Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1883-05-22
For the SPECTATOR.
letter from Boston.
BosToN. Mass Nav 19tb- 1aae


BOSTON, Mass, May 18th, 1888.
Mr.. Editor Some time ago in your pa
per you remarked that every Augusta boy
v ho removes to distant pace should be-
come a correspondent to the SPECTATOR
AS am native of that good old county
this duty is upon me. 1t will not be worth
while for me to give any news, for events
of sutfici mt Importance to interest youl
readers reach you through the daily papers
| almost as soon as they happen. So my let
ter will not be very entertaining, but a
careful reader will probably gain a little
information from it.
Everybody has heard that Bostoa is the
metropolis of New England, that it is q
great literary centre, and all that. 1t is sit
| uated on long, narrow peninsula at the
head of Massachusetts Bay, about $50 miles
northeast Of New York, and has been il
existence ever since $780, when John Win
| throp and his party f unded the place. The
total population is about $50, 900, little
more than one-fourth the size Of New York
| The length from North to South is clever
miles, and from East to West nine miles
| though you must not think that all this
tract is covered with buildings and streets
| for it is not by any means, but has some
open country like Staunton's West End
There are nearly $4,000 buildings in the
place. and the harbor contains fifty islands
The newer narts of the citv are con
sidered very elegant. but "a large portion i,
about as dinpy and unattrac1ive az one
teould we'll imagine. with fiye-storv tene
| ment houses on narrow dark streets. thf
first floor beine. generally used for a r1 m
shop or something of the kind. and tba 70
mainder of the h1iIdino swarmino ,-;tb q
half-dozen or m; re families. nrincinallv for
eigners of A low class. The finest residence
portion of the city is the western or INLAND
mart. called the Rack Raw tl,e nr;ncina1
streets of which are Common wealth, a ems
and Beacon street. the former heino 94f
feet wide and one mile lono. and is one ot
the bandsomeet bouleyards in our country.
This whole quarter is inst simnlv GRAND
with scarcely a store or factory or snvth;no
of the kindgmost of the honses here have
been built within the mast fen wears and
are very much alike. Nearly ali are five.
stories hiob. built of brick. with brown.
stone fronts. and the wall facing tho street
is built ont; in such a wav that there is q
bav-window from the ton of the bouse tc
the bottom: in fact. the whole c;tv is a orreat
pIace for hav-windows for amono tbase
compact blocks they arrange SO as fo catch
as much sunshine as possible. These
wealthy people that live here on the Back
Bay have very COSTLY homes. but they have
to he contentei without anv wards or ont
door flowers few of them having a half
dozen souare wards of o1ass or flower. bads
those who like such surroundings can live
over in Cambridge. or any of the othe,
beautiful suburban G ties.
The worst district. which 7 have men
toned. is called the North End. the mair
tboroughfares of which ase Hanover anf
North streets. Here novertv and soualo,
reign supreme. This is he Oldest mart n
the city. one bouse now standing heine
built about the wear 1850. Many f5ctorie,
are situated around here. and a considera
ble number of secondary stores. The mai,
bnsiness Dortion of BOSTON however ;s RI,
EASTERN side. near the wbaryes Hern tb.
GREAT commerce. which nlaces this c;t,
o1'ayt to New York in Il is resnect ie no -
on and the rush and hustle is immensa =
The warehouses and wholesale estahI;ch
mente are in This quarter little far.bo
from the docks are Devonsbire Franki;n
and MN, streets on which are the Offices -
bankers brokers. insurance and manTf, q
t,,,;no comnarios Hero tbe straato .,T,a ~
narrow as Augusta ST.. in Stanton and tn,
tranendous marble and oranite bn;ld;nrS
iii, elevators tn tol,a na0TIa to onJ frSSn
t,,o of4ices On the ,,nnar fsoors rnai,a ~;
whole district rather dark and oloonov 80 =
| Noyt to the West of th;s n.rt sro vs.,
;nGton and fremont streets +ha two ,,r;,, ,';,,
o;To7sl tbornnghfares of Rosfon ord ~, r.
tbe retail business is dome Roth arc cro,1d ri-ot
al from, r,nrnno iii ,,i'Tht 90 tha+ Ii,
ia somewhat difficnlt tbro,gh hi the dans
thronoa
Theya ;s no nlaca ahopt Roston oa11od
nark that T know of bnt the Com,non , an,
Pnbl;c Gardens answer that nnrnosn ,,or,
well Hoston Common is a s,op;na % traot :,
land in front of the STATE Ho1sa pear rsact III, h
centre of the citv. containinr I snnnosa
abont fiftv acres The greater 1srt Of; IF !;
is covered with fine Old elm trees fe.S a an,
there are a number of arhors fountains
etc. and a large soldiers, monument ~ 7,
Winter tbe hills here arc notaJ for III,
coastino which is enioved bv graat crowd
of bows, and a pond on this Sronnd is the,
nearly always covered with skaters, m,
! Public Gardens ioin the Common. com
| prisjns ahont the same snace and ranl
among the finest grounds of the kind in I'll,
world They contain about a dozen hand
some. statues. the largest being one repre
senting Gen. Washinet on horseback
Near the middle is a nice little lake with ;
number of row boats, and at this season O
the year, when tulips and hyacinths are il