The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1804-09-22

notwithstanding their poverty and filth, which
are powerfully exciting caufes of difeafe. In
addition to thefe advantages, it is certainly as
| eaty and as cheap to keep narrow itreets clean
| as wide ones, aud whatever filth may be care
lefsly left on themis furely much lefs liable to
putrefa6tion from the abience of the tun's rays.
1t will be remembered that itreets are only in
tended as pathways from one place to another
and are only ufed as places of rendezvous for
| buhnefs or pleature, where there are no porti-
Goes or public fquares. Public gardens or
iquares ihould never be difpenfed with in any
town, for when laid out with tate they not on
| ly embelllh the appearance of the town itfelf,
but alto, by inviting to exercife companies of
both fexes, unqueftioRably contribute greatly
to the health and fociability fthe inhabitants.
=" Here fuiter me to exprefS my aftonilhment
(obierved the ftranger) at the apathy which per-
vades the citizens of Richmond in their neglect
| OF the. Capitol fquare. Although there are feve-
raj wealthy gentlemen reiiding on the confines
OF this fquare, whole dwellings would be highly
| ornamented by its improvement although the
citizens below the hill have not fpot to which
they can fend their children to take the air al
though there is no fuch place as Promenade,
to which perfons of both feXes can refort for TO-
ciety and for exercife; although the town would
be 70 much embellilhed by surrounding the Ca
pitol with trses-not one effort is made towards
effecting this deGrable object. 1t is difficult to
! calculate the advantages to fociety by fuch a
place of reiort. You mutt permit me to fay
that you do not occupy at prefent the mof ele-
waited rank in the fcale of refined fociety. The
iexes are fever'd. The men frequent the Capt.
tol, the Pot Office, the Taverns, and the Bar
bacues. The women remain at home, or viht
each 0tber III neighbourhoods, as if your town
were laid out in little cantons. A public garden
would often bring together and make acquaint-
ed perions of both fexes, who now fcarcely ex-
OF focal intercourse might thus be daily en-
ioyed without the trouble or parade of FORMAL
Wits.
" II, however, Continued the communicative
Engliihman) the prejudices of your country 70
far prevail TO reject the plan of marrow itreets,
would recommend fecond mode, which al
though not in my opinion 70 well adapted to a
warm climate, has many advantages over your
pretent mode, and would certainly be infinitely
more beautiful. l mean that of Piazzas, or
Collonades. Ir all your towns which have come
under my obfcrvation the .lide-ways or foot
pavements are about fifteen feet wide, by which
the itreets are rendered thirty feet wider than
they would otherwife be. If then, the houfes
were projected theie fifteen feet On each fide
over the freet and fupported by arches as at the
Piazza of our Covent- Garden, or on columns
as in the Rue DIES COLONIES at Paris, you would
of courie have your ftreets thirty feet narrower
and the fame fpace within the Piazza which you
now have for fide-walks. This plan has the
double advantage of increaGng the ihade OF the
itreets 10y approXimating the houfes, and fpro-
tecting the perions engaged in buiinefs from the
oPpreiiion of the midday fummer's fun, and
the inclemency of the winters form"