Nov. 1905] PROCEEDINGS S. I. ASS'n ARTS AND SCIENCES. Q 



N. J., Copyright, 1904," apply the name "Lake's Island," erroneously, 

 I think, to the island of salt meadow at the mouth of Fresh Kill. 

 Mr. E. Brennan, who resides in the old stone house on what I believe 

 to be the true Lake's Island, and whose family has owned the place 

 since 1847, has informed me that in the deed of that date it is called 

 Simonson's Island, but that he has always heard it called Lake's Island 

 by the neig"hbors. 



It is interesting in this connection to recall that Thoreau, in a letter 

 written on Staten Island, on the 21st of July, 1843, says: "Last Sun- 

 day I walked over to Lake Island Farm, eight or nine miles from here, 

 where Moses Pritchard lived, and found the present occupant, one ]\Ir. 

 Davenport, formerly from Massachusetts, with three or four men to 

 help him, raising sweet potatoes and tomatoes by the acre. It seemed 

 a cool and pleasant retreat, but a hungry soil. As I was coming away, 

 I took my toll out of the soil in the shape of arrow-heads, uhich may 

 after all be the surest crop, certainly not affected by drought." Arrow- 

 heads, "the surest crop," are still to be found on the sandy dune as they 

 were in Thoreau's day. 



I have questioned Mr. Brennan about Mr. Davenport, and he re- 

 members hearing the family mention his name, so there appears to be 

 but little doubt that Lake's Island is the same place as the "Lake Is- 

 land Farm" of Thareau. It is also perfectly plain that tomatoes and 

 sweet potatoes could not be raised on the salt meadow island at the 

 mouth of Fresh Kill. From all of these facts it seems as if the makers 

 of Robinson's Atlas and the "Map of the Borough of Richmond," 

 were in error in calling the island at the mouth of Fresh Kill Lake's 

 Island; they should have calleil it Burnt Island or by its equally old 

 name Island of Meadovw 



Specimens Exhibited. 

 Mr. Davis exhibited rock specimens, and read the following note: 

 Last August it was found necessary to blast the rock under water at 

 the site of the new ferry slip at St George. Application for specimens 

 was made at the engineer's ofBce, and our fellow member, Mr. Charles 

 E. Trout, kindly furnished those now presented. The rock is a mica 

 schist, like much of that on ^Manhattan Island. It contains garnets, 

 and in this instance there was encountered a large seam or vein of 

 quartz. 



For comparison I have also included a specimen of mica schist col- 

 lected in November, 1904, from the extreme southern end of the sub- 

 way excavation at the foot of Whitehall street, near the Manhattan 

 terminus of the ferry. 



