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 undertaking 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, one of the members from this city in the Assembly, together with John Murray, Esq., as President of the Chamber of Commerce, Gulian Verplanck, Esq., as President of the Office of Discount and Dcposite of the Bank of the United States, in this city, Peter H. Wendover, as President of the Mechanics' Society, together with Major General Hamilton and John Broome, Esq., according to an appointment by Mr. Burr, called on him, and stated to him, in presence of the Recorder, who was also requested to attend for the purpose, that great difficulties had arisen in the minds of members of the Legislature, touching the power requested to be vested in their Board, by the bill for supplying the city with water, and the bill for investing the Board with adequate powers in relation to the health of the city, and that it was problematical whether those bills could pass in the form proposed, and he therefore submitted the propriety of this Board requesting the Legislature, if these bills respectively should not be deemed proper in the form proposed, that the Legislature should make such provisions on the several subjects thereof, as to them should appear most eligible.