The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-06-25

0 pounds OF all the emiss during the pro
r vious forty years had not vet been cancelled
the credit Of Now York had not been as bad
, impaired as was that OF the eastern colonies
The ratio OF exchange for one hundred pound
sterling. which had boon 100 In 1740, hat
risen In eight years to 100. while In New
England It advanced. during the same period
from 525 to 100. At the close Of the Frencl
and Indian war. In 1863. there we're current o
New York bills OF credit three hundred ant
twelve thousand pounds, the lie of which
legally expired in lTGS. The bills could no
: 10 met ON maturity. and the colonial debt hat
by no means con iiIudatcd on the outbreak
! OF the Revolution
The chapter on the Jews OF New York. sub.
ject winch had long awaited chronicor, is
contributed Wy DR.. Ahram +. I-aacs. The Jcw-
ish settlement on Manhattan island dates back
| not quito two hundred and forty years. 1t was
IN 1854 that the first band Of Jewish immi-
grants. numbering twonty-soven. arrived in
New Amsterdam: they had sailed from Brazil
when the restoration of Portuguese power In
that country threatened the exed Jews OF
Spain and Portugal with renewal Of tho suf-
forings which they had borne in Europe
| These refugees wcro so destitute that
tho Dutch authortios seized their bag
gage. which was sold Mt public auction to
| pay Tor their passage As the amount
thus realized proved insufficient two of
| their number were held as hostages and con-
fncd in Jail until the claims should be salts
| fed. Petor Stuyvesant objected to Jewish
immigrants. and in letter to the homo
authorities. pleaded that none OF tho ewish
nation be- permitted to infcst New Neither
lands" Holland maintained. however. its
character for liberation. and restrained Stuy-
| nv m eli in nj ,,yi,
brews to reside and trade in New Netherlands
so long rs they cared for their poor CO.
| religionsts. DR.. Isaacs thinks that. Lotwith-
standing occasional restrictions. the Jews
enjoyed n fair amount OF prosperity under
Dutch and English rule. After the In
dependence OF the colonies had been So
cured. they attained a larger measure OF civil
and religious liberty. few Jewish names
have been transmitted from colonial times and
from the opening decades OF the present CEN
fury. Mention is made In 1710 of the Rev.
Abraham de Lucena. who. as o jewish minis
ter. applied to Gov Hunter to be exempted
from militia duty and other municipal OBJ
legations. In his application he notes that
similar privileges had been granted to his
predecessor. One jewish landmark which
has some interest for antiquarians Is the old
cemetery on the Bowery and Oliver street. a
narrow strip OF ground decided to the Jews in
Inc regular synagogue was
built in Mill street in 1929 and regretted on
jewish congregation in America. and Is COM
posed OF Spanish and Portuguese Jews. who
now worship on Nineteenth street. west OF Fifth
avenue. In the early part Of this century we
ind that Mordecai Manuel Noah was q some-
what conspicuous figure in New York. On his
return to America from the post OF Consul
General at Tunis. to which he had been ap-
pointed by President Madison. he entered Jour-
nalism. and founded and edited four papers,
which. in their day. enjoyed considerable pop
ularity. These were the National Advertiser.
the Courier and Enquirer. the Evening Star. and
the Sunday Times In 1882 he was appointed
Surveyor Of the Port by President Jackson.
and later became Judge OF the Court OF Ses-
sions. Another wellknown Jewish journalist |
was the Rev. Samuel Myer Isaacs. who in 1857
founded the Je,Dish Messenger. an organ Of con-
sentative Judaism. which he edited until his !
death. In 1873. 1t was less however. than fifty |
years ago that the history OF the Jews consider
cd as al important element Of the city, popu- |
lation began. Up to that time on Manhattan
Island there were relatively only a small |
number OF native born and English Hebrews.
From 1913 to 1861 there was a great and con-
tinuous inpour OF Jews from Germany. but |
even that volume OF emigration has been al
together eclipsed by the recent accessions
from Poland and Russia According to a
census OF the Jews in the Seventh. Tenth, and
Thirteenth wards alone. there were in August
1890. no fewer than 111.69O souls. OF this
number. only 1895 were citizens. and the
average length Of time during which all the
Jews enumerated had been in the United
States was nine and q half years. 1t Is
an interesting circumstance that Of the 81. POT
children 1862 were attending school. Among
the educational establishments maintained by
Jews are mentioned the Hebrew Institute at
the junction OF East Broadway and jefferson
street, which is modelled on the Cooper Insti-
tute. and contains large hall. bathrooms, a
free library and reading room. gymnasium. a
cooking school. and baths There
is also Technical Institute in Stuyvesant
street. which prepares Jewish lads for Industrial
and mechanical pursuits, and with such thor
oughness that many Of its recent graduates
the sons Of poor immigrants. earn $50 to S35 O
week as export w"rkmen in various, Industries.
".
In an article on the Catholic Church in New
York. Dr. Richard H Clark recalls that, after
the grant OF New Netherlands by Charles IL
to the Catholic Duke OF York. Catholics enjoyed
In tho colony for about quarter OF
a century Under the administration OF Gov.
Andres in 1874 we find Catholic Lieutenant
Governor. Anthony Brockholls. and another
Catholic Lieut.. Jervis Baxter. in the Govern
nent pay. In 1888 Col. Thomas Dongan. who
was Catholic. became Governor OF the colony.
Whom lie came out from England he was
accompanied by an English Jesuit Father,
Thomas Harvey. who was afterward Joined
BY Fathers Henry Harrison and Charles Gage
and two lay brothers. A Catholic chapel In
Fort James, Just south Of Bowling Green. and q
Latin school on Kings farm. near the site of
Trinity Church. were established. The
popular assembly convoked by Gov. DonRan {
established freedom OF conscience and
lfter the accession Of the Duke Of York to the
hrone as James II. in 1855 the number Of {
in the colony increased. The revolu-
ion Of 1858. however. and the nearly contem-
,oraneous Losler rebellion in New York put
IN end to the liberation OF Catholics. and