Excerpt from The Rise and Growth of the Metropolis Meanwhile, it is believed that the fiscal and other pecuniary results of the long sought municipal measure, which has prescribed a comprehensive plan of steam railway routes throughout the greater part of Manhattan Island, will become sufficiently manifest to justify the publication, at the present time, of the "Letters on Rapid Transit," forming part of the work in question, and presenting facts of primary importance, in showing the growth of the metropolis in the century rapidly approaching its end. They are also of great and immediate interest to all our tax-payers, in demonstrating the immense increase in the taxable values of real estate, and the consequent diminution in the general burthen of taxation, which must inevitably and speedily follow the completion of the steam railways prescribed by the Rapid Transit Commissioners. To avoid, all misapprehension, the author deems it proper and necessary to add, that the work is published, without the co-operation, in any way, of any of the municipal authorities, or of any manager, director or stockholder of any railway company, existing or proposed; but solely to lighten the increasing load of taxation, and to promote the general welfare of the metropolis, present and future. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.