The result is, that all that part of the city lying above Grandstreet on Broadway, or Pearl-street on the east side of the city, has not the use of the Manhattan water for the purpose of extinguishing fires. It has therefore become absolutely necessary for the Corporation, in some manner, to give to the upper part of the city, a supply of water for that purpose. The breadth of the island at Grand-street, is about two miles and does not mate- ;

rially differ as high up as Fourteenth-street. be perceived, that the extreme dis- It will tance from the rivers, of the part of the city between Grand and Fourteenth-streets, is one mile, or 5280 feet. Now, to bring the water from either river, at the extreme distance by engines, would require 26. Our whole engine establishment would not form two lines. This mode of furnishing water by engines from the rivers, is not only too limited, but too laborious for the firemen, to be at all relied on, for the section of the city referred to. Another mode of supply is by cisterns ; and this to a certain extent, is already in operation. The Corporation has at present, 40 public cisterns, which have cost on an average $600 each, making in all a cost of at least $24,000. They usually contain 100 hogsheads each. Now to provide for the section of the city between Fourteenth and Grandstreets on Broadway, and Fourteenth and Pearl-streets on Chatham-street, on the east side of the city, by cisterns, would require the construction of at least 60 additional cisterns, supposing that each thousand feet square required a cistern, and if we estimate them at $600 each, (including expenses of assessments,) it will make the sum of $36,000. The cisterns would probably not last longer than 20 or 25 years, and would require considerable expense in repairs of leaks, and for leaders, &c., during that time.