the Highlands, where there are here and there a narrow
strait and greater depth. Above the Hysopus, which is 90 to 96 miles
from the city, it still maintains a fair width, but with numerous
islands, shoals, and shallows, up to Fort Albany, where it is
narrower. It is easily navigable to the Hysopus with large vessels,
and thence to Fort Albany with smaller ones, although ketches and such
craft can go up there and load. It carries the ordinary flood tide
into the Highlands, but with much of a down flow of water, only up to
them; though with an extraordinary flow down and a dead neap-tide, the
water becomes brackish near the city. With a slight flow of water down
and a spring tide, accompanied by a southeast storm, the flood tide is
carried quite through the Highlands, and they said they had had a
change in the water even as far up as the Hysopus. The land on both
sides of the river is high and rocky, but higher in some places than
others, as at the Highlands, eminently so called because they are
higher than the others. In passing by the Hysopus you see the Katskil
Mountains, a little inland, which are the highest in this region, and
extend from there, in the form of a crescent, into the country of the
Maquaas. Although these mountains are from 112 to 120 miles distant
from the sea, there are skippers who in clear weather have seen them
while sailing along the coast. All the reaches, creeks, headlands, and
islands, bear the names which were accidentally given them in the
first instance: as Antonis Neus (Anthony's Nose) a headland and high
hill in the Highlands, because it has a sharp edge running up and down
in the form of a man's nose; Donderbergh (Thunder Hill), because it
thundered there frightfully at the time the first explorers of the
river passed it; Swadel Rack (Swath Reach), a short strait between
high hills, where in sailing through they encounter whirlwinds and
squalls, and meet sometimes with accidents, which they usually call
_swadelen_ (swaths or mowing sweeps); Danskamer (Dancing
Chamber),[364] a spot where a party of men and women arrived in a
yacht in early times, and being stopped by the tide went ashore. Gay,
and perhaps intoxicated, they began to jump and dance, when the
Indians who had observed them fell upon them in the height of their
merriment and drove them away. In remembrance of this circumstance the
place has since been called the Dancing Chamber. It is on the west
side of the river, just through the Highlands. Boterberg (Butter
Hill), and Hoyberg (Hay Hill), the one because it is like the rolls of
butter which the farmers in Holland take to market, and the other
because it is like a haystack in Holland; 't Claver Rack (Clover
Reach), from three bare places which appear on the land;[365] and
Kinder Hoeck (Children's Point), Noten Hoeck (Nut Point), Potlepels
Eylant (Potladle Island), Kock Achie, etc.
[Footnote 362: The Figurative Map of 1616 gives the name Riviere van
den Vorst Mauritius (River of Prince Maurice). Wassenaer (1624) speaks
of the river as "called first Rio de Montagnes, now the River
Mauritius." De Laet, in _Nieuwe Wereldt_ (1625), gives "Manhattes
River" and "Rio de Montaigne," but says that "the Great River" is the
usual designation. In his Latin version of 1633, and French of 1640,
he adds a mention of the name Nassau River. As Dr. Johannes la
Montagne did not come to New Netherland till 1637, the derivation here
given can not hold. River of the Mountains is an obvious enough name,
to any one who had sailed up through the Highlands of the Hudson.]
[Footnote 363: Greenwich, a district of old New York.]
[Footnote 364: At a cove in the north part of the town of Newburgh.]
[Footnote 365: As if like a clover-leaf. Noten Hoeck was opposite
Coxsackie, Potlepels (now Polopel's) Island opposite Cornwall. Kock
Achie or Coxsackie is probably Koeksrackie, the cook's little reach,
to distinguish it from the Koeks Rack, cook's reach, the name which
the early voyagers gave to a reach far below, near present Peekskill.]