:

when "Mount Woollaston" was set off as Braintree, Boston exercised jurisdiction over a territory of at least 40,000 acres. Within its present limits there are 30,598 acres, including flats and water.

Since 1640, grants of land have been made to Boston by the General Court as follows: (1) October *16, 1660, 1,000 acres "for the use of a free schoole, layd out in the wildernesse or North of the Merimake River" (in Haverhill), in 1664. (2) June *27, 1735, in abatement of Province Tax, three townships, each six miles square, or 69,120 acres in all. These townships later became the Towns of Charlemont, Colrain, and Pittsfield. Boston sold its interest in them on June *30, 1737, for £3,660. (3) June 26, 1794, a township of land in Maine (23,040 acres) "to build a public hospital." This tract was sold by the City April 6, 1833, for $4,200.

Muddy River was set off as the Town of Brookline on November *13, 1705, and Rumney Marsh was set off as the Town of Chelsea January *8, 1739.

The principal annexations of territory included within the present limits of the City of Boston have been made as follows:

(1) Noddle's Island, by order of Court of Assistants, March *9, 1636-37. (2) South Boston set off from Dorchester March 6, 1804, by St. 1803, c. 111. (3) Washington Village set off from Dorchester May 21, 1855, by St. 1855, c. 468. (4) Roxbury January 6, 1868, by St. 1867, c. 359, accepted September 9, 1867. Roxbury received its name by order of the Court of Assistants October *8, 1630. It was incorporated as a city March 12, 1846, by St. 1846, c. 95, accepted March 25, 1846. (5) Dorchester January 3, 1870, by St. 1869, c. 349, accepted June 22, 1869. It received its name September *7, 1630, by order of the Court of Assistants. (6) Brighton January 5, 1874, by St. 1873, c. 303, accepted October 7, 1873. Set off from Cambridge as the Town of Brighton February 24, 1807, by St. 1806, c. 65. (7) Charlestown January 5, 1874, by St. 1873, c. 286, accepted October 7, 1873. Settled July 4, 1629. It was incorporated a City February 22, 1847, by St. 1847, c. 29, accepted March 10, 1847. (8) West Roxbury January 5, 1874, by St. 1873, c. 314, accepted October 7, 1873. It was set off from Roxbury and incorporated a Town May 24, 1851, by St. 1851, c. 250. (9) Hyde Park January 1, 1912, by St. 1911, c. 469, and 583, accepted November 7, 1911. Incorporated a Town April 22, 1868.

* Old Style.

1

The City Seal was adopted by "An Ordinance to Establish the City Seal," passed January 2, 1823, which provides "That the design hereto annexed, as sketched by John R. Penniman, giving a view of the City, be the device of the City Seal; that the motto be as follows, to wit: 'Sicut patribus sit Deus nobis'; and that the inscription be as follows:- 'Bostonia condita, A.D. 1630. Civitatis regimine donata, A.D. 1822.'" The motto is taken from 1 Kings, viii., 57, i. e. "God be with us as He was with our fathers."

The seal as it then appeared is shown above.

The seal as it was afterwards changed, and has ever since continued to be used, first appeared on page 221 of the volume of laws and ordinances, commonly known as the "First Revision," published in 1827, and is continued as the City Seal at the present time by Revised Ordinances of 1914, Chapter 1, Section 5, which provides that "The seal of the City shall be circular in form; shall bear a view of the City; the motto 'SICUT PATRIBUS SIT DEUS NOBIS,' and the inscription, 'BOSTONIA CONDITA, A.D. 1630. CIVITATIS REGIMINE DONATA, A.D. 1822,' as herewith set forth."

The seal as changed in 1827, and as it has ever since appeared, is shown on the second page.