to T. N. Ferrell, is cut through from end to end. Six of the culverts are completed, and five partly finished. They vary in dimen- sions from two to ten feet span of the arch, and from 50 to 150 feet , in length. The inverted arch or floor of the incomplete culverts is finished, so that the flow of water through the brook, passes them freely ; and sufficient of the upper arch has been laid to permit the crossing of the valley with the stone embankment. The foundation wall of the aqueduct, amounting to 12,050 cubic yards, and back filling to 10,200 cubic yards, has been executed. CROTON AQ.UEDUCT. 149 In addition, a large amount of materials has been prpcured for the work, and many items of work performed. Here is a respectable amount of work, considering the time in which it has been per- formed. Its execution has not only given general satisfaction, as to its permanence and durability, through the mechanical operations of combining the various materials into a whole, but also that the practicability of completing the undertaking in a manner and style that will be an ornament to our country, and of the highest credit to the public spirit of the City of New York, and its corporate representatives, from whom the project emanated and has received a uniform support, is now beyond a doubt. A very small number of our citizens, comparatively, have any idea of the magnitude of the work and its progress ; the immense amount of mere manual labor which has been, and is to be performed, in excavating and tunnelling through an almost impenetrable rock, or of mechanical labor in preparing materials, and in the erection of the bridges, culverts, stone and foundation walls, together with the aqueduct for conveying the water to the city, and other erections of a permanent and durable character, to attempt a description of which, by words, is out of the question ; they must be seen to be properly understood ; and the Commissioners think they may appeal with confidence to those members of your honora- ble body, who made an excursion over the line of aqueduct in the month of August last, for the correctness of this opinion. The operations of the masons were suspended on the 8th of November last, and the work placed in a condition to secure it against the frosts of winter. Provision is made in the contracts, that no hydraulic masonry shall be laid up between the 15th of October and the 1st of April ; but the weather continuing mild, the importance of forwarding this part of the work, as far as possible, with safety, induced an extension of the date of suspension to the 8th of November aforesaid. It will be observed there is a much larger quantity of excavation or open cutting per- formed, than of any other description of work. This was owing, in a measure, to the pres- sure of the times, which brought forward a great number of laborers seeking employ- ment ; and to meet this emergency, permission was given to proceed with this descrip- tion of labor, in order that as many of these people as practicable might be employed, rather than confine the contractors to the more important mechanical operations, on which only a few, comparatively, could be engaged. The contractors have been urged to procure as much of the stone for the erection of the culverts, to be prepared during the winter, as practicable, in order that no delay may occur in their construction at the opening of the next season. That part of the work requiring no mortar, such as stone wall for foundation and protection, rock excavation, tunnelling, and earth embankment, will progress during the winter months without abate- ment. The first and second divisions, which are included in the contracts made, embrace a line of aqueduct of 21 miles in length, and the Commissioners were only waiting for the possession of the land, then just adjudicated to them, extending to Harlem river, to put under contract so much of the third and fourth divisions, as should carry the aqueduct over that river. But to enable them to effect their object, more money would be required — especially 38 150 MEMOIR OF THE if, as seemed to be the wish of many citizens, the plan of Major Douglas, of passing the Harlem on a high bridge, maintaining the level of the aqueduct, be adopted. We quote the reasoning of the report on this subject, and as to the conveyance of the water over York Island, together with a new estimate of the cost of the whole work : With a view of deciding the question, as to the best manner of bringing the Croton water