The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1850-03-11
NEWCAsTLE-UPON-TYNE.

Side, with narrow streets going off right and left
up other hills and composed of other old houses
Presently, however, you lind yourself in wider
and better street-Dean street and what is that
Before you opens at once one Of the nobiest and
most magnificent streets you have ever bcheld
Here all that is old at once ceases. You are in the
midst of lofty and modern mansions. Theatres
Hotels, and other public buildings, with noblest
columns and Of the finest style Of Greciah arch-
lecture, with houses and shops of corresponding
size and elegance, rise either hand Of long
and wide street, at tue top Of which stands lofty
Tuscan column, crowned with the figure Of
statesman. You ask what is this? and they tell
you this is Grey street, and that column is there
erected in honor OF Earl Grey. You ask, and what
architect has done this They tell you il is Mr..
Granger, native Of the town, and poor
boy in IT. You turn here and there, and find TO the
right and left, far and wide the streets and squares
Of this new city. Other cities have grown and
expanded themselves with the wealth and the
stimulus Of modern times, and every new street,
and crescent, aud square, has risen in greater pride
and dignity But here is one that has undergone
an entirely different process. Leaving its outskirts
still as old and queer, dngy and dusty they
were years ago, the genius Of renovation here has
begun to work in the very heart of the scene. Ii
has swept away the old centre, and raised a new
city Of extraordinary magnifcence. You walk into
what has been long termed the CoAL-HoLE OF
THE NoRTH, and find Yourself at in a city
OF palaces; fairy-land OF newness, brightness
ana nlO0eTn elegance. And VINO has wrought thiS
change? 1t is Mr.. Granger. After reaching my
Inn, issued forth again. TO seek the Post-ofice to
inquire for letters. working man Of whom |
inquired the way, said, "Down this street little
turn to your left, and ye II the Ar-head before
you; it IS in that" The Ark head [ went on,
expecting to see some old building with the quaint
emblem Of the head OF NoalLs Ark, projecting from
its front. But when turned the corner-belold
the Afk-head was, in fact, an Arcade, of equal
pretensons TO the Lowther Arcade in London
And who had built this !? Mr.. Granger. Here was
massy jail, Of different and appropriate archtec-
ture. Who had reared that II was still Mr..
Granger | advanced to the outskirts, and came
to deep valley. This was in the act Of being
filed up, and road carried across it. brook in
the bottom was culverted over, and carts in dozens
bringing earth and rubbish, and shooting
them in to ill up this great hollow. And whose
schemes and works were these? Oh they were
Mr.. Grainger's. | turned back, thinking Newcas-
tie very extraordinary place, which seemed 10
have consigned its streets, houses, buildings Of all
kinds, its bordering valleys and highways, ali to
the power OF the necromancer-to pull down and
raise up, to level hills and fill up valleys at pleas
ure; and this MIR. Granger OF the most
extraordinary magiciahs that ever appeared As [
| returned. found myself before handsome Me-
chanics Institution, and expressed my appreciation
| Of it. {" OH said the bystanders, Mr. Granger
IS going to take that, and give the town much
larger and finer onen In another quarter came
| the ereotor of that, too "Oh, yes but that is
nothing Mr.. GraingAr is going TO build US much
better; and, indeed look at the Hotels in Grey
street" in one Of which-the Queen Head was
already located. | wandered through other
handsome Streets and came to spacious covered
Market, where the old vegeiabe-women were
washing their cabbages in splendid Grecian vases
Of a magnificent diameter 1t all the work OF
Mr.. Granger. | was conducted TO Il building
called the Central Exchange.
Ii sem-crcular edilice oi great height and
space, and within was a smaller seml-clrele sup
ported by lofty Ionic pillars the within which
| formed news room where the merchants of New
| castle safe reading the papers, and among them
recognized the celebrated singer, Braham. The
noble effect of this building is not easy to describe
| As you enter it strikes you with most agreeable
surprise, and that surprise is not decreased as you
have leisure to study the proportions and to observe
| the handsome manner in which every thing is fin
ished. This, OF course, was the work Of Nj
| Granger too.
On observing all these great works it was i'm
possible not to be struck with admiration aud sur
prise at the genius and energy OF the man who hat
| accomplished them; butwhen saw the enormous
| amount OF new shops and the much more expensiv,
character of them--when ] saw still new streets
all full OF shops yet unoceuped, branching oil west
| ward, and told it was tle intention OF Mr.
| Granger TO continue them to Elswch, where b.
lives, two miles of, it was equally natural to feel
| htde alarm lest in consequence OF his schemes HI
| should Overshoot the reasonable demands oi th
| place-when | asked the shopkeepers whether the
| did MT participate in these fears and feel somt
| anxiety on account of the host of compe litor
| that such great increase OF shops must bring
| ' No they not alarmed Mr.. Granger had
| plan for clearing the bed of the river from shoa
and making it navgable for the largest vessels
| The trade of the place well the population
were rapidly increasing, and they had doubt tina
Newcastle would become a far greater place than il
fhp nj Tho ibNra Il sn
| the north Of England" In short, Mr. Granger
had ubiquitous being aud influence in New
castle-he had its stone and moriar--its heads an,
hearts-all in his possession. There was nothin!
that he had not done WE'LL and there was nothin.
he could not do which was within the reach {
human enterprise and mechanical genius
infuc', the marvellous change wh4ch Mr.. Grainse
has, in comparatively few years, effected IA Ihe ono
dingy Newcastle, and the great success which ha
attended all his specuations and enterprises, wal
rants that confidence which his native town ard
him; and it is beautiful TO see The most eStraord
nary metamorphosis that any town in modern lime
has undergone, connected with the Eerfeet falsiics
tion of the old adage that a prophet has no hort
in his own country" AT least, whatever the cas-
may be with a prophet il is no longer with
builder. Mr.. Granger, among his other triumphs
has completely triumphed over that.
II is the more extraordinary that this wonderu
work has been achieved by man WHO has mad
his way from the condition of 3 charity boy and tn
| dpptnl1Ces carpenter anu DuliUtF.. cuuCi
t0n has been totally destitute of those advantage
that have been considered necessary 10 a great al
chitect 1t is by genius alone that Mr.. Grainge
has mastered his profession, and produced thos
ereciions that have so spIenddy adorned his nativ
| town. Ii appears that when he began his archiieC
tum enterprises he had visited the continent
and had drawn his actual observation Rtiffsr 6I IN
ZIP 10 u nis bntef afef her husbands death
gained a livelihood by stocking mcDdlng, glove
making and clear starcbng. Richard, this son
had no education but what he got at the chariiy
school of st, Andrews; whose course Of study wa
comprised in the Bible Unveils Arithmetios, Tor
Thumb and a spelling book. Some Of the inhab
,ants of Newcastle can recall the appearance of th
boy in those days--in his green badye-coat, vii
his round ruddy smiling face and hs quiet mar
ner. How he acquired his powers as an artist, n
mains mystery, it is said, even 10 his own mint
1t is in fact, the working of that inward pow'
{ which we call genius, and which can achieve !
greatest aims by means which, to ordinary mind
appear scanty and meager, if they appear at all.
The most extraordinary part OF the busInes
after ALL is the confidence with which he has bee
able to inspire his townsmen, and thus to acqul
? command OF those stupendOus sums OF mon'
I which absolutely necessary to such vast u
dertakings. This, argues we'll for the mt7ld intl
town itself; and, indeed, it would have been dill
] cult for Mr.. Granger TO have risen in place whe
a his own great powers would have been sooner m
and supported by such superior mind and lberal
: in his townsmen. 1t was only necessary Tor hi
d TO show that his plans were really great and pen
}. icial, for them TO be embraced and appreciated
e The accuracy OF his calculations and the s9eoe
'f of all his specnaons reflect the highest credit "a
Is | rneralv ON him Int on the Judgment as well