The New York herald., 1867-07-07
The ESTATE OF THE CORPORATION.
Extraordinary Task OF the New Commits
sion-Partial Anticipation of their Work.
Interesting Legal aud Historical Fa<ts-The


commission TO inquire into the nght and title of the
city government 10 lis real estate The subject, will
DO seen Is OF more than historical value for II the
gentlemen who are 10 investigate the facts report that
the Municipal Fathers have just claim 10 ALL or any
portion OF their property, and the soons OF Albany
repeal the statute OF limitation the Corpora
ton will be deprived OF its vast rental and appear
the unenviable position of Official beggary Its bonds
and stock will rank with those Of bankrupts, and the
prestige which its Immense wealth has gwen it will
have passed away with the loss Of its broad
IL pity iha; the historians who chronicle the dis
covey and progress of city do not the Office OF
register, in order prevent reckless OF
squat,er sovereignty IT, for instance Sir Josiah Child
or Smith, who wrote successfully about Manhattan
Island had given us about the proprietary rights
to the land and less Of its picturesque character who
will believe that they would not have conferred
practical benefit on its residents day than has resulted
from their works which fun Of worthless general-
ties. Bot we must pause to defend the scrbs who
lived under the English rtgims in this province II
Bradford, the fret printer Of New York, whose
ment now adorns tho graveyard of old Trinity. had writ
ten that Lord Cornbury when ruled tho island Its
Governor with the sceptre Of despo had been guilty
of gross spoatiOn on the Knickerbockers, whom he
treated as slaves, how long would he have walked tn
small proportion OF Broadway which then existed Not
an hour. The menals Of his lordshp, who i'm
itated Caigua, would have cast him into .
dungeon, from which, like hell there would have been
no redemption We are told by candid historians that
this scion Of royalty wandered through the streets the
Haunting dress Of harot show his reckless contempt
OF the civilization OF the age and there is little doubt
that he was equally regardless of the rights OF property
II IL unnecessary TO dwell the gross acts Of his ad
ministration, and will chsntaby leave him among
the dead whose lives were infamous.
1t is notorious fact familiar every student OF the
history OF Now York, that property was taken from
Of the wealthy by the approval of
md lens0d Ia
avores Of the administration who ready to cheer
ior hing William Queen Anne, or the royal Georges In
that they were annulcd 6y the sovereign of England
Indeed at that time New York might have been deemed
the Ireland Of America for the Saxon ruled 1t with the
severity which marked the presence of
governing party in the Green ISLE
With this preface, ws will proceed to show that the
claims Of the Corporation to lis real ate should IN
equity and justice be based on purchase or transfer
from the Dutch settlers and not on the Indefinite grants
made In the charters OF Dougan and Montgomery To
appreciate ths fact thoroughly It is necsssaryto kS9s
}yE LOCATIONS or ~: Palx TIVE rARxs OF sEw YORK.
shall nnd that nearly all tho land IRON the City Hall
Park to Eighth street. was divided into prominent farms
about the close Of the seventeenth century The old
Vineyard for instance occupied the site OF the HERALD
Office; Beesmans farm absorbed portion Of Park
place Rutgers took IN the swamp which still bears its
ancient name Trinity church held the JAMS lands from
Warren street to Christopher; Jacob L'ser owned the
plot bounded BY Frankfort, vandewa.er and william
and vandewater. on the swamp; the ground Of which
Chatham, Oliver Roosevelt, and South streets are the
webber and Lockerman's patent; the adjoining plot,
surrounded by the Bowcry, Division Clinton and Hous
isDcey's; Bayards p Wes. Farms absorbed an rres @
ular section, running obquely from the Bow.
cry, at the point OF Elizabeth street TO Macdougal
street. with Grand street as its southern boundary, ond
Amity street on the north reer's property extended
from the northern Of the Park TO Duane street.
and the new Court House occupies portion Of tho plot
it located the Kolck or Fresh Water Pond,
VIII ich furnished ample exercise for the Kncksr-
tury Cemetery for negroes h. Eoc Hook took IN
the square bounded by Broadway, Centre, Duane and
Lspenard streets next this was the Little Pond which
absorbed small circular section With Elm the west,
Anthony on the north Duane on the south and Chatham
streets on the eas The old Powder House next this
place We have thus accounted for the region
the Park and the greater portion OF the lands extending
to part Of Prince street the west side The section
belonged to Var. .Corandt by ground bref the
adjoining plot irrcgulary surrounded BY Ludlow Hous
commencement Of avenue Was tho farm Of Laendert
the Lsende, Farm: the section forming an isoscees
Ami'y on the north, the Bowery on the west and
avenue on the east was the Mnthorns Farm; and the
angular actions adjoining eastward and extending on
the south TO RIvngon street, next the Laender Farm
belonged 70 Peter stuyvesant Morgan Lewis, John |
Flack Brown Eckford and Abijah Hammond
PROPERTY OF TIE CITY LOCATED on those rARNs.
We have thus given the location Of the principal farms
on the island in Kuickerboclser and Colonial times
They we're 30 closely tha, they trod as II
were each others heels We could II necessary, by
additional, but even more laoorious research, account
for the lands the upper portion Of the island and
show that they appropriated TO farming purposes
hundred and Grsy years since but the task
properly or the CORPORATION is located the plots which
once composed the farms we have enumerated
ambition may lead him 10 examine the record of the
lands havo referred 10, Will nnd that they absorb all
the property on the streets and agennes within the whoe
region on which they lay; aad that the Corporation
could not justly claim single lot on any OF tho sections
without proving that the city derived s tl'le either
by purchase or transfer from the original owners
Tho OF proof thcn devolves the CITY government
show thai toy entitled, BY equity as well as by
they hold on these old estates should they iail 70
do this. the Inference 10 DC drawn from thc
real estate SO FAR as IL any portion OF these oil
Farms is derived from the spoiation OF Their pro-
vncal predecessors ana ineir sh ans nIe 'nereto
might be repealed in a week. This IS rather an
awkward position for the Corporation of the first city in
America whose assumed wealth has created tho cupdiy
Of thousands Of scurvy politicians for bali century
THE WASTE LANDS GRANTED TO rHK CORPORATION:
The charters OF Governor Dongan and Governor Mont
gomery, made respectively in 1886 and l732, 10 tho
Mayor Aldermen and Commonaity OF this city, are
latter instrument conferred on the Corporation all waste
vacant and unapproprated lands on the lsand But u
notorious fact that in some instances the City
Fathers only took possession OF the ground supposed to
have been given oy the charter over hundred years
after Il signed by the donor. There Is aremarksbe
section In the Montgomery charter the thir'ysixthl
which would OF itself nvaicate the indiscr.nina and
indefinite grants thus made II consists OF ths follow
ing Important restriction:-
m. ErvrAI OF THE CORPORATION LIMITED E3 900
$50 a. the manors messaagcs, lands, tencmenis,
heredtaments rents, and other possessions and real
estate which the Mayor Aldermen and commonslty OF
tue city Of New York shall and may have 10 Their pos
session at any ono tme exceed not In the whole the
clear yearly rent OF three thousand pounds per
snnum money Of realm OF Great Britain, beyond
and above all charges and reprises."
Now II the title Corporation 70 its real estate
stands this charter by fair N not legal nterprcta
ton OF this section the rental should not exceed the
sum stated Murray Hoffman the eminent defender OF
the rights Of the city to s property thus Obtained hods
different views on the subject but as The city was
merely his client, bis opinion may fairly be regarded
that Of lawyer, not judge. Any Interpretation OF
the section hostile the municipal government would
have placed In an awkward dilemma and 30 obancel.
lor Kent 20 the rescue By declaring, via more
ingenuity than legal acumen:-
THE Limitation OF the amount Of lands 70 oe held by
the Corporation only that the valne oe within
the prescribed when purchased or aken oy the
Corporation II the lands shoald Afterwards rise IN