The Charter of the City of New-York
[New York: Hugh Gaine, 1793.]
Octavo in 4s (9 3/16” x 5 5/8”, 234mm x 144mm): binder’s blank, A-M4, binder’s blank [$1 signed; +B2]. 48 leaves, pp. 1 2-96.
Bound in quarter green cloth over (contemporary) marbled boards. On the spine, title, publisher and date gilt to a red sheep label. Azure end-papers.
Rubbed generally, with a loss to the marbling of the front board and wear at the extremities. A little peripheral tanning and the odd spot of foxing, but an altogether fresh example. Sometime dog-ear creases to a handful of leaves. Oval ink(-stencilled?) ownership mark of John Nitchie Junior to the front paste-down (hatched out), with his signature (“John Nitchie”) to the title-page. Ink ownership signature of Charles Taylor to the recto of the front paste-down. Graphite ownership signature of D. Selden beside Nitchie’s on the title-page.
Between 1790 and 1800 the population of the City of New York (i.e., Manhattan) nearly doubled, from about 32,000 to 61,000, the largest single-decade increase in its history. The pressures of that regulating the exploding population fell largely on the shoulders of Mayor Richard Varick (1753–1831), who had served as private secretary to George Washington during the Revolutionary War, and who is sometimes called “the forgotten Founding Father.” Varick served 11 consecutive 1-year terms as mayor, during which time he oversaw the consolidation of laws relating to the city.
New York’s tradition of printing annual collections of new laws began before Independence and recommenced in 1786 in the mayoralty of James Duane, and, from 1793, in Varick’s mayoralty. The present item is the final section (the signing of the quires beginning with “A” suggests that the printer anticipated such excerpting) of the 1793 Laws and ordinances, ordained and established by the Mayor, Aldermen and Commonalty of the City of New-York, in common council convened; for the Good RULE and GOVERNMENT of the inhabitants and residents of the said city. Passed and Published the tenth day of May, 1793, in the fourth year of the Mayoralty of Richard Varick, Esquire. The Montgomerie Charter of 1731, named for Col. John Montgomerie, who governed the colony of New York 1728–1731, was for a century (i.e., well into Independence) the city’s constitution, its core governing document.
John Nitchie junior (1783–1838) was son of John George Nitchie, who was born in Dresden in 1725 and emigrated to New York. By 1801 the elder Nitchie was Assistant (i.e., supporting the alderman) in the city’s first ward (the very southern tip of Manhattan, as far north as Liberty St. and Maiden Lane) during the mayoralty of Varick himself. Perhaps the volume was owned and used by Nitchie in the discharge of his office and passed to his son after his death (1811). Nitchie junior would go on to serve as treasurer of the American Bible Society. Charles Taylor and D. Selden yield little.
Evans 25907 (Laws and Ordinances).
Item #JLR0670
Price: $1,600