Ferry. THE DISCOVERY OF NEW YORK. 66 By Permission of J. B. Lippincott Co. HE author will now refer to the discovery of sold for twenty-four dollars? Were they having New York was afterwards sold for twenty-four dol- Do not encourage them to believe that they will lars, the whole island. When I think of this I go escape me in future years. Some of them died uninto my family gallery, which I also use as a swear regenerate, and are now, I am told, in a country room, and tell those ancestors of mine what I think where they may possibly be damned; and I will atof them. Where were they when New York was tend to the others personally. back as far as 209th Street West, and anchored. Twenty-four dollars for New York! Why, my finding no one there whom he knew, he hastened Croton-water tax on one house and lot with fifty feet four and one-fourth inches front is fifty-nine dollars and no questions asked. Why, you can't get a voter for that now. Henry-or Hendrik-Hudson was an English navigator, of whose birth and early history nothing is known definitely, hence his name is never mentioned in many of the best homes of New York. In 1607 he made a voyage in search of the North West Passage. In one of his voyages he discovered Cape Cod, and later on the Hudson River. This was one hundred and seventeen years after Columbus discovered America; which shows that the discovering business was not pushed as it should have been by those who had it in charge. He discovered Hudson Bay and Hudson Strait, and made other journeys by water, though aquatting was then in its infancy. Afterwards his sailors became mutinous, and set Hendrik and his son, with seven infirm sailors, afloat. Ah! Whom have we here? It is Hendrik Hudson, who discovered the Hudson River. Here he has just landed at the foot of 209th Street, New York, where he offered the Indians liquor, but they refused. How 209th. Street has changed! The artist has been fortunate in getting the expression of the Indians in the act of refusing. Mr. Hud Hudson went up the river as far as Albany, but, son's great reputation lies in the fact that he dis covered the river which bears his name; but the his anchor at that place. As soon as he had landed thinking mind will at once regard the discovery of an and discovered the city, he was approached by the Indian who does not drink as far more wonderful. chief, who said : "We gates. I am on the committee to show you our little town. I suppose you have a power of attorney, of course, for discovering us? Some historians say that this special delegation was swept away afterwards by a pestilence, whilst others, commenting on the incident, maintain that Hudson lied. Yes," said Hudson. As Columbus used to say It is the only historical question regarding America when he discovered San Salvador, I do it by the not fully settled by this book. right vested in me by my sovereigns.' · That overNothing more was heard by him till he turned up sizes my pile by a sovereign and a half,' says one of in a thinking part in "Rip Van Winkle." the natives; and so, if you have not heard it, there is a good thing for one of your dinner-speeches here." Many claims regarding the discovery of various parts of the United States had been previously made. The Cabots had discovered Labrador; the Spaniards the southern part of the United States; the Norsemen had discovered Minneapolis; and Columbus had discovered San Salvador and had gone home to meet a ninety-day note due in Palos for the use of the Pinta, which he had hired by the hour. But we are speaking of the discovery of New York. About this time a solitary horseman might have been seen at West 209th Street, clothed in a little brief authority, and looking out to the west as he petulantly spoke in the Tammany dialect, then in the language of the blank-verse Indian. He began "Another day of anxiety has passed, and yet we have not been discovered! The Great Spirit tells me in the thunder of the surf and the roaring cataract of the Harlem that within a week we will be discovered for the first time." As he stands there aboard of his horse one sees that he is a chief in every respect, and in life's great drama would naturally occupy the middle of the stage. It was at this moment that Hudson slipped down the river from Albany past Fort Lee, and, dropping a nickle in the slot at 125th Street, weighed We will take the departments, such as Police, Street-cleaning, etc., etc., etc., while you and Columbus get your pictures on the currency and have your graves mussed up on anniversaries. We get the twomoment horses and the country châteaux on the Bronx. Sabe?" That is, you do not care whose portrait is on the currency," said Hudson, "so you get the currency." Said the man, "That is the sense of the meeting." Thus was New York discovered via Albany and Fort Lee, and five minutes after the two touched glasses, the brim of the schoppin and the Manhattan New York was incocktail tinkled together, and augurated. ..... OEL CHANDLER HARRIS has called himself "an accidental author," for while living on a plantation as a typesetter on a country newspaper he became familiar with the curious myths and animal stories of the negroes, and some time in the seventies he printed a magazine article on these folk-lore stories, giving at the same time some of the stories as illustration. This article attracted attention and revealed to the writer the fact that the stories had a decided literary value, and his main literary work has been the elaboration of these myths. The stories of "Uncle Remus" are, as almost everyone knows, not creations of the author's fancy, but they are genuine folk-lore tales of the negroes, and strangely enough many of these stories are found in varying forms among the American Indians, among the Indians along the Amazon and in Brazil, and they are even found in India and Siam, which fact has called out learned discussions of the origin and antiquity of the stories and the possible connection of the races. Our author was born in Eatonton, a little village in Georgia, December 9, 1848, in very humble circumstances. He was remarkably impressed, while still very young, with the "Vicar of Wakefield," and he straightway began to compose little tales of his own. In 1862 he went to the office of the "Countryman," a rural weekly paper in Georgia, to learn typesetting. It was edited and published on a large plantation, and the negroes of this and the adjoining plantations furnished him with the material out of which the "Uncle Remus" stories came. While learning to set type the young apprentice occasionally tried his hand at composing, and not infrequently he slipped into the "Countryman" a little article, composed and printed, without ever having been put in manuscript form. The publication of an article on the folk-lore of the negroes in "Lippincott's Magazine" was the beginning of his literary career, and the interest this awakened stimulated him to develop these curious animal stories. Many of the stories were first printed as articles in the Atlanta "Constitution," and it was soon seen by students of myth-literature that these stories were very significant and important in their bearing on general mythology. For the child they have a charm and an interest as "good stories," and they are told with rare skill and power, but for the student of ethnology they have special value as throwing some light on the probable relation of the negroes with other races which tell similar folk-tales. Mr. Harris has studied and pursued the profession of law, though he has now for many years been one of the editors of the Atlanta "Constitution," for which many of his contributions have been originally written. He is also a frequent contributor both of prose and poetry to current literature, and he is the author of the following books: "Uncle Remus, His Songs and His Sayings; the Folk-lore of the Old Plantation " (New York, 1880), "Nights With Uncle Remus" (Boston, 1883), "Mingo and Other Sketches" (1883). MR. RABBIT, MR. FOX, AND MR. BUZZARD.* (FROM UNCLE REMUS.") NE evening when the little boy whose nights Leas'ways, Miss Meadows en de girls got win' un' it, with Uncle Remus are as entertaining en de nex' time Brer Rabbit paid um a visit, Miss as those Arabian ones of blessed memory, Meadows tackled 'im 'bout it, en de gals sot up a had finished supper and hurried out to sit with his monstus gigglement. Brer Rabbit, he sot up des ez venerable patron, he found the old man in great cool ez a cowcumber, he did, en let 'em run on." glee. Indeed, Uncle Remus was talking and laugh- "Who was Miss Meadows, Uncle Remus?" ining to himself at such a rate that the little boy was quired the little boy. afraid he had company. The truth is, Uncle Remus had heard the child coming, and when the rosycheeked chap put his head in at the door, was engaged in a monologue, the burden of which seemed to be "Ole Molly Har', As a matter of course this vague allusion reminded the little boy of the fact that the wicked Fox was still in pursuit of the Rabbit, and he immediately put his curiosity in the shape of a question. "Uncle Remus, did the Rabbit have to go clean away when he got loose from the Tar-Baby?" "Bless grashus, honey, dat he didn't. Who? Him? You dunno nuthin' 'tall 'bout Brer Rabbit ef dat's de way you puttin' 'im down. Wat he gwine 'way fer? He mouter stayed sorter close twel the pitch rub off 'n his ha'r, but twern't menny days 'fo' he wuz loping up en down de naberhood same as ever, en I dunno ef he wern't mo' sassier dan befo'. "Don't ax me, honey. She wuz in de tale, Miss Meadows en de gals wuz, en de tale I give you like hi't wer' gun ter me. Brer Rabbit, he sot dar, he did, sorter lam' like, en den bimeby he cross his legs, he did, and wink his eye slow, en up en say, sezee: "Ladies, Brer Fox wuz my daddy's ridin'-hoss for thirty year; maybe mo', but thirty year dat I knows un,' sezee; en den he paid um his specks, en tip his beaver, en march off, he did, dez ez stiff en ez stuck up ez a fire-stick. "Nex' day, Brer Fox cum a callin', and w'en he gun fer to laff 'bout Brer Rabbit, Miss Meadows en de gals, dey ups and tells im 'bout w'at Brer Rabbit say. Den Brer Fox grit his toof sho' nuff, he did, en he look mighty dumpy, but when he riz fer to go he up en say, sezee: "Ladies, I ain't 'sputing w'at you say, but I'll make Brer Rabbit chaw up his words en spit um out right yer whar you kin see 'im,' sezee, en wid dat off Brer Fox marcht. "En w'en he got in de big road, he shuck de dew off'n his tail, en made a straight shoot fer Brer Rabbit's house. W'en he got dar, Brer Rabbit wuz "Seem like dat de tale 'bout how he got mixt up spectin' un him, en de do' wuz shut fas'. Brer Fox wid de Tar-Baby got 'roun' mongst de nabers. knock. Nobody ain't ans'er. Brer Fox knock. No Copyright, George Routledge & Sons. body ans er. 666 'Is dat you, Brer Fox? I want you ter run en fetch de doctor. Dat bit er parsley w'at I e't dis mawnin' is gittin' 'way wid me. Do, please, Brer Fox, run quick,' sez Brer Rabbit, sezee. Den he knock agin-blam! blam! | was puttin' on his spurrers, en w'en dey got close to Den Brer Rabbit holler out, mighty weak: Miss Meadows's, whar Brer Rabbit wuz to git off en Brer Fox made a motion fer ter stan' still, Brer Rabbit slap the spurrers inter Brer Fox flanks, en you better b'lieve he got over groun'. W'en dey got ter de house, Miss Meadows en all de girls wuz settin' on de peazzer, en stidder stoppin' at de gate Brer Rabbit rid on by, he did, en den come gallopin' down de road en up ter de hoss-rack, w'ich he hitch Brer Fox at, en den he santer inter de house, he did, en shake han's wid de gals, en set dar, smokin' his seegyar same ez a town man. Bimeby he draw in long puff, en den let hit out in a cloud, en squar hisse'f back, en holler out, he did : 6 "I come atter you, Brer Rabbit, sez Brer Fox, sezee. Dere's gwinter be a party up at Miss Meadow's,' sezee. All de gals'll be dere, en I promus' dat I'd fetch you. De gals, dey 'lowed dat hit wouldn't be no party ceppin I fotch you,' sez Brer Fox, sezee. "Den Brer Rabbit say he wuz too sick, en Brer Fox say he wuzzent, en dar dey had it up and down sputin' en contendin'. Brer Rabbit say he can't walk. Brer Fox say he tote im. Brer Rabbit say how? Brer Fox say in his arms. Brer Rabbit say he drap 'im. Brer Fox low he won't. Bimeby Brer Rabbit say he go ef Brer Fox tote 'im on his back. Brer Fox say he would. Brer Rabbit say he can't ride widout a saddle. Brer Fox say he git de saddle. Brer Rabbit say he can't set in saddle less he have a bridle for to hol' by. Brer Fox say he git de bridle. Brer Rabbit say he can't ride widout bline bridle, kaze Brer Fox be shyin' at stumps long de road. en fling im off. Brer Fox say he git bline bridle. Den Brer Rabbit say he go. Den Brer Fox say he ride Brer Rabbit mos' up to Miss Meadows's, en den he could git down en walk de balance ob de way. Brer Rabbit 'greed, en den Brer Fox lipt out atter de saddle en de bridle. Co'se Brer Rabbit know de game dat Brer Fox wuz fixin' fer ter play, en he termin' fer ter out-do 'im; en by de time he koam his har en twis' his mustarsh, en sorter rig up, yer come Brer Fox, saddle and bridle on, en lookin' ez peart ez a circus pony. He trot up ter de do' en stan' dar pawin' de ground en chompin' de bit same like sho' nuff hos, en Brer Rabbit he mount, he did, en day amble off. Brer Fox can't see behime wid de bline bridle on, but bimeby he feel Brer Rabbit raise one er his foots. "Ladies, ain't I done tell you Brer Fox wuz de ridin' hoss fer our fambly? He sorter losin' his gait now, but I speck I kin fetch 'im all right in a mont' or so,' sezee. En den Brer Rabbit sorter grin, he did, en de gals giggle, en Miss Meadows, she praise up de pony, en dar wuz Brer Fox hitch fas' ter de rack, en couldn't he'p hisse'f." "Is that all, Uncle Remus?" asked the little boy, as the old man paused. "Dat ain't all, honey, but 'twont do fer to give out too much cloff for ter cut one pa'r pants," replied the old man sententiously. |