north america-1-第59章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


rd。　　This　island　is　called　Manhattan；　a　name　which　I　have　always　thought　would　have　been　more　graceful　for　the　city　than　that　of　New　York。　　It　is　formed　by　the　Sound　or　East　River；　which　divides　the　continent　from　Long　Island　by　the　Hudson　River；　which　runs　into　the　Sound；　or　rather　joins　it　at　the　city　foot；　and　by　a　small　stream　called　the　Harlem　River；　which　runs　out　of　the　Hudson　and　meanders　away　into　the　Sound　at　the　north　of　the　city；　thus　cutting　the　city　off　from　the　main…land。　　The　breadth　of　the　island　does　not　much　exceed　two　miles；　and　therefore　the　city　is　long；　and　not　capable　of　extension　in　point　of　breadth。　　In　its　old　days　it　clustered　itself　round　about　the　Point；　and　stretched　itself　up　from　there　along　the　quays　of　the　two　waters。　　The　streets　down　in　this　part　of　the　town　are　devious　enough；　twisting　themselves　about　with　delightful　irregularity；　but　as　the　city　grew　there　came　the　taste　for　parallelograms；　and　the　upper　streets　are　rectangular　and　numbered。　　Broadway；　the　street　of　New　York　with　which　the　world　is　generally　best　acquainted；　begins　at　the　southern　point　of　the　town　and　goes　northward　through　it。　　For　some　two　miles　and　a　half　it　walks　away　in　a　straight　line；　and　then　it　turns　to　the　left　toward　the　Hudson。　　From　that　time　Broadway　never　again　takes　a　straight　course；　but　crosses　the　various　avenues　in　an　oblique　direction　till　it　becomes　the　Bloomingdale　Road；　and　under　that　name　takes　itself　out　of　town。　　There　are　eleven　so…called　avenues；　which　descend　in　absolutely　straight　lines　from　the　northern；　and　at　present　unsettled；　extremity　of　the　new　town；　making　their　way　southward　till　they　lose　themselves　among　the　old　streets。　　These　are　called　First　Avenue；　Second　Avenue；　and　so　on。　　The　town　had　already　progressed　two　miles　up　northward　from　the　Battery　before　it　had　caught　the　parallelogramic　fever　from　Philadelphia；　for　at　about　that　distance　we　find　〃First　Street〃。　　First　Street　runs　across　the　avenues　from　water　to　water；　and　then　Second　Street。　　I　will　not　name　them　all；　seeing　that　they　go　up　to　154th　Street！　They　do　so　at　least　on　the　map　and　I　believe　on　the　lamp…posts。　But　the　houses　are　not　yet　built　in　order　beyond　50th　or　60th　Street。　　The　other　hundred　streets；　each　of　two　miles　long；　with　the　avenues；　which　are　mostly　unoccupied　for　four　or　five　miles；　is　the　ground　over　which　the　young　New　Yorkers　are　to　spread　themselves。　　I　do　not　in　the　least　doubt　that　they　will　occupy　it　all；　and　that　154th　Street　will　find　itself　too　narrow　a　boundary　for　the　population。　I　have　said　that　there　was　some　good　architectural　effect　in　New　York；　and　I　alluded　chiefly　to　that　of　the　Fifth　Avenue。　　The　Fifth　Avenue　is　the　Belgrave　Square；　the　Park　Lane；　and　the　Pall　Mall　of　New　York。　　It　is　certainly　a　very　fine　street。　　The　houses　in　it　are　magnificentnot　having　that　aristocratic　look　which　some　of　our　detached　London　residences　enjoy；　or　the　palatial　appearance　of　an　old…fashioned　hotel　in　Paris；　but　an　air　of　comfortable　luxury　and　commercial　wealth　which　is　not　excelled　by　the　best　houses　of　any　other　town　that　I　know。　　They　are　houses；　not　hotels　or　palaces；　but　they　are　very　roomy　houses；　with　every　luxury　that　complete　finish　can　give　them。　　Many　of　them　cover　large　spaces　of　the　ground；　and　their　rent　will　sometimes　go　up　as　high　as　800　pounds　and　1000　pounds　a　year。　　Generally　the　best　of　these　houses　are　owned　by　those　who　live　in　them；　and　rent　is　not；　therefore；　paid。　　But　this　is　not　always　the　case；　and　the　sums　named　above　may　be　taken　as　expressing　their　value。　　In　England　a　man　should　have　a　very　large　income　indeed　who　could　afford　to　pay　1000　pounds　a　year　for　his　house　in　London。　　Such　a　one　would　as　a　matter　of　course　have　an　establishment　in　the　country；　and　be　an　earl；　or　a　duke；　or　a　millionaire。　　But　it　is　different　in　New　York。　　The　resident　there　shows　his　wealth　chiefly　by　his　house；　and　though　he　may　probably　have　a　villa　at　Newport　or　a　box　somewhere　up　the　Hudson；　he　has　no　second　establishment。　　Such　a　house；　therefore；　will　not　represent　a　total　expenditure　of　above　4000　pounds　a　year。　There　are　churches　on　each　side　of　Fifth　Avenueperhaps　five　or　six　within　sight　at　one　timewhich　add　much　to　the　beauty　of　the　street。　　They　are　well　built；　and　in　fairly　good　taste。　　These；　added　to　the　general　well…being　and　splendid　comfort　of　the　place；　give　it　an　effect　better　than　the　architecture　of　the　individual　houses　would　seem　to　warrant。　　I　own　that　I　have　enjoyed　the　vista　as　I　have　walked　up　and　down　Fifth　Avenue；　and　have　felt　that　the　city　had　a　right　to　be　proud　of　its　wealth。　　But　the　greatness　and　beauty　and　glory　of　wealth　have　on　such　occasions　been　all　in　all　with　me。　　I　know　no　great　man；　no　celebrated　statesman；　no　philanthropist　of　peculiar　note　who　has　lived　in　Fifth　Avenue。　That　gentleman　on　the　right　made　a　million　of　dollars　by　inventing　a　shirt　collar；　this　one　on　the　left　electrified　the　world　by　a　lotion；　as　to　the　gentleman　at　the　corner　there；　there　are　rumors　about　him　and　the　Cuban　slave　trade　but　my　informant　by　no　means　knows　that　they　are　true。　　Such　are　the　aristocracy　of　Fifth　Avenue；　I　can　only　say　that；　if　I　could　make　a　million　dollars　by　a　lotion；　I　should　certainly　be　right　to　live　in　such　a　house　as　one　of　those。　The　suburbs　of　New　York　are；　by　the　nature　of　the　localities；　divided　from　the　city　by　water。　　Jersey　City　and　Hoboken　are　on　the　other　side　of　the　Hudson；　and　in　another　State。　　Williamsburg　and　Brooklyn　are　on　Long　Island；　which　is　a　part　of　the　State　of　New　York。　　But　these　places　are　as　easily　reached　as　Lambeth　is　reached　from　Westminster。　　Steam　ferries　ply　every　three　or　four　minutes；　and　into　these　boats　coaches；　carts；　and　wagons　of　any　size　or　weight　are　driven。　　In　fact；　they　make　no　other　stoppage　to　the　commerce　than　that　occasioned　by　the　payment　of　a　few　cents。　　Such　payment；　no　doubt；　is　a　stoppage；　and　therefore　it　is　that　Jersey　City；　Brooklyn；　and　Williamsburg　are；　at　any　rate　in　appearance；　very　dull　and　uninviting。　　They　are；　however；　very　populous。　　Many　of　the　quieter　citizens　prefer　to　live　there；　and　I　am　told　that　the　Brooklyn　tea　parties　consider　themselves　to　be；　in　esthetic　feeling；　very　much　ahead　of　anything　of　the　kind　in　the　more　opulent　centers　of　the　city。　　In　beauty　of　scenery　Staten　Island　is　very　much　the　prettiest　of　the　suburbs　of　New　York。　　The　view　from　the　hillside　in　Staten　Island　down　upon　New　York　harbor　is　very　lovely。　　It　is　the　only　really　good　view　of　that　magnificent　harbor　which　I　have　been　able　to　find。　　As　for　appreciating　such　beauty　when　one　is　entering　a　port　from　sea　or　leaving　it　for　sea；　I　do　not　believe　in　any　such　power。　　The　ship　creeps　up　or　creeps　out　while　the　mind　is　engaged　on　other　matters。　　The　passenger　is　uneasy　either　with　hopes　or　fears；　and　then　the　grease　of　the　engines　offends　one's　nostrils。　　But　it　is　worth　the　tourist's　while　to　look　down　upon　New　York　harbor　from　the　hillside　in　Staten　Island。　　When　I　was　there　Fort　Lafayette　looked　black　in　the　center　of　the　channel；　and　we　knew　that　it　was　crowded　with　the　victims　of　secession。　　Fort　Tompkins　was　being　built　to　guard　the　passworthy　of　a　name　of　richer　sound；　and　Fort　something　else　was　bristling　with　new　cannon。　　Fort　Hamilton；　on　Long　Island；　opposite；　was　frowning　at　us；　and　immediately　around　us　a　regiment　of　volunteers　was　receiving　regimental　stocks　and　boots　from　the　hands　of　its　officers。　　Everything　was　bristling　with　war；　and　one　could　not　but　think　that　not　in　this　way　had　New　York　raised　herself　so　quickly　to　her　present　greatness。　But　the　glory　of　New　York　is　the　Central　Parkits　glory　in　the　minds　of　all　new　Yorkers　of　the　present　day。　　The　first　question　asked　of　you　is　whether　you　have　seen　the　Central　Park；　and　the　second　is　as　to　what　you　think　of　it。　　It　does　not　do　to　say　simply　that　it　is　fine；　grand；　beautiful；　and　miraculous。　　You　must　swear　by　cock　and　pie　that　it　is　more　fine；　more　grand；　more　beautiful；　more　miraculous　than　anything　else　of　the　kind　anywhere。　　Here　you　encounter　in　its　most　annoying　form　that　necessity　for　eulogium　which　presses　you　everywhere。　　For　in　truth；　taken　as　it　is　at　present；　the　Central　Park　is　not　fine；　nor　grand；　nor　beautiful。　As　to　the　miracle；　let　that　pass。　　It　is　perhaps　as　miraculous　as　some　other　great　latter…day　miracles。　But　the　Central　Park　is　a　very　great　fact；　and　affords　a　strong　additional　proof　of　the　sense　and　energy　of　the　people。　　It　is　very　large；　being　over　three　miles　long　and　about　three…quarters　of　a　mile　in　breadth。　　When　it　was　found　that　New　York　was　extending　itself；　and　becoming　one　of　the　largest　cities　of　the　world；　a　space　was　selected　between　Fifth　and　Seventh　Avenues；　immediately　outside　the　limits　of　the　city　as　then　built；　but　nearly　in　the　center　of　the　city　as　it　is　intended　to　be　built。　　The　ground　around　it　became　at　once　of　great　value；　and　I　do　not　doubt　that　the　present　fashion　of　Fifth　Avenue　about　Twentieth　Street　will　in　course　of　time　move　itself　up　to　Fifth　Avenue　as　it　looks；　or　will　look；　over　the　Park　at　Seventieth；　Eightieth；　and　Ninetieth　Streets。　　The　great　water…works　of　the　city　bring　the　Croton　River；　whence　New　York　is　supplied；　by　an　aqueduct　over　the　Harlem　River　into　an　enormous　reser