York, who has done
this good deed in his lifetime. He happened to be there, and as Mr.
Aspinwall introduced us to him, he showed us round the building himself.
He is a rich ironmonger, and an eccentric man. The building has cost
100,000_l._; it is intended for public lectures and for a school of
design. At the time we were there, some specimens of drawings,
penmanship, &c., by the scholars of the Free Schools in New York were
being exhibited, and were, in general, very creditable performances. We
went to the top of the building, and, the weather being remarkably clear
and fine, we had a good view of the town and of the surrounding country.
Anything like country, however, can only be seen on one side across the
Hudson, although, on the opposite side of New York Bay, Staten Island
can be seen stretching "right away" to the south; but the wonderful
sight is the immense city itself, extending for miles in a northern
direction.

We rather crowded into this last day all the sights that we had hitherto
omitted to see at New York; for we went also to the Bible House, a very
large building near the Cooper Institute. In this Bible House not only
are copies of the Bible sold, as in our corresponding institution in
London, but the whole process of printing, making up, and binding the
Bible is carried on. The number of Bibles and Testaments issued by the
establishment is very great, amounting, during the last year, to
712,045. During that period there were 250,000 Bibles printed and
381,000 Testaments, besides 500 books for the blind printed in raised
types, making a total of 631,500 volumes; and this, owing to a scarcity
of funds, arising out of the late pecuniary pressure, is a decrease from
the year before of 110,000 volumes, so that it was from the store in
hand that the excess of the volumes issued above the number printed was
taken. These Bibles and Testaments are in every language, and in every
form and size. The machinery is worked by steam, and the immense
building is warmed from the same source. Some idea of its extent may be
conceived by the fact that there are twelve miles of pipes used in this
warming process.[14]

After this hard day's work we dined at Mr. Russell's, to meet Dr. Rae,
the Arctic traveller, and in the evening we went to the Geographical
Society to hear a lecture on his last northern expedition, when he
gained all the information known respecting poor Sir John Franklin, in
search of whom he had been se