The only definite information we have is a pamphlet published in 1855 by Moses Yale Beach, proprietor of the New York Sun, on the "Wealthy Men of New York." This records the names of nineteen citizens who, in the estimation of well-qualified judges, possessed more than a million dollars each.

The richest man in the list was William B.Astor, whose estate is estimated at $6,000,000.

The next richest man was Stephen Whitney, also a large landowner, whose fortune is listed at $5,000,000.

Then comes James Lenox, again a land proprietor, with $3,000,000.

The man who was to accumulate the first monstrous American fortune, Cornelius Vanderbilt, is accredited with a paltry $1,500,000.