much of that which was formerly left to the undisputed possession of the
unquestionably rich. A farm, with a few hundreds _per annum,_ derived from
other sources, makes a good base of comfort and if the hundreds are
converted into thousands, your farmer, or agriculturalist, becomes a man
not only at his ease, but a proprietor of some importance. The farms on
Oyster Pond were neither very extensive, nor had they owners of large
incomes to support them; on the contrary, most of them were made to
support their owners; a thing that is possible, even in America, with
industry, frugality and judgment. In order, however, that the names of
places we may have occasion to use shall be understood, it may be well to
be a little more particular in our preliminary explanations.

The reader knows that we are now writing of Suffolk County, Long Island,
New York. He also knows that our opening scene is to be on the shorter, or
most northern of the two prongs of that fork, which divides the eastern
end of this island, giving it what are properly two capes. The smallest
territorial division that is known to the laws of New York, in rural
districts, is the 'township,' as it is called. These townships are usually
larger than the English parish, corresponding more properly with the
French canton. They vary, however, greatly in size, some containing as
much as a hundred square miles, which is the largest size, while others do
not contain more than a tenth of that surface.

The township in which the northern prong, or point of Long Island, lies,
is named Southold, and includes not only all of the long, low, narrow
land that then went by the common names of Oyster Pond, Sterling, &c., but
several islands, also, which stretch off in the Sound, as well as a
broader piece of territory, near Riverhead. Oyster Pond, which is the
portion of the township that lies on the 'point,' is, or _was_, for we
write of a remote period in the galloping history of the state, only a