196 



THE SEA. 



which is, for the space of a mile, about one mile wide, it communicates with the outer 

 harbour, or bay proper, which extends thence to Sandy Hook Light, forty miles from 

 the city, and opens directly into the ocean, forming one of the best roadsteads on the 

 whole Atlantic coasts of America. The approach to the city, as above indicated, is very 

 fine, the shores of the bay being- wooded down to the water's edge, and thickly studded 

 with villages, farms, and country seats. The view of the city itself is not so prepossessing ; 

 like all large cities, it is almost impossible to find a point from which to grasp the 



BROOKLYN BRIDGE. 



grandeur in its entirety, and the ground on which it is built is nowhere elevated. There- 

 fore there is very little to strike the eye specially. Many a petty town makes a greater 

 show in this respect. 



Those ferry-boats ! The idea in the minds of most Englishmen is associated with 

 boats that may pass over from one or two to a dozen or so people, possibly a single horse, 

 or a donkey-cart. There you find steamers a couple of hundred or more feet long, with, 

 on either side of the engines, twenty or more feet space. On the true deck there is 

 accommodation for carriages, carts, and horses by the score; above, a spacious saloon for 

 passengers. They have powerful engines, and will easily beat the average steamship. On 

 arrival at the dock, they run into a kind of slip, or basin, with piles around stuck in the 

 soft bottom, which yield should she strike them, and entirely do away with any fear of 



