The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1804-09-22
FOR THE ENQUIRER.
ON THE BUILDING OF TOWNS.
THE RAIN 0 W,......No. vi

Ma. VoLNRY, in his "View OF the Sol and
Climate of the United States" has INDUCED the
hrcafm 20 peculiar to him, in making arictures
on the diet of the people of America. In the
prefent number I mutt be permitted TO relate
the obfyrvations of foreigner of another coun-
try, on fubie6 not lefs important to the health
and comfort of our citizens, than the COM
petition of our "gravies." He, however, can
not be charged with srsquiting hofpitality by
p4bhiH:ne caumnes." 1t is true, the remarks
were his, but they were colloquial the blame,
then, of making them public, attaches executive
ly TO me, and I know but little Of the temper of
my countrynen, If they are not always as will
ling to receive ufefui and improving hints, as
they are unwilling to bear with impunity diff
quitting and unqualified centuries.
On an opprethvely hot day, in the courfe of
the prefent filnmer, chance threw me into the
company ofan Engliihman, who had lately
rived in this country. The conversation natu-
rally turned towards the weather, and was for
chilly truck nth the obfervations of the fran
ger.
"When embarked for this country (fad he)
figured to myfelf the univerf;il happinefs of
your citizens, 70 completely emancpated from
the defpotic azv5 Of Europe. did not antici-
pate that, when that great end was accomplish
ed, the people of an independent country would
remain fubiett to the fill more defpotic cuj?ems
of their mother country. did fuppofe that the
freedom and independence of faihions and man
ners would foon follow the freedom and lnde-
pendence of your political ftation for it APP
pears TO me natural that youth Of eighteen
fhould clothe himitfin the habments, and az
fume the prop of his grand father of fouricore,
as that young continental nation ihould initiate
the fzf5ions of an old and injhlar country.
"How ftrangei that notwithstanding ycurgreat
freedom of enquiry, and notwithstanding the an
nual recurrence of peltilential diteaie IN your
larger towns, (Which always occurs in the hot
eft weather too) you have not beftowed
more attention on the fubje6t of contributing
tozun-boujsJ, in fuch manner rs to render them
as cooland healthy as poiiibe.-And fill more
ftrange that the fubieet of planning your foqcns
with the view of attaining the fame end, has oc-
cuDied no part of your reflections on public i'm
provements. Ii is admitted by all that the diff
cafes Of lot weather are more numerous s more
fatal in your Atlantic towns, than thote of cold
does it not follow then, that the ftructure of
your houes, and the plans of your towns, ihould
be rs well adapted to exclude the heats of FUN
mer, as due reference to the cold of winter
will allow? To effect this, is it not efIental to
keep the icorchng rays of the fun at as great
diltance as pofibe, by trees, porticoes, or
.hick walls, and to admit the heated air as ipar-
ingly as poliible through fInail apertures? It
has often been remarked, that &c in the religious
and cafelated forms of Gothic architecture"
the apartments are infinitely cooler than IN the
modern fashionable ediices. In them the walls
are exceedingly thick, and the windows 100
FINAL TO admit Efficiency of light for ordinary
purpofes. That file of building has been aban-
doned in England, becaute their climate being
an in(iIiar and humid one, the funbeams ever
hailed as a welcome gueif but in the iouthern
parts OF Europe, where the fms influence, as in
you. S, is powerfully oppre(iive, cafles there
abodeS infinitely preferred. In Spain, when
they have not the advantage of the &C caitellated
FORM they have very fmple mode or keeping
their apartments cool, by opening the windows
at night to admit the cool air, and cloiing the
ihuttcrs in the morning to exclude the hot air.
Even this precaution, however, is not taken in
America. Your apartments, with four or fix
large windows, often without fhutters, exhibit
very good model of a receptacle for eXotics of
the vegetable kngdo q, Enf are iureY not very
well calculated 20 promote the pealureabie fen
fations of 4 human being. No one can enjoy
more than do, the {" iife-iu.uiing air. of MORN
ing but it would be alnloG as rational TO invite
itream of the Syroc of Italy or the Synoon OF
the African detcrt, rs a current of your "taint
ed arr paffing over pavement heated even TO
inflammation by the nCon-day fun
Our Eagifhman conceiv ng that his argument
TO FAR eftablifIed for il difficult to con-
travert his Ja75) purified the courfe of moral
reafoncrs, who extend their principles from man
TO thOie collections ofmen denominated nations,
IN extending his arguments from one houte TO
tnDtc OI EOtyNJ
"Ifit be admitted Continued he) that cold
be negative quality, or nothing more than the
abrence Of heat, prefIme that the greater por-
tion of lhade, or in other words, the imaller
the portion of folar rays falling on your ftreets,
the cooler will be your towns. This, 1 take for
granted, is preciiely upon the fame principle
that the night is cooler than the day; a fact
which, believe, tands undifputed. Without
rejecting, however, on the difference of eli
mate, you as iervilely initiate the Engliih in the
plan ofyour towns, as in the padding OF your
coats or the fuiIing of your cravats. There,
wide freets and low houfes are proper, becaufe
in mott and northern climate it is eifential to
admit the fun-beams as copiouily as poilible-
Here, narrow ftreets and high houfes are proper,
becaufe in a dry and iouthern climate it is ef-
fentia 70 exclude the fIH-hearns as completely
as pof1ible. In order to effect this two different
modes may be recommended: the one perhaps
more convenient, the other certainly more beau
tiful. The 6rit conliRing chiefly of aHeyS, the
fecond Of piaS2aJ or czL'oHqde5.
'' In the irf mode, there might he two de-
fcrirtons Of ftreets; the one for carriages Of all
kind, the other excIuiiycy for pedehrians.
The freets for carriages might be sufficiently
wide for three to pafs, and would require no
foot Placements; and along thefe might be