Manual of the Corporation of the City of New York, for the Years ...

Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1869, by

JOSEPH SHANNON,

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the Southern District of New York.

E. JONES & CO,
PRINTERS, NEW YORK.

PREFACE.

In the publication of the edition of the "MANUAL OF THE CORPORATION OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK," for the year 1868, the Compiler has had many and unusual obstacles to contend with, all tending to retard the progress of the work. The authority for the compilation was not given by the Common Council until nearly three months of the year had expired; it was the first attempt of the present Compiler at "book-making;" it was decided, after consultation with experts in that art, to begin a new series with the present issue, enlarged to a size uniform with the proceedings and documents of the Common Council, which necessitated entirely new engravings, both on stone and wood; a great delay occurred in procuring paper (which had to be made to order), while the usual and characteristic printing-office delays have been of a more than ordinarily provoking description. The largest edition heretofore published contained about eight hundred duodecimo pages; the present volume contains nearly one thousand large octavo pages, in much smaller type, and more compactly arranged and printed, so that the book contains nearly double the amount of matter embraced in any former compilation, much of it of a very useful, if not interesting character, particularly in the information relating to many of the most prominent Educational, Charitable, and Correctional institutions of the city.

The old Charters of the city, of 1686 and 1730 (Dongan and Montgomerie), are contained in the present volume, printed as closely as modern type will permit, verbatim, et literatim, et punctuatim, as they appear in the original parchment copy on file in the office of the Comptroller. The successive amendments, or modifications also appear in full, including the latest, of August 31, 1868. A comparison of the full and ample power for selfgovernment, vested by the charters of 1686 and 1730 in this

FREE CITY (see page 19), with the present stunted and emasculated city charter of 1857 (which, to the credit of our people be it said, never received their approval), must afford food for reflection to all thoughtful men; and it is quite possible the time is not far distant when the respect and attachment of every inhabitant of this city for and to the great principles of freedom that underlie our system of government by the People, may assert themselves with a power and force that may render the publication of this duly authenticated copy of the original organic law of this city a matter of great public convenience, if not importance.*

In collating and arranging the matter comprised in the MANUAL for 1868, all precedent was set aside, and an entirely new system adopted. It was sought to afford the minutest detail of the working and management of the more prominent and useful institutions in the city, so that any person wishing to become informed upon any subject touching such institutions, could be placed in possession of the desired information without being compelled to refer to any other source. The minutest details of the principal State or Metropolitan Commissions, intrusted with the administration of many of the most important of the governmental departments of this city, are also given. The Historical matter, the Compiler hopes, and confidently anticipates, will be found both valuable and interesting.

The enviable reputation secured for former editions of this work by the original Compiler, imposed the duty upon his successor of endeavoring to preserve it. If, as a book of reference, relating to the city of New York, its government and institutions, it may be accepted by the public as equal in usefulness to any former publication of the kind, or, at least, that the established reputation of the book has not suffered at his hands, it will be extremely gratifying to him, and is certainly all, by way of commendation, that can be reasonably expected by the present COMPILER.

* A comparison of the Charters, as contained in the Manual, was instituted with the original parchment copy, by Henry B. Dawson, Editor of The Historical Magazine, and Francis J. Twomey, Deputy Clerk of the Board of Aldermen, a practical printer and proofreader, both of whom vouch for its accuracy.