CANAL PLUS New York University’s Glucksman Ireland House hosts the author of “The Canal Bridge,” Tom Phelan. The novel tells the story of two Irish stretcher-bearers serving in the British army during the Great War. Thursday, 7 p.m., New York University, Glucksman Ireland House, Washington Mews at Fifth Avenue, 212-998-3950, $10 general, free for members.

LOWER MANHATTAN Historian Kenneth Jackson presents the second lecture in the Downtown Alliance’s 2006 lecture series, Downtown Third Thursdays. Titled “Dutch Outpost to World Capital: The Past and Future of Lower Manhattan,” the talk explores New York’s transformation from a small settlement to a bustling metropolis, and how the city’s history and geography will determine its present and future conditions. Mr. Jackson is the editor of “The Encyclopedia of New York City” (Yale University Press). Thursday, 7 p.m., John Street Methodist Church, 44 John St., between Nassau and William streets, 212-835-2773, free.

REVOLUTIONARY EVENING At a lecture titled “A Gentleman of Color,” Julie Winch discusses the life of James Forten, who served in the Revolutionary War as a teenager and went on to become an active reformer in Philadelphia’s black community. The talk is part of a lecture series held in conjunction with the exhibit “Fighting for Freedom: Black Patriots and Black Loyalists.” Thursday, 6:30 p.m., Fraunces Tavern Museum, 54 Pearl Street, 212-425-1778, $6 general, museum members free, includes refreshments.

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