Delaware Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1843-1874, 1873-04-21

MONDAY MoRNmG, APRIL Fl, 1877.

SALE OF LoTs.-J. T. Held, President Of
the Christiana improvement Company, win sell
forty-two very desirabls building lots at public
salc, on Saturday, the Goth inst, situated near
the Wilmington and Western Railroad, near
Madley Chapel, in south Wilmington. Great
improvements are contemplated In that section,
and houses are springing up as If by magic
There are some three hundred already in the
vicinity. As consequence the price of lots
has advanced rapidly-some which sold at So
sar foot year or two ago, are now worth from
SIS to $40 per foot. A similar advance must
take place In the coming year. The present
Is therefore the time to purchase. Let those
having money attend this sale, as better time
for investment will not soon be presented again.
The true origin Of the name Of the Brandy
tcine Rirer.-ln the next number OF darkness
Magazine Francis Vincent In his sketch OF the
history of Wilmington, will give an account OF
what he considers the true origin OF tile name
of this river, now become so celebrated, from
Its being the scene Of one Of the most celebra-
ted battles of the Revolution, from its natural
beauty, and being the seat Of perhaps more im-
portant and numerous manufactures, than any
other stream Of similar size In the country
The general impression is, that 1t was named
after Dutch vessel loaded with brandy. Fer
ris was of this opinion and Mr.. Vincent although
he has adopted it in the first volume of his His
tory OF Delaware, now thinks that this is an
error. Ferris who stated he had no other au-
thority than tradition, says: that ii acquired its
name ir. consequence of the loss of a vessel in
its waters laden with Brandy, called In Dutch
Brundwijn.n He also says that 81 number Of
old persons" "decllred That the remains of
the vessel were frequently pointed out 10 them
in early life with the assurance that were
parts OF the ship whose loss gave rise to the
nsme Of the river" That 'the wreck lay
within the mouth of the Barndywine on the
Northern shore, about three hundred yards
from its junction with the Christina. 1t was
said that the vessel belonged to the Dutch
and came to the place after the capture of the
COLONY of New Sweden in 1866" Frederick
Craig an old and respected citizen remarkable
for clear and retentive memory, who lived t
be eighty five years of age, and died In 1871
was frequently heard to say that the wreck o
the ship that gave name to the Brandywln,
has often been pointed out to him in early lif'
by the old people of that day" But from recen
investigations Mr.. Vincent believes this tradi
tion is erroneous. He has come across grant o
land made to Andrew Braindwine who live
on the Brandywine in 1910, twelve years be
fore the arrival Of Penn. The same year b
iinds the name given TO it of "Branwend XII
or Creek.
1t was then custom to name Greeks after thos
who lived upon them. For instance, in tn
same record a creek flowing into the Brandy
wine was called "Andries, the Firms Greek
from miller named Anales Finn who live
upon it. Again Mr.. Vincent has mot only a
account of every wreck but of almost every ve
sci that arrived, and he finds no account OF th
loss of any vessel in the Brandywine. Agai
there were little over 800 people resident o
the Delaware in 1864. In 1858, the year Of I'll
alleged wreck, numbers had left, and many wei
carried away by the Dutch who conquered tt
place, and no new Dutch had then come il
consequently the population must have bee
under 300. 1t is therefore hardly possible tn
so small body Of people, however intempera
would be their habits would use whole carr
of brandy. So much of that liquor could IL
find sale. AS the names Of every body, lal
every place were then spelt in different ways,i
is Of opinion, that the Braindwine recetred
name from Andrew Brdndypoine, and that Z
tradition that q vessel was wrecked there load
with Brandy is incorrect. The wreck mt
have been at another and later period, after I
naming of the creek.