the original space below the floor. The space had been plastered with old mortar, leaving a space about a foot below the floor boards. The material filled in was found to be rich in fragments of broken china and other household rubbish, and Mr. Calver identified some of it as old material. Workers were therefore called in, and permission having been received to rip up the old floor, all the soil below was sifted. The laundry floor was removed with very similar results, which were abundant and interesting. Much of the china was old English cream-ware and pottery of 1800-1830, and the explorers secured so much of some Longport and other plates, cups and bowls that by careful restoration they were enabled to put them on exhibition in completed form. They found more thimbles than could have been imagined to have been lost in a century, with pins and needles in a ball of silk, scissors, knives, forks, pewter and modern spoons, broken glasses, bottles, bones, bullets, marbles, buckles and piles of broken bricks.

The coins included George II and George III half-pennies, a fine George III penny, a Connecticut cent of 1787 and U. S. coins of dates from 1818 to 1870. The buttons were of all kinds and periods, the most interesting being an ornamental gold-faced button such as was used by officers in the War of Independence.

In preparation for a redecoration of the Guard Room, which was undertaken by Mr. Bolton, it was observed that some sort of paneling was traceable under the wall covering in the southeast corner of the room. This space corresponded to the off-set or furring in the main hallway which had sometimes been surmised to enclose a one-time (imaginary) stairway. An examination showed that canvas had been pasted over woodwork, and when this was pulled away, two closet doors were disclosed, neatly paneled flush with the wall surface, and extending above the skirting board nearly to the ceiling. One panel being broken and nailed up. it was removed, when a space within became visible corresponding to the furred space in the hall.

Upon removal of the doors which were nailed in place with wire nails, Mr. Shelton and Mr. Bolton found there were two closets one above the other. The hinges of the doors had been removed but the chiseled recesses gave their size and their shape, which was the old-fashioned angle-strap. The only object in the spaces

was an old galvanized iron flue. This was removed and the closets cleaned of cobwebs. They were refitted with shelves of an old closet secured by John Harden, Jr. The door of the lower closet had been fitted with several locks from time to time and had four keyholes. Hinges were made to fit the spaces and an old-time lock provided. The closets were then utilized to exhibit objects found in the Jumel Mansion kitchen and laundry. (See plate 17.)

Garden Site Near Fort George

In May and June, 1916, Mr. Bolton explored an abandoned garden at Audubon avenue and 192d street, close to the site of Fort George. This ground had for many years been under cultivation as a truck garden and celery bed. It was in its area that Hoffman, the gardener, found the bronze belt plate of the Anspach Regiment, which is now at the Washington's Headquarters collection. Mr. Calver had frequently found military buttons on the surface, but no excavation had been possible till 1916, when Mr. Bolton and his colleagues sank several holes in various parts of the area, part of the garden being already built over with apartment houses. The explorers found about one and a half to two feet of rich black soil lying on the white clay bed of the old marsh or pond which once existed here. The bed slightly shelved down. southwards, and near the upper part they found a thin layer of wood ashes and débris lying on the clay, which it had discolored in places. This débris had the appearance of being waste materials thrown from the upper edge of the marsh and there were some flat stones lying together at a place at which they found the most objects. In the course of two days sifting they took out a number of plain and numbered buttons, both British and Hessian, two bullets, two gunflints, one lead wrapper for a flint, fragments of W. G. pipes, of cream-ware, delft-ware and porcelain, table glass and a small scrap of colored (Stiegel?) glass, two pocket knives, numerous forged nails and spikes, a twisted chain, horseshoe, hoops and canteens, all much decayed. Of British buttons there were the 38th, 40th, 44th, 57th, 63d (a fine speimen of this rare corps buttons) and 76th Regiments. Later explorations brought out buttons of the 4th and 28th Regiments, with others of the 44th and 57th not in good condition; also a sleeve link

button, a large square plain waist belt plate, bullets, musket-flints, and the customary débris of bones and ashes. The exploration was continued on several succeeding week-ends, and further objects were found all of which lay in the rich soil just above the clay which had formed the bottom of the pond or marsh. Nearly all the buttons and all the iron work were much decayed. Sundry shoe and belt buckles were found, one of which had been enameled. Among a number of military buttons one of the 65th British was discovered on November 12, 1916. There was a barrel hoop lying flat on the marsh bottom in one place as if it had formed part of a bucket thrown in the water. An afternoon's work produced fourteen buttons, mostly poor specimens of Hessian or English. Mr. Dunsmore reported on these, one of IV, one of 28th, three of 44th, one of 57th, two Hessian, one gaiter button, one tin, two small round stones, size of buttons, one sleeve-link, and later one of 65th, and other specimens of 44th and 57th and plain Hessian. one with cup-shaped top. One fragment had part of a curious shaped crown. One brass belt hook had letters P. S. engraved upon its face. A large brass shoe buckle was coated with black enamel which in parts was still adhering. The reverse of the P. S. hook plate was found having four rivets. A large brass belt-adjuster was also found.

Discovery of a Counterfeiter's Work

After the dedication of the Dyckman House to public park purposes on July 11, 1916, and the completion of the work in connection with the restoration of the military hut in the park, Mr. Bolton's party recommenced work on the IIut Camp Site near Seaman and Prescott avenues and started an excavation Sunday, July 16, 1916, in the small space between the rear of the fireplace of Hut "Y" and the edge of the large excavated space they had called "Z" or No. 26. They dug down about five feet to a blackened floor level, where they soon found signs of one-time military occupation, in the form of buttons of the 17th Foot Regiment, two specimens being in an excellent state of preservation. one having the original bright lustre on its pewter face. Near some leaden bullets they found a good bullet-mould lying wide open, and near by was a half bullet and some little scraps of lead

cut with a knife ready for the melting cup. This led to a curious and interesting discovery. A quantity of small molten fragments of pewter lay on the floor, most of which had the appearance of drops spilt from the melting ladle or from the mould. Among these was a flat disc of the same metal which, upon cleaning, turned out to be a counterfeit Spanish dollar. Evidently the metal worker in the hut was engaged in melting processes and in particular in melting pewter for the reproduction of this coin. A search in Shannon's Manual of the year 1868 disclosed several references to such practices during the War of Independence, the temptation towards the production of spurious coins being strong at that time, on account of the unsettled conditions probably. On April 1, 1782, one Timothy Brooke was confined in the Provost Jail in New York for passing "bad dollars" on Long Island. On January 18, 1783, the Royal Gazette reported "we are informed that a number of Spanish Milled Dollars have lately been fabricated in the City and that two men, suspected of being the perpetrators were confined at the Provost last Tuesday." On February 1, 1783, there were among other prisoners in that jail, Joseph Haydon and Nathan Horton, charged with counterfeiting, doubtless the two men referred to. They were brought to trial on February 12th before a Court "Marshal," over which Brigadier General Clark presided, and were honorably acquitted. From the character of the tribunal it might seem that the men were not civil but military prisoners, and if so may have been soldiers from the Hut Camp on the Dyckman farm. Unless Mr. Bolton's find was being melted up to form bullets, which he considers unlikely, it is inferred that the bullet-moulder, owner of the buttons found, was secretly engaged in casting pewter into good looking but worthless Spanish Dollars, when his occupation was so hastily interrupted that he left one of the incriminating specimens lying on the floor and dropped his bullet-mould in his hasty flight. (See plate 35.)

In a later exploration of the old camp area at Fort George, in the vacant lot on the southwest corner of 192d Street and Audubon Avenue, another counterpart of a Spanish coin about size of an American quarter and evidently made of similar material was found. thus indicating that such spurious coins were used or made by the soldiery.

British Military Works at Richmond, Staten Island

In October, 1916, Mr. Bolton and associates, Messrs. W. L. Calver, John Ward Dunsmore, O. T. Barck and II. Hopkins, explored some British military works at Richmond, S. I. These works are situated on the crest of a hill south of the ruined Latourette farm dwelling and barn, about one-quarter of a mile southwest of old Richmond town and church.

There is a rectangular redoubt on the summit, about 66 feet square, having very well defined embankments, thickly overgrown with underbrush and trees. A ditch on the south side extends to the rear of the fort on the west side, where there is a sort of bank across it, and the deep hollow beyond has the appearance of a cess pit or "Soldier's Necessary," having a number of stones on the sides with other large blocks fallen in to the bottom. Here were found old forged nails showing the presence of a wooden construction over the pit.

The ramparts on the north side are broken by an opening, probably the original entrance to the comparatively level field extending towards the Latourette farm.

Inside the redoubt an effort was made to locate a guard-house in a hollow space but with limited tools nothing was found. Back of the fort were traces of a small stone building, and in rich earth there were found a number of familiar fragments of china, forged nails, scraps of sheet iron, etc., indicating an officers' cess-pit.

Searching over the sloping hillside northeast of the fort, the explorers found traces of hut sites, and in one place some rich soil with a plain pewter button having an iron shank which was evidently British and military in character, fragments of bone, oyster shells, china and pottery. Several promising looking stone walls offer further opportunity for examination. The works are so well preserved that with some little attention they might be made a very attractive local object of interest, and would be worth a careful survey and planning for record.

Towards the Latourette farm the ground has a slight declivity and there are quite extensive rifle pits, cut in zig-zag fashion across the edge of the slopes. These would be worth measuring as they are unusual works to find so well preserved at this late date.