226 



THE FEENCH BLOOD m AMERICA 



a number with so niucli uncertainty. Nevertheless, the 

 Lord's Supper was administered to them in the French 

 language, and according to the French mode, with a 

 preceding discourse, which I had before me in writing, 

 as I could not trust myself extemporaneously." 



Dutch Aid 



Church 

 Founded by 

 1659 



First House 

 1688 



II 



The Dutch are to be highly commended for the aid they 

 gave the French in their religious services. In 1652 Rev. 

 Samuel Drisius, a German, was called to be a colleague 

 to Rev. Joannes Megapolensis, of the Dutch Reformed 

 Church, for the reason that he was able to preach both in 

 Dutch and French. The French were thus kindly i^ro- 

 vided for until they had a fully organized church and a 

 preacher of their own, which was not later than 1659. 

 In 1682 there came a new era for them religiously with 

 the arrival of Rev. Pierre Daille. He was a rare spirit. 

 He applied himself at once to the difficult task of preach- 

 ing the gospel to his brethren scattered . through the 

 province of New York. He reorganized the French 

 Church of New York, which prospered under his care 

 until 1692. Even Governor Andros, who spoke and un- 

 derstood both Low Dutch and French, became an attend- 

 ant at the French services, which were held, like the 

 English, in the Dutch Church within the fort. Mr. Daill^ 

 next revived the chmx'h on Staten Island, then visited 

 New Paltz and established a church there. He also 

 founded a church near Hackensack, and repeatedly vis- 

 ited all the Huguenot settlements, like a modern Paul 

 visiting the churches. He was, says Selyns, his colleague, 

 ' ' full of fire, godliness and learning, and maintained the 

 cause of Jesus with untiring zeal." 



It was in the year 1688 that the French first built a 

 house of worship for their exclusive use. This was a 

 very humble chapel on Marketfield Street, near the Bat- 

 tery, and it "was here that, every Sabbath day, tlie peo- 

 ple assembled from twenty miles around, from Long 



