The Hudson, from the wilderness to the sea . ileges and exemptions, except in the title of Patroon, which, with allthe feudal honours, was vested in him alone, the partners binding them-selves to do fealty and homage for the fief on his demise, in the name andon behalf of his son and heirs. The manor did not become the soleproperty of the Yan Rensselaer family until 1685. The Patroon was invested with power to administer civil and criminaljustice, in person or by deputy, within his domain, and, to some extent,he was a sort of autocrat. These powers were abolished when the Englishtook possessio
The Hudson, from the wilderness to the sea . ileges and exemptions, except in the title of Patroon, which, with allthe feudal honours, was vested in him alone, the partners binding them-selves to do fealty and homage for the fief on his demise, in the name andon behalf of his son and heirs. The manor did not become the soleproperty of the Yan Rensselaer family until 1685. The Patroon was invested with power to administer civil and criminaljustice, in person or by deputy, within his domain, and, to some extent,he was a sort of autocrat. These powers were abolished when the Englishtook possession of the province in 1664, and witli it fell many of thespecial privileges, but, by the English law of primogeniture, that princelydomain, farmed out to many tenants, remained in the family until theRevolution in 1775, and the title of Patroon was held by the late GeneralStephen Yan Rensselaer, until his death, early in 1840, when it great portion of the manor has passed out of the hands of the YanRensselaer family. CHx\.PTER i HE grounds around Van Rensselaer Manor House extendfrom Broadway to the river, and embrace a largegarden and conservatory. There in the midst ofrural scenery, the sounds of a swift-running brook,and almost the quietude of a sylvan retreat, the lordof the manor of Rensselaerwyck, the lineal descendant ofKillian, the pearl merchant, and first Patroon, was living whenour sketch was made in elegant but unostentatious style—a simpleRepublican, without the feudal title of his progenitors, exceptby courtesy. Within the mansion are collected some exquisite works ofArt, and family portraits extending in regular order back to the firstPatroon. At the head of the great staircase leading from the spaciousliall to the chambers was a portion of theilluminated window Avhich, for one hun-dred and ninety years, occupied a placein the old Dutch Church that stood inthe middle of State Street, at its inter-section by Broadway. It bears the armsof the Van R
Size: 1268px × 1969px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1860, booksubjecthudsonrivernyandnjde
