THE DRAWBRIDGE. 271 



been lost and buried before the acorn sprouted which 

 became this greatest of our oaks. As the age of trees 

 is usually estimated, and in this case correctly, it is quite 

 certain that the tree was a thousand years old, and that 

 prior to this the Indian axe had been lost. Some little 

 clew, therefore, have we to the length of time during 

 which New Jersey was occupied by the Indians. 



A feature of the creek shore, not only at the bridge 

 but for some little distance above and below, was the 

 abundance of plum-trees. Campanius, in describing the 

 various fruits and nuts found on the Jersey shore of the 

 river, mentions "great quantities of walnuts, chestnuts, 

 peaches, damsons, cypresses, mulberry, fish -trees, and 

 many other rare trees . . . not found anywhere else but 

 on this river ;" and again, writing of the opposite shore 

 of the Delaware, says, near u Plum Point there grow 

 great numbers of beech, plum, mulberry, and chestnut 

 trees." 



Plommons Udden, or Plum Point, was a common name 

 with the Swedes, they giving every bold river shore 

 such designation if it grew a cluster of these trees. 

 "Where the bridge now stands was not long since a Plum 

 Point, and from a careful examination of the surround- 

 ings I am disposed to think that plum orchards were 

 commonly planted by the Indians. It is certain that 

 they had other orchards, and therefore it is reasonable to 

 suppose that the clusters of plum-trees were likewise the 

 work of this people. 



With so much palatable wild fruit, it is strange that 

 such miserable food as the wild-bean and golden-club 

 should have been ever used. All of our fruits, except 



