The sessions of the boards of aldermen and coun cil, and also of the circuit court, are held in the City Hall, a spacious brick building, presenting a front of 251 feet. This building, commenced in August 1 S20, was erected by the corporation from the proceeds of a lottery privilege, granted by con gress, but is yet in an unfinished state.
On one side of the same square, originally se lected and laid clown as the judiciary square, is erected the jail of the county.
To the west of the City Hall stands the Asylum, or Almshouse, erected by the corporation for the reception and accommodation of the poor, diseased, and infirm of the city, for the support of which about four thousand dollars are annually appro priated.
There are four market houses, in each of which market is held triweekly; the centre one is large and well supplied, and when finished will form three sides of an oblong square, the south front being open to the waters of Tiber creek.
A little to the north of the city, on a fine elevation, stands Columbia College. This institution was in corporated by congress in 1821. It has 47 acres of land, the building is 117 feet front by 47 wide, and four stories high; besides which, there are two neat dwellings, with out-houses and gardens, for the accommodation of the professors. It has occa sionally been aided by congress, but from some de fect in the management of its concerns it is not in so flourishing a condition as might have been anticipated from its early prospects and local ad vantages.
Connected with this establishment is a medical school, which is rising into reputation; the faculty is composed of gentlemen of experience in their profession, and the graduates are well instructed.
Besides many other minor literary establish ments, there are in Washington two catholic institu tions under the care and direction of the Sisters of Charity, into which orphan females are admitted, supported, and educated gratuitously; pay scho lars are also admitted, that the blessings of educa tion may be as widely extended as possible. Nor has the corporation of Washington been indifferent or inattentive to this important subject; it has estab lished two public schools for the free instruction of orphan children, and those of poor and destitute parents, in the elementary branches of English edu cation; these seminaries are under the direction of trustees appointed annually by the city councils, and the number of pupils who are thus gratuitously educated average from three to four hundred. There is also a general orphan asylum supported by voluntary contributions, and for the use of which a very commodious building has been erected.
There are twenty places of worship in Washing ton, viz. three Episcopalian, four Presbyterian, one Friends, four Methodist, three Baptist, two Catho lic, one Unitarian, and two African—generally well attended.
There is also a City Library, incorporated by con gress, containing upwards of 5000 volumes. Three hanks, with an aggregate capitol of 1,250.000 dol
lars, and a branch of the United States Bank, a fire insurance company, a museum and gallery of paintings, a colonization society, a society for the abolition of slavery; Bible, missionary and tract so cieties, Columbian Institute, medical and botanical societies; a lyceum, and several charitable associa tions.
There are two steamboats which regularly depart from for Baltimore, one to Norfolk, and one to Potomac Creek. Eight stages run daily to Baltimore, one to the west, and several in other directions.
The city is well supplied with good water; the Pennsylvania Avenue is supplied from copious springs, by wooden and iron pipes. West of the Navy Yard are several extensive wharves and ware houses, and others near the Potomac bridge.
The canal which is to connect the two rivers is now under the management of the city, and contracts have been made to enlarge it, both in width and in depth, so as to admit four feet water at low tide; the work has been commenced, and, when corn pleted, will afford sufficient depth of water for a lively trade, in steamboats and small craft, through the centre of the city.
The Anacostia branch has a sufficient depth of water for frigates to ascend above the Navy Yard without being lightened, and vessels drawing four teen feet can come to the Potomac bridge, and thence to the mouth of Tiber creek, in nine feet water at or dinary high tide; the Tiber itself is shallow, with a soft, muddy bottom, which will be deepened under the canal contract, and from 17th to 14th streets will form a spacious basin of 600 or 700 feet in width by upwards of 1500 in length, to where the canal commences, which is to be 150 wide to 6th street, the whole forming a spacious outlet to the Poto mac, and uniting with the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, which is to be continued from the basin at the mouth of Rock creek.
The assessments for taxes arc made once in five years, and in conformity with an act of congress, are to be according to the cash valuation of the pro perty at the time of the assessment. After the pay ment of its proportion of the general expenses of the city, the taxes raised in each ward are to be expended in improvements therein, and in no other.
The amount of assessments in 1831 were On personal estate, S634,030 Buildings, 3,384,993 Lots, 3,488,032 S7,507,055 The total number of dwelling houses and other buildings on the 31st December 1830 was 3560 And there were erected in 1831 186 Total in 1831, 3746The number of inhabitants in Washington were, at different periods, as follows: White. Slaves Free Total.
In 1800 2464 623 123 3210 1803 3412 717 223 4,352 1307 4198 944 500 5,652 1810 6292 1,436 892 8,620 1818 11,299 1820 9606 • 1,945 1,696 13,247 1830 13,379 2,319 3,139 18,837 The number of deaths in Washington for eleven years from 1820 to 1830 inclusive, were 3280, being an average of 298 per annum; the number in 1831 was 380.