would have been one of the first men in it." The great fault of his character was indolence. He read but did not like to write. So far from being avaricious or grasping, he even loved his ease more than he loved money. One of the sources of profit to the colonial Government was the fees payable upon the signing of land patents. At the death of Lieut. Governor De Lancey, it is said that so many of these patents awaited his approval, that the signing them gave a large sum at once to his successor, Mr. Colden. 1 This remark was mentioned by Lady Warren to the Lt. Governor's youngest son, John Peter De Lancey, by whom the anecdote was related to his son and son-in-law, Bishop De Lancey, and J. Fennimore Cooper, Esq. MISCELLANIES THE FIRST CHURCH IN NEW NETHERLAND.-It is stated by the Rev. Mr. Prime, in his History of Long Island, 132, that the church erected at Southold and that at Southampton, "were the first sanctuaries erected for the worship of the Living God, within the entire province of the New Netherlands." This is entirely a mistake. The earliest of these buildings does not date further back than 1640, whilst it is on record in the Secretary of State's office, that Director Van Twiller caused a church to be erected in New Amsterdam, now New York, as early as the year 1633. CHRISTMAS ON THE MOHAWK RIVER IN 1769.-The manner in wch. ye ppl. in yse parts keep Xmas day in commemor'g of the Birth of ye Saviour, as ya pretend is very affect'g and strik'g. They generally assemble for read'g prayers, or Divine service-but after, they eat drink and make merry. They allow of no work or servile labour on ys day and ye follow'g-their servants are free-but drink'g swear'g fight'g and frolic'g are not only allowed, but seem to be essential to ye joy of ye day.-Rev. S. Kirkland's Journal. THE FIRST EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN POUGHKEEPSIE was erected in 1774. It was a very handsome stone building fifty-three feet by forty. Rev. John Beardsley had, however, been a missionary at that place for several years previous. This gentleman adhered to the Crown on the breaking out of the Revolution; was appointed Chaplain to the Loyal American Reg't in 1782, and in 1783 emigrated with his family to New Brunswick and settled at a place called Maugerville, where he died. 4 Apl. 1763-The mail was sent for the first time to Schenectady.-Sir Wm. Johnson's MSS. July, 1772.-The mail to be sent weekly from N. York to Albany up one side of the River and down the other, for which an extra £100 is to be allowed.-Ib. LIBRARY OF SIR HENRY MOODY, Bart. one of THE FIRST PATENTEES OF THE TOWN OF GRAVESEND, L. I.-Cathologus contining the names of such books as Sir. Henry Moedie had left in security in handts of Daniel Litscho wen hy went for Virginia: A latyn Bible in folio. A written book in folio contining privatt matters of State. A writteneth book in folio contining private matters of the King. A dictionarius Latin and English. Sixteen several latin and Italian bookx of divers matters. A book in folio contining the voage of Ferdinant Mendoz, &c. A book in folio kalleth Sylva Sylvarum. A book in quarto callth bartas' six days worck of the lord and translat in English by Josuah Sylvester. A book in quarto kalleth the Summe and Substans of the Conference which it pleased his Excellent Majsti to have with the lords bishops &c. at Hampton Court contracteth by William Barlow. A book in quarto kalleth Ecclesiastica Interpretatio, or the Expositions upon the difficult and doubtful passage of the Seven Epistles callet Catholique and the Revalation collecteth by John Mayer. Elleven several bookx moore of divers substants. The Verification of his fathers Knights order given by King James.-Notarial Reg. of Soloman Lachaire N. P. of New Amsterdam, Anno 1661. N. Y. LIBRARIES DESTROYED.-A very fine Library, left fifty years ago by the Rev. Dr. Millington for the use of the Missionaries, consisting of above 1,000 volumes, together with the College Library and their philosophical apparatus, and another library belonging to the inhabitants, were plundered, sold and dispersed by the British soldiers when they took possession of New York.-Abstract of the Soc. for Prop. the Gosp. 1779. GENERAL FRASER. Many enquiries have been made for the christian name of General Fraser, who was killed at the Battle of Stillwater, 7th October, 1777. Jesse, (Mem. of the Pretenders I.; 127,) and others confound him with a son of Lord Lovat, who was beheaded for joining the pretender, and who died in 1782. Beatson, in his Political Index II.; 150-1, contains a list of Colonels in the Army who, "at different periods, served as Brigadier Generals in North America and the West Indies since the commencement of the war in 1775," and on p. 151 is the name of "SIMON FRASER. Died of the wounds received at the battle of Stillwater." He was grand uncle to the celebrated Sir James Mackintosh. Dodsley's Annual Reg., 1780, pp. 218-19, contains an abstract of the cause of Mr. Schreiber, pltff., against Mrs. Fraser, widow of the late Gen'l Fraser, who died at Saratoga, deft., for damages on a breach of promise of marriage. Verdict for pltff. £600 damages and costs. We are indebted to Dr. Harris, the polite Librarian of Harvard College, and to other correspondents, for many interesting particulars of the Fraser family; but want of space excludes them at present. XVI. MEMOIR OF THE HON. JAMES DUANE, JUDGE OF THE DISTRICT COURT OF THE UNITED STATES FOR NEW YORK. BY HON. SAMUEL W. JONES. SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF THE HON. JAMES DUANE. The subject of this sketch-a prominent and patriotic son of New York-was held in high estimation in his day, and was for near forty years actively engaged in the most important affairs of his country. He obtained the confidence of men of business in very early life, and of the people of New York as soon as they required able and fearless agents to carry on the controversy with the mother country, and retained it not only in the outbreak and vicissitudes of the Revolution, but in the period of discontent and uneasiness which followed the acknowledgment of our independence by Great Britain, and until his voluntary retirement from public life, several years after the adoption of the present Constitution of the United States. His history teaches that it was not by shrinking from responsibility that he retained his high standing, for he is always found a prominent actor whenever engaged in business with others, and in every body or party of which he was a member. JAMES DUANE was born in the city of New York on 6th February, 1732-3. He was the third son of Anthony Duane, a gentleman from Cong, in the county of Galway, Ireland, who, having when very young been a purser in the British Navy on the New York station, resigned his situation and returned to the city of New York, where he spent the rest of his life as a merchant, and where he died on the 14th August, 1747. The mother of James Duane was Altea Kettletas, his father's second wife, and daughter of Abraham Kettletas, one of the most considerable merchants, and long an Alderman, of the city of New York. She died when he was only three years old, and in May, 1741, his father married a third wife, the widow of Thomas Lynch, whose maiden |