COLLEGE OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK.

The "New York Free Academy" was established July 27, 1846, wholly at the city cost, it being the pioneer of Free Academies in the State. It was sanctioned by a law passed May 7, 1847, which referred the question of maintenance by tax, to the electors, at a special election in June following, and it was confirmed by a vote of 19,404 to 3,409.

The following Professorships were established :

1. Mathematics and Natural Philosophy.

2. History and Belles-Lettres.

3. Latin and Greek Languages and Literature. 4. French Language and Literature.

5. Spanish Language and Literature.

6. Chemistry.

7. German and Drawing.

The Academy was opened January 27, 1849, with HORACE WEBSTER, LL. D. (formerly of Geneva College), as President, and was a success from the beginning. From the first, none were admitted but those who had passed through the course in the Public Schools. The attendance increased rapidly, and as the need was felt, additional instructors were appointed. Of the latter, there were three in 1848; ten in 1849; fifteen in 1850; seventeen in 1851, and twenty-two in 1852.

In 1854,1 full powers were granted for conferring degrees, but the name was not changed to the present form until 1866. Under this act the Board of Education were made ex-officio Trustees of the College. It has since been steadily advancing and adding new departments of study as the occasion required.'

1 Chap. 267, Laws of 1854.

March 30, 1866.

In an account published in "The Public Service of New York" (vol. III, page 406), the following tribute is paid to the early friends of this institution :

"The founders of the College are the People of New York. Prominent among its benefactors and promoters may be mentioned: Townsend Harris, first Minister from the United States to Japan, President of the Board of Education in 1846-47, lately deceased; Robert Kelley, President of the Board of Education, 1848-49: Judge Joseph S. Bosworth, member of Executive Committee, 1847, 1848, 1849: Hon. Luther Bradish, Chairman of Executive Committee, 1850, 1851, 1852: Erastus C. Benedict, LL. D., late Chancellor of the University of the State; Wm. H. Neilson, President of the Board in 1855, and again in 1873, 1874, 1875, Judge Richard L. Larremore, Chairman of the Board of Trustees in 1868-69; Hon. Sam uel B. H. Vance, ex-Mayor and Chairman of Executive Committee. Also. Ephraim Holbrook, Seth Grosvenor, Duncan C. Pell, Edwin Burr, Charles S. Cromwell,

The expenses of this College from the beginning to 1880 were: For lot and building, $91,373; salaries, repairs and supplies, $2,757,152; total, $2,848,524. The property of the College is reported as follows in the Regents' Report of 1884: Grounds and buildings, $212,000; educational collections, $82,300; funds for Library and Prizes, $40,750; received from the City Comptroller the preceding year, $119,159.19; income of Library and Prize Funds, $1,543.06; paid for salaries, $101,882.98; improvements and repairs, $6,122.36; for other purposes, $12,696.91.

The endowment of the College is by a law passed May 1, 1872,' fixed at $150,000. The main College building is on the corner of Lexington avenue and Twenty-third street, and contains sixteen recitation-rooms, a lecture-room, three drawing-rooms, a chapel, a library of three rooms, a laboratory, offices for the President, Secretary and Registrar, apartments for Janitor and several store-rooms. The building used by the sub-Freshmen class contains eleven recitation-rooms, an assembly room and store-rooms in the basement.

The library numbered in 1880, 18,200 volumes of well-selected works, valued at about $45,750. A repository for text-books, numbered 16,500 volumes. The laboratory is well provided, and the collections, apparatus, models, charts, etc., are ample for illustration and were valued at $14,700. A cabinet of Natural History was valued at $2,000, and architectural models, casts for drawing-class, etc., as much more.

Instruction is given in all departments, excepting Drawing and the Fine Arts, by text-books, and in most departments lectures are delivered. In the three higher classes the students are exercised in composition and oratory. Prize speaking is had at Commencement by three members of each of the three highest classes. The Seniors and Juniors each deliver two original discourses annually before the entire College. Sophomores are exercised in declamation throughout the year. Freshmen are required to write compositions once a month.

The course extends through five years, and graduates receive de

Augustus H. Ward, Elisha Riggs, James Kelly, John Claflin and George R. Lockwood, the donors of funds and prizes bearing their names and described in this article.

The only private benefactions that the College has received, except donations of books, apparatus, etc., made at various times, and prizes mentioned hereafter, are the following: In 1852, Ephraim Holbrook, $5,000, to be applied, at a future period, to the purchase of books for the library. In 1857, Seth Grosvenor, $30,000, for books for the library."

'Chap. 637, Laws of 1872.

grees of Bachelor of Arts, or of science, according to the studies pursued. There is also a Post-graduate course in Civil Engineering, and a short Commercial course of one year only. To the end of the Sophomore year, the studies are alike, but in the last two years students may take a Classical or a Scientific course. An extended series of prizes has been established.1

The College being, through the action of its officers and alumni, associated with the following Universities and Colleges, viz.: Amherst, Brown, Columbia, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, New Jersey, Wesleyan and Yale, in the support of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, the school is open to any properly qualified graduate of this College.

The Museum of Natural History in 1884, contained 6,000 specimens; 550 in Botany, 250 of Vertebrata, 1,600 of Invertebrata, 2,000 in Mineralogy, and 1,600 in Lithology, Geology and Paleontology. Among them may be mentioned a set of Conchological specimens from the Smithsonian Institution; a very valuable collection of the Unios of the United States, presented by Mr. Isaac Lea, of Philadelphia, and a complete series of the Corals of Florida, presented by Major Walter McFarland, of the Engineer Corps, U. S. A. There were also fifty models in glass, illustrative of the Radiata and the Protozoa, and wire models illustrating the principles of Crystallography.

1 These are reported in the Thirty-sixth Annual Register for 1884-5, as follows: 1. THE PELL MEDALS. Founded in 1849 by Duncan C. Pell, $500, providing a gold medal annually for highest rank in all studies. In 1856, a silver medal was provided for second in rank.

2. THE CROMWELL MEDALS. Since 1850, $500, for a gold medal annually, for best scholar in History and Belles-Lettres, and since 1856 a silver medal for second best. Founded by Charles T. Cromwell.

3. THE WARD MEDALS. By Augustus H. Ward, since 1853, twenty bronze medals, for proficiency as specified.

4. THE RIGGS MEDALS. By Elisha Riggs, since 1864, $1,000.

for English Prose Compositions in two higher classes.

Two gold medals

5. THE CLAFLIN MEDALS. By John Claflin, since 1871, $1,250, for two gold and two silver medals. Greek and Latin.

6. PRIZE OF PRESIDENT OF BOARD OF EDUCATION, since 1852. Public Speaking. 7. PRIZE FOR BEST DECLAIMER OF A SELECTED POEM. Since 1855.

8. THE LOCKWOOD PRIZE. By George R. Lockwood, since 1857. Translation from English into French.

9. THE KELLY PRIZE. By James Kelly, since 1868, $1,000. Two prizes for best debaters in Literary Societies.

10. THE BELDEN PRIZES. By William Belden, since 1883, $1,000. Pure Mathematics; a gold and a silver medal.

YEARS ENDING IN

From 1853 to 1884, the College graduated 1,132 men in thirtytwo classes. An Alumni Association is formed, and meets annually on the day after Commencement. In 1857, it established a "Students' Aid Fund," for deserving students, which is loaned without interest, and neither the names of those receiving aid, nor the amount loaned are known to any but the Trustees and Auditors of the fund. The College has two Literary Societies; the "Clionian" and the "Phrenocosmian," holding weekly meetings, and having libraries.

In November, 1883, a course was opened in the Mechanic Arts; not for teaching any particular trade, but the processes and methods that have general application. The workshops attached to the College are three in number. The first, for wood-work, has an area of 1,300 square feet, and has fifteen double benches, with tool closets and tools for thirty students. The second for forge and vise-work, with an area of 820 square feet; has six Buffalo forges, twenty anvils, ten long benches, fifteen vises and tools for a class of fifteen to thirty students. The third, for lathe-work, has an area of 720 square feet, with three grind stones and twenty-six lathes. The shops are illuminated by electric lamps and supplied with steam power.

The study of commercial products is taught practically, and includes the consideration of raw products from the mineral, vegetable and animal kingdoms-the names used in various languages, sources of supply, lines of communication and conveyance, and uses to which applied.

Attendance and Graduation at the College of the City of New York.

*In the reports for 1880 and since sub-Freshmen and Commercial classes have been reported as follows: sub-Freshmen-1880, 333; 1881, 329; 1882, 305; 1883, 243. Commercial-1880, 273; 1883, 123.

Juniors.

Seniors.

Total.

Graduates.

The Faculty of this College consists of a President and nineteen Professors, besides twenty-two Tutors and special instructors.

President Alexander Stewart Webb, LL. D.

Professors French Language and Literature, Jean Romer, LL. D.; Spanish Language and Literature, Agustin Jose Morales, LL. D.; Chemistry and Physics, Robert Ogden Doremus, M. D., LL. D.; German Language and Literature, Adolph Werner, Ph. D.; Natural History, Physiology and Hygiene, John Christopher Draper, M. D., LL. D.; Applied Mathematics, Alfred George Compton, A. M.; Latin Language and Literature, and Librarian, Charles George Herbermann, Ph. D., LL. D.; English Language and Literature, David Burnet Scott; Descriptive Geometry and Drawing, Solomon Woolfe, A. M.; Mental and Intellectual Philosophy, George Benton Newcomb, Ph. D.; Greek Language and Literature, Fitzgerald Tisdall, Ph. D.; Pure Mathematics, James Weir Mason, A. M.; History, Henry Phelps Johnston, A. B.

RUTGERS FEMALE COLLEGE.

This institution was first organized as the "Rutgers Female Institute," by an act passed April 10, 1838.' It was to be located in the Seventh ward of the city of New York, and was to be managed by a Board of fifteen Trustees, chosen by stockholders from among their number, and so classified that five would be elected annually for a term of three years. The first Trustees named in the act were: Isaac Ferris, Irad Rawley, Marinus Willett, Joseph Hoxie, William H. Falls, Zebedee Ring, Jacob K. Hardenbrook, William H. Crosby, Samuel Akerley, Thompson Price, Jacob K. Herrick, Thomas Williams, Jr., James Rowe, Jared L. Moore and John H. Williams.

The name was given in honor of Colonel Henry Rutgers of the Revolution, by his adopted son and heir, William B. Crosby, of New York. The site of the institution was first located on Madison street, near Clinton, upon three lots forming a part of the old Rutger estate. The corner stone was laid with proper exercises August 29, 1838, and the building was opened for use April 27, 1839, under the care of Dr. Charles E. West as Principal.

Valuable cabinets of minerals, shells and medals were procured, a library of 4,000 volumes was purchased, and success attended the institution from the beginning. In one month after opening it had 320 pupils, and during the second quarter it numbered 450.

1 Laws of New York, 1838, chap. 192, p. 161.