Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1859-01-01
LOCAL ITE MS.

3
exandria. in consequence, became town on
the 18th day of July, l749, the day on which
the first lots were sold-sixtv acres having
been surveyed and laid off into lots of half
an acre each. The town then extended only
! from the river rs far back as midway between
| ROYAL and Pitt streets. 1t was thought IN
those DAYS that the situation was very eligible
for place of trade, and Alexandria was eX-
pccted in time to become one of the great
marts of commerce: and with good reason:
for it was supposed to be the best place for
the trade which was some day to spring up
from the then great unpeopled western coun-
try, the Great West of our day. One of the
most cherished ideas of Washington, was Il
communication by water with the Ohio, or us
near to it rs possible. 1t is well known that
he had a great love for Alexandria. which
was supposed TO be some hundreds OF miles
nearer than any other place to the Great West.
Jefferson, in his Notes on Virginia. also men,
lions this fact. The opinion Of the future
growth and prosperity of Alexandra, indeed,
seemed to be universal. a book lately pub
lished-rhe Men and Times of the Rcyolu-
ton, or Memoirs of Elkanah Watson-at
pages 90 and 81, says:
Alexandria is situated on the Potomac, on an
elevated plain overlooking the river. lis streets
are laid out after the plan of Philadelphia amt
upon large scale, i'll the anticipation o great city
the head ot the bold navigation of one OF the no
best rivers in the world, | see nothing to prevent
these anticipations from being fully realized. d"
. 4 strong commercial rivalry will. 1t -
supposed. soon spring up between Baltimore an"
Alexandria. Itnppears probable that the peculiarly
favorable position of Alexandria, will secure 10 that
city the pre-emncnce.'
This was in April, lis: the author was
on his way North from South Carolina.
Some Years later. l1S5, the author revisited
the South. At pages 2l2 and 2i5. he says:
"Alcxandria has made decided advances since
IFS, hut exhibited comparison III IT. progress 1"
, its vigorous rival, Baltimore.
There was good reason for this. The
predecessors or ancestors Of our nrIghbors
o. Georgetown, also took notion To build
town in Maryland, at the head OF tide
water, above, and in opposition to, Alex
andria In those days they did not know
that union is strength: 50 some three or
four years after the commencement OF Al
exandria, Georgetown was started ALSO
This accounts, in some measure. for the dis
amendment of Mr.. Watson III seeing Baltl-
more outgrow Alexandria. Had the set
tiers who went to Georgetown, settled at Al
exandria instead, very large city would
long since have grown up here, where all the
river and back country trade would have
been concentrated. Notwithstanding these
drawbacks. however. Alexandria did flourish
to some extent. and bid fair to overcome all
opposition: till she was cut of from her pa
rent State, by n cession, in the year iSuo. OF
her territory to the United States, for the
purposes Of IL permanent seat OF the uene-
raj Government. She was afterwards. for
some forty-seven years, under the control
of Congress. who, like some StepmotherS
did not feel Il deep interest in the adopted
child: in fact, some think. cared nothing at
all for the prosperity of the place. Alexan-
dria was too far from the actual scat of the
government to derive any advantages from
it, while Washington was growing to he
large city, and, as natural consequence,
absorbing the trade of the country for some
l,+ 4 Ir,n
Georgetown. About the time Of the close OF
the revolutionary war, and for many years
after large immigration set in from Old
and New England, and also from Pcnnsyl-
vania. Many Of the descendants OF those
immigrants are yet among us; many are
scattered over the West and Southwest. and
even to the Pacific Large shipments OF To-
bacco were annually made to Europe
Among the shippers, to a large extent, was
that sterling old patriot OF revolutionary
memory, Robert Morris, many of whose let
ters. ordering large shipments to London,
and transmitting bills of exchange IN pay
ment, are still to he seen here. Regular
importations of goods, hardware, CHI
navarro. &c., were made from Europe
There was, also, large West India trade
here. and, later, quite large trade to Bra
zil; in fact Alexandria started among the
very first in the country in that trade. even,
Il i believed, before New York. AlcXan-
dria was, also, the largest exporting flour
market, except Baltimore in the United
States, and il proportion to her population
largest The character Of the ship and
,e,ilot bread o. Alexandria was unriNalled.
oh here were some Scotch bakers of ship bread
r re. whose reputation was beyond that OF
O. y in the lane There were some dozen
Lufactories oithc kind here, employing
- a eat numbcr,f hands. The British gov
4 enent. during be wars Of the French rev
m olun, obtainedlarge supplies of bread
~ from, Alexandria, or their fleets in the West
IS, Indh One bake good old man. whom
some us yet reember had so great
Ms reputa,n, that ityas said that Crackers
the with tLname of Aircw Jamicson, were 10
~, no seen, tho tahiti the Kinr of Great