to any 1States architec Latrobe.

rm

of a

wed it to has four

tters on

and or

in stuc e cathe• reddish

for a su. jour, just to excel ented to body of

und the

tleman standing near, "what church that was ?" He smiled, and replied, "that is the line of opposition;" alluding to the opposition lines of stages and steamboats. But of all the splendid buildings in Baltimore, or any where else, the masonic hall is the most so; language would fail me, were I to attempt a description of it; (the interior I mean,) the beauty and richness of the furniture is not exceeded by that of congress hall itself. The rich drapery, superb tables and chairs, and an hundred things which decorate the G. Master's chair of state, the candlesticks, the finest carpets, and the great size of the hall, filled me with amazement: it was hung in mourning for Mr. Pinckney, whose death has long since been noticed, who belonged to the fraternity.

The Baltimoreans seem to be taking the lead in the fine arts. Besides those specimens of taste and public spirit already mentioned, the Washington monument, and that erected to the memory of those brave men who fell in the battle of Baltimore, in the late war, command both admiration and applause. The Washington monument is a plain marble pillar, 150 feet high from the ground; it is 50 feet square at the bottom, and 14 at the and looktop, and white as alabaster-upon the top of this, the figure of Washington is to be placed. This beautiful monument is seen from every part of the city.

head and g on the

her

eyes

ver her:

Mary ads raised

ing near elife, and

e crown

is though

r

The monument erected to perpetuate the battle of North Point, was executed by Maximilian Godfrey, Esq. in 1815. It is 16 feet each front; each of those fronts

have a door of black marble, which are four in number.

Above this arises a circular facis, of symbolical union,

from the on the fillets of which are inscribed the names of those to es of our whose memory the monument is consecrated. Above Saviour the cornice, and at the four angles socle of the facis. are athedral, four marble griffins; the base of the facis is ornamented aven. 1 with two basso-relievos, representing the battle of North per an-Point, and the bombardment of Fort M'Henry. Two e to the lachrymal urns are placed in the intervals. The top of the facis is bound with two crowns, demi-relief. The facis is surmounted with a socle, bearing a statue of Baltimore, formed from the representation of Juno Cybele,

it in size

this last,

ed a gen holding a crown in one hand, and an antique helm in the

other, with the United States' eagle, and a bomb along. side; the whole is of marble, and fifty-four feet high. Laying the corner stone of this monument, for pomp and military eclat, constitutes an era in the history of Balti

more.

SOI

ex

ted

ent son

to of con

pla this buil

roo

pers

an i

ers

their

the

A

we h

pect

Hospital. The hospital is seated upon a lofty eminence at the east end of the city, a mile from thence, and has more the appearance (in idea) of a princely palace, than the abode of pain and disease. It consists of two great buildings, to which are attached a spacious yard, which is walled in; this is overgrown with luxuriant grass, and planted with trees; the whole architecture is of brick. The gate is locked day and night, and a man duly stationed on the inside, to open it for those who apply for admittance, for which you pay him 12 1-2 cents, you then have liberty to visit the whole establishment. The keeper, who is a plain, honest, obliging Quaker, ve ry readily conducted me through the apartments. The buildings have a long gallery running through them from end to end, on cach side of which are handsome apart the t ments for the sick and insane. Those apartments (exas al cept the insane) are lighted with large windows, and fur nished with bedding, chairs and tables, the whole exqui sitely neat, and even splendid. It is against the rules of the institution to suffer strangers to see the insane; this prohibition proceeds from motives of delicacy towards the friends and relations of the afflicted, who do not wish them exposed. The doors of their cells are secured with bars of iron, and heated by furnaces placed in the outside of the wall, one to every room, which conveys the heat to the patient. I looked into some of these cells, which were vacant; they were similar to those oc cupied by the sick, excepting the bedsteads, which were of iron, and without chairs or tables. Though I could not see these unfortunate beings, I could hear them ut North ter the most shocking oaths! Those patients who are fough not so ill as to be confined, are permitted to walk about late the yard, and amuse themselves in the public parts of place, the building, the managers taking care to guard against izens them by having the seats and tables in their dining room serve fastened to the floor. Their food is the best the marke yours

timor

the b

for m

prese

The

ingto

not e

spotte

with

rising

regar

b along.

et high. mp and

of Balti

y emin

nce, and palace, s of two us yard, luxuriant ecture is nd a man

who ap

1-2 cents, lishment. aker, ve ts. The

- and fur

le exqui e rules of ane; this towards > not wish

secured ed in the

affords, particularly the bread, which is of the finest sort. There were no sick worth naming in the hospital, except sailors; one portion of the hospital is appropriated for the exclusive reception of sick sailors, being one entire room, in which I found about thirty of those brave sons of Neptune, laid low enough! They were crowded to suffocation, and made a wretched appearance: some of the poor fellows, however, seemed to have nearly completed the voyage of this boisterous life! I cannot applaud that rigid adherence to established rule, which in this case excludes these sailors from any other part of the building than that alotted to them. There were empty rooms in the hospital at this time, suffieient to hold 200 persons, and humanity, I should think, ought to overrule an illiberal provision, by allowing those unhappy sufferers to be disposed of in a manner more consistent with their situation.

After visiting the different parts within the buildings, hem from the keeper conducted me through the roof aloft, upon ne apart the top. From the situation of the hospital alone, which, ents (exas already noticed, stands upon a high hill, and the height we had then attained, the beauty and extent of the prospect may easily be conceived. The whole city of Baltimore, with its grand edifices, the wharfs crowded with the busy multitude, the wide spreading Patapsco, visible for miles, the shipping, and the adjacent country seats, present to the eye one of the finest pictures imaginable. The site of Baltimore somewhat resembles that of Washington, but the adjacent country, in point of beauty, does conveys not equal the latter. Those beautiful rising grounds, of these spotted with farms and superb buildings, intermingled those oc with the richest foliage, which encompass Washington, hich were rising up one behind another, gives it the advantage in h I could regard to scenery. My conductor pointed out to me them ut North Point, and Fort McHenry, where the battle was who are fought between the Americans and British, during the alk about late war. The day on which this engagement took parts of place, must have been one of deep excitement to the citrd against izens of Baltimore. Brave men! How richly you deing room serve the admiration of succeeding ages, which will be

he markeyours.

As I descended from the top of the hospital with my friend, in passing through one of the galleries, my at tention was attracted by a man who was crouched close to the wall. He wore a smile of mischievous cunning; and seemed meditating some plan of attacking us. He clenched his fists as we drew near, and bent his eye on me; I drew up close to my conductor, taking care to keep him between me and the lunatic, for such I took him to be. When we came opposite to him, he seemed upon the point of springing upon me; my friend without speaking a word, raised a cane which he carried in his hand, and we passed him in safety; but the moment we passed him, he rushed forward in the opposite direc tion, and flew down stairs with surprising swiftness. Whilst we followed him with our eyes lingering on the spot without uttering a word, a gentleman of good ap pearance, well dressed, and of a genteel air, walked deliberately by us. As he had nothing uncommon in his behaviour, I concluded he must be one of the attending physicians; what was my surprise when the keeper informed me that he also was one of the convalescent lu natics! I should not court a residence amongst these convalescents; they might in some unguarded moment rise upon me as Sampson did upon the Philistines, and crush me before I had time to call for assistance.

Prison.-From the hospital I went to the prison, which is also in the suburbs of the city; it is likewise a large building of brick, several stories high, and has an extensive yard attached to it, enclosed by a wall of con. siderable height. At the opposite end of this wall stands the penitentiary, also a fine brick building. The prison is secured by a double gate, and huge tars of iron; the opening of which takes up no little time. I found thirty prisoners, including the debtors; which last are kept separate from the criminals. The apartments were not large, and several were confined in one room; all have the privilege of walking in the yard at certain hours of the day. They looked cheerful, and bore the appear ance of kind treatment, though they were all destitute of bedding, except those that were able to furnish it them selves. The apartments are warmed by stoves. But

my the

eve

I of fem cast

ed a

say goin spok

I wo

ble t

oner in th

the

huma

catio

oes;

in bis

with my

my at

d close

nning;

5. He

eye on

are to il took

seemed

dwith.

my feelings were much shocked upon finding amongst the prisoners, six females confined for debt,* and without even a blanket to repose on, or a seat of any description. I offered a few words of consolation to these unfortunate females, at which several of them burst into tears, and cast on me a look which I shall never forget, as I hastened abrubtly from the scene! The keeper happened to say in the presence of the male prisoners, "that I was going to write their history;" one of them (a criminal) spoke out, laughing at the same time, that "he hoped rried in would say something clever about him." I was unamoment ble to get into the penitentiary, though I saw the prisoners at work from the walls; they were clean and neat in their dress, and looked well. The keepers both of on the the prison and penitentiary were meu of much apparent aphumanity and mildness, as well as experience and eduked decation; such as ought always to be selected for such places; a brutal keeper, such as I have seen, has it too much tending in his power to exercise cruelty toward his fellow creatures; why it is the case is not material, but certain it

edirec

iftness.

Dod

in his

eper in

I

is, give an ignorant man power over the liberty of his st these fellow men, and he will exercise it without mercy. moment Much credit is due to the constituted authorities of Maes, and ryland, whoever they may be, for giving such obvi

ous proofs of humanity and attention toward their felprison, low men.

Rewise a

of con

ll stands

Colleges. I met with a total defeat on the subject of has an the colleges: the president, or principals, were absent, except in that restricted (as I was told,) to the education of priests. I found only a French priest, who e prison could speak hardly a word of English, and withal apcon; the peared rather averse to giving me any information. He d thirty had on a woollen night-cap, and the rest of his dress are kept accorded therewith. His face was wrinkled with age, or ill humor; and in short he looked more like something broke loose from bedlam than any thing else. Upon making my business known to him, he jabbered appear something which I could not understand, and wheeled stitute of to the right about, and marched off without more ceremo

were not all have

hours of

it them

€3. But

*Since writing the above, Maryland has abolished the law for ime prisoning females.