New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-01-21

succeeded by hard clay, and, further on oy aiInS
ubbroken upheava as 1t were, oil s'eIhe, 'oio'I
ding gloomy gnelssrOck, which e1tendeo me- ~
the center Of ,he island as lar as hdii en-
mons The early Dutch settlers, the guy ms
and the Van Dams, the StuyFesdhe' CT "
/ Ten Brooks and the Hardenoroehs' 'hS ' au
| Corflaudis the WaldTons, the Schefiheihoihs,
all settled along the shores OF the rivers; WIZ,
by the washings Of the upland, SOM Soi, ioi ~
farms and gardens was TO be louhu' VI tne9
/ settlements they took out patterns Jul "o"iu
! -. - 80 ,bs tr,fing expense OF patent Tor any
| r. - - and broken soil Of The Interior
H. ,-. ~ stand vas literally surrounded with
.,i,srte as far as Harlem, while Us interior
was hare and unoccupied until as late as ~.
| L., Jefore the struggle for independence, the
! .bole of those waste unpatented and was con-
yfyed by act OF the Legislature 10 the Corpora
| non of the City OF New-York, as OF little value
indeed TO any one, but sill needing some
looking after. This sterile. broken tract Is now
pierced by the Fourth, Fiith and Slxth-avennes
dotted with most luxurious private abotes aud
adorned by the noblest Institutions Of bench
cence--the Institutions for the Deaf ana Donb,
tie Blind. and the Orphan.
OTHER ANCIENT CHURCHES
|. S. Johns Church still stands, though now as
far below the center Of population as when
built 1t was beyond II. But another Church, con
stucted by TRINITY at later period, after
hourlshiue existence OF some 40 years, has
disappeared 10 be replaced far far uptown IRON
rs original locality, by more splendid e1lhce.
| refer to Grace Church. This was commenced
| about sos on ground belonging to the Lutheran
Church, but then occupied by public house, on
the corner of Broadway and RectOf-st. the
ground was purchased and the church was built
by Trinity Church, and presented 10 the con
gregation, which was then organized IN Grace
Church. 1t may be doubted whether there
| survives al this day a single one OF those who
/ .l,r -. If rfu mr.
| the first Vestry of Grace Church.
The Scotch Presbyterian Church, IN Cedar-st.
| between Broadway and Nassau-st. IN which the
eminent and eloquent clergyman, DR.. John NJ.
Mason, oiliciaied, was pulled down after the " ar
OF 1912, and replaced by new edlhce IL MuT-
ray.st opposite the College ground. In the
march OF improvement, shall ! call It at any
rate, IN the course of evenls-that Church, too,
has disappeared, and It's site Is now occupied by
dwelling houses
The French Church du S. Esprit founded by
piOus HuguenOts, and endowed literally by the
| DcslrOsses and others. stood IN Pne-st. below
| Nassau-st In IS it was demolished, and
new marble church was built from the proceeds
/ OF the sales OF the lots m Plne-St. 40 the
corner of Church and Franklin SIS, where 1t now
stands.
Old Trinity too, which was built IN l1SS-oe-
! ing the second on the same slte-the first, which
| was founded IN 1896, having been burned 10 the
I
| III, has been superseded by the most beautiful
/ church structure, probably, OF modern days The
| old church was demolished IN $780, the present
edifce was commenced Immediately, but It was
| not finished and ready for conservation until
| Nav p, 1876 Its cost. exclusive of organ,
clock, bells, &c, was S33L9)f to which about
$4,000 was added for cost of organ, clock,
iron railing, tagging, &c.
II would betedious to attempt the enumeration
| OF all the church edfces which have sprung up
within the halfcentury. The result VIII he
more striking by the simple statement that, III
| 1901 the number of churches, meeting houses OF
all denominations, and synaeogues in the City
was 81 IN 1851, there are goo.
ABANDONED cRAvEyARDs.
For many years past the burial of the dead in
the lower part Of the City has been prohibited,
end hence the early burial-groundS were aban-
| donod and few only of them have been held
sacred from the grasp of the speculator II Is
honorable to Trinity Church that the large yards
around IT, and its Chapel, ST PauIs, have been
! preserved from Vandalism, and YET retain the
| memorials OF the by-gOne generations which rest
| IN their bOsOms. The old POtteTs Field, now
! Washington square, was not called to give ~
| its nameless and numberless dead but on their
unconscious remains were piled acres OF sand,
| carted down from the elevation of Broadway
and of other higher grounds IN the vicinity, and
| the fine houses which now surround the Square
and the hourishng trees which adorn 1t, cover the
| dust far down, which once was breathing, living
man
REMARKABLE EDIFICES.
OF remarkable buildings which have disap-
peared since the beginning of the century, we
may mention again the old Federal Hall, that
stood till after 1912. Within its walls my first
vote on attaining - manhood was given, IN 1910.
The foundation Of the present City Hall was LAID
In lsO3-and It IS II striking contrast with the
lavishness of such ceremoriaS at the present
day, that the appropriation for the whole expense
was only $50. The building proceeded very
slowly, and 1t was not finished till 1872 at a cost
| of S563,73i.
Another edlhce of note was the Government
| House, which stood on an eminence at the foo.
| of Broadway-south of Bowling Green-where
| now Is range of fine brick houses. The
| house was a large double brick building. with
! a snowy portlco IN front, TO which the ascent
was boy many steps; the apartments were many
and spacious and the yard and garden behind ex-
| tended to Soonest, and occapied the whole
block bounded by State st, on the west and
by Whitehall ST. on the east. After 1914,
this building having long been used as a Gus
tom-llouse, was torn down, and the lots on
which 10 stood, and It's garden, We're sold :
thus giving place TO the private residences
which from, the Bowling Green, and the Battery
on State st as far as Bndge-st.
The old City Hotel IN Broadway between
Thames and Liberty ST., buEt toward the
close OF the last century-fOr more than fifty
years the most noted house Of entertainment IN
our City, and of which the assembly room, with
its double floor most skliu.ly adapted 70 dane
ing, had witnessed the festive enioymentS Of
several generaiIons-has disappeared within the
last two years. EXpenSlvely constructed and
substantial warehouses now occupy It's place 4,
and yet, methinks the genus of the past might
haunt It snll-and as the midnight, careworn yo-
tary of commerce tolls over his weary task there
may break on his startled ear the accents Of
other days and other scenes, the faint echoes OF
lOng-agO-utiered haGmonies, the ring OF laughing
JOYOUS, innocent youth perhaps Of the fervid
trusting words OF plrghted love perhaps. TOO
Of the fierce and menaclng tones OF Jealous II
valry-ior Of ak these, and more than all these
was that ancient, honoTed, muchloved spot cog
| infant. Ihese are laYdreAmS | look again