The old merchants of New York City / by Walter Barrett.

OP F.IVW YoflrK CITY.

12

82 William street, under the firm of Haggerty & Tuttle,
but still keeping up the house of Haggerty & Austin, at
169 Pearl. This year lie removed his residence to 239
Broadway, north corner of Park Place. It was about
1814 when Haggerty & Tuttle dissolved. Haggerty &
A ustin kept on at 169 Pearl until after the war, when
their store was changed into 167 Pearl, and there they
remained while in business.
I think that about 1833 the house of Haggerty, Aus
tin & Co., was the largest auction house in this city, if
not in the world. At that time there was an auction
law, that made it imperative for all auctioneers to pay a
duty on what they sold during the year. The auctioneers were appointed by the state. In every auction
house, one of the partners held the commission in his
individual name. In the firm of Haggerty, Austin &
Co., David Austin held the commission. That year,
the duties paid by David Austin were $52,244 82. His
house was the highest on the list of forty-nine auctioneers who reported. The lowest was James Gourley,
who paid thirty-one cents. The next was L. M. Hoff'
man, who paid $34,185 44. Tlie third on the list was
$20,000. This shows what an immense business this
house did. It was so for many years. They led off in
everything. The concern could handle anything in a
financial way. If an East India house had teas or silks
worth $2,000:000, Haggerty, Austin & Co. could advance all that lie needed, and draw a single check for a
million if it was required.
The house of Austin & Haggerty continued as dry
goods jobbers until 1822. After they went into the
auction business, a great contest commenced as to which
house should pay the highest auction duties to the State.
J & P. Hone were at first the rivals, but in ten years