The original edifice was built as a market, mid presented to the town by Mr. Peter Fanelli], in 1742. It was destroyed by lire in 1761 and rebuilt the following veal.. Before Me adoption of the city charter in 1822, all town-meetings were held in Paneuil hall. The hall is 76 ft. square, and 28 ft. 11:gli, and possesses remarkable acoustic properties. Valuable paintings adorn its walls. A market is under the hall.
The "old statehouse" stands at the herr: of State street. The town-bonse was built on the spot in 1763. The " Boston massr.cre" occurred in the street before it, and there the stamped clearances were bunted by the mob, during the excitement caused by the stamp act. Indeperal.eucc was born 1:1 the building, according to gov. Adams, and from the balcony the declaration of independence was read. It was here that those town meetings were held at which Otis uttered his prophetic and patriotic words, counseling peace, but foretelling probatie war, and urging resistance to tyranny, " even nnto Ifiood," if necessary.
• From the first, Boston has been noted for its commerce. Eight lines of railways con nect it with the interior, and ships and steamers sail from the capacious harbor to all parts of the world. Large quantities of fish, ice, and manufactured products are exported. The ice trade was begun here by Frederic Tudor, who, in 1866, made the first shipment to Martinique. It is said that but for the trade in ice, the business between Calcutta and Boston would never have reached its present proportions. Boston is now the second city in the union for foreign commerce; it is a center of the boot and shoe trade, the leather trade, and of the trade in foreign and domestic dry goods. The manu factures of the city are many and varied, including—besides ship-building, sugar refining, and leather dressing--elothing, jewelry, chemicals, brass and iron castings, and books. The business of the city is promoted by sixty-one national banks—more thad any other city in the union has—with a capital of more than fifty-three million dollars. Thirty of these have cash capitals of one million or more each. 'The surplus funds of the inhab .tants are, in part at least, deposited in sixteen savings banks, the first of which, the Provident institution, was founded in 1816, and has larger deposits than almost any other institution of the kind in the country. These banks are strictly guarded by laws which restrict the amount that can be deposited by any one person and otherwise protect their solvency.
From the earliest days Boston has been noted for the care with which it provided for tire religious wants of the people, for their education and for the distribution of litera ture. 'The first " house" was erected near the head of State street, 1632. John Cotton was one of its pastors. 'The city contains now nearly 200 churches. Of these the larger numbers belong to the Congregationalists (evangelical), the Unitarians, Baptists, Homan Catholics, and Episcopalians, hi the order mentioned. Free schools, open to all. were established in the United btates first in Boston 250years ngo, and the exec. knee of the system of public instruction there has been so great that ninny other cities have taken its schools for patterns. The university at Cambridge properly belongs to the Boston school system, for it was founded by the men who settled Boston and was intended f i• the education of the youth of the city and surrounding country. Indeed, "Neese Town," as Cambridge was first called, was intended for the capital of the com monwealth. It was John Winthrop who directed attention to the superior advantages of the neighboring promontory, after fortifications had been commenced at the former place. Ila•vard college was founded in 1638, and for two generations was the only col lege in New Englinul: .The public Latin school in Boston was founded in 1635. the
institute of technology in 1861, Boston 1863, Boston university in 1805. Them are more than 200 public schools in the city. college of them are high schools. 49 are.gram max schools, and one is a normal school. The salaries of the teachers amount to about one and a quarter million dollars ayear. Private schools abound, and their reputation is high. Chauncy Hall school, established 1828, is one of the most prominent of these. It occupies a building on Boylston street, near the institute of technology. In regard to the number and extent of its public libraries. Boston stands at the head of American cities. The chief libraries are the Public, with 360,000 volumes, distributing 1,250,000 volumes a year; the Athens lint, 115,000 volumes. circulating 50,000 volumes a year; the His torical societv's library, containing 68.090 books and pamphlets. many of them being among the rarest of publications; the state library, with 40,000 volumes; the Social law library, with 15,000 law books; the 11..v..ary of the Historic-genealogical society, 74.000 books and pamphlets; the General theological library, with 13,000 volumes: the library of the Natural history society, containing 17,000 books and pamphlets; the Congrega tional library, with more than 100,000 books and pamphlets, illustrating the history of the denomination to which many of the early settlers of New England belonged. Boston has musical societies, art associations and social clubs. Among the clubs the most prominent are the Somerset, the Union, St. Botolph, the Papyrus, the Saturday, and the Woman's club. Several of these have well-appointed buildings. The clergy have meetings at stated times for the discussion of topics related to their calling, Boston is well supplied with hospitals and societies for the aid of the indigent and suf fering. In 1876, a plan for the registration of the worthy poor was set in operation, for the purpose of discriminating between the worthy and uuworthy- and for greater economy in the distribution of relief.
The city is well supplied with theaters, and is said to be one of the best in the coun try for the appreciation of good actors and singers. Also, there are many halls in which lectures are given from time to time on almost every topic that interests the human mind, The 250th anniversary of the settlement of Boston was celebrated Sept 17, 1860, with great enthusiasm. For 192 years Boston was a town, the city charter having been accepted as late as 1822, after the subject of the change had been discussed for 170 years. The population for the first two centuries did not rapidly increase, being about 7000 in 1700; 15,520, in 1764; 18,038, in 1700; 61,392, in 1830; 250,520, in 1870; 341,919, in 1875; and 363,968, in 1880. Much of the late gain has arisen, of course, from the annexation of adjoining territory. In early days—at least as early as 1034—the town was governed by " selectmen," but when such officers had first been chosen is not now known. The first grand jury of the country met in Boston, Sept. 1, 1635. The church in Boston was vexed in early times by Roger Mrs. Anne Hutchinson, the Quakers, by women possessed by witches, and by Episcopalians; and rigid laws were enacted to bring the offenders to give up their peculiar views or leave the town. Boston sympa thized with Goff° and Whalley, the regicides, who appeared in the town in 1666; in 1688, the inhabitants rose against the government and overthrew it: the city bore its share of tire burden of the " old French war;" and its inhabitants entered with patriotic zeal into the struggle for independence. In the late war Boston was prompt to offer soldiers and money for the purposes of the general government, and her officers and men made a record of which they and their fellow-citizens have always been proud.