The New York Herald Newspaper, January 4, 1876, Page 4

4 NEW YORK HERALD, TUESDAY, JANUA —_—_ TH WIS WS Eos been better. So far as I am aware the floating debt of the city has TS ee not been increased during 1875; ob the contrary, a sub- stantial part of it outstanding at the beginning of the year has been liquid: ” The revenues for thoordinary expenses of the govern- ment are [rom two sources—First, taxation ; and second, | the general fund, | poration, not by law or otherwise appropriated, are, | when received im the city treasury, credited to what is | known as the general fund, and those revenues, to- gether with rplus revenues of the sinking fund for the payment of interest on the city debt, are by Jaw appropriated and are exclusively applied to the diminution of taxes. The amount s0 applied in 1875 amounted to $4,000,000, and at least av equal sum will be available in 1876, ‘The aggregate of the revenues of the general fund and the surplus in the interest account of the sinking fund are increasing from year to year. The amount of the tax Jevy for 1575 was $32,171,472— having been reduced by un act of the last Legislature which authorized $785,000 of the amount due 1m 1875 for the Fourth avenue improvement to be raised by issuing bonds which are to be paid out of taxation in 1876, The amount to be raised by taxation in 1876, as determined by the appropriations for the year, will be $30,904, 395—which includes the moneys to meet the | bonds just mentioned, to which a small sum may be t stract of the Mayor’s annual message | added by the Supervisors to provide for possible defi yao fehewing abetre wpe ciencies in the amount actually produced by the taxes Congratulations on the Improvement in the City Finanees, MREDUCTION IN THE TAX LEVY. | (‘He Wants the Public Work Done by Contract. THK UNION FERRY LEASES 70 BE ABROGATED, to the Common Council contains the most important | \ien collected. There is, therefore, a decrease for Temarks in that interesting document, His Honor | 1876, as compared with 1875, of over $1,260,000 in the compares the expenditures during 1874 with those of | amounts to be raised by taxation. 1875 for the purpose of showing that the floating debt | | vances of proceeds of such bonds were, during 1874, thas not beeu visibly {mereased, and thatthe tax levy | $4,583,447, and during 1875, 110, making a total Yor the ensuing year ig one and a quarter millions of | 1or the two years of $7,822 © aMOuUnt Of asses: | ment lists for complet ements transmitte b ’ timp dollars less than im 187, Reviewing the labor of the | the Department of Public Works to the Board of Assess Department of Public Works, he enters somewhat fully | ors to enable them to assess upon and collect from into the labor question and recommends that all public | the holders of the property benefited the amounts ratably due from each, were, during 1874, $ i, work be done by contract where the conditions of the and during 1875, $5,641,619, ‘the ljsis trans! All the revenues of the cor- | The expenditures for improvements made from ad- | | rates prevailing in the market and patd by individuals. This measure, instituted in concert with another (and as it was at the time su) with all) of the several departments which employ laborers, has been the occasion for expressions of disapproval by some who | honestly consider it mistake; it has also been the theme of declamations by others who have had ends of their own to serve by fomenting discontent among the laboring classes. T am at a loss to perceive how the Commissioner could have done otherwise than as he did under, the cir- nong other considera- ic Improvements upon been employed are by assessments btu the to be ° immediately bene- of that property, already ed by the heavy burden of taxation and of the et that the pul ich the laborers have ultimately paid for property supposed fited—the owners pr general stagnation in’ business, having had no voice in | determining that the improvement should be com- menced, no option to prosecute the works at their own | expense and by methods which, as employed by pri- | vate persons, may nearly always be expected to secure results cheaper, if not better than those which attend | upon public undertakings of that kind, The laborers employed should be enabled, by arrangements for keop- | ing them more continuously at work while their names remain on the pay roll, to make, at proper rates per day, larger aggregate average earnings, week in and week out, than they have heretofore been able to se- cure with the interruptions to work which now occur, But, for public officers to take without compensation the private property of unconsenting citizens and dis- tribute it to public‘ employés—and that 1s just what has been asked to be done for those in the pay of this department in claiming for them wages much above the market rates—is a method of plundering not likely | to be long toleratea by any irce people. The reports of the department show that the works of public improvement heretofore prosecuted by day’s wages are now nearly or quite completed, and that it is now possible to conduct all the remaining works by contract. I recommend that all public works be done by contract, wh rehable proposa by responsible contractors. FIRE) DEPARTMENT. op- | the conditions are such as to secure | | } | i } | | | work are such as to secure reliable proposals from re- | each year including an amount expended in the y Upon my accession to the Mayoralty 1 roeeliag sala nsib ‘ i tions in re Previous. ‘The amount of the assessment lists my predecessor a report from the Commissioners of | error he Sxplsias his actions in relation | Welded dusingcsha. IANe, two iyaares enue Accounts, just made to him and disclosing facts upon ‘to the Fire and Police Commissions, the Departments | gmount of moneys expended (and tor x ses which were based charges affecting the integrity of the of Parks and Docks, touches on rapid transit, and lets | ment bonds were issued) during th two years by | Fire Sormmlesione’ ie acy paied Fa Papper as of iflooa a1 ch ferry _ | $4,066,779, and, if the assessments hysl been promptly | contracts for supplies to the department, xome Perey we-mananr in which ferry compaping | © d from the property Ethsre raonlitow | of the selections them made of subordinate employés ‘Scoumulate receipts :— be a reduction of the tempo! bontiéd indebtedn in and about headquarter Exxovrive Derantaext, Mavor’s Orricr, } of the eity in that amount. e fact is that ud of Alter a thorough investigation, which resulted in New York, Jan, 3, 1876. '§ wreduction th ‘as been an actual increase of hat | further proofs to sustain the allegations; after com- | {To ram Hononranre tax Comox Councit:— | purt of the debt, as shown by the above schedule, munications to me voluntarily made by one of the { Gawrreuxx—In prescribing the duties of tho Mayor SINKING FUND Commissioners, who corroborated the information thus ithe city charter requires him not only to recommend to There ig a general misapprehension with regard to | gathered, and after a formal hearing accorded to them | he Common Council, from time to time, all such meas- | the sinking fuud, which seems to be popularly sup- | Upon the charges, on the 3d of February I transmitted ros ashe may deem expedient, but also to.communi- | posed to be d for the principal of the whole , to the Governor a certificate removing all of the Com- ‘eate to you, ai least once a year, ‘a general statement ount of the indebtedness of the city, Were thatthe | missiovers from ottice. A few days afterward I for- sof the finances, government and improvements of the | ¢ the fund should, of course, be kept intact to secure | Warded to him various papers showing the several steps that the sinking fund, which now amounts to $27,002,544, is pledged only for certaim prescribed bonds and stocks, amounting In the aggregate to $21,042,663, | Maturing during and atter 1876, stocks and Croton bonds of several classes for, in the ag. gregate, $10,952,492, are payable, principal and inter- sy” in compliance with that requirement this general statement is mado; and, conforming to custom, it is forwarded for your information at the beginning of the Rew year. The term of an Alderman 1s now but ono Year and begins on the first Monday of January. This communication is addressed, theretcre, to a new Board. Bat, fortunately for the city, and asa guarantee that | est, from the sinking fund, and the principal, but not the duties imposed upon you will be discharged with | the interest, of Central Park stocks of several classes romptness and intelligence and with a proper regard | for, in the aggregate, $10,090,171, is payable also from For the interests involved, many of the members of the | that fund. ‘The intefost account’ payable is now at the Present Board of Aldermen have already served with | rate of about $600,000 per annum; and as the principal credit in the places to which a discerning constituency | of the stocks and bonds on which that interest accrues has but recently re-elected them, and have a certain | matures and is redeemed the annuar amount of interest familiarity with’ the subjects to Which reference must | payable is, of course, smaller and stmaller, now be made, The repor tailed statements, each of the condition and operations | ofthe department from which it issues. They will all reach you in ashort time, and afford tull information concerning each of the matters to which can be given here but a brief discussion. The first communication forwarded by me to the | used to reduce taxes. ‘Common Council in January last ended with the assur. ance that 1 should endeayor so to perform the respon- le duties then bat just assumed that, under my ministration as Chief Magistrate, improvement in the t th | interest payable ty it, The annual excess of the interest | account is atthe end of each year transferred to the general fund (by authority of an act of 1862), and then But the principal of the sinking mount of interest earned by the investinents of the which yield an aggregate revenue every year larger and larger, has been steadily increasing.” It has grown nearly $10,000,000 since the eud of 1870, notwithstand- affairs of the city might be secured, lam happy to be | standing all annual reductions to pay off maturing able to show now that, notwithsianding the ditliculties bonds and stocks, for the redemption of which it is under which the local government bas been carried on | pledged. At the end of 1872 the funded debt, payable | during the past year, ‘Go conahe samen are, inmany | from the sinking fund, was about equal Tespects, and, so far as the Mayor could shape | to the amount of the fund _ itself; them, such as should gratify all good citi- | but since then that debt has been redeemed zeus. To that extent the baleful influences as it has matured; and the surplus to the credit of the which controlled the administration of public affairs | redemption account 1s now nearly $7,000,000 over and @uring and for some time » been dis- above the amount of obligations it has to meet, What shail be done with that surplus is a question demanding prompt attention. So long as it remains it is investea in obligations of the city, upon which nearly $500,000 accrue as interest to be raised every year by taxation, regarded; the government has been cond business ‘principles; extravagance, demors corruption have been checked; the standard of qualifi- cation for public office has been made higher, and pub- hie officers have been found who perform their func- | which 1s paid back to the taxpayer by the roundabout tions with the fidelity due to public trusts. While the | process of transfer to the geueral fund used to reduce scandals of frauds and peculations committed else- | the taxes of the next year, where by public functionaries are still of shamefully MUNICIPAL EXPENDITURES, frequent occurrence, nobody charges that such things | The appropriations for 1875 wore $36,956,472, and the continue here; and it is thought that nothing ts haz- | whole of that amount has been or will be spent to meet arded in saying that during the last year the govern- | obligations of that year, ment of this city, affecting as itdoes the interests of | The appropriations for the year 1876, as finally deter- | the whole country, and carried on with an expenditure | mined by the Board of Estimate and’ Apportionment, amount only to $34,904,895—showing a decrease, as compared with last year, of $2,052,076, It seems proper to call your attention to the enor- mous amount of money expendid for the Judiciary. A | number of citizens have from time to time remon- strated with me on the subject, erroneously supposing that the city government has an undisputed power to cut down those sums. The tact Is that all the judges, including those of the police and district court of millions of money, has been administered with honesty throughout, ‘und generally with economy and eflicienc, In May last the Governor, in a special message, called the attention of the Legislature to the evils arising from our present unstable municipal systems, and to the ex- isting necessity of adopting a permanent and uniform lan for the government of the cities of the State. here was thereupon adopted a concurrent resolution, which originated in the Senate, and which authorized | held to be State offices, and not only are their 6 the Governor to appoint a commission to consider the | prescribed by acts of the Legislature, but they have or subject, to devise a plan and to report to the Legisla- | claim the power to select and continue in office all the ture which meets to-morrow, A comrnission has been | various court oflicers and attendants at salaries also Appointed accordingly, of twelve eminent citizens | prescribed by the Legislature, It 1s imsisted that the chosen from various parts of the State and without dis- | city government has no authority whatever with regard | ‘Some of them have had | to them. The Board of Estimate and Appointment sent, however, to all of the judges, during the summer @ud autumn, circulars calling their attention to the tinction as to political party. actual experience of the difficulties and defects ot ad- | ministration in New York and Brooklyn, under the | various charters vouchsaied to us {from tume to time | subject and appealing to them to co-operate in efforts during this generation, to reduce expenses. In compliance with those re- It is understood that they will confine themselves to | quests the Superior Court and the Court of Common considerations, first, of a general schenie to socuro | Pleas made substantial reductions in their estimates Tesponsibility in administration im the local govern. | for clerks and attendants—which, added to amounts ment of each of the many cities of the State; and, deducted by the Board in cases in which it seems to second, of a measure of general application for regu: | be authorized to do so, make the appropriations for the Jating ‘the amount and character of municipal debt | Judiciary for 1876 $46,480 less than 1875—independent which may be incurred in any city. of the amounts in which certain salaries of judges and Whilst, in the present state of knowledge of the | others were reduced by the Legislature, by chapter subject, ‘the wisest and best informed may doubt the | 480, Laws of 1875. sufficiency of any particular scheme to secure the ob- ject to be aimed at in the second inquiry. and which 48 receiving the careful study now of economists every where—the difficulties presented by the first inquiry have been recently, frequently and exhaustively inve tigated, and the solution has been stated with au una- nimity almost unexampled. One of the most vigorous of the writers upon the subject has summarized the results of the discussion in | an article, published in 1570 ina leading daily news- | paper with rogard to the charter of that year, in these | ‘words :—"The principles on which any constitution of | government for a free people must be founded are tew, imple and weil ascertained, They have been fully dis- ‘oussed and accurately laid down by eminent publicists, ‘and may be considered ns well settied. oem them ‘is this:—That there shall be a single executive head to enforce the laws, appointing and removing all bis im- | modiate subordinates, the heads of departments, who, | 4n turn, are to select and remove, and be responsible to | their chief for thoir agents and subordinates.” | It. may be remarked that in addition to the control exercised over a local executive by the observation of intelligent citizens to whom he is responsible and by the criticisms of an enlightened public pre guard is already established against an improper exe Cise of such power—were it given him—by the pro- Vision of the existing general law, which subjects the Mayor himself to removal by the Governor for conduct which is arbitrary, capricious or otherwise obnoxious | to the public juterests or to the rights of individuals. FINANCES, During the year 1875 there has been a decided im- provement in the dmances of the city as compared with ‘1874. LAW DRPARTMENT. As an illustration of the improvements in the bureaus of thts department it may be mentioned that the sums paid over by the present Corporation Attorney, be- tween September 1 (the date of his appomtment) and December 31, collected as costs and penalties tn pro- ceedings for violations of ordinances, &c , amount to $4,477, whereas the sum paid over by’ his predecessor, during the time between January 1 aud September 1, was only $2,089. The appropriations for the Law Department for 1876 (including the Bureau of the Corporation Attorney and the Bureau of the Public Administrator) amount to $161,000, being $31,850 less than for the year 1875, DEPARTMENT OP TAXES. As the Departrnent of Taxes and Assessments is at present orgavizod, the functions imposed upon it are performed with fidelity to public duty and a proper re- gard to the rights of individual citizens, The appropriation for expenses of the office during 1875 amounted to $129,800; the sum allowed for 1876 is ,000—a reduction of $9,800, STATE TAXATION. ed equalization of State taxes continues to of injustice and loss to this city. At tne | request of the Common Council a commission, consist- ing of Tax Commissioner George H. Andrews, Wilson G. Hunt and Isaac Sherman, was appointed by me in August to present to the State Board of Equalization our claim for justice. The duty was promptly and thoroughly performed. The assessed value of the real estate fn this city for 1874, which was the subject of the action of that Board | in 1875, Was $581,547,905. Notwesistanding the repre- : " ., | Septations made (othe Board that this assessment bore am informed by the Comptroller that during 1874 | 9 larger proportion to a full value than the average as. there were issued siocks and bonds amounting $0 sessments in the State, there was imposed upon us an $48,902,265, aud that those falling due and ps off in | additional jvaluation of $51,602,404 for the professed the'saino time amounted to but $39,231,121, leaving, | purpose of raising. the assessment of this city to the January 1, 1875, an addition of $9, 181 to the aggro- yeneral average. The effect of that act, which had no gate debt. but, while in 1875, there were issued stocks | jhetter justification than the mere power to enforce it, is and bonds amounting to $45,806,539, those iis due | toimpose upon the city of New York more than fifty por tre mag Cho th ag amounted ty ani ot | cent of the whole State tax, or over $1,000,000 in ex- i. January 1, 1376, an apparen' of oe yy to the debt. 3 he figures for the year are as follows :— cess of the requirements of an equitable apportionment. It is but just to say that this action was opposed by a minority of the State Board The majority, however, Issued. Paid off. impervious to argument, acted upon the principle, Stocks and Bonds payable from é probably, that a iblilion thors or ‘Vase eoula wake Het » cee panne oe . Leese $2,133,900 | difference to a city already #0 beavit burdened and to- ce pllctaoe lyon 8,999,346 1,198,100 ly without representation in that Board. Bonds payable from e100 | sally esvanieiten |e ments. <6 + _8,839,100 7,868,500 | This department has control of (among other things) Beveaue Bonds . + 28,822,408 — 21'800,768 | public buildings, public sewers and works of drainage, oon hen ban and of all structures and property connected with the $35,806,599 $38,088,266 supply and distribution of Croton water, The reve- The Comptroller informs me that the indebtedness of the city outstanding January 1, 1876, and repre. sented by stocks or bonds, is as followa:— led Debt. Payable from the sinking fund... Payable from taxation........ ues received by the city from the use of Croton water are about $1,260,000, or $1 28 from each inhabitant, [sel apnom. During 1875 the department, among other | works of public improvement, constructed 12.67 miles + $21,042,663 | of sewers, culverts and drains, with 129 receiving 98,014,240 | basins. ———— | _ The appropriations for the department for 1875 were $119,056,903 | $1,682,000; Tor the current year they are $1,434,000, 27,002,544 the reduction being much Ixrger than it appears, be- | cause im the appropriation for 1876 is included an alnount necessary for rebuilding and repairing sewers | during the year, for which purpose moneys were here- | tofore provided, not out of taxation but by issuing bonds. The act which authorized such bonds was re- | pealed by the last Legislature, In the city government this department has been the chief employer of Inbor, though prosecuting many rises through contractors. All works carried on, whether by coutractors ‘or by laborors receiving | wages by the day directly trom the city, are subject to tuspection #8 they progress, During the last year in- spection by the department has been more thorough Lees actual amount in the sinking fand.... Ss oe EE Ding ese e+. TUE bevvekd $91,154,359 Temporary Debt. - hoa from assessments, and as security which the city bas the Grst len, at twelve per cent per annum, upon real estate benefited by the improvements, to pay for which the assessments are ue Lionas. Assued during 1875 to raise moneys to mect ® priatfons for the year, anueipating fe ie for 1875, from which those bonds are payable, and which are now and exacting than ever before, though there is still being paid from day to day........... oe 4,142,927 | much room for improvement. The work done in ————— | 1875, whether by contractors or by day’s wages, has Total faW eas -$116,619,486 | been of better quality than in 1874; and that the new The of those classes of the debt, a8 admipistration has been more economical than its pre- aggregate stated by the Com; on the Sist of December, | decessor was is made evident by an examination of the 1874, was $115,187,980. There 1s, therefore, un ap- | tables of prices paid. parent increase during the last year of $1,431,506. When the spring opened and work upon the uptown ~ But the actual amount of the real indebtedness of the | improvements was resumed a reduction of wages was city (the ry ap bea from the sinking fund or from made from the rates which had been paid by the de. less daxation, Actual amount inthe sinking funa) partment since the spring of 1872 Within that time has been dimtnighed. On the dist December, 1874, it the salaries of all officers and employés of the city gov- nas gon.oun 705 on the Sis; of December, 187 ernment bad been reduced—many of them fifty per ‘snow by the above schedule, it was only $91,154,309, cent, others more; measures, since successful, had on decrease of $471,420. been instituted for reduction of the salaries of all the ‘The apparent increase consists of bonds issued payable | officers in the city whose cases from assessments and of revenue bonds issued to raise moneys for current expenses, in anticipation of taxes Judicial and county could be shrinkage of values, as we passed from the era of the coming in @ . Those bonds are all | Inflation and extravagance which had characterized and ae onan Spd or Pe off in & abort time. . | bad ‘ollowed the war, the market rates of wages fora the credit of the city has improved is shown | day of ten hours’ work had fallen some thirty-five or chy the facts while most of the bonds (other than | forty per cent lower than the rates then still paid by during 1874 bear seven per cent | the city for the statutory day of eight hours upon pab- (other than revenue bonds) issued lic works. bear interest not excecding six per cent, Under such circumstances, the Commissioner simply Bl ins prrsse rentises were about the same, The did bis duty as a public oMcer charged with the monoys raised on revel bonds are short loans, | disbursement of public funds, and reduced the wages vhiok were effected during 1876 on better terms than , paid by (he department to an auproximation to the redemption of the debtas it matures, « But the fact is | Of that amount water | The sinking fund itself is now largely in excess of the | of the several departments make de- | amount of the securities for which it is pledged, and | und is annually more tnan $1,000,000 in excess of | fund, swollen by receipts from many diflerent sources | reached by legisiation; and, in the general | in the proceedings, but lam not advised that he has taken final action upon the case. On the Ist of May the terms of one of the Commissioners expired, and Vincent C. King was appointed, Notwithstanding the diseredit necessarily attaching to headquarters because of the removals made but | which have not yet taken effect, the officers and men of the various fire companies have admirably performed their duties, and, by thoroughness of diseiphne and great efficiency as'an organizauion, they fully maintain the reputation of the service as ‘perhaps the best fire department in the country. ‘The appropriations for 1875 were $1,316,000; for 1876 a reduction of $67,914 has been made, without aflectng | the amount of salaries of the force, POLICK DEPARTMENT. For more than a year past there bas been a general want of confidence in the management of the police— uttered not only by individual citizens, but by the unanimous voice of the press. From assurances made to me by several of the Police | Commussioners during the early months of my adminis- tration I was led to hope that this would be corrected by reforms expected to be prosecuted after the Ist of May, when a vacancy occurred in the Board, to which General William F. Smith was appointed—selected for tho place in order that, by his experience as a soldier | and his ability as an administrative officer, he might compel & more thorough discipline in the force and a better scheme for responsibility among the captai and inspectors. He promptly instituted proper meas- ures to secure those results, but the co-operation of two of the Commissioners, necessary to success in en- forcing the reforms, was withheld, and finally, in Sep- tember, the department was formally presented by the Grand Jury for inetliciency and demoralization. Charges against the Board were thereupon made, and each of the Commissioners was given an opportunity vo be heard why he should not be removed from office. General Smith and Mr, Voorhis, admitting the deplor- able condition of affairs and their inability to correct them without co-operation in a board which consists of | four members, immediately tendered their resignations. | The others attempted a defence which was entirely in- adequate, and they would have been at once removed | but for the fact that the general election was at hand and fears were entertained that changes made then might be an occasion for misrepresentution that it was intended to interfere with so much of the machinery of the elections as is by law under the control of the Police | Department. On the 4th day of November, however, my certificate was forwarded to the Governor, retov: ing Messrs. Matsell and Disbecker from office—and | ou the sist of December ne approved of the removals. As siated by me in my first message to the Common Council and repeatedly since— | with the concurrence of the press and the leaders of both political parties and with the approval of the com- munity at large—I am in favor of a pon-partisan Polico Board in the fullest sense of that term. The potice system should not be managed ander party influence or for political purposes. The new year has been auspicicusly inaygurated by the reorganization of the Board, of which General Smith is now President and Messrs. John R. Voorhis, De Witt Clinton Wheeler and Joel P. Erhardt are associate mem- bors. From the high character and recognized capacity of those gentlemen it may be expected that the city will now enjoy the benefits to be conferred by a Police De- partment which is efficient in every respect and deserves the confidence of all good citizens. 1e appropriations for 1876 were $4,187,325; for 1876 they are $4,089,475—a reduction of $97,550. CHARITIES AND CORRECTION, The Department of Charities and Correction {3 charged with the control of all the city prisons, hospi- | tals, reformatories and charitable institutions; 1t also affords relief, tn the shape of food, &c., and of medical | attendance to a large number of outdoor poor, Under | the present Board the department is conducted with many reforms of the administration of its predecessor, The average number of inmates of the several institu- | tions for the year 1875 was over 10,000, classified as follows :— Prisoners— | In the Penitentiary. + 947 | In the City Prisons. 61 | In the Workhouse. 1,991 | Total. + 3,499 Paupers. + 1,835 Lunatics... + 2,060 Hospital + 1,057 Children & + 1,519 The expenditures for 1875, as compared with 1874, show a considerable decrease in the item of salaries, but an increase in the amounts spent for supplies an repairs. The Commissioners have greatly improved the Kinds and added to the quantities of the rations furnished to the sick and insanc; and have complied | with the wishes of a large and respectable class of the | citizens by affordin physicians the use ofa on Ward's island, in which to practise their own methods of treatment "The recent faw which provides for placing all healthy chilaren heretofore in the public nurseries, asylums and reiormatory schools, betweon the ages of Uiree and sixteen years, in familios or in- stitutions not withm the jurisdiction of the depart- ment, has been carried into effect, The object of this statute was evidently to remove one of the agencies for the promotion of pauperism. It is too goon to pre- to the faculty of homeopathic hospital, otherwise unoccupied, | diet the results which may come of this innovation; | but if it shail promote the desired end of insuring places for these waits where they will have a chance to | become useful and to learn to acquire an independence, | it will prove beneficial, | tuted uuder the present administration is the Trainin, | School for Nurses, which, in August last, was open | at Charity Hospital, Blackwell's Island. The requisites | for admission are that the applicants shall be women, | | recommended by clergymen and physicians, and ip | good health. The inducement offered ts a thorough education in practical and theoretical nursing by means of instruction at the bedside, and by lectures delivered by members of the medical staff of the hospital. Of the numerous applicants forty-six have | been accepted, of whom four have left and forty-two | Femain—ail of them intelligent and respectable young women, | The Commissioners reiterate their urgent representa- | tigns that the City Prison, known as the ‘Tombs,’ is néw inadequate for the number of prisoners, and unit for the uses for which it is required. | The appropriations for 1875 were $1,183,000; for 1876 | they are $1,122,000—a reduction of $61,000, } HXALTH DEPARTMENT. | AS at present organized the Board of Health consists of the Health Oiticer of the Port, of the President of the Board of Police,who ts thus enabled to bring intelli- gently the co-operation of the Police Department, and of two Health Commissioners, one medical, the other not medical, Dut an expert in sanitary chemistry. Like ) every well regulated machine, tt has worked quietly but efficiently during the past year, Perhaps the most noticeable improvement recently instituted vy | been the Smallpox Hospital (Riverside) and the Vac- | elnation Bureau. Over 115,000 persons have been vac Perhaps the most notable of the improvements insti- | between the ages of twenty and thirty-tive years, | it has | | for frequent special trains, which | cinated by this corps since it was organized in October, | 1874, nearly ali of the work having been done during | 1876; and vaccine virus sufficient for 15,000 persuns | more has been furnished to public institutions gratui- | tously. A change for the better has been made in the treatinent of smallpox patients, and the Board earnestly represents that there should be an act of the Legislature requiring all persons to be vaccinated, The appropriations for this department for 1875 amounted to $222,000, for 1876 they are $220,000—a re- duction of $2,000, PARK DEPARTMENT. In the Park Department the expenditures for main- tenance tn 1876 have been about five per cent less than in 1874, and greater results bave beon produced for the money. The change in the superintendent and in the | command of the police force has produced greater ef- | ficiency, Most of the architectural structures and of | the bridges in the Central Park have been put in com- plete repair. The paths and walks there are also in good order. The unfinished works of new walks, roads and bridges have been substantially completed. What Temains of this work can be finished im the early } | the Central Park will be in a completed cond rt he Bates, re gchy of the erclosing walls ae northern end and the interior slo; ry 108e unfinished walls. re ae red for The plans which have been heretofore pi Twenty- the elevated portions of the Twenty-third an | fourth wards have been held under consideration, aud measures have been taken fora new plan to replace | them, The obiections suggested to the old plans—ex- | | ance was of 117,281 scholars in 1874, and 119,853 in 1! RY 4, 187 cessive cost and inadequate design—will be met by the thorough a ven to ae Feo ao. secure results satisfactory to owners beneficial to the city atlarge. It Bimportant that the ap be completa ‘during the year 1876, and this may expect e x The two bridges over the Harlem River are con- stantly out of repair—that at the Third avenue because of excessive weight, and the Central Bridge (Macomb’s Dam) because of age and weakness of structure. The interruption to travel on either of them is an incon- venience to many people. The Central Bridg ought to be rebuilt; and, as the is postponed, the mses of keeping it in repair are necessarily heavy. The Third Avenue Bridge needs a steam engine to work the draw with rapidity, to obviate the detentions now so embarrassing to those who must use it. The department has made reparations for two more bri suspension bridge alfa mile northof the High Bridge, and a bridge at Madison avenue; but the requisitions for money to proceed with them have not been met by the Board of Estimate and Apportionment. ‘The Museum ot Natural History kas been enclosed for ayear, and of the Musoum of Ari the external walls and the roof frame have been erected. No progress has been made with the Museum of Natural History during the past season because of delay in preparing the plans. Both are now in a condition in which the work can go ey forward, Much progress has been made toward completing the fountains and other unfinished details, in the other city parks. It is important to complet ‘ompkins square; and operations there have been commenced. The walks in the City Hall Park should be relaid, These works can be finished early in the spring. The appropriations for 1875 amounted to $584,000; for 1876, they are $495,000—a reduction of $89,000. DRPARTMENT OF PUBLIC BUILDINGS. All the officers of thie department are practical archi- tects, house carpenters or masons. They are required to see that the provisions of law are enforced, with re- gard to the manner of construction or the materials to be used in the erection, alteration or repair of any building in the city—to secure strength and durability, protection for property against fire and safety for per- sons in case of fire. As the department is at present constituted, the duties are performed more thoroughly than heretofore, H The following statistics will prove of interest at this time: | | | dddcaas PSos“sEssozs BEERes¢ £44458524486 BEBBSS¢ BSisez ES 22 5 Es seoo83? BEERS SEREaaaD s ae Bases$ebesaso eeecsss geEesSeese33 EEEERSE FSRSECERESE ESSEG Se SSSSz5SSS8S9 Ssesssgsttess gages BEGG SSS S8oseeSloeseSa wEcuees BaSSseseSassase PRESSE ssseg ks ssGbess as SSRcER Seeaesesizeecn BEeons: &: SASS erases P ress Bogar: Si; 8: Sages: S83em g25° & <3 a 32232 & 3 ; 3 a BERR: as 32: 8: Be Be: Bi 3: gif 3: g g g fa fa cL $8e'T F938 “wST 110 £ $s st ‘es “¢90'ST$ Pe ee pe mr a1 2 Cae ag ar ar me od fer soe wor ot SaSeES SSSR eee kbSsee88e The appropriations for 1875 were $95,000; for 1876 th 75,000, a reduction of $20,000, DOCKS. The Board governing the Dock Department has, since May last, been reorganized and is now in a condition of efficiency. Many important works of construction or of repair are in progress, and some have been completed in 1875, Eoyaralrcnontho-nge: (ie caine Engineer-in-Chief re- ported, as the result of a prelimimary examination made by him, that the condition of the bulkhead wall then in process of construction on the North River front at King and Canal streets, was such as to excite grave apprehension. The work there and elsewhere on that front was, therefore, suspended to await the report of a commission of eminent civil engineers appointed to ascertain the precise facts, and to advise with regard to it and to the plans of con- struction to be hereafter pursued in braided bulk- head wall, They have conducted careful invébtigations, but have made as yet only a preliminary report, which justifies solicitude'in respect to the work under Investi- gation, of which the original cost, however, was only about $100,000. Notwithstanding the present dulness of trade it {s not now possible to provide adequate accommodations for the traflc which sceks an entrance to or outlet from “GL8T cL the city by shipping, steamers, railroads and river | craft on the North River front and within the limits of the region in which such business is done. Improve- ments there will be judiciously prosecuted, and the constraction of terminal facilities for moving the freights of commerce should be provided or encouraged | as rapidly as possible to reduce the extraordinary ac- cumulation of charges now made at this port for hand- ling freights. The amounts collected by the department from rents of wharf property are paid over to the City Cham- berlain and placed to the credit of the sinking fund. Those amounts are steadily increasing—in 1865 they were but $272,415; in 1876 they were considerably in excess of $000,000, and larger than ever before. The difference between the revenue derived from those sources in 1870 and that received in 1875 is now a sum about seventy per cent of the annual interest on the whole amount expended by the department during that time in improving the waterfront. In 1875 the Board leased, by public sale and otherwise, on the East River, twenty piers, twenty-one half piers and fifteen bulkheads, and on ‘the North River, thirty piers, two half piers and nine bulkheads. The rents tor which those leases were made are believed to be the fall value of the use of the premises. Since May last, the Board has made a larger reduction in the sala $30,201 per annum—Lut previous to May last, was at the rate of $55,300 per annum—a decrease of nearly 46 per cent. ‘And, while the amounted expended by the depart- ment during 1874 was (in round numbers) $1,700,000, the expenditures during 1875 have been ouly about $700,000, ‘Those and all other expenses of the department are | payable, under the present law, not out of taxation, but from the proceeds of bonds which must be issued by the Commissioners of the Sinking Fund, upon the requisi- tion of the Board governing the department. ‘That sys- tem ig altogether wrong and, though not likely to bé abused at present, should be changed. It may be stated here that, for some years, the Union Ferry Company has had the use of valuable franchises and dock property belonging to the city, at a powinal rental of $1. per year. I recently caused a resolution to be prepared, which was adopted by the Commis- sioners of the Sinking Fund, requesting the Counsel to | the Coreen a8 for an opinion as to the legality of that — lease. 18 opinion indicates that the lease is illegal. ‘he Commissioners of the Sinking Fund hi there- fore directed proceedings to be taken to have it an- pulled, and a proper return for the property may be se- cured for the city treasury. The revenue derived trom that source, prior to the present lease, was over $100,000 per year, and, with the increase of travel by an increased ror) the franchise and property should now yield the city'an income larger than that was. BOARD OF EDUCATION, The number of teachers in 1875 was 3,257, The whole numbor of scholars taught in 1874 was 251,532; in 1875 it was 263,804. The actual average daily attend- ‘There is class room for 151,814 scholars, Those figures include the Normal College and Training School and the Saturday sessions for teachers, which, in 1875, were at- tended by more students than ever before, and were ad- mirably maintained at a cost of about $85,000. The whole amount of the expenses of the Board of Fducation in 1875, was, $3,540,012; the appropriations for 1876 are $3,689,500, this being the only respect in which the amounts allowed for the cufrent year exceed the sums expended in 1875, RAPID TRANSIT. At least one line of elevated steam raiiways {s to be constructed as soon as possible, making the circuit of the city, upon a route convenient of access, and com- letion of the sections most urgently needed is prgm- fred during the current yeat. . Provisiad bas been made to be run during the hours of the morning and evening when the labor- ing classes are ons, to or from work, at half the low rates of fares allowed to be charged on the othor trains; and it is boped that those whe depend upon daily labor here may thus be enabled to place their families {n salubrious homes near tho city, away {rom crowded tenement houses, but within convenient reach of the workshops and other places of business to which they must go. The burden of taxation is expected to be lightened by Tapid transit—by spptertating property now nearly or quite unavailable for use by those who have daily occu- pations in the city, and thus distributing more equally throughout the aréa to be covered by the population which affords our taxable fund—and by attracting within the city pumbers who now add wealth to neig! boring lovalities only because such places have hereto- fore been more accessible than the upper end of Man- hattan Island or the new districts of New York, It is to be considered also that the construction of a railway of the kind prescribed by the Commissioners, Fig Street, will depreciate only temporarily, it at all, the adjoining property, and will ultimately enhance alae, The owners of premises upon any of the months of the ensuing spring, so that then the area of | routes selected should regard that result and their a. | share of the benefit to the city at large as satisfaction for what they m: present feel disposed to consider a local disadvantage. CONCLUSION. The centennial year upon which we have just entered is to be celebrated in the city where the independence of these United States was declared and their umon under the present constitution of government ostab- lished, by an Bxposition collecting the best product 6.—TRIPLE SHEET. account—which is now at the rate of | ‘and of toreign It is not within the powers conferred upon us to ap- pA ret ec ee eee tae wi patriotic sympathy, peo Shceld coment among all our feliow citizens, in their private and indiv: ties, an effective aid and co-o} we t it is within our power to mark and to ccleyrate of the arts, the sciences and the industries of our own liberties and government, at home also, b; ag we may within the prescribed sphere of our official duties as the ntatives and servants of the people in this metropolitan municipality, that government of the people by the people for the people, which so many years ago was iaunched in the full tide of successiul experiment. We have not to deal with foreign wars or civil strife. Our affairs come even closer to men’s busi- ness and homes. But here, as much as upon any broader field, it behooves us to be faith- ful to our trusts—to be frugal and sparing, since the taxes we collect are the sweat of honest industry— to be painstaking and exacting, that the taxes we spend may procure that tull and service which in all parts of the omg business and government is the peo- ple’s rightful due, ‘The frugality which insures private prosperity needs to be re-enforced by frugality in the public expense, in order that we may reco’ from the costly excesses and errors of the past, ow our prosperity in its sources, and justify our pride in democratic self-gov- ernment and our faith in its sufficlency for the untried perils of another century. WILLIAM H. WICKHAM, Mayor. THE ALDERMEN. DISSOLUTION OF THE OLD BOARD AND ORGAN- IZATION OF THE NEW—AN ASPIRING BAND. The Aldermanic Chamber, City Hall, was densely crowded yesterday morning by politicians and others interested in the installation into office of the City Fathers for 1876. ‘The old Board of Aldermen met at ten o’clock A. M., the President, Mr. Samuel A. Lewis, in the chair. Alderman Cole submitted a resolution, the object of which was to pay the proprietors of the Windsor Hotel the sum of $5,000 for their expenses in entertaining King Kalakaua of the Sandwich Islands, The motion was lost, ‘The Board then passed a resolution of thanks to the Mayor, their Prosident and the subordinate officers and adjourned sine die, During the session of the old Board twenty-two gentlemen who claim to have been elected members of the Common Council announced their appearance at the Mayor's office and asked to be admitted to an interview. The Mayor said, ‘No, no; one Common Council is enough forme. 1 have got trouble enough with one already, without recognizing another,” The Mayor’s messenger informed them what His Honor bad said. Subsequently two members of tho contesting Aldermen and Assistant Aldermen, came to the ified office and served upon the messenger the following notice :— To His Honor Wintia H, Wicxuam, Mayor of tho City of ‘ork. -— St—We hereby, on the part of the Board of Aldermen and on behalf of the Board of Assistant Aldermen, being a joint committee appointed by suid respective boards forming the Common Council of the clty of New York, demand from that you, by virtue of your office and its consequent. author: ity, do piace at our disposal the Aldermen and Assistant Al- dermen's chambers and offices in the City Hall of the city of New York at twelve noon this day. WILLIAM January 3, 1876, ALFRED 8, BPAULDING: They then went away for the second time, but not Jong atierward came back again. Their object this time was to tell the Mayor that they had organized and were ready to receive any communication which the executive head of the td oineinge ores might see fit to send. Tho Mayor perststed in declining to receive or recognize this anomalous body, and they retired. THE NEW BOARD OF ALDERMEN was organized about noon. Mr. Twomey, Clerk of tho old Board, called the new Board to order. All the members were present excepting Alderman Bryan Reilly, On motion of Alderman Gross Alderman Jonn Reilly took the chair temporarily. A vote having been taken for President of the Board for 1876, Alderman Sumuel A. Lewis was chosen by a majority of thirteen votes against seven cast for Alderman Morris. The following Aldermen constitute the new Board ;— Samuel A. Lewis, President; 0. P. Billin, William L. Cole, Joseph Cudlipp, Magnus Gross, Joseph J. Gum- bleton, John W. Guntzer, Jacob Hess, Henry E. How- land, Patrick Keenan, Patrick Lysaght, W. H. McCarty, J. J.’ Morris, Joseph Pinckney, Henry D. Purroy, Join Reilly, Bryan Riley, William Sauer, Peter Seery, Michael Toomey, William Wade, Thomas Sheilds. President Lewis, in acknowledging the compliment of his election, said:— GeytLemeN—I fully appreciate and feel grateful for this renewed mark of your confidence. I shall, with your aid and indulgeuce, endeavor to fulfil the duties of the oftice to which you have elected me in ® manner to assure you that the trust confided to me is impartially administered. Mr. Charles J. Tuomey was, by motion, elected as Clerk, and James Walsh was elected Sergeant-at-Arms of the new Board. The rules and regulations of the old Board were adopted. It was resolved that when the Board adjourn {t shall be until two o'clock next Thursday afternoon. Alderman Reilly handed in the following resolution :— Resolved, That the Board of Aldermen will not consent to the appointment of any be of dy ‘tunent or commisyioner wlio will not pledge himself t0 restore the wages of the La. borers employed in his department to the rate of $2 per day, and to keep their wages ut not less than that rate during Is term of office. This created some flurry in the Board, and an ani- | mated debate followed in ‘which Alderman Hess pro- nounced the motion to be mere “buncombe,’? made for the purpose of producing a certain effect, and ended by | moving that it should be tabled. The Alderman who pect the resolution wanted it to be understood that he ‘ i NEVER DID 80 FOR “BUNCOMBE,”? | anda motion to table it was lost, alter which the .reso- | lution was adopted by a vote of 15 against 7. It was, | however, subsequently reconsidered so as to afford tii | to determine if it amounted to the exaction of a pledge | from we heads of departments to do anything contrary | to the charter of 1873 in order'to get into office. | Messrs. McCarthy, Billings and Purroy were ap- polnted by the President a committees to wait upon | His Honor the Mayor, and inform him that the new | Board of Aldermen was organized and ready to receive | any communication which he may see fit to make. | The committee returned at a quarter to one o'clock, | and stated that the Mayor would soon send his Annual Message. A recess was then taken until a quarter to two o'clock, THE APTERNOON SESSION. The afternoon session of the new Board of Aldermen | commenced at two e’clock, Alderman Lewis, the Presi- dent, being in the chair. The members were all pres- ent in their seats. After some unimportant business had been disposed of a resolution was ol/ered by Alderman Wade fixing the salaries of officers of the Board as follows:—One | chief clerk, at $5,000; one assistant clerk, at $2,000; | one second assistant clerk, at $1,000; ono third assist: | ant clerk and librarian, at $1,000; one messenger, at | $600; one sergeant-at-arms, at $800; one doorkeeper and janitor of county library, at $600. Total, $11,000. Alderman Morris called attention to the fact that the charter vests the appointing power of all these officers in the clerks when elected, and upon bis motion the resolution of Mr. Wade was tabled. The reception of the Mayor's Annual Message was | now announced and further business suspended during its reading, which took the Clerk just an hour, | _ Alderman Guntzer moved the reception of the Mes- | gage and that 500 copies of it be printed. Adopted. | Alderman Sauer offered a resolution to refer the differ- | ent subjects contained in the Message to the respective committees, who should, when nominated, take action | in the matter. The motion was ad Alderman Billings moved for the nance for the licensing of expressmen and authorizing them to wear a badge. | Board Alderman B. Riley rose to ask permission to | have the recording of his last vote modifed Upon the | top of this came a formal resolation orderin; seats in the chamber be drawn by lot. This resolution | prevailed, but was immediately afterward reconsid- ered upon motion of Alderman Bi Reilly. The Board then adjourned until next Thursday aiternoon at two o'clock. WOULD BE OFFICIALS. Yesterday morning nineteen patriotic citizons, hold- ing the worthy ambition to serve the city in the ca- pacity of Assistant Aldermen, assembled at No. 318 Broadway, They claim to have been duly chosen for that office by the suffrages of their fellow citizens at the | Jast election. Their names and the districts they claim | t represent ai First, William Kenney ; Second, Ber- | nard Gilmartin; Third, James O'Rourke; Fourth, Wil- | iam T. Kavanagh; Fifth, Joseph H. Brown; | Branca O'Hara; Seventh, Augustus Bichs:' Nin Hugh Mallon; Tenth, John'Nikla; Eleventh, William J. ed. Smith; Twelfth, Patrick Reilly; Thirteenth, Thomas Drummond; Fourteenth, Peter #. Rafferty; Fitteenth, Martin, Keogh, Jr,; Seventeenth, M 1 Keer- nan; Eighteenth, — Marti W. Hynes; — Nine- teenth, — 0 jonoh: Twentieth, Patrick | Toner; Twent Daniel Hogenkamp. Having chosen their of rs they sent committees to announce to the Mayor and other branches of the municipal ma- chine that they were ba A wo edgrene with official business. Unfortunavely for th State Legislature, some two or three years ago, abol- ished the office to which they claim election. So their committees received no recognition, and, having re- ported to their Board, that body noted its grievance and eras. In like manner Messrs. William E. Demarest, Albert R, Learned, Matthew Burns, John Branigan, Thomas” Foley, Thomas J. Quirk, George Kelly, Joseph P, Strack, , Christopher Bathe, Eamund M. Plumb, Wallace Dar- | row, William J. Thornton, John J. K ‘Charles | Schwartz and Alfred 8. Spauiding mot at place and organized under the claim of having been | elected as rmen. They encountered the same legis- | lative bindrance, and their committee was no more | successful than the others, ADDKESS TO THE POLICE. THE NEW BOARD ADVISES THE FORCR OF ITS RELATION TO IT AND THE PUBLIC. At a private session of the Board of Police, held yes- | torday, the following document was ordered transmit- ted to all station houses, to be read to the members of the force ;-— : Naw Yora, Jan, 1, 1876. To THe Potice Forom: Lv ts prover at the beginning of ® year. and with a re- the beginning of the second century of our republican — of an ordi- | Betore this was well before the — that | patriot band the | constituted Board of to call your attention te the relations between the Department and the city of New York, and between the Board of Police and tient are called upon to perform ae of ial imporiance | are of vital im] co | to the city im its security, peace and prospel 4g Dis. | honesty, carelessness or inefficiency in the of ‘those ‘duties are followed by such grave conse- it obligations to devote all his energies to the city, and every one in accepting a position in the Department of Police accepts voluntarily these obligations. The Com- missioners of the Police Board individually acknowl- edge that fact for th express the earnest hope that every one from this time forward will act with the firm determination to be guided by the samo motive, The principles whieh will rn the Boardin its relations to the members of police force are clearly defined and will not be set aside under any cir- cumstances, Promotions in the department ef be determined by merit, as shown in the faithful and in- -telligent discharge of duties. detail- m Tecord will have the interests | } | | | ts and trausfers those of good every consideration shown to them which of the service will allow. The careless or inefficient are entitled to no consideration and will re- ceive none. The question of politics will not enter into any mater ci by of tts members in and discipline of the force, and the Board requires that the force will refrain from all active ‘ticipation in or the discussion of party politics, e superior officers will be expected to observe and report all in- fractions of the rules by those under their command. Partiality or favoritism in the discharge of duties will be considered by the Boardas meriting the severest punishment, No member of the force will benefit him- self under any circumstances by solicitation or inter- cession through any persen, as the Board will be guided in its action by qualifications and record In your official intercourse with citizens you will be re- that courtesy which is enjoined by the rules ofthe department, and by taking the rules and regulations as your guide you will merit the com- mendation of all good citizens and will be fully sup- ported by the Board. The ruies and regalations of the department will in al! cases be rigidly enforced. WM, F. SMIT) INO. R, VOORHIS, Ne aranps nace DE WITT C. WHEE! Police. LER, JOEL B. ERHARDT, A CRY OF INDIGNATION. New York, Jan. 3, 1876. To tux Eptrox or Tax Heraip:— “Are Governor Tilden, Mayor Wickham and Tammany Hail frauds upon the true democracy of the country?” This question was asked in my presence yesterday by prominent liberal republican of this city on bearing of the appoimtment of De Witt Clinton Wheeler and Joel P. Eckhardt as Police Commissioners, Where 1s the great reform hero, Governor Tilden, upon this occa- sion? Has he, in his zeal to save Mayor Wickham from the dreaded action of the Legisiature, stepped aside from the path of duty and gone into the republican party, not to find honest men, but one of the most notorious leaders of tho “thieving Indian Ring,” and, with one exception, the party who has achieved the greatest success in the divide of tho ‘‘spoils?’” I need only mention the name of Clint, Wheeler, and every democrat who knows him, from the Missouri Giver to the Pacific Ocean, will cen- sure the course of Governor Tilden and Mayor Wick- ham fn this matter and cry “Shame, shame!” upon such an appointment. The present democratic House of Congress will venti- late the exploits of this Mr. Wheeler, and also prove that the former Secretary of the Interior and the present Assistant Secretary were par nobile fratrum in his schemes of fraud upon the [teedtelpecl l ask, in the language of my republican friend, is Governor Tilden, Mayor Wickham and Tammany Hall a fraud upon the true democracy of the country. A DEMOCRAT. GENERAL GRANT'S SCHOOL DAYS, REMINISCENCES OF THE OLD LOG S8CHOOL HOUSE IN CLERMONT COUNTY, OHIO. (From tho Cincinnati Post.) Away up in a small hollow, Just this side of Amelia, in Clermont county, there stood, a few years ago, an old country school house, weather-beaten, tumble-down and disused, which the old inhabitants pointed out as the place whero Ulysses 8. Grant received his early education. The building has since been torn down, we believe, bat there are recollections connected with it which have become of historic interest since Headles’s “Hero Boy” bas figured so largely in the history of his country. . “Nobody thought, when Grant was a boy,’ said an old citizen of Clermont county who attended this school at the same iime the President did, “that he would ever amount to mach. The most promising boy in the school at that time was one named Henry Wattey. He was at the head of the class in mathematics, geogra- phy, spelling and all the other studies, and everybody prophesied great things of him; but he ts now running a forty acre farm up in Warren county.” “How did Grant average in his studies?” “Only middling. Ho would never be called dall, but he was nover brilliant. He used to spend a great deal of his time in reading the life of Napoleon, which in- terfered considerably with bis school duties, until the teacher destroyed that book by putting it into the Btove ¥”” “Was he punctual in his attendance?” “Very. He never stayed away from school unless compelled to by circumstances. He was never late either, but was among the first to reach the school house in the morning.” “Was he a noisy boy 2” ‘No, sir. Although courteous to everybody, he was not loud-mouthed, hike the other boys, but spoke in @ low and quiet tone of voice, with unusual dignity for one of his years.’ “We always called him Hiram at school,” continued the old stager. ‘Nobody ever thought of calling him Ulysses; aud after the capture of Vicksburg, when we had not heard from him for years, a great many of us did not know or even imagine that it was the bo} who used to go to the old log school house in the od Jow. “Was Grant a playful boy?” “Not by any means. You never could get him to | take part in any game or sport excopt'a snow-ball fight, In that he delighted. But as far as ‘bull pen’ or bail playing was concerned, he would never take any part, ut would sit on a fence or a stump and look on.” “During his school days did he ever exhivit signs of the persevering spirit for which he bas since becomo noted #”” “I can remember bat one occasion, and that was when the schoolmaster flogged him to make him give upa jackknife, with which he bad been cutting the side of his desk. The schoolmaster aemanded the knife, but Grant refused to give it up. The teacher tried to take it away, but could not do it, He then sent out into the woods and got a loug black hickory switch, With which he belabored the future President to make him surrender the knife. But Grant persistently de clined, and at last the pedagogue was forced to stop from sheer exhaustion. This incident was forcibly ree called to my mind when he made the famous remark— ‘I will fight it out on this line if it takes all summer,” and by many other similar incidents in his future career.” “I saw Grant when he was here at the Burnet House in 1872," continued onr interviewer, “and he was tho first to recognize me and give mea cordial | hand shake, He even came through a large crowd of dignitaries to shake hauds with an old school- mate. ROYALTY AND DIVORCE. A LATE KING OF SWEDEN FIGURES IN A SAN FRANCISCO DIVORCE CASE. (From the San Franciseo Call.} In August last A A. Bergstrom filed a complaint im | the Twelfth District Court against Anna C. Bergstrom, to annul a marriage, on the ground of fraud. The case | Was recently referred to Mr, Rhodes, the Court Com missioner. Mr. Bergstrom testified before the Commim sioner that he is thirty-eight years old and married the defendant on the 28d of March, 1862, at Kariskrona, Sweden. They separated in August following, because he ascertained that she bad been unchaste before mar- riage. On making full inquiry he learned that she bad been the mistress of Charles XV., King of Sweden, and had borne a son to him. He is now about eighteen years of age and bears the name of Charies Ludwig, the Christian name of the King. He saw the boy in New York about two years ago, and he informed him that his mother took him to the pres- ent King, and brother of the deceased Charles XV., and soll ‘A continuance of the pension that she re. ceived from Charles XV., during that monarch’s life. time, for the suj of the child, The pension was six bundred 81 ish dollars perannum. The present King refused to continue the pension. He mentioned this conversation with the boy to the defendant, and she did not deny it Bergstrom further testified that he saw King Charles XV. several times, and there was @ strong resemblance between the boy and 5 endant concealed from bim the paternity of the boy. Edna M. Price, who resides in New York city, tosti- fled that she knew the boy, who goes by the name of Karl Ladwig is birthday He told her | ir. Bergstrom and Mrs. Price were the only wit nesses examined before the Court Commissioner. In passing upon the case om Monday morning Ji Sharpstein s#id the evidence in the case was pally hearsay. A divorce could not be grant on the admissions and confessions of the mother. H There was another fatal defect, It is alleged that the fraud was discovered in 1862, and the action was not brought until 1875. The code provides that an action cme geen hy the gronad of fraud mast be broughe within four years after the of the fraud. Therefore judgment would ba for the defendany