meet and melt in purple mystery. But best of all is the marvellous transformation when night comes, and the chimneys are down, and the sky-line fades away. There are no drawbacks or incongruities then ; but the corruscation of uncounted lights — flashing galaxies, not of stars, but of constella- tions and firmaments of stars — render the scene one of indescribable beauty. Below the zone of white bril- liants there is that other, of coloured shore lights, Digitized by Microsoft® 40 The Hudson River fountains of emerald and ruby that overflow and paint the unresting wave-rims with serpentine hieroglyphs. There are few displays of illumination in the world that will compare with that which New York exhibits every night, and whoever has not seen it from the river has missed one of the delights of life. A tour of the west shore of Manhattan Island natu- rally commences at the Barge Office, at the extreme lower end of the city. This was built by the city for the use of the Emigration Commissioners, when Castle Garden, which had been previously leased as a landing station for immigrants, was resigned. The Barge Of- fice was first used for the reception of cabin passengers from ocean vessels, then became our immigrant station, and is now used by the customs inspectors. THE BARGE OFFICE AND THE BAY Digitized by Microsoft® Chapter IV Festivals and Pageants CASTLE GARDEN was formerly called Castle Clinton. The site was granted by the Cor- poration of New York City to the United States Government in May, 1807, and a fortification was built soon afterwards, but owing to bad engineer- ing the foundations of the structure were not strong enough to support the weight even of what at that day was considered as heavy ordnance, and in March, 1822, the fort and ground were reconveyed to the city. For many years the building was used for the recep- tion of distinguished strangers, for fetes and festivals, concerts, operas, and public meetings of various kinds. Here the annual fairs of the American Institute were held until the year 1855, when the Commissioners of Emigration secured the premises by lease as a landing- place for immigrants. Within a few years the long-familiar spectacle of a motley throng of poor foreigners, clad in strange garbs, and speaking more tongues than Babel ever knew, has become a thing of the past. The last change in the varied history of Castle Garden was its conversion into a great free aquarium, where every day thousands of visitors find their recreation. 41 Digitized by Microsoft® 42 The Hudson River Of all the various tides in the affairs of this notable fort (whose aspect and name have been warlike, but whose record has all been suggestive of the piping times of peace), none has led more im.mediately to fortune, as well as fame, than Jenny Lind's first con- cert on September ii, 1850. An account of this event was published.in the New York Herald of the following morning with this commencement: The long-looked-for event has come off. Jenny Lind has sung in Castle Garden to an audience of five thousand persons.' . . Never did a mortal in this city, or perhaps any other, receive such homage as the sovereign of song received from the sovereign people. Among the advertisements of the day preceding the concert the following notice appeared: CASTLE GARDEN.— FIRST APPEARANCE OF MLLE. JENNY LIND, on Wednesday eve- ning, September ii, 1850. PROGRAMME. Overture — "Oberon." C. M. V. Weber. Aria — "Sorgete." (Maometto secondo) Rossini. Sung by Sig. Belletti. Scena and Cavatina — "Casta Diva. " (Norma) Bellini. M'Ue Jenny Lind. Grand Duet for two Piano Fortes. Thalberg. Messrs. Benedict and Hoffman. Duet — "Per Piacer." (II Turco in Italia) Rossini. M'lle Jenny Lind and Sig. Belletti. Overture — "Crusaders." (First time in America) Benedict. Trio Concertante for Voice and two Flutes (Camp of Silesia) . . Meyerbeer. Composed expressly for M'lle Jenny Lind. M'lle Jenny Lind. ' Flutes^-Messrs. Kyle and Siede. Aria Buffa — "Largo al factotum." (Barbiere) Rossini. Sig. Belletti, Swedish Melody — "Herdsman's Song" (known as the Echo Song) Sung by M'lle Jenny Lind. Greeting to America — Prize Com- position, by Bayard Taylor, Esq. Benedict — Composed expressly for this occasion. M'lle Jenny Lind. Conductor — Mr. Benedict. Digitized by Microsoft® Digitized by Microsoft® Digitized by Microsoft® Festivals and Pageants 45 Great excitement was caused by the auction sale of a choice of seats, Mr. Genin, the hatter, securing the first place on the opening night for what was then con- sidered thQ:,yery large sum of $225. A contemporary report pictures the scene at the Garden : At four o'clock Jenny Lind arrived at the Garden, in order to pass quietly and unobserved through the crowd. She dressed