know that there were some stories rife about the fierce old Don. I never saw him that I did not dream of bloody decks, fierce sea fights, a pirate's doom, and I had a general idea that his cellar, instead of containing barrels of cider, metheglin, and bins of apples, was filled with kegs of Spanish gold coin, diamond necklaces, finger-rings, and breast-pins, in barrels. To me the Don was a mystery never solved. Whether he was the founder of the New York house, and was only guilty of being peaceably in the South American trade, as Deforest & Co., I never knew.

Benjamin Deforest was from Fairfield County, in Connecticut, near Danbury. He was an uncommon man, and, like Roger Sherman, who signed the Declaration of Independence also a Connecticutonian Benjamin learned the shoemaker's trade, and a most, excellent trade it is. Still, young De Forest was not content to make shoes all his life. He had a brother who had gone over into York State, where he had got into business, and had succeeded. I think it was South East, or Markeytown, where the brother of Ben lived, and had a store. I am not certain whether Ben went into partnership with his brother or not. He clerked it with him, and used to come to the city of New York to buy goods in the last century. He became ambitious to be a merchant in the city. How grandly he succeeded, this sketch will show. In 1803 he opened his store at No. 31 Peck slip, under his own name. He had a large lot of country acquaintances, who were storekeepers, and upon them he relied to lay the foundation for a successful city wholesale trade. At this time Mr. Deforest was not a chicken, and was deemed

by all the girls an old bachelor. He thought it quite time to get married, and he fixed his affections upon Miss Mary Burlock, the most beautiful girl in the city of New York. Her father was Thomas Burlock. He had been a grocer up at Corlear's Hook. The young couple were married by the Rev. Mr. McKnight on Saturday evening, September 29, 1804. Old Mr. Burlock was a character in his way. He had a brother William, who opened a livery stable in 1806, at Nos. 22 and 36 Nassau street. He died in 1807, and then Tom took the horses and establishment up to 14 Bancker.

In 1809 Benjamin Deforest made another partnership, and founded the firm of Deforest & Smith, at 45 Peck slip. His partner was Gershon Smith.

It is curious that Mr. Deforest first saw Miss Burlock up in the country, when she was on a visit. He was struck with her beauty, but above all her charms he admired her skill in riding a horse. She would ride the wildest horse without a saddle. Country folks called her a tomboy, but Mr. Deforest was a man of sense. He knew that tom-boys make the best of wives and mothers, and breed a healthy race of children. He courted and married her as above stated. She remained many years without bringing him any children.

Mr. Deforest was anxious to have his house and name continued. So he got his nephew, Alfred, to come to New York and live. He was the son of his brother, Benjamin, who was a merchant upon the line between the State of New York and Connecticut. Alfred had been classically educated. Ben had got rid of his partner, Smith, and he was doing a large business then. In 1811, he took in Alfred, his nephew, and the firm be

came B. Deforest & Co. Alfred resided with his uncle, Mrs. Deforest had a brother, named Henry Burlock. He was as handsome as a picture. He was wild, too. He was a good judge of horses. At that time horses were sent out largely to the West Indies, and taken out by horse jockeys, as they then called such adventurers. Who shipped the horses I don't know. Old Burlock was alive, and it might have been him, but it is more probable, from subsequent events, that the capital was furnished by Benjamin Deforest. At this time, old Ben had no connection with the West Indies, except to buy rum and sugar of the importers, but how singular events worked. This young fellow, Henry Burlock, reached the Danish Island of St. Croix with his cargo of horses. Here his manly beauty attracted the attention of the richest young girl on the Island. She married him. The produce of her estates were shipped annually to Benjamin Deforest & Co. Then the Danish Mrs. Bur lock died, without leaving any children, and her enor mous wealth she willed to her handsome and devoted husband. He became owner of several plantations. Then he died, and this property became his sister's, Mrs. Deforest, or at least, it all got into old Ben.'s hands. He had vessels regularly in the trade to St. Croix. One was named the Alfred, his nephew and partner. Before that time old Ben. had merely been a jobbing partner. He loved Alfred. He lived in his house. This was in 1819, and Mr. Deforest then lived at 20 Beekman street, opposite Dr. Milnor's church. Old Ben. was lucky in anything. His wife, who had been barren for fifteen years, presented him with two fine daughters in two successive years. His neighbors, in Beekman street,

were Jacob Barker, Isaac Wright, and other notable merchants. Alfred Deforest married the only daughter of Augustus Wright, who was very wealthy. He was, in 1800, a sailmaker, and kept a store, where he sold sail duck.

He afterwards took into partnership Stephen Allen, the famous Tammany leader and Mayor. The firm was Wright & Allen. Here follows a curious fact. Augustus Wright died, leaving a large fortune to his only daughter. She died in child-birth, and in a few hours the child. The heirs at once claimed the large property of Augustus Wright, but luckily Alfred Deforest proved that the child lived after its mother was dead. He was the heir of the child. His wife died of consumption. At her funeral he asserted that she had given it to him. At any rate, he died just after the courts had awarded him the property; and, as he had no children, his large property went, all of it, to old Benjamin Deforest. His brother died before his nephew Alfred. Benjamin did an immense grocery business for years, and then he became one of the largest shipping and importing merchants. I never knew of his deviating from the strict truth. Consequently, upon one occasion, when he informed me that he cleared annually from $40,000 to $50,000 a year, in his bland manner, I did not think it a stretcher. On the contrary it was true. He received cargo after cargo every week in 1828. He rolled up wealth. He talked of his West India possessions, and said that they paid him twelve per cent. annually upon a valuation of a million. He died in 1855 or 1856, and I believe he was worth a million and a half of dollars. So old Mr. Adams, of the Fulton Bank, said.

He was, as I have said, very anxious to perpetuate the house of B. Deforest & Co. So he sought out George B. Deforest, one of the younger branches of another family. He had been in the dry goods business. I think he was a son of Lambert Deforest. At any rate, he became one of the firm of B. Deforest & Co., and he married one of the daughters of B. Deforest.

Mr. George Deforest carried on the house of B. Deforest & Co. for some time after the death of his fatherin-law. After he gave up business, he went to Europe, and travelled for some years.

The St. Croix property must have gone down in value very greatly, for I believe it was sold to an Englishman not long ago for $150,000.

Another daughter of Mr. Deforest married a Mr. Hart, of Troy. He was the head of a great grocery house, and bought a large amount of groceries every year of B. Deforest & Co.

Charles Deforest married one of the beautiful Miss Bulocks, and a sister of Mrs. B. Deforest. He was a

distiller and a sugar-refiner. He was a great politician in the Eighth Ward. In 1836 he was Assistant Alderman of the Ward, and in 1838 he was elected Alder

man.

About 1837 his credit was so great, that he bought cargo after cargo of sugars. The house of Rogers & Co. sold him $40,000 worth of sugar, and he gave his own notes for that sum, payable in six months. They were indorsed by Thomas Darling, of the firm of McGregor, Darling & Co., then considered undoubted. The notes were never paid. I believe the Ex-Alderman went off to the wills of Pennsylvania, where he may be living