RURAL ARCHITECTURE. 



335 



lightfully told in the Sketch- Book, has made every one ac- 

 quamted with this neighbourhood, and especially with the 

 site of the present building, there celebrated as the " Van 

 Tassel House," one of the most secluded and delightful nooks 

 on the banks of the Hudson. With characteristic taste, Mr. 

 Irvina: has chosen this spot, the haunt of his early days, since 



[Fig. 31. Residence of W.ishington Irving, Esq.; 



rendered classic ground by his elegant pen, and made it his 

 permanent residence. The house of "Baltus Van Tassel," 

 has been altered and rebuilt in a quaint style, partaking some- 

 what of the English cottage mode, but retaining strongly- 

 marked symptoms of its Dutch origin. The quaint old 

 weathercocks and finials, the crow-stepped gables, and the 

 hall paved with Dutch tiles, are among the ancient and 

 venerable ornaments of the houses of the original settlers of 

 Manhattan, now almost extinct among us. There is also a 

 quiet-keeping in the cottage and the grounds around it, that 



