The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1845-10-01
EDITORS CORRESPONDENCE.
From our regular correspondent


terry 10 Harlem river It's east side, seven miles,
and from the same point along its west or North
river side, to Kings Bridge, fifteen miles, the city
proper must necessarily assume the same geograph-
ical outlines. The lower end, which terminates in
sharp triangle, comprising The ancient site of New
Amsterdam isnow principally devoted to business of
all kinds. II is there whore strangers land, and
seek hotels and boarding houses for transient resi-
dence. seaQ
Ia the progress of the city, however, il became
evident that $4,000 people could not all exist on
this triangular spot Of earth, of from qtsarter to
halfa mile in width. A migration up the island
towards Harlem and Kings Bridge commenced,
and has been going on ever since. The upward
growth had already extended over narrow streets,
up as high as the head or near the head of Broad
way, before the governors of the city bethought
themselves THE necessity of laying off the upper
part Of the town into wide streets.
| The island, in from one and half TO three miles
from the Battery, widens from one and half to
| two miles. Below Union square, at the head of
Broadway the latter 10 the only wide street--f we
except the Bowery, Hudson, East Broadway, and
Canal street--on this part of the island. At Union
square, the Bowery, which commences at Chatham
square, nearly joins with Broadway.
Some years ago, the corporation laid off nearly
the whole upper part Of the island into wide and
straight Streets crossing each other at right angles
Those running nearly north and south, and parallel
with the East and North rivers, they called avenues
beginning with A D, I'd and Sd, near the East
riyer, and terminating In the 1lth and 18th on the
North-river side. They are all very wide, from
$50 to 900 feet, well laid of and graduated. They
begin generally on line with Washington square,
| little south and west Of Union square, which is
bounded by Fourth and Fifth streets. The streets
crossing the avenues from river to the other are
| wide dnd straightj being numbered as they are
passed going up the island--from 4th, to at least
i7Oth to l75ih, beyond Manhattanvle, on the North
river.
r,b. Iow.r -. oc .h.s. ,-o.. .,...,. .d s.u,..
has been beautifully and elegantly built up, espe-
| cially in the vicinity Of Union and Washington
squares-the houses being principally the residences
of private families. Indeed such has been the rapid
growth of the city, that the upper end Of il is now
pretty well built over as high as 42d street. The
population of the upper town is connected with that
on the business triangle by means Of great many
omnibus lines, the Harlem railroad &c.--the latter
passing up Centre street; then turning, from near
the city hall, into Broom street; passes into the
Bowery, up which il continues 10 Union square,
and then up Fourth avenue to the station III 9th
street Here the conveyance by horses is exchanged
for steam, which runs on through Harlem; then,
crossing the river at that place, continues on
through Westminster to White Plains, some twenty
odd miles from the city. A large portion of the up
town people use the Harlem railroad twice day
passing to their business at the lower end of the city
in the morning, dining there, and returning In the
| evening.
| Such are the immense numbers of people who
pass back and forth from the upper to the lower
part of the town, that at certain hours in the
| ing and evening, TO one standing about the Park,
they present the aspect of moving army. Thou
sands are seen (male and female) hurriedy pressing
forward on foot; while every omnibus (of which
there are hundreds) and every railroad car ia
crowded to its utmost limits; and the ferryboats
70 Brooklyn, Jersey City, Williamsburg, and Staten
island, daily carry untold thousands TO and from
the great business triangle.
Although the distance up town, on the island,
may be two Or three miles from Wall street, the
centre of business, the street Of banks, insurance
Offices railroad Offices, the merchants exchange, Of
many counting-rooms of great firms, &c.i yet il is
decidedly the most pleasant part Of the city for a
permanent citizen to reside in. 1t is true, he may
only be able to breakfast and sup at home, being
| compelled to dine at eating-house down town,
and TO ride bnck and forth; yet, when at home, in
the quiet upper end Of the city, he feels altogether
better. Hes out Of the way Of the eternal din Of
over paving-stones, the dust, dirt, and filth in
business streets, inseparable from tho passage
of drays, carts, &c. When ensconced in your
own snug apartments up town, on quiet
evening, before a pleasant fire, it may be,
with a small, choice library, with a smoking
dish of good tea before you, accompanied with
hot cakes and fresh butter, while the clean
streets without are as orderly, as noiseless
be found in any country village thousand miles
distant from the great city,-the position, under
such circumstances, becomes one Of a decidedly
| pleasant, desirable, and comfortable character.
You approach the conflict of business next day,
amidst the hustle, uproar, dirt, and turmoil down
| town, with renovated vigor of mind and body. Nor
is this mode of living very extravagant, if time and
means be properly sconomised. Comfort consists
in attention to small things in their proper time
and place. Small means, properly applied, yield
more real comfort than large incomes careessly ex-
! pended.
| My abode is up town. The East river, opposite TO
where | live, is very wide. On clesn hard mass of
granite projecting into the water at the shore, is
a small white fsherman's cottage, with small por-
tico festooned with squash vines. This cottage is
inhabited by "Smith" the fisherman, who keeps a
fsh-stall few minutes walk from my place. To
this stall every morning he brings an assortment of
perfectly live fish, jumping and foundering in every
direction. Among them may be seen many small
and delicious perch which "Smith" sells to me for
my breakfast at six cents pound or at eighteen
cents string, weighing three or more pounds.
| These appear on my table nicely fried, accompa-
MED with nice pile of rice cakes, to which fresh
butter has been applied. A we-made cup or two
of coffee is added, which completes very snug
breakfast, at very moderate expense. Later in the
season, buckwheat cakes supplant the rice cakes;
and when Mr.. Smiths perch and black fish become
scarce or tiresome, mutton chop or beefsteak is
occasionally substituted.
] My fisherman, (of the interminable family of
Smiths,) for all know to the contrary, is very
harmless and industrious in his line He drives
trade by keeping number of neat boats to hire out
| to his customers &c. Now one of the most dis
agreeable things connected with large cities s, that
they always contain many spoilt apprentice boys,
worse dandies, many rogues, swindlers, and such
"iHn an
II seems Smith fell into serious trouble while
was gone west, about one of his boats. Three va
grant and rascally halfgrown lads, young in years,
but overgrown in hardened rascality-one was by
the name of Burtis, who had taken some small
change from his fathers till, and decamped, and
falling in with two vilanous boys worse than him
self-one, the worst of all, called Hodgkins; and
the other by the name of Hughes--they proceeded
to Smiths cottage, where they hired one of his
boats, which he let's at rs cents day. He uses
stones about foot in diameter, with iron rings fast
ened in them, as anchors for his boats, which are
made fast TO the boats by means Of chain or rope
One of these stones was lying in the boat the boys
hired. They went off with Smiths boat; and, as is
confidently believed, when out of sight, Hodgkins
and Hughes tied the boy Burts to the stone anchor
and cast him overheard for he was never seep ne