The Southern Literary Messenger, Vol. II., No. 11, October, 1836Various
History
The Southern Literary Messenger, Vol. II., No. 11, October, 1836
Various
American literature -- 19th century -- Periodicals
At the end of “The Thomas Viaduct,” a beautiful piece of mechanism, by
the way, is the “Viaduct Hotel,” _not_ so beautiful. As we passed,
several of the Light Corps of the city [Baltimore] were “standing at
ease” by the door of the hotel. They had gone out thither to spend the
day of our nation's birth, in drinking mint-julaps, and watching the
passing and repassing of the rail road cars. It seemed to be an object
with them to discover, as we flew onward, who, of all the grandees who
had just concluded those labors which had for seven months been making
Washington so famous, were forming a part of our freight. The senator
was for stopping the cars, and giving the representative a chance at
the stump, before so goodly an array of his constituents. But whether
he thought the audience not “fit,” nor “few” enough for such a
display, I could not discover—the Colonel declined the proposal.
* * * * *
Commend me to mine host of the Exchange! Page's is the very home of
good order, good cheer, good company, and all else that is good,—the
very place where one may ask, with a confidence defying negation,
“Shall I not take mine ease in mine inn?” We found our rooms
commodious and airy, and soon saw reason to bless our forethought, in
having pre-engaged our accommodations, while compassionating the
“potent, grave, and reverend seniors” of the land, as they cubiculated
on pallets in the dining-rooms, and were, in some instances, denied
the liberty to hang for the night upon a hat-hook! Always engage rooms
a week before hand, considerate traveller.
* * * * *
Who shall adequately describe what has so often been dwelt upon by
tourists, the distinctive peculiarities of the older cities of the
Union? To attempt it were “damnable iteration.” Suffice it therefore
to say, that Baltimore has beautiful brick edifices, with pure white
marble porches and porticoes—several splendid public buildings, among
which none is more deserving of particular mention, inside and
outside, than the Unitarian Church, (although Baltimoreans generally
“stump” on the Cathedral,) two monuments, one in questionable and the
other in unquestionable taste—and upon the whole, neat, clean,
orderly, and well-kept streets. She has here and there public
fountains, supplied with ever-flowing streams of the purest
water,—baths, places of public amusement, (although theatrical
entertainments are not much in favor there,) shot-towers, hotels,
newspapers, steamboats, rail roads, and pretty women in great
abundance. Few cities possess a more refined or more generally
diffused taste for music, painting, architecture, and the fine arts in
general, than Baltimore. Her present situation, in a commercial and
enterprising point of view, is extremely encouraging; and recent
legislation in regard to internal improvements will doubtless have a
very beneficial effect upon her fortunes.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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