224 The Story of The Bronx 



badness of the roads. In his tale of Satanstoe, Cooper describes 

 the arrival in New York of Patroon Van Rensselaer of Albany, 

 and how the whole younger population, and a good many of 

 their elders, went out to the Bowery Lane to see the great 

 landowner come into town in his big travelling coach. A two- 

 wheeled, springless gig, or carriage, was the usual vehicle of 

 the farmer when not riding horseback. The country doctor 

 made his rounds on horseback, carrying his instruments and 

 drugs in saddle-bags. The first physician of whom we have 

 mention in the Borough is Dr. Pell, in 1683. 



In 1796, an enumeration was made of all the vehicles in 

 the State; and there appear coaches, chariots, post-chaises, 

 phaetons, and other four-wheeled carriages; while of two- 

 wheeled vehicles, there were curricles, chaises, top-chairs, 

 steel-spring chairs, sulkies, and wooden-spring chairs. The 

 chaise was a sort of two-wheeled gig with a top and was 

 drawn by either one or two horses; the sulky had a seat for 

 only one person. These two-wheeled carriages were best 

 suited to the difficult roads. The American woman had 

 already begun to show her native independence and ability 

 to take care of herself by driving about alone in an open chair, 

 much to the amazement of European visitors. 



There were no regular mails before 1673, though letters 

 were carried by travellers or by special messengers. In that 

 year, Governor Francis Lovelace authorized the establishment 

 of a monthly post between New York and Boston in order 

 to increase the intercourse between the two colonies. The 

 postman was a sworn messenger, and was required to direct 

 travellers who might choose to accompany him to the best 

 roads and the most commodious stopping-places; he also 

 was to select the most convenient places for leaving letters 

 and packets and for gathering up the same. He was obliged 



