Canada -- Description and travel; United States -- Description and travel
kinds of products of the mill and loom, clothing and similar articles.
Here are located the agents and factors for many mills at home and
abroad, and their traffic sometimes exceeds a thousand millions of
dollars a year. The pulse of the American dry-goods trade throbs in
this locality, weakening or strengthening as poor or good crops give
the farmers and working-people a surplus to spend upon dress. Mr.
Stewart once said that if every woman decided to pass a single season
without a new bonnet it would sufficiently diminish trade to bankrupt
this whole district. Canal Street crosses New York through the
northern portion of the district, a broad highway, formerly a water
course draining an extensive swamp across Broadway to the Hudson
River. In this locality, east of Broadway, are two famous regions--the
"Five Points," now, however, much improved, and "Chinatown." The
latter, in Mott Street, has its Joss House, restaurant, theatre and
opium joints, and is picturesque with swinging lights and banners. In
Leonard Street, standing where once was part of the swamp, is the
noted Tombs City Prison, thus named because originally it was a sombre
gray building in the gloomy Egyptian style, but this was recently
replaced by a modern structure. The Criminal Courts adjoining are
connected with it by a bridge.
PETER COOPER AND PETER STUYVESANT.
At Bond Street, in advancing up Broadway, are encountered the
booksellers, this with adjacent streets being the home of much of that
trade. In Lafayette Place is the spacious Astor Library, and in the
wide Astor Place is the handsome new building of the Mercantile
Library. The former is now a part of the New York Public Library. A
half-century ago the site of the Mercantile Library was occupied by
the "Astor Place Opera House," then a leading theatre, and in the
adjacent streets occurred the "Macready riots" in 1849. The rivalries
of Edwin Forrest and Macready resulted in an effort by the partisans
of the former to prevent the latter from playing in the Opera House
on the night of May 10th. The Forrest faction attacked the building
with stones, and the police being unable to control them, troops were
called out, and, firing several volleys along Astor Place, they
suppressed the riot and dispersed the mob, but at a cost of about
sixty killed and wounded. At the end of Astor Place and its junction
with Third Avenue is the Cooper Institute, occupying an entire block,
a large brownstone building with a fine front, founded and endowed in
1857, at a total cost of about $1,000,000, by Peter Cooper, for the
free education of men and women in science and art. His statue stands
in front. It also received in 1900 additional gifts from his executors
and $300,000 from Andrew Carnegie. Peter Cooper was a wealthy
manufacturer and merchant of the broadest philanthropy. At a recent
anniversary of the Institute his son-in-law, Abram S. Hewitt, speaking
of him, said: "Fifty years ago three men, all of whom started in life
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