The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-04-23
SOME NEW O
x.-er,., ,r,.ser, Of New yers.

GOMB NEW BOOkh
19e-erisi lEistery Of New yerh.
A. The History Of the Gtv Of Nro York. edited
w JAMES GRAST WILSON. 10 completed In q
third ausrto volume Of some $50 pages. which
,sarries the narrative from the close OF the
Rsvolutionary War in 1888 down to the rear
1884 As in the preceding volumes. the editor
has lntrustei the discussion OF particular
topics to persons known to be especially ouall-
Ned for the purpose. Thus tho part played By
the Empire City IN the war for the Union is
depleted by Con. r.. T. Rodenboueh. while the
most striking incidents in the subsequent
period OF speculation and reaction are re-
counted By Mr.. Arthur j. Bostwick. For an
outline OF the DEVELOPMENT OF teleRrapbs
and railroads we are indebted TO Mr..
Charles Burr Todd. and for an ex-
position OF the causes OF New York's
commercial greatness to Mr.. John Austin
Stevens. BY the last named gentleman. New
York's relation to the war OF 1912 is described.
while tho celebration Of the opening OF the
Erie Canal. which took place some years later.
70 the principal subject OF q chapter by Mr..
William L. Stone. To all that part Of the book
which deals with the present century. we may
recur hereafter. For tho moment. we prefer
20 dwell on two singularly interesting chap
tiers, OF which we owo one to Prof. +. I. John
ston. and the other to the editor. on the general
condition OF Manhattan Island in the closing
years OF the last century. and on the charac-
tsristic features OF New York society at tho
Usmo epoch.
When the British troops evacuated New
York In 1888. they left behind them q partially
ruined town. whose resources were straitened
aud whose foreign trade was crippled. 1t Is
an indubitable fact that the city's population
suffered a material loss during the Reyolu-
tionary War. and that tho loss was felt mainly
on the side OF the original patrician stock.
The population OF 1884 was less Dutch and
old English than 1t had been In 1775. The
middle and industrial classes had experienced
some change. but the decrease in numbers
was most perceptible among the highly re-
spectable conservative and ~loyalist inhabi-
tants. In the spring Of 1776. New York CON-
tained q population OF some Twenty-Five
shousand souls. but by tho middle OF
September. after the defeat OF the CONT
mental army on Long Island. moro than
seven eighths OF the residents had abandoned
the city. Their places were taken by loyalist
refugees from other colonies. so that. at the
cessation Of hostilities in 1882. the British
were burdened in New York with . sympa-
thetic population OF about 10000. OF whom.
D0EDHDS u uuuEt6T Iuhy hNd OotuE lux III
IT'S. Thousands OF these New York loyalists.
being furnished with transportation By tho
British Commander.in-Chie sought a refuge
In the mother country. In the West Indies. or In
British North America. As the Tories with
drew the Wings marched in. but not 1.-THE old
American population could return. Those who
owned lands and houses in the city went
back. but the mass OF those who had formerly
paid rents and who carried on the minor
trades could not leave the homes to which
they had migrated in 1716 Consequently. as
weh have said. New York's population atthe close
OF 1888 was very much smaller than 1t had been
eight years before. For the first six months
after tho evacuation it could not have exceed
cd twelve thousand souls. and most OF these
represented that portion OF the Tory. British.
mercantile. ana lukewarm element that had
determined to remain. Conspicuous among
the expatriated r~oynlists were Chief Justice
William Smith. the historian OF tho province:
the Rev. DR.. Charles Inglis. rector Of Trinity
Church: Thomas Barclay and William Axtell.
merchants: Col Edmund Tanning and others
found new homes in Nova Scotia The
Hon. Andrew Elliot. Judge Thomas Jones.
William Bayard. George Ludwell. Col Roger
Morris. and the Hon. James De Lancey were
among those whose estates were conflscated
b. the LEGISLATURE OF the State during the war.
and who ended their days in the mother coun-
Try. Bayard. on leaving New York. complained
bitterly that tho rebels had conisca tod evory
Slilling Of his valuable property. Both his
New York and Hoboken estates were sold under
the 'Conlscation act. The Hoboken property
was purchased In $780, by Capt. John Stevens.
and subsequently passed to his son. Edward A.
Stevens. The immense De 1ancsy estate. ly-
ing on the east side Of the city. nearly along
the line OF Grand street and which was sold
nndar fOrfait1lra affair tho war nr0Vih0Q h0maa
to-day for 300. 900 inhabitants.
! New York. however. soon recovered from the
effects Of the war. by 1886 tho population had
risen to twenty four thousand. and three
years later 1t was thirty thousand. Hence-
forth. apart from tho natural increase. there
was to be IN increase by immigration both
homo and foreign. The home immigrant,
who came first. was. as q rule. either o rural
New Yorker. q New Highlander. or o Jersey
man. Among those who definitely settled In
New York at this epoch. and whose descend
ants are counted to-day among old New
Yorkers. were Alexander Hamilton and
Aaron Burr: James Kent. the future
Chancellor: Rufus King and James Wat
son. two OF the city's early United
States Senators; ". $. Johnson. Presi-
dent Of Columbia College,; Francis Childs
and Thomas Greenleaf. DR.. Mcknight aud
DR.. Cogswell. Such foreign immigration
rs there was Immediately after the
war seems to have been mainly Irish.
but most OF the emigrants from Ireland
went to Pennsylvania. From Germany. in
came John Jacob Aston. The conditions
of citizenship remained for many years what
they had been before the wal. and. therefore,.
prssented q contradiction in this respect that
the citizen OF the state OF New York was po-
lltically u frser man than the citizen Of the
city OF New York. Suffrage rights were not
the same for each. Under the new State Con-
Gtitution OF TIT. while the property aualihca-
tion required OF voters for State officers varied.
1t was moderate in the case o! u voter for As
ssmblymen. Such q voter had to pay assess
'ments aud q nominal house rent OF Il ye dollars.
On the other hand. to enjoy municipal privi-
Ils0es. to be abs to vote. and to stand as q
candidate for the office OF Alderman. 1t was
Necessary to be a freeholder in the old Eng
~ Ia N.. IN ~ 1..a nm