Woodbridge creek, in the neighborhood of Rossville." Thus the question was settled once and forever. In consequence of this separation from New Jersey, Staten Island became practically isolated. The people had very few interests which they held in common, and as the years passed by they drifted farther apart. There have been times when the people looked upon each other as "foreigners," and there have been seasons of strife. People hailed each other with epithets, and sectional animosities have frequently created great discord. It is no exaggeration to say that there are people now living who have witnessed overt acts, created for the simple purpose of punishing a resident from over the Kills," whether it be on this side, or the other! 66 And long after this feeling had died away, there was almost a total lack of interest and sympathy existing between the two sections. Old ferries, which had for a long time connected the Island with the main land, were closed for want of patronage, and on both sides of the Kills, in each succeeding generation, scores of people grew to old age that never attempted to cross the water from one side to the other. During the past decade or so, the hand of progress has done much to break down this unreasonable barrier. The building of the great railroad bridge, west of Holland's Hook and Elizabethport, set the people on both sides to thinking, and with that thinking they began to discover the utter uselessness of a dividing line in our daily life— a division in our common interests as a people. The next step was a decided improvement in the management of the old ferry from Port Richmond to Bergen Point; and, later, if not still more important, was the re-opening of the ferry at Holland's Hook by the electric railroad. The full value of these great connecting links cannot be estimated at this time. And so, in the principle of true friendliness and progressiveness, Staten Island welcomes to her shores the prosperous, loyal people of a noble sister State. New Jersey! the land where rest the farfamed battle-fields of Trenton, of Princeton, and of Monmouth--the land that holds all that is mortal of Stockton, of Kearney, and of McClellan-to thee, who nestled amid the grand constellation of struggling colonies that formed the American Union, "in the days that tried men's souls"-may the star of thy destiny never grow dim! 5 4 The Bergen Point ferry is one of the oldest institutions of its class connected with Staten Island. It is one of the original Indian ferries, and has been kept up to the present day without omission. But until within a few years past its management was very slack indeed. Throughout the day uncertain trips were made in an uncomfortable boat, which ceased running shortly after sunset, and in the winter months, when there was ice in the river, there were no ferry accommodations at all. It now belongs to a syndicate. 5 After the Duke of York had conveyed the territory of New Jersey to Berkley and Carteret, a doubt arose whether Staten Island was included in the grant, by the terms of the charter. Carteret, the governor, not the proprietor, laid no claim to the Island; on the contrary, he tacitly admitted that it did not belong to his jurisdiction, by accepting a conveyance for a tract of land on the Island from Nicholls, the Duke of York's agent; this he would scarcely have done, had he considered his brother the proprietor. In 1668, the Island was adjudged to belong to New York, because one of the outlets of the Hudson river ran around the Island; while Berkley's and Carteret's lands, by the terms of their patent, were bounded by the river and bay. The Dutch always appear to have regarded the inner bay or harbor as a mere expansion of the river, and the Narrows as its mouth. In their documents, Staten Island is frequently described as lying in the river. If this view was correct, the Island evidently belonged to New Jersey, because it was embraced within its limits. The Duke of York himself appears to have had his doubts about the matter, for it is said that when the question of jurisdiction was first agitated, he decided that all islands lying in the river or harbor, which could be circumnavigated in twenty-four hours, should remain in this jurisdiction, otherwise in New Jersey.-Preston's History of Richmond County. CHAPTER XII. STATEN ISLAND IN 1676. N the 8th day of June, 1676, two Labadists, Jasper Dankers and Peter Sluyter, sailed from Amsterdam1 in a ship called the "Charles," Captain Thomas Singleton, and arrived at Sandy Hook on the 22d of September following. In their account of the trip, they say: "When we came between the Hoofden, we saw some Indians on the beach with a canoe, and others coming down the hill. As we tacked about, we came close to the shore, and called out to them to come on board the ship. The Indians came on board, and we looked upon them with wonder. They are dull of comprehension, slow of speech, bashful, but otherwise bold of person and red of skin. They wear something in front over the thighs, and a piece of duffels, like a blanket, around the body, and that is all the clothing they have. Their hair hangs down from their head in strings, well smeared with fat, and sometimes with quantities of little beads twisted in it, out of pride. They have thick lips and thick noses, but not fallen in like the Negroes, heavy eyebrows or eyelids, brown or black eyes, thick tongues, and all of them black hair. After they had obtained some biscuit, and had amused themselves a little climbing and looking here and there, they also received some brandy to taste, of which they drank excessively, and threw it up again. They then went ashore in their canoe, and we, having a better breeze, sailed ahead handsomely.. "October 9th, Monday.-We remained at home two days, except I went out to ascertain whether there was any way of going over to Staten Island. "10, Tuesday.-Finding no opportunity of going to Staten Island, we asked our old Friend Symon, who had come over from Gouanes, what was the best way for us to go there, when he offered us his services to take us over in his skiff, which we accepted, and at dusk accompanied him in his boat to Gouanes, where we arrived about 8 o'clock, and where he welcomed us and entertained us well. "11, Wednesday. We embarked early this morning in his boat, and rowed over to Staten Island, where we arrived about 8 o'clock. 1 Extract from a manuscript found in the City of Amsterdam, several years since, by the Hon. H. C. Murphy. 2 Hamel's Hoofden-the Narrows, between Staten and Long Islands. These "Hoofden," He left us there, and we went on our way. This Island is about 32 miles long and four broad. Its sides are very irregular, with projecting points and indenting bays and creeks running deep into the country. It lies for the most part east and west, and is somewhat triangular; the most prominent point is to the west. On the east side is the narrow passage which they call the channel, by which it is separated from the high point of Long Island. On the south is the great bay, which is enclosed by Nayag, t'Conijnen island, Rentselaer's Hook, Neversink, etc. On the west is the Raritans. On the north and northwest is New Jersey, from which it is separated by a large creek or arm of the river called Kil Van Kol. The eastern part is high and steep, and has few inhabitants. It is the usual place where ships ready for sea stop to take in water. The whole south side is a large plain, with much salt meadow or marsh, and several creeks. "The west point is flat, and on or around it is a large creek with much marsh, but to the north of this creek it is high and hilly, and beyond that it begins to be more level, but not so low as on the other side, and is well populated. FIRST COUNTY COURT HOUSE AND Drawn from description by the author On the north-west it is well provided with creeks and marshes, and the land is generally better than on the south side, although there is a good parcel of land in the middle of the latter. As it is in the middle or most hilly part of the Island, it is uninhabited, although the soil is better than the land around it; but in consequence of its being away from the water, and lying so high, no one will live there, the creeks and rivers being so serviceable to them in enabling them to go to the city, and for fishing and catching oysters, and for being near the salt meadow. The woods are used for pasturing horses and cattle, for, being an island, none of them can get off. Each person has marks upon his own by which he can find them when he wants them. When the population shall increase, these places will be taken up. Game of all kinds is plenty, and twenty-five or thirty deer are sometimes seen in a herd. A boy who came in a house where we were, told us he had shot ten the last winter himself, and more than forty in his life, and in the same manner other game. We tasted here the best grapes. There are about one hundred families on the Island, of which the English constitute the least portion, and the Dutch and French divide between them about equally the greater portion. They have neither church nor minister, and live rather far from each other, and inconveniently to meet together. The English are less disposed to religion, and inquire little after it; but in case there was a minister, would contribute to his support. The French and Dutch are very desirous and eager for one, for they spoke of it wherever we went. The French are good Reformed church-men, and some of them are Walloons. The Dutch are also from different quarters. We reached the Island, as I have said, about 9 o'clock, directly opposite Gouanes, not far from the watering-place. We proceeded southwardly along the shore of the highland on the east end, where it was sometimes stony and rocky, and sometimes sandy, supplied with fine, constantly flowing springs, with which at times we quenched our thirst. "We had now come nearly to the furthest point on the southeast, behind which I had observed several houses when we came in with the ship. We had also made inquiry as to the villages through which we would have to pass, and they told us the 'Oude Dorp' would be the first one we would come to; but my comrade finding the point very rocky and difficult, and believing the village was an island, and as we discovered no path to follow, we determined to clamber to the top of this steep bluff, through the bushes and thickets, which we accomplished with great difficulty and in a perspiration. We found as little of a road above as below, and nothing but woods, through which no one could see. There appeared to be a little foot-path along the edge, which I followed a short distance to the side of the point; but my companion calling me, and saying that he thought we had certainly passed by the road to the Oude Dorp, and observing myself that the little path led down to the point, I returned again, and we followed it the other way, which led us back to the place where we started. We supposed we ought to go from the shore to find the road to Oude Dorp, and seeing here these slight tracks into the woods, we followed them as far as we could, till at last they ran to nothing else than dry leaves. 66 Having wandered an hour or more in the woods, now in the hollow and then over a hill, at one time through a swamp, at another across a brook, without finding any road or path, we entirely lost the way. We could see nothing but the sky through the thick branches of the trees over our heads, and we thought it best to break out of the woods entirely and regain the shore. I had taken an observation of the shore and point, having been able to look at the sun, which shone extraordinarily hot in the thick woods, without the least breath of air stirring. We made our way at last, as well as we could, out of the woods, and struck the shore a quarter of an hour's distance from where we began to climb up. We were rejoiced, as there was a house not far from the place where we came out. We went to it to see if we could find any one who would show us the way a little. There was no master in it, but an English woman with negroes and servants. We first asked her as to the road, and then for something to drink, and also for some one to show us the road, but she refused the last, although we were willing to pay for it; she was a cross woman. She said she had never been at the village, and her folks must work, and we would certainly have to go away as wise as we came. She said, |