INDEX TO NEW-YORK MUNICIPAL GAZETTE. SERIES OF NUMBERS, EMBRACING Numbers 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48. ISSUED MAY 28th, 1847. CONSTITUTIONAL STATE CONVENTION. Organization of Convention; Names of Officers, Municipal Corporations. Econ 5722,58,2 F Of the Series composed of Numbers 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, and 48.....June 1, 1846, to May 1, 1847. Report thereon, by Mr. Murphy. 66 " by Mr. Allen...... Report upon, by Mr. Tallmadge.. 580 to 581 Equalization of Taxation. Page. 561 Debates thereon by 9 members.... 66 66 66 599 599 Royal Charters and Grants. 581 584 LIBRARY INDEX 575 Executive, Legislative and Judiciary powers... 562 List of members of the Council of Appointment, United States Public Stocks, exempt from taxa- Act authorizing a City Convention.. 563 Remarks thereon and upon the amendments pro- 556 555 ment repudiating the New-York City Charter. 563 563 Annual Tax Bill of 1846, and remarks thereon.. 553 758 557 Wharf Tax, an attempt to authorize, by adding a 553 553 Naturalization, in the olden times Names of the members of the State Senate for 684 Standing Committees of the Senate for 1847... 684 585 685 685, 695 564 to 566 567 A bill to amend the amendments to the Charter A bill in relation to the Seamen's fund and retreat New-York City Charter, second amendments Draft of Tax assessment law by the New-York SAFETY FUND General Banking Law, reported to.. 695 695 Report on petition of inhabitants of Hastings, Os- Bill relative to expenses of incorporated compa- Bill to tax surplus capital.. 688 697-8 698 760 657 Draft of tax bill presented the Legislature by the Names of assessors for 1846.. 686 streets.. Proceedings in relation to the Bloomingdale Road... .576. 602. 603. 678 to 680 Taxes in Barbary .... ..577.608 759 NEW-YORK CITY CONVENTION. vention and rejected by the People....614 to 618 CORRESPONDENCE. A series of letters from a gentleman residing in the State of Tennessee, upon various scientific subjects....624, 631, 636, 637, 644, 652, 664, 665, 666, 667, 668, 666, 667, 668, 682 and 692. Letters from Thomas Spencer, former State Superintendant of the Onondaga Salines, written from Saltvilla, southwestern mountains of Virginia 559, 560, 575, 587, 606, 631, 643, 659, 673,683 Letters from W. P. Milnor, written from the fossil salt mines of southwestern Virginia, situate 1782 feet above the level of the sea..605, 606, 642 659, 664, 682 Letters from Lyman W. Conkey, Syracuse, Onondaga Salines, New-York..587, 605, 633, 659, 663 Letter from Professor Henry of Princeton College, in relation to lightning, and also in relation to the telegraph wires. Letter from Prof, Olmsted, Yale College, in relation to lightning, earthquakes, &c... Letters from Benjamin F. Thompson, Historian of Long Island........ ...663, 695 Letters from Hon. Josiah Butler, of So. Deerfield, N. H., in relation to the earthquakes in New-Hampshire ..660, 661, 756 Extracts from a letter written by a clergyman in the state of Georgia...... Letter from a young physician on a visit to Scotland 683 692 Letter from J. B. Wick of Villa Rica, Georgia, relative to the Gold mines of his vicinity.... 590 etter from H. E. Pierrepont, Brooklyn, relative to winged Ants Extract from a letter from Ozem Strong, dated Colborne, Upper Canada... 590 Letter from J. E. Bloomfield, of Oswego, N. Y.. 605 Letter from Levi Disbrow in relation to Little Sodus Bay Salt well 587 Letter from Teunis G. Bergen, ex-member of the 695 At Cincinnati, Ohio, Feb. 28, 1846.. At Cuba, Island of Cuba, March 23, 1846. 661 554 555 555 690 555 555 At Catania, April 22d and 28, 1846 592 555, 592 569 661 At Smyrna, Asia, June 25, 1846.. At Messina and Catania, June 1846 596 608 598, 592 660 At Deerfield, N. H., July 10, 1846.... At Cologne and in Southern Germany, July 29, 690 1846, At Trinidad, Sept. 10, 1846.. At Deerfield, N. H., Sept 12, 1846 At Cape Haytien, St. Domingo, Sept. 15, 1846.. At St. Domingo City, Sept. 16, 1846... At Boonsboro', Md., Oct. 19, 1846.. At Talahassee, Florida, Oct. 23, 1846. At Algiers, Africa, in Oct. 1846........ At Deerfield, N.H., Oct. 29 and 31, 1846... At Ningpoo, China, Aug. 4, 1846. At Fincastle, Va., Aug. 12, 1846.. Volcanic action in the Red Sea in Asia and simultaneously an earthquake of great severity throughout the province of Tuscany in Europe, August, 14, 1846... 661, 662, 663 At the Island of Iceland, Aug. 22, 1846.....630, 631 At the sea-port and river towns in Maine, Massachusetts and New-Hampshire and in the River towns in Vermont, Aug. 25, 1846 .......661, 689 At Leghorn, Tuscany, Aug. 27, 1846. 703 At Gunang Marrippa, Java, Sept. 2, 1846 586 At Albany, Jan. 11, 1847. At Rice Lake, Jan. 14, 1847. 586 At Antigonish, Jauuary 29, 1847 ..... 651 598 709, 651, 661 At Deerfield, N.H., Nov. 12, 1846.....709, 651, 661 At several places in Scotland, Nov. 25th, 1846.. 668 At Porto Rico, Nov. 28, 1846.. 650 At Deerfield, N.H., Dec. 2, 1846...... .713, 651, 661 At Trinidad, Dec. 17, 1846.. 750 At Grafton Harbor, Jan. 8, 1847,. 652 652 682 718 753 754 and 756 756 754 755 755 At Capiaco, South America in 1847.. 755 705 705 705 705 705 631 631 640 644 Earthquakes, Remarks upon by Eben. Meriam, And their connection with volcanoes, thunder, lightning, snow, hail, wind, rain, cold, heat, calms and equilibriums affecting the atmosphere over vast sections of the Globe and producing changes of great magnitude as confirmed by observations made simultaneously on Brooklyn Heights and published in the Brooklyn Star before hearing of the earthquakes.. 624 554, 694, 689, 690, 651, 592, 570, 755, 555, 569, 571, 586, 589, 593, 596, 598, 608, 630, 640, 650, 652, 661, 662, 668, 674, 675, 676, 682, 695, 700 to 756 Suggestion that an earthquake had taken place on the 22d of April, 1846, made prior to June 1, 1846.... Confirmation of the correctness of the above suggestion by an arrival from Sicily, July 7, 1846. 592 Great Earthquake in South America............. Steamers and Earthquakes............. Earthquake Ruins..... Connection of earthquakes and storms. Earthquakes in New Hampshire........ Simultaneous convulsions in the East Earthquakes at Marseilles, France.... Earthquakes at New-Madrid Earthquake at Caraccas,.. Remarks upon earthquakes, by Hon. Josiah Butler; and by Dudley Leavitt, Esq.. 555 .693, 694 690 676 674 660, 661 661 656 624 598 Do. by a native of Deerfield... Earthquakes at Martinique in 1727 VOLCANOES. Eruptions of Mount Heckla......569. 591, 596, 630 598 .661,662 MORTALITY. Death of aged persons... Mortality in Boston.. 66 in New York 661 660 760 ..757, The solemn knell-Steamer Atlantic bell tolling the requiem of 42 persons-moved by the ocean swell. 673, 644 Death of an infant in its mother's arms, written by Mrs. Sigourney... 672 Letters from Mary S. Meriam to her sister.... 673 Letter from Mrs. M. S. M. Seaman to her sister 691 Lines written by Mary S. Meriam in her sister's album-selected.. Letter from Thomas Spencer... Extract from a letter written by a lady in New Eugland..... 651 682 596 .673, 691 691 691 691 691 ..... 672 673 673 Obituary notice of Jonathan Thompson, Esq.... 672 "The Hour Glass," written by John Quincy Adams, Esq., President of the United States.. 672 Notice of an ancient copy of the Bible......672. 690 Obituary notice of Preserved Fish... 596 Greenwood Cemetery; Vocal Willow; Prayers for Rain; Birds in the Cemetery The Adirondack Solitary.... 757 560 LIGHTNING. 656 650 Village destroyed by lightning...... Packet ship Thomas P. Cope and cargo destroyed by lightning Nov, 29, 1846.. Brig Oscar destroyed by lightning Sept. 15, 1846. 727 Ship Christopher Columbus and cargo destroyed by lightning Feb. 11, 1847.. 719 Ship Hugenot struck by lightning and cargo set on fire June 12, 1846... 571 Lightning wires a complete protection. 554 572, 635 in South America, in 1793... Silicious lightning tubes 66 674 674 Thunder storms... 756, 757, 607, 608. 755. 590. 632. 570, 571, 587, 588, 593, 598, 604, 605, 641, 650, 655, 656, 662, 674, 700 to 755, 586. 572. 592. 589. 573. 642. Telegraph wires and thunder storms 707, 604, 596, 608, 572 Lightning Rods-Remarks upon by Clark Rich.. 572 Three persons and two horses killed by lightning; 572 Man killed by lightning; barn burnt by lightning Brig Columbia struck by lightning, set on fire, and six persons thrown into the sea and lost, Dwelling house near Brooklyn, L. I., struck by Dwelling House and barn destroyed by lightning at Abington, Mass. July 12, 1846.... Barn in Dedham and its contents burnt by light- ning, July 12, 1846; Barn struck by lightning at Dedham same day; Vessel struck by light- ning same day at Newport, R. I. Five men killed by lightning in the woods; Mansion House, Washington, Dutchess County, burnt by lightning July 5, 1846, loss $7000... Stable struck by lightning and horse killed; church edifice struck by lightning; Lightning struck Balloon struck by lightning; man killed by light- lightning in Phila., Aug. 9, 1846, bed set on fire and man knocked down; child killed by lightning July 30 1846, at Somersworth, N.H. 607 Man killed by lightning in Indiana; two men 604 Several persons killed by lightning in Spain in 1846; house burnt by lightning in North Caro- lina in Oct. 1846 and two persons killed Young Lady struck by lightning in Wisconsin... 642 Thirty-seven places struck by lightning in one thunder storm in 1793 and 19 persons killed.. 674 House struck by lightning Feb. 3, 1847. Three persons killed by lightning, and eight per- sons injured at Marshall, Texas, Aug. 2; barn burnt by lightning near Alton, Ill., Aug. 7; boy struck by lightning near Rockville, Md., Aug. Man killed by lightning at Winslow, Maine, Aug. 10, 1846; barn burnt by lightning one per- son and two horses killed and one person injured, near Huntingdon, Pa. Aug. 14, 1846. 701 Barn burnt by lightning in Stark, Maine, Aug. 14 1846; church edifice struck by lightning, Aug. 14, 1846; young lady killed by lightning, Aug. 17, 1846; dwelling house struck by lightning at Martha's Vineyard, Miss., and set on fire Four horses killed by. lightning in an open field. Aug. 23, 1846; a man killed by lightning Aug. 23, 1846; church edifice struck by lightning in Beverly and several of the congregation prostra- ted; two dwelling houses struck in North Salem -the telegraph wires and posts struck in West- boro, a barn struck in Nantick, and with its con- tents consumed, all on the 27th of Aug. 1846; man killed by lightning, August 28, 1846.... 703 Barn burnt by lightning at Killingworth, Conn.; dwelling house struck by lightning, and servant man killed, Aug. 30, 1846; house struck by lightning and three persons killed; militia cap- tain knocked down on parade by lightning Sept. 3, 1846; lady killed by lightning Sept. 3, 1846; man killed by lightning Sept. 4, 1846 and a dwelling in St. Louis torn to atoms; two oxen killed by lightning Sept. 4, 1846; three Ship Independence struck twice by lightning the same day 5 men knocked down and 2 disabled N. lat. 49, W. long. 23, Jan. 14, 1847; house Railroad cars struck by lightning in Georgia, March 13, 1847; barn burnt by lightning near Union town, Md.; barn burnt by lightning near Chambersburgh, Pa. April 13, 1847; man kill- ed by lightning near Woodbrige, N. J., also 2 horses, March 26, 1847; hotel struck and man killed by lightning at Westport, same day; barn burnt by lightning in Hadley, Saratoga county, together with its contents, April 21, 1847 757 Two barns and contents burnt by lightning in Herkimer county, dwelling house struck by lightning and man knocked down in Madison county, April 12, 1847; horse killed by light- ning near Chelsea, Mass. ; house struck by light- ning at Newburyport, Mass.; church edifice struck by lightning at Nashville, April 22, 1847; Telegraph Wires struck by lightning, March 30, Vessels struck by lightning... Looking Glasses struck by lightning Electric, magnetic and meteoric wires... Long Island in the electric current.. Suggestion of the cause of the Lightning striking so frequently at New-Haven.... Persons struck by lightning should be showered with cold water ......................... .......................................................... 757 METEORLOGICAL. ter, course of the wind, dew-point, fall of August 1, 1846, to March 1, 1847. Dew, Snow and Rain for the year 1846 Aggregate fall of Rain and Snow at Syracuse for Temperature of the air and state of the weather at Saltville, Washington county, Va., for May, Temperature of the air, fall of rain, course of the wind, thunder and lightning, &c. as observed at Saltville, Va., by W. P. Milnor, July 1846. 605 Meteorlogical observations made every hour from 6 A.M. to 10 P.M. at Saltville, Va., by W. P. Mil- from Aug. 1, 1846, to March 1, 1847.700 to 721 Meteorlogical observations made on Brooklyn Heights, hourly by E. M., 571, 588, 605, 700 to 721 Meteorlogical Record kept by Dr. Strong, at Erasmus Hall Academy, Flatbush, Long Island Meteorlogical Records of New-York Hospital, by Accounts in detail of storms on sea and on the Great flood in France, in Oct. 1846 Great flood in the Kiskimanites... The weather..652, 655, 656, 633, 644, 640, 650, 651, Rise and fall of Lake Ontario. 741, 715,721, 607, 633, 640, 649 Temperature of the Sea and of the Gulf Stream 608 Opening and closing of Erie Canal and H. River, 633 GEOLOGICAL. 590 Geological formations of the regions round about 659 Virgin Iron.... NOTE. The present series of numbers, 41 to 48 inclusive, UdHC PUBLISHED BY THE ANTI-ASSESSMENT COMMITTEE AND DISTRIBUTED GRATUITOUSLY. EDITED BY E. MERIAM.] NEW-YORK, JUNE 1, 1846. The MAY No. of the Gazette containing the Constitution of Massachusetts, Connecticut and Vermont, &c. pg. 81 to 96 of the volume both inclusive, is issued to supply a vacant number in the volume in order that we may be able to place the entire volume complete in the hands of each of the members of the Convention as soon as they shall be organised for business. The present number contains some important facts in relation to the Montgomerie charter, copied from the volumes of copies of documents obtained in England, by Mr. BROADHEAD, and now in the State archieves. by tax on the estates, real and personal, of the free- 66 mentioned. ANNUAL TAX BILL. We give below the annual Tax Bill. It authorises the assessment of the heaviest tax ever before imposed in the city of New-York. The necessity for such a tax does not exist. One half the sum authorised, properly expended, would be far more useful to the City than this great waste of money lavished upon political favorites. A question of great importance arises under this act with respect to what particular personal property is assessable. The act is special-has a local and not a general operation, and differs in that respect from the State Tax act. The act has been bunglingly drawn. It provides as follows: "to be collected according to law." As to the assessment of it, the provision is specialand no personal property is authorised to be assessed except of freeholders and inhabitants of the city and county whose real and personal estate is situate within the county. The question then arises under section 5 of page 381 of the 1st volume of the Revised Statutes as to the oath. If the person taxed declares that he is worth only a certain sum named in the affidavit over and above his just debts and property exempted from taxation, and he includes in this exemption all his personal estate without the county of New-York, whether such a construction is right? The counsel of the corporation, Mr. Brady (whose course so far in office has been greatly approbated on account of his honesty of purpose and careful compliance with law) should instruct the assessors in this. No. 282. IN ASSEMBLY March 5, 1846. Introduced by Mr. ALBERTSON. AN ACT To enable the supervisors of the city and county of SEC. 1. The mayor, recorder and aldermen of the city of New-York, as the supervisors of the chay and county of New-York, of whom the mayor or recorder shall be one, are hereby empowered, as soon as conveniently may be after the passage of this act, to order and cause to be raised by tax, on the estates, real and personal, of the freeholders and inhabitants of and situated within the said city and county, and to be collected according to law, a sum not exceeding nine hundred and sixty thousand one hundred and sixtytwo dollars, to be applied towards defraying the various contingent expenses legally chargeable to the said city and county, and such expenses as the mayor, aldermen and commonalty of the city of New-York may in any manner sustain or be put to by law. Such portion of the contingent expenses of the said city of New-York as relates to re-paving and cleaning streets in that part of the said city lying south of a line running through the centre of Thirty-fourth street, shall be assessed only that part of the said city lying south of the said line. And also the further sum not exceeding four hundred and twenty-eight thousand dollars, CITY CONVENTION. IN ASSEMBLY March 24, 1846. The People of the State of New-York, represented in in each ward of said city, to a county convention for New-York. § 2. The delegates chosen to this convention shall be chosen as representatives from each ward, each delegate representing ten thousand inhabitants; and if any ward have, in addition to this ratio, a fraction of six thousand and upwards, one representative shall be allowed to be chosen for said fraction: but each of the present wards of the city of New-York, without regard to its population, shall be allowed one representative in said convention. 3. Notice of such election shall be given, and the same shall be conducted in the manner now provided by law in regard to the charter elections in the city of New-York, and the name of each delegate voted for shall be written or printed, or partly written and partly printed upon each ballot, and the ballot shall be endorsed "Delegates to the Convention," and a separate box for the deposite of such ballots shall be kept by the inspectors of each election district in the several wards of the said city. The result of such election shall be ascertained and certified in the manner now provided in the act regulating charter elections in said city. § 4. All the provisions of law for the purity of elections in the city of New-York shall apply to the election held under this act; and all false swearing at said election shall be deemed and punished as perjury. 5. The delegates to be chosen under this act, shall meet in the city of New-York on the first Monday of July next, at the chamber of the board of aldermen, and shall then, or as soon after as may be practicable, organize and adopt rules for their government. They shall complete their business so that any charter or amendments adopted by them, may be submitted to the electors of the city and county of New York, as in the next section provided. [VOL. I....No. 41 6. The charter or amendments adopted by the convention to be organized under this act, shall be submitted to the electors of the city and county of New-York, each provision separately at the election to be held in the said city on the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November, in the year one thousand eight hundred and forty-six; and such amendments as may be approved by a majority of said electors at said election, shall thenceforth be incorporated in, and form a part of the charter of the city of New-York. And if an entirely new charter be submitted to the electors at said election, the same shall, upon being adopted by a majority of said electors, become the charter of the city of New-York. The tickets to be used at the election to be held under this section, shall be prepared in such form as the said convention may direct. 7. The expenses of the election of delegates held under this act, and all expenses attending the convention, shall be paid out of the treasury of the city of New-York. The proceeding of the convention shall be filed in the office of the clerk of the county, when duly certified to by the pressding officer and secretary or secretaries of said convention. 8. The members of the convention shall have power to provide for their own pay, which shall not exceed one dollar and fifty cents per day for every day actually in session. [Amended...See page 556.] TAX UPON ACTUAL CAPITAL. The following bill was reported in the Senate. The same bill has been three times reported in the same form, and yet remains dormant. No. 16. IN SENATE, January 16, 1846. [Reported by Mr. Porter, from the Committee on Finance.] An Act to amend the Revised Statutes in relation to the exemption of incorporated companies from taxation, and for other purposes. The People of the State of New-York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows: Section 1. Section nine of title four, of chapter thirteen of part one of the Revised Statutes, which authorizes the exemption of incorporated companies in certain cases from taxation, is hereby repealed. 2. All banks established under the act entitled "An act to authorize the business of Banking," passed April 18, 1838, shall be subject to taxation on the amount of capital paid in or secured to be paid, in the same manner as incorporated banks; and the proper officer or officers of such banks shall make an annual statement to the Comptroller and the assessors in the manner provided by the second section of title four, chapter thirteen, of the first part of the Revised Stat utes. 3. The provisions of the fifteenth section of the second title of the thirteenth chapter of the first part of the Revised Statutes, shall be extended to all such banks, and to all incorporated companies subject to taxation, and the affidavit in such case may be made by the president, cashier, secretary, or treasurer thereof; and such banks and incorporated companies shall be assessed on the actual value of all their real and personal estate at the time of making such assessment; and all provisions of law which are inconsistent with this act are hereby repealed. The proper officer or officers of such banks and incorporated companies shall make and deliver to the assessors an annual statement of the amount of all their real and personal estate in the manner required by section two, title four, chapter thirteen, of the first part of the Revised Statutes. |