Freeholders and Inhabitants of the village of
Brooklyn, in the County of Kings," the prophetic enlightenment of the
Inhabitants of that village in the year 1816. The voice of Andrew
Carnegie, Colonel Roosevelt, and Prof. Brander Matthews speaks in the
following passage: "That the section of the town of Brooklyn, commonly
known as 'The Fire District,' and contained within the following bounds,
viz.: Beginning at the public landing south of Pierpont's distillery,
formerly the property of Philip Livingston, deceased, on the East River,
thence running along the public road leading from said landing to its
intersection with Redhook lane, thence along Redhook lane to where it
intersects Jamaica turnpike road, thence a North East course to the head
of the Wallabaght mill-pond, thence thro the centre of said mill pond to
the East river, and thence down the East river to the place of beginning,
shall continue to be known and distinguished by the Name of the Village
of Brooklyn." "Thro" certainly is phonetic spelling.

It was the sterling character of these villagers that then laid the
foundation for the better half of a mighty city to come. The "act"
concludes: "And then and there proceed to elect Five discreet
freeholders, resident within said village, to be trustees thereof." So
witness is borne to this vernacular quality of discretion in the twilight
of Brooklyn history.

The aesthetic consideration of municipal documents has not received much
attention. The format of a municipal document, however, is in itself a
delightful essay in unconscious self-characterisation. Those of the
United States express a plain democratic people. They have, in fact, all
the commonness of the job printer. "Printed at the _Journal_ Office,"
is, indeed, their physical character.

The municipal documents of Great Britain are usually bound, in good
English book-cloth, that peculiar fabric to which the connoisseur of
books is so sensitive, and which, for some inexplicable reason, it is,
apparently, impossible to manufacture in this country; or in neat boards,
with cloth backs. Or if in paper it is of an interesting colour and
texture. A noble heraldic device, the coat of arms of the city or
borough, is stamped in gold above, or below, the title. This is repeated
upon the title-page, the typography of which is not without distinction.
The paper has more refinement than that used in such American
publications. The effect, in fine, is of