mere common occurrences of life, in the vegetable and animal systems.-Their organization in the order of sex, evidently designed for the regeneration of the species, is equally astonishing.-Independent of all the attacks of infidels, still "Man's-enough to wonder and adore."

On Friday, the 22d inst. about nine o'clock in the morning, my neighbor, when out at work, (as he informed me,) was surprised by a Black Snake, of that species commonly called Racers, which came at him with open mouth, his head elevated from the ground, his neck bent in the form of and about as high as a common goose; in the surprise he was obliged to give back a few steps, when he made a stand, thinking it was in vain to retreat any farther, when the snake seemed to parley, and eyeing each other attentively it soon made off to its harbor or den. He then provided himself with... proper weapons, and when the snake advanced again he had fortitude enough to dispatch it. But what appeared most extraordinary, was, it had two legs issuing from each side of the body, at that part where the tail commences. On the Saturday following, about sunset, I had the pleasure of seeing this serpent, though with some regret that I had not seen it sooner in order to have preserved it, for it had been nearly two days in the sun and was offensive. However I conceived the feet or hoofs were worth preserving, which were about the size of a large pea, into which the legs stuck; fastened at the bottom, and had somewhat the appearance of a shoe or bootee, of a dark color. The legs were of a flesh color, without any bone and of a membranous substance of an elastic quality, which might be extended to some length, and when let go, would spring back to its former position; the foot upon the leg could be turned in any direction with all ease. 1 cut off the feet with a small chisel, which adhered to the chisel when they were off, occasioned by the glutinous matter that issued from the leg, of a whitish color, streaked with blood.

Now if this be a true figure or image of the Old Serpent, who has done so much mischief in the world, it is an error to say he had cloven hoofs; but claws he must have had in abundance, for I counted, upon one of these litthe hoofs, upwards of sixty claws, white like bone, and so strong that I lifted the snake from the ground, by hooking them to a piece of a chip.The snake was four feet eight inches long and about five quarters of an inch in diameter. It is impossible to know all the uses of these feet; trifl. ing as they may appear, it is evident that these claws were designed for the purpose of assisting this serpent (when so disposed) to climb trees like a squirrel, and even to climb up a plane ceiling like a worm.

There are not less than twelve persons who have seen this snake when the feet were to it, who can have no interest at present, to betray the truth; and the barrenness of all artificial, vocal or written language, to describe the truth about what we do not know, seems hard to explain, and even about what we actually know: Therefore the feet of this serpent are at present at the house of the subscriber, for the inspection of the curious.

PETER BULL; Purgatory, May 25, 1818.

[Republican.

TOWN OF CHESTER.

Oxford. This is a small and pleasant village in the central part of the town, and known by that name for many years. The English name denotes that the settlers came from that country, and called it after Oxford, England. That city is situate at the conflux of two small rivers, the Iris and Cherwell, and was the Oxonia, Oxonium, Bellositum, Iris dis Vadum of the Romans. The city is said to be very ancient and fouded many years before the Roman conquest.

The name is said by some to be derived from the Saxon word Oxenford, and used by them in the same sense that the Greeks named or called their Bosphori and the Germans their Ochenford, namely, the Ford of Ôxen.

Warton, the historian of English poetry, suggests that the word is a corruption of Ousenford, meaning the ford at or near Ouseney, on the meadows of Ouse-Ouse being the common Saxon name for water or river. The city is written Orsnaforda or Oksnaforda on a coin of Alfred in the Bodlein. Library at Oxford. It is Ornaford and Oxenford frequently in the Saxon chronicle, and Oxniford on the pennies of the two Williams.

It is supposed by some who have written on this very small point of etymology that the Saxon word Ousen, Ousn or Osn soon became corrupted into Orsn, Oxsn or Okin, and the original meaning of Ouseneyford being forgotten, Oxeneford was substituted for it in the public mind, and then, by way of making that word shorter, more agreeable and easy to pronounce, it was corrupted into the more obvious and familiar terms of Oxenford or Oxford, the present name.

If this etymological metamorphosis is true or nearly so, it proves the truth of the remark made in the introductory part of this paper, that the great source of the corruption of words. is the natural propensity of the mind to substitute the easy and pleasant in sound, for that which is more difficult and ob scure, when similarity or affinity of sound will authorise it in

any way.

This word was Latinized into Vadum Boum, the Ford of Oxen. That city is said by some to have been built by Memphrice, king of the Britains, and called Car- Memphrice ; Car in the Celtic means City. Others contend it was founded by Vertigern, and called Car-Vertigern; while others further contend that it was originally known by the sonorous appellation of Bellosihem, a name expressive of its favorable

situation, on an eminence, adorned with woods, between two rivers, the Iris and Cherwell. But we forbear further remark upon this disputed point-the summa cacumine of etymology. Still, before leaving, we assume to observe, that the word under consideration is proof of the truth of another introductory remark, that if certainty in relation to our county names, -the present known accidental reason therefor, or incident assigned in our young traditions of the county-are to be preserved, it is high time the effort was made to place them in some true and durable form, before they pass from the memory of the present inhabitants, and be subjected to future doubt and learned speculation.

This account of the word Oxford verifies another introduc tory remark, to wit: that we had without fitness or reason, bestowed foreign names upon our county localities. The situation of our Oxford is wholly dissimilar with the English; for there, there was either a ford for oxen, or a ford at or near the meadows of Ouse, either of which exactly expressed the situation of the place, the thing signified. We crave pardon for the length of our remarks on this word, and for the freedom of our criticisms; while we cannot resist the temptation to say, as we have said before, that looking over the names of places in New York, you would suppose them bestowed by some crazy schoolmaster,so learned and inappropriate are they. Sugar Loaf Village. This is at the west side of Sugar Loaf Mountain, on the road from Warwick to Chester. village is small and stationary in its growth, and has its name from the mountain, at the west foot of which it stands.

The

Sugar Loaf Mountain.-This isolated peak rises majestically in a conical form, resembling a loaf of sugar, for several hundred feet above the level of the surrounding lands. The apex of the cone is covered with a woody top-knot or crest, which gives it a pleasant and gay appearance. The most fastidious in the bestowment of names expressive of the thing signified, could not object to this one. If he did, he ought not to be permitted to taste a bit of sugar candy, but be fed on pickles ever after.

On a farm in this vicinity, owned by Mr. Jonathan Archer, there was an Indian burying ground at the early settlement of the country. The old lady, our informant, upwards of 85 years old, said she saw it frequently before the Revolution, and once afterwards. She thought there were about thirty graves, and each one was a small green pyramid of earth.. heaped up like the covering of a potato hole. Around each grave there were pieces of split wood, set in the ground so

close as almost to touch each other and higher than her head. There was no regularity in the position of the graves. These, doubtless, were the honored receptacles of chiefs and warriors; for, from all we have learned upon enquiry through the ⚫ county, it appears that such were not interred in a common yard with other Indians. While each tribe or settlement had a common receptacle for depositing the dead, several settlements, though many miles apart, buried their chiefs in ground appropriated for the purpose; so that while the latter were few in number, the former were numerous. When a

chief was buried, the Indians attended from a great distance around.

The strong arm of agricultural improvement has long since levelled and swept away these green and revered tumuli of the dead, and the ploughman, as he drives his share thro' their consecrated ashes, is careless of the sacred nature of the spot, once bedewed with the burning tears of Indian sorrow, and for the protection of which they would have laid down their lives as a sacrifice.

Greycourt. This name was applied to the old Cromline house and the locality around it, and is still applied to the meadows in the vicinity. The etymology of this name was a real stumbling block for a long time, and we went hunting and fishing in all directions to find the solution. Determined to succeed, we struck a drag net over the county, and thrust our historical pump into every fountain of local knowledge in possession of the aged, where we supposed it was snugly deposited. Still no one could give a reason or solve the difficulty. We pressed the physician to answer our inquiry; we asked the farmer to stop his plough and solve our doubts; we begged of the mechanic, for pity's sake, to cease his labor and assign a reason, and still the enquiry was fruitless. We then addressed the aged residents of the locality, and learned judges who had worn the ermine for many years, born and nurtured on the spot, and questioned them with the astuteness of the legal profession. We next went down to the bar and took counsel of its intelligent members, and their conclusion was the case was desperate. We thought it mar vellous and passing strange, that there should be a name so odd and unaccountable in the very heart of the intelligent county of Orange, and known every where; and yet the tradition be lost and unknown by its citizens. Though the matter was small and insignificant, about which a sensible man, having any thing else to do, would not bestow a second thought; yet it troubled us like an evil genius, haunted us NAMED AFTER HOME

OF DANIEL CROMMELIMI

"RICOURT, FRANCE" A Bru7 FOUR MILES

night and day, and as a last resort we concluded to offer a reward, thinking its magnitude would produce the lost aged object of our search. Reader, we actually offered to bestow a copy of our paper-and by this time, if you have carefully perused its pages, you know its value-to any person who would furnish the true etymology of "Greycourt!" Will you believe it? we had not the pleasure to bestow the volume!

The answers to our enquiries were various and unsatisfactory: some said in honest truth they did not know-others, that it had always been known by that name and that ought to be satisfactory. Others said the name was "Greycoat," and came from the peculiar color of the grass on, the meadows, which was grey like a coat; while others affirmed that an old man, by the name of St. John, who lived in the vicin ity, called it Greycoat, after a place he came from in England. This looked like approximation to the fact, and withal quite probable, and the only objection we had to it was, that the name was English, that St. John was a Frenchman, and not in the county till near half a century after the place bore the name.

It is now sufficient to remark, that by the merest accident in the world, we were placed in possession of the following facts: The reader will recollect that the "Greycourt" house was erected in 1716, and that it soon became a public inn, as all the early locations were. At that day the king was held in great respect by the settlers, and they proved it by exhibiting his royal arms in different ways. They were painted on the signboard of this inn, and as the Greycourt creek was the outlet of Goosepond, both being in the vicinity of the Cromline house, the keeper placed the image of that favorite and beautiful bird beside the arms of royalty. There she hung, as true to nature,as paint and brush could make it a perfect similitude of life. The bird almost breathed and flapped her wings to escape confinement, and revisit her kindred on the glassy surface of the lake. Unfortunately, the pigments of that day were like the prints of this, not standing colors; and the beautiful white goose soon became old and marvellously grey. Till this time the house was known as the Cromline house.

At that early day there were persons who assumed a knowledge of the fine arts, and had not much to do, but spend their time, money and opinions freely at the inn, like the true bred loafers of our day, and they began to try their wit and fling their gibes, not only at the faded colors of the bird,but at the arms of royalty. At last they came out boldly, and said