856
 

THE ICONOGRAPHY OF MANHATTAN ISLAND
 

I         Erasmus WiUiams announces that he has purchased " the large

; commodious House and Gardens, coach house, stables, &c., in the
i out-ward ot this city, heretofore known by tiie name ot Vaux-Hall,
but changed, with great propriety, to thai ot Mount Pleasant."
Besides the beauty of the view and tbe healthfulness of tbe ritua-
tion, the house has the advantage of bdng "near the College, and
Hospital now erecting, and so contiguous to the city that a moder¬
ate walker may, in 15 or 20 minutes, be In any part thereof."
U'ilUams offers board and lodging to "single gentlemen, or gentle¬
men with their families," especially travdiers, and slates that
"sorae apartments arc already fitted."—N. Y. Merc., June 6, 1774.
This was the old pleasure garden on the North River, in earlier
years known as the Old Bowling Green, for a history of which
see March 29, 1738.

John Campbell, a potter, at the "upper end of the Broadway,
opporile the Negroes Burying Ground," offers earthenware for
sale, which he warrants "to be better than any imported trom
England or Holland."—JV. Y. Merc., June 6, 1774. For the loca¬
tion ot this burying-ground, see "Poltersfield" in Landmark Map
Ref. Key, HI: 927,
'         In conformity wilh orders adopted at a meeting of the com¬

mittee of correspondence, June 6, a letter under date ot June 7 is
sent to the committee of correspondence in Boslon. This letter is
in response to Boston's communication of May 30 {q.v.). Extracts
from the letter follow: "You say, that 'a speedy, united and
rigorous Effort Is certainly aU that can be depended upon to yield
us any effectual Relief, and that this Effort is on all hands acknowl¬
edged to be the Suspension of Trade so wisely defined by us.' To
the first we entirdy concur with you in Sentiment; but In tbe last
we apprehend you have made a mistake [see June 16I,—-for on
revising our Letter to you, so far from finding a word menrioned of
a 'Suspension of Trade' the Idea is not even conceived.—That,
and every other Resolution we have thought It mosl prudent to
leave for the Discussion of the proposed general Congress." The
letter continues by expressing readiness to join in sucb congress,
and suggests that sufficient lime be allowed the delegates from
colonies to the southward, letters to which "we will forward with
great Pleasure,"

A request is made for the names ot the men constituting the
Boston committee, and "We beg also for the future that your
Letters be sealed and directed to our Chairman."—From the
original letter preserved in tbe N. Y. Pub. Library. See also 4
Am. Arch., I: 303-4.

John Hutt, "Engraver In general, from London, Al Mr. Hew¬
itt's directly opposite the Merchants Coffee-House, in Dock-Street,
New-York," advertises that he engraves coats-of-arms, crests,
seals and cyphers, bills ot exchange, bills of lading, card plates,
door plates, dog collars, etc.—Rivinglon's Gazetteer, June 9, 1774-
On Sept. 5, he gave notice that he had recently erected a press for
copper-plale printing, "by which Means he wiU be enabled to
execute every Piece of Engraving he is tavour'd with in a neater,
more expeditious, and reasonable Manner than heretofore could
be done."—N. Y. Merc., Sept. 5, 1774. See also Stauffer, Am.
Engravers on Copper and Sleel, I: 137-38.

."^t a raeeting of the commiltee of correspondence, it is ordered,
"That a Commiltee be appoinled to answer the Letter received
from the Committee at Hartford, and enclose thera a copy ot a
Letter wrote tbe 23d ultlrao, by this Commiltee, to Boston; and
also to answer a Letter recdved trom Mr. Bernard Lentot, of Bran-
ford, and that they write a letter to the Committee ot Correspon¬
dence of South Carolina, enclosing a copy of this Committee's
first letter to Boston, and to acquaint them that this Committee
have, in a subsequent letter to the Committee at Boston, desired
them to appoint a time and place for a Congress, an answer to
which they eipect daily,"—4 Am. Arch., I:  305.

Tbe comraon councii agrees upon certain fines to be imposed
upon the members for tardiness at or absence from the meetings.
—M. C. C, Vni: 35, Sdf-iraposed penalties had an early origin
—see June 9, 1697,

On this day. Gov. Tryon sends to the Earl of Dartmouth a
report on the province ot New York. In speaking of the port ot
New York, he adds: "The Map in the .Appendii marked number 3,
presents a fuU View ot tbe Harbor, the Situalion ot Sandy Hook,
and shews the Depth ot Wafer from thence up to the Port." Trj-on
then goes on to give an account of tbe various kinds of courts and
the extent of their jurisdicrion; the trade of the province, its
 

eiports and imports; the strength of the neighbouring Indians
and their attitude towards the English; and the salaries and mode
ot appointment ot the dvil officials. "MiUtary Establishments,"
he continues, "have only taken place in Time of War. The Prov¬
ince during the late War, raised, cloathed and paid a large Body
ot Forces, which was disbanded at the Peace, and there is at present
no Provindal MiUtary Establishment unless the Militia may be
regarded as such; The Officers of this Corps are . . . appointed
by the Govemor, and having no pay their offices must "be rather
expensive than lucrative." No census of the population has been
taken since 1771 (q.v.), but, byusing the figures then calculated and
adding his estimate ot the increase, the govemour reports that
there are about 182,251 inhabitants in the province. To a question
concerning fortifications, Tryon answers: " The City of New York
the Metropolis is protected by a Fort and a Range of Batteries at
the Entrance of the East River or Harbour, in good order and capa¬
ble ot mounting about one Hundred pieces of Ordnance,"—iV. Y.
Col. Docs., VUl: 434-57.

In a report to the Earl of Dartmouth on the "present stale ot
tiie Government of New York," Gov, Tryon writes: "A Third
Branch ot the Revenue is the Excise on Spirituous Liquors, . , .
This Fund is appropriated as toUows—The Sum ot £8co . , ,
is to be paid annually for Twenty years [^fe March 24, 1772] to the
Governors of the Hospital now erecting in the City ot New York
Jsee Sept. 3, 1773] tor the support ot that Institution . . , "—
N, Y, Cd. Docs., VTU: 453,

The committee of correspondence having answered the dis¬
patches trom Boston (see June 7), "This Day they will assemble
again, atter which It is hoped, their Proceedings will be published,
for the Information of thdr Constituents; the Times are critical,
and big with interesting Events which has occasioned the Commit¬
tee of Correspondence at Philadelphia to promulgate their Leiter
to Boston, and such other Proceedings as were judged necessary
for tbe Satistaction of the Public,"—-V. Y, Merc, June 13, 1774.

Smith notes that "It appears manitesl that Colden fears nothing
and cares not what he does, and that Watts De Lancey Sc Cmger
are deterrained to go with him . , . These Men are Knaves or
Fools—or both ... tbe Liberty Boys here in the Commiltee
of 51 drive those who came in to repress tbeir Zeal before them,
they having latdy written Letters lo all the supervlsers intended
to prepare tbe Way for a Non Import^ and non exportation
agreem'; and tbo' the Delanceys were at tbe first Committee with
Derign to abate the Liberty Interests, yet now swimming with the
Current Se taking the advantage of the Weakness of Colden, they
venture to speak loud ag^ the Measures of Adm" even at Dinner
m his Presence,"-Wm. Smith's Diary (MS.), TV.

Gerard Bancker, dty surveyor, computes "the length of all
tbe Streets in the Cily of New York thro which Mr, Colles pro¬
posed to lead the Water trom his Works" (see April 22) as about
14 miles. Tbe original report, undated, is among the misceUaneous
papers in the cily clerk's record-room and Is reproduced as Pl-
39, Vol. IV. The date is estabUshed by an Itemized account of
Bancker, preserved in tbe comptroller's office in Box I, 1750-1815.
The computation was made on the order ot Recorder Watts, and
Bancker's charge for it was one pound. His bill for tbis and olher
corporalion work from Aug. 28, 1771, to May 13, 1775, was
ordered paid May 24, 1776 {q.v.).—M. C. C, VTU: 139, See,
further, July 21.

This bdng the day on which the harbour of Boslon was "finally
and most unjustly deprived of its principal and rightful advan¬
tages" by act ot parUament, a gallows, "with the Figures of 3
Men suspended by the Neck, said to be intended to represent
Lord North, Govemor Hulcbinson, and Solicitor Wedderburn,
with another Figure representmg the Deril, were carried thro'
the principal Streets of tbe City, attended by several Thousand
People, and at last burnt before the Coffee House Door," In
Hulchinson's right hand were "tbe Boston and Plymouth Address¬
es, and Signers Names—In Lord North's, the Port Bill, the Regu¬
lating Bill, and tbe Bill tor the belter administring ot Justice in
the Province of Ma ssachu sett's Bay—And m Mr. Wedderbume's,
the Letter of Hutchinson and OUver to Mr. Whatdy—Near his
infernal JIajesly, on the Gallows, were these Words—Devil, do
thy Office—With tartarean Sulphur destroy these Pests ot Man¬
kind,"—A'. 2", Jour., June 16 and 23, 1774; if. Postscript to Penn.
Jour., July 6, 1774,

A contributor, signing himself "N. T.," sends this letter to