The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-06-06

OF tho l72 extracts from original sources
brought together in this volume there Is not ono
that will not DO road with lively interest We
must needs choose. however. and we shall,
therefore. confne ourselves to tho excerpts
which Depict tho social experiences OF the colo
MES. including especially some notes on the state
OF things in Now Amsterdam. an account OF the
career of a colonial self.madc man and OF the
life OF a Southern planter. Wo should mention
that, In such extracts or parts Of extracts as VIC
shall give. the errors In spelling OF the original
will not be reproduced, except In the case Of
proper names.
On page $50 we find an account OF the town OF
New York and OF the envlrons since annexed to
II, By two Dutch visitors, Jaspar Dankors and
Peter Sluyter. From this narrative we make
the following extracts: Having. then. for
t~unately arrived, BY the blessing of the Lord,
before the city OF New York. on Saturday. tho
Esd day of December. 1879. we stopped ashore
about 4 o'clock in the afternoon in company
with Gerritt, our fellow passenger. who would
conduct us In this strange place. He first
took us to tho house of one Of his friends.
who welcomed him and us and offered
us somo OF tho fruit of tho country. very
fne peaches and full-grown apples. which
hllod our hearts with thsnktulncss to God.
This fruit was exceedingly fair and good and
pleasant to the taste; much better than in Hol-
land or elsewhere, though / bellows our long
fasting and craving for food made it 30 agreoa.
blc." On the next day. Sunday. the travellers
record: I've rested we'll through the night. /
was surprised. on waking up. to find my comrnde
had already dressed himself and breakfastod on
peaches. We walked out a while In tho fine,
pure. morning air, along the margin Of the clear
running water OF the sea, which Is driven up
this river at every tide. As IL was Sunday,
N- "a D. - A,.AI sAa-la u-1 %. ahA
reasons, we did not wish to absent our
selves from church. We, therefore. went
and found there truly q wild. worldly world. I
say wild. not only because the people are wild.
as they call 1t In Europe. but because most all
tho people who go thore TO live or who are born
there partake somewhat of tho nature Of tho
country. We heard q minister preach who had
como from tho up river country. from Fort
Orange lAlbany.l where his residence Is, nm old
man named Dominic Schaats OF Amsterdam"
The Dutch diarlst goes on to toll us that this
Schnats had n dofoct in tho left eye and used
such strange gestures and language that /
think / mover, in NIL my life, have heard any
thing more miserable; indeed. l can compare
him with no one better than ono Dominic
van Ec:o. lately the minister at Arnuyden in
ICELAND, moro in life. conversation. and
gestures than In person. AS II Is not strange
in these countries to have men as ministers
who drink. we can imagine nothing else than
that he had been drinking a littlo this morn
ing. Tho church being in tho fort,
we had an opportunity to look through tho
latter. as we had como too early for preaching.
1t Is not large; 1t has four points or batteries; 1t
has no moat Of slLo, but 10 enclosed with q double
row Of palisades. 1t is built from the foundA-
ton with quarry stone. Tho parapet IL OF
earth. 1t is we'll provided with cannon, for
the most part Of iron, though there were
some small brass pieces, all bearing the mark
or arms of tho Netherlands. Tho garrison
10 small. There ID o well Of nno water dug In the
fort by the Indians, contrary TO the opinion OF
tho Dutch, who supposed the fort was built