LITERATURE RELATING TO STATEN ISLAND 1138 
Edward C. Delavan, Jr., published in these ProcEEDINGs, vol. 3, 
p. 37-48, shows conclusively that this claim, being still in dispute 
in 1704, was not settled by Billop. 
Tue HuGuenots IN America, by the Hon. G. P. Disosway, an 
essay sixteen pages in length, was printed in 1867 as an appendix 
to Samuel Smiles’ volume on The Huguenots: their settlements, 
churches and industries in England and Ireland. Reference 1s 
briefly made to the preaching of Drisius and to the petition of 
Dutch and French emigrants in 1661. Owing to the early date 
at which Mr. Disosway worked some dates are erroneously stated, 
particularly the dates for Drisius’ ministry “continued from 1652 
to 1697” which has been copied elsewhere. We now know that 
Drisius preached in 1663 to the emigrant settlers of 1661 and that 
he died in 1673. He was then over 70 years old. 
Memoirs oF A HuGuENot FAmIty, translated and compiled from 
the original autobiography of the Rev. James Fontaine by Ann 
Maury. New York 1872. 
This contains an interesting description of Staten Island in 1716. 
On October 24 Fontaine, being in a “ sloop at anchor under Sandy 
Hook,” writes: “ Calm weather, but such a fog we could not see 
half a mile... . This fog is occasioned by the burning of the 
woods, for at this season the inhabitants set the woods on fire, and 
the Indians also about this time go a fire hunting.” On the 25th 
“about twelve it cleared, so that we could see the land, and we got 
the boat, and the men landed us in Staten Island. We were 
obliged to walk about four miles, not being able to hire any horses. 
This island is mostly high land and rocky, and that part of the 
land which is good is mixed with small stones. There are some 
good improvements here; the inhabitants are mostly Dutch; the 
houses are all built with stone and lime; there are some hedges as 
in England. The chief increase is wheat and cattle, they breed 
large horses here. About five of the clock we came to the Ferry 
between Long Island and Staten Island which is about one mile 
