One of the trees thus marked by these arbitrators was a large white oak, standing near what is called the Port Road, and mentioned in the Patent granted by Governor Dongan, as one of the boundaries of the town. This tree remained till the time of the revolutionary war, when it was cut down by the Americans, and fallen across the road for the purpose of intercepting the British. A red free stone monument, with a proper inscription has subsequently been set up, at and near the stump of this tree, (which is yet in existence) by General Jeremiah Johnson, on the part of Brooklyn, and John C. Vanderveer, Esq. on the part of Flatbush. But unfortunately the stone has been so defaced by certain persons, who seem to take delight in mutilating every thing, that only a few letters of the inscription can now be decyphered.

The award of Messrs. Cortelyou and Stillwell, relative to the boundary line, notwithstanding the order of the court, appears not to have been "determinative." For in the next year, 1684, the line was run out by Philip Wells, a surveyor of Staten Island, and Jacobus Cortland, who were appointed for this purpose, by the two towns.

The certificate of these gentlemen, is in the words following: "To satisffie whom itt may concerne, that I being with Mr. Jacobus Cortland, about the 20th, day off November, 1684, imployed by Breuckland and Fflackbush, to vew and run out the line betweene the two townes, to the south of the hills, found that the line run fformerly by Capts. Jaques Cortelyou and Mr. Stilwell, is right and just, which wee both being agreed, give in our approbation of the same.

Notwithstanding this, differences continued to exist for some years subsequently, but at length they have been amicably settled, upon the following principles, viz: That the summit of the hills or the first perceptible southerly declivity of any hill, should be deemed and taken as the fixed and determined line, and wherever the hills are cut off or interrupted by an intervening valley or hollow, the boundary line should extend in the shortest possible direction, from the summit of one hill to that of the opposite one. In conformity with this determination, proper monuments have been placed on the boundary lines, to prevent, if possible, all future disputes.

At an early period distinctive names were given to the several parts of the village of Flatbush. The north end was called Steenraap or Stone Gathering; the south end, Rustenburgh, or resting place or borough; while the centre was denominated Dorp, or the Town. The Dutch words appropriated to either end of the village were appropriate, inasmuch as the ground on the north end of the town contains many small stones, on, and just below the surface, while comparatively few of these are found in the south end, which in consequence is more easy to cultivate. In the northern section of the town, on the farm now in possession of the Widow Lefferts, were erected at an early period, two brick kilns, one on the back of the farm, and another near the large pond, not far from the