higher." I should at least be on a par with old Witham Marsh, Clerk of the City and County of Albany, who died here about fifty years ago, his gravestone to be still seen in Trinity Church-yard, his name on it in Law Latin, Withamus De Marisco, the rest of the inscription in other Latin and purporting "that by his father's mother's side he was most nobly born;" the whole by the direction of his will; also among the ways by which a man may bequeath something to himself, something to save his name from being forgotten. DUTCH NAMES FOR THE FISH IN OUR RIVER. A FEW only will be noticed-some denoted by numbers as their names-the TWAALF, the twelve, the Streaked Bass, and the ELF, the Shad-the name of the Shad in Dutch is ELFT, in German ALOFT, and in French ALOSE, all perhaps from the same root; but being pronounced here ELF, the number eleven, the number itself possibly came to be considered as its name, and so led to denote others in the same manner -the Drum is said to have been the DERTIEN, the thirteen. Van Der Donck, speaking of the North River, expresses himself, it is "SEER VISRYCK," literally, very fish-rich-here the Dutch language would seem to have the advantage over the English, its capability of composition-HET GELT-ZUCHT, the money-lust; HET HEERSCH-ZUCHT, the sway-lust; for a word for the first the English are indebted to the French, covetousness; for a word for the other to the Latin, ambition; MYN EER-NAAM, my honour-name, the name, or rather appel lation, by which it is peculiarly my honour to be calledno word for it in either of the three languages-an instance illustrating it-"the disciples were called CHRISTIANS." Speaking of the fish inNew Netherland at large, and consequently comprehending the Connecticut, he expresses himself, "there is also,in some places,salmon." Extract from the voyage of Hudson as found in Purchas; "they saw many salmons, and mullets, and rays, very great" the 3d of September, not the salmon season. De Laet expresses himself, "Hudson also testifies, that with their seines they took every kind of riverfish in the river, also young salmon and sturgeon." The Dutch, whatever may be the true name of the fish in their language, always, at least in this country, call the trout, SALMTIES, little salmon; and they were doubtless in abundance at the mouths of the large streams issuing into the river. Belknap, and as a fact appertaining to the life of Hudson mentions, "that, in sailing up the river, he found it abounding with fish, and among which were great store of salmon ;" this instance of a little wandering however excepted, we must do the reverend biographer the justice, that in the main he sticks duly close to his text; and farther, that he is concise, both in his narrative and in his reflections; and if he possessed the same quality as a preacher, perhaps not the least commendable in him, for we all know there is nothing so soon apt to tire us as a long sermon-I preaching against long preaching! Am I aware my practice counter to my precept, and that the latter of little effect without the former? I yield to my own admonition-I close. If I have been too verbose, our historian has provided the apology for me, "the indefeasible right of my profession founded on immemorial usage." If I have said much, not much to the purpose, I prescribe for the same privilege here also. My object, as already declared, was to save the names of some places in our country from the tooth of THING-eating timethat the memory of them will now be perpetual, I am not entitled even to hope-let it cease; still “ may our country itself be perpetual." May this be with me, as it was with the "illustrious and excellent person," whom I cite, “ AMONG MY EXPIRING WISHES." END OF MEMOIR. |