AT ANTONY'S UNTIMELY END.

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through his locks, and dreary night is gathering around, sees stretched cold and lifeless his faithful dog-the sole companion of his journeying, who had shared his solitary meal, and so often licked his hand in humble gratitude-So did the generous hearted hero of the Manhattoes contemplate the untimely end of his faithful Antony. He had been the humble attendant of his footsteps -he had cheered him in many a heavy hour, by his honest gaiety, and had followed him in loyalty and affection through many a scene of direful peril and mishap-he was gone for ever-and that too, at a moment when every mongrel cur seemed skulking from his side-This-Peter Stuyvesant

this was the moment to try thy fortitude; and this was the moment when thou didst indeed shine forth-Peter the Headstrong.

The glare of day had long dispelled the horrors of the last stormy night; still all was dull and gloomy. The late jovial Apollo hid his face behind lugubrious clouds, peeping out now and then for an instant, as if anxious, yet fearful, to see what was going on in his favourite city. This was the eventful morning when the great Peter was to give his reply to the summons of the invaders. Already was he closeted with his privy council, sitting in grim state, brooding over the fate of his favourite trumpeter, and anon boiling with indignation as the insolence of his recreant burgomasters flashed upon his mind. While in this state of irritation, • a courier arrived in all haste from Winthrop, the subtle governor of Connecticut, counselling him,

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PETER PROROGUES A MEETING

in the most affectionate and disinterested manner, to surrender the province, and magnifying the dangers and calamities to which a refusal would subject him. What a moment was this to intrude officious advice upon a man who never took advice in his whole life!-The fiery old governor strode up and down the chamber with a vehemence that made the bosoms of his counsellors to quake with awe-railing at his unlucky fate, that thus made him the constant butt of factious subjects, and jesuitical advisers.

Just at this ill-chosen juncture the officious burgomasters, who were now completely on the watch, and had heard of the arrival of mysterious despatches, came marching in a resolute body into the room, with a legion of schepens and toadeaters at their heels, and abruptly demanded a perusal of the letter. Thus to be broken in upon by what he esteemed a "rascal rabble," and that too at the very moment he was grinding under an irritation from abroad, was too much for the spleen of the choleric Peter. He tore the letter in a thousand pieces*-threw it in the face of the nearest burgomaster-broke his pipe over the head of the next-hurled his spitting-box at an unlucky schepen, who was just making a masterly retreat out at the door, and finally prorogued the whole meeting sine die, by kicking them down stairs with his wooden leg.

As soon as the burgomasters could recover from

* Smith's History of N. Y.

WITH HIS WOODEN LEG.

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the confusion into which their sudden exit had thrown them, and had taken a little time to breathe, they protested against the conduct of the governor, which they did not hesitate to pronounce tyrannical, unconstitutional, highly indecent, and somewhat disrespectful. They then called a public meeting, where they read the protest, and addressing the assembly in a set speech, related at full length, and with appropriate colouring and exaggeration, the despotic and vindictive deportment of the governor; declaring that, for their own parts, they did not value a straw the being kicked, cuffed, and mauled by the timber toe of his excellency, but they felt for the dignity of the sovereign people, thus rudely insulted by the outrage committed on the seats of honour of their representatives. The latter part of the harangue had a violent effect upon the sensibility of the people, as it came home at once to that delicacy of feeling, and jealous pride of character, vested in all true mobs: who, though they may bear injuries without a murmur, yet are marvellously jealous of their sovereign dignity-and there is no knowing to what act of resentment they might have been provoked against the redoubtable Peter -had not the greasy rogues been somewhat more afraid of their sturdy old governor than they were of St. Nicholas, the English-or the d-1 himself.

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A SUBLIME SPECTACLE.

CHAPTER VIII.

How Peter Stuyvesant defended the city of New-Amsterdam for several days, by dint of the strength of his head.

THERE is something exceedingly sublime and melancholy in the spectacle which the present crisis of our history presents. An illustrious and venerable little city-the metropolis of an immense extent of uninhabited country-garrisoned by a doughty host of orators, chairmen, committeemen, burgomasters, schepens, and old womengoverned by a determined and strong-headed warrior, and fortified by mud batteries, pallisadoes, and resolutions-blockaded by sea, beleaguered by land, and threatened with direful desolation from without; while its very vitals are torn with internal faction and commotion! Never did historic pen record a page of more complicated distress, unless it be the strife that distracted the Israelites during the siege of Jerusalem-where discordant parties were cutting each other's throats, at the moment when the victorious legions of Titus had toppled down their bulwarks, and were carrying fire and sword into the very sanctum sanctorum of the temple.

Governor Stuyvesant having triumphantly, as

PETER'S GALLANT LETTER.

497

has been recorded, put his grand council to the rout, and thus delivered himself from a multitude of impertinent advisers, despatched a categorical reply to the commanders of the invading squadron; wherein he asserted the right and title of their High Mightinesses the Lords States-general to the province of New-Netherlands, and trusting in the righteousness of his cause, set the whole British nation at defiance! My anxiety to extricate my readers and myself from these disastrous scenes prevents me from giving the whole of this gallant letter, which concluded in these manly and affectionate terms:

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"As touching the threats in your conclusion, "we have nothing to answer, only that we fear nothing but what God (who is as just as mer"ciful) shall lay upon us; all things being in his gracious disposal, and we may as well be pre"served by him with small forces as by a great which makes us to wish you all happiness "and prosperity, and recommend you to his pro"tection. My lords, your thrice humble and affec"tionate servant and friend

army;

"P. STUYVESANT."

Thus having resolutely thrown his gauntlet, the brave Peter stuck a pair of horse pistols in his belt, girded an immense powder-horn on his sidethrust his sound leg into a Hessian boot, and clapping his fierce little war hat on the top of his head-paraded up and down in front of his house, determined to defend his beloved city to the last.

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