200 History of the New York Census. 



in 1777, provided that a septennial census of electors 

 should be taken as a basis of representation in the senate 

 and assembly, and under this authority a census was 

 taken in 1790, 1795, 1801, 1807, 1814 and 1821, a special 

 act being passed for each of these occasions, in which the 

 schedule of inquiries was prescribed. 



The enumerations were made by one or more discreet 

 persons appointed in each ward, and written by the supe- 

 rior assessors and town clerk. The blanks were dis- 

 tributed and returned through the agency of county trea- 

 surers, and in some case, through the county clerks. 



The census under the first state Constitution required 

 only a return of electors, who were divided into four 

 classes, according to their qualifications, viz : — 



1st. Those worth <£100 ($250) and over, and allowed 

 to vote for senator governor and lieutenant governor. 



2d. Those worth from £20 to <£100 ($50 to $250). 



3d. Those not freeholders, but renting estates with 40 

 shillings ($5) annually. 



4th. Those who did not possess property qualifications, 

 but were freemen in New York city on the 14th of Octo- 

 ber, 1775, or in Albany on the 20th of April, 1777. 



Nothing beyond these inquiries was returned until the 

 fifth census in 1814, when the occasion was improved to 

 ascertain the total population. 



The ages of white males and females were arranged with 

 reference to 18 and 45 years, but of the free blacks and 

 slaves only the total was given, without reference to age 

 or sex. 



In 1821, upon the last occasion in which a census was 

 taken, under the first Constitution, an attempt was made 

 to obtain statistics of agriculture and domestic manufac- 

 tures. This attempt may be attributed to the efforts of the 

 state Board of Agriculture, founded in 1819, and then 

 earnestly engaged in efforts to promote and encourage 



