CHAP. V.

How the Heroes of Communipaw returned somewhat wiser than they went—and how the sage Oloffe dreamed a Dream-and the Dream that he dreamed.

THE darkness of night had closed upon this disastrous day, and doleful night was it to the shipwrecked Pavonians, whose ears were incessantly assailed with the raging of the elements, and the howling of the hobgoblins that infested this perfidious strait. But when the morning dawned, the horrors of the precedingening had passed away; rapids, breakers, and whirlpools had disappeared; the stream again ran smooth and dimpling, and having changed its tide, rolled gently back, towards the quarter where lay their much regretted home.

The woe-begone heroes of Communipaw eyed each other with rueful countenances; their squadron had been totally dispersed by the late disaster. Some were cast upon the western shore, where, headed by one Ruleff Hopper, they took possession of all the country lying about the six mile stone; which is held by the Hoppers at this present writing.

The Waldrons were driven by stress of weather to a distant coast, where, having with them a jug of genuine Hollands, they were enabled to conciliate the savages, setting up a kind of tavern; from whence, it is said, did spring the fair town of Haerlem, in which their descendants have ever since continued to be reputable publicans.

nothing. I leave them to give their own etymology. The name as given by our author is supported by the map in Vander Donck's history, published in 1656, by Ogilvie's History of America, 1671, as also by a journal still extant, written in the 16th century, and to be found in Hazard's State Papers. And an old MS. written in French, speaking of various alterations in names about this city, observes, “ De Hell-gat, trou d'Enfer, ils ont fait Hell-gate, porte d'Enfer."

P

As to the Suydams, they were thrown upon the Long-
Island coast, and may still be found in those parts. But
the most singular luck attended the great Tenbroeck,
who, falling overboard, was miraculously preserved from
sinking by the multitude of his nether garments. Thus
buoyed up, he floated on the waves, like a merman, until
he landed safely on a rock, where he was found the next
morning, busily drying his many breeches in the sunshine.
I forbear to treat of the long consultation of our adven-
turers-how they determined that it would not do to found
a city in this diabolical neighbourhood, and how at length,
with fear and trembling, they ventured once more upon
the briny element, and steered their course back for Com-
munipaw. Suffice it, in simple brevity, to say, that after
toiling back through the scenes of their yesterday's voyage,
they at length opened the southern point of Manna-hata,
and gained a distant view of their beloved Communipaw.
And here they were opposed by an obstinate eddy, that
resisted all the efforts of the exhausted mariners. Weary
and dispirited, they could no longer make head against
the power of the tide, or rather, as some will have it, of
old Neptune, who, anxious to guide them to a spot
whereon should be founded his strong hold in this western
world, sent half a score of potent billows, that rolled the
tub of Commodore Van Kortlandt high and dry on the
shores of Manna-hata.

the

Having thus in a manner been guided by supernatural power to this delightsome island, their first care was to light a fire at the foot of a large tree, that stood upon point at present called the battery. Then gathering together great store of oysters which abounded on the shore, and emptying the contents of their wallets, they prepared and made a sumptuous council repast. The worthy Van Kortlandt was observed to be particularly zealous in his devotions to the trencher; for having the cares of the expedition especially committed to his care, he deemed it

incumbent on him to eat profoundly for the public good. In proportion as he filled himself to the very brim with the dainty viands before him did the heart of this excellent Burgher seem to rise up towards his throat, until he seemed crammed and almost choked with good eating and good nature. And at such times it is, when a man's heart is in his throat, that he may more truly be said to speak from it, and his speeches abound with kindness and good fellowship. Thus the worthy Oloffe having swallowed the last possible morsel, and washed it down with a fervent potation, felt his heart yearning, and his whole frame in a manner dilating with unbounded benevolence. Every thing around him seemed excellent and delightful; and, laying his hands on each side of his capacious periphery, and rolling his half closed eyes around on the beautiful diversity of land and water before him, he exclaimed, in a fat half smothered voice, "What a charming prospect!" The words died away in his throat-he seemed to ponder on the fair scene for a moment-his eyelids heavily closed over their orbs-his head drooped upon his bosom-he slowly sunk upon the green turf, and a deep sleep stole gradually upon him.

And the sage Oloffe dreamed a dream-and lo, the good St. Nicholas came riding over the tops of the trees, in that selfsame waggon wherein he brings his yearly presents to children; and he came and descended hard by where the heroes of Communipaw had made their late repast. And the shrewd Van Kortlandt knew him by his broad hat, his long pipe, and the resemblance which he bore to the figure on the bow of the Goede Vrouw. And he lit his pipe by the fire, and he sat himself down and smoked; and as he smoked the smoke from his pipe ascended into the air and spread like a cloud overhead. And the sage Oloffe bethought him, and he hastened and climbed up to the top of one of the tallest trees, and saw that the smoke spread over a great extent of country;

and as he considered it more attentively, he fancied that the great volume of smoke assumed a variety of marvellous forms, where in dim obscurity he saw shadowed out palaces and domes and lofty spires, all which lasted but a moment, and then faded away, until the whole rolled off, and nothing but the green woods were left. And when St. Nicholas had smoked his pipe, he twisted it in his hatband, and laying his finger beside his nose, gave the astonished Van Kortlandt a very significant look; then mounting his waggon, he returned over the tree tops and disappeared.

And Van Kortlandt awoke from his sleep greatly instructed, and he aroused his companions and related to them his dream and interpreted it, that it was the will of St. Nicholas that they should settle down and build the city here. And that the smoke of the pipe was a type how vast should be the extent of the city; inasmuch as the volumes of its smoke should spread over a vast extent of country. And they all with one voice assented to this interpretation excepting Mynheer Tenbroeck, who declared the meaning to be that it should be a city wherein a little fire should occasion a great smoke, or, in other words, a very vapouring little city-both which interpretations have strangely come to pass!

The great object of their perilous expedition, therefore, being thus happily accomplished, the voyagers returned merrily to Communipaw, where they were received with great rejoicings. And here calling a general meeting of all the wise men and the dignitaries of Pavonia, they related the whole history of their voyage and of the dream of Oloffe Van Kortlandt. And the people lifted up their voices and blessed the good St. Nicholas, and from that time forth the sage Van Kortlandt was held in more honour than ever for his great talent at dreaming, and was. pronounced a most useful citizen and a right good man— when he was asleep.

CHAP. VI.

Containing an Attempt at Etymology-and of the Founding of the great City of New-Amsterdam.

THE original name of the island, wherein the squadron of Communipaw was thus propitiously thrown, is a matter of some dispute, and has already undergone considerable vitiation -a melancholy proof of the instability of all sublunary things, and the vanity of all our hopes of lasting fame; for who can expect his name will live to posterity, when even the names of mighty islands are thus soon lost in contradiction and uncertainty!

The name most current at the present day, and which is likewise countenanced by the great historian Vander Donck, is Manhattan; which is said to have originated in a custom among the squaws, in the early settlement, of wearing men's hats, as is still done among many tribes. "Hence," as we are told by an old governor, who was somewhat of a wag, and flourished almost a century since, and had paid a visit to the wits of Philadelphia-" Hence arose the appellation of man-hat-on, first given to the Indians, and afterwards to the island:" a stupid joke!—but well enough for a governor.

11

Among the more venerable sources of information on this subject, is that valuable history of the American possessions, written by Master Richard Blome, in 168711, wherein it is called Manhadaes and Manahanent; nor must I forget the excellent little book, full of precious matter, of that authentic historian, John Josselyn, Gent. 12 who expressly calls it Manhadaes.

This history is to be found in the library of the New-York Historical Society.

12 Idem.