City Council Room. Austin, May 18, 1871. Called Meeting of the City Council of the City of Austin. Roll called. Present - His Honor, the Mayor. Aldermen Mess'rs J Bremond, J L Bureau, E S Egleston, J H Robinson, C m Wheelock Absent - Aldermen Mess'rs Tho's Adams, Henry Marion S Meunier. Quorum present. A communication from D'r Hayni, J F Alexander J A Forbes & W A Taylor, Acting as a temporary Board of Health, was read, recommending the establishing of a regular City Hospital and the creation of a permanent Board of Health the President of which to be, the City Physician. Alderman E S Egleston then presented the following [illegible] Resolution to fixing the rate of taxation on taxable merchandise in the City of Austin. Be it resolved, Whereas there exists a difference of opinion as to the application of the increase of the [illegible] Tax from one-quarter to one-half of one per cent, therefore be it S. Resolved by the City Council of the City of Austin, That the said increase was not intended to apply to the collection of taxes on merchandise received for sale by the merchants of this city, but applicable alone to Real Estate and Personal Property; and that the Assessor & Collector therefore be, and hereby is, directed to levy the tax on receipt of goods by merchants at the rate of one-quarter of one per cent. On motion, the rule was suspended, the Resolution passed its second and third reading, and the vote then taken thereupon resulted as follows, on calling the roll: Yeas: Mess'rs J Bremond, J L Bureau, E S Egleston J H Robinson, C m Wheelock Nays: None Thus the Resolution was unanimously adopted. A Petition of F W [illegible], President of the Austin City Gas Company, was read, and, on motion laid on the table until the next regular meeting. The complaint of J A McMicken protesting against the forfeiture of his contract with the City for paving the sidewalks of Congress Avenue, as decided by the Mayor, was then read; --- Page break --- 75 after which the petition of Mess rs Odom and Grispelman was read, and there being not a sufficient number of members present to act on any further business, or motion, the Council adjourned. O F Lyml, Recorder --- Austin City Council Room June 5th, 1871 The City Council met according to adjournment, Present - His Honor the Mayor Aldermen Mess rs J G Buses, O S Eggleton, S Massini J W Robinson, P Whelott, Henry Matson Absent Aldermen - Mess rs Bot Adams, J. G. Bremond Quorum present The following communication by Horace Greely, in answer to the tender of the hospitalities of the city provert him, was read and ordered to be spread upon the Minutes of the City Council, reading as follows, to-wit: Pittings, Texas, May 26, 1871. "Gentlemen - In company with my two friends, Sol Mundy and Mr. Whot Stones, who have come from New York to see your State and report on its resources, I had hoped to spend the day in your city; but it seems to have been otherwise ordered. On reaching this point last evening, we found that our trunks had been put off at [illegible] and no inducement would suffice to obtain them by force or otherwise wagon. We could not proceed without them - as we wished to move rapidly southward from your city; so we chose to await their coming; and the violent rain that soon fell in and still prevails, compelled us to abandon the hope of reaching Austin - the roads being so bad and the streams so swollen. "Hoping that better facilities may soon enable us soon to visit your city, I remain, yours, (sig'd) Horace Greely. Col. Shaw, Mayor, and Common Council, Austin." Another communication was presented to the Council and read by Alderman O S Eggleton, said communication being written by J Sanford Bowen, President of the International Railroad Company and directed to Alderman Eugene Bremond, proposing to build a bridge over the Colorado river near Austin on the part of said railroad comp