This section was the only change in the revised Constitution which received the unanimous approval of the Constitutional Convention.

It should be explained that the Forest Preserve, the Adirondack Preserve and the Adirondack Park are not synonymous

terms.

The Forest Preserve, as fixed by law, consists of all State lands in the county of Clinton (except the towns of Altona and Dannemora) and the counties of Delaware, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Herkimer, Lewis, Oneida, Saratoga, Saint Lawrence, Warren, Washington, Greene, Ulster and Sullivan, except lands within the limits of any village or city, and lands not wild acquired by the State on foreclosure of mortgages made to loan commissioners.

The Adirondack Preserve: It will be observed that the counties above mentioned lie in both the Adirondack and Catskill regions. All the lands of the Forest Preserve, lying in the Adirondack counties, constitute the Adirondack Preserve, while those in the Catskill counties constitute the Catskill Preserve.

The Adirondack Park was established by chapter 707 of the Laws of 1892 "for the free use of all people for their health and pleasure and as forest lands necessary to the preservation of the head waters of the chief rivers of the State and a future timber supply." The Adirondack Park, as distinguished from the Adirondack Preserve, consists of the lands owned by the State within a certain boundary line in the Adirondack Preserve popularly called the "blue line." This line, as now fixed by law, is described in detail in chapter 304 of the Laws of 1904. It lies in the heart and comprises the greater portion of the Adirondack Preserve, but not all of it. The total area, within the "blue line " bounding the park, is 3,313,564 acres. Of this area 1,353,357 acres belong to the State and constitute the Adirondack Park, while 1,960,207 acres are held in private ownership.

The following figures will show at a glance the area of the subdivisions of the Forest Preserve on March 28, 1908:

The total cost of all land acquired by purchase up to March 28, 1908, has been a little over $4,000,000. This figure represents simply the cost of land purchased and is far from representing the total investment of the State in its Forest Preserve; for large sums are appropriated annually for the administrative work of the Forest, Fish and Game Commissioner and his department.

The latest addition to the Adirondack Park was the purchase in March, 1908, of 3,500 acres of heavily timbered land embracing Mount Marcy. This mountain, with an altitude of 5,344 feet, is the highest peak of the Adirondacks. This purchase was made at the rate of $8 an acre.

The Catskill Park.

Much of what has been said about the Adirondack Park applies to the Catskill Park. The latter has also been a gradual growth. The earliest acquisitions were made as far back as 1853, but the

Catskill Preserve may be said to date, like the Adirondack Preserve, from chapter 283 of the Laws of 1885, which created the Forest Preserve and included therein lands owned by the State in Greene, Ulster and Sullivan counties, to which Delaware county was added in 1888. During the next nineteen years the State increased its possessions in those counties and also made small appropriations for deer parks in the Catskills, but it was not until chapter 233 of the Laws of 1904 was enacted that the Catskill Park as such was established by law and definitely bounded. The same relation exists between the terms "Catskill Preserve" and

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Catskill Park" that exists between the "Adirondack Preserve" and the "Adirondack Park." The Catskill Preserve embraces all lands owned by the State in Greene, Ulster, Sullivan and Delaware counties. The Catskill Park embraces only those lands owned by the State within the boundaries defined by chapter 233 of the Laws of 1904. The total area within that boundary is 576,120 acres, of which the State owns 107,652 acres. For the boundaries of the Park we refer to the law of 1904 and for other statistics of area to the figures given under the preceding head. Like the Adirondack Park, the Catskill Park is under the jurisdiction of the Forest, Fish and Game Commissioner.

Saint Lawrence Reservation.

Probably few persons are aware of the existence of the Saint Lawrence Reservation which was created by chapter 802 of the Laws of 1896. This act provides that all that part of the St. Lawrence river within the State of New York, with the islands therein and such lands along the shores thereof as then were or should thereafter be acquired by the State, should constitute an International Park to be known as the St. Lawrence Reservation. The reservation is in charge of the Forest, Fish and Game Commissioner.

Chapter 273 of the Laws of 1897 appropriated $30,000 for the purchase of land, etc., and the following areas were purchased. They are mostly along that stretch of the Saint Lawrence river known as the Thousand Islands.

Burnham's Point, near Cape Vincent,, in town of Cape Vincent

Cedar Point, between Cape Vincent and
Clayton, town of Cape Vincent......
Canoe Point and Picnic Point, Eel bay,

One-half of Lotus island, town of Lisbon,

nine miles below Ogdensburg

20.00

4,500

De Wolf Point, Lake of the Isles, town of

Orleans.

10.12

500

180.86 $22,100

The balance of the appropriation was spent in constructing docks, open pavilion, and fire ovens and placing buoys, etc. The object of the ovens is to reduce the risk of forest fires.

In 1898 (chap. 606) the State appropriated $10,000, in 1904 (chap. 729) $2,000, and in 1905 (chap. 700) $2,000 for docks, etc., making the total appropriations on account of the Saint Lawrence Reservation, $44,000, with possibly some other general disbursements which have escaped our attention.

The object of this reservation is not expressed in the terms of the law. Its main purpose, however, appears not to be utilitarian,

but to give pleasure on account of its picturesque location in and bordering upon the great outlet of the Great Lakes. The Forest, Fish and Game Commissioner informs us that "the object of the reservation is the protection of fish and game and the benefit of the public generally."

WASHINGTON'S HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK.

Closely related to the scenic and historic reservations of the State is the public park in New York city, bounded by West One Hundred and Sixty-second street, Edgecomb road, West One Hundred and Sixtieth street and Jumel terrace, which was acquired by the city for the purpose of preserving the fine colonial mansion standing thereon known as Washington's Headquarters. This park embraces an area of 67,391 square feet or the equivalent of twenty-seven city lots, and was purchased in 1903 for the sum of $235,000. In 1905 the city appropriated $11,275 for renovation. The house was built in 1758 by Col. Roger Morris at the time of his marriage to Mary Philipse (see page 206) and was occupied by Washington in 1776. A full description of the house and of the share of this Society in securing its acquisition by the city will be found in our Eighth (1903) and Ninth (1904) Annual Reports.

HUDSON HIGHLANDS NATIONAL PARK.

During the past year our Society has been going through an experience with respect to the Highlands of the Hudson river somewhat analogous to that which culminated in the establishment of the Palisades Interstate Park. It will be recalled that prior to the creation of the Palisades Park, a wide-spread public sentiment had developed in favor of the preservation of the Palisades, and many projects were suggested and attempted before the final successful scheme was evolved in the legislation which the American Scenic and Historic Preservation Society helped to devise. (See page 58.)