University of Virginia Library

THE HISTORIAN.

I HAVE forborne to recount various tales which
have been told during the evenings at the Hall,
because some of them were rather hackneyed
and tedious, and others I did not feel warranted
in betraying into print. I was suddenly startled
lately by a call from the Squire to furnish a story
in my turn, and having been a profound listener
to those of others, I could not in conscience refuse;
so I begged leave to read a manuscript tale
from the pen of the late Mr. Deidrich Knickerbocker,
the historian of New-York.

As some curiosity was expressed about the author,
I had to explain, “that he was a native of
New-York, a descendant of one of the ancient
Dutch families that originally settled that province,
and remained there after it was taken
possession of by the English, in 1664. That

the descendants of these Dutch families still remained
in villages and neighbourhoods in various
parts of the country; retaining with singular
fidelity, the dresses, manners, and even language
of their ancestors, and forming a very distinct
and curious feature in the population of the
state.

That Mr. Knickerbocker had written a history
of his native city, comprising the reign of the
three first governors who held a delegated sway
under the Hogen Mogens of Holland. That in
this the worthy little Dutchman had displayed
great historical research, and a wonderful sense
of the dignity of his subject; but that his work
had been so little understood as to be pronounced
a mere work of humour; satirizing the follies
of the times in politics and morals, and giving
whimsical views of human nature.

That among the papers left behind him were
several tales of a lighter nature, apparently
thrown together from materials which he had
gathered during his profound researches for his
history; and which he seemed to have thrown

by with neglect, as unworthy of publication.
That these had fallen into my hands by an accident
which it was needless to mention, and one
of those stories, with its prelude, in the words of
Mr. Knickerbocker, I now undertook to read,
by way of acquitting myself of the debt which
I owed to the other story-tellers in company.