refrain from pursuing this minute description which goes on
to describe the warriors of Bloemen-dael, and Weehawk, and
Hoboken, and sundry other places, well known in history and song;
for now do the notes of martial music alarm the people of New
Amsterdam, sounding afar from beyond the walls of the city. But
this alarm was in a little while relieved, for lo! from the midst
of a vast cloud of dust, they recognized the brimstone-colored
breeches and splendid silver leg of Peter Stuyvesant, glaring in
the sunbeams; and beheld him approaching at the head of a
formidable army, which he had mustered along the banks of the
Hudson. And here the excellent but anonymous writer of the
Stuyvesant manuscript breaks out into a brave and glorious
description of the forces, as they defiled through the principal
gate of the city, that stood by the head of Wall Street.

"First of all came the Van Bummels, who inhabit the pleasant
borders of the Bronx: these were short fat men, wearing exceeding
large trunk-breeches, and were renowned for feats of the trencher.
They were the first inventors of suppawn, or mush and milk.--Close
in their rear marched the Van Vlotens, of Kaatskill, horrible
quaffers of new cider, and arrant braggarts in their liquor.--After
them came the Van Pelts of Groodt Esopus, dexterous horsemen,
mounted upon goodly switch-tailed steeds of the Esopus breed. These
were mighty hunters of minks and musk-rats, whence came the word
_Peltry_.--Then the Van Nests of Kinderhoeck, valiant robbers of
birds'-nests, as their name denotes. To these, if report may be
believed, are we indebted for the invention of slap-jacks, or
buckwheat-cakes.--Then the Van Higginbottoms, of Wapping's creek.
These came armed with ferules and birchen rods, being a race of
schoolmasters, who first discovered the marvelous sympathy between
the seat of honor and the seat of intellect,--and that the shortest
way to get knowledge into the head was to hammer it into the
bottom.--Then the Van Grolls, of Antony's Nose, who carried their
liquor in fair round little pottles, by reason they could not bouse
it out of their canteens, having such rare long noses.--Then the
Gardeniers, of Hudson and thereabouts, distinguished by many
triumphant feats, such as robbing water-melon patches, smok