COMMON SCHOOLS IN THIS STATE. 243 



of New York, for the establishment of common schools. 

 In 1800, there were already 1350 schools, with 60,000 

 pupils ; but the Legislative appropriation was then 

 given up. In 1805, a grant of half a million of acres of 

 land was set aside, and, subsequently, shares in the Mer 

 chant Bank of New York, to form a fund which was to 

 be divided among&quot; the school districts as soon as the 



o 



revenue amounted to 50,000 dollars a-year. The pro 

 ceeds of all State lands sold since 1821, the interest of 

 certain moneys obtained from Congress, and an annual 

 grant to the permanent capital of 25,000 dollars from the 

 income of the canals, have since been added to this fund, 

 which now amounts to about 300,000 dollars a-year,* 

 besides 100,000 dollars a-year appropriated to colleges, 

 academies, normal and Indian schools, &c. 



In 1812, the common schools were first established, and 

 it was provided that each township, at a public meeting, 

 should determine whether they would accept their share of 

 the public money, and raise twice as much themselves by 

 local taxation. But as this plan did not work, it was sub 

 sequently ordered that each county should raise twice the 

 sum granted by the State, and that the whole should be 

 divided among the school districts, according to the num 

 ber of children between five and sixteen years. This order 

 was afterwards, I believe, withdrawn. There were in 



Schools. Pupils. 



1816, . 2,631 176,449 



1822, . 6,865 342,479 



1842, . 10,886 603,583 



1847, . 10,621 775,723 t 



and the school libraries contained 1,338,000 volumes. 



* In 1848, it was 285,000 dollars, and the amount of public money 

 received from all sources by tlie common schools was 858,594 dollars, 

 of which 91,000 were appropriated to the school libraries. 



f- This indicates the number of individuals who have been at school 

 during the year, but the average actual attendance was much less. 

 Thus, while nearly 200,000 attended the schools of New York city, the 

 average attendance was only 32,000. 



