tional, 9; Dutch reformed, 17; friends, 4; Jewish, 11; Lutheran, 5; methodist episcopal, 31; methodist protestant, 2; presbyterian, 35; associate presbyterian, 4; associate reformed presbyterian, 2; reformed presbyterian, 4; protestant episcopal, 47; Roman catholic, 21; unitarian, 2; universalist, 4; Welsh, 3; miscellaneous, 16. There are about forty banks, exclusive of eleven for savings. There are asylums for lunatics, at Bloomingdale; colored, indigent, and aged, at 42d street; deaf and dumb, 50th street; blind, 9th avenue; orphans, 117th street, and 71st street, 6th avenue, Prince street, 11th street, and colored orphans, 12th street; lying-in women, Marion street; old ladies, 20th street. and dining-rooms, with apartments for recitation, the family of the superintend ent, and the eight instructors, the kitchen, &c. The system of instruction resembles that practised in the other deaf and dumb asylums in the United States, being founded on the principles of the Abbé De l'Epée and the Abbé Sicard, introduced into this country by Mr. Gallaudet, at the expense of the American asylum at Hartford, about the year 1815. The Institution for the Education of the Blind, is erected on land presented by James Boorman, Esq., at the expense of the state, aided by a gift of fifteen thousand dollars from Mr. Burke, and other donations. The building faces the Hudson river, at a short distance from the bank, and contains lodgings for a large number of pupils, most of whom are supported by the state. They are taught the common branches of learn and several useful handicrafts best adapted to their abilities, chiefly the manufacture of baskets, rugs, bandboxes, and carpets. Schools.-Ward schools, 19; primary, 3; schools of the Public School Society, 18, and primary, 59. Both the ward and the public schools are free to chil-ing, with vocal and instrumental music, dren of all classes, and wholly gratuitous, even to the books used by the children. The latter were commenced about thirty years ago, through the exertions of a few benevolent individuals, at a time when public education was neglected; and, under the charge of a very faithful and intelligent board of trustees, and superintended by Mr. Seton, a devoted friend of the poor and ignorant, they rose to a high eminence, under the liberal patronage of the state. The eighteen schoolhouses of this society, above-mentioned, are fine brick buildings, usually about eighty by forty feet, and two or three stories high, able to contain from five to twelve hundred children each. The monitorial system is practised. The ward schools have since been established, in which that system is not used. The trustees and other officers are chosen annually by the people, and their schools are multiplying. The Institution for the Education of the Deaf and Dumb.-This institution is situated near 33d street and 4th avenue. The building is 110 by 60 feet, and contains about two hundred pupils, from all parts of the state, many of whom are supported and instructed at the public expense. The building affords sleeping The The Croton Aqueduct.-The city of New York is abundantly supplied with pure and wholesome water, by a work of greater length than any other in the country, and at a greater expense. The supply is derived from the Croton river, in Westchester county, at a point about forty miles from the city. That stream is dammed, and is capable of affording a much greater quantity than can be needed in a long course of years. aqueduct passes most of the way under ground, through a pipe of masonwork, constructed in the most skilful manner, but crosses several streams, the broadest of which is Harlem river. The bridge thrown across is one of the most important constructions on the line. It is 1,450 feet long, with fifteen archeseight of them eighty feet span, and seven of fifty feet span, 114 feet above tidewater at the top. The receiving reservoir is at 86th street, about five and a half miles from the city-hall. It covers thirty-five acres, and contains one hundred and fifty millions of gallons. There the water is received, and alle wed to stand long enough to dep site the particles of sand and clay it has brought down, and then it is drawr off into the second or distributing reservoir. This reservoir is situated at 42d street, on the height of ground about three miles from the city-hall. It is an immense structure of hewn stone, resembling a modern fortress of the first class, covering four acres, and capable of containing twenty millions of gallons. From this iron pipes lead off, gradually branching in different directions, with stops, hydrants, &c. Many houses are now supplied with this excellent water, not merely for culinary purposes and drinking, but also for bathing, &c. There is also reserved a supply for the extinguishment of fires, of inestimable value to the city, which has heretofore suffered most severely for the want of it. Several of the public squares are adorned with beautiful fountains, some of which throw the water nearly a hundred feet perpendicularly, not, as at Versailles, after being raised by machinery, but by the force of the natural head. Public Squares.-The Battery, named from the use made of it in early times, is a fine public walk on the southern extremity of the island, shaded with trees, and commanding a delightful view upon the bay. Being exposed to the sea-breezes, and in full view of the numerous boats and vessels of all descriptions, continually passing, the Battery is a favorite resort in warm weather. Castle-Garden is a place of amusement, formed in an old fort, connected with the Battery by a short bridge, near which floating-baths are moored in the bathing season. The Bowling-Green, just north of the Battery, is a small circular green, surrounded with an iron railing, shaded with lofty trees, and ornamented with a beautiful fountain, where a stream of Croton water is thrown about ninety feet into the air, and falls upon a beautiful structure of marble, and thence into a basin. The Washington, 1 Broadway, was the headquarters of Lord Howe, in the Revolution, and, after the close of the war, was occupied by General Washington. The Atlantic, and several other hotels, stand opposite or near this favorite square. The Park.-This is the most central and important of the public squares, at the junction of two grand avenues of the city, Broadway and Chatham street, containing the city-hall, the new cityhall, and the hall of records, and is surrounded by many other important edifices, such as the Astor house, Tammany hall, Stewart's store, museum, &c. It contains, also, a public fountain, within a basin about one hundred feet in diameter, which has a variety of jets, that are occasionally changed. When the water is thrown in a single stream, it ascends to the height of seventy feet, presenting a majestic appearance. St. John's Park, in the western part of the city, is private, being accessible only to the inhabitants of the surrounding houses. It is closely planted with trees, and has St. John's church fronting it on the east. Washington Square, between 4th and 6th streets, just west of Broadway, lies in front of the university, and one of the reformed Dutch churches. Union Place, at the northern termination of Broadway, is in an elliptical form, enclosed with a fine iron fence, having a public fountain in the centre, with ornamental jets, and is a delightful place of resort to the inhabitants. Further up the city are other public squares, as Madison square, Hamilton. square, and others, not yet regulated. On the east are Tompkins square and Bellevue, the latter the seat of the almshouse. Wall Street, the central point of the banks, insurance offices, &c., contains the exchange and the customhouse. The exchange is of Quincy granite, three stories high, and a basement, covering a block between four streets, and is 197 feet 7 inches on Wall street, 144 on one side, and 170 on the other, with a large dome above, 100 feet high. The customhouse, at the corner of Nassau street, is of white marble from Sing-Sing, and in the form of a Grecian temple, with a colonnade at each end, and pilasters on the sides. The interior is almost wholly of hewn stone. The principal hall is in the centre; and all the departments are well arranged, with ample accommodations for the numerous offices and clerks. The City-Hall.-This fine and spacious edifice occupies the centre of the park, facing the south, and presents a beautiful Grecian front, of 216 feet in length, rising from a broad terrace. A flight of wide steps leads up to arched entrances, above which is a balcony on the second story. The two wings have halls in front, devoted to the common council, the superior court, &c., while other courts and offices are accommodated in other parts of the building. On the top is the great fire-bell, which indicates, by the number of strokes, the districts of the city in which fires are burning, for the direction of the frecompanies. A view from the cupola affords one of the finest prospects of the city. Trinity Church, on Broadway, opposite the head of Wall street, occupies the site of the first episcopal church erected in the city, in 1696, except the chapel in the front. It is of sandstone, in the Gothic style, 137 feet long, 36 feet wide, and 67 feet high, with a tower 30 feet square, and a steeple whose top is 283 feet from the ground. In the rear is a vestry, 72 feet long. The church contains an organ, which cost $10,000. In the burial-ground surrounding the church, lie interred many distinguished persons, particularly Alexander Hamilton and Captain James Lawrence. Prisons.—The Halls of Justice is the city prison popularly known as the Tombs," and is situated a little north of the park. It was built, about ten years ago, to obviate the evils of the bridewell, which was constructed on the defective principles of the old system. The building is 200 by 253 feet, of granite, in the Egyptian style, and contains various court-rooms. The cells are solitary, to prevent communication between the prisoners, but provision is made for ventilation and warming the cells, by openings in the wall. Measares are taken for the religious instruc tion and moral improvement of those confined. The Penitentiary, on Blackwell's island, in the East river, is an immense stone structure, on the Auburn plan, with a chapel, keepers' rooms, &c., in the centre, the cells for females in the south wing, and for men in the north. Each wing is more than 200 feet long. BROOKLYN. This city is on Long Island, opposite New York city, with which it is connected by ferries, upon which steamboats ply, every few minutes, day and night. Its beautiful and elevated situation has made it a favorite residence of many persons doing business in New York. It contains a city-hall, thirty churches, several banks and insurance companies, and over seventy thousand inhabitants. The Lyceum is a fine building of granite, with a spacious lecture-room. The City Library of 3,000 volumes, has a fine building and reading-room. The Navy-Yard has extensive grounds enclosed, with an arsenal, stores, shiphouses, docks, the naval lyceum, &c. The naval hospital at a little distance, is a fine, large building. Greenwood Cemetery is an extensive tract of ground, about three miles below Brooklyn, and situated on the bay. It has an undulated surface, and is laid out in lots, the access to which is by pleasant, winding carriage-roads. The forest-trees are left standing in many places, shading the little lakes, or covering the hills, and, in others, those of various foliage are intermingled by art; while tombs and monuments, usually planned and executed with taste, are already scattered in all parts. Staten Island, with an elevated and varied surface, offers many fine sites for villages and country-houses, and is the resort of many citizens, access being made frequent and convenient by numerous steamboats. The quarantine hospitals are situated on the northeastern side; and a little below is the "seamen's retreat," a noble institution, supported by the "hospital money" paid by sailors: Hoboken and Weehawken, on the shore of New Jersey, opposite the city. are pleasant retreats. |
