^
 

OF JVEW YORK CITY.                        19
 

CHAPTER  II.

I have come into possession of a rare book, published
by Marchbank, Coles Alley, Castle street, Dublin, in
1765. It is called " Travels through the Middle Set¬
tlements in North America in the year 1759 and 1760,
with observations upon the state of the Colonies, by the
Rev. Andrew Bennaby."

No one can appreciate the delight with which I re¬
ceive any thing of this kind, until he feels as I do, how
little we know of the people of this city only one hun¬
dred years ago. What a treasure would be a book writ¬
ten by a Walter Barrett in 176-3 ! What would I not
give to find a free and easy sketch of our own city in
1703 —■ when it had its 12,000 population — who they
were — where they lived—-how many children they
had — what they did — who this one married — what
funerals were attended, and the ten thousand things
that would now so deeply interest us, but alas ! no
home sketches were written then, and there are none to
be had. It is all guess work. I sometimes throw my¬
self into an atmosphere of a hundred years ago, and
think and breathe old New York, and walk about with
the merchants of that day, and go to their homes and
their country houses and stores.

The  Irish  clergyman opens his  clever book in this