Report of the President 1 9 



one, in a suitable manner, for the purposes of a Museum of Natural History, 

 as specified in said section and chapter." 



Chapter 139 of the laws of 1876 directs the Board of Commissioners of 

 the Department of Public Parks " to make and enter into a contract with the 

 American Museum of Natural History for the occupation by it of the build- 

 ings erected or to be erected * * * in Manhattan Square, in accordance with 

 the second section of chapter two hundred and ninety of the laws of eighteen 

 hundred and seventy-one, and chapter three hundred and fifty-one of the laws 

 of eighteen hundred and seventy-five, and transferring thereto and establishing 

 and maintaining therein, its museum, library, and collections, and carrying 

 out the objects and purposes of the said society." 



In accordance with the provisions of this law, in 1878 the Trustees entered 

 into the present contract for the establishment and maintenance of the Ameri- 

 can Museum of Natural History. 



By paragraph 622 of the amended Charter (1901), the Commissioner of 

 the Boroughs of Manhattan and Richmond is directed to continue the contract 

 with the American Museum of Natural History. 



Paragraph 230 of the amended Charter makes it obligatory for the Board 

 of Estimate to appropriate annually, "the amount necessary for the mainte- 

 nance of the buildings, instruments and equipments of * * * the American 

 Museum of Natural History, not exceeding one hundred and thirty-five 

 thousand dollars." 



Paragraph 613 of the amended Charter also provides that " it shall be the 

 duty of the Commissioner for the Boroughs of Manhattan and Richmond to 

 maintain * * * the Museum of Natural History * * * and to provide the 

 necessary instruments, furniture and equipments for the * * * buildings * * *, 

 and, with the authority of the Board of Aldermen, to develop and improve 

 the same, and to erect additional buildings; but the maintenance of all such 

 buildings * * * shall be subject to the provisions of the acts incorporating said 

 institution * * *; and shall also be subject to and in conformity with such 

 contracts and agreements as have heretofore been made with such institution, 

 * * * and are in force and effect when this act takes effect, * * * " 



Thus from the amended Charter, $135,000 is the maximum maintenance 

 appropriation allowed. Chapter 246 of the laws of 1902 provides an additional 

 $25,000 for maintenance, and Chapter 292 of the laws of 1905 authorizes an 

 additional $4.0,000 for maintenance. This makes the total sum of $200,000 

 which the City is now appropriating for maintenance, but which is insufficient 

 to meet the actual cost of maintenance. 



The substance of the foregoing statement and abstracts 

 has been communicated in a letter addressed to Honorable 

 Cabot Ward, Commissioner of Parks. It constitutes by far 

 the most important matter now before the Municipal Authori- 

 ties and the Trustees of this institution. 



In order to amend the matter of maintenance, we are pro- 

 posing to submit a draft of a law removing the limitations of 

 the amount that the City may appropriate for this purpose, 

 and, on the principle of "Home Rule," are leaving the sum 

 to the discretion of the Mayor and of the Board of Estimate 

 and Apportionment. The matter of this amendment of the 

 appropriation law arose in connection with the recommendation 

 of the Board of Education that the extension of the educational 



