all together they are called the City Council. The City Council meets commonly once a week. This Council has much more power than the selectmen of other towns; for it appoints many officers, and makes many regulations; votes taxes, and does a great many other things which in the other towns can only be done in a town-meeting. The City is divided into twelve parts, called wards; and the voters in each of these wards meet together once a year, to choose Mayor, Aldermen, Common Councilmen, Overseers of the Poor, and School Committee, just as the voters of the other towns meet to choose town officers.

What is said of the county of Suffolk ?

What is said of Chelsea?

What large building in Chelsea?

Why is Boston called a city?

LETTER XXVI.

I HAVE already told you, that Charles river, as it approaches the sea, spreads out into a bay. This bay washes Boston on the western and northern sides; on the eastern side Boston is washed by the sea. Boston is almost surrounded by water; it joins the main

land only on the southern side. The peninsula on which it is built, is about two miles long and one mile wide. Where it joins the main land it is very narrow this narrow piece of land is called the neck. South Boston, however, is separated from the other part of the city by an arm of the sea—and appears like a different town. It is connected with the peninsula by two bridges, one called South Boston Bridge, and the other, Boston Free Bridge.

For a hundred and fifty years after Boston was first settled, there were only two principal ways of getting into it, one by land over the neck, and the other across the water in a ferry-boat from Charlestown. But now Boston is joined to Charlestown by two fine bridges, each of them more than a quarter of a mile long, and to Cambridge by two more bridges, each about half a mile long; and to Brookline by the Mill Dam, called also the Western Avenue, which is about a mile and a half long. All the bridges are of wood. The piers are made of large oak timbers driven into the mud, and fastened strongly together. All the bridges have lanterns placed at equal distances on both sides, which are lighted every night, during that part of the month, when there is no moon. Two of the bridges, one of them

leading to Charlestown, called the Warren Bridge, and the other to East-Cambridge, called Cragie's Bridge, have their floors covered with gravel, so that when you are passing over them, you seem to be riding upon a road. The gravel is put on to keep the planks from wearing out. All the bridges have side walks on both sides for foot passengers; and toll is taken at each from the people who pass over.

What washes Boston on the west and northern sides?

What on the east side?

What is said of South Boston?

How many bridges join Boston to Charlestown?

How many bridges join Boston to Cambridge ?
What are these bridges built of?

What is said of the mill dam?

LETTER XXVII.

BOSTON harbour is very large. If you look at the map, you will see, that the land bends in a considerable way to make it. It contains many islands. There are more than a hundred, large and small. Some of them are large enough to make valuable pastures for sheep and cattle; but most of them are very small, and many are bare rocks. By means of islands the harbour is divided into two parts, called the inner and the outer harbour. The inner harbour is

that part of the harbour which is next to the city. There is water enough in the inner harbour for five hundred of the largest ships to lie at anchor in safety. The entrance of the outer is between two islands, and very narrow. Scarcely two ships can come in side by side. Governor's Island and Castle Island, between which is the entrance of the inner harbour, are both fortified; that is, have strong forts on them, with very large cannons mounted, in order to defend the city against enemies. The fort on Governor's Island is called Fort Warren; that on Castle Island is called Fort Independence. Nearly the whole peninsula of Boston is surrounded by wharves. Some of the wharves run out a great way into the deep water, so that the largest vessels can come up to them; the two longest are called Long Wharf and Central Wharf. On each of them, there is a row of high brick stores and warehouses all joining together. tends out into the water more than half a mile; near the middle of it there is a well of excellent fresh water from which vessels are supplied. At almost all the wharves on the north and east sides of the city, there are constantly lying vessels of all sorts and sizes, for the purpose of loading and unloading goods, and such

Long Wharf ex

articles as are brought to the city, and carried away from it. The masts of the vessels are so thick, that they appear almost like a forest. The wharves are covered with hogsheads, barrels, boxes, and other things; and a great many carts and trucks are continually employed in bringing goods and carrying them away; and a great many people are going and coming. Wharves are very busy places, when business is lively.

What is said of Boston harbour?

Of the islands in it?

How is it divided?

What is said of the entrance of the outer harbour?

What is said of the inner harbour?

Between what islands is the entrance?

By what is the peninsula of Boston surrounded?
What is said of the wharves?

LETTER XXVIII.

ALMOST the whole of Boston, except the Common, is taken up with streets and buildings. Some of the houses, however, have beautiful gardens. The streets in the older parts of the city are narrow and crooked, and the buildings are mostly of wood; but in the newer parts of the city, the streets are wide and straight, and the buildings are of brick and