I 
BALTIMORE. 43 
there is very little trade carried on there. A 
few ships are annually built in the neighbour¬ 
hood. From hence to Baltimore the coun¬ 
try is extremely poor; the soil is of a yellow 
gravel mixed with clay, and the roads exe¬ 
crable. 
Baltimore is supposed to contain about six¬ 
teen thousand inhabitants, and though not the 
capital of the state, is the largest town in Mary¬ 
land, and the most considerable place of trade 
in North America, after Philadelphia and New 
York. The plan of the town is somewhat 
similar to that of Philadelphia, most of the 
streets crossing each other at right angles. 
The main street, which runs east and west 
nearly, is about eighty feet wide ; the others are 
from forty to sixty feet. The streets are not 
all paved, so that when it rains heavily they 
are rendered almost impassable, the soil being 
a stiff yellow clay, which retains the water a 
long time. On the south side of the town is 
a harbour commonly called the Bason, which 
affords about nine feet water, and is large 
enough to contain two thousand sail of mer¬ 
chant vessels. There are wharfs and stores 
along it, the whole length of the town ; but 
as a particular wind is necessary to enable ships 
to get out of this bason, by fir the greater 
number of those which enter the port of Bal¬ 
timore stop at a harbour which is formed by 
