. Diodricl: iiiiielecrbockur. 119 ill! 3“l-“°T-

. modes of living-—-I hurl nliiiost mid. 07 1l‘i“ki"'E"""l

A reasons, that it he'll an eastern origin.

376

A_

AMERICAN RAILROAD JOURNAL.

Yet I out by no incans certain that my iiitonded
toast, even explained undjustiiiod, as itsball be, will
be entirely agreeable to him--nor um I certriin that
the (5Xpl€tIll.Li.l()I£l itself may not tend in the estimation
ofsonio. to reduce him from tho high runk he now
liolds,-——still I must proceed ;,at paramount regard to
truth forbids me to be silent; imperative reasons of
duty and GOBSCIBDCG urge the disclosure 1 am about
to make, which in truth has been already too long
dare‘-I-ad, '1‘hip disclozure  shall lcgrltuinly piiinuge
with all povssib e consi oration mic e [Gil-Cy. owar .~
the Feelings of our guofit ; but to suppress it 15 1]InptOB-
sible. It is necessary to ispe an error, imp-revri on as
to be nearly universal. It iii iioeossaryto rolievellic
’pl\,l1lir-. mind from El. delusion—~-ii very serious 4lclUH!0fl.
on LI. very serious subject. That our guest has con.
mhumcl by his own acts to create l‘.l':\lB(.lt‘.llJSs'l0!‘i,‘I do
not nssert, yet _it vunnot be dcnicd,§l1iit.(li~y l1l)lLl: Sl-
lcnco ire" has )Bl‘[IllLIed it to exist. on on cam
well recollect, JSir, most. who are present. rocolloot,
tliiit some time in the year 1808 or 9, a work in two

ry of New York. and 0" “*5 ml“ P , ‘ ,
’ Illl8’l.)t)0l{,
ill rm-iienibcr, was not only received with gun-
but for many months continued to be
licit faith. It was universally regard-
arrcitive equally iiutliontic and
he snfiiniiigs and exploits of
manners, dress.

yflll \'u’
oral applause,
rend with imp
ed as oontiuunig :1 ii
curious, not only of L . L
om» an(:ct)l.()l'8,‘I)L1I. of. the literature.

I correct the error no to think-
inp;,for I believe that lmbit. 110*? V°l‘Y P"“""1°“‘ l"
tiny ago, had then scarcely commenced. . After the
lnpse, however, oi'tlioee few montl-is, during which
the U Higtory of New York" was considered by _all
competent critics on the most vtiltmble _flddlW-1"
that hnd yet been made to the serious Literature
of our oouiitry»—-alter the 18:958. I Bil)’ 0f_ lvl“33“
fmv nioi'it1is—-a report was invented and uirciilri.
tod with unusual rupidlty and succosa. denying
to Kiiickcrboclier the uiithoraliipof his own work
and even the fact of his own 0Xl5U_3“‘3°"".“- '°l"“'l' 1"“
probable and sctmdalous——that the book was not as it
clziiined to be at history, but was it work, merely of

those primitive times.

. iinugirut:-ion and Eiotioaows-in-.nl,1.btk.ml-hI\&~»i«l~..r4:a&. N11,!»

tho iriiiturcd result oftlio long continued nnil smccess-
fol diligeiiuc oi‘ Uiedrick Knickerbocker, but was the
sudden l'r-lit. of the creative genius of Witsliington
Irving. The author of this report I cuniiot name,
rial. have never been able to discover him, but I con-
fess that at first I suspected, and for very obvious
A Friend,
however, to .wl_iom I communicated my siisphicione.
I (:i friend on whose judgnieiit I had much rclnmce,)
oliserved, in reply, that it was liordlyprobable that
tho lmii-el would ho plucked from the brows of Died.
rick,Knicke_rbocker, of Ronsselzicr, by eastern hands,
to be fixed on those of Vv'aaliingtoifi Irving-—not
oi'iB'oston—-but of New York ; and I o_wri the reply
put, an and to mysuspicions. Leaving. liowrevor,
the author, and returning to the report, we all know
thatpassed rapidly from private circloeinto the public
prints, from ne,\‘VEplLp€9l'S,lnl'.O magazines, from mug.
aziocl-:4 into reviews, and that it has since boon month-
lya.n'_cl,'da,i1y repeated, in every form of assertion,

’ and in every mode ofpublication; until it has at last

obtained entire and zilisolutc posseeeion of the pub
lic mind—-— so that at this ,time, and in this large ris-
aombly, there is net, I am persuaded, a. single por.

tion, with the exception ofrnysoll‘, who clues not

believe, with an iindoubtirig faith, that ‘Washington
Irving is as truly the author Dflllls “History ol
New York” as oF the Sketch Book or of the Life nl
Columbus. That your own mind, sir, sliurcs docply
this: striiiigzedclusion, has already appeared by your
opening address ; in which (you will pardon mo for
_‘ ~- A  "_  ‘~:are~n~o1¢~on1y:e~iiti°re1y miétzikcn thbtrtie
' character oftlie ‘work, biitlmvepiibllckly ascribed its
‘ nieri,-ts. ..such_ ea; vou. coriceivo,tliernv,..to.tho -guest,

‘vv-hom__wo are met to ,houor,._ Were ‘this '3. question

of law, I should, as we are all uc,cu.stomcd,.defer to

 

your authority. and be psilentrbut on 21 question of
fact, air, and where conscience is concc>.rnod,Veven.

your authority n'JUSl. not sub'due_ mo. 1. have a. duty
to perf'or‘in; in-:.vr,o,loWyers are somewlizitapt to say
when f1(Il.ll‘eESi..'3«g.ll COl1Tl._Gl'»..Il,!_[’{f and must proceed
w..Jpr’occcii, tlioiigli I provoliet £57
tbelderiéion of tll~IWl1_O hear me.

Yes. '.,Gen_1.lemen of‘ the . Jury,

dance, I fear not" to zippronch you.

of truth?
not, rcaist the force ct‘ the evidence, the power 0

credulous, pro.dotcrmined and prejudiced as ye are
Ishall yet extort Ii unanimous verdict.

iloiibt,’/consciciicea ye have.

I resume my address to you, air, as the moist con
venicnt mode of uddrcsiiiiig others.

lay down, and mean to establish is this:

which it relates.
stood.

The first question I admit to bc—-—Did Dicdrick
And here I have to

Knickhocker ever exist at all ?

regret, that the witnesses I had summoned from

Sclingticoko. and on whom I rolled, by some strange
accident. are none of them in court. Following.
therefore, 11 not iinfrequcnt. and sometimes successful
priictico-»—no one doubts its propric-ty———I oiibr my-
eielfusa. witness. Certainly Dicilrick Knickerbocker
My recollection in clear iind distinct——
I have soon the mnu.~ Cross examined»-—I cannot ex-
actly fix the time and pliice--I cannot 3i.3l.l.0 how I
knew and where I converisod with him, but those
are trifling particulars; my l‘org'etf'ulncsn of them
does not at all acliake the certainty ofiny beliefin the
Nay, I go far.
tbci‘. Tusk your own recollection, Sir, for it is upon
Task your
own recollection by the promos I slnill mention, and
you will not refuse to join me in beai-ingtcstiinony.
You have read. I doubt not, Frequeiitly, the pi-cfxice
-«to ‘the «firateieditiion ‘0f‘:1;'l)B"" History‘ oi‘-‘New York.”
Do you not remember, Sir, the description it con-

lltlfl existed.

iniiiii "Fact---tlie intinl have seen.

you that I may next cull an uwitneas.

tail): of the person, appearance and dross of Die.

the bending l'orm-——tho humble and tlioughtl'ul-look
—-—the rusty block cont-—the tarnished green vest-—
tbovolivo colored brcochcis, and the blue stockings?
Have you not seen that man, Sir? For niyneli’. I
never read thic preface. but Diedrick stands before
me, and so dlstinctis the image, thzit.I know at once
with bin intuitive certainty, that it is an image rc-
cnlled by my own memory, notimpressed by the fan.

rigid as you are, Sir, you may tbiiik it somewhat
weak; be it_ia'5_; ; strike it out ofthc case. The chasm
is For more‘ than supplied by the abundance and car.
tuinty of the internal evidence, to which I shrill now
appeiil.

I bcgiri by
VVhy sl_io’ul,d we "doubt the authenticity of Kriickcr.
bocker’s “ History of New York ?”

these, too, the well known appellatives ofun ancient

thonticity. Istart than with this presurnptiori in

i‘idioia.1e_Q1_§_n cu r
.. __\

for .410 you I now
dire,ct,»n;. s,elf‘,I._know,that all of you-—-numerous as

my favor, and I put again the qucstion.‘wby should
we doubt’! Are not 11” the grand. the most impor-
tant facts related in this history confirmed to us, by
every other liistorizin--.-by every account and tradi-
tion that liacrcuched us, of that remote ago? Did
not Hendrick Hiidsondiscover the Hudson 7 Was
oot.lhe.colon,3'. first-settled by emigrants from Hol-
land’; I Did,-tphey not bring with them 4 a lringuage
called the Dntchyu very corrupt and dissomint dia.
lcct ofwhich is atillepoken in various parts of the
State? :‘,Did they not land on this Island.‘ then cal.
ledby theinntivc Indians M:in,h‘attoeS, or Manhattan,
and adopting the usual process-—'-ta process in good
repute to the present day-—’did they not. without do-

..

Iwémfiimgugmhsli ortly after their establishment, and

W1?-lioutgpxocodant you 8.i‘e,‘lm€l it was fitting yonfncronslimanta, inroads, proclamations, rensonii)f§{v

should ba—-that all‘, every man of you are against
me, but strong in the arinour—~not as some of you
seem disposed to hint “that rings when struck with
brazen sounds," but in the armour of truth and evi.
I know your
determined obstinate long cherished partiiility for
your townsmiin; ye are all of you ‘lovers of"
Waishingion Irving: but are ye notalso lovers
if ye are, ye will not, because yo can.

the argiiinenta, I mean to produce-—-yo listen to me
now with iriiputizincc, perliiips indignation, but con-
tinuo to listen, and even from you, obstinate, in-

All I ask
is your ,aticntion—-—lionr niev-—open your ears andl
proiniso to reach your coiiscioncec, if‘, pardon the

The position I
_ ’ that the
voliiiiicmvas publislicil in tliis city, contauiiiig avcry Wm-k, ontmed “,0 05 History of Nm,,_Ym.kn in ,_w“
lY|ii3lll.8 and intcrestiiig narrative of the curly and volumes published at the time I liiive mentioned
golden crii of‘ our colonial history. _I mciin tho P‘—'- with tho mime on the title page of Diedrick Kiuckerc
riod when the colon)’ ‘V55’ N05‘ ""’ll‘])“‘-"ll1'l‘l""l‘*“» bockor as tho uuthor. is a genuine and autlzenlic
the Dntcli Iiiugiiage and tho I)lll.c.l1.l)]flllfl(2‘I‘5- ‘U18 work-——genuine, as iictnailly written by the man.
worli bore the title. iiorri¢7Wl_““ ‘""b‘“°“" "1 “‘- ”"”l“- whose iinino it looairs-«authentic no it fiiitliliil mirrn.
“Q0 ill“ ‘“1'“° 0’ tive of" the clmraiclorai and events of‘ the tiines, to
I hope this is plain and is under-

drick Knickerboclror——-tlic few scattered grey liairs——

cy ol'nnotbcr. I pass: now {'ron_i the external prool'——-

istating the question invits true form----,

‘When a work‘
is published with such utitle, having units title
page xi christian and surnzime.. as of the author-—

and respected fiiinily, the presumption is, that the

work is what it purports to be, and the stress of the
argument plainly lioson those who impeach its au-

lnv,'pm. out tho 5iaVflg‘!:5.'rl1Jd put jn l',he[n3e1ve5'_I.——

did tlieynin, Fi)r‘§‘sei~:ca~4;E4g,g_grs, continue to be vex.
ed. harrnssad. and put beside thérr‘patieii»ce,.J;y;3he

and questions of their Eastern neighbors? Were
not the character and pursuits of those neighbour
such as Diedrick Knickerbocker has described them,

their descendants remain? Were they not‘ tnlkn.
live and long winded. inquisitive and subtle. disputa.
tious rinddevout? Did they not fatten pork, import
molasses; raise in quantity, inordinate. onions and
piiiiipkins, andvdolight and excel in psalmody? In
F
lous race, did not our ancestors, Sir——-I say our. for.
“Io nnclié sono Pittoré,” I also have a spice of the
Dntchman——aud in spite. I say. of this restless and
locomotive race, did ‘not our ancestors continue to
iiiaintaiii this goodly city in their own exclusive
posscssioii, thereby accomplishing‘ a feat that has
utterly linfllcd the skill of their degenerate noon?
Did they not so retain. not the city only, but the
State? and were they not, t'or_imiiiy years, to all
intents and purposes, it Dutch community, u.Dutch
colony? and were not VVonter Von Twillcr, Wil-
lielmus liiell. nml Petrus Stuyvesant in succession
their rulers’! Now, Sir, in all this extended narra-
tivc——-full cl‘ events so various and iinportrint—-lina

i

iected? Hun any one discovered, or pretended to
discover, any mistake or blunder in geograpliy,
chronology, or gciiealogy? You. Sir, nccuctomed
to rcusoii, see the force of the nrgument; you see,
Sir, there is a consistency here that truth only
can give. truth only preserve.--41 consistency never
lound, in any work of fiction professing to adopt
the events and follow the train, of history. Look,
lbr example, at the historical novels of Sir Walter
Scott; their author is deeply learned in the history
and antiquities ofllis country, yet his books abound
with flagrzuit. iiicrinsistoiicies and gross iinacliro.
moms, and so abound, even by big own conliisiilon.

[Mr. Duer next proceeded to show, that the very
circuiiistantial clinracter of the narrative was no oh.
jection to its authenticity. He explained the mean:
by which Knickerbocker was enabled to prepare the
nmterials of‘ his history——-the details of which, the’
very minute, he contended, were. precisely such as
the diligent lover of truth was likely to collect, and
such as the most lively irmiginzitiori could never in-
lrcnt: but in this. and in other parts of his speech,
we feel authorized to condense our Report.‘ Ho
resumed as follows :] .

‘ I pass ,no~iv, "B‘IvI'§‘-“I3 -va.p,,'d~,ly__~5tc,»,,,I.
hand or blrnn”ch‘of"niy\ nrgiirocnt. »

It is ninazing to me, Sir, amazing that any man
can read this “ History of New .York',—-—any man ‘I
ineziii of ordinrirymiritl, can read it with ordinary
attention, and not be satisfied that it was written by
a.Dutchiii:in, and not only, Sir, that it was. but that
it could only Imam linen wriu.rzn by a genuine full.
blooded ririsopliisticated Dulcluiirm. Is there not 0.
mn1'iil’estrition—-n,n overflowing of Dutch opinions

the book where we nmy,_ do we not find the Dutch

Yankee audacity? and the Dutch horror of Yankee
innovations? But above all, Sir, I appeal. with
exultntioii appeal, to that lioneat Dutch enthiisiusin,

very commencement of the nnrrative——thitt deepens
and brightens as we advance, until it bursts forth. so
gloriously at the close, to illuminate with a never.
dying spleiidor the heroic Dutch obstinacy of Peter
Stuyvcsaht! ('I‘li'e companyseemed..litruck with
the force of his reasoning, and inauifested their as-
sent. rather loudly.) .b  .
I see, Sir, my cause advances. I um yet doomed‘,
to be victorious—-for how triumphantly do I now put”
my question. Could VVashington Irving l'iavo‘writ-
ten thus ? Washington Irving felt thus ‘i’ Is llicro
a single drop of Dutch blood in his veins, a single
Dutch opinion in his mind, or Dutch feeling or pro.
judice in his heart ? VVlry. Sir, tho Irvirigs are
Scotch, I repeat it, Sir, Scotch, and not 0. little
proud are they, as I have somefrenson to know, of
their Scotch descent. It was near the debatfoablc“
land, not in the Fens of Holland. that tlieirlanced;
tors dwelt, and to this dayfthe imagination of-van?
Irving di-vellcwith fur more"delig'bt oi:,i"th‘e raii5':i"‘zi'nd
forays of the Reivcrs (ind ‘moss troopers oft-lie 130+.
:ler,.than on that ever ineniorab1e«?ex’pcdition lo the
Delaware, in which, by l)utch -valor, "the pride of
Sweden was so effectimlly humbled. .It iirneedless,‘
air, to nod your approba'tion,'I know youiiro now
with me. Your mind is disciplinedto yield itcpre.
conceived opinions I to the force. of dcmoniitr'ii.tion,
"rind my reasoning you cannot d;:ny‘is demoiistrntioni‘
But, sir, there is on obctinaoy‘ in error, that to
you, may poem incredible. I perceive thoro ere ma,
efi.!I'“e=m:el1re$..ts12o~<>th¢x and séfthstables. mo

.i-_.

and such, as to a considerable extent, those of‘

spite of‘ this, persevoring, puritanical, and most pori.

any incongruity, any inconsistency, yet been do. _

and feelings and prejudice: in’ every page ? Open _

jealousy of Yankee ac-iitcm=.s.~i? the Dutch ‘dread of‘

I repeat it, Dutc/z enth71siasin,. that meets unit the v