granted; but if he had a desire any person should pray with him, one of their party should officiate. When he was near expiring, James Hetfield, one of the banditti, put a knife in his hand, and swore that he should not go into another world unarmed. The persons who perpetrated this cruel act were Cornelius Hetfield, Job Hetfield, James Hetfield, sen., James Hetfield, jr., Elias Man, and Samuel Man-all late inhabitants of Elizabethtown; and Job Smith, late an inhabitant of Bergen. When Ball's father became acquainted with the tragical death of his son, he solicited a flag, which he obtained, for the purpose of bringing over the corpse; but the enemy, with savage brutal ity, would not suffer them to land.

At the close of the revolution, Cornelius Hetfield, the principal in this murder, fled to Nova Scotia. In 1807 he returned to this state, and was arrested for the crime. After his incarceration in the Newark jail, he was shortly brought before Judge Pennington, on a writ of habeas corpus. He was finally discharged by the judge, who was of opinion, by the spirit of the treaty of 1783, that he was not answerable for the transaction.

Communipaw is a small settlement, consisting of 12 or 15 houses, facing the sea, on the shore, about 2 miles below Jersey city; and inhabited principally by fishermen. It was very early settled by the Dutch; and its inhabitants have long been noted for their tenacity to the customs of their ancestors. Washington Irving, in his history of New York, humorously describes this place.

HARRISON.

Harrison was recently formed from the southern part of Lodi. Its extreme length is 9, and average breadth about 3 miles. It is bounded N. by Lodi, Bergen co.; E. by Hackensack river, dividing it from Bergen and North Bergen; S. by Newark bay and Passaic river, the latter separating it from Newark; and W. by the Passaic river, separating it from Newark and Belleville, Essex co., and Acquackanonck, Passaic co. Pop. 1,173. The surface is mainly level; and more than half of its territory (that bordering on the Hackensack river) is a salt marsh. On the west, along the margin of the Passaic, extends a strip of fine arable and well-cultivated land, nearly 2 miles in width. Pleasantly situated on the bank of the river, are a number of handsome country-seats, surrounded by highly cultivated grounds, descending with a gradual slope to the water's edge.

The New Jersey railroad crosses the southern part, and the Paterson and Hudson railroad the northern portion of Harrison. The Schuyler copper-mine is in the W. part of the township, near Belleville. It was discovered about the year 1719, by Arent Schuyler. It is a valuable deposit of superior copper ore, and has been extensively worked, with varied success, at different times,

JERSEY CITY.

JERSEY CITY lies on the west bank of the Hudson, opposite New York, on a peninsula, the Indian name of which was Arese-heck

It was sometimes called, by the Dutch, Areseck-Houck. Soon after the arrival, in 1638, of William Kieft, Director-general of the Dutch West India Co., he had in his possession a farm, described as a lot of land called Paulus Hoeck, which is the first application of the name of Paulus Hook to this peninsula.

Powles Hook, from a very remote period, belonged to the Van Vorst family; and in 1804 was vested in Cornelius Van Vorst. On the 10th Nov. 1804, an act to incorporate the Associates of the Jersey Co. was passed by the legislature of the state, to whom the title by this time was conveyed. On the 28th Jan. 1820, an act to incorporate the City of Jersey, in the county of Bergen, was passed; under which, and the various supplements and amendments thereto since passed, this city has continued to this time.

The city, although small, is well laid out, with wide and commodious streets, and contains many large and elegant dwellings. It is the seat of justice for Hudson co., and a port of entry, annexed to the collection district of New York, together with all that part of New Jersey lying north and east of Elizabethtown and Staten Island. It was a mere village at the time of its incorporation, in 1820, containing only about 300 inhabitants. It has since been very thriving, and now has a population of about 4,000. It contains 5 churches, of which the first-named is the oldest-1 Episcopal, 1 Reformed Dutch, 1 Congregational, 1 Methodist, and 1 Catholic; a female academy, in fine repute, (Misses Edwards, principals ;) an excellent high-school for males, (W. L. Dickinson, Esq., principal;) the American Pottery Co., who make beautiful delftware; the Jersey City Glass Co., conducted by Phineas C. Dummer & Co., which employs 100 hands, and manufactures plain and cut glass; 1 newspaper printing-office, 3 lumber-yards, 2 ironfoundries, and many stores and mechanic shops. The city is well lighted with street-lamps.

This is now the principal starting-point of the great line of southern travel. The New Jersey railroad commences here, and, in connection with other railroads, extends to Philadelphia. The Paterson and Hudson railroad also commences at this place, diverging from the New Jersey railroad at Bergen Hill; thence running to Paterson, a distance of 16 miles. This road will ultimately extend and unite with the Erie railroad, in which event this city will be vastly benefited. The Morris canal also terminates at Jersey City, after pursuing a circuitous route, from the Delaware river, of 101 miles. In its course it has a total rise and fall of 1669 feet, which is overcome by locks and inclined planes. The summit level is 915 feet above the Atlantic ocean. From the magnitude of the public works terminating at this point, Jersey City must fast increase in importance and population, being closely allied to New York, (distant one mile,) with which communication is had every 15 minutes, by a line of excellent ferry-boats, nowhere surpassed. In the war of the revolution, the spot where Jersey City now stands was an outpost of the British army, during their occupancy

of New York. Their fort on Powles Hook, as the place was then called, was located near the building lately used by the Morris Canal and Banking Co., for their banking-house, at the corner of Grand and Greene sts. The graveyard was near the site of the Episcopal church. In grading the streets, a few years since, in that neighborhood, human remains were disinterred, together with a variety of military relics. In the latter part of the summer of 1779, this fortress was surprised by Maj. Lee; the following account of which is from Marshall's Life of Washington:

While Sir Henry Clinton continued encamped just above Haerlem, with his upper posts at Kingsbridge, and the American army preserved its station in the Highlands, a bold plan was formed for surprising a British post at Powles Hook, which was executed with great address by Maj. Lee.

This officer was employed on the west side of the river, with directions to observe the situation of the British in Stony Point, but, principally, to watch the motions of their main army. While his parties scoured the country, he obtained intelligence which suggested the idea of surprising and carrying off the garrison at Powles Hook, immediately opposite the town of New York, penetrating deep into the river. On the point nearest New York, some works had been constructed, which were garrisoned by four or five hundred men.

A deep ditch, into which the water of the river flowed, having over it a drawbridge connected with a barred gate, had been cut across the isthmus, so as to make the Hook, in reality, an island. This ditch could be passed only at low water. Thirty feet within it was a row of abattis running into the river; and some distance in front of it is a creek, fordable only in two places.

This difficulty of access, added to the remoteness of the nearest corps of the American army, impressed the garrison with the opinion that they were perfectly secure; and this opinion produced an unmilitary remissness in the commanding officer, which did not escape the vigilance of Lee.

On receiving his communication, Gen. Washington was inclined to favor the enter prise they suggested; but withheld his full assent until he was satisfied that the assailants would be able to make good their retreat.

The Hackensack, which communicates with the waters of the Hudson below New York, runs almost parallel with that river quite to its source, and is separated from it only a few miles. This neck is still further narrowed by a deep creek which divides it, and empties into the Hackensack below Fort Lee. West of that river runs the Passaic, which unites with it near Newark, and forms another long and narrow neck of land. From Powles Hook to the new bridge, the first place where the Hackensack could be crossed without boats, the distance is fourteen miles; and from the North river to the road leading from the one place to the other, there are three points of interception, the nearest of which is less than two miles, and fe farthest not more than three. The British were encamped in full force along the North river, opposite to the points of interception. To diminish the danger of the retreat, it was intended to occupy the roads leading through the mountains of the Hudson, to the Hackensack, with a select body of troops.

Every preparatory arrangement being made, the night of the 18th of August was fixed on for the enterprise. A detachment from the division of Lord Stirling, including 300 men, designed for the expedition, was ordered down as a foraging party. As there was nothing unusual in this movement, it excited no suspicion. Lord Stirling followed with 500 men, and encamped at the new bridge.

Maj. Lee, at the head of 300 men, took the road through the mountains, which ran parallel to the North river; and, having secured all the passes into York island, reached the creek which surrounds the Hook, between two and three in the morning. He passed first the creek, and then the ditch, undiscovered, and about three in the morning entered the main work; and, with the loss of only two killed and three wounded, made 159 prisoners, including three officers. Very few of the British were killed. Maj. Sutherland, who commanded the garrison, threw himself, with 40 or 50 Hessians, into a strong redoubt, which it was thought unadvisable to attack, because the time occupied in carrying it might endanger the retreat. Wasting no time in destroying what could easily be replaced, Maj. Lee hastened to bring off his prisoners and his detachment.

S. E. VIEW OF JERSEY CITY, FROM NEW YORK.

The above shows the appearance of Jersey City, as seen from near the Battery, in New York. The works of the Jersey City Glass Co.

are seen on the left; the Car House of the New Jersey Railroad is seen on the right,