expenditure should be charged against the water stock fund, except the same is approved by the Water Commissioners and the Comptroller." Under this provision, the Commissioners stated to the Board of Aldermen, that they felt constrained to call the attention of their engineers to the subject of supplying the city with pipes, and laying them down.

"The extent of the subject," say the Commissioners, " and its importance, will be readily perceived, when it has been stated by our predecessors, that lines of pipes, to the

184 MEMOIR OP THE extent of 165 miles, will be required, and as early as the spring of 1842, according to the

opinions of our predecessors, from which we see no reason to dissent. The lines of pipes now laid down, are in extent about 35 miles, which are to be mainly abstracted from the length of line believed to be required. Now by the progress made the last year, and understood to be making for the present year, it would require 14 or 15 years to complete the laying down of the distributing pipes, supposing the city to remain stationary."

Another objection to the work being done by committees of the Corporation, seems to have been, that it was by day's work, and not by contract, and therefore less economical. All the other work on the aqueduct had been done by contract, and it is reasonably urged that the same practice should be observed in laying down the distributing pipes. The former Commissioners had so construed the then existing laws, as to terminate their duties and responsibilities at the distributing reservoir and they had so reported to ;