ing of "the hall" which is such a conspicuous feature in English literature.*

Chapter VI. The Second Lord of the Manor.

Returning from our digression, the Yonkers Manor Hall and the lands appertaining thereto would naturally have descended to Philip Philipse, eldest son of the First Lord, upon the latter's death in 1702; but Philip had died in 1700, and on the 26th of October, that year, the First Lord made a new will, bequeathing the Yonkers Plantation to Philip's only son Frederick (born

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* The reduced condition of some of the old English manors is illustrated in the following incident: On a recent visit to England, the writer met Mr. D, Lord of the Manor of P, who offered to sell his title and rights as Lord of the Manor for $5,000. He thought that some rich American — and all Americans are supposed in England to be rich- instead of giving his wife a box of bonbons might like to present her with the pretty title of Lady of the Manor, and he was willing to sell out for the moderate price of $5,000 the titles of both Lord and Lady being included in the bargain. To prove his title, he showed several ancient parchment-rolls which were part of two or three trunkfuls of old documents of the Manor, which all went in at the same price of $5,000. Inquiry elicited the fact that he did not have any Manor House to sell and he did not own an acre of land. All he had to offer was the titles of Lord and Lady of the Manor, the ancient rolls, the right to the minerals that might be in the ground, and certain manorial fees which still went with the title. He went on to explain that he had not inherited this Manor. A few years ago the former Lord of the Manor had become bankrupt and the Manor had been sold at auction, and Mr. D— had bought it on speculation. He had paid £1000 for it, and he had gotten that amount back from fees derived as Lord of the Manor according to ancient manorial customs; and now he was willing to sell it for another thousand pounds profit. The tenants of the Manor held the land by the curious form of tenure called " Copyhold," before described, by which they could not sell it to others without paying a sort of transfer tax to the Lord of the Manor. The future income from this source was also included by Mr. D in his offer. The writer told Mr. D that we used to have Manors in America along the Hudson, but they were abolished at the time of the little misunderstanding between Great Britain and the Americans about 130 years ago; that since then titled Lords and Ladies were no longer a home product in this country, but that titles, however, were still in limited demand and were occasionally acquired in marriage; that his offer, to sell the two titles of Lord and Lady for a money consideration only, without matrimonial appendages, possessed certain advantages over the prevailing method; and that possibly a purchaser could be found on his liberal terms. Whether he ever found a customer, the writer has not learned.

1695, died 1751), who thus became Second Lord of the Manor. Something of the extent of the estate which thus came into the possession of Frederick is indicated by the terms of his grandfather's will, which gave him several houses and tenements in the city of New York; the island of Papirinemin at Spuyten Duyvil creek, with the meadows, King's Bridge, and toll; all the lands and meadows called "ye Yoncker's Plantation," including houses, mills, mill-dams, orchards, gardens, negroes, cattle, horses, swine, etc.; also a piece of land in Mile Square; also all that tract extending from Yonkers Plantation northward to Wysquaqua creek (Dobb's Ferry) and eastward to Bronx river; also a half right in the meadow at Tappan; also particularly a negro man called Harry with his wife and child, a negro man called Peter, a negroe man called Wan, ye boat Yoncker with her furniture apparel and appurtenances, and ye equall half of all ye cattle, horses and sheep upon and belonging to ye plantation at ye upper Mill;" also a fourth part of all ships, vessels, money, plate, goods, merchandise, debts and personal estate.

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The Upper Plantation north of Wysquaqua creek and other extensive property were bequeathed to Adolphus, and rich legacies were left to his wife and the children Eva and Anneke.

At the death of his grandfather the Second Lord of the Manor was but seven years old and an orphan, his mother having died soon after his birth and his father having died in 1700, as before stated. The grandfather therefore provided in his will that his wife should “have ye custody, tuition and guardianship of my grandson, Frederick Flipse and his estate to his use, until he comes to ye age of one and twenty years, who I desire may have ye best education and learning these parts of ye world will afford him, not doubting of her care in bringing him up after ye best manner possibly shee can."

To this injunction the affectionate grandmother appears diligently to have attended.

Not content with "ye best education

and learning these parts of ye world will afford," she took Frederick to England, where he was thoroughly educated in the law and acquired the best traditions of his day. When he came of age in 1716 and entered into his full privileges as Lord of the Manor, we may be sure that the Manor Hall was the scene of elaborate festivities, and that His Lordship received the greetings of his tenants and serfs with right royal courtesy.

Three years later the English influence upon the atmosphere of the Manor Hall was increased by his marrying an English wife, Joanna, daughter of Lieut.-Gov. Anthony Brockholls, whose early life had been spent in England. By this distinguished alliance the traditional high social and political standing of the family was maintained.

The air of personal culture which pervaded the Manor Hall under the Second Lord showed the advance in two generations from the immigrant. Unlike his grandfather, the new master of the Hall was extremely social, had a fertile mind, was a good conversationalist and was very companionable. He was manly, courteous, generous, and affable, and intellectually a man of distinguished parts. With these qualities he rapidly advanced in public esteem. From 1721 to 1728 he was Speaker of the House of Assembly of the Province of New York. In 1733 he was Baron of the Exchequer and became a judge of the Supreme Court. The latter position he held in advancing grades till his death. Gov. Cosby esteemed him highly as to his character and understanding; the Governor's Council declared him to be a very worthy gentleman of plentiful fortune and good education; " and Gov. Clinton in 1751 said that he made him second judge of the Supreme Court "purely for his integrity and to the universal satisfaction of the whole province."

In the midst of his distinguished career, in 1745, Judge Philipse enlarged the Manor Hall to thrice its original size, by

the addition of the northern extension. By this change the eastern side became the main front. Between it and the old postroad stretched a velvety lawn with garden terraces and horsechestnut trees. On either hand were laid out formal gardens and grounds, ornamented here and there with valuable trees, choice shrubs and beautiful flowers. Among these ran graveled walks, bordered with boxwood. To the west of the building the green sward sloped to the river, unobstructed save by fine specimens of trees, among which were emparked a number of deer.

From the slightly slanting upper portion of the roof of the house, which was surmounted by a heavy balustrade, superb views could be obtained in every direction.

The

The interior of the new part was elaborately finished. walls were wainscoted, and the ceilings adorned with arabesque work in relief. The main halls of the entrance were about eleven feet wide, and proportionately broad staircases, with mahogany hand-rail and balusters, gave it an air of grandeur for that period little appreciated in comparison with the ampler dimensions with which the modern mansions of to-day are built.

On of the first guests of the enlarged Manor Hall at this period was Philipse's friend, Gov. Clinton, who spent several days here on his return from one of his Indian councils at Albany.

In 1749 Adolphus Philipse, uncle of the Lord of the Manor, died, and the latter thereby inherited the Upper Plantation, thus bringing the ancient domain again under a single ownership, and making the Yonkers Manor Hall once more the center of the whole jurisdiction. From this time onward Castle Philipse at Sleepy Hollow gradually fell into disuse and decline. In fact, in social splendor and political importance it seems always to have been entirely subordinate to the Yonkers Manor Hall. To maintain the establishment of the latter, it appears to have re

quired the services of no less than fifty household servants — thirty whites and twenty negro slaves. Their sleeping rooms were in the attic, lighted by the dormer windows, still to be seen in the sloping roof.

Under the Second Lord, the curious old feudal customs of court and rent days were continued. There were two great rent days for the Manor one at Yonkers and one at Sleepy Hollow

on which occasions he feasted his tenantry in right royal fashion. The rentals were graduated according to the eligibility of the holding, and ran from a minimum of two fat hens or a day's work upward, according as they were located far from or near to the river.

Life in the Manor House during the regime of the Second Lord was not devoid of its romances, for had he not two charming daughters, Susannah and Mary, and had they not their full share of suitors? Among those who in the middle of the eighteenth century might frequently have been seen riding up from New York, and whose approach, as his horse's hoofs clattered across the bridge over the Neperhan, was watched by a pair of bright eyes at the Manor House window, was a young gallant named Beverly Robinson. And the pair of eyes which sparkled with particular luster at his approach were those of the twenty-threeyear-old Susannah Philipse. Robinson came of a distinguished Virginia family, being the son of Hon. John Robinson, who was president of the Colony of Virginia upon the retirement of Gov. Gooch in 1734. He had become a resident of New York city, and by his personal qualities and gentlemanly address had won the good graces of the eldest of the wealthy and charming Philipse daughters. As Robinson paid his devoirs to Susannah Philipse in the Manor House, or as the couple strolled among the boxwood borders of the extensive lawn, or rambled through the grove and park on the bluff overlooking the Hudson, or sat in some