(326) 
students. The medical faculty of the College of Physicians 
and Surgeons also favored the petition; but the censors and 
trustees strongly opposed it, because of the distance of the 
garden from the college (three and one half miles) and of its 
subordinate importance in medical education. The trustees 
of Columbia also declined to lend their support.* It is not 
improbable that an additional reason for not joining in the 
application was that it might naturally obstruct further grants 
of patronage to themselves, which both colleges greatly 
needed for other purposes. 
After much debate, a bill was passed March 12, 1810, by 
a small majority authorizing the purchase and a lottery to 
raise money to pay for it. The act was entitled an ‘* Act for 
promoting Medical Science in the State of New York.” It 
directed the fair value of the land and improvements, ex- 
cluding the plants, to be ascertained by commissioners and 
paid from the proceeds of the lottery. Appraisers fixed this 
value at $74,268.75 ; the land and wall being rated at $2,500 
per acre, and the buildings at $24,300, and the plants at 
$12,635. Dr. Hosack accepted the terms of the act though 
the compensation was $28,000 less than his outlay; and 
having, as required, cleared the title of claims for quit rents 
and street rights, he conveyed the grounds, buildings and 
plants to the People of the State by deed dated January 3, and 
filed in the office of the Secretary of State, January 14, 1811. 
*See Exposition of the Transactions of the College of Physicians and 
Surgeons, 16-21, 1812. This pamphlet exhibits the bitter feeling which 
the botanical garden as Dr. Hosack’s “‘ county y-seat’’ and ‘' garden,” pro- 
ceeds as follows 
ie e gate is mc! written, ‘2 Shillings admittance, excepting sub- 
scribers and purchasers,’ . . . Money is drawn from the sale of plants and 
vegetables and the pute oF cattle. These animals, to the number of 20 
. 30, eeee the Botanical Garden and excite the ridicule of travellers passing 
t 
T Several trust deeds in the nature of mortgages, executed soon afterwards 
e “pected proceeds of the Lottery, for the benefit of Nath. 
Seen Brockholst Livingston and several others, show how considerably 
been obliged to draw upon his friends in ‘building up the Garden 
pean (Liber 90, p. 524, February 23, 1811; Lib. 91, p. 74, March 5, 1811.) 
