tonishing
vehemence; insomuch that they quickly raised a cloud, which,
combining with the surrounding woods and marshes, completely
enveloped and concealed their beloved village, and overhung the
fair regions of Pavonia--so that the terrible Captain Argal passed
on totally unsuspicious that a sturdy little Dutch settlement lay
snugly couched in the mud, under cover of all this pestilent vapor.
In commemoration of this fortunate escape, the worthy inhabitants
have continued to smoke, almost without intermission, unto this
very day; which is said to be the cause of the remarkable fog which
often hangs over Communipaw of a clear afternoon."

The golden age of New York was under the reign of Walter Van Twiller,
the first governor of the province, and the best it ever had. In his
sketch of this excellent magistrate Irving has embodied the abundance
and tranquillity of those halcyon days:--

"The renowned Wouter (or Walter) Van Twiller was descended from a
long line of Dutch burgomasters, who had successively dozed away
their lives, and grown fat upon the bench of magistracy in
Rotterdam; and who had comported themselves with such singular
wisdom and propriety, that they were never either heard or talked
of--which, next to being universally applauded, should be the
object of ambition of all magistrates and rulers. There are two
opposite ways by which some men make a figure in the world: one, by
talking faster than they think, and the other, by holding their
tongues and not thinking at all. By the first, many a smatterer
acquires the reputation of a man of quick parts; by the other, many
a dunderpate, like the owl, the stupidest of birds, comes to be
considered the very type of wisdom. This, by the way, is a casual
remark, which I would not, for the universe, have it thought I
apply to Governor Van Twiller. It is true he was a man shut up
within himself, like an oyster, and rarely spoke, except in
monosyllables; but then it was allowed he seldom said a foolish
thing. So invincible was his gravity that he was never known to
laugh or even to smile through the whole course of a long and
prosperous life. Nay, if a joke were uttered in his presence, that
set light-minded hearers in a roar, it was observed to throw him
into a state of perplexity. Sometimes he would deign to