City Hall, Boston,
Dec. 31, 1856.
Dear Sir:—Yours of the 25th inst., addressed to the Mayor, has been handed to me for a reply—and I would accordingly state that the value of real and personal estate in this city, on the first day of May, A.D. 1856, was $249,162,500.
The census of the city of Boston, on the first day of May, A.D. 1855, was 162,748 persons.
The estimated population of the city of Boston at this date—say January 1st, 1857—is 165,000.
Yours, very respectfully,
Saml. T. McCleary,
City Clerk.
St. Louis,
Feb. 27, 1857.
H. R. Helper, Esq.,
New-York:
Dear Sir:—
In reply to yours of the 9th inst., I beg leave to state, that a census of our population was taken in the spring of 1856 by the Sheriff, and although it was inaccurate, yet the population as returned by him was then 125,500. That his census is too low there is no doubt. Our population at this time is at least 140,000.
Our last assessment was made in February, 1856. Value of real and personal estate, is, in round numbers, $63,000,000.
Trusting this information will be sufficient for your purpose, I remain,