BALTIMORE, the principal town in the above County, is the largest in the state of Maryland ; and is ranked by Morse the fourth in size, and in com merce the fifth town in the United States. Within these few years, however, it has increased so rapidly, both in trade and population, that Weld, who visited that country in the years 1795-7, places it next after New York and Philadelphia ; and Du Lac, whose observations were made about seven years ago, rates it one of the most important commercial ports within the extensive countries which the United States com prehend. It is situated on the north side of Patapsco river, at a small distance from its junction with the Cheinpeak. The basin, around which the town is built, is reckoned one of the harbours in A merica; and its entrance, scarcely a pistol shot across, is defended by a fort which completely secures it against any naval force. Here the water rises, in or dinary tides, to the height of five or six feet. No situation can be more favourable for commerce than that • of Baltimore. Upwards of 2000 merchant vessels can ride in perfect safety within its basin ; and the bay, with which it communicates, penetrating two hundred and eighty miles up the country, and connected besides with many noble rivers, affords un common facilities for inland navigatitin. A creek di vides Baltimore into two parts, one of them what is properly called the town, and the other Fell's Point. As the water in the harbour is only nine feet deep, and a particular wind is necessary to enable ships to get out, the greater number of those which trade to Baltimore stop at Fell's point, where vessels of six hundred tons burden can lie without danger. These advantages have induced many of the mercan tile people to settle on this point, which is connected with the town by two bridges built over the creek.
Houses extend irregularly between diem : and up- I wards of seven hundred have already been built upon L the point ; and a plan for regular streets, and a large market-place, has been laid down, and partly executed. In the town itself, the principal street, named Mar ket Street, runs nearly east and west, parallel with the water, and is at least a mile in length, and about eighty feet wide. Here, zs in Philadelphia, most of the streets cross each other at right angles, and seve ral of them, particularly Calvert, South, and Gal: Streets, are handsome and well built. Some of the rest, however, are not paved, so that when heavy rains fall, the soil, which is a stiff yellow clay, re tains the water long, and renders them almost impas sable. Baltimore contains ten churches ; and the va rious denominations of Christians are, Episcopalians, Presbyterians, German Lutherans, German Calvin ists, Reformed Germans, Nicolites or New Quakers, Baptists, Roman Catholics, and Methodists. Each of these sects have one church, except the Metho dists, who have two. The Presbyterian church is the finest building in the whole fawn. It is built of brick, with a large portico in front, supported by six pillars of stone. The court of justice, the custom house, and the guild-hall, are also very fine edifices.
Here, as at Philadelphia, there are an hospital and poor house, a prison, theatre, and a bank, which,. when Du Lac visited the town, was unfinished.
The low situation of the town renders it rather unhealthy, though its rapid increase has given rise to improvements which have considerably meliorated the air. Here, as well as in New York and Philadelphia, the yellow fever has sometimes committed its ravages. The most sickly season is in autumn, when the wealthy inhabitants generally retire to their country seats, many of which are situated most delightfully in the neighbourhood of the town. To the north and east the land rises, and affords a most enchanting land scape. "The town," says Morse, "the point, the ship ping both in the basin and at Fell's Point, the bay as far as the eye can reach, rising ground on the right and left of the harbour, a grove of trees on the decli vity at the right, a stream of water breaking over the rocks at the foot of the hill on the left, all conspire to complete the beauty and grandeur of the prospect." Baltimore is inhabited by people from all the va rious parts of Europe, of whom the Irish are the most numerous. Almost the whole inhabitants are engaged in trade, to which they very diligently ap ply. Their character is very superior to that of the Americans in general ; and their hospitality to stran gers has drawn forth the warm culogiums both of Do Lac and Weld. We cannot deny ourselves the pleasure of quoting a compliment paid by the former of these travellers to our countrymen who have settled in Baltimore. " The commercial houses in Baltimore," says he, " are Scotch. This active, en terprising, economical, and industrious people, carry with them the love of labour and the arts." To obtain some idea of the increasing prosperity of this place, we need only compare its present popula tion with the statements given of it. at various periods within the last eighteen years. In Morse's Ameri can Geography, published about the year 1790, he states the number of inhabitants to be between 10 and 11,000. in his Gazetteer published in 1797, he informs us, that in 1791 the population amounted to 13,503, but that the number of inhabitants and houses had since been ,greatly increased. Weld supposes the population to have been 16,000; ar.d Du Lac about eight years after found it amounted to 30,000. The exports in the months of July, August, and Septem ber of the year 1790, amounted to 343,584 dollars ; in the same months of 1795, they were not less than 1,675,748 dollars. The business of the town is ma naged by a board of town commissioners, a board of syecial commissioners, and a board of wardens ; the first board is perpetual, and fills its own vacancies ; the other two are appointed by electors, chosen by the citizens once in five years. N. Lat. 39° 21', W. Long. 77° 48'. See Morse's Geog. p. 353. Morse's Gazetteer. Weld's Travels in North Ame rica, p. 25. Du Lac's Travets, in Philips' Modern Vol/ages and Travels, vol. vi. p. 24.. (ff)