B A L 



C 212 



B A 



B.ltimora, f or sardelles and anchovies. The potted lampreys 

 * taken .it Narva are equally delicate. See Tooke's J7u 

 c/'Ae r, vol. iii. p. Hj8. (ft) 



BALTLVIORA, a genus of plants of the el 

 Syngenesia, and order Polygamia Neccssaria. See 

 vv. (tr) 



BALTIMORE, one of the eighteen counties of 

 Maryland, in North America, is divided from Ann 

 .-.rundel county by the river Patapsco, which bounds 

 it on the south and south-west ; and from Hartford 

 county by the rivers Gunpowder, and Little Gun- 

 powder, ou the east and north-east : its other boun- 

 daries are Frederick county on the west and south- 

 west, Pennsylvania on the north, and Chesapeak 

 bay oui the south-east. Between the rivers which 

 bound this county, there are two others, called Back 

 and Middle rivers ; but they are, properly speaking, 

 only arms of Chesapeak bay. About four or five 

 miles east of the Patapsco, Back river receives two 

 mall streams, one of which is called Herring Run. 

 Middle river has scarcely any supply of fresh water. 

 This county abounds with iron ore, of a quality par- 

 ticularly adapted for casting ; and the ore is found 

 in banks so near the surface of the earth, that it is 

 never necessary to sink a shaft in order to procure it. 

 The population was estimated about fourteen years 

 ago at 254S4t inhabitants, including 5877 slaves. 

 Annapolis is reckoned its capital, though Baltimore 

 is a far more considerable town. () 



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 179j-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 

 Chesapeak. The basin, around which the town is 

 built, is reckoned one of the finest 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 ba.in ; 

 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 navigation. A creek di- 

 p.l.s Baltimore into two parts, one of them what is 

 properly called the towu, 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 1 i.top at Fell's point, where vessels of 



six hundred tons burden can lie without danger. 

 These advantages have induced many ot the mercan- 

 tile people to settle on this point, which is connected 

 yith the town by two bridges built over the creek. 



Houses extend irregularly between them : and up- " 

 hundred have already been built upon l 

 iit ; and a plan for regular streets, and a 

 market-place, ha* been laid down, and partly ex 



In the town itself, the principal stn 



ket Street, nu.s nearly east and wist, parallel with 



the water, and is at least a mile in length, and about 



feet wide. Here, as ill Philadelphia, lr 

 t!i - streets cross each other at right angles, and seve- 

 ral of them, particularly Calvert, South, and Gav 

 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 Calrin- 

 ists, Reformed Germans, Nicclites or New Qu 

 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 town. It is built of 

 brick, with a large portico in front, supported by sik 

 pillars of stone. The court of justice, the custom- 

 house, and the guild-hall, are also very line 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 m 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 

 Du Lac and Weld. We cannot deify ourselves the 

 pleasure of quoting a compliment paid by the former 

 ot these travellers to our countrymen who have 

 in Baltimore. The principal commercial houses in 

 Baltimore," says he, " are Scotch. This acti\ 

 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 ; 

 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 



