The New York Herald Newspaper, May 7, 1858, Page 1

WHOLE NO. 7917. MORNING EDITION—FRIDAY, MAY 7, 1858. MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS. ' Important Report of the Joint Com- mittee on Acconnts. Another History of Fraud and Corruption. Wr. Flagg Condemned and the Re-organization of his Office Recommended, Frightful Corruption and Mismanagement in all the City Departments, &o., &o., ho. BOARD OF ALDERMEN. ‘Mee Board held the first meeting of the May session last @vouing—President John Clancy, in the Chair. AEPORT OF THE JOINT COMMITTER ON ACCOUNTS, The Joint Commitee an Accounts sent in the following Fepert:— ‘To me Sononanse tax Common Oouncit oF Tax Crry or New ‘Yoru— Gurtiamun—the Joint Committee on Accounts having Deen insiructed by the resolutions of February 12, 1898, to discharge and perform certain duties therein specified, fy report: That they have entered npon the mance of the work assigced them. We commenced taking a balance sheet from the Treasury jedger on the 31st of December, 1867, @ copy of which is attached, marked “exhibit No, 1” An examination of the books showed tha) since the report of une investigating commit- tee of lass year, the bookkeeper bas charged to the proper accounts the differences » hich then stood in the various stock accounts, aa shown by that report, and that the Iseues of stock, as shown by the ledger an as shown by the stock clerk, were made to agree up to January 1, ‘1067. ‘‘Exbibit No. 2’ contains a statementof tne stocks issued by the city, and outsianding on the 2lrt of Decem- Ber, 1857, a8 shown by the ledger in the Comptroller's . The total amount as shown by this ezhibit is $18,261,232 70. On comparing this amount with the smoant of stock oatstanc ing on that cate as shown by the ewok elerk, and also with the amount stated by !.s Honor the Mayer i bis inauyural meee to the Common Counci!, the sroun: appears to be $19,145,168, making @uifference ‘Detweon tne general ledger of (aoc Finance department and ‘Whe books of she stock clerk the sum of $931,935 30. This @iference has been since adjusted, and is stated here for the purpose of ebowing thai she ee and Careless maL- ‘mer of a oy books and accounts in the Fmaace De- partment, 20 loudly complained of inst year, #till con tunves. In this connection the evidence of the bookkeeper, en in b's examination defore this committee, is lait re- re Whe public for the purpose of furnishing a’ deeper in- sight into the affairs of thic department. HOW THE COMPTROLLER’S ACCOUNTS ARE KRPT. Jeveph C. Pinckney being duly sworn, deposes ani That he is general bookkeeper in tbe Corptioller’s ‘theo, tha she baianced his ledger up to the Ist of Janua ry, 1858, or shortly after that data; thet be preeumes the an of credit to the reverai alock secounts on the let of January, 1857, represents the amount of stock actually jesued dy the city of New Yirk, but cannot say from Immowleige; the stocks were entered in his ledg- er from the return of moneys deposited with me Cit Chamberlain; does not remember whether compared his stock account with the accounts of the swek clerk on the Ist of January, 1857, ‘but thinks he did not; su] all slong that the stock mecounts on bis ledger disagreed with the accounts of tne stock clerk in consequence of premiums received on stocks; that the stock accounts on his ledger were made to balance with tbe accounts of the stock clerk by charges the amount of prem ums received on the stocks; on the Wet of January, 1858, the amount of bonds outstanding, as shown by the treasury ledger, agreed with the statement ofthe rtock clerk; bonds were issued in June, July and Avgust, of which no entry was made on the treasury journal nntil Dec. 31, 1867; cannot tell for what specific parpese aj) the bonds were issued; thinks the bonds for which he ¢annot account amoant to about $20,000, that :s, is the amount of bonds issued not acvointed for to by ; the auditor, ‘of trust accounts and stock clerk did aot, prior to if December last, make sufticiently full stacoments eneral bookkeeper, when awoke and boids were accounts audited witness had no power to com- Sune s Fe = | lots, thould show the amounta due the city by pro. owners; bat seen payments charged to these whicn did not belong there, is of the opinion e of vbe accounts mentioned does not menu perty accoun! » Who can? Bipee ak : j sgt if ? z z i i i very large discrepancies (und to int in the stocks and boo ts of thi city, Ho states that the stock accounts on hin yr disagreed with scoounts of the stock clerk, if he knew this to be cnwe, why then did he not correct them? He also e astounding statement that bonds have been the city, for what purpose he cannot tell. fhie wwaly starting, and to what extent stocks or nin city have been illegally issued your exam) yet cannot ell. ce of the bookkeeper ie followed by that of tm the Finance department, who, on being » tentidied as follows: — ane ry pereon abstract papers from tne Compurober" omtoet*Anewer Yes, sir, whole bundles of them. An examination into the expenditares of the various de partments revealed the fact to your committee that pay- have been — S Se tee ae Se oe a wer bere 0 stato ‘that al] cur examinations in the Finance have fed radial change thovid be’ made where. ‘Ths cepurt ment should be at once reorganized, the division of labor i : ‘We have commenced to condense and enter into proper Books all liens on real estate unpaid at the time when the first retorae were ordered by law to be made to the clerk joemtly no (as - s bes ever been made to that officer for immense amount placed in his hands for @ollection. There of records, con- taming many thousand (tems, from which the unpaid famonate are rebected. records when compiled by ary 1, ‘1858, and will show arged to the Glerk of arrears, and held re- : 2 : ° return of this amount, with the ¥ j 3 of citizens have appeared at the office of your committee, loudly compiaining of assess. mente etill standing upon their rty of which they had never before received any knowledge, or which hare been previously paid. Your committee believe that the amooant due the treagmry for anpai! arsesementa would be redoced materially in thirty days if all unpaid aesosament: wore adverticed, and by that moans notifying the property owners. The comm ttee did sond circular notions to euch parties ee could de found of all unpatd sssemaments on the Canal and Walker streets improvement, from whish beneficial Feaaite have followed. Your eommittee believe that ir notion wae given of all geeeasments in the daily papers it would muet with the warm approval of the taxpayers. In erting up and condensing these liens, we find that many teas bave boo paid but have not been marked ofthat to the eeveral accounts and credit to imterest account ior | De amoun'y have not gone mo the treasury, and What the * sbee 2 SSSLESESESSSSSSES eghSssexiase e items are as trating e errors found to exist, but the amount thus retained by collectors can never be ascertained unless some steps be taken by the Common Qouncil to give publicity to all liens Jor aseessmenta, and to cell for payment. The factis, the system of assessing property for improvements has been so recklessly abused, that in most cases the Cog get aware that their property is agsessea until the 8 cbarges and interest amount to about as much as tho origina) asseeement. Not alone in the retention of the principal does the lation consist. We find that in the amounts of interest collected by collectors large portions are kept out of the treasury. To such an extent fas this absorption of interest been carried that tho tax levy of each year imposes upon our citizens a burden of about half a mulion dollars to supply deficiencies in interest, When this aceompting of the accounts of the collectors of esserements apd of taxes shall be concluded, the amount of cig will surprise even the already startied com- munity. UNPAID ASSESSMENTS DUE, The foliowing accounte are inwnded to show the eum total due the city of New York for unpaid assessments on the Ist of Jan 1868. Wells end pumpe’ Streets, paving. " Streets, opening 776,610 46 Fencing vacant lots, 1,902 76 Arrears of assesamenis. 1,615,287 84 Lieus on 18... e565 1/896 Sewers... 114,258 54 Central Park. « 3,118,680 31 nate seesesccesereserseseceseees es $0,064,134 62 How rouch of the above is correct can be ascertained only when we reach the conciurion of the work above ro es A very large amount will be charged to protit FRAUDS IN OPENING STREETS. The management in the matier of cpening, widening snd extension of streets, under the direction of commis tioners apd the Corporation Counsel, requires the serious sttention of the Commgn Council. The commissioners are required by law to deposit the original report, being con firmation of awards and aeseesments py the Supreme Court, in the eflice of the County Clerk, and a cersifed copy thereof deposited in the Street Commissioner’s office. An examitation of these reports ebows that the commix- sioners, in almost every instance we pene knowlesge of your acmmittee, have performed their work in so loose & manner as Lo render it difficult to tell what are the cor- rect amounts awarded and agsessed. Alterations and in- terlineations, erasures, &c., mystify and render aunost unintelligible their reports. The copy will not compare with the original, nor the abstract with ether. In the Canal street opening, Fourth avenue ing, Beokran street widenin; Bowery extension reports differ Widely, and figures written out in the body of the rejort do not agree with the figures in the margin, which are fre- quently over erasures. The following statement of the opening of Seventy-eighth street, Third to Fifth avenue, is fornisbed for the purpose of showing the profitable naturo of such jobs, and may poesidly account for the extreme desire of patriotic citizens to me commissioners for opening etreete:— OPENING OF SEVENTY-FIGHTH SIRE, THIRD 30 FIFTH AVENUE. Awards to Corporation... $5 00 Awards to unknown owners Frpenies on the above Codte—Charges ana Commissioners’ fees... . Counsel and aitorpey Clerk ire, Surveyor’s feos... Stationery and printing. Porting. woes Room and lights Cag: tage bir 2,184 00 i . MONTGOMERY, - Commissioners, JULIUS HITCHOOCK , ) Confirmed October 9, 1851. LEXINGTON AVENUE OFESING, FORTY SROOND TO SEXTY SIXTH STREET, CONFIRMED May 12, 1861. Contr med purported to +. tee oro +++ $1,009 00 The following errors are found in making up the abstract from the report, from which abstract the colleotor collects $160 50 930 SUrsses 33238333 88 3s Difference of errors in copying............... $126 00 Losses to the treasi on this work, by error of the as- sessors appoited by Court, to wit N. C. Everett, Wilham Dodge, Henry Beekman, of $1,099, A byl METHOD OF pete : An examination of the ments of award® the a tng up the account of the bowery extension rerairto as extended notice at the hands of your comimittee. Ip thin examination #0 many inaccuracies in the books were foand to exist thatthe actual state of the accounts could only be secertained by an examination of the Commissioner's report of awarde, as confirmed by the Supreme Court, of the audit- ing book, in which are entered the warrants issued in payment of the awards, of the receipt books from which are taken the receipts of the parties to aS ae were » and the memerandam i nt. ledger in the Comptrotier’s office, the character of a memorandum than }, the examiners found that the only account opened with thie improvement had been commenced in oe ledger » kept g 5 ¥ posing Go ennouns tress mis reeds a) vepartment, it was found not to ‘actual payments on awards, and 80 On these check booke are two receipts for $257 each, ono signed by Florence McCarthy, and the other signed by him 88 acting executor; bat as only one warrant in his favor and corresponding to this amount appears apon the auditing book, the presumption is in favor of a clerical error; while the fact, if this presumption re correct, of the vunretiable character of the records of thie offies, is there. by forther supported. er GRAVER RRRORS Prrore of 4 gre character than thoee referred t@, die. coveted in this examination, have claimed the serious con sideration of your committee, and will induce them to istitnte as thorough an examination of the books and Papers of the Finance department as the extensive labors already entered upon, and now being diligently prosecut ed, wil) possibly permit. The following statement, ore- Mminary to a full exposition of he errora in paymea:; of these awards, is snbmitted:— ‘The total smount of awarde, és taken from the Oom uis- siener’s report, is......-.. we Award No. 6 amounts un} De. 21 Leaving amount TY POD... + oes 608,179 00 — paid on awards, exclusive of berth except upon one payment, as iting cronwinterrapiontindlendamana 7 OVER Payments... sees seeccsercesessrsees OAA2O OF ‘Tho overpayments are on the following awarde:— $9,116 00 Award No, 78, to unknown owners, “ 19, “ “ “ 80, “ Can there is ro award, to order of E. H. Cambre- ling, attorney, purporting to be an award and interest on this improvement)... . ‘The overpay ments amount tot) «um of $4.425 62 The gverpaymesis on awards 78, 79 and 86 was by warrant No. 2,004, aa per receit daied Sept, 2, 1666, eigned by W N. Thurston, executor, amount $3,t00. Au ink live is drawn throvgh the rignature of this receipt, but not baving Deen adie to elicit any information in re- gerd to it, your committee can offer ne opinion as to the purpose for sbich,or by whom, this was done. Tue wi wae r foo ke eye as iesued for payment on these awarcs, and ho entry can be found. to indi- cate that it was ever cancelled. The warrant has not yet been found, and owing to the mode of keeping the account of “ warrants draw,” and the want of proper method in the arrangement of tbe warrants returned by the Chamberlain, a very loog examination may be neces: wary before the factean be determined whether or not this warrant is among the papers of the department. PROUABLY A FORGERY, In regard to payment by warrant No. 1,040, purporting to be payment for an award on thie imorovement, with interest, drawn to the order of E. H Cambreling, attor- ney, api receipted for in that name, amounting to $1,526 62, your committee are of the opuwion that a erces fraad bas been perpetrated, whereby the treasury bas enffered @ logs to that amount. The receipt was flied vp in the cpinion of those familiar with his writing, by Jemes B. Suoith, iste clerk ip the Comptroller's oflice, and the ing of the sigvature assimilates so nearly to the writing in the body ot the receipt as to excite the suspi cione of the examiners that the receipt and siguatare were mace PY, one and the tame person, This was copiirmed by the similar opinions of the Comp- troller’s employes, as well as by the sppearance of the endorsement on the wsrrent, which is written ina dif- ferent style from the signature in the receipt, and appa- rently in a dirguised hand. Ag there was vo award to justify the payments, the traneaction lndicates a fraudu- Je Dt purpose on bed cd ofthe person cr ing the Warrant: and in the opinion of y case requires that prompt stepe be taken w bring ihe of- tender before a legal tribunal MR FLAGG CENSURED, ‘The want of all proper method in recording the finan- cial traveactions of the city, and the absence of orcipary cbecke upon negligence or fraud, ave beev £0 apparent to your committee, at almost every ep of the various investigations they &re prokecuting, to justify the exprestion of their opinion, that the head of the Finance department is highly censuravle for having omitted to institute an intelligibie and correct mode of keeping the booke, and of causing all the accounts to De opened which are necessary to show conveniently end accurately the actual financial transactions of the city. Had @ proper account been kept of the improvement Jorming the eubject of this report, the overpayments could not bave been made in the meuner they now ap- pear, without being discoverable immediately upon the portirg of the ledger. In the absence of any such »; tem, it is bo matter for surprise that errors and frau are committed, and that the head of the ent thculd be imposed upon by those disposed to avail of the opportunitice afforded to procure payment of sums not > by the city, and of overpayment on claims of a just character. Your committee have further to report, that a partial investigation of hag ge fren wade on awards for Jam- ages, in the matter of widening Beekman atrect, reveals apparent overpayment of $3,000 on award No. 47. ‘ing to the disorder ee papers in the County Clerk's office, the report ot Commissioners on this matter could not be produced when called for, and the copy report, signed by the Commissioners, on fle in the Street department, bas deen necesserily used in the examination. By this “ copy report” it thet an award was made to Matthew Maloney for in the eur of Jour thousand and three doilars. ‘Tho payment of this award was by warrant No. 812, dated September 1, 1855, to order of M en doreed by Elizabeth Maloney, adwiniatratrix of M’ Malo ney, Ceceared, and deposited by James Kelly. It was pounes, in the Street Commissioner's office, Ostober 3 written amount of the award in the copy port is for $4,003, bot the figures in the are 6,008, and wi the Street missioner fing taken the mar reference for his guidance in paying the award, or whether ths discrepancy is a clerical error in making the copy, can only be secertained by an luspectivn of the original report. ISBIONER'S OFFICE, your committee nave to state that great pegligence and careicsspess characierive the moet of the Commissioner's reporis in utroet openings, so far as they have been examined, Ip the original reperte, ax well ae in the copies filed in the Street department, erasures and irterlineations are of very frequent occurrence. The amounts of a portion of the awards are written out different from the Sgures set down in the margins, and differences between the original apd copy, as in the Cansi and Waiker streets case, in ti- cate tbat no compariton was made to ascertain the accu. Tacy of the copy. Owing to the difficulties in the Street department ren dering accers to the books and papers for a time imprac Ueable, and inthe ex; that We very extended investigations into the affair of that department, which seem to be imperatively called for by the dis oragrod condition of the beoks and pspers, could be more ratixfactorily conducted when the department should be again in working order, we have only caused such examinations to be made a# should satisfy your hon orable body as to the manner in which the affaire of that department conducted, leaving the most of the bumerour where critical examinations of contracts, = ments, &c., &c., seem needful, fora more favora le time, The reealts of the inquiries instituted in re to the manner of performing the work in several of burcans for seven years past are such af to justify the call for an immediate change. So little attention has been paid by the beac# or clorks of the ¢ tand bureaus to the ordinances prescribing their duties and so wanting have they been in efforts to secure accuracy in the accounts, 0 negligent in keeping the books and preserving the re- corde of the department, that valuable papers, forming key to the proper understanding of contracts, can no nger be fc and books have to be posted by the ex aminers for several yeare preparatory to an understand ing of the accour would be to prove corrective of errors as well asa wholesome c! upon designed misfiguring and fraud. SURVEYORS’ OUTER, ‘The surveyors 3 produced—the cl in attendance ricg that they could not be found. So important are these as affording a cine to the bids and for comparison with the surveyors’ returns of the work turns under oath cordance with the terms of the contract, and specifying in all cases of extra work that there may be no liability to over allowances in payment. HOW THE ASHRRORS NO THEI WORK. The aseeerors, though moet liberally paid for the service required of them, seem to have been governed entirely by e re of the surveyor and Prices and allow. anees reported by the Street Commissioner, without any examination the a : H a i 2 ramen by toon on employés. The a# putations by their own . sersment liste are many of them erroneously Lay 3 clude over allowances to large amounts, and are so defi cient in the usual acgompanimente of correct business papers that they are diecreditable to the parties concern ed. The fact that over ascesements have enured to the bene Mt of the assesrors themselves and collecters a8 well fae to the contractors, has gone far towards justitying the opinion that they baye not given such attention to the performance of their duties as the property owners and public had a right to expect, They bave included their own foes in the assessment list in such a manner as to make themee!vee the recipients of the per centage to areessore on their own fees, which FRAUDULENT CONTRACTS. An illustyative of the conclusions embodied in the fore- going rémarke, your commitiee request the atiwaticn of Your bononorabie body to the facta elicited by an exami- Ration of the papers and books having roference tw the regulating and grading of Second avenue from Twenty- eighth street to 123d street, the following statement is aul — Three contracts, based on the specification of work to ba performed, were entered into by the Sereet Commis- sioner. Section A, from Twenty-eighth street to the northerly yagi ob Tie ‘third street, with Daniel Gallagher, contract ng! 1. 1861, entered on curb and guttor con- tract book B, folio 203, jetion B, from Fifty third street to Kighty-sixth street, with James Gal’agher, dated January 17, 1861, entered on atreets and roads contract book D, folio 170. Section 0, from Nincty.third street to 123d street, en- tered into with John McArthur, dated January 8, 1851, en- tered on streets and roads conuact book D, folio 164, and afterwards assigned to Jonn Pettigrew, one of the sureties In addition to the foregoing, the following supplemental contracts were entered ino by the Sirest Commis- sioner :— 1, For culvert on section 9, at Seventy fourth street, dated January 8, 1862, James Galiagher contractor, en- tered on book Of special contr P, folio 405. 2 Forbuildivg a culvert at 197th street, dated Marsh 4,1851, Jobn Pettigrew aasignee contractor, entered oa special contract book F, foo 30, 3 For building culvert at 100th street, dated January 5, 3852, Job Pett'rrew contracter, entered on buok of special contracts I, folio 483, These seypiemer ia! contracte seem to have been entered imto-without @ pubiic call for the bids by the Street Com- Missioner, and as the work coutemplated by them amounted to a large sum, the impropriety of private con tracts is obvious, even ifthe requirements of the ordi- nancee prescribing the for sto be observed in making contracts were not explic: thie point The estimate of wor! to be done on nection A is for 60,00 cubis yards of orth excavation, 16,000 cubic yards of rock excava ., and 29,000 cubic yards of earth filing, to be furnished by contractor. The eurveyor’s return on this section is for 34,808 cubic yards of earth exciwation, 40,445 cubic yards of rock excavation, and 45,047 cubic yards of earth fur- Biehed-- waking @ difference of about$is,700. Ag the bids for excevation include the filing of material excavated, without charge for the filling. the surveyors shoald have dietinguisbed the amount of fuiog with earth farnisbed from excavation made Dy the contractor, Phere is no thing in his certificate to indicate thie, or to account for the Jargo differences between the estimate And return, nor does he state whether the contractor removed the rock excavated for his own. account, furniehivg at his own cost an equal quantity ef eartb, and filling it i on the street where re- quiret. Without these statements it ie difficult to ree how the Street Commissioner or the assesa- ore could determine the amount due the contractor apd proper tw be included im the assessment list On section B the surveyor’s resurn of earth excavated does vot vary materially from the estimate, while the quantily of rock excavated exceeds the estimate by 29,130 cubie yarde, whicb, at the contract price of Sic. per cubic yard, amounts to $25,345 lv. The surveyor does bot stave whether that provision of the covtract which requires earth to be furnisbed and filled in where required on the street, equal in quantity to the rock which may be taken by the coutrac'or, was com plied with; and in view of the enormous price paid for earth Siling on eection C, this becomes a very important copsideration. The assessors coult not determiae tho amount due and proner to be included iu the asaeaement witbout tbia informalion, nor the Street Jommissioner de- terminé the amount en paid to tue contractor. Tae arseeeors’ allowance for rock exeavation, at 8734¢. per cubic yard, is 3,0. per yard more than the contract price, tbe excess amvcnting to $520 66. Tbe amount of work performed under supplementa! contract om this section amounts to $14,384 $1. ‘On section C the filling, as per surveyor’s return, ex- ceeds the estimate for earth filing vy 163,644 cubic yards, amounting at contract price of 74 ceuts per cubic yard to the eum of $12,006 66. ‘The surveyor subm.tied a statement explanatory of this difference, which was owing principaily to the ature of she pronad rendering it lunporeible to es imate the quantity of extre filling which should be rendered ne- cosrary by setthng or sinkage. Tho amount ircluded ia aswevement for work dove under supplemental contracts i on this section $20,832 83, making the whole work on the avenue, performed under uravthorized contracts, $35,267 64. In the assesment is an improper allowance of $107 15 for sounding rods. The seeessors’ fees on this improve- Ment amount to $7,770 39, which eeem= to be sufficient ee for a more careful and thorough performance their duties. A groes blunder on the part of the contrast clerk, Michael (. Hart, in writing the special contract with Joun Pet dated March 4, 1851, which seems to have been uppoticed by the Street Comm asioner, the contractor apy other person in the offles, ie referred to to ahow the carelesspers with which convracts are executed. The in thie contract wan w the following 6 manner. 9 an conte). cuble foot, all damm: |. pam yalewg, or draming, all mater: ever required to complete the sa to be ‘aid to the form req sare faction of thi ebarge of (ne work, for the following consideration for all Camm ing, pom, Pe bale pg or draining, including materi- als afd labor-—chirty centa per cuble f to the contract read. me it, or very culpably executed it, with a Knowledge of the error. the contracters been allow- ed for work according to this provision of the contrast more than a million of dollars would have been required tw eatiety the ¢ aim. ee ee he has made no payment for pomping Water, &c,. nor in compromise of the erroneous: provision of the contract, but more than $30,000 was paid in allowance for intereat to Mr. Pettigrew, which ie an in- Juetice to the taxpayers, the contractor being required by ‘the terms of the specification on which his Did was based to receive payment as the amount shoul be collected from areeraments, and doubtless mado allowance for any probable delay in the receipts of his money in the price proposed for the work, This payment was authorimd by the Common Counet!. If contracts may be eotered into without the maual notice and formalities required by law, and aeseseors may make such allowances a# they seo ft, withou! reference tothe of the contracts oF the correctness of the surveyors’ retarns it is difficult to see what protection property owners have or what other mode than a resort to expensive and troublesome litiga- ton to prevent their rea! estate from being made sudjoct to excessive and unjaat lidns The follow og table has been prepared to show the re- sults of thie investigation inetituted by the late and con. poed by the present Common Counc], together with ‘tems reported by Mr. Conover. ‘The amounts are either a loss to property owners or to the chy tressery. f4th et., fingging 64th et , 94 to Ath av Overpayment on Canal street wonld geem to be improper, #2 it is eqritalent to charging 8 per centage for ‘nek ng out their own account. bith He regulating and grading Sth io th av. 3 450h et. paving #th to Ob av... .. + 1/200 62d st , carb and gutter and flagging 2 to 34 & 1,560 40th et, paving to Mth av... eee nem §2¢ st., reg. curd and gotier and fiag Sth to fth av.. 4,700 Od av., curb and gutter and flag 6lat to 68th st 3,390 40th st, Sd to 6th av., curb and gutter, ‘Od av , legging 44th et to Slat st 46th et , paving %h to lithay.. Goth at. Oth to Lith ay., curb, gutter and flag. Siet #t , paving from Brosdwa; 0p es . S7tb and 38th ate. ating 4th to Lexington av. ath ot, 11th ov. to Meteon vers. een. oath #t , paving, fiagging and setting curb and gut ter 4th av. to Madinan av, 43 at , regulating Sd to 6th ay. m 1” ‘S8th at , paving Oth to 10th av....... sesseceee 900 40th wt. curb and and flagging Mth to llth av a] a eeeee VY tb ay., paving 42d at. to Seb cn Lag i Egsrets 2 S888 2 1 347 ‘30 ing, Sewer \n Hudson #t., Spring to Dominick #t......... Sewer in Sistet., Oh av. to Hudson river ......... 4,04. blet et., reg. grad. & carb & gut., 3d av. wo B. river 7,122 Cth av, reg. curd & gut. & flag , 49th to 64th ot... 26th «t., curb and ir, th to Oth av. 4 Sower in (4th et “6 Ronde paid to Bowery Bank, . 49th st., Oth to SHAY... Sd av., lagging, 6let to 86th at, ‘ Over isene of aeserement bonds as sworn to by bookkeeper .. Byth ot, regulating am at reang: 8d to 6H Sa ay., grading, 86th to 110th Seth et, regal id grading, 4th 52d #t., regulatis Sith et. po Etth rt , flagging, 34 to 40 Ath av., regulating, Tiat to 6th av., reg, erad., flag.,c. and ¢ Siet at | regr’,c. and g. and sidewalks, 2d to 6th av. Overpayments on Bowery extension... .. Overpayments on Brekman st. widening... Ovorissue of bonds ae stated by bookkeeper. Central Perk.. . Lrrington ay. opening... ecu ‘H0th at. reg: fag, 6. and g. Broadway to Ath av... CHARGE AGAINST TRE RECRIVER OF Tax: There appears opon the ledger a charge againet Hareoy Hart, receiver of taxon, of $91,409 88. This charge origina ted as follows: Smith Dunning, receiver of taxes, tarne:! his successor in office, Harvey Hart, three books, nea listof onpald taxes from 1889 to 1842 ipein sive, amownting to $108,582 63, Harvey Hart cellecieg eemont with Mr. Pettigrew for the Sree work Vid That ‘all the work should be laid in the form required and thown on & pian of the same, and dove in the very best wo the satisfaction of the Street Commusioner +. syor <n charge of the work, for the eum of thirty , Work and invor whaiso- ‘The contract is drawn as follows :—‘‘All the above work 'd and shown on a plan of the and done in the very best matner, and to the satia- ‘Street Commissioner and the surveyor in ons, his eght years term in office the sum oe , 041 34, which amount was duly paid Of unpaid taxes for the above named $102,491 29. Harvey Hart returned under the law, and the larger returned was for personal tax. unaccounted for Harvey $102,491 29, which would then giv account the sum of $11,081 41. See Be cearaed: WOm Wee. enicant of difference, the same being for amount of taxes collected by the Counee! to the Corporation , and passed to the cred: of Harvey Hart when he aid not receive the money. The three books referred to as containing the making up the sum of $102,401 29are ina so interiined and the case may seem to require. in conclusion, your committee recommend the adoption of the following resolution: — the accompany ing report. FRANCIS 1. A. BOOLE BENRY HOFFMIRE, JAMES OWENS, CHAS. G- CORNELL, ANDREW MULLIGAN, JAMES M. CROSS, Th ders ») Committe on Accounts, {f Board of Aldermen. Committee on Accounts, Board of Councitmen, printed in document form. ANNUAL REPORT OF THR COMPTROLLER. HERAtD,) was received and erdered to be printed, kr'S DEPARTMENT. Mayor's Orvicr, New Yous, May 6, 1858, To me Hoxonasie me Nel ‘OxxTueMEN—The cbar er Were presented with of the charter. Before the Grand Jury the penalty n vation from offite, and incapacity to elective one, under the city charter er's office is Dow organize: by the Board of A} fermen on the 19h ul Hil any office, exee) oped a ponslbility, the Corporati tute legal proceedings against tbe parties tm liceted ANIE£L F. TIMMANN, Joint Accounts. THE CITY RAILROADS. Ume to time all sucl kee) inal That the eaid compan! vileges, for which, up te the present time, they ha’ nothing. The resolution recommended that the de reterrea to the Committee on Railroads. Adopted. in good repair the for that purpore. Laid over. BOARD OF COUNCILMEN. Haswell, presiding. the Common Counci!, was received :— THE TORKES To Tine AFFAIRES, Mayor's Ovricr, May 6, 1858. To cam Hoxoravim tae Common Counctt.— je with no or. ay Ee of sstiefaction I lay before y Bonorable hody 1 no'e of the Hon. John . Bi representative of ie, enclosing the accomosnying — copy of & letter reorived by him from Puat reor ption of Bia excellency, Mebemet Packa action of the Common Council [a oflering ‘0 wrenger ject of hie mission to our resources in man ry be equally gratified with ‘mela learoing the rv xtended by the Common Connell such aa to elicit, rm east express the but by those of every section of the conduce to the perpetuity of ose rejations which now exist between the two governments NIRL F. TIEMANN. Lecation ov tae Uniten States, ? ConsTaxTixorie, April 3, Bis Hovor rae Mavor of rue Orty oF F. Tinmann, Bea Union knowletge of which ibe cy of Sublime Porte lew York haa been beg leare to Bneh courtesies fluence on the friend|; bap of comm: faction honor to be, sir, with gepect. your uvedient servant, JOUN P. BROWN, Charge d’ Affaires. REPLY OF THT MINIAIER OF FORRION AWATRS, Bvntime Ponte, Derr. of Fonrian Arvain Maren 3, 1808, bammed Pac! to The Sublime Porte has ex fretion en seeing that this the object of opie. and, in trans mitt; pea rts * anore all that you fiom of the first mission which ite. A Dew expression of my moat distinguished FUAD, Miriaster of Poreign Affairs, To Jon® P. Brows, Req., U8. Charge d’aftaires, The Printed. ‘The Board then adjourned till Monday next. City Intelligence. Pouce Taraer Excvasox.—The Eighth Ward Military Association, composed principally of members of ihe Righth ward police, under command of Capt. Turnbull, for inspection ani leave the Lafayette Hall’ as Sook Ae i) aad ve armory ly oe A” tne. Mayor bark: make their third annual At 11 o'clock, in the thence they will proceed to the city of Brooklyn. w be reviewed by Mayor Powell and Commissioner irsaahan: they will return to the Apollo Rooms, 410 where a dinner will be partaken of. Super- intendent Tallmadge has detailed @ eufficient force from the other wards to kesp the peace of the ward during the afer which Broad day. Tee Removau—A record wae kept at the several Brooklyn ferries of the number of loads of furniture which passed each way from the Ist of April to the ad of loads went to May. In all, {t wae proved that 1 Brooklyn, and 1,471 came to New Yé This was exc! fo the Wiliiameburg ferries. This shows that Brook D i furniture. Now that the first of May ae oy Bumper of dw yet to let—a cireumetance shows bow much mizing is content with occupied a whole hour summer than .hey have been this epring. TROUDER 19 TH StREeT ComMieONER’s Ovvice. —The par- Wes comprising the old Burean of Assessments in th: Street Commissioner's office do n it recognise Mr. Cooper's authority in a re | other persona in their places, and they formally dectined giving up their desks y Mr finding thaf there ‘waa likely to be teoubt sent for a policeman, and then 4 one of these who defied hie authority, how he was to re gard bim, as a gontioman or as an oflcer? aclerk, he should be compelled to armit, On Mr. Libby declaring that cial the policeman took him out of the building, other old clerts, then withdrew, they wil contest the legality of Mt Cooper's action ———— Jersey City News, Serrosen Scrcipe sy DrowsixvG.—Coroner McAnally held an inquest yesterday upon the body of a woman ving her faroiture from Colden into (ireen street, She was seen walking in Grand street about four o'clock yesterday morning, and about an hour later ber body was found in the |. In climbing over the fence to get tothe caval ber apron caught upon « vail and was torn off. A verdict im recordance with the above facts was rendered Sormens vor Utan —Vestorday morning over six han Ired_ soldiers from Governor's Island leit Jorsey City on the New York and Erie cars for Utah, via St. Iamne. Tut Stannse Arrray.—Dennis McCoy, who was stabsed on Wednesday morning in an an effray with Caries Fox, Was Apparently much beter last evening. Unless in fammation should get in the physicians have h hie recovery, inw the treasury and thereby reducing the amount ears to the sum of eae books contain- ing the items making up this amount to the Comptrolier, Dut the Comptrolier has never credited the account to Harvey Hart with the amount,om the ground that the Clerk of Arrears bad no power to collect personal tax of the amount #0 is amount of $102,491 25 tector horribly mu- tilased state, many of the leaves nearly destroyed, and erased that no account can he made from them. A list, however, ia now being prepared of pergcnai and real tax on these books, which, when com pleted, will he handed to the Comptroller and such recom. mendations made to the Common Council} as the state of Resolved, That the Counsel to the Corporation be, and hereby te, instructed to take such steps as msy be proper to recover apy sume which may have been improperly or iliegally paid from the city treasury, and referred toin bog od was received and two thousand copies or- to This document, (which was published in Tuesday's COMMUNICATION FROM THE MAYOR-=THE STREET COMMISSION DM 8 which sccompanied my eommu your donorable body of ‘he suspension of the ise ew nalely to With the seme view these charges were sent to the Grend Jury, and their attention called to ths 49° section had made tbeir pre wagnitied to me that the late Aiveet Com claim to the office, and to an ‘The Street Commission under the appotniee confirmed depart e frauds are de parties with res ingel phall be directed to insti The communication was referred the Commit.ec on Alderman Tucker offered a resolusion to the effect that by the effect of the agreementa of the various city rail. roads with the city, the Commen Council bas full and ampie power to compel #sid companies t0 furnish from necessary accommodations as the comfort and convenience of the public may require, and in addition thereto to pay a license fee for each car, and ement in and about the tacks the streets and avenues im which the rails are iaid, ies posners great and vatuabie 1-7 ject ‘A reeolution was offered, directing the Croton Aqueduct Depariment to notify all the city railroads to put in repair the pavements adjarent to te rails on which their cars run, and that an appropriation of $5,000 be apprapriated The Board met yesterday evening—the President, Mr. The following correspondence, together with tf Mayor's message, relative to the reception of Mahomed Pacha by GOVERNMENT ON THE VISIT OF MOHAMMED PACHA ITED SVATES— LETTER OF JOHN P. BROWN, CHARGE United tates governmen: at Uon- aor ial 7 the Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs, in reference to tbe this chy. The rich fr fase tos Teena evi opportu wi might factiis Whe #peet a mission ‘and focigentefly ald ‘him in wequiring rooures with & vast and ferile » and pat fon the mom liberal ai toning. You wilt ed to wards Admiral Mebemet Pacha, pot only by our own peopl baa visited, wil eace ful apd barmonious ew York, Daten have bed the honor ag yy bring to the flaiering reception pleased to offer to the agent of the Ottoman government, bis Rxcellency Mohammed the anawer ‘usd Pacha Mi cannot but have relathvas existing between the (wo nations, and Iam pleased to be (be medium nicating to you the present expression of (he aatine h they have given tothe Sublime Porte [have the Bin—I have received the private letier which you bave been 0 good aa to Write me, dated the 2int March, to inform ma of ibe mur ipa joved by ihe city of New York to Mo apeeial msainn (0 'he United Staten erienred ‘he most sincere aaue eral offiver of the navy baa heen tod & reception on the part ef the American you an expression of the eame ial government remember documents were received and ordered to be gaining at the expense of New York. Catherine jerry and Hamilton avenue ferry did Lt past i ‘on in private families, many of whom ite where formerly they ‘ho have to hire tene- ments will find them much cheaper during the coming of Mr. Libby, If a8 a gentle mas, he was very happy to see him in his office, but if ae put him out wie et was still an offi- Mr. Joveph R. Taylor, the head of the old buresu, and the it it ie understood that PRICE TWO CENTS. - THE EUROPA’S MAILS. Speech of Marshal Pelissier in London. THE BERNARD VERDICT IN FRANCE STATE OF THE FRENCH BUDGHY®F, &e., 40, ao. ‘The mails of the Europa reached this eity frem Boston last evening. Our telegraphic summary from Halifax, Published on Wednesday morning, embraced the chief points of the news. Our letter from Paris and the extracts from our London files, given below, supply some additional facts with re- gard to the position of affairs ia Furope of interest. Our Paris Correspondence, Panis, April 22, 1868. Bernard's Acquittal and Progress of the Popwlar Feeling ~ Hatred of England—Prince Napoleon's New Hotel— Reorganization of the Cent Gardes—Napoleon’s Birth- day— Improvements in Paris—Theatricals, dv. The general topic ot conversation, go where you will, is the acqnittal of Bernard. The attentat of the 14th of January gave birth to a pro- lifle progeny of contradictory seutiments, but ai! tending to a common centre—hatred of Fugiand. As twenty men endeavoring to pu!l another from off his horse will somo- times produce the anomalous effect of seating him mora firmly in his saddie, by one neutralizing the effect of the other, 80, tog, Napoleon is certainly deriving hia advan- tage from the blind hostility of parties who, from their common hatred wo what they believe a common enemy, make random blows at bimeelf, while at the same time they are glad to make his attempted assagsivation a ral- lying cry agains la perfide Albion, It ig in all men’s mouths that Frame is suffering a stato of bondage which degrades her in the eyes of the ctyil- ized world, It is everywhere said that the Bonaparte sys- tem i# and has ever been, @ system ofselfishness, and that under the cautious supremacy of the preseat rep-esents- tive of the family it is sapping tho very life and son! of all that is worthy of existence, It is not denied that any attempt fo agsaseinate under euch circumstances js but the natural consequence cf such absorption of power— that !t ie the normal rule applicable to such profound degpotism, Yet no sooner is a violent, and certainly most diabolical instance of it afforded, because the plot hae been hatched by aliens in England, than, ike a wrangling man and wife, whose domestic hearth is a tem- ple of discord from morning tli night, and who only ex- hibit eomething like concord when any interference comes from without, the French, of all parties, are up in.arms. The acquittal of Bernard—but more than a!!, the scena in court which accompanied it—seems to have deeply affected the public mind. It is ia vain to urge that this acquittal has been made principally from a betief in the minds of the jury that English law was being violently strained to suit @ purpose for which it was never enacted, and that this belief rendered it, toa certain degree, deaf to the evidence brought before it. The answor is, in your heart of bearts you hate Frenchmen, and from the bottom of our souls we repay that batred with interest; yet the epeech of Edwin James, the distinguished Fnglish counsel who defended Bernard, wherein the Emperor is mort foulty bandied, is in every one’s mouth. Frenchmen at Galignani’s are perpetually transcribing portionsof it from the columas of the London Times, aud its sentiments find an echo even amoug those who are loudest in exclaiming against the Perfidiousness of England. Will you, it ie argued, take the cries of a fow bundred idlers for the voice of a pation? Was it not only yestorday—ro to speak—that the chief magittrate of France was welcomed among us, aod was ip fact the adoration of the Koglish people? “Yes,” saida gentieman ina mixed company, who formerty fille’ the office of private secretary to M. Guizet, ‘we do receive the voice of these idlers, as you term them, a# sa illus- tration of the eentiment of Hog!and, and the proof that wo are right in doing #0 may be found iu the simost anani- mous echo of the provincial journals. There never was ap tostance of gush an outbreak in an Eoglivh court of Justice without its being the echo of public feeling. It ia your vex populi, woz Dei, and it proclaims with trumpot tovgue to the whole world that the present alliance is a of Tocspect this gentleman, whoss name I reppress, but, ‘whore reputation aa a profound thinker is well known, is not very fer , fk. AL. Bernard wii! not be mado an idolof in Regh y any respectable parties. The trate he deals in is entirely foreign to Fnglish vaste and sympathy; but the very soul of the couatry has been moved by the threats contained in the Moniteur, and not ail the waters of the Seine wil! ever efface them from Eng- lish memories, or make men believe that they were not ineerted by the Emperor's privity and cofsent. Such a manifestation in & court of justice could not have ooourred , ‘unjogs it were one of external sympatoy, glad to avail it wolf of any slight inefolency of evidence, to give the Km- peror and all France » taste of ita mind. Private lewers which I have seen from influential parties in England de~ clare their opinion that any other verdict would have almost caused an émeute in London, though they express great concern as to the interpretation which may be put upon it in France ‘The mot d’ordre to the French press has, I know, been to be very sparing of comment. Ne casus belli will bo allowed to #priag cut of this event: the party who de th Kegiand is moch wo ‘Meal capital to be lest. When an- ppeare, We shall doubtless heartmora it, ube Univers protests in the following terms againat the remarks addressed Wo it by the govertment journai—the Constitutionnel :— reproach addressed to us by the ject of the rimes. A few or aphs, in which that journal contradicts iteclf with the greatest impudence, do not affect ite line of policy, which is uot lees hostile than insulting to France and to the French government. The fimes in an ab journal | can speak when necessary, like the good folks of Dover, but it thinks and acts tike the jury- men of London. We are sorry to see the Frenc! particularly the Monifenr and the Cometizutionnel y re bait It would indeed seem a if France pertectly happy when an Png «i journal, Dut above all the 7imes, comments to prononce a few words a which are not binding, or & fow words of jua- tice wi FEELING IN PARIS. . Letus rather swallow the insult (n silence ‘than accept thie ferisive satisfaction. To change this snbject:— Prince Napoleon is about to insugurate hotel, No. 16 unique and , house of Diomece at Pompeii. terior is relieved b; ag carrying bis Triumph of Bacchus and Ceres,” Sea’ “ Minerva iseuing from the head of Jupiter,” &e. Ibere ae. are by Sebastian Cornea atrium Jeads to the library, moet tastefully fitted up im the same style—they acd the diping room, ornamented in the Pompeiian style, with fluted Wyk and airy jants and flowers, fruits, ribbands, bit is chimeras, ¢. The drawing room, situated at the extremity of tha atrium, is eplendilly painted; the adjoining bedroom ia bung with yellow velaria on & red grow Rehind the: drawing room there are a conservatory, & gymne- sium apd oriental baths, most tastefully arranged It i@ thought that Prince Ni haa at inet hit open a plan by which his name may berenjered famous. A strong desire in many quarters is evinced to imivate the example he has set of prodacing revivals of the domesti itectnre of Hercolaneum and Pompeii, and already in England more thao ove mi!- lionare has caught the infection. The famous Gardes are to be reorganieed. The regiment is to consist of (wo companies, and by one colonel, # Heutenant colonel, or cher ine uding officers, non com: officers and privates. A boly of twenty tive men ia to be attached to the corps as tlies, The corpe "4 and of the line, wi 4 RET Vice, Driva'es being bow elig Di fiicera choose to present themselves fe ¥ must, if chosen, give up their ie to be reguinied at follows:—Thas of the officer in command xed at 10.000, 8 & Colonel, 0.0008 tenant colonel, aod $.000f if et d? eecacr exch case 2,000f, addkwonal bewg abe