tion about 10 X 172 feet on the west side of the extreme northern end of the building, used by the City for a safe or vault. These have been removed, making room for a porch twelve feet wide which has been built along the western side of the building to replace that which probably belonged to the original building. Ascending the South Porch, one comes to a fine Colonial doorway with fan-shaped transom. The door is a ponderous double door, constructed, in the Dutch style, in two parts, so that the lower half can be closed while the upper half remains open. Inside, one sees the great iron hinges and the heavy lock, the latter 6 X 10 inches in size.

The south door gives entrance to the South Hall 10.8 feet wide and 21.4 feet deep. It is partly occupied by a staircase 4.3 feet wide, which makes two square turns in the ascent to the second story. The stairs and balustrade flare to a width of 6.75 feet at the bottom. The stairs are of the close-string construction, unlike the stairs in the East Hall in which the angle between riser and tread at the outer end is left open. The balustrades are of pine. In the rear wall over the first landing is a window. the rear wall under the second landing is a door.

In

A doorway in the western side of the hall leads into a large room, which may be called the West Parlor, measuring 23.1 feet by 21.4 feet between walls. The latter dimension has been reduced, however, to 19.5 feet by the closets on the north side which have been built out flush with the fireplace. The wooden mantlepiece, with its conventionalized flower design, and some of the other woodwork in this room, are very old. The fireplace had been closed with bricks twice prior to 1911. In opening it, in the work of restoration, an interesting iron fire-back, bearing the royal arms of Great Britain, was discovered. In the first quarter of the oval escutcheon are the three lions passant gardant of England impaled with the lion rampant of Scotland. In the second quarter are the three fleurs-de-lis of France. In the third quarter is the harp of Ireland. The fourth quarter is much corroded, but for reasons stated hereafter, we know that it contained the arms of the house of Hanover; namely, two lions passant gardant for Brunswick, impaling a lion rampant for Lunenburgh; in the base a horse courant for Saxony, and on the center of the

quarter an escutcheon charged with the crown of Charlemagne. Surrounding the foregoing is the Garter, upon which is distinguishable most of the motto, "Honi soit qui mal y pense." The crest is a royal helmet surmounted by the imperial crown, upon which is a lion statant gardant imperially crowned. The arms are supported on the dexter side by a lion rampant gardant, imperially crowned, and on the sinister side by the conventional unicorn, gorged with a coronet to which is attached a chain. In a scroll underneath the arms are legible some letters of the motto "Dieu et mon Droit." Within a whorl of the scroll on the dexter side is the rose of England and in a corresponding position on the sinister side is the thistle of Scotland. [See plate 14.]

The period of this fire-back is the eighteenth century, certainly between 1714 and 1801, and probably between 1714 and the Revolution. The presence of the arms of England and Scotland impaled (that is, side by side) in the first quarter, indicates that the date is subsequent to the legislative union of those two countries in 1707 during the reign of Queen Anne; and the motto, "Dien et Mon Droit" shows that it was subsequent to the accession of George I, for the royal motto of Anne was "Semper Eadem." The presence of the fleurs-de-lis in the second quarter indicates that the date is prior to November, 1800, when George III laid aside the titular assumption of King of France and abandoned the fleurs-de-lis. For these same reasons we know that the arms in the fourth quarter were those of the house of Hanover. As it it unlikely that anyone would have erected the royal arms in the Manor House after the Revolution, the date of the fire-back is narrowed down to between 1714 and 1783 at least.

The fire-back measures about 2 feet 10 inches each way, and is one of a pair, its counterpart being in the fireplace in the East Parlor.

In the fireplace in the West Parlor were found some brown Dutch tiles with quaint figures representing cavaliers in armor, and women with strange, horn-like head-dresses, holding birds perched on their hands. To restore the fireplace, tiles of a conventional pattern, matching in color the old tiles, were imported from Holland.

In the South Hall, corresponding to the door to the West Parlor,

is a door in the east side of the hall leading to the famous East Parlor in which Mary Philipse was married to Roger Morris and many other brilliant social events took place. This room is 22.6 feet square between walls, but it has been shortened to 20 feet one way by building closets on the north side flush with the fireplace. The walls and ceiling of this room are preserved in their original beauty. The fluted composite pilasters embracing the doorways, the broken arch over the mantelpiece looking-glass, the paneled wainscoting, the deep window seats, and the arabesque ceiling are charming relics of Colonial elegance.

The center piece of the ceiling of the East Parlor is an elaborate arabesque, at the outer edge of which are eight figures. Beginning at the north and going around the circle to the eastward, the figures represent a Cupid, a Girl with Mandolin, a Cupid, a Man with Bag-pipe, a Cupid, a Man with Hautboy, a Cupid, and a Girl dancing and singing. A beautiful border runs around the ceiling near the wall and at the cardinal points and in the corners are embellishments as follows: On the north side over the mantelpiece, flowers and tropical birds; in the center of the east side, a portrait medallion of a man; in the center of the south side, the same as on the north side; in the center of the west side, another portrait medallion of a man; and in each of the four corners, a wreath of flowers and arabesque. In each of the northeast and southwest quarters of the ceiling is a bird, apparently a pelican, with wings elevated; and in each of the northwest and southeast quarters is a hunting dog. Living descendants of the Philipse family recognize in the medallions a resemblance to family portraits, but the personal identity of their prototypes has not yet been satisfactorily established. [See plate 13.]

The mantelpiece on the face of the chimney at the northern end of the room is a fine piece of Colonial woodwork, the head on the frame of the mirror and the surrounding border of roses and oak leaves being hand-carved out of solid wood. When the building was surrendered by the City Government in 1911, the fireplace was closed and had a mantel shelf and sides of bluish-stone, said to have come from a quarry belonging to Mr. Woodworth, who owned the building prior to 1868. This incongruity has been removed, the fireplace opened, and imported Dutch tiles of a con

ventional pattern in blue on a white background inserted. In this fireplace is an iron fire-back of the same pattern as that in the West Parlor.

On the west side of the mantelpiece is a closet, equal to the depth of the chimney and the height of the ceiling. During municipal ownership a narrow stairway led from this closet to a vault in the cellar used for the care of city records. This stairway has been closed in the process of restoration. There is a tradition that there was once a secret passage-way here, leading to an underground arched chamber, the location, extent and purpose of which chamber are now wrapped in mystery. Many strange tales are told of this "cave," or passage-way. By some it is said to have extended to the river front and to have been designed as a secret avenue of escape in time of danger. By those who believe the stories about the first Lord of the Manor having engaged in traffic with privateersmen and pirates, it is said to have been the passage by which forbidden goods were clandestinely introduced into the Manor Hall. These stories, whether true or not, are a part of the folk-lore of the house and give it the indescribable romance that gradually grows up about an ancient structure like this. There is further suggestion of this mystery in the cellar under the East Parlor, referred to hereafter, but in spite of the most persistent efforts of the architect in the restoration, no tangible evidence of the secret passage has been discovered. The door east of the fireplace in the East Parlor leads to the East Hall.

The East Hall, also entered through the Southeast Porch, is 11.05 feet wide and 23 feet deep, extending east and west. Like the South Hall, it is partly occupied by a broad staircase with picturesque balustrade terminating in a great spiral at the newel post. This stairway also makes two square turns in its ascent. Over the first landing is a window and under the second a rear door. Although the South Porch is more elaborate than either porch on the east side, the East Hall is superior architecturally to the South Hall. This is particularly noticeable in the balustrade of the staircase, which is made of mahogany instead of pine, as in the South Hall, and the whorl of which around the newel post is more generous than in the South Hall. The balusters in the

East Hall are of a beautiful spiral pattern, while those in the South Hall are lathe-turned. In the restoration, it was necessary on account of the tenacious incrustations of varnish and dirt, to remove the balustrade temporarily and take it apart in order to soak and clean the mahogany balusters.

When

North of the East Hall is a room 17.8 feet by 22.75 feet in size, formerly used as the family Dining Room. Some of the woodwork here is original. In the middle of the northern partition there were formerly a huge fireplace and mantel. the Manor Hall was remodeled for occupancy by the village authorities in 1868, this whole chimney was removed, and the upper part was illogically rebuilt over a western window, continuing up through the roof. At the same time, the partition at the north end of the room was reversed, so that its paneled front would make an ornamental reredos for the Judge's bench in the Court Room adjacent to the northward, the fireplace opening being closed. In the restoration in 1911, the misplaced chimney was removed, the partition returned to its original position and a fireplace constructed on the foundation of the old one. Dutch tiles, with a blue rose pattern on a white background, were imported for this purpose.

North of the Dining Room the remainder of the ground floor was formerly divided into a Larder and a Kitchen, the latter being entered through the Northeast Porch. When the interior was altered forty-three years ago, all of this space was thrown into one apartment, 22.75 feet by 34.83 feet in size, for a Court Room. The Judge's bench was at the southern end, backed by the old mantelpiece paneling which was formerly part of the Dining Room cabinet work. As before stated, this Dining Room partition was reversed in 1911 to its original position, but no effort was made to replace the partition or partitions which originally subdivided the modern Court Room. In the western wall of the Court Room, opposite the door in the eastern wall, was originally a door which had been partially built up and converted into a window. In the restoration the doorway has been re-opened. At the northern end of the Court Room, in what was probably the north wall of the kitchen, is a shallow fireplace. There are indications in the exterior surface of this wall that there was once