60 feet wide, and, with few exceptions, intersecting each other at right angles. Front street, extending along the levee, is upwards of 100 feet wide, and built up on the side facing the river, with a range of massive stone warehouses, which make an imposing appearance as the city is approached by water. Front, Main, and Second streets, parallel to each other, and to the river, are the seat of the principal wholesale business. The latter is occupied with heavy grocery, iron, receiving, and shipping houses. Fourth street, the fashionable promenade, contains the finest retail stores. The streets parallel to Front and Main streets are designated as Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth street, and so on; and those on the right and left of Market street, extending at right angles with the river, are mostly named from various forest trees, similar to the streets of Philadelphia. Large expenditures have been made from time to time in grading and otherwise improving the streets of St. Louis."

Within the last ten years St. Louis has made a decided improvement with respect to its buildings, and is now one of the handsomest and most substantially constructed cities in the country. The buildings are principally of brick, though marble, iron, and stone structures are numerous. Many of the private residences will compare favorably with anything in the land. As the wealth of the city has increased, the citizens, with a large public spirit, have spared no expense in their efforts to adorn and beautify their noble city.

The public buildings are among the finest in the Union. The City Hall is a new and splendid structure. The Court House was completed in 1860, and cost over $1,000,000. It is a magnificent edifice, constructed of limestone, and occupies the square bounded by Fourth, Fifth, Chestnut, and Market streets. The front is ornamented with porticoes, and from the centre of the building rises a fine dome, which, though of smaller proportions, greatly resembles that of the capitol at Washington. The Custom House is a beautiful edifice, built of Missouri marble. It is also used by the United States Courts, and by the City Post Office. It occupies the site of one of the first theatres erected in St. Louis, and is built upon piles driven more than 20 feet into the ground. The United States Arsenal, in the southeastern part of the city, is a massive structure. The Merchants' Exchange is one

of the finest buildings in St. Louis.

Some of the churches are conspicuous among the ornaments of the city. There are over 80 church edifices in St. Louis; the most imposing of which are the Roman Catholic Cathedral of St. Louis ; St.

George's, Episcopal, and the Church of the Messiah, Unitarian. The Cathedral tower contains a fine chime of bells.

The benevolent and charitable institutions are numerous, and of a high character. The most prominent are the City Hospital, Marine Hospital (3 miles below the city), the Sisters' Hospital, the Home for the Friendless, the House of Refuge, the Reform School, and 10 Orphan Asylums. The institutions controlled by the city are among the best in the country, and those dependent on private contributions are in a flourishing condition.

The city of St. Louis has an excellent system of Public Schools, including a Normal School, a High School, 31 District Schools, and 3 colored schools. The annual expenditure for school purposes is about $200,000. The schools are all provided with handsome and comfortable buildings. Besides these, the city contains a large number of private schools of every grade. The institutions of the higher class are the St. Louis University, conducted by the Roman Catholics; the Washington University; Pope's Medical College; Carcudin College, a German institution; the Missouri University; and the Polytechnic Institute; the latter of which possesses a library of over 7000 volumes. There are 5 other public libraries in the city; the best of which is said to be the Mercantile Library.

The newspaper press of St. Louis ranks very high. Some of the ablest and most influential journals in the country are published here. Being the largest city in the West, the influence of the St. Louis press in this section is naturally very great. There are 44 newspapers and periodicals published here. Nine of these are daily, 17 weekly, 3 semi-monthly, 12 monthly, 1 bi-monthly, and 2 quarterly. Each of the dailies issues a weekly edition.

Until within the last few years, St. Louis paid but little attention to public parks or squares. Now, however, it is very well provided in this respect. Besides 14 small squares scattered throughout the city, and containing an aggregate of 119 acres, it possesses the new Tower Grove Park, 276 acres in extent, and Shaw's Garden, 276 acres, said to be "the Wonder of the West." The principal buryingground is Bellefontaine Cemetery, about 5 miles from the Court House. It is a beautiful enclosure of about 350 acres, and contains. the graves of many of the old settlers of St. Louis.

The hotels of St. Louis are noted for their excellence. The principal are the Lindell, Southern, Barnum's, Everett, and the Planter's. The Lindell and Southern rank among the finest hotels in the United States. They are inferior to none in the country in size, magnificence, or the accommodations offered to guests. They are among the principal ornaments of St. Louis.

The city is supplied with an excellent system of street railways, connecting its distant points. It is lighted with gas, and is supplied with water from the Mississippi. The water is pumped by steam from the river, and forced through a twenty-inch pipe into a large reservoir, located about one mile west of the city. The city is also provided with an efficient police force, a steam fire department, and a police and firealarm telegraph. It is governed by a Mayor and Council. In 1870, the population was 310,864. A very large number of the inhabitants are Germans, or of German origin, and German customs prevail here to a great degree.

Eight lines of railway connect St. Louis with all parts of the Union. A bridge is now in construction from the city to the Illinois shore, which will give unbroken communication with the eastern side of the Mississippi. The city is the principal shipping point for almost the entire State of Missouri, and conducts an active trade. along the Mississippi, the Missouri, the Ohio, and their tributaries. In 1860, the year before the civil war, the arrivals of steamboats at this port were 4371, with an aggregate tonnage of 1,120,039. The