The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1810-06-08
Gbe Gnqutrer.
RICHMOND, JUNE s; 1910.
TO THE POLICE OF RICHMOND.

Nature has placed you over one of the
most beautiful cities the world. Blessed
with health airy and romantic in its pros
poets with thousand points from which
the painter may draw the VARYING Lands
cape; seated at the falls of great river, on
the head OF It's tide waters, and charged with
| all the exports of rich and most luxuriant
back country (; you have every thing which
you could wish for. Your country too has
blessed you with privileges--the motropo-
lis OF large and magnificent state the seat
OF her legislature and executive council
the seat OF the supreme courts +; the seat OF
her public Neutrality-suspicious. and Your
Sounty nave done every thing for YOU
how much have you done for yourself.
do not ask the inhabitants of your city
Tor the luxurious decorations of architecture
or those iilustrious Institutions, which are in
! tended to improve the mind Palaces and
pomp, the aspiring dome or the guili col
umn, are as little to my taste as they are
within the grasp of some of your citizens.
he man OF wealth, who has no higher
ideas OF utility or fame, than to pinp in the
cause OF luxury, and shine in equipages and
I'm houses, is no better than a public nui-
sance; the plague or the yellow fever. He
spreads the infection of luxury through all
Glasses OF our citiZens-and taints the very
streams OF virtue.-I could name two or
\
iash OF Juvenal or a Persus would suit
them lar better than the sumptuarv laws of
Pollce nOblest embellishments of q
CITY are ITS institutions for the refinement OF
hinu-lts learned Societies, its public Libra
ries, ITS collections of Statuary and Paintings,
ITS Museums, its Schools every thing which
can nerve and expand. not enerva,e the
mind But i call not upon you for these
lJoHndoftons Of greatness. The resources of
your pubic chest are not large enough for
them. They must he left to the care of in
dividuals; to the generosity of wealth. and
the energy of men of genius.
But when ask what the Police of this ci :
ty has done. merely enquire what has been
accomplished TO add to the security, the con
lvenience, and comfort of the citizens. AS
sizing the weight of our bread, seeing that we
are not put off with too lictle butter or too
improper flesh these are duties which we
all look for. They enter into tie very idea
OF body corporate of borough These of
fees are useful, but they are of a subordi
nate cast.-There are other duties, which
are expected from you-as adding to the
lcomfort and safety of the city-For want of
a better adviser will you permit me TO name
few OF those, which at present strike nv
mind
1. 1t is high time, in my humble iude.
ment, to begin with paving our main street.
Screenu us from the reproach of every stran-
ger, when he has the street full in his ave
"what little public spirit there is in Rich !,
rnond Save us from being choaked with the
dusts of summer. or buried beneath the mud of
winter ltyour funds are not large enough
10 do every thing at once, at least do some
thing-oniy make beginning You NAV
!; spare small fragment of your 6 Is 600 for
this laudable object. Seize some point al
which you may begin your operations. the
market bridge, for instance, and go on bv
degrees as your resources increase or are
wanted for less useful purposes. Only be-
gin and go on-and every thing will come
right at last. In the contest between the
Hare and the Snail. the Snail reached the
goal hrs', only because she g kept moving -
II we ourselves shall rot reap much comfort
from the enterprise. yet at least our descen
dants OF the third and fourth generation NAV
walk the streets without breaking their shins
on the pavement, or being sufocated with
the rising fumes of dust,
Pave then our main streets-nave o,,,
foot 7pays-plant them with the light pom
lars OF Lombardy-and our street-waIk-
ers, and our drivers, our old and our YOUNG.
Will bless you Tor your ways.
q. Let us re organize our fire. contanies
Let the master of, the Police or some other
supernumerary officer see, every month, to
the Fire Engines and make return on their
ICohultioh, &C provided the Fire Companies
will assent to his revision. Let these Com
panies never fail to assemble at stated times
around their Engine, and discipline them
selves in the art of extinguishing destyuc
tton When the alarm bell sounds. let each
man know which is his post and let better
steps be iaken, than have been heretofore
pursued, to trace the scene of fire, and let
every one know it. Let stohs be made ON
the main street to receive the waters, (when
/ necessarily from the subterranean sluices
from the basin, and supply the Engines with
an ncessant stream. Let sufficient GUAM
uty OF hose be procured--let fire. hooks and
other implements be always at hand, to stop
the progress of the dev0uring flames.
Without these andother precautions. which
OF us may not rue the day, when the most
obvious duties of the Police were neglect
ed!
3. No houses should be suffered n he
Quilt, which have not parapct wall to cut
otf the communication from roof to roof
NO further proof can be required of the uti
llty OF this measure, than the salvation Of
Mr.. w. Temples house during The des-
tructive fire of 18O9:-No houses should he
built, whose roofs are not covered with
tile. or slate, or shingles covered with the
impenetrablc Stucco.
d. Prevention ought to be consulted in
other things. as well as in fires-It should
not break out. like a species of spasrn. and
take the name and note of an alarming
preparation but il should be rerulat ron