Bronx river, at Lorillard's snuff factory, to raise a dam six feet high, which would turn the water through a low swamp into Mill brook, to follow the north bank for three miles, and then to cross in an aqueduct to its op- posite side, and continue that level to the Harlem river. He states the distance to be from the Bronx to the Park, 14 miles and 7 furlongs, and the descent twenty-three feet. He says, " It appears from examinations that have been recently made, that the Bronx is suf- ficiently elevated above the highest parts of the city to introduce its waters therein with- out the use of machinery, and the intermediate ground, though very irregular, presents no obstacles which art and industry may not surmount." He also says, " An absolute ne- cessity to preserve a regular and uniform descent, leaves us little room in the choice of our route, which will be chiefly along the shore of the North river." Mr. Weston estimated that the city would require 3,000,000 gallons of water a clay. He states that the Little Rye pond contained fifty acres, and the Big Rye pond, five hun- dred acres ; those ponds he proposed to convert into reservoirs, by building a dam six feet high, which would make more than six hundred acres, and would contain 959,713,920 gallons, would afford an annual supply of 8,000,000 of gallons for one hundred and twenty days, and leave a surplus of 5,000,000 of gallons for the mills. It will, however, be remarked, that he estimated the area of the ponds double what they actually present. The water was to be brought in an open canal to the Harlem river ; that stream was to be crossed by a cast iron cylinder of two feet diameter, with a descent of eight feet. His reservoirs were to be divided into three parts, and two of them again subdivided. The first two divisions he called the reception apartments, which were to be filled with the water from the cylin- ders ; while one was filling, the other would deposite the impure particles contained in the water. In every twenty-four hours, one of these chambers was to be drawn off in one of the subdivisions, which he called the reservoir of filtration, and from thence into the division of distribution, after percolating through a bank of gravel and loose sand ; this last division of the reservoir was to be arched over to insure its coolness. Mr. Weston offered no estimates of the cost of the work he recommended, but urged very earnestly, that no time should be lost in securing, at any rate, the right to use the Bronx fiver, Avhich then might, as he supposed, be had for a reasonable compensation ; but which from the great advantages for manufacturing purposes that it offered, and its proximity to the city, he argued would rise very much in value. It is deserving of notice, that among the various uses to which, Mr. Weston says the surplus water might be applied, he specially instances, ^ the supply of dry docks, which may be constructed to receive the largest ships." When all appeared to be thus ready and ripe for the accomplishment, by the Corpo- CROTONAQ.UEDUCT, 95 ration, of a work so long projected — private interest stepped in, and paralyzed the whole proceeding. It was at this period, that Aaron Burr* had conceived the plan of organising an associa- tion, which, on the condition of accomplishing what was so ardently desired — the sup- plying the city with pure and wholesome water, should obtain from the Legislature the concession, in perpetuity, of banking privileges. The provision to this latter effect was, indeed, skilfully kept out of prominent view ; the great object purporting to be the supply of water ; the surplus only of the capital, after effecting this object, was to be employed in banking operations. • These views of private interest and speculation, were aided by the real difficulty, which intelligent and practical men apprehended, in raising the money needed for such an under- taking as the introduction of the Bronx river into the city, and hence with that of Aaron Burr, we see associated the names of Alexander Hamilton, Gulian Verplanck, John Murray, and others, in remonstrance to the Common Council against the bill they had sent to the Legislature, asking for authority to execute the work. We shall stand excused, by the interest of the subject and the great names involved, for copying in detail from the city records, the particulars and result of this influence. At a meeting of the Common Council, held 25th February, 1799 : 25th February. — The Mayor, Richard Varick, informed the Board that on Friday last, Mr. Burr,