History of the New York Census. 



197 



each, together with the number of marriages, christenings 

 and burials that had occurred within seven years. To 

 these were added inquiries concerning quit rents, revenues, 

 escheats, forfeitures, duties, &c, the names of patuntees 

 under the crown and the rents due from each throughout 

 the colony. 



"We thus observe, in the beginning, the natural and legiti- 

 mate business of the census, as affording to the government 

 the information needed for an intelligent administration 

 of its affairs, and the adoption of a practice long afterwards 

 continued, of assigning this duty to tke sheriffs of counties. 

 Indeed the practice with regard to the Federal census has 

 been from the first, and now is, to cause the enumeration 

 to be made by marshals of the district courts and their 

 deputies. These officers possess functions analogous to 

 those of sheriff, in attending to the execution of the laws, 

 and their acknowledged authority might under some cir- 

 cumstances tend to a more prompt compliance with their 

 demands. 



In 1697 an enumeration of the inhabitants of the city 

 and county of Albany was ordered for the purpose of ascer- 

 taining the losses that had occurred from the molestation 

 of their enemies in Canada, and the result presents the 

 earliest attempt at classification that our local history 

 affords, but extended no further than the primitive subdi- 

 visions of "men," "women" and "children," — and the 

 numbers departed from the colony, — taken prisoners, 

 killed or died from natural causes. 



In 1698 a full census of the provinces was taken by the 

 high sheriffs and justices of the peace by order of Gover- 

 nor Bellomont. The result presented one more class than 

 the preceding, the whites being classified as men, women 

 and children, and the negroes in the aggregate only. 



In 1703 Lord Cornbury, as governor, issued an order to 

 the sheriffs to enumerate the people in each county, dis- 



