Whilst the greatest effort has been made to ensure the quality of this text, due to the historical nature of this content, in some rare cases there may be minor issues with legibility. I recollect that, when a stripling, my first exploit in squirrel shooting was in a grove of tall walnut-trees that shades one side of the valley. I had wandered into it at noon-time, when all nature is peculiarly quiet, and was startled by the roar of my own gun, as it broke the Sabbath stillness around, and was prolonged and reverberated by the angry echoes. If ever I Should wish for a retreat, whither I might steal from the world and its distractions, and dream quietly away the remnant of a troubled life, I know of none more promising than this little valley. From the listless repose of the place, and the peculiar charac ter of its inhabitants, who are descendants from the original Dutch settlers, this sequestered glen has long been known by the name of sleepy hollow, and its rustic lads are called the Sleepy Hollow Boys throughout all the neighboring country.