The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1858-12-23
BALTIMORE.
THURSDAY, DECEMBER %, 1858

The origin and growth of cities present matter
for curious speculation. Why some of them exis
at all-why many of them stand where they do
and why places every way suited for great towns
haven towns at all upon them, or near them-art
questions more easily asked than answered. VI
the four principal cities of the Atlantic coast, only
one was so to speak, begun at the beginning
Philadelphia alone was selected and named in ad-
vance of settlement-its streets laid out by square
and compass, and all the work meetly and orderly
effected Sull-if WILLIAM PENN imagined that he
was drawing the line of more than promising
Quaker village, whose whole worshipping popua-
ton might be seated in single meeting he
was singuarly sparing of the not then very valua-
BILE soil required to give his streets decent width
New York sprang up and grew, after the fashion
described in the great historical work of DIEpR1cg
KNIcKERBoCKER, while Boston, always under the
protection and favor of Providence, assumed an
arrangement of streets, which, in behalf of stran-
ger, still requires an nterposition of Providence
the police, 10 pass through, without error Balti-
more by far the youngest of the four had evidently
oconscous premonitions ofthe destiny prepared for
her, but arose and tiourshed in very promiscuous
and blind manner. On the other hand, we have
in Washington an instance of what may be effected
by nations wisdom, backed by nations purse,
in building city intended to
''Get the start of the majestic world
And bear the palm alone"
The experiment, as yet, cannot certainly he called
4 decided success, but a hundred years hence,
things there may look better.
If any one will ask himself why the great city of
the noble bay of the Chesapeake, the right arm of
the Atlantic, wherewith he embraces Maryland-as
bridegroom holds bride-should have taken root
and attained its present huge proportions, at the
mouth of Jones' Falls and at the point farthest
removed from the centre of the trade of the vast
bay and its tributaries he will find the question
not easily answered. There to be sure many
wise persons who, experiencing no difficulty in
looking back fancy if they had so to speak,
lived back, it would have been just as easy to
look torward-who will wonder at our simplicity
in making any difficulty about so plain matter
If these sagacious gentlemen had existed some sew
enty-fve years ago, they would doubtless have
made immense fortunes for themselves and posteri-
ty, by investments near the Basin unless they had
also foreseen-as doubtless they would have done
that about these times, under medical advice,
the said Basin would have become the burial place
of Federal Hill Still we must take the liberty of
expressing our opinion, that if the coast were all
Clear and the thing TO be done over again, no long
headed speculator, with the exception of such as
we have just alluded to, would sink his money
on the town site at the mouth of Jones Falls in
preference to all other points on the Chesapeake
We have heard of gentleman, who, having funds
at his disposal about the time that Baltimore be-
gan to attract some notice, and wishing to make s.
investment for the benefit of his heirs after
calm survey of the comparative advantages and
future prospects of various points on the bay
bought water lots at Elkton. The courtly city of
Annapolis long looked down with scorn on the
vulgar little Wing village at the head of the Pa
tapsco. JEFFERSON thought that the great city of
the Continent must stand upon some point near
the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay We have not
so far accomplished our destiny as to be able to
affirm positively that such will not yet be the case
The great drect-steam-ferry -to-Europe-enterprse,
of Mr.. DUDLEY MANN, to the stock of which, we
believe, several hundred dollars have already been
subscribed may bring things around again; but,
speaking for the present time only, candor compels
us to say, that the chances of such a consumma-
ton seem 10 be daily diminishing Yet on the
face of the broad EARTH where is there such natu
raj position for twining together innumerahle
threads of internal trade into a cable of foreign
commerce sufficient to bind the fleets of the world
to its service? But all this has availed-will avail
In ,nt l.,
list. They have fallen into the hands of the little
remote village which sprang up and grew beneath
the protecting shade of its very obscuritv till by
the force of its energy it has obtained and will con-
tinue to hold the key of the whole position. Time
has demonstrated or to speak more accurately,
perhaps, has brought it about, that the true COM
mercial point of the Chesapeake exists no longer
at the mouth, but at the head of the bay. We
hold the sceptre Of commercial control over
all the developed and undeveloped wealth of our
countrys most favored region, and nothing but
our own supineness and want of selfrespect will
ever permit it to depart from US.
If ''Captaine JOHN SMITH could again explore
the waters of the Chesapeake, he would find much
less difficulty in recognizing its shores, and espe
cially the lower portion of them, with which he
was most familiar, than would be experienced by
any living traveller who might revisit the lakes
the rivers of the northwest after an absence of
ten years The only thing which would greatly
astonsh him, would be to find an immense and
splendid city spreading her fair proportions around
the very head of that river, which, from some
fancied resemblance of its banks to tboarl armon-
TACK" in happy ven he named the ''Bowlus."
He would not easily understand why the heart,
which was to receive and circulate the life-blood
of the trade of the Chesapeake, should, contrary
to all the laws Of commercial physiology, be
placed in the remotest extreme of the body, to
which it gave animation 1t would be only when
it was shown him, that the value of the trade
of the Chesapeake and its branches-great as it
is-had become mere drop in the bucket, COM
pared with the vast internal commerce which
modern skill and energy have developed and at
traced to the seaboard, that he would clearly
comprehend the natural strength and fitness of the
position, which, at first glance, appeared so i'll
chosen and out of place.
To New York must be conceded the possession
of splendid position for foreign commerce, yet
it is strikingly analogous to that of Norfolk and,
except in picturesque point of view, falls far
below it in all natural advantages. Boston, the
second city of the UNION, in wealth, and in many
points really standing frst-is nothing but har-
bor on an iron coast, without a back country,
with miserable climate, and with rather COM
bination of astounding difficulties to be overcome,
than of advantages to be improved The growth
of Philadelphia alone seems perfectly normal and
misunderstanding on carefully selected site, and
steadily and noselessy accomplishing her rectang-
ular destiny. Yet no man can say, that Phila-
dephia might not have done just as well-any
where from New Castle to Bristol.
Out Of these apparent anomalies, of which,
though extremely interesting and important, We
can only take very superficial view,-we propose
to derive what we conceive to be the great law
of the growth of cities. We believe this depends
far more on the energy and wisdom of their in
habitants, than on the possession of natural adj
vantages, imaginary or real. Whatever these
may be, they are soon equalsed and distributed
by the enterprise of men. New York and Balti-
more were not allowed to remain uudisturbed in
the possession of the trade of the West Boston
and Philadelphia have claimed and received their
share. We assume for ourselves the most fortu-
nate position, as regards Western relations; and
there is no doubt, that with 1.-THE of the energy
which has made Boston what she is, and which we