rgh. She had shown us much
kindness, and given us good hope that the Lord will not forget her
therein.

We will observe before leaving Sand-hoek, that it has always been the
principal place on the South River, as well in the time of the English
as of the Dutch. It is now called Newcastle by the English. It is
situated on the west side of the river upon a point which extends out
with a sandy beach, affording a good landing place, better than is to
be found elsewhere on that account. It lies a little above the bay
where the river bends and runs south from there, so that you can see
down the river southerly, the greater portion of it, which presents a
beautiful view in perspective, and enables you to see from a distance
the ships which come out of the great bay and sail up the river.
Formerly all ships were accustomed to anchor here, for the purpose of
paying duties or obtaining permits, and to unload when the goods were
carried away by water in boats or barks, or by land in carts. It was
much larger and more populous at that time, and had a small fort
called Nassau; but since the country has belonged to the English,
ships may no longer come here, or they must first declare and unload
their cargoes at New York, which has caused this little place to fall
off very much, and even retarded the settlement of plantations. What
remains of it consists of about fifty houses, almost all of wood. The
fort is demolished, but there is a good block-house, having some small
cannon, erected in the middle of the town, and sufficient to resist
the Indians or an incursion of Christians; but it could not hold out
long. This town is the capital of justice, where the high court of the
South River is held, having three other courts subordinate to it, from
which appeals lie to it, as they do from it to New York, and from New
York to England. These three minor courts are established, one at
Salem, a small village of Quakers newly commenced on the east side of
the river not far from Newcastle[265]; another is at Upland, on the
west side above Newcastle, a Swedish village, and the third is at
Burlington, a new Quaker village on the east side of the river above
Newcastle. Newcastle is about eighty miles from the falls, and the
same distance from the mouth of the river or the sea. The water in the
river at Newcastle at ordinary flood tide is fresh, but when it is
high spring tide, or the wind blows hard from the south or southeast,
it is brackish, an