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22. Isaac Newton, manager and principal owner of the People's Line of steam boats, died in New York, aged 63. He was the son of a soldier of the revolution, and was born in the town of Schodack, Rensselaer county, N. Y., on the 10th of January, 1794. When Robert Fulton's first boat, named the Clermont, in honor of Chancellor Livingston, made her trial trip in August, 1807, Mr. Newton was 13 years of age, and through life retained a distinct recollection of the ridicule, astonishment and incredulity which attended the inauguration of steam navigation. His attention thus drawn to the subject, seconded his inclination and constructive talent; and over ninety vessels, consisting of ocean steamers, steam boats, barges, sloops, &c., have been built under his supervision. He established the first line of tow boats on the Hudson, and in 1835 he built the steam boat Balloon, the first of the splendid river craft which have won the admiration of the world. The North America, South America, Isaac Newton, New World, Hendrik Hudson, &c., fol. lowed, and gave rise to the term floating palaces, as used to express the magnificence of our river and lake steamers. Mr. Newton commenced his career as master of a river sloop, and was entirely a self-made man. He was a practical Christian. For some thirty years he has been an active member of the Oliver Street Baptist

church, and during most of, that time a Sunday school teacher.....Helen Louisa Gourlay died, aged 40.

23. James Davidson died, aged 52....Bridget Tompkins died, aged 70.

28. The Universalist church, which had been closed some time for repairs, was opened for service. The interior was entirely refitted, the walls and ceiling frescoed, the seats uniformly upholstered, and the wood work painted to correspond with the walls.

DECEMBER.

1. Sarah, widow of John Nicholson, died at Palmyra, aged 78.

2. Harriet, wife of Abram Covert, died, aged 64. 3. David Hynes died, aged 56....Thomas Becket died, aged 54,

5. Samuel Wiley died, aged 28.... Charlotte Bleecker, widow of Vinal Luce, died at Washington.

6. Abraham Tomlinson died, aged 80.

10. Anna Egberts, wife of Oliver Steele, died at Cohoes....George G. Sparling died, aged 79.

17. Mary Ann Sheldon died, aged 55.

18. The river closed.

19. Thermometer 2 deg. below zero.

20. Catharine, widow of Matthias Kline, died, aged 72. The common council, after numerous ballotings at four different sessions for deputy chamberlain, without a choice, resolved to request the mayor to fill the office of receiver of taxes until the office was regularly filled.

21. Eleanor, widow of Wm. Van Zandt, died, aged 77. 23. John Jacob Wendell was elected deputy chamberlain in the place of Thomas W. Van Alstyne resigned... ..A meeting was held at the Capitol, Hon. Eli Perry, president, to discuss the abduction of young Mortara, a Jew, claimed by the Catholics as having been baptized into their church.... Mrs. Ruth Parmalee Hough died, aged 71.... Mary W., wife of Andrew McKaig, senior, died, aged 60.

THE

CHURCH OF THE HOLY INNOCENTS.

The church which bears this title was the fifth parish organized in this city by the Protestant Episcopal church. The increase of the population, and the extension of the city had necessitated some special provision for the spiritual wants of the members of that church living in the northern part of the town. A considerable part of them, however, were neither sufficiently settled in their residence, nor pecuniarily able to originate so important an undertaking, of themselves. The claims of this field had not been unobserved by others; but a decisive movement to accomplish the object of building up a congregation in that quarter was first made in 1847 by the Rector of St. Paul's church in cooperation, chiefly, with the layman, then and for many years its senior-warden, who finally assumed the whole expense of the undertaking. It was proposed to erect a chapel in the northern part of the city, and to sustain it as a free church and mission. The disastrous fire of 1848 put a stop to the circulation of the subscription paper which had been commenced, and nothing was accomplished. A sketch of the chapel intended to be built had been obtained from Mr. Frank Wills, an admirable architect, and estimates in accordance with it had been made, the material to be of brick, and the edifice to be as inexpensive as possible. The means to build with were not forthcoming. Eventually Mr. William H. De Witt, who had taken a leading part in the enterprise from the commencement, assumed the entire cost and charge of the work, having already given the site for the building.

The corner stone of the church was laid by the Rt. Rev. the Bishop of Maryland, June 7, 1849, with the usual services, in the presence of a number of clergymen,

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