121 
on board till three O'clock, and then went on shore during a 
pretty heavy storm. 
On returning home at night, I observed that the streets were 
not well lighted. I was afterwards informed, that the corpora¬ 
tion of the city was just engaged in a quarrel with the gas-com¬ 
pany relative to the lamps; this quarrel protracted the inconve¬ 
nience, though it was somewhat lessened by the numerous stores, 
which are kept open till a late hour, and are very splendidly 
lighted with gas. The gas-lights burn in handsome figures; at a 
music store, I saw one in form of a harp. 
An eminent physician of this city, Dr. David Hosack, who, 
since his second marriage, is said to have an annual income of 
twenty thousand dollars, receives every Saturday night, during 
the winter season, the professional gentlemen of the city, and 
distinguished foreigners. His library, and collection of engrav¬ 
ings, is then opened for the use of the visitors, and a discourse is 
sometimes delivered. This learned and obliging gentleman, of¬ 
fered himself to me as a guide through the city; I accepted his 
politeness, and visited several interesting institutions in his com¬ 
pany. 
The City Hospital was built in the year 1770, by voluntary 
contributions, and is supported by the interest of its capital, and 
by the state government. The building is of blue stone, and stands 
on high ground, in a very healthy situation. An avenue of old 
and high elm trees leads to it. In the first story is a large room, 
where the board meet; this contains the library, which is parti¬ 
cularly rich in botanical works. In the basement is the kitchen, 
and several wards for syphilitic patients. They intended to es¬ 
tablish a new hospital for these patients, like the lunatic asylum, 
formerly in one of the wings of this hospital, which is now es¬ 
tablished out of town. There may be accommodated in this hos¬ 
pital altogether four hundred patients of both sexes. They are 
attended to by nurses in large wards, each of them containing 
about sixteen beds. The bedsteads are of wood; upon inquiring 
why they were not of iron, they replied, they were afraid to use 
them, on account of the heavy thunder-storms which frequently 
occur. Six physicians and four surgeons are attached to the hos¬ 
pital, and alternately attend. One physician and one surgeon 
live free of expense in the hospital, and one of them must always 
be present for extraordinary cases. The apothecary’s shop at¬ 
tached to the hospital is kept very neatly; however, it appeared to 
me to be inferior to those in the hospitals of Boston and Montreal. 
For the purpose of visiting the newly-erected lunatic asylum, • 
we called upon Thomas Eddy,* an aged and venerable Quaker, 
[* This ornament of human nature, died in the year 1827.]— Trans. 
Vol. I. 16 
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