proceeds from the labor of the convicts at the stone business, for the ensuing year, will fully prove this to be the most profitable business at which they can be employed."

The committee have prepared a bill in accordance with the previous suggestions, which they ask leave to introduce.

ALLAN MACDONALD,

Chairman.

IN SENATE,

March 23, 1833.

REPORT

Of the select committee on the bill from the Assemly, entitled "An act for the erection of a courthouse in the county of Kings."

Mr. Sherman, from the select committee consisting of the senators of the first senate district, to whom was referred the bill from the Assembly, entitled "An act for the erection of a court-house in the county of Kings,"

REPORTED:

That they have had the subject matter referred to them under consideration, and have examined the same, together with certain resolutions and proceedings of the board of supervisors of said county; also several petitions and remonstrances on the same subject, which have been received by the committee since the bill came from the Assembly. They have likewise heard the statements and examinations of respectable individuals deputed for that purpose, and representing inhabitants of the said county on both sides the question submitted to the committee.

It appears that the county of Kings has been for the last seven or eight years, in a manner half shired, having two places for holding its courts; the one at the old court-house of the county, situated at Flatbush, and the other at the apprentices library in the village of Brooklyn. In consequence of the late destruction of the old court-house at Flatbush by fire, there have been two public notices given, and two applications presented to the Legislature on the subject; one for the erection of a court-house and jail, in the village of Brooklyn, to be the only court-house of the county, the [Senate, No. 86.]

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other to erect a court-house and jail at Fatbush, on the site of the one lately burnt down.

There are six towns in the county of Kings, two of them, Brooklyn and Bushwick, being the northeastern towns of the county, unite in favor of the court-house to be located in the village of Brooklyn. The four other towns, Flatbush, Flatlands, Gravesend, and New-Utrecht, being principally agricultural towns, unite in favor of a court-house at Flatbush, on the former site.

On the third of January last, the subject was taken up by the board of supervisors of the county, and they decided and passed a resolution accordingly, by a vote of four to two in favor of the court-house at Flatbush.

Brooklyn and Bushwick dissenting from this decision, have presented their claims in a strong petition signed by about 1,300 inhabitants, and fortified by resolutions of the president and trustees of the village of Brooklyn, and resolutions passed at a town-meeting assembled for that purpose. They likewise urge the granting of their application by arguments founded on the weight of population, which is greatly in their favor; there being about 17,000 inhabitants in the village of Brooklyn and Bushwick, and about 3,500 in the other four towns. The amount of taxable

tween them, bears about a corresponding ratio.

property, as be

On the part of the towns, there has likewise been presented a strong petition in favor of Flatbush, containing the signatures of about 700 names.

The county being thus divided in opinion, the board of supervisors again assembled together on the subject, for the purpose, as would appear, of endeavoring to compromise this exciting subject, by recommending a course, calculated in their opinion, to satisfy both parties, The result was, a resolution that there should continue to be two court-houses in the county, one at Brooklyn and one at Flatbush, the two places where the courts of the county have been formerly held. That Brooklyn and Bushwick should form one jury district, and the four towns of Flatbush, Flatlands, Gravesend and New-Utrecht should form the other, and that each district should build a court-house at its own expense. That Brooklyn and Bushwick be permitted to raise by tax on their inhabitants, the sum they ask, 25,000 dollars; and the other four

towns be permitted to raise the sum of eight thousand dollars on their inhabitants for the purposes aforesaid. Jurors are not to be taken from one district to do duty in the other; and they likewise recommended certain county expenses to be town charges. This resolution of the board of supervisors, was sent up to the committee together with a draft of a bill embracing the foregoing provisions.

This arrangement prepared by the board of supervisors appearto give satisfaction, and the individuals attending the committee from the county of Kings, united in the general proposition, but differed on some particular details contained in the bill. At the request of the individuals on both sides, the committee adjourned their next meeting for about three weeks, that those individuals might have an opportunity of expressing their opinions after returning from a visit to their county.

Soon afterwards the committee received some other communications from the county, viz. four petitions from the four towns, signed by every individual of three of the towns, with the exception of about six or eight persons, as was stated, and by nearly all the inhabitants of the other town, in favor of two court-houses and two jury districts, as recommended by the supervisors.

A remonstance was likewise presented, signed by about 150 names, purporting to be inhabitants of the four towns, against having two court-houses. Against this remonstrance was sent up two other remonstrances or certificates, signed by about eighty names of persons who had signed the first remonstrance, setting forth that they had been induced to sign it by false representations made to them, and protesting against their names being used to subserve the object of said remonstrance,

From Brooklyn and Bushwick no remonstrances have been received on the subject since the last proposition of the board of supervisors. And the agents who again attended before the committee appeared to acquiesce in the general provisions, but objected to particular sections of the bill; one relating to relief granting to temporary poor, which was agreed to be stricken out. They also objected to the section making it compulsory on the towns to build a courthouse at Flatbush, and requested that it might be so modified as to give them permission to build within a limited number of years; and proposed a provision exempting the towns from jurors duty at Brooklyn except at two terms in a year; believing that they would