ton, in this description; which, as well as those houses that have
lately been erected in the Old Town, are in the modern style.

The harbour is one of the best in the States; and, as a sea port, Boston
possesses advantages superiour to any I have seen in America: being too
far to the north to have any thing to fear from the worms (see a former
letter from Annapolis); and so near the ocean, that the navigation is
open, when the ports of Philadelphia, Baltimore, and others, three or four
degrees more to the south, are entirely frozen.

Several of the public buildings are well worthy the attention of a
Traveller.

The New State House will, when finished, add considerably to the beauty of
the town. It is building on Beacon Hill, and commands a very extensive
view of the bay of Massachusetts, and adjacent islands.

The long wharf is a bold design; it runs 1743 feet in a right line into
the bay, where there is, at the lowest ebb, 17 feet of water. On this
wharf are upwards of eighty large stores, containing merchandize to a
great amount. I could never view these buildings without astonishment at
the infatuation of the proprietors: they are, without a single exception,
of _wood_, and the roofs covered with cedar shingles; were a fire to
commence at either extremity with a brisk wind in the same direction, the
whole must infallibly be consumed.

The new[Footnote: The _old_ theatre has not been erected five years. Our
opposition rages with great violence. Much ink has already been shed. One
third of the public papers are crammed with what is called _Theatrical
Critique_; but is in fact either the barefaced puff direct in favour of
_one_ theatre, or a string of abusive epithets against the _other_,
equally void of truth and decency.

The dispute has lately taken _political_ turn. It seems ours is the
_aristocratic_ theatre. The _democrats_ at the New Theatre are commanded
by the _Moral Lecture_ manager. _Mr. Powell informs his fellow-citizens,
that on Monday evening will be performed the tragedy of the Battle of
Bunker's Hill_.--The English in this town affect to laugh at the eagerness
with which the Bostonians swallow certain passages of this play. I laugh
too, but _justice_ obliges me to confess, that _John Bull_ can swallow a
fulsome clap trap as voraciously at any _Yankee_ of them all.] theatre is
a stupendous wooden building, that will contain one tenth of the
inhabitants of the whole town.

The favourite promenade o