make it impossible for an enemy's ship of any burden to ride
there in safety, while the merchant-men and small craft may retire up
into Charles-river, out of the reach of cannon.

It is equally impossible for any ship to be run away with out of this
harbour by a pirate; for the castle suffers no ships outward-bound to
pass, without a permit from the governor, which is never granted without
a clearing from the custom-house, and the usual notice of sailing, by
loosening the fore-top sail.

The bay of Boston is spacious enough to contain, in a manner, the whole
navy of England. The masts of ships here, at the proper season of the
year, make a kind of a wood of trees, like that which we see upon the
river Thames about Wapping and Limehouse, which may be easily imagined,
when we consider, that, by the computation given in by the collectors of
his majesty's light-house, it appeared that there were twenty-four
thousand tons of shipping cleared annually.

There is a larger pier at the bottom of the bay, one thousand eight
hundred, or two thousand feet in length, with a row of warehouses on the
north side. The pier runs so far into the bay, that ships of the
greatest burden may unload without the help of boats and lighters. The
chief streets of the town come down to the head of the pier. At the
upper end of it is the town-house, or exchange, a fine building,
containing, besides the walk for merchants, the council-chambers, the
house of commons, and a spacious room for the courts of justice. The
exchange is surrounded with booksellers' shops, who have a good trade.
There are several printing-houses, where the presses are generally full
of work, which is in a great measure, owing to the colleges and schools
for useful learning in New England.

The town of Boston lies in the form of a half-moon round the harbour,
consisting of between three and four thousand houses, and makes an
agreeable prospect; the surrounding shore being high, the streets long,
and the buildings beautiful. The goodness of the pavement may compare
with most in London; to gallop a horse on it is three shillings and
fourpence forfeit.

It is computed the number of inhabitants is not less than twenty-four
thousand, which is one-third more than the computation of the city of
Exeter, and consequently Boston is one-third bigger than that city, which
is pretty near the matter.

There are ten churches in Boston, viz. Old Church, North Church, South
Church