The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1867-11-09
The Broadway Of New York.
BY ROBERT TONES.
Late United States NiceConsul at Rheims.

Travel where we may, in the New or 10
the Old World, we shall not find as long,
lively, and rich street as the famous Broad
way of New York. The Italian Boulevard
Of Paris, and the Regent street of London,
surpass it in breadth, but the American
thoruughfare outStretches its European rivals
in length, aud leaves them miles in the rear.
New York has even many an avenue of
greater width, and its main street is consc.
quently not entitled to the distinctive appel
lation of Broadway. Longray it should DC
rather called.
When the city of New York shall have
filled up with its various structures the whole
island Of Manhattan, of which it now occu.
pies so large part, its Broadway, stretching
from one end to the other, will have the
length OF about twelve miles. II has al
ready reached its sixth, aud bids fair, at the
present rate OF progress OF the CITY, soon to
complete its twelfth mile.
The course of Broadway, after leaving the
older city, becomes somewhat erratc. AT
its commencement, directed by the survey
or eye, it was made to divide the town into
tolerably equal portions; but, stretching IN
length, it came upon an old country thor
oughfare ttLe Bloomingdale Road, and as.
sumed its more irregular ways for its own.
Thus Broadway, after running from south to
centre Of the island city, turns diagonally to
the left and finally skirts its western border
close to the Hudson River. Though Broad.
way will always, wheresoever it may be, re.
tain no doubt its prestige, it will be forced,
in the upper parts of the city, to divide its
honors with the newer and more central
avenues. For the present, however, it is
everywhere .tacile princeps.
The highest number of all the houses OF
Broadway is 1916, but the street possesses
many scattered structures beyond, and, with
its pavement and gas lamps, has the aspect,
more or less, for the distance of several
miles, of city thoroughfare.
broadway has been so called ever since
the English took possession of New York
in the year 1894. Their Dutch predecessors
had already given the road, which led into
the interior from their little settlement oil
odd, staircase, gabled structures, grouped
about the shore Of the southern tip Of the
island. the name of Here .Strass or Here
Wegh. This, which literally means high
street or highway, was freely translated by
the English Colonists into Broadway. In
colonial times small portion only of the
present great thoroughfare was included
within the precincts of the city. AS late
even as the year 1900 the walls stretched
across Broadway at Wall Street, and thence
its name, only few hundred yards from its
commencement Within was the city prop
err: without Was the country, divided into
various farms, Or plantations, as they were
called. The first proprietors of these, after
-1he native Indians, were some favored Hol
landers, to whom they had bcea granted by
the Dutch Government. In the names oil
some of the streets which intersect Broad
wav. MS. for example, Courtandt and Dey,
there still exists a record of these early pos
SCISSORS of the adjacent land
Broadway owes its first introduction Ia
renteel society to one Captain Archibald
Kennedy, of The British navy, collector oil
the port of New York, aud afterwards Ear
Of Carsilis of the Scotch pecrage. This
gentleman, confident in his own claims to
gentility, did not hesitate to take the ini,ia
ton of building himself house on Broad
way, and thus give the hitherto scorncd
street q recognition among the best society
The captain having bought aud demolished
the tavern long kept by old Pictcr Rocks, =
Dutchman, raised upon its site an imposing
structure Of brick imported from Europe. :
This, which still exists, is No. OF tbs
whole number of fifteen hundred and sixtccr
houses of the present Broadway
Alphabetically, as far AS its public build
ipgs arc concerned, Broadway may not be
entitled to rank high; but for shops, ware
houses, and the various structures for 'bus
ness of all kinds, it is not equalled by any
street in the world Government has done
but little, as yet, for the great tlloroughfare,
and in that little it has been greatly surpass
ed by what has been accomplished by pri
vate citizens. The City Hall, in the Park
is sham, inadequate structure, with vc
neered front Of marble looking 10 the love-
part of the city, aud it's back, painted o.