Jan. 15, 1910.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
95 
An Important Announcement. 
In his annual message to the Legislature last 
week, Governor Hughes made an announce¬ 
ment which is of far-reaching importance, as 
it affects the welfare of more than half the peo¬ 
ple of the Empire State. We are, therefore, 
printing herewith a large portion of his message 
dealing with existing and proposed reserves, 
together with a map showing the Harriman 
tract, the Palisades Park and the land along 
the Hudson River it will now be possible to 
purchase with the funds offered by Mrs. Harri¬ 
man and others. Governor Hughes said: 
“It is with great pleasure that I announce a 
most important public benefaction. In accord¬ 
ance with the wishes of the late Edward H. 
Harriman, his widow, Mary W. Harriman, has 
informed me of her readiness to convey to the 
for the protection of an adjacent tract upon 
which Mrs. Harriman resides. 
“Through this generous and patriotic action, 
which cannot be too highly commended, there 
will at once be afforded a basis not only for 
necessary conservation, but for the develop¬ 
ment of a public recreation ground in a region 
of matchless beauty, rich in historical associa¬ 
tions, and close to the abodes of more than half 
the people of the State. 
“I recommend appropriate recognition of this 
munificence and the enactment of suitable meas¬ 
ures in order to provide for the acceptance of 
the gift and its use for the purposes defined. 
“It is my privilege to announce still other 
gifts for similar purposes. The importance of 
protecting the shores of the Hudson River and 
of establishing a Highlands Park readily access¬ 
ible to those living in the congested quarters of 
“In the work already accomplished for the 
protection of the Palisades, the commission has 
been materially aided by private contributions 
of money and land amounting to about $300,000, 
the State of New York having contributed 
$400,000, and the State of New Jersey, $50,000. 
The members of the commission who have 
conducted the enterprise with conspicuous abil¬ 
ity and advantage to the State, not only have 
served without compensation, but I am informed 
that the total amount received by them for 
their personal expenses during the nine years 
of their services is only $457.93. 
“The commission has developed a plan for 
the construction of a roadway along the base 
of the Palisades from Fort Lee to Piermont, 
for the extension of the present park north¬ 
ward as contemplated in the act of 1906, and 
for the creation and improvement under its 
jurisdiction of a Highlands Park, including the 
land to be conveyed by Mrs. Harriman, with 
The Harriman Gift. 
Palisades Park. 
PLAN OF THE PALISADES INTERSTATE PARK AND OF THE NEW YORK STATE PARK MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH MRS. HARRIMAN’s GIFT. 
State a tract of about ten thousand acres of 
land situated in Orange and Rockland bounties 
to be held in perpetuity as a State park, and 
in furtherance of the same object to give to the 
State, or to such board or commission as may 
be authorized to receive and administer the 
trust, the sum of one million dollars. Mrs. 
Harriman states that it was her husband’s wish, 
and is her expectation, that this fund should be 
used by the State to acquire other parcels of 
land adjacent to the above-mentioned tract and 
intervening between it and the Hudson River, 
and in the improvement of the whole, so that 
the park may ultimately have some portion of 
river front and thus by improved accessibility 
be rendered more useful and more beneficial to 
the people of New York City and the neighbor¬ 
ing counties. In addition to the condition that 
the land so conveyed §hould be held for use 
as a public park, the grant is to be made upon 
the further condition that if the State or any 
person or corporation under its authority shall 
hereafter condemn or seek to condemn other 
land in Orange county belonging to Mrs. Harri¬ 
man or her descendants, the land which is the 
subject of the grant shall thereupon revert to 
her or her heirs. This condition is imposed 
the metropolis has inspired a benevolence which 
cannot fail to receive the grateful appreciation 
of the people. 
“These additional gifts are the result of the 
activity of the Palisades Park Commission 
which was created in 1900. Through this com¬ 
mission, constituted under the laws of this 
State, and a similar commission with identical 
membership, established under the laws of the 
State of New Jersey, there has been acquired 
the face of the cliffs from Fort Lee ferry to 
Piermont, including the riparian rights for the 
entire distance. The jurisdiction of the com¬ 
mission constituted under the laws of this State 
at first reached only to Piermont Creek in 
Rockland county; but by the amendment of the 
year 1906 it was extended so as to authorize 
the commission ‘to select and locate such moun¬ 
tain lands along the west bank of the Hudson. 
River in Rockland county north of Piermont 
Creek aforesaid and south of the State reserva¬ 
tion at Stony Point’ as it might judge to be 
‘proper and necessary for the purpose of extend¬ 
ing the limits of said State Park and thereby 
preserving the scenic beauty of the mountain 
lands along the west bank of the Hudson River 
in Rockland county north of the Palisades.’ 
suitable connections between these parks and 
with the State reservation at Stony Point. 
“For this purpose it has secured private sub¬ 
scriptions from residents of New York, New 
Jersey and Philadelphia, as follows: 
John D. Rockefeller.$500,000 
J. Pierpont Morgan. 500,000 
Margaret Olivia Sage. 50,000 
Helen Miller Gould. 25,000 
Ellen F. James and Arthur Curtiss 
James . 25,000 
William K. Vanderbilt. 50,000 
George F. Baker. 50,000 
James Stillman . 50,000 
John D. Archbold. 50,000 
William Rockefeller . 50,000 
Frank A. Munsey. 50,000 
Henry Phipps. 50,000 
E. T. Stotesbury. 50,000 
F. H. Gary. 50.000 
V. Everit Macy. 25,000 
George W. Perkins. 50,000 
“These make a total, in addition to Mrs. Har- 
riman’s gift, which they are intended to supple¬ 
ment, of $1,625,000. These additional subscrip- 
