In a message dated 9/14/98 9:33:11 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:

> Re the origin of "Queens" County:
>
>  A friend of mine suggested a museum that's new to me: The Museum of the
City
> of
>  New York:
>
>  [log in to unmask] wrote:
>
>  > They don't have a website, but the phone number is 212-534-1672 -- a
local
>  > call for your correspondent.  That's the place I'd begin.
>
>  Good Luck!  Bonnie Glickman, Rochester NY
>
>
On the contrary, the Museum of the City of New York has a very execellent web
site.
http://www.netresource.com/mcny/set2.htm
 <A HREF="http://www.netresource.com/mcny/">Museum of the City of New
York--Welcome</A>

NY1 (all news TV) carried the following dated 1/29/98

A debate is heating up over plans for a statue in Queens to be made in the
image of Queen Catherine of Braganza.

The borough of Queens was named for the 17th century leader of Portugal. A
50-foot statue of the monarch is planned for a location at Hunter's Point on
the East River.

Critics of the statue charge that Catherine profited from the slave trade
through tax money, and should not be honored.

However, the statue's supporters include Portuguese immigrants who say that
Catherine is an important symbol of Portugal's culture.

--------------------
A February, 1998 article in ARTnews reports historian, author and reputed
expert on Catherine Frank Melton found no evidence Catherine owned salves or
had them in her royal court but on the contrary left money in her will to help
free slaves.

The article does not quote Melton on whether Catherine's family ever gained
revenue through taxes on international trade that included humans as well as
goods, the complaint alleged by the protesters.

 <A HREF="http://home.att.net/~LKMgallery/flack.html">Audrey Flack's Queen
Catherine</A>

___________________________--
 The borough of Queens was named after the wife of Charles II of England,
Queen Catherine of Braganza in 1683. It should be noted Catherine was married
to Charles II when Britain took over New Amsterdam (Dutch New York) and thus
came the name for what is the city's largest borough.

Thomas McCarthy