1811.-CHAPTER CVIII. AN ACT supplementary to an Act, entitled "An Act respecting Streets in the City of New York," passed 24th March, 1809.—Passed April 3, 1811. Whereas, it appears to the Legislature that the assessment of the expenses incurred for laying out a street in the city of New York, called Canal street, is too heavy on those lots which do not front on said street: Therefore, I. Be it enacted by the People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, That a deduction of one-third shall be made from the assessments on all lots and buildings which have been assessed on account of the said street, excepting those lots and buildings which front thereon. II. And be it further enacted, That the deficiency which shall be occasioned by the said deduction, shall be borne and paid by the freeholders and inhabitants of the said city of New York, and shall be assessed on the said freeholders and inhabitants, and collected in the manner directed by the act, entitled "an act for the assessment and collection of taxes." 1812. CHAPTER VI. AN ACT to render the Provost of Columbia College, in the City of New York, eligible to be a Trustee thereof.-Passed February 14, 1812. Whereas, the trustees of Columbia College have, by their petition, prayed that the provost of the said college may be made eligible as a trustee of said college: Be it enacted by the People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, That it shall and may be lawful for the provost of Columbia College, in the city of New York, for the time being, to be elected and act as a trustee of the said college, anything contained in the act, entitled "an act relative to Columbia College in the city of New York," or in any other act or charter of the said college to the contrary notwithstanding. 1812.-CHAPTER LXII. AN ACT to authorize the Sale of certain Public Property in the City of New York.-Passed May 26, 1812. Be it enacted by the People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, That the comptroller is hereby authorized to sell and convey in fee simple, all the right, title and interest of the people of this state in and to the government-house and the grounds adjoining, in the city of New York, to the mayor, aldermen and commonalty of the said city, for a sum not less than fifty thousand dollars, and to receive in payment therefor, the bond of the said mayor, aldermen and commonalty, payable in ten years, with interest annually, at the rate of six per centum: Provided always, That the said corporation shall not have the right of selling the said grounds for the erection of private buildings, or other individual purposes. [It was enacted by § 7, chap. 203, Laws of 1813, that this proviso be repealed, and that if the corporation should not, by the first day of November then next, purchase the government-house and the lands adjoining, then the authority given to the comptroller to sell said house and land should cease.](1) 1812.-CHAPTER CCXII. AN ACT for the Appointment of Commissioners to ascertain the best Method of conveying off the Waters from the Collect and Lispenard's Meadow in the City of New York.-Passed June 19, 1812. Whereas, much uneasiness exists in the minds of many of the inhabitants of the city of New York, respecting a street laid out in the said city, by the name of Canal street: And whereas, doubts are entertained as to the practicability of carrying off, by said Canal street, all the waters intended to be carried off thereby: And whereas, it is desirable to satisfy all parties interested therein; Now, therefore, in order that a measure of so much moment to the city of New York may be duly and impartially investigated, before it be finally adopted, and if objectionable, that some better method may be devised and substituted in place thereof, and that for this purpose the opinion of skilful and judicious persons may be had on this subject. I. Be it enacted by the People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, That Cornelius Howard, esq., of Baltimore, in the state of Maryland, Eli Whitney, esq., of New Haven, in the (1) The corporation did make the purchase within the time above limited, and subsequently sold the lots, now forming the southerly side of the Bowling Green. state of Connecticut, and Robert Fulton, esq., of the city of New York, be and they are hereby appointed commissioners for the purposes aforesaid, any two of whom shall be competent to do and perform all the duties intended by this act; and if any of them should refuse to serve, or die, or omit to attend, the vacancy occasioned by such omission, death or refusal, to be supplied by the corporation of the said city of New York. II. And be it further enacted, That the said commissioners shall have power to enter upon the grounds from whence the waters are intended to be carried off as aforesaid, and the grounds adjacent for the purposes aforesaid, and to employ such engineers, surveyors and other suitable persons, to assist them, as they, or the corporation of said city, may see fit, and to take all such measures as they may deem proper to enable them to form a correct opinion as to the best method of draining off the waters from the grounds aforesaid; and their determination in the premises, reduced to writing, and signed by them, or the majority of them, and accompanied with such maps, plans, profiles, field notes and elucidations, as the nature of the case may require, shall be returned to the Legislature, at their next fall or winter session, and if approved of and accepted by them, shall be final and conclusive; and the said maps, plans, profiles, field notes and elucidations, shall be filed of record in the office of the register of the city and county of New York, and a duplicate thereof shall be made and belong to the mayor, aldermen and commonalty of the aforesaid city of New York; and if the said commissioners shall omit to make such return during either of the sessions before mentioned, this act shall be void. And whereas, the corporation aforesaid have executed bonds to the owners of the ground taken for the aforesaid Canal street, and the expenses incurred under the act for laying out the same, entitled "an act respecting streets in the city of New York," passed March 24th, 1809, have been assessed by the commissioners appointed for that purpose, under the said act, among and upon the owners and occupants of houses and lands deemed by them to be benefited thereby, one third part of which assessment has been paid by the inhabitants of said city, and two third parts of which assessment yet remain to be paid by the owners and occupants aforesaid, according to the act before mentioned, passed the 24th of March, 1809: Therefore, III. Be it enacted, That all further collections of said assessments, except in such cases wherein the corporation of said city shall determine otherwise, shall be suspended until the commissioners hereby appointed shall have made their report in writing as afore said; Provided, That such said assessment, in case Canal street aforesaid shall be continued as at present laid out, shall be paid to and recoverable by the said mayor, aldermen and commonalty, with interest thereon from the time of passing this act: And provided also, That nothing in this act shall be so construed as to render the mayor, aldermen and commonalty, in any case liable to refund any moneys received by virtue of any of the assessments aforesaid. IV. And be it further enacted, That the commissioners aforesaid shall make estimates of the total amount of all expenses incurred, and of the just compensation due to them for their services, and of all persons employed by them or by the corporation of New York; which sums, after being allowed by the said corporation as just and reasonable, shall be paid to said commissioners by said corporation. 1812. CHAPTER XCIX. CONTENTS. 1. New York city, recital respecting its finances, and application to the Legislature on the subject. 9. Bonds given by the corporation, rights of persons holding, not impaired. 4. Certificates to be given. 10. Binding on the corporation. Transferable. 7. Interest payable half or quarter-yearly. 5. Comptroller, his duty. 8. Persons entrusted with the execution of this law, to give security. AN ACT to regulate the Finances of the city of New York.-Passed WHEREAS the mayor, aldermen and commonalty of the city of New York have, by their memorial to the Legislature, represented that, by reason of the great expenses which they have incurred in the erection of public buildings in the city of New York, in the purchase of grounds for public purposes, in the opening, enlarging, and improving streets, in constructing wharfs and piers, and in consequence of various other improvements of a permanent nature in the said city, they have found the ordinary revenues of the corporation altogether inadequate to meet the demands which those expenses have produced, and that they have, therefore, from time 1 2 3 4 to time, been obliged to raise money by bonds under their corporate seal to defray some of those expenses, and have also given other bonds as a security for the payment of the residue thereof, repre senting further, that for the purpose of carrying into operation the plan, which has lately been made by the commissioners appointed by an act of the Legislature, for laying out the said city in streets, avenues and public squares, a sum of money will become requisite, which they despair of being able to raise without legislative interference in their behalf; and praying that the Legislature may pass an act permitting them to fund their present debt and provide for their future exigencies by creating a stock not exceeding nine hundred thousand dollars. And whereas, the prayer of said memorial appears reasonable, and is the more especially proper to be granted, inasmuch as the interest of the state at large is intimately connected with the prosperity and improvement of the city of New York, and that prosperity and improvement essentially depend upon and will be materially increased by a permanent arrangement of the finances of this city, and thus establishing the credit of the corporation on a solid basis: Therefore, I. Be it enacted by the People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, That it shall and may be lawful to and for the mayor, aldermen and commonalty of the city of New York, as soon as conveniently may be after the passing of this act, to create a public fund or stock, not exceeding nine hundred thousand dol lars, and to be denominated "the New York city stock,” and that a proper book or books for receiving subscriptions to the said fund, be opened at such times and places as the common council of the said city may from time to time direct and prescribe, to continue open each time so long as the said common council may direct, and until such sum as they shall direct shall be subscribed for: Provided, that all the sums so subscribed for shall not exceed in the whole the sum of nine hundred thousand dollars; and the sums which shall be subscribed thereto, be payable at such times and places, and in such manner as shall, for that purpose, be prescribed by ordinances or resolutions of the said common council, and either in specie or current notes of any bank or banks in the said city, or in such of the bonds of the said mayor, aldermen and commonalty as may then be outstanding, according to the real value of the said bonds, after deducting such sums or demands as the said mayor, aldermen and commonalty may have a legal right to set off against the said bonds in cases where any such right may exist. II. And be it further enacted, That for the said sum so subscribed and paid, the subscriber or subscribers shall be entitled to a certi |