CHAPTEE I.

HISTORICAL KETEOSPECT OF THE DISCOVERY, SETTLEMENT AND GROWTH OF

THE CITY OF NEW YORK.

THERE are but nine cities in the world with a population of over 1,000,-
000 inhabitants, namely: London, New York, Paris, Berlin, Canton,
Chicago, Vienna, Tokio and Philadelphia, ranking in the order named.
Five of them—London, Canton, Berlin, Tokio and Vienna—are the capitals of
ancient empires, proud, warlike and imposing. One, the City of Paris, was long
under monarchical rule. The other three, however, are situated in the United
States of America, the land of free institutions, whose progress has amazed
the feudal empires of the earth. London, with the advantage of her cis-At-
lantic situation 3,700 miles nearer the seat of original civilization than New
York, has been nearly nineteen centuries attaining her leadership with a pop¬
ulation of 4,500,000; but so great have been the strides of New York, now
pressing on her heels, that fifty years hence, if both cities maintain their
present rates of progress, the primacy will cross the ocean and the Metropolis
of the New World will hold the trophy of victory. The City of Paris,
founded before the Christian era, now, at the end of nineteen hundred years
of growth, lapses into third place, with a polulation of 2,500,000. Berlin,
whose trustworthy history begins A. D. 1237, at the age of sis hundred and
sixty years, ranks fourth, with a family of 1,700,000. Canton, whose origin
is buried in the obscurity of antiquity, ranks fifth, with an estimated popula¬
tion of 1,600,000. Our young American city of Chicago, not yet one hun¬
dred years old, occupies the highly creditable position of sixth, with a popu¬
lation of 1,500,000. Vienna has required about nineteen centuries to earn
seventh place, with 1,375,000 inhabitants. Tokio has taken at least seven
hundred years to develop the population of 1,250,000, which gives her eighth
place. And Philadelphia, which was once the leading city of America, ranks
at the end of two hundred and sixteen years, the ninth city of the world and
the third in America, with a population of 1,150,000.

Only two hundred and seventy years ago, when all but the three American