The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1849-01-18
[From the N. Y. Literary worid.]
"A Manbattaner in Nem Orleans.

j
below we give another of the clever sketches Of
a Manufacturer in New Orleans. From his descrp-
tons of our Streets and comparisons with those OF
Gotham, one would be led to suppose that New
York would be for us Orleanois paradise of clean
illness but if we can believe newspaper accounts
the Bowery is not remarkably free from impurities,
and Broadway itself feels the benefits of &c Free
Soil" Mr.. Manhattan, however, does very well
though he is not exactly informed concerning the
organization of our city government, and we do
think the magisterial dignity of city somewhat
compromised by the anecdote-we must consider it
apocryphal-concernng some past or present incum-
bent of the Mayoralty.- Eds. Crest
| Statistics of municipal law and policy are not
very amusing attractive, we know but to pair
of Manhattan eyes, accustomed in the time of
| spring tides to bethnk him of certain aldermanic
routnes, and at all times from Brooklyn heights or
Trinity steeple, to regard New York as one beaut-
full and systematic WHOLE it is very odd to strain
the vision the details of the legal divisions and
municipal governmental plottings prevalent in the
Crescent City. But in these days of guide books,
gaZetteers, and news, none need to be more than
reminded that New Orleans is divided into three
apparent cities, each of which, far legislation
goes, attends to its own business protects with due
care its own respective aldermanc gods dirties or
cleans its own causeways; puts out lis own fires
with its own reservoirs fines its own rowdies and
puts itself into debt without the vulgar interference
of neighbors. Each part but meets in harmony
once in two years TO choose supervising council
general vestrymen of the PARISH and Mayor,
whose gracious prerogatve it is to pour occasionally
upon the troubled waters of fraternal dscord the
oil of municipal expediency! ae5
New Orleans has Mayor! But the people seem
sadly afraid of him. and have made his Office very
much like that of King Alfourte's prime minister
in Planche's burletta Of Fortunio--
Won III learn vour dntv in +, minnie
It's but to hold the purse:
but there the analogy ends, for the purse in the
play agreeable to the rhyme had nothin in it, -
while the Mayor of New Orleans, on his seven
thousand year, can study the mysteries of turtle
regardless of expense. There are many who won't
believe it, but once saw the Mayor, dapper man.
with shocking bad hat, supporting a lamp post,
smoking cigar, and with his head up to the waist
coat of ''six foot elector, crticising the last
race upon the Metairie Course. 5sa .
One section of New Orleans, the first Mum il
paty, is the old city left to the tender merces of
the French and Creole population, narrow, dark,
and dirty (meaDing either their city or the peope.)
One,s in the second Municipality, the new city,
with here a little of Boston, there triAe of New
York, and some of Philadelphia, with something
of the rus IN ,ube so charmingy common to New
England towns. The third section, a species of
half village, hslf city unmstakeable in IFS French
faubourg look,) is given the tender merces
of the Dutch and Irish, and the usual accompani-
A foreign tourist has observed that the democra-
tic character of American institutions is sufficiently
attested by our houses and edfces. Each properly
owner possesses bis peculiar ideas of architecture
and independently carries them into effect In no
city is the latter more striking or absurder than in
these three sections of New Orleans. The archi-
tectual tastes of every nation have been consuied
perhaps in some part of them Tartar or Japanese
soourner might feel at home. On one block will
stand a row of buildings that might have been
L.. - -. AH
their chambers filed with Revolutionary memories
Upon another block dozen Struggling dwellings
remind one of Spain Mexico---a pair of dark
eyes and head Of most picLuresquely uncombed
hair here and there behed, wonderfully assisting
the illusion. In one part Down-Ea has faith
fully copied, in wood or plaster his old homestead
on the kennebec or Housatonc. 10 another, Ken
lucky taste $50 independent and yet SO good
humored) has attempted to satisfy the longings Of
everybody by working up a dozen architectural
plans into one uncongenial whole, erecting sort
of brick and timber monster that--should they be-
hold it--would drive a " Downing" or " Thomas"
crazy. PiazZas, yerandas, and Knickerbocker
'stoopJ" corner one another viglantly. Dropsical
chimneys and lean smoke vents harass each other
tomentingly. Sky-lights aud dormer windows ogle
| one another gapngly and squintingly.
And my word for 1t, with my eye full open to
the city roofs, the cats Of New Orleans have fine
| firtations and mystical gambols o. nights.
The original city fathers of New Orleans (origi-
nal they certainly were) must have been born pc
and have afterwards deeply studied the classics.
They named the streets in the mood in which their
subjects erected dwellings consulting everything
| and everybody. AT the chrisienings, mythology
and history, cOnceit and whimsicalily stood spor-
sors; French Dukes and Princes were given up TO
Immortality upon corner signs; and Charities, y
| "Conti. - &c Burgundy" and "Conde " will never
be forgotten in New Orleans so long black paint
| and iron spikes exist. In the same manner the
various saints came in for their share of fame. SO
| did many sinners. The early Governors were not
forgotten, as Carondelet, Where and Claiborne
streets attest. The MUSES. and the Graces con-
| tributed their refinement to the swamp-iniested
districts ofthe Faubourg st. Marie. Oh, We Gotham
| cavaliers at the utilitarianism that has numbered
and lettered your streets and avenues, what would
We say to Nayades and Dryades and Bacchus
street, Gin the latter Temperance Hail. which
run into Felicity road, and are nersected by Cal
| liore and Clio and Erato and Thaia streets, beg
| ging pardon for the omission of Melpomene (who
| has +" raging canawl " in her midst, standing
theme for "Picayune" jokes,) or Terpsichore,
whose very curb-stones quadrille it as the oozng
mud beneath wells up and down on thawing win.
| try morning.! When add that the Indians and
the sires of the Revolution and the living states
men, were also remembered, have said enough to
| convince the most skeptica that the original
| fathers of New Orleans were born poets.
And any one who has merely loafed about the
city will readily grant my assertion, that Phonogra-
ply has before IL WONDERFUL TASK 10 translate uno
Hooser comprehension at first sight the mystical
names that spectre-fy behoiders at every street
| corner
| Descending from buildings and street names, we
jump to the pavement and trottoirs. And they are
worthy of notice, if only toappease the grumblings
of fasdious pedestrians who, on the polished flags
of Gotham or Philadelphia, for ever fretting al
the wretched municipal economy of bad pavements.
Would that DIR. Allcott and Boss Richards (whose
boots and shoes will ever stand insmammoth letters
on the pages Of Knickerbocker history, kicking
aside all ungenerous sarcasm), or time honored
ex-street commissioner Even, were in New Orleans
to behold its PAGES and trottoirs. How the former
would pirate of consumptions! The second of cork
soles; perhaps lattsrly of guta percha. And the
last named Of McAdam and Russ. Certes as These
sidewalks now are, bunion doctors and corn eradi
Gators carry on thriving trade, and fearlessly
paint up their names everywhere. Full three
fourths of the walks are of ill-burnt brick, which,
on loose Shiny soil are treacherous feetsupporters