353.97 P941 UNIVERSITY LIBRARY UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN The person charging this material is responsible for its renewal or return to the library on or before the due date. The minimum fee for a lost item is $ 125 . 00 , $ 300.00 for bound journals. Theft, mutilation, and underlining of books are reasons for disciplinary action and may result in dismissal from the University. Please note: self-stick notes may result in torn pages and lift some inks. Renew via the Telephone Center at 217-333-8400, 846-262-1510 (toll-free) orcirclib@uiuc.edu. Renew online by choosing the My Account option at: http://www.library.uiuc.edu/catalog/ MAY 0 8 m (fJtith the (rnmplinunts of ALBANY, NEW YORK. CENTRAL CIRCULATION AND BOOKSTACKS The person borrowing this material is re¬ sponsible for its renewal or return before the Latest Date stamped below. You may be charged a minimum fee of $75.00 for each non-returned or lost item. Thoft, mutilation, or defacement of library materials can be causes for student disciplinary action. All materials owned by the University of Illinois Library are the property of the State of Illinois and are protected by Article 16B of Illinois Criminal Law and Procedure. TO RENEW, CALL (217) 333-8400. University of Illinois Library at Urbona-Champaign rwif 01 2m] When renewing by phone, write new due date below previous due date. L162 PROCEEDINGS AT THE OF THE IsTlS^V^ O^lPITOLs On the 24th Day of June, 1871. THE ARGUS COMPANY, PRINTERS. 1871. 353 . |he |m l^apitol ^ ,cmnu^^ianijr^< HAMILTON HARRIS, - WILLIAM C. KINGSLEY, MHLLIAM A. RICE, CHAUNCEY M. DEPEW, DELOS DE WOLF, EDWIN A. MERRITT, - Albany. Brooklyn. Albany. New York. Oswego. Potsdam. Hx\MILTON HARRIS, Chairman. WM. A. RICE, Sec'y and Trea'r. THOMAS FULLER, SYLVANUS H. SWEET, WM. J. Ale ALPINE, JOHN BRIDGFORD, - Architect. Engineer. Consulting Engmeer. Superintendent. . t.!*' ■:-^:?i; a.,- -■.’.•■ '■- ..■ 6 V. S ..■•>• ' •: . ' - ' .’ ff> •fpt J-iirt 'f't! ‘t»r Ti/iXi Vi'f MO , mhiUA tj) Jhiifliov/, rm-'4,. , ^ • ■'• * j 'i<> noik*!^ i«»li n:»r»/yn ly-MurM " ■{ V((t4^v^'%i.t'^• ■f4ri;^'j^,!' 0 ^ , P^'V iAh^*A *i(1t hfsti^< '(in ~M\) ’4Tjrii»ir liliif^lir/' - v r'!',-e- ir, h"i-rH ILi.'x'r’MjMfA'y ■ [; ‘n>*(/'f5o.’4MoWit5^f ♦ IMlm ' ' --"■ ■ 0 ^ * « ' • " <. ’ L »A' 'ol .T'‘|'i'i->- M/* ^ v;^,^alL^:•/''( >ir) r yKk'»M^'^'iiiJW'7'i ^jrhit 1U»! VvVW ■ • 'iiiJW'7 i i^i f' > V -) ‘il rittij .: •! <» 0f ^jroceedings. >^o The Corner Stone of the new Capitol of the State of New York was laid, in the city of Albany, on the twenty- fourth day of June, 1871. A procession was formed under the direction of Gene¬ ral D. M. WooDHALL, Brigadier-General of the Ninth Brigade of the National Guard of the State of New York, and also of Robert H. Waterman, Grand Mar¬ shal of the Masonic bodies. The following are the orders issued by Brigadier- General D. M. WooDHALL, and by the Grand Marshal Robert H. Waterman : MILITARY ORDERS. Head-Quarters Ninth Brigade N. G. S. N. Y. Albany, N. Y., June 23, 1871. First. The Ninth Brigade will form as directed in general orders No. 3, current series. Second. The Albany Burgesses Corps will report as escort to the Mayor, Recorder, President and Common Council of the city, on North Pearl street, right on State street, at 10.25 a. m. Third. The Albany Jackson Corps will report as escort to the New Capitol Commissioners, His Excellency Governor 6 Laying the Corner Stone Hoffman and Staff, State Officers and guests, on the left of the Common Council, at the same hour. Fourth. The Masonic Fraternity will form, as directed by Grand Marshal R. IT. Waterman, at 10.30 a. m. A signal gun will be fired, when the route of march will be taken up iu the following order: Cavalry, Hinth Brigade, Brevet-Major Sciiwarzman, com¬ manding, as escort to Brigadier-General Woodiiall and Staff, and their Guests, Major-General Carr and Staff, Third Division. ^astman's ^and. Tenth Regiment, G. S. N. Y., Colonel J. G. Farnsworth. ]^LE1N’s j^AND. Twenty-Fifth Ri:giment, N. G. S. Y. Y., Col. Fred. Andes. Howitzer Battery, Captain John Bochin. PORING’S pAND. Albany Burgesses Corps, Lieutenant B. Y. Z. Wemple, His Honor the Mayor, George H. Thacher. The Recorder, President and- Members of the Common Council in carriages. pLOCKTON’S pAND. Jackson Corps, Captain James Macfarlane, as escort to the Hew Capitol Commissioners. His Excellency Governor Hoffman and Staff, with State Officers and Guests in carriages. pREEBERTHUYSER’S pAND. Apollo Commandery, as escort to visiting Knights Templars. Ping's Pand. Lodges of Master Masons, under command of Robert H. Waterman, Grand Marshal. Temple Commandery, Ho. 2, Sir Knight Townsend Fondey, commander, as escort to the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Masons of the State of Hew York, M. W. J. H. Anthon, Grand Master. OF THE New Capitol. 7 The route of march will be Eagle to Ilnclson, Hudson to Broadway, Broadway to Orauge, Orange to Pearl, Pearl to State, State to Eagle, Eagle to Jay, Jay to Hawk, Hawk to State, State to Dove, Dove to Washington Avenue, from Washington Avenue to nortli-west gate of the new Capitol inclosnre. This route may be changed as a military necessity. D. M. AVOODHALL, J. S. Dickerman, Brigadier-General. Lieut.-Col.., Chief of Staff. MASONIC ORDERS. The following order is promulgated for the information and government of the Lodges and Brethren participating in the procession: 1. The column will be composed of eiglit Divisions, each of which will be in charge of a Division Marshal. First Division — AYill be composed of Knights Templars of visiting Commandei-ies, and will form on Green street, right resting on State street. Second Division —AVill be com])osed of Lodges, and will form on South Pearl street, right resting on State street. Tldrdj Division — Lodges will form on South Pearl street, right resting on left of second Division. Fourth Division —Lodges will form on Beaver street, west of, and right resting on, South Pearl street. Fifth Division — Lodges will form on Daniel street, right resting on Beaver street. 8 Laying the Corner Stone Sixth Division —Lodges will form on Grand street, right resting on Beaver street. Seventh Division —Lodges will form _ on William street, south of, and right resting on, Beaver street. Eighth Division — Will be composed of the Albany Lodges and form on Howard street, right resting on South Pearl street, in the following order, viz : 1. Ancient City Lodge No. 452; Wadsworth Lodge No. 417; Washington Lodge No. 85; Temple Lodge No. 14; Masters’ Lodge No. 5; Mount Yernon Lodge No. 3. 2. Temple Commander}^ No. 2, K. T., as the immediate escort of the M. W. Grand Lodge, with Sullivan’s Capital City Band, will form in Martin Hall. 3. The Grand Lodge will form in the Beception Booms of the Young Men’s Association, Martin Hall. 4. Carriages for the Grand Master and Officers of the Grand Lodge, will take position on William street, between Beaver and Howard streets, right resting on Howard street. 5. The several organizations must be promptly on the ground at or before 10.15 a. m., and Marshals of Divisions will be ready to move at 10.30 precisely. Lodges failing to report at the time mentioned above will take position in the rear of the Seventh Division. 6. Line of March : State to Eagle, Eagle to Hudson, Hudson to Broadway, Broadway to Clinton avenue, Clinton avenue to North Pearl, North Pearl to State, State to Eagle, Eagle to Jay, Jay to Hawk, Hawk to State, State to Dove, Dove to Washington avenue, Washington avenue to the Capitol. 7. The Division Marshals will form their Divisions in pla¬ toons of eight (8), with a distance of six (6) feet between each platoon. When the right of the column is halted, the Brethren will open to the right and left, facing inward, two (2) deep, under the direction of the Marshals, to allow the Grand Lodge to pass through. Upon halting the Marshals will open their Divisions without delay. OF THE New Capitol. 9 8. As the Grand Lodge passes through, the Master and Wardens of each Subordinate Lodge will leave their Lodges in charge of their Marshal and fall in immediately in the rear of the Grand Lodge, according to their position in line. Temple Commanderj ]^o. 2 will precede the Grarid Lodge and escort the same to the Capitol. The Brethren will follow the Grand Lodge by counter-marching from the left and pass¬ ing through the lines. Upon arriving at the Capitol the Brethren will close up en masse and remain until the cere¬ monies are completed, when the several Lodges will he dis¬ missed. 9. Marshals of Subordinate Lodges will report, immediately on arrival, to the Grand Marshal, Library Boom of the Young Men’s Association, Martin Hall, South Pearl street. By order of EGBERT II. WA TEEM AH, Grand Marshal. Jackson H. Chase, A. G. M. and Chief of Staff. The Grand Marshal appointed the following Marshals: y^SSISTANT pRAND JAaRSHALS ! Jackson II. Chase, Chief of Staff. Albany. George F. Sims. Troy. Albert C. Judson... Albany. pivisioN JVLarshals : Edward L. Gaul. New York. Hale Kingsley. New York. John B. Leverich. New York. Daniel W. Tallcott. West Troy. Simon W. Eosendale. Albany. Alexander B. King. ... .’ . Troy. J. L. Lambert. lloosick Falls. J. Wesley Smith. Albany. Henry J. Boyle. Albany. Henry T. Bradt. Albany. 2 10 Laying the Corner Stone Head-Quarters Grand Marshal, MARTIN HALL, Albany, June 24, 18Y1. Division Marshals are assigned as follows, viz; 1st Division. George F. Sims. 2d . E. L. Gaul. 3d ‘‘ . Hale Kingsley. 4th ‘‘ . D. W. Talcott. 5th . Alex. B. King. 6th “ . Henry J. Boyle. 7th . J. L. Lambert. 8th . Simon W. Kosendale. Division Marshal Henry T. Bradt will take charge of the Lodges arriving on steamer James M. Baldwin, and will fall in on left of Seventh Division. Division Marshal J. Wesley Smith will report to the Grand Marshal for special duty. The following named Brethren are appointed Special Aids, and will be obeyed and respected accordingly : Scott D. M. Goodwin, E. De L. Palmer, Holland A. Terrell, George Cnyler, Henry W. Harrison, S. G. Northrop, Frank Wands, Theodore Davey, Joseph M. Lawson. Marshals and Aids will report to the Grand Marshal at 9 o’clock A. M. for duty. By order of KOBEKT h. wateeman. Jackson H. Chase, A. O. M. and Chief of Staff. Grand Marshal. OF THE New Capitol. 11 DETAILS OF THE LINE. The following is a detail of the different military com¬ panies and Masonic Lodges, and their assignment in the line : Squadron of Cavalry, Major Geo. Schwarzman, commanding. Brigadier-General D. M. Woodhall, commanding Ninth Brigade, and Staff. Major-Gen’l Carr and Staff, Third Division, as Invited Guests. ^astman’s ^and. Tenth Begiment, Colonel J. G. Farnsworth, commanding. Company E. Captain James Macfarlane. Company G. Captain Chas. E. Van Aernam. Company A. Captain Wm. A. Hamilton. Company I. Lieut. W. H. Jennings. Company H. Captain Stephen Weaver. Company F. Captain Edward E. Reilly. Company D. Captain John A. Tomlinson. Company C. Captain David W. Young. Company B. Captain Chas. E. Davis. J^LEIN’s "pAND. Twenty-Fifth Regiment, Colonel Frederick Andes, commanding. Company E. Captain George Held. Company A. Captain D. J. Burger. Company E. Captain John Cramers. Company I. Captain H. G. Gomph. Company G. Captain Daniel O’Sullivan. Company B. Captain John McCauley. Company C. Captain Thomas Dunn. Company H. Captain Geo. C. Hichols. Company D. Captain F. A. Schumaker. 12 Laying the Corner Stone Battery A (Liglit Artillery), Captain John Bochin, commandino:. pORING’S pAND. Albany Burgesses Corps, Lieutenant B. Y. Z. Wemple, coiuinanding. Carriages containing Mayor, Common Council and City and County Officers. pLOCKTON’s pAND. Jackson Corps, Captain James Macfarlane, commanding. Carriages containing New Capitol Commissioners, Governor, State Officers and Governor’s Staff. Robert II. Waterman, Grand Marshal. Nine Divisions of Visiting Lodges of Master Masons, each headed by a Band, consisting of the following Lodges and the Masters of each: Ark, 48, Coxsachie. Albert Parker. Ancient City, 452, Albany. John J. Martin. Aquila, 700, Hudson. Ezra Y. Byone, Acting Atlantic, 178, New York. J. E. Morrison. Apollo, 13, Troy. Robert B. Rankin. Arcturus, 274, New York. J. Mulford, Jr. Benevolent, 28, New York. W. II. Davis. Berne, 684, East Berne. Z. A. Dyer. Beacon Light, 701, West Brighton, C. A. Gregory. Columbia, 98, Chatham Village. William C. Dailey. Catskill, 468, Catskill. J. H. Bagley. Cohoes, 116, Cohoes. C. J. Longley. Commonwealth, 409, Brooklyn. Henry S. Ivnapt. CoBLESKiLL, 394, ColJeskill. S. J. Thacher. Cazenovia, 616, Cazenovia. Chas. Stebbins, Jr. CopESTONE, 641, New York. Trios. Pasquelle. Evening Star, 75, West Troy. D. W. Talcott. Euclid, 656, Brooklyn. Tiros. P. Crawford. Eagle, 619, Richmond. AiaN Starks. OF THE New Capitol. 13 Faxton, G9T, Utica. Geneseo, 214, Geiieseo. Globe, 588, New York. Gloversyille, 429, Gloversville. ... Greenbusii, 337, Greenbusli. Herder, 698, Greenpoiot. Hudson, 7, Hudson. Hill Grove, 540, Brooklyn. Howard, 35, New York. Herkimer, 423, Herkimer. Hoiienlinden, 56, Brooklyn. Ilion, 591, Ilion. Jamaica, 546, Jamaica. loNAc, 486, New York. Jefferson, 332, Watkins. Kingston, 10, Kingston. King Sol. Brine, 91, Troy. Little Falls, 181, Little Falls. Lindenwald, 509, Kinderhook. Lebanon, 191, New York. Mount Yernon, 3, Albany. Masters, 5, Albany. Montgomery, 504, Stillwater. Middleburgh, 663, Middlebnrgb . .. Metropolitan, 273, New York.... Marble, 702, Tnckalioe. Maniton, 106, New York. Newport, 455, Newport. Naval, 69, New York. Normal, 523, New York. Neptune, 317, New York. Ocean, 156, New York. Olive Branch, 39, Le Boy. Otsego, 138, Cooperstown. Old Ti, 503, Ticonderoga. J\)LAR Star, 245, New York. Park, 51(), New York. G. B. Andrews, M. D. W. A. Brodie. Thomas Stanleigh. Edmund B. Fox. John J. Hambin. Jacob Leoboldti. F. M. Best. Bobert T. Hardy. John Gilbertson. John W. Yroman. Enoch George. Thomas S. Bichardson. George W. Allen. Peter J. Martin. L. M. Gang. H. D. Baldwin. H. Stowell, Acting. G. H. Gutchrins. W. S. Hallenbeck. David E. Cochran. Wm. H. Whish. Wm. H. Haskell. L. Yandemark. W. E. Thorn. E. Breed. Z. H. Brower. Thos. McBride. W. W. Mosher. Henry B. Chapman. Chas. F. Beasley. F. Gugle. S. T. Searlett. W. S. Brown. F. A. Goffe. A. M. PiNcnoN. W. IT. Miller. M. Cantlon. 14 Laying the Corner Stone Putnam, 338, New York. P. D. T. Hibbs. Piatt, 194, New York. Alfbed S. Bugbee. Puritan, 339, New York. Isaac Brown. Pocahontas, 211, Seneca Falls. G. AYilcoxson. Pacific, 233, New York. Isaac Teachman. Richaiond, 66, Port Pickmoiid. J. Whitford. Schoharie Valley, 491, Sclioliarie. . M. D. Bice. Seneca, 113, Waterloo.. C. D. Morgan. Star, 670, Petersbiirgli. Hiraai Moses. Salem, 391, Salem. Joseph Oliver. Sharon Springs, 624, Sharon Springs, II. B. Lehman. St. Georges, 6, Schenectady. Wai. II. Van Horne. SciioDACK Union, 87 Nassau. James Van Allen. St. Cecile, 568, New York. W. F. Sherwin. St. Patrick’s, 4, Johnstown. P. P. Augensinger. Temple, 14, Albany. James Young. Tuscan, 704, Brooklyn. Oliver B. Leach. Unity, 9, Lebanon Springs. D. C. Bedell. Van Rensselaer, 400, Hoosick Falls, J. G. Darrock. Yalatte, 362, Yalatie. A. B. Becker. Washington, 85, Albany. Nathan Swartz. Wadsworth, 417, Albany. Wai. L. Warren. AYidow’s Son, 335, Livingston. Jacob II. Proper. And the following Commanderies and the Commanders of each: Temple, 2, Alban}^. Townsend Fondey. Utica, 3, Utica. Z. C. Priest. La Faa’ette, 7, Hudson. A. Colton. Apollo, 15, Troy. Jas. W. Cusack. Lake Ontario, 32, Oswego. G. H. Bates. Washington, 33, Saratoga Springs.. C. H. Holden. Hudson River, 35, Newburgh. Fred. Wilksie. St. George’s, 37, Schenectady. A. J. AYestinghouse. Poughkeepsie, 43, Poughkeepsie.. . J. Trowbridge. Roaie, 45, Rome. H. AY. Pell. Norwich, 46, Norwich. E. J. Looaiis. Rondout, U. D., Rondout. AY. F. Crosby. OF THE New Capitol. 15 ^ULLIVAN’S pAPITAL CiTY j^AND. Temple Commandery, No. 2, K. T., acting as escort to the Grand Master, John H. Anthon, and Officers OF THE Grand Lodge. K. W. John Hoole . Grand Tiler. R. W. Geo. II. Raymond . Grand Lecturer. R. W. Johnson Fountain . Grand Pnrsnivant. R. W. Philip Merkle . Grand Steward. R. W. tlosEPH Koch . Grand Ste\vard. R. W. Dan’l W. Talcott . Grand Steward. R. W. Isaac II. Brown . Grand Steward. R. W. Cornelius Esslestyn . Grand Standard Bearer. R. IV. IYm. R. Brown . Grand Sword Bearer. Robert LI. Waterman . Grand Marshal. R. W. R. L. SciiooNMAKER. Grand Chaplain. R. W. James M. Austin . Grand Secretary. R. W. John IV. Simons . Grand Treasurer. R. W. James W. Husted . Junior Grand Warden. R. W. Edmund L. Judson . Senior Grand Warden. R. W. Christopher G. Eox . Deputy Grand Master. M. W. Clinton E. Paige . Past Grand Master. R. W. Frank Chamberlain, carrying the Book of Constitutions. M. AV. John II. Anthon Grand Master. Laying the Corner Stone IG l^crnnonif^ at the faginij of tlie ^orneii m\% Music by ^ullivan’s JSand. INTRODUCTORY ADDRESS. BY HAMILTON HARRIS. Fellow-Citizens : On the first day of May, eighteen hundred and sixty-five, the people, through their repre¬ sentatives, decided that a new Capitol Building should be erected, adeexnate to the necessities and commensurate Avith the growth and greatness of the State. Commissioners were appointed to execute the under¬ taking. Plans AAwe adopted by the Board, with the approval of the Land Commissioners and the Governor, corresponding with the taste of the age and the rank and refinement of the commonAvealth. This Capitol Hill, in this ancient city, was selected, not only for its central position in respect to the business and population of the State, but also, for its commanding eminence and its historic traditions, as the site for the new edifice. Here, on the ninth day of December, eighteen hundred and sixty-seven, the work of excavation commenced^ and proceeded to the depth of sixteen feet below the surface. OF THE New Capitol. 17 On tlie seventh day of July, eighteen hundred and sixty-nine, the first stone in the foundation was laid, upon a solid bed of concrete masonry, three feet in thickness. To-day, the basement story, with foundation walls of unsurpassed strength and solidity, having a height of twenty feet above the concrete, and covering an area of three acres, is completed. And now, we are about to consecrate the enterprise by laying the corner stone, with solemnities befitting so august an occasion. One-fifth of the work has been accomplished, and if the people shall coincide in opinion with the Board of Com¬ missioners, that true economy consists in prosecuting it on the largest and most energetic scale, the years will not be many before yonder old Capitol, which was erected at the beginning of the century to supply the wants of a population of seven hundred thousand, will give place to this new one, which shall be worthy the high debates and lofty decrees of four million people, and which will stand for ages, the symbol of the resources, the power and the grandeur of the Empire State of the Union. 3 18 Laying the Corner Stone P R AY E R . BY REV. BR. EBENEZER HALLEY. Eternal and Aliniglity God, in Tliy hands are the destinies of all things. Invisible to ns, Thy presence extends to all space; Thy providence embraces all worlds. Nothing is too great for Thee to accomplish, and nothing too minute to escape Thy notice. The rise and fall of kingdoms, the conflicting interests and passions of men, and the order in which events shall succeed each other, are under Thy divine government, and we behold Thee arranging these with a wisdom that the wisest cannot fathom, and executing them with a power that the mightiest are unable to control. Assembled on this public, interesting occasion, which naturally calls up our country to our thoughts, we do most devoutly thank Thee for all Thy goodness in its behalf. Is not its past history a record rich in the most signal interpositions and marvelous tokens of Thy divine agency ? In the infancy of our republic, when its liberties were imperiled, didst Thou not raise up a band of men of singular sagacity and discernment, who steered our country through all its difficulties, and carried it to aggrandizement and renown; and didst Thou not crown with success the heroic efforts of those who vindicated the liberties of their country with their arms, and bequeathed it as a blood-bought legacy to their children and children’s children? And not only at this memorable juncture of our national history, but in every subsequent stage has Thy good hand been around us. How often hast Thou exceeded our hopes. OF THE New Capitol. 19 disappointed our fears, and turned apparent disaster into real and substantial blessing. Hast Thou not pre¬ sided in our national councils, educing from the ferment of debate and the rivalries of political strife, measures the most favorable to our prosperity? Hast Thou not watched over our commerce by opening up new sources of wealth, and promoting, by the inventions of art, the most rapid communication betwen the most remote parts of our country ? And art Thou not sending thousands to our shores every year, who find here a home for the indigent, an asylum for the oppressed ; thus cultiva¬ ting the waste places of our land, and causing, before the onward march of industry, its forests to be cleared and its deserts to teem with the blessings and institutions of civilized life ? And we feel that the privileges which we enjoy, as citizens of this republic, are such as should awaken onr most fervent gratitude. We thank Thee for our personal liberty, onr social institutions, for the digni¬ fied remuneration given to labor; for the numerous avenues of commerce opened up to the industrious and enterprising; for onr form of government, where the rights of all are secured, and the wrongs of the humblest redressed; for a free press; for onr public schools and seats of science ; for an unclasped Bible ; for the unchal¬ lenged right to worship Thee according to the dictates of conscience; for our schemes of benevolent effort and our sanctuaries of religion; for these and other bless¬ ings do we desire most gratefully to thank Thee, and feel ‘‘ that the lines have fallen to us in pleasant places, and that we have a goodly heritage.” And in harmony with the services of this occasion 20 Laying the Corner Stone would we commend to Thee the interest of this city. We thank Thee for all its surroundings, so favorable to the health and comfort of its inhabitants. Do Thou ever be its guardian God, defending it from danger and calamity. Bless its colleges and other seminaries of instruction ; its courts of justice; its places for exchange and commerce ; its institutions of public charity, and the churches of the living God. May all these tend to refine and elevate the tone of public sentiment, and promote the interest of morality and religion. Bless our city as the seat of legislation. We have assembled this morning to testify our profound conviction of the importance of this. Believing that upon law must rest to a great degree the prosjDerity and stability of our institutions, feeling that its faithful administration is essential to the security of our lives, our liberties and our fortunes; recognizing this as an earthly jewel that has no compeer, a pearl beyond all price, the citizens of this Empire State have agreed, by their representatives, to erect this building, and thus to do homage to the majesty of law by enshrining it in an edifice worthy of its object. We place the structure to be here erected, of such architectural beauty and majestic proportions, under Thy care. Watch over it during the years required for its erection ; may it arrive to its completion without the loss of life or limb ; and may it long tower up in its colossal magnitude on this summit as a symbol of Thy guardian care, and an enduring monument of our national life and institutions. And do Thou raise up men who, within its walls, shall faithfully and zealously advocate the best interests of their country ; men of principle, men OF THE New Capitol. 21 of incorruptible fiHelity and devotedness to truth, men who shall act on the conviction that what is morally wrong- can in no possible circumstances ever become politically right; men who spurn the aggrandizements of office when purchased by the surrender of principle or the shipwreck of a good conscience. Bless the Governor of the State ; endow him with all the qualifications necessary for his highly responsible duties, and may he find a compensa¬ tion for the tolls of office in the widely-diffused satisfac¬ tion which his public acts have given to his large and enlightened constituency. Bless our Mayor and Aider- men, and may their measures tend to promote the health and good order of our city, the suppression of crime and the encouragement of industry and art. And now we commend to Thee the interests of this wide Union — agricultural, commercial, literary and reli¬ gious. May the Chief Magistrate be always directed by Thee in his high official duties, and along with his Cabi¬ net devise those measures which shall advance the best interests of our country. May the feuds and jealousies engendered during our late unhappy war be speedily forgotten ; and while we thank Thee for preserving our national individuality, and calling forth such a host of heroic defenders in the hour of its peril and extremity, do Thou who hast the hearts of all men in Thy hands cause these heartburnings and enmities soon to subside; and may the two great sections of our Union, affiliated so closely by the ties of kindred and mutual interests, ever seek the peace and prosperity of each other. May our fields bring forth plentifully, and the labors of the husbandman be always rewarded by an abund- 22 Laying the Corner Stone ant harvest. May commerce prosper through all its channels, that the enterprising may be rewarded in developing the resources of our country, and abundant employment secured for our laborers at home, as well as the thousands that are annually seeking our shores. May our colleges and schools be under Thy fostering care. Bless and eminently qualify those to whom the instruction of our youth is intrusted; and, whether engaged in professional studies, or the humbler branches of knowledge, may there come from these every year a class of youths intelligent, industrious, temperate, practical, honored for their integrity and social virtues, and who will wisely exercise the privi¬ leges intrusted to them as American citizens. We commend to Thy fatherly love our numerous benevo¬ lent institutions and charities, that so honorably characterize the present age — our asylums, our hospi¬ tals for mitigating the sufferings of afflicted humanity ; may these receive a large share of liberal support. Prosper the institutions of religion in our land ; multiply its churches, give increased zeal and efficiency to its ministers. While recognizing its personal claims on our faith and practice, may we also feel how intimately its controlling influence is bound up with the prosperity of our country; the parent of peace and social order ; the fountain of all the virtues that gladden and adorn human life ; the great bulwark of our national liberties and institutions. May the solemn scenes that have lately taken place in a distant land teach us that if we become a God-defying and Sabbath-profaning people, Tliou mayest also give us up to blindness, to madness. OF THE New Capitol. 23 to iiisniTection and carnage ; that, without this, in vain will be the wisdom of onr statesmen, in vain the valor of our arms, in vain the thrift and skill of our people, in vain the enterprise of our commerce, in vain the perfection of onr institutions ; and that, in our doom, we shall furnish another illustration to the many of the truth of Thy word: “ Eighteousness exalteth a nation, and sin is the reproach and hnal ruin of any people.” And now, O Grod, do Thou smile upon us in the further services of this occasion. "‘Let everything be done decently and in order.” May this Capitol, to be now inaugurated with imposing ceremonies, be watched over by Thee in all the stages of its erection. Carry it forward to its completion. Let it be a temple consecrated to the interests of justice and free¬ dom. Let the eloquence that shall resound within its walls be always lifted up in defense of human rights. Let the laws and enactments here passed be based on the unerring principles of the divine law. And when we, here assembled, shall have passed from the stage, may this edifice remain for centuries to u23hold the institutions of our free government, and proclaim Thy guardian care and protection of us as a nation. And now do thou graciously listen to these our sup¬ plications, for the sake of our blessed Redeemer. And to the Father, the Son and Holy Ghost, we ascribe everlast¬ ing praise. Amen. 24 Laying the Corner Stone ADDRESS BY Joint 1^. Ijoffman, GOVERNOR OF THE STATE. The city in which we are assembled, the capital of tlie State, is the oldest existing settlement in the original thirteen States. Here Hudson, the discoverer of our noble river, landed from his Hutch ship in 1608. Here the Hollanders settled in 1612. Here they built Fort Orange in 1614. The fort and the colony hav¬ ing been taken by the English in 1664, this city received the name of Albany in honor of the Duke of York and Albany; and so the first resting place of the adventurous Hutchmen got a Scotch name. We take good care, however, to pronounce the first sylla¬ ble not in broad Scotch, but in still broader Hutch. In 1786 Yew York and Albany received their charters from Governor Hongan ; these two being the oldest chartered cities of the United States. Here assembled the first convention for the union of the colonies. It was held in 1754, and Benjamin Franklin was its presiding officer. Its ostensible object was the defense of the colonies against the savages; but a plan of union was then drawn up and adopted, the first recorded in the history of the country. OF THE New Capitol. 25 The first session of the Legislature of the State in Albany was in 1797, in pursuance of a law that it should meet here every year unless it adjourned to some other place or was convened elsewhere by the Governor. It assembled in the Stadt House, or City Hall, at the corner of what are now known as Hud¬ son street and Broadway; where the courts of justice of that day were held; where stood tlie prison, the whipping-post, the stocks and the pillory, and where freemen and slaves (for New York was then a slave State) were alike arraigned for trial and for punish¬ ment. It was about this time that the corporation of the city, the seat of government having been thus estab¬ lished here, made an offer to the State of any unap¬ propriated ground as a site for public buildings ; and the place where the Capitol now stands, on what was called Pinkster hill, was chosen. The first act making provision for the Capitol shows that some things could be done as well as others in those days to which we are accustomed to refer as halcyon days, when men were more honest than now, and when all legislation was pure and perfect; when the object of every bill was indicated by its title, and not concealed, as sometimes happens in these latter times. What, think you, was the title of this bill, passed in 1804?' You answer, perhaps, ‘‘An act to provide for the erection of a new Capitol in the city of Albany.” You are mistaken. It was entitled, ‘‘An act malting provision for improving Hudson river 4 26 Laying the Corner Stone helow the city of Albany^ and for other purposes. It first directed tlie managers of lotteries, under the act for the encouragement of literature, to raise $20,000, and to pay the same to commissioners for improving the navigation between Troy and Water¬ ford (which you know are above, not below, Albany), and then proceeded as follows: ‘ ‘ Whereas the sit¬ uation of the present Court House, in the city of Albany, is found by experience to be inconvenient for the transaction of business, and the corporation of said city having represented to the Legislature that they are willing to appropriate a lot of ground on the public square of the said city, for a site of a public building for the accommodation of the Legis¬ lature, and for a new City Hall, and have prayed that the present Court House, and the lot used with the same, might be sold, and the proceeds thereof applied toward erecting and furnishing such new' State House ; therefore. Be it enacted that John Taylor, Daniel Hall, Philip S. Van Rensselaer, Simeon De Witt and Nicholas W. Quackenbush, be appointed commissioners for the erecting and completing a pub¬ lic building in the city of Albany, etc., etc., with sufficient and commodious accommodation for the Legislature, the Council of Revision, the Courts of Justice and the Common Council,” etc. It further provided that the managers of the lotteries aforesaid, should raise by lottery $12,000, and pay the same to the said commissioners, for the purposes of the Capitol building. Not a word is found in the body of the bill about OF THE New Capitol. 27 improving the Hudson river below the city of Albany. It nevertheless bears this indorsement: “ In Council of Revision, April Qt/^ 1804. ^^Nesolved, Tliat it does not appear improper to the Council that this bill should become a law of the State. “GEORGE CLINTON.” How the ears of the Governor and of the Legislature would have tingled under the sting of criticism, and what a howl of indignation would have gone up from the partisan press on either side now, if a Democratic or Republican Legislature of the present day had passed, and the Governor had approved, a bill for the erection of the new Capitol, the title of the bill being ‘‘An act to provide for the improvement of the Hud¬ son river below Albany, and for other purposes;” to say nothing of the money being raised, not by tax, but by lottery. Whether the Legislature, or honest and good George Clinton, the Governor, who, in the act of 1804, is des¬ cribed as “the person administering the government of this State,” was criticised according to the most approved style of the present day, I am unable to inform you. At the beginning of the present century, the popula¬ tion of our State was but a little more than half a mil¬ lion, and that of this city, its capital, a little over five thousand. A historian enumerates the public buildings then located here as follows : “A low Dutch Church, one for Presbyterians, one for Germans, one for Epis¬ copalians, a hospital, the City Hall, a brick gaol, tlie City Hotel, and a bank, established 1794.” 28 Laying the Corner Stone In 1806, the corner stone of what we now call the old Capitol was laid by Philip S. Van Pensselaer, then mayor, in the presence of the chancellor, the judges of the Supreme Court, members of the corpora¬ tion, the State House commissioners, and the leading citizens, as we learn from the newspapers of the day ; and, as was then said, with the usual enthusiastic accuracy of such occasions, it was to be built on ‘‘improved plans, embracing much elegance with great convenience and durability.’’ There, my friends, it stands to-day, within our view, a monument of what we call the olden time; venerable, and though not yet three score years and ten of age, full of historic associations, with rich memories of the past of this great and prosperous State clustering around it. Almost the whole of our State history, in peace and in war, has been made and written within its portals. There have been raised the voices of the great men of other days, whose names and words and deeds are still fresh in the memory of our people ; Clinton and Tompkins, Van Buren, Marcy and Wright, and others now numbered with the dead. There justice was administered with a firm, well-balanced hand by Kent, Spencer, Thompson, Beardsley, Jones, Savage, Lansing, Bronson, Walworth and others, who made the reputation of New York law reports world-wide. There constitutions have been framed and laws enacted under the benign infiuence of which this State, during the present century, has grown from half a million to four millions and a half of people; a nation in itself. Where now are all who, less than seventy years ago, OF THE New Capitol. 29 stood where we stand, when the old corner stone was laid? Probably not one witness of that ceremonial is among ns to-day. Man’s work is more enduring than himself. Some facts about the old Capitol, in its early days, may be interesting to yon. Its total cost was about $120,000, which was paid in part by the State and in part by this city. The Governor and the Council of Revision, the Senate and Assembly, the Supreme Court and the Common Council of the city, all, at first, had rooms in it. In the attic was the Mayor’s Court and the State Library, the Society of Arts and the Board of Agriculture; while the County Clerk and the City Marshal occupied the basement. When completed, it was an object of excessive admiration. Travelers from abroad praised it. Dr. Stuart, of Edinburgh, described it as “a fine large object.” Henry Nearan, an English traveler, says it presented a fine appear¬ ance. . Professor Silliman, in 1813, speaks of it as a large and handsome building of stone, furnished with good rooms for the government and courts of law; and the furniture of some of the departments, he says, exhibited a good degree of elegance and even some splendor; while another enthusiastic writer, born, I should guess, somewhere under our own starry banner, said, in 1833: ^Mn the furniture of the rooms there is a liberal display of public munificence, and the Ameri¬ can eagle assumes an imperial splendor.” We can liardly realize the changes which have occurred since that corner stone was laid. Then the number of the States was seventeen ; their total popu- 30 Laying the Corner Stone lation less tlian six million. Republican gov^ernment was an experiment, just put upon its trial. The work of developing the energies of the country and its resources, agricultural and mineral, had hardly com¬ menced. The group of what we call the eastern and middle States, and three or four southern States, made up the republic. The star of empire had not yet taken its way westward. States and territories, now thronged with a busy, energetic population, were then a dense wilderness, the abundant riches of which were not even imagined. Not only beyond, but far east of the Alle- ghanies, was an almost unknown land. Now thirty-seven States make up our beloved Union, which, thanks be to God, has been preserved even amid the fires of a terrible civil war. Forty millions of people constitute a brotherhood extending the hand of a common citizenship from the Canadian border to the Gulf of Mexico, and from the Atlantic coast, on which the early pilgrims landed, to the golden shores of the Pacific, where a quarter of a century ago no American citizen could be found, but where now exist two great and prosperous States of the American Union. Trials we have had, almost beyond endurance, it is true. The long smouldering fires of sectional dif¬ ferences and hate, kept in subjection as they were for many years by the earnest self-sacrificing efforts of patriotic men, once burst forth into a flame, in which the republic was very nearly consumed. But the Union was saved, and it was saved because the States of which it was made up were, each of them, an inde¬ pendent government, and had the self-reliance which OF THE New Capitol. 3 L comes of independence. The Union was saved, not because it had what is called a strong government, ruling, as all strong governments do, over a weak people, but the people were strong and used to self- reliance ; and they were able, through their State, county and town organizations (our own beloved State being in the front rank), to defend the integrity of the Union, upon the maintenance of which as a union of sovereign States, they knew depended the welfare and happiness of all. Now our people, so lately at war, are again at peace, determined to maintain a republi¬ can form of government, and to preserve alike the integrity and independence of the several States, and the perfect and harmonious union of all. I have spoken of the population of this State then and now. Since then it has made rapid progress, not only in population, but in all that makes a State great. Then we had few emigrants from Europe. Now every year a number neai-ly equal to the total population of the State at that day, land in the city of New York, and are distributed over our country as permanent citizens. Then we had peace; no need of soldiers. Since then, we have furnished hosts of brave mf^n and true for the war of 1812, and the Mexican war; and in our late terrible civil contest, our State alone sent to the field nearly 475,000 armed men, a number about equal to its total population less than seventy years ago ; and to-day, in the midst of peace, with no paid army, the State of New York has, nevertheless, a volunteer force of 20,000 men, engaged otherwise in peaceful industry, but armed. 32 Laying the Corner Stone equipped, disciplined, officered, ready at a moment’s notice, to defend tlie honor of the State and the rights of its citizens, as well as the Union of which it is the chief member. When the foundations of the old Capitol were laid, no steamer had navigated the great river which is our pride and glory ; now there are hundreds of them, many of them very beantifnl and very fast. With all their speed, however, they move too slowly for the spirit of the age. Then we had no artificial channels of navigation; now we have 1,000 miles of canals, the Erie uniting the great inland seas of our continent with the ocean. Then we had no railroads; now we have thousands of miles of them skirting onr rivers, pushing through the valleys and around the mountain sides into the very wilderness. Then we were without telegraphs; now the obedient lightning carries our messages from the capital to the humblest of the many villages within our borders and to the far corners of the world abroad. Then we had no common schools ; now nearly 12,000 school-houses are scattered over our State, in which every year 1,000,000 of children are taught the rudiments of a good education. The children in our schools are twice as many as were the whole people of the State when the old corner stone was laid. My fellow-citizens, in the seventy years since the building of the old Capitol, our State has had a glori¬ ous and marvelous growth ; true to its motto of ‘‘Excelsior.” The old Capitol, long ago, ceased to be worthy of the State or to answer its requirements. Movements OF THE New Capitol. 33 were set on foot for the erection of a new one. In 1863 the first appropriation was made for the pur¬ chase of ground. In the same year a resolution passed the Senate, directing the Trustees of the Capi¬ tol and the chairman of the Senate committee on public buidings to procure plans for a new Capitol. In 1865 an act was passed authorizing the erection of a new Capitol on condition that the city of Albany should give to the State, toward the purpose, the ground commonly known as the Congress Hall block. This condition was complied with, and in 1867 the first appropriation of $250,000 was made for the build¬ ing. The work was begun and has steadily gone on, each year fresh appropriations being made. I have mentioned these few facts relating to the old Capitol and the new one, for the sole purpose of mak¬ ing up a brief record of history for those who shall come after us; a record more useful, I think, and therefore more appropriate than any display of rhetoric would be. I would not, with too much show of words, break in upon the simple beauty of the ser¬ vices for which the Commissioners of the Capitol have arranged. I have said that almost the whole of the past his¬ tory of our State has been written within the portals of the old Capitol. Its future record is to be made up within the new one. Whether what is to be shall be as honorable and glorious as what has been, will depend not upon the magnificence of the structure to be erected, nor upon the solidity of the foundation upon which it rests, but upon the intelligence, energy. 34 Laying the Corner Stone virtue and patriotism of the people, whose representa¬ tives shall in coming years assemble here. From foundation to dome it may be of granite, firm as a rock, and lasting as the hills, yet it will be built in vain, unless the State shall have its foundation deeply laid in truth, equity and justice, and shall have for its corner stone a great and enduring reverence for those fundamental principles of government which the Fathers of the Republic contended for, in the perils of war, and left as a rich legacy to us. ^‘Except the Lord build the house they labor in vain that build it. Except the Lord keep the city the watchman waketh but in vain.” Our responsibilities as a people have increased, step by step with the rapid growth of the State and country, and will continue to increase. It is wise for us all, as we fix our hopes upon the great future which is before us, to remember always the counsel of our fathers, and to walk by the light which experi¬ ence throws upon our path. The material past of the country may stand in meagre contrast to its great future, but the early his¬ tory of the Republic will be more glorious than any¬ thing which shall be hereafter written, if we forget the men who made it, and the great truths which are inscribed in every volume and on every page of that early record. Let us lay the corner stone of our new Capitol with the prayer, that our beloved State may continue to grow in the future as it has in the past; and that its growth may be made manifest, not alone in the out- OF THE New Capitol. 35 ward signs of prosperity and power, but also in a wider and wider diffusion of the elements of domestic happi¬ ness among its people. The glory and strength of a State consists not merely in its public edifices, its public works, its monuments of public or private splendor and munificence. Its sources of strength are to be found in the purity and vigor of character, the self-control of the men and women who constitute the State; its true glory in the general diffusion of virtue, peace and comfort among the homes of its people. That is the most perfect state, in which the benefits of constantly added wealth reach farthest down on the scale of society, and in which self-government, the government of each man over himself, renders other government all but unnecessary. To this wholesome and substantial growth the efforts of every one of us can contribute, with the help of God. And may God grant to each of us the will to do his part. A metallic Box, inclosing a Glass Casket containing historical documents and memorials, was then deposited by the Governor in the Corner Stone. William A. Rice announced that a list of the contents of the Box would be read by the Grand Secretary of the Masons. 36 Laying the Corner Stone MASONIC CEREMONIES. John H. Antiion, Grand Master of tlie Grand Lodge, being in his place, Hamilton Hakris, Chairman of the New Capitol Commissioners, addressed the Grand Master, ending with the following: “ It seemed most fitting that your Ancient and Honorable Fraternity should be invited to perform the ceremony of lay¬ ing the corner stone of the new Capitol of tlie State of New York, and this I now invite you to do with the usual forms of Masonry.” Grand Master.— ‘‘From time immemorial it has been tlie custom of the Ancient and Honorable Fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons to lay, when requested so to do, with their ancient forms, the corner stone of buildings erected for the worship of God, for charitable objects, or for the purposes of the administration of justice and free government, and of no other buildings. “ This corner stone, therefore, we may lay in accordance with our law, and gladly do so, testifying thereby our obedience to the law and our desire to show publicly our respect for the government under which we live.” The Grand. Master then called np the Lodge, remarking : “ The first duty of Masons, in any undertaking, is to invoke the blessing of the Great Architect upon their work. Let us pray.” Senior Grand Chaplain Schoonmaker, of Sing Sing, then offered the following PRAYER : “ O most glorious and eternal God, Great Architect of the Universe, who makest all things by Thy power, and adornest OF THE New Capitol. 37 all things by Thy bounty, and fillestall things with Thy good¬ ness, and sanctifiest the heart and gifts of Thy servants, who in the days of old didst graciously accept the lionse which oiir Grand Master, King Solomon, erected to Thy glory! We praise Thee and bless Thee that Thou hast thus far prospered the handiwork of us Thy servants, who are tliis day met together in Thy fear and love to lay the corner stone of this building dedicated to Thy service as the place of Assembly of a Govern¬ ment which Thon hast blessed with freedom. We humbly pray Thee that Thou wouldst vouchsafe to sanctity this house by the outpouring of Thy Holiness from on high. Let the Sun of Righteousness ever shine here, and the bright illumination of thy grace. ^‘That which we dedicate do Thou bless. That which we offer do Thou accept. Those who shall assemble here do Thou visit graciously and enlighten, now and ever, even unto the Great Accounting Day when we shall receive the due reward of our labors, in the Grand Lodge above.” The following ode, written for the occasion, by Fannie R. Robinson, was then snng : ODE. TUNE — “SPARKLING AND BRIGHT.” From the noble rest of our mountain crests, From the forests grand and hoary, From the rivers bright in their liquid light, We come in the summer’s glory. With hearts so fraught with the swelling thought Of the crowns our Age is wearing. We stand in hope on the century’s slope, A loftier labor daring. Chorus. —The Future hears thro’ listening years, In chorus loud and lusty. Our royal dome, our patriot home. Well formed, and true and trusty. Our storied Past was proudly cast To this high and holy keeping. And gladly lay on its stone to-day. The fairest sheaves we’re reaping. 88 Laying the Corner Stone So the record true that the Old State knew, Her lives of brave endeavor, Shall stand secure while its walls endure. The Corner Stone forever! Chorus.— The Future hears, etc. May the marble white prove a symbol bright Of whiter deeds unfolding, While stronger far than her pillars are. The Nation’s life is moulding. So its towers shall glow in their sculptured snow. Our happy hills adorning. Till the workmen wait by the Temple’s Gate, Beyond the Golden Morning. Chorus.— The Future hears, etc. The audience united in the chorus. The Corner Stone being raised, the Gfrand Master said : Tlie Grand Treasurer will place in the Corner Stone the memorials prepared for that purpose, and the Grand Secretary will read the list of wliat is so deposited.” The Grand Secretary then read a list of the contents of the Box placed in the Corner Stone as follows : 1. A Silver Plate, on which is inscribed: This Corner Stone of a New Capitol Building for the accommodation of the Executive, Legislative and Judicial Departments of the State of New York, WAS LAID ON THE 24th DAY OF JUNE, A. D. 1871, By His Excellency JOHN T. HOFFMAN, Governor of the State of New York, Assisted by the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Free Masons of New York, M. W. JOHN H. ANTHON, G. M. The New Capitol Commissioners. HAMILTON HARRIS, Albany. WILLIAM A. RICE, Albany. DELOS DE WOLF, Oswego. Hamilton Harris, Chairman. WILLIAM C. KINGSLEY, Brooklyn. CHAUNCEY M. DEPEW, New York. EDWIN A. MERRITT, Potsdam. William A, Rice, Sec^y and Trea'r. THOMAS FULLER, Architect. SYLVANUS H. SWEET, Engineer. WM. J. McALPINE, Consulting Engineer. JOHN BRIDGFORD, Superintendent. OF THE New Capitol. S9 2. Laws relating to the New Capitol. 3. Reports of the New Capitol Coininissioriers to the Legislature. 4. Lithographic and Photographic views of the New Capitol. 5. Constitution of the United States. 6. Constitution of the State of New York. 7. Annual Message of the Governor to the Legislature of 1871. 8. Annual Reports of the State Departments for 1871. 9. New York State Manual for 1871, and Civil List. 10. The Old and New Charter of the City of Albany. 11. The Alessage of the Mayor, and other Public Documents relating to the Government of the City of Albany for 1871. 12. The Albany City Directory. 13. The several Denominations of Gold, Silver and Nickel Coins of the United States, of the coinage of 1871. 14. Specimens of United States Treasury Notes, and the Frac¬ tional Currency. 15. New York Newspapers of June 23d, inst. 16. Albany Newspapers of June 23d. 17. Copper Box hermeticall}^ sealed, containing Masonic Documents, prepared for that purpose. The following is a list of what is so deposited. Constitutions and General Regulations of the Most Ancient and Honorable Fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons of the State of New York. Address of M. W. John II. Anthon, Grand Master, at the Annual Com¬ munication, June 7, 1871, with the List of the Elected and Appointed Officers of the Grand Lodge for the year 187L. Centennial Chart of Officers and Members of Masters’ Lodge F. and A. Masons of the City of Albany, from 5th 40 Laying the Corner Stone March, 1768, to tlie 5t]i Marcli, 1868, with facsimile of its original warrant, as No. 2, from the Grand Lodge of England, 5th day of March, 1768. Albany Evening Journal, March 6th, 1868, containing an account of Masters’ Lodge Centennial Celebration, and Dr. S. O. Yanderpoel’s Oration. Constitutions of the Supreme Council of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Kite for the Northern Masonic Juris¬ diction of the United States. Orient, Boston, Mass. Tableau of the Supreme Council of Sovereign Grand Inspectors-General 33.*. Ancient Accepted Scottish Bite for the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction of the United States of America. Grand East, Boston, for 1871, ’72 and ’73. Also, Proceedings of the Supreme Council for 1869, containing a history of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Bite in the City of Albany, founded by Llenry Andrew Frachen, Deputy Inspector-General, on the 20th Decem¬ ber, 1767. Also, Tableau of the organization of the several bodies of Ancient Accei)ted Scottish Bite in the City of Albany. Copy of the Original Seal of Ineffable Grand Lodge of Perfection, dated December 20th, 1767. History of Temple Commandery, No. 2, Knights Templars of the City of Albany, warranted 1797, A. O. 679. Albany, L871, A.O. 753. Joel Munsell, Printer. The Grand Treasurer thereupon took formal charge of the massive Box, made of highly polished copper, and hermetically sealed. This ceremony was accompanied by music from the Band, the Grand Lodge standing during the ceremony. When this was done, the Grand Master spread the cement on the Stone, and it was lowered with music. OF THE New Capitol. 41 The Grand Master seated the Grand Lodge, and pro¬ ceeded as follows: Grand Master.—Brother Depnty Grand Master, what is the proper jewel of your office ? Deputy Grand Master.—The Square. Grand Master.—What does it teach % Deputy Grand Master.—To square our actions by the square of virtue, and by it we prove our work. Grand Master.—Apply your jewel to this Corner Stone, and make report. Deputy Grand Master.—The Stone is square; the craftsmen have done their duty. Grand Master.—Brother Senior Grand Warden, what is the jewel of your office ? Senior Grand Warden.—The Level. Grand Master.—What does it teach ? Senior Grand Warden.—The equality of all men, and by it we prove our work. Grand Master.—Apply your jewel to this Corner Stone, and make report. Senior Grand Warden.—The Stone is level; the craftsmen have done their duty. Grand Master.—Brother Junior Grand Warden, what is the jewel of your office ? Junior Grand Warden.—The Plumb. Grand Master.—What does it teach % Junior Grand Warden.—To walk uprightly before God and man, and by it we prove our work. Grand Master.—Apply your jewel to this Corner Stone, and make report. Junior Grand Warden.—The Stone is plumb; the craftsmen have done their duty. The Senior and Junior Grand Deputies, bearing the Trowel and Gavel, then approached the Stone. Tlie Grand Master, preceded by the Grand Marshal, 6 42 Laying the Corner Stone advanced to tlie Stone, spread mortar upon it, struck three blows with the mallet, and returning to his place, said : I, J. H. Anthon, Grand Master of Masons of the State of New York, declare tliis Stone to be plumb, level and square, to be well formed, true and trusty, and duly laid.” The Grand Stewards then proceeded to the Stone, fol¬ lowed by the Deputy Grand Master, Senior Grand War¬ den and Junior Grand Warden, bearing the corn, wine and oil. The Deputy Grand Master scattered the corn, saying : May the blessing of the Great Architect of the Universe rest upon the peojde of this State, and the corn of nourish¬ ment abound in our land.” The Senior Grand. Warden poured the wine, saying : ‘‘May the Great Architect of the Universe watch over and preserve the workmen upon this building, and bless them and our land with the heavenly wine of refreshment and peace.” The Junior Grand. Warden poured the oil, saying : “ May the Great Architect of the Universe bless our land with union, harmony and love—the oil which maketh men to be of a joyful countenance.” The Grand Master returned to his place, when the Grand Marshal presented, the Architect, as follows : “ I present to you Thomas Fuller, the Architect of this building. He is ready, with craftsmen, for the work, and asks the tools for his task.” The Grand Master then gave him a square, level, plumb and. plan, saying: “ Labor on this task, and be blessed, my brother, in the work. May it be blessed with Wisdom in the plan. Strength in the execution. Beauty in the adornment; and when com¬ plete, may Wisdom be still within its walls to enlighten. OF THE Capitol 43 Strength to encourage and sustain onr rulers, and tlie Beauty of Holiness to adorn all their works.” Then followed the Benediction by the Grand Chaplain, when the Grand Marshal made the following Proclama¬ tion : ' “In the name of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the State of Hew York “I proclaim that the Corner Stone of the new Capitol of the State of Hew York has this day been found square, level and plumb, true and trusty, and laid according to the old customs by the Grand Master of Masons.” The following Ode was sung by the Fraternity, in full chorus, when the assembly dispersed : CLOSING ODE. Selected. TUNE — “ AMERICA.” Let notes of gladness tell Thoughts that each bosom swell, The work begun! Hope’s joyous thoughts we bring, While to our Heavenly King Friends now united sing. Hearts joined as one. Where laid the Corner Stone Ever in kindness known Be man’s best good ! Though years shall pass away. Though human works decay. Ever by Heaven’s own ray Be Truth renewed. May in proportions true, Kising to grateful view. The work ascend! Long may it safely stand. Untouched by ruthless hand. Till, true to Heaven’s command. All time shall end. - j. \