Hamptonburgh, erected in 1830, taken from Wallkill, Goshen, Montgomery, Blooming Grove and New Windsor. Monroe, erected in 1799, taken from Cornwall. The original name was Cheescock's; afterwards, in 1802, South-, field, and in 1808 changed to Monroe. Montgomery, erected in 1788. Mount Hope, erected in 1825, taken from Wallkill, Deerpark and Minisink. The original name was Calhoun. Newburgh, erected in 1788. New Windsor, erected in 1788. All of this date were organized originally as part of Ulster County, except Goshen, Cornwall, Warwick and Monroe. INDIANS. When this part of the country was first visited by Hendrick Hudson, and when first visited and settled by Europeans, many small tribes, members of larger nations, were scattered throughout the County. The location of their wigwams, places of general residence and rendezvous, were along the various streams of water, as would be the case with any rude people who depended for their support on fishing, hunting, &c., in place of agriculture. The names of these various tribes and their particular locations, at this day are generally not known-in some instances they are. Traditions of places bearing Indian names, their burying grounds, and the great number of arrow-heads found in certain localities, &c., constitute the principal evidence of their former residence in the various parts of the County. These proofs we shall not particularly refer to at present, but will do so in the towns in which we find them. Nor shall we enter into any particular history of the Indians who may have possessed the County, fished in its streams, and followed to the death the wild game and ferocious animals with which the forests then abounded, but merely refer to it with a special purpose. Some of our young readers may be inclined to enquire what became of all these Indians, and ask, Were they extirminated by the white settlers or removed by them to other places, or did they leave their settlements and the graves of their warriors and retire of their own accord? To satisfy such enquirers, and not to instruct the aged, we make these remarks at present, and because the Indian having once possessed these lands and does not now, his existence and pos sessions here, his removal and present absence are directly connected with the history of the County. We anticipate the pleasure, before a distant day, of seeing an interesting history of these original tenants of Orange and vicinity laid before the public, emanating from the historical body referred to in the early part of this paper. Knowing the thorough mode of enquiry and investigation of the gentleman who has the subject in hand, we are satisfied the narrative will be highly interesting, and contain all that can be known of them at this late day. In 1607 a London company fitted out a ship for the purpose of discovering a N. W. passage to the East Indies, and gave the command to Henry Hudson. This and another. voyage made the ensuing year, failed of their object, and the company withdrew their patronage. Hudson tendered his services to the Dutch East India company, who fitted out a small ship called the Halfmoon, put twenty men on board and appointed Hudson captain. He left Amsterdam on the 4th, the Texel on the 6th of April, and arrived on the coast on the 18th July, 1609, near Portland, in Maine. Proceeding south he came to Cape Cod, and landed 3rd of August. Entered the Chesapeak Bay 24th of August, and then returned north and discovered the Delaware Bay 28th August ;on the 3rd of September, 1609, he anchored within Sandy Hook. The tradition is, his men landed first on Coney Island, in Kings Co., while out in a boat fishing on the 4th. Here the natives came aboard and behaved well, and wished to barter for knives, beads, clothing, &c. Next day sent his boat out; the crew landed in N. J. and went some distance into the woods, where they were well received by the natives, who gave them green corn and dried currants, as stated in bis journal. The currants were no doubt whortleberries.On 6th Sept. sent a boat to explore the mouth of the riverthe strait between Long and Staten Islands, now called the Narrows. The boat spent the day exploring, and returning were attacked by the natives in two canoes, one carrying fourteen and the other twelve men. A fight was had, and John Colman-one of Hudson's men-killed by an arrow, which struck him in the throat, and two others were wounded. Colman was buried near the ship on a point of land called Colman's Point, now Sandy Hook. On the 11th he sailed through the Narrows and found, as the journal states, "a very good harbor for all winds." The ship was visited by the natives, who brought Indian corn, beans, tobacco and oysters. They had pipes of yellow copper, ornaments of the same and earthen pots to cook in. Though apparently friendly, the journal says that Hudson "made no show of love" to them, nor permitted them to remain on board at night. The further From the 12th to the 22nd of Sept. Hudson was engaged in ascending the river, and as he proceeded the land grew higher till it became mountainous on both sides, and the "channel narrow with many eddy winds." The natives were friendly and continued to come on board. he went up the more friendly the natives were. After they passed the Highlands his journal says, "they found a very loving people and very old men, and were well used." He proceeded north to about where the city of Hudson now stands. Hudson and his ship went no further, yet his boat explored it several leagues higher up, and from the description of the river probably as high as Albany. The mate went ashore about twenty-five miles south of Albany with an old Indian, a governor of the country, who took him to his home and made him good cheer. Here they came on board the ship, bringing corn, tobacco, pumkins, grapes, beaver and other skins, and exchanged them for hatchets, knives, beads and other trifles. Hudson made some of them drink to see how they would act. Though many got merry yet only one got intoxicated. This created suspicion and alarm among the rest, who did not know what to make of it, and were not composed till next day, when he became sober.-This is the first instance of intoxication among the Indians in this part of the continent. This event is still preserved in the traditions of the Six Nations. After the Indian got sober many came on board-one made a speech, and showed them the country all about, made the captain reverence and departed. On the 22nd Sept. Hudson began to descend the When the ship came below the Highlands the natives appeared of a different character, extremely troublesome-attempted to rob, and frequently shot at the crew with bows and arrows from points of the land. Hudson's men shot at them and killed ten or twelve men. This was on the west side of the river. The land on the east side near the mouth was called by the natives Mannahatta. On the 4th of Oct. Hudson came out of the river which bears his name, and without anchoring in the bay stood out to the open ocean. river. We pass over the early settlement of the colony, and remark, that in 1687 the French aimed a blow at the interests of England in North America. Denonville, with 1500 French and 600 Indians, took the field against the Seneca Indians, one of the five confederated nations who were the friends of the English. An action took place near the principal Seneca village, in which 100 Frenchmen and 80 Senecas were killed. The Senecas burnt their village, the French burnt others, and many things besides, and returned to Canada. For these injuries the Senecas thirsted for revenge. On the 26th July, 1688, 1200 of their number landed at Montreal, while the French were in security, burnt their houses, sacked their plantations, and put all the men, women and children outside of the town to the sword. The French lost 1000 men in this incursion, and 26 carried into captivity and burnt alive. In October they made another descent and destroyed the lower part of the island. The Senecas only lost three men in these bloody scenes. In 1693, Count Fontenac, with a force of 600 or 700 French and Indians, made a descent on the Mohawk country, surprised an Indian village on the river, killed many of the inhabitants, and took 300 prisoners. The five nations were friendly to the English, and Col. Schuyler hurried to assist his allies in their distress, and with about 300 Indians, principally young men, followed the track of the retreating foe and had several severe skirmishes with him. When the French came to the north branch of the Hudson they crossed it on a cake of ice fortunately there, and Schuyler gave up the pursuit, having retaken some 50 of the Indians. The French lost 80 men and such was the severity of their sufferings, they were forced to eat their shoes; the Iroquois, while following in pursuit, subsisted on the dead bodies of the enemy. In 1796 Fontenac made another incursion with a large force, and made havoc of the possessions of the five nations. The Indians in league with the English continued to harrass the inhabitants near Montreal; and the Indians in like manner that were friendly to the French continued to invade the settlements in the vicinity of Albany till the peace of Rysweck, 1697. In 1708 the government of New York, by the sudden death of John, Lord Lovelace, the successor of Cornbury, devolved on Richard Ingoldsby, Lieut. Governor, who made an unsuccessful attempt on Canada. In this attempt New York raised several companies and employed 600 warriors of the five nations, paid them wages, and maintained 1000 of their wives and children, at an expense of £20,000. In 1710 Col. Schuyler went to England to impress upon the ministry the importance of conquering Canada, and carried five Indian chiefs with him, who assured Queen Anne of their sincerity to her cause. The expedition was commanded by Col. Nicholson, who had under him 2000 militia, 1000 Indians, and 1000 Palatines, then lately brought into the country by Brig. Gen. Robert Hunter, a Scotchman. This expedition started Aug. 28; proceeded as far as lake George, and then Col. Nicholson was compelled to return in consequence of some tempestuous weather having injured and dispersed the fleet sent to convey some additional troops by way of the St. Lawrence. The peace of Utrecht, 1713, stopped hostilities, and continued till 1739. In 1744 war was declared between England and France, and great preparations made in the colonies to conduct it with vigor. The country above Albany was kept in a continual state of alarm by Indians, who in small parties ranged through the country, murdering all they met, and firing and burning up every thing combustible. The fort at Hoosie was taken by M. De Vandervil in Aug. 1746, and the inhabitants at Saratoga were taken by surprise, some killed and others carried into captivity. These transactions of the Indians and French caused great alarm and distress in the counties of Ulster and Orange, and brought the war as it were to their own door. New York made great preparations to carry on the war, and if possible take Crown Point and Montreal. The Six Nations held a congress in Albany in July, 1746, which was attended by the counsel of the Governor, he being sick. On this occasion the Indians renewed their pledge to unite heartily in the war against the French. This amounted to nothing, as England failed to send troops to the country, and peace was again made in 1748 by the treaty of Aix la Chapelle, and the war closed. In 1753, while De Lancey acted as Governor, the English and French mutually extended their settlements, and each was anxious to possess the best posts for trading with the Indians. Mutual aggressions made mutual complaints, which were soon followed by open acts of hostility. In Sept. 1755, the colonies made great efforts to conduct. the war against the French. This campaign was conducted on a large scale. There was one expedition against the French in Nova Scotia, another against them on the Ohio, one against Crown Point, and a fourth against Fort Niagara, built by and in the possession of the French. The first was unsuccessful; the second failed by the defeat of Braddock; the third, under Gen. Wm. Johnson, partially failed; and the fourth, under Governor Shirly of Massachusetts, advan |