The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1869-04-13
Correspondence.
"Down East" Correspondence.


"Down East'' Correspondence.
Mr. EDIToR,-IIaving several hours
to spend in this city, | improved the time
in looking about. AS | note the objects
Of mos; interest to myself, | thought that
perhaps short description might not be
devoid of interest to your readers. The
thing that most naturally suggests itself to
one on entering the city is the great fire
of 1866. BY walking along the rail road
track which passes through the city, and
looking up the streets which it intersects,
it is still very easy to tell which were
burned and which were rot. In one street
the white houses, and magnificent elms
whose tops almost form an arch, speak
of the decades of years during which they
have stood there undisturbed. In the
next street old cellar holes, broken down
walls and chimneys, with here and there
a charred elm still standing, tell the story
Of that fearful day, Many Of the tempo
rary shanties" erected to serve the
necessities Of the day, are still occupied.
Some of these scars will no doubt remain
for long time, though the burnt district
is being rapidly covered with some of the
finest buildings in the city. 1t is said Of
Charleston S. G, that little ifanything has
been done towards rebuilding it since the
war How tavorably this city contrasts
with that 1t may be said that the for
mer lacks the capital. True, and the
people lack also the independence, energy
and untiring perseverance which those of
New England possess; and where these
are, there must be capital
But the object of more particular inter-
est to your correspondent as it probably
would be to most of your readers, is the
new Post Office building which is being
erected here, we have often seen the
rough stone at the quarry, and oftener
still, as it was being cut and finished in
Middlebury, and to a Vermontcr from
that vicinity it is satisfaction and source
of pride for his native place, to see it in
the structure which is to be the pride
and ornament of so fine city as Portland,
The erection of it reminds one forcibly Of
the building of Solcmon's Temple. Each
stone is prepared for its place at such a
distance and then conveyed here, so that
the walls are built without sound of ham
mer or axe upon them. 1t is situated
right in the course of the great fire, and
but few rods from the rail road track,
As yet, only one story is completed This
is well protected from the weather by a
good shingled roof through which the der.
ricks project. This IS its winter condition,
for all work on it is suspended until warm
weather In its present stage its proper.
tions seem to be long and narrow on the
ground, The windows are very large ant
frequent, and those gracefully curved cap
stones which we have seen at the depot
now in their positions above the doors anC
windows give a very rich appearance t.
the whole as they stand out prominently
in contrast to the plain polished surface
about them.
| The Marble Company may well talk
pride in furnishing the material for sucl
a building, and this city may properl,
take pride in owning it. This has its ri
val for beauty in the new Custom Hous
now being built of granite. They ar
quite similar in form and one or the othe
will seem the most beautiful as the We've
prefers marble or granite. The presen
lpost office is temporary one story wood
en- building just back of the new one.
| Spring has at last arrived. We hav
had no deep snow on the sea board TIL
winter, and what there was is now gont
The coast of Maine and Massachusetts g
least north of Boston, is entirely free fror
snow, and mud and water are just no.
the prevailing surface substances.
B.
Portland, Maine, March Both, 1866
The Great Musical Peace Festival.
z Tho arrannemanta for the mnnsfnr C.