New-York tribune., 1872-07-16

45l It will he from the report that Whlle INC no
sessments of personal estate in the City ond county Vi
NewYork were increased ss3OOoOOO IN SIX years
the personal assessments for the same period IN tne rt
OF the State diminished SlTOOOUO Inc -,
estimate IN ro ihe esae in the CITY Of
amounts to exceeding sO1OOOOO OF WHcn me heDts
aDout the same amount while large part Ol 'e ne. &c
mander is held by parties residing out OF lne i
The sum of S76727,715 for the year 1s72.
The total number of assessments made IS o-N-
OF sbarehoides Of %SS
The real estate belonging to the city. with other real
property exempt from a1aton under gSneg @ M ana poc
ial laws, is valued by the Commissioner al s@'oVVV
DEPARTMENT OF PARKS.
Tho pubc excitement which began to prevail early In
the Autumn Of 1871 regard to the financial CONDITION
of the city. led to consequences Wmch plo'eu oo"'
source Of embarrassment to officers OF tho uep''
s well TO those who retired as 10 those VINO succeeue
Few important works reported in progress a the emu Vi
last wear have been carried TO completion ana the larger
mart OF the outlay of the Department has been upon
undertakings of simple character bnl uhques'lonaoi.
importance the plans OF which were already esapShcu
ard in good part realized such as the grazing anu pr
structure of buueyaTds avenues ana streets, anu ho
reconstruction OF the numerous smaller puDnG so %
of the city, the plans OF when were Se t ~ % When @ the
port OF the Department In November asI, WneI. ~ %
changes Of administration occurred the ~ W J
Department amounted to t6.OOo9 - tne DS au9 Sr rr
over due $44Ss53 36 and ITS Dank account ma9 t
drawn $G4,S7 55. The greater part OF lhe Iuius o.
abl 10
cessaTily applied TO me Hquualon ~ 10 Id "a ,th bnt
debtedness-an Indebtedness Incurred III koou itn p'
une expectedly confronted by deficiency account.
The further development Of certain plans and projects
had IN WOW by the Department IN 1871 mas pccu SUI
pended aud one under WhloH tHt WV.h VI @ thot
mad been begun without proceeding far, nane!' ,hat
OF Transforming the North Meadow 81 the Central farA
into geological garden has been delmleiy aontoneu, leu
and house for deer, which had been parity plt, Das
been demolished The only other important flaSe o,
plan decided upon by the Board under Presidency V
Mr. Stebbns been in relation 10 the DuuihBs 70 nc
erected for the metropolitan Museum OF Art alG ,i .ho
NJ
After consultation with the trustees OF eaCh OF theSe
ns,tntons il has been determined that the site for
| tbe first shall be fixed upon the localty pro
posed the report Of the Board OF Commissioners OF o
ninth and Eighty -iourtb-ss instead OF on the GROUND
formerly known Manhattansquae which Is ;et aiat
as the the Museum Of Natural History Budhgs
OF great extent and considerable elevation inS % pe
erected in each of these localities without DtaS t
prDcipal landscapes inerrupung any important me
Of communication upon the PARK lhe cLei oiyvctloa
TO them was recognized IN each case 10 W 20 e ht
from the present center Oh population Vi tne oi3 Al
after prolonged and earnest discussion was cohcluucu
TO be impaccable 10 secure sites OF suhent extent 10
which tins objection would apply III huSn icss @
degree without too large SacInce OF olIei Puplc m
teess Plans for both Museum Buildings are preparing
and their construction is eApeceu 10 pe eOoH ii"'i
taken. D., ., ,,or rarLs ~
the city were found generally so far advanced tnat
though in numerous respects not coniorndDIe 10 tn m
ideas of "A majority the present Board no cndnScs I
them have been determined on Inc peasue tI1i" t a., Va
nnted f"r new works but not so far reformed that
any notable modification of the first plan woud neeeS
fry changes have therefore been determined in 1t,
mainly With the desired purpose OF making passage
through the park in various directions less ueNo anu
| OF securing broader Yerdant surfaces.
| HARLEM RIVER AND wEsTCHEsTER.
The bridge at McCombs Dam having been found to De
in an unsafe condition, has been rebuilt ana the DruBe
at Third-ave repaired and put in complete working CON
dition. preliminary plan for tunnel under the ar
lem River the head OF Seventhave has been prepared
and several plans have also received from bridge
constructors in pursuance OF invitations from the De-
partment for iron drawbridges. Approximate estimates
nave also made Of the cost OF building tunnel ana
drawbridges. The soundings OF the Harlem RIVER ana
Spuyten Duyvl Creek have been nearly eompeted If0m
McCOmbs Dam Bridge 10 the Hudson River, defining me
| boundary line between Newly ork ana Nestehestef
County, and establishing connections between tne sur
and Improvements on the NeW-IOIk sue anu oso
in progress in Westchester County Plans have been
adopted filed for the laying out Of abOn 5000 linear
feet of streets in the Immaculate vicinity OF lRh bBc
The surveys in Westchester County under the control OF
This Department are beng pushed IaPiuy ior"'ru "
completion. ,,.-,ono,o,,,..,
The report of Mr.. Daniel Draper the Director OF the
Meteorological Observatory, contains very fun tables
and charts showing the temperature and pressure OF the
air. the direction force and velocity Of the wind and
the of rain fa from the beginning to the close
Mr. Drapers Investigations lead him to the conclusion
that the clearing OF land does not diminish the volume
rainal that change in the climate Of the Atlantic
States has occurred within century, that surface
80 aPpreciabie meeoroogcs eject and that the pop,
lar opinion which supposes that such influence exsts Is
altogether orroneons
THE MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY.
During every week day Of the past year the collection
of the American Museum OF Natural History has been
open to public at the Arsenal Buildings the Park,
and the Trustees report the attendance many days
may be safely estimated at 10000 By joint under
standing between the Park Department and the Trus
is reserved for special students ana teachers ana pupils
of public schools the object OF TINS arrangement being
10 furnish opportunities i0r the explanation Oh specl
classes, and thus TO make the Museum an ii
pOrtant part OF the educational system Of the city.
AS We indicated IN the last report the Ola buildings IN
which the collection is exhibited not originally IN
,s LII necestYriIy he Of a. HomcyDhot Nc
character until the proposed new building IS erected.
The collections are constantly increasing in value partly
by purchase and partly by donations those interest
ed in the of the institution. The remaining part
delayed by the FrancoPrssian war ana subsequent
seizure of the French capital has been received in per
feet order and safely deposited with the other museu
| property in the park.
| PUBLIC CHARITIES AND CORRECTION
The public charities become yearly conspicuous
features Of the City Government During the year 1871
there q 32 patients treated at the public hospitals
l717 the Bureau for the Outdoor Sick and 5645 at
their homes; 5l7s infants and small children were
ceved the asyums and nurseries, and LBS boys had
benefit Of daily instruction at the Nautical and In
dustral schools and 5 OF both In the Idiot School
The number received at the several charitable nstu
lions of the department were 2,sIT At the Labor Bu
reau employment was obtained for 4305s persons To
the City Prison there were committed 81 AGO persons, OF
whom a. 162 were transferred To the Work House, and
sons received in the several Institutions including pa
tents treated at their home by the physicians OF the
intendent OF Outdoor Poor 195,33l.
For the seventh time the Mayor calls attention TO the
building called In law the CITY Prison, but most appro-
priately known the Tombs II cause of dis grace
only TO the city and the American nation but TO the
Christian world that there not builded ten years
ago aud larger prison OF detention than the one
yet used This was bulded upon piles n swamp.
IL cramps those whom the law pre- be innocent
| with confinement more impure and rksome than Is
| meted out to convicted criminals
| THE DEPARTMENT OF BUILDINGS.
The fun credit due 10 the udicious building laws which
1862, have been approved and amended from time
70 time, Is not popnlarly acknowedged the dt