86 Staten Island Association of Arts and Sciences 



easily obtained at that place," is shown on this map and can be 

 identified as at or near Arietta street, Tompkinsville. 



The large elm tree standing at the foot of New Dorp lane for 

 many years, and well known to mariners, is here represented in 

 the manner which was common a century ago. 



The flagstaff shown on this map at Fort Wadsworth was prob- 

 ably used until the introduction of the electric telegraph, for the 

 same purpose as that set up more than a century and a half before 

 in this vicinity, of which we have the following record in De 

 Vries, Third Voyage to America and New Netherland: 



" 2d of November 1641 : The same day Commander Kief 

 asked me whether I would permit Malyn to go upon the point 

 of Staten Island where the maize land lay, saying that he wished 

 to let him plant it and that he would make a signal by raising a 

 flag to make known at the fort whenever ships were in the bay, to 

 which I have consented." 



Shooters Island, shown on this map as Shutters Island, is men- 

 tioned in the journal of a voyage to New York and a tour in 

 several of the American Colonies — 1679-80 by Jaspar Dankers 

 and Peter Sluyter as follows : " Having now the tide with us we 

 tacked about and quickly passed by the Schutters island, lying 

 in the mouth of a kil on the north side of the Kil Achter Kol. 

 This island is so called because the Dutch when they first settled 

 . on the North River, were in the practice of coming here to shoot 

 wild geese, which resorted there in great numbers." 



" We sailed inside Schutters island although the passage is very 

 small, and thus obtained the inrunning current ; because the flood 

 tide which came from Achter Kol, and that from the North River 

 strike each other here and then shoot together in this kil." 



The magnetic variation shown on this chart, 3 45' west, was 

 taken at about the time when the magnetic needle pointed nearest 

 to the true north. Since 1797 the needle has been steadily de- 

 clining to the westward until its variation amounts to about 

 9 30' west at the present time. 



