merce. I observed in my walks lines of
substantial granite-built warehouses and quays, newly redeemed from the
water: all were in occupation; tiers of vessels of every kind thronged
them; and the inner harbour was thick with masts.

The most modern quarter of the city lies to the west, surrounding the
park, or common, as it is termed,--an ancient reserve of some sixty
acres, the property of the citizens, beautifully situated and tastefully
laid out. It is bordered on the lower side by a mall of
venerable-looking elms; has a pretty pond of water under a rising ground
near its centre, the remains of an English fort; and open to the front
is the Charles River.

On three sides, this common is flanked by very fine streets, having
houses of the largest class, well built, and kept with a right English
spirit as far as regards the scrupulous cleanliness of the entrances,
areas, and windows. The English are a window-cleaning race, and nowhere
have I observed this habit so closely inherited as here. Overlooking
this common, too, is the State-house; and, on a line with it, the
mansion of its patriot founder, Mr. Hancock, a venerable stone-built
edifice, raised upon a terrace withdrawn a few yards from the line of
the present street. The generous character of its first owner has made
this house an object of great interest, and it is to be hoped the
citizens will look carefully to its preservation as a worthy fellow to
Fanieul Hall, for by no one was the "cradle of Liberty"[3] more
carefully tended than by the owner of "Hancock House."

Here, as in the other great cities of the Union, upon a close survey, I
found the prevailing impression on my mind to be surprise at the
apparent rapidity of increase made manifest in the great number of
buildings either just completed or in progress. If the possession of
inexhaustible supplies of the finest granite, marble, and all other
material, be accompanied with taste and spirit in their use, the future
buildings of this city will have an air of grandeur and stability
superior to those of any other in the States.

To reach the surrounding country in any direction from the peninsula
the city occupies, one of its great bridges must be crossed. Of these
there are six, besides the Western Avenue as it is called, a dam of vast
extent; and they form the peculiarities of this place, to a stranger,
most curious, and, in truth, most pleasing. By day, they form agreeable
walks or rides, offering a va