The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-04-17
.LIBRARY'S PRIZE.
Counselor H. W.. Winfield
Presents a Large Collec-
ton Of His Fathers
Books.
HISTORICAL AND POLITICAL WORKS
Upwards of One Thousand
Volumes of Varied Interest
and Immense Value.
HISTORICAL AND POLITICAL WORKS
Upwards of One Thousand

A very valuable present was made to
the Free Public Library of this city,
few days ago, by Counsellor H. w. Win
field 1t is a collection of books pamph-
let's and papers, chiefly of a historical
and political nature gathered during a
long period by his father, the late Pros
ecutor Charles H. Winfield. There are
upwards of thousand volumes, which
will naturally take some time to arrange
and classify before the public can in
speet them. They are all in an excellent
state of preservation. The trustees high
! ly appreciate the gift
While the collection contains series of
| books on history and State doings there
are odds and ends picked up by Mr.. Win
| field which are SO characteristic of his
omniyerous literary appetite. Among
these scraps are papers solely relating
to matters in Jersey City and Hudson,
some of which are amusing. AS for in
stance printed notice touching List
of rates for licensed innkeepers, settled
by the Judges of the Court of Common
Pleas of Hudson County in term 1S5-."
These rates fix breakfast at BIN cents;
dinner 3715 cents, and if a man wanted
to fare sumptuously the dinner might cost
so cents. Supper and his bed must cost
no more than rs cents. In the matter of
drinks whiskey is not mentioned, and
finds "grog 25 cents a quart The ancient
drink of metheglia or mead extracted
from honey, and SO famous in Shakes
pearean days, must not cost more than
81 cents. champagne, the Judges de-
terrnined, must not exceed $3.50 a quart;
Madeira, 81 and lime punch, so cents!
There is a well bound set of American
State Papers from the accession of
George Washington to the Presidency in
1897 to a recent date" very important
acquisition to the Library containing a
valuable mass of information for the
political student. The terse military
style of the Father of His Country's let
ters stand in sharp contrast to the elegant
diction of Thomas Jefferson. The matter
in that set alone is good for a years
study.
Equally interesting is the quantity
bound journals of Congress from III to
the middle of the present century, them
selves a mine of political information.
"To those interested in Jersey City i'm
provements, there is little volume of
over hundred pages devoted exclusively
of Montgomery street, from Warren to
Gregory streets. This book is entitled,
&c. F. Durant's objections to the opening,
ETC., and was printed while the late Geo.
w. Cassidy was clerk in 1868. There is no
end of humor in the book in which Mr..
Durant interposes nearly 200 reasons why
the street should not be opened. Objee-
tion No. 161 attacks the commissioners
who he said were "perverse and selected
from community of lottery, dead rabbit
and copperheads, which took keen deiish
in destroying a vestige of title in the
lands and skinning their adversary" The
adversary was Mr. Durant.
There is another book of local interests,
and that is one detailing what it's title
reads, 1.-THE Public Record of Orestes
Cleveland Showing His Contempt for the
Poormen and His Hatred of the Foreign
Born Citizen 1t publishes the account
of an Indignation meeting held in Jersey
City in 1863 and a series of posers pro-
pounded by Mr.. F. G. Wolbert on state
ments made by the late Mayor Cleveland.
Very rich in purely historical works is
the collection. There is valuable set of
Historical New York. "a List of the
officers and Men of New Jersey in the
Revolutionary War" Historical Statis-
tics of New Jersey and other books in
that line. There is also an exhaustive
treatise on the geology of New Jersey ind
several pertaining to public speeches by
Mr.. Winfield when Senator.
In one book apears what newspaper men
would call good story of row over the
laying Of the cornerstone of Bergen
School. On that occasion members Of
Hiram Lodge of Free Masons and other
invited was also a mason and when he
appeared on the platform wearing the
Masonic apron, another reverend brother
present, SO the account runs grossly IN
suited him. The papers of that day
took the matter up and the minister was
severely handled for his discourtesy.
To tell all the good things in the gift of
Mr. Winfield would require the space of
this entire edition. When the collection is
ready for inspection treat is in store
foy ha