NYC guide: Sights and Wonders In New York, by Timothy Findout, ca. 1850
INTRODUCTORY ADDRESS
READERS, pray lend me your attention,
While with much brevity I mentionSome of the wonders of creation,
Scattered throughout each clime and nation.
Of every other quadruped
The elephant stands at the head;
All other beasts that roam the field,
To him in bulk and strength must yield.
Then comes the huge rhinoceros,
With elk, and gnu, or horned horse;
The tall giraffe and buffalo,
And camels which o’er deserts go;
The llama, zebra, deer, and goat,
And swiftly-bounding antelope;
And monkeys so much like a man,
Especially the orang-outang!
Lions, tigers, leopards rare,
The grizzly and the polar bear;
Panthers, hyenas, wolves, and foxes,
Such as are kept in cage or boxes;
Sable, ermine, marten, lynx,
Beaver, otter, muskrats, minks.
And birds there are in every land,
From Alpine rocks to desert sand:
The ostrich, eagle, vulture, hawk,
And crane with legs too long to walk;
Likewise swans, both black and white,
And paroquets [sic] with plumage bright;
And every kind of singing-bird
That eye hath seen or ear hath heard:
All fish that in the ocean swim,
From monstrous shark to herring trim;
Whale, walrus, porpoises, and seals,
And spurious ones, like snakes and eels!
The ichneume [sic] and crocodile,
Found near the banks of Egypt’s Nile;
Serpents and reptiles, insects, all,
That walk or swim, or fly or crawl;
Choice specimens of antique art
From Pompeii’s long-buried mart;
Or mummy, long in darkness hid
In catacomb or pyramid;
Or works of yet more modern dates,
From foreign climes or our own states–
As marble statue, plaster bust,
Armor of steel unsoiled by rust;
Portraits of great and noble men–
Columbus, Franklin, Howard, Penn,
Or of the great illustrious one,
Our own beloved Washington
All these, and hundreds yet untold,
Which scarcely could be bought for gold,
Are near at hand, and, would you see ‘em,
Go to the "American Museum."
There P. T. BARNUM’S generosity
To gratify your curiosity,
Has gathered all–and any day,
If but two shillings you will pay,
You’re freely welcome to walk in,
And each strange creature to examine.
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UNCLE FIND-OUT had two nephews, who, losing their parents in infancy, became the inmates of his abode, subject to his guardianship and protection. He was a man most exceedingly kind in point of disposition, beloved by all who had the pleasure of his acquaintance, and admired and beloved by none more sincerely and deservedly than by the members of his own family, which consisted of himself, an old bachelor, the two nephews already alluded to, his faithful Tom, and Maggy the housekeeper. Uncle Find-out loved his nephews and they in return loved him; who could help it?–for he was a good-hearted, kind old gentleman, and made everybody about him happy. He was in the habit of visiting the city of New York occasionally, and, as the time for doing so had arrived, he concluded his nephews would be pleased to accompany him to the empire city, to behold the sights to be seen there, as well as to witness the tricks upon travelers, so expertly performed in a thousand different ways. He accordingly accosted his nephews, who had just entered his snug, old-fashioned parlor: "Well, boys, what say you for a journey to New York with your uncle to-morrow?"–"To-morrow never comes, uncle, so they say," replied the elder, whose name was Charles. The other one, Alfred, reproved his brother for supposing his uncle would propose anything he did not intend to carry into effect, and, turning to his uncle, replied, "My brother and I will be most happy to accompany you, dear uncle, and I trust we shall convince you how highly we value your kindness by our good conduct, not only during our stay in New York, but also upon our return to our rural hermitage on the banks of the Passaic." Charley asked his uncle if he would go with them to the various places of amusement. Uncle Find-out replied that he intended they should see all the places of amusement where boys ought to go, but that they must bear in mind that there were some places he should decline taking them to. The boys nodded a cheerful assent tot he remarks of Uncle Find-out, and Alfred then said, "You will perhaps take us to the ‘Museum’ under the control of Mr. BARNUM."–"To be sure I will, and there you will see ‘all the world in Bingham’ in that ark of the city that has something of everything in it worth looking at. But, boys, first of all, let me know what is the meaning of the word ‘museum.’" Charley replied that it was used to describe a building set apart as a repository for such things as related to the arts and sciences, or, in other words, a cabinet of curiosities.
"You are right, my boy. Originally it was the name given to an institution founded by Ptolemy Philadelphus, About two hundred and eighty years before the birth of Jesus Christ, for the promotion of learning and the support of learned men. We learn from Strabo that the museum formed a part of the palace, and that it contained cloisters or porticoes, a public theatre or lecture-room, and a large hall where the learned men used to dine together. The museum was supported by a common fund supplied from the public treasury, and the whole was under the superintendence of a priest, who was appointed by the king, and, after Egypt became a province of the Roman empire, by the Caesars. Botanical and zoological gardens appear to have been attached to the museum; other additions were also made by Claudius."
The time to go to rest having arrived, the boys took leave of their uncle with a hearty "Good-night," and a kiss printed warmly upon the good man’s cheek; and up the stairs they ran to their slumbers–impatient enough, you may be sure, for the morning light, and ardently praying for a bright, clear day for their journey.
The boys had their wish: the morning broke in upon their slumbers with a bright sun and a cloudless sky. Breakfast was soon disposed of. Down to the steamboat they went with their uncle; the bell for starting rang; the passengers hurried on board; the captain called out "All aboard!" and in a minute old Dame Steam assured them they were onward for New York. A couple of hours passed merrily on, when the mighty city with her steeples in the distance, her shipping in the foreground, flags flying, guns firing, Trinity bells ringing’ and a host of people with happy faces, met their astonished gaze. Landing at Pier No. 1, the party made the best of their way through the motley groups of coach and cab men, boarding-house runners, &c., "Coach, sir?"–"Cab, sir?"–"Take your luggage, gemmen [sic]?"–"Our card, sir?"–"The Globe, sir?"–"Astor House the best, sir"–"It’s no such thing, sir! the Irving’s the best!"–"The Times, Herald, Tribune, Ned Buntline’s Own, sir, four for six cents!" and a thousand other cries, led the boys to suppose that the city was a Tower of Babel. A few minutes more, and the party arrived at the Museum. The musicians were playing the national air, "Hail Colombia, happy Land!" Large transparencies adorned the exterior of the buildings, representing the largest man in the world, Mr. Hale, being eight feet high, and weighing five hundred and eight pounds; Miss Eliza Simpson, the giantess, also eight feet high, and weighing three hundred and thirty-seven pounds; the fairy queen "Titania," twenty-four inches in height, The "Great Western," in his varied characters: and all these, with hundreds of thousands of curiosities, to be seen within the walls of this magnificent museum.
Having received their tickets of admission the party proceeded to room No. 1–and didn’t the boys stare with all the eyes they had? They saw so much to look at, that if their heads had been full of eyes they would not have had eyes enough to see all that was there staring them in the face. At the top of the room was a case of beautiful birds, among which was the green stork of the East Indies, the scarlet flamingo of South America, the pouched stork, or adjutant, of the Indies. Uncle Find-out informed them that the flamingo was from three to four feet high, purple-red on the back, and rose-colored wings; that they formed lines for the purpose of fishing, and, when they reposed on the shore, the same disposition to be in files or troops remained; that they appointed a sentinel for their common security, who, upon alarm, makes a braying cry similar to the noise of a trumpet, which is the signal for departure from danger. The tongue was considered a delicacy among the Romans. They build their nests in the form of a sugar-loaf, about twenty inches high. In consequence of their long legs, they straddle over their nests, their legs hanging down on each side and resting on the ground. "Is there anything particular in the pouched stork?"–"The feathers from beneath the wing form the beautiful light plumes which the French call marabeaus. The flamingo is found in Senegal and India. When standing in long rows upon the shore, they have the appearance of soldiers in full feather."
He then called their attention to the albatross, the great petrel, cormorant, booby, gamut, and frigate pelican. This last, he informed his nephews, was called the man-of-war bird, from the rapidity of its flight, being met with frequently four hundred leagues at sea, and was the active warrior against the flying-fish. These birds attack the boobies, and, striking them upon their bodies, force them to disgorge the product of their fishing, which they dexterously seize before it falls in the water. The latter bird takes the name of booby from its stupidity submitting tot he attacks of both men and animals.
The case opposite the latter next attracted the attention of our wondering admirers. It contained a beautiful variety of ducks, from various parts of
Frigate or Man-of-war Bird, Pelican, and Flamingo.–(See page 3.)
North America, Europe, and the cape of Good Hope. Their uncle then drew their attention to a fine specimen of the joints from the Giants’ Causeway in Ireland. From this they turned to a native rock crystal, weighing two hundred and twelve pounds, found in a silver-mine about five hundred miles from the city of Mexico; and also to a case of imitation diamonds, after those in the possession of various crowned heads in Germany, Russia, Portugal, &c., with their relative sizes and values–and oh! Didn’t they wonder that such an immense value should be put upon such diamonds?
The next attraction presenting itself to their notice was the camelopard, or giraffe. Uncle Find-out told them that it was a native of Africa: when full grown, its height is about twenty-two feet–its skin is a beautifully-spotted brown upon a white ground. Its favorite food is the leaf of the acacia and ash trees.
He then called them to look at the case of plovers, widgeons, geese, goosanders, &c.; but Alfred called to his uncle and his brother to look at the beautiful infant sleeping with hummingbirds hovering around her. "Oh, what lovely birds!" exclaimed one. "What beautiful plumage!" cried the other. From this their attention was drawn to a variety of beautiful engravings of Queens Adelaide and Victoria, Prince Albert, the duchess of Kent, &c., all of England; but our heroes thought much more of the likeness of General Tom Thumb and of P. T. BARNUM, ESQ., the indefatigable manager, who so unceasingly caters for the amusement, gratification, and instruction, of his young visitors, and who, in his journeyings with Tom Thumb, visited and conversed with all the principal crowned heads of Europe–and they concluded that his Museum was worth all the kings, queens, and nabobs, of the world.
Walking on, they came to a case of splendid pheasants, of all colors and degrees of beauty–fowls of every variety, including a skeleton of one of those birds. "Well, I declare!" cried Charley, "who would suppose that a bird was so curiously formed? What a number of small bones! how exquisitely put together!"
Alfred called to his brother to come and look at a picture representing a religious procession in the church of the Madeleine, in Paris. They both admired this picture. The mechanical panoramic pictures next attracted their attention. The first was a "Vue du Pont Neuf a Paris"–steamers in motion, carriages passing, omnibuses proceeding to their respective stations–all beautifully represented. The second, a steam-engine in operation. The third, a scissors-grinder at work. The fourth, stone-cutters sawing a block of marble. The fifth, a railroad bridge, with cars passing over. The seventh, opera-dancers, with all gayety and beauty. The eighth, the musical concert of monkeys. They noticed the delicacy of the principal performer’s touch, the motion of his fingers, the beating of his foot to the tune; the leader beating time, and accompanying the music with his voice: and the boys expressed the greatest delight at the beauty and regularity of the movement that put these pictures in operation.
From these views they turned to examine the hoopoe birds, the glossy pheasant from the Himeleh mountain, and the fire-back pheasant from the same place. The color of the feathers on the back they discovered looked exactly like fire; and Uncle Find-out agreed with them that it was a most beautiful specimen. From this their uncle called their attention to the great northern divers of North America, turkey-buzzards, gills of every species–toucans, and other birds, including domestic fowls, when, holy fathers! what a noise saluted Uncle Find-out’s ears! "What are these? Uncle, uncle, do tell us!" "Shut up your potato-traps!–you young rogues, you’ll frighten Miss Fannie Elssler out of her wits!" "Who’s Miss Fannie Elssler, uncle?"–"Oh, you’ll see, by-and-by."–"But, pray, do tell us what birds are these?"–"They’re birds of paradise, boys, and are found in the island of New Guinea."–"Oh, what beautiful colors! Look at that one with the rich crimson and green feathers, and those elegant streamer black feathers flowing so gracefully from the tail of the green-tufted one. What an elegantly-shaped bird it is, uncle!"–"Yes, and the ancients supposed that they lived on dew, had no feet, and wafted through the air.
"Look here, my boys; here is a specimen of the cock of the rock, from South America, and a very fine bird it is." At length they came to the last case of the birds, larks, fly-catchers, field-fairs, &c., when, highly delighted with what they had seen, Uncle Find-out, taking the lead, introduced them to room No. 2.
There they beheld the portraits of all our great men, from Washington downward–generals, orators, statesmen–who have left names deeply engraven [sic] in the hearts of a brave and great nation; patterns and examples worthy of imitation by those who will have to play their parts in the great drama of life.
Also the wax profiles of some thirty Mexican generals, enclosed in a handsome frame.
Mrs. Pelby’s celebrated groups of wax figures then came in for a share of deep and thoughtful consideration by the whole party.
And first, the Intemperate Family. The group composes one family: the old man at the table, with the bottle in his pocket, is the father of the dying man; both are drunkards. The fruits of the poisonous bottle are too clearly depictured [sic] in the misery, poverty, and wretchedness, around the unfortunate group. "Look well, my boys, on that picture of wo–remember an uncle warns you–see that you touch not, taste not, handle not, the contents of the intoxicating bottle, lest your condition be as unfortunate as the one you are now gazing upon." They shuddered, and passed to the other side, to the groups representing the Last Supper of our Lord with the disciples.
Uncle Find-out informed his nephews that the moment selected by the artist was where Jesus says–"One of you shall betray me." He then drew their attention to the countenances of the disciples, and requested them to point out the one that appeared the most faithful delineation of the betrayer of Jesus. In a few minutes the boys recognized Judas, and each exclaimed, "That, uncle, is the man!"–and he quietly nodding his assent, they passed on to the groups representing the trial of Jesus before Pontius Pilate. "There, my children," exclaimed Uncle Find-out, "is a solemn representation of the Son of God, standing as a prisoner, bound as a criminal, the object of Jewish hatred and revenge. I need not pass any further remarks upon it; you are sabbath-school scholars, and well know the history of this trial, of one of the best of beings, the friend of sinners."
"Oh, yes," cried Charley, "our teacher has often talked with us upon the Redeemer and his sufferings,"
"Yes, brother; and he always used to beg of us never to forget what Jesus had done for us, poor children of the dust."
Here Uncle Find-out purchased. For six cents, a pamphlet describing all the wax statuary, and also containing a copy of the DEATH WARRANT OF OUR SAVIOR."
"Let us turn, children, now, to a more pleasing subject. Behold the newborn babe of Bethlehem, whose birth made heaven echo, and angles shout, "Glory to God in the highest–peace on earth–good-will to men!"
"This is a beautiful scene, uncle," exclaimed the boys.
"Yes it is, my boys. Can you recite any passage of Scripture that will suit the representation before you?"
"And she brought forth her first-born son, and wrapped him in swaddling-clothes, and laid him in a manger."
"Very good, Alfred. I am glad you have fixed upon a passage so appropriate. Do you remember the cause that compelled the mother to shelter the babe in a manger?"
"Oh, yes sir. Because there was no room in the inn."
In passing from these interesting subjects, their aattention was drawn to a magic dial, which, to all appearance, presented no evidence of any connexion [sic] between the hand of the dial and the machinery in the base. This excited their surprise; and after some reflection, they concluded they would both have to find that out when they had more time and ability than at present. At any rate, it was passing strange to them, and as hard to find out as double rule of three, tare and tret, [sic] or vulgar fractions.
Having taken a view of the last objects in the room, their uncle led them to room No. 3, when their attention was called to the great polar bear, of Greenland, the black bear and cub, of North America, and the badger, of Europe. Alfred was tickled almost to death at the sight of such strange-looking creatures.
Their uncle then informed them, the white bear inhabited the icy regions of the north; that it fed upon fish and other marine animals; that it was not essentially carnivorous, or a flesh-feeding animal, but could be brought to live upon bread, was an expert swimmer and diver; and that the inside of its mouth was entirely black. That the black bear lived in forests, and fed upon fruits and flesh; was skillful in fishing, and lived in the hollows of living trees.
Alfred then noticed a rather curious animal–a common sheep, with an uncommon fleece, eighteen inches long, from Connecticut.
In this room, also, were several specimens of the horns of the stag, moose, &cc.; also a hornet’s nest, of large size; a very beautiful gazelle, noted for the beauty of its eye, an inhabitant of the north of Africa; a fine fox; and many other things of less note; when, at length, their attention was called to the great African lion; a zebra, beautifully striped; a cougar; a gnu, or horned horse; a sloth; and a wolf.
The Gnu.
Uncle Find-out, to inquiries relative to the lion, informed his nephews that the lion was of the cat-species, and the strongest of animals feeding upon flesh. Such was the power of his foot, that a single blow was enough to crush in the sides of a horse; and he could knock down the strongest man with a blow of his tail. He could clear thirty feet at a bound, and drag with ease the largest bullock. His roar was like distant thunder. His flesh was eaten by the Hottentots [sic?]; and a tribe of Arabs, between Tunis and Algiers, lived almost entirely upon it. That the American lion, another species of the cat, was better known by the name of the cougar, one of which was also before them.
He said that the zebra was a most elegant animal, scarcely tameable [sic]; his skin beautifully soft, adorned with riband-like stripes. In the female, these stripes were alternately black and white, and in the male, brown and yellow. His voice resembled the hunter’s horn. Numerous troops of them were often seen grazing on the extensive plains of the Cape of Good Hope.
Having viewed these different specimens, they next entered upon the bat and armadillo tribes, among which were the leather-winged bat of North America, and the great-eared bat of Europe; the armadillos, of South America, curiously armed with hard, shelly plates, and very beautiful specimens of these curious animals. The great vampire bats of Java attracted much of their attention, and the more so, from the fact, that their uncle informed them they were in the habit of sucking the blood of other animals while they were asleep. That there were several species, also, of them, in the United States.
Uncle Find-out being somewhat fatigued, sat himself down, and told his nephews they could amuse themselves, while he rested himself a little. They accordingly proceeded to examine the following: The nine-banded armadillo of South America; the Brazilian weazel, [sic] of South America; the cast ant-eater, male and female; the Patagonian cavy; the pouched rat, of Florida; the sea-otter, of South America; the chamelion, of Africa; the lynx, of North America; the Guinea-pigs, of South America, which they considered very beautiful indeed; the crested cavy, of South America; the musk-rats of North America; sea-otters, of North and South America; the raccoon and opossum, of North America, the crested porcupine; and, for the first time, the real striped pig, presented by Mr. Justice Merritt, which, barring the stripes, was evidently a descendant of swinish royalty; the bay lynx, of North America; the three-toed sloth; the Canadian porcupine; the Brazilian Porcupine. The Java musk, a very delicate little animal, was occupying their attention, when their uncle, clapping his hands upon their shoulders, aroused them from their contemplations, and called their attention to the Brazilian and royal Bengal tiger, a rhinoceros, with horn perfect, and a large African elephant.
In answer to some inquiries, Uncle Find-out said, the tiger alluded to was more fierce than the lion, and equalled [sic] him in size and strength, as well as ferocity; his hair was rough and yellow above, with traverse black stripes; that he was an inhabitant of the jungles, in India, and committed the greatest ravages–
That the African elephant inhabited Africa, from Senegal to the Cape of Good Hope; that it was more fierce than the Indian elephant, its tusks much longer, and that the female had them as long as the male–that in Siam there was a species of white elephant, which was held in great religious veneration–that the mammoth and mastodon were extinct species of the same class–that the rhinoceros was remarkable for the thickness of his skin, and that several species were known in India and Africa.
At length the boys read the following: "General Tom Thumb’s carriage and horses," and they almost wished they had been as small as the general, and when their uncle gave them a little history of the general’s travels, and the number of ladies’ kisses he had received, they wondered a bit of the general was left. Their uncle agreed with them, for he declared it beat "all nature " to see how the "gals"
After looking at some passenger pigeons, a red breasted crow, scarlet ibis, of South America, the white ibis, of Java, the European jays, and the beautiful Peruvian jay, they at length came to the cases containing a great variety of very curiously-formed fish, among which was the black-bodied chactodon, of South America; the golden chactodon, of South America, the zebra chactodon; the electric eel, of South America. "And now, boys, this curious fish has the power of giving such a severe shock, of an electric nature, that both men and horses are knocked down; and water, as well as metals, transmits the benumbing shock. The electric apparatus extends all along the back and tail."
The next one is called a sea-horse, in consequence of the head and trunk bearing some resemblance to the head and neck of a horse, in miniature.
And uncle cried, "Alfred, what monstrous ugly thing is this with a long tail?"
"That is called the Devil-Fish, and you may well call it ugly, for it is as ugly as the old fellow himself, that we hear so much talk about."
After looking at a great variety of other fish, such as the sturgeon, pike, John-dory, skate, flying-fish, and the dolphin, the young folks got among the monkey tribes; among which were the striated and tamarind monkeys, the black orang-outang of Africa, the blue-faced baboon, and the whiskered monkey;–and here the boys roared with laughter, as the monkey’s peculiar fashion if wearing whiskers corresponded so completely with the present style of the don whiskerandoes, that the boys naturally concluded that it was, to say the least, a very apish fashion.
"And what great thing is this?" they cried.
"That is the great leather turtle, taken at Sandy Hook in 1811," replied the uncle.
"And what have we here? oh, uncle, is not that a beautiful model of a British forty-four gun frigate?"
"Indeed it is, and shortly you will see it in motion."
"Uncle, let us go now to the saloon."
"With all my heart," he replied.
Upon entering of which, Uncle Find-out called the boys to notice a flag that was hoisted by order of General Washington, 25th November, 1783, at the Evacuation of New York. After the expiration of sixty-four years, it was unfurled to the breeze, at the laying of the corner-stone of the Washington Monument, 19th October, 1847.
"Never forget the stars and stripes of your country, my boys. Do you hear?"
"Yes, sir. As long as we live we will never forget the flag of our country, nor our uncle, who taught us to love it."
"Ah! you young dogs–chips of the old block–thank Heaven for that."
"And uncle, what do you call that?"
"That is an Egyptian mummy, of great antiquity. That body was once alive, as we are now. Two thousand years ago, perhaps, it underwent the Egyptian process of embalming, which preserved it from decay and decomposition."
Uncle Find-out next informed them that the ferocious-looking animal represented below was the sea-lion of the Falkland Islands, and that it was extremely savage in its nature.
"This animal appears to be a seal, is it not, uncle?"
"Yes, it is the common seal, or sea-calf, of North America."
"True; I remember the fur of some seals is used for caps, coat-collars, and other purposes."
"Bless me! what have we here? The hand and part of an arm, as I’m alive."
"Yes; that is the arm of the celebrated Tom Trouble, the pirate, who was taken after severe action, in which he lost the forefinger of his hand. He died in prison, at St. Thomas, while under sentence of death. He was afterward nailed to a plank, and exposed in the harbor, when, strange to say, his whole body became bleached and preserved, similar to this arm, which was cut off by an American seaman, and brought to New York. Here, also, is a human body, found in 1814, at Glasgow, in Kentucky, in a saltpetrous cave, nine feet under the ground. A very curious specimen, and in fine condition."
"I suppose the saline properties preserved the body, sir."
"No doubt."
"And here is the foot and hair of another one, found in a copperas cave, on the Cave Branch of Cumberland river, Tennessee,"
"This looks very different from the other. The color is much darker–more the color of liver."
"Yes," said Charley; "but the hair does not seem to have undergone much alteration."
"Oh! uncle, did you ever see a Neptune’s cup before?–made out of sponge, too! Isn’t that curious? I guess master Neptune must be a curious fellow, and pretty old, too."
"Dame Nature has many curious whims, my boys, and that is one of ‘em, I suppose. Now then, for the cabinet of fossils, minerals, &c."
‘Indeed these are beautiful. Only look at the perfect impressions of fish, leaves, lizards, and shells. Strange such things should be so marked in stones, and petrified substances."
"What beautiful shells!–the pearl and nautilus shells. The latter is found in the Indian ocean and Mediterranean sea. In calm seas it is seen in its beautiful shell, sailing along, with a portion of its body hoisted for sails, and using its feet in the place of oars.
"And here are some very elegant corals, from India and Florida, among which is one very similar to the human brain. These are the ingenuous work of marine insects, and in some parts of the ocean form complete reefs, called coral reefs, which cause impediments to navigation."
"And here, my nephews, are specimens of marble from various part
Source: The Old York Library, The Graduate Center, The City University of New York.
