their difficulties in conciliating the inhabitants of Westchester, along the line, to the great work in hand, complain of the delays incident to the process of appraisement, and " lack of finally of what they considered energy in the operations of their engineer department." " Wetook occasion," says the Report, " to state in our communication of the 1st of August, that on the 23d July, certain information was requested of the chief engineer, which he had promised to furnish as soon as possible, and that on the production of it, we were still in hopes of being enabled to place some part of the work under contract, before the close of the year. These hopes, however, have not been realized, and the Commissioners having felt much dissatisfaction at this disappointment, and for other causes, they finally determined to make a change in the office of chief engineer." Accordingly, on the llth of October, 1836, Mr. J. B. Jervis, who had been engaged in most of the public works constructed by this State, was appointed chief engineer, at an annual

salary of $5000. We cannot but pause in our narrative for a moment, to express regret that a great enterprise like this, of which the plans and details were digested by Major Douglas, which even in its consummation, must still be deemed mainly to be his work, should, owing to any misunderstanding or incompatibility of temper between him and the". Chairman of the Board of Commissioners, have been committed to other hands.