54 Staten Island Association of Arts and Sciences 



within twenty-four hours, thus securing it to the Duke, who, in 

 gratitude for the service rendered him, bestowed upon Billop a 

 tract of 1163 acres of land in the extreme southern part of the 

 Island, which was called the 'Manor of Bentley.'" (Clute 47- 

 48. See also Morris i : 85, 136, 137.) 



Clute as a preface to this story, stated (p. 47), "we shall be 

 under the necessity of mingling, in some measure, tradition with 

 legitimate history." How the story originated is not known. 

 It has been repeated and amplified in later histories, but nothing 

 is given to show what basis it rests on. 



129. 1909. For numerous documents in the above matter see Proc. 

 Staten Is. Assoc. 3 : 37-48. Oct.-Dec. 1909. (The Disputed 

 Claim of the Proprietors of East Jersey to Staten Island, by Ed- 

 ward C. Delavan, Jr.) 



VII. courthouse erected at stony brook 



1683. Court house erected at Stony Brook (county seat) 

 is the inscription on the tablet. 



"1683. Stony Brook made County Seat until 1729." "First 

 County Court House, erected at Stony Brook." " Organization 

 of Richmond County," were selected and approved by the com- 

 mittee of 1906 as printed in Proc. Staten Is. Assoc, i : 83. Oct.- 

 Dec. 1906. 



130. 1683. "AN ACT to divide this province & dependences into 

 shires and Countyes. (Passed, Nov. ist, 1683.) Having taken 

 into Consideracon the necessity of dividing the Province into Re- 

 spective Countys for the better governing and settling Courts in 

 the same. Bee it enacted by the Governor Councell and Represen- 

 tatives, and by the Authority of the same, Thatt the said province 

 be divided into twelve countys as followeth. . . . 



The County of Richmond to conteyne all Staten Island Shut- 

 ters Island, and the Islands of Meadow on the West side there- 

 of. . . ." (Col. Laws N. Y. i: 121.) 



131. "AN ACT to settle Courts of Justice. (Passed Nov. i, 1683.) 

 , . . That in Every Towne in and throughout this province there 



be one Court held monthly and Every month throughout the yeare 



