60 



Commissioners, but fails, in the opinion of the Commissioners 

 of Assessment, to point out or provide the manner of payment 

 of these officers. Unless it shall be deemed necessary to 

 remedy this supposed accidental omission, no necessity now 

 appears to exist for any further legislation. 



The expenses incurred for the preliminary surveys, for the 

 maps and reports of the engineer, for counsel fees, and for a 

 temporary watchman or superintendent of the park grounds, 

 amount in the whole to about the sum of three thousand dollars. 

 The whole of this amount remains unpaid. No other expenses 

 have been incurred, nor any other debt contracted. 



While the Commissioners have been careful to comply with 

 all th,e requirements of the law — by the due organization of 

 their Board, by the observance of all necessary duties imposed 

 upon them as Commissioners, and by vigilantly guarding the 

 rights of the public in the grants contained in the acts relating 

 to the park — they do not consider themselves as having fal- 

 tered in their duty to the public in not making any perceptible 

 progress since their last report, in the actual development of 

 their plans. 



The year 1861 was not propitious for carrying forward such 

 improvements as are contemplated in the establishment of 

 Prospect Park. The commerce of the country suspended ; the 

 industry of the nation checked, and the hearts of the people 

 crushed by a wicked attempt to destroy the benign government 

 under which they lived and prospered, all public improvements 

 became necessarily paralyzed. The Commissioners, therefore, 

 make no apology for not pushing forward this greatest and 

 noblest of Brooklyn enterprises during such a period. When 

 the gloom which now spreads over our land shall have been 

 dispersed, and when peace and prosperity shall awaken to new 

 life the now repressed energies of our beautiful city, the Com- 

 missioners will not be found tardy in the performance of their 

 duties, nor fail to meet the expectations of those who have con- 

 fided to them this important trust. 



The Commissioners do not think it probable that the action 

 of the Commissioners of Estimate and Assessment will be suffi- 

 ciently advanced to require any further expenditure by this 

 Board during the present year, unless it should be found neces- 



