I state an event highly probable to have happened ;

for London a city built of less wooden materials had at one fire, in 1666, 13,000 houses burnt, which occupied 436 acres, and embraced 400 streets, 86 churches, and a variety of magnificent buildings. The destruction amounted in value to fifty millions of dollars. The extensive fire at Hamburg during the past year, and the constant occurrence of fires throughout our country, show the danger we were in.

Does any individual still say that we cannot afford to pay so much as this great work has cost? I assert that security against such awful calamities cannot be too dearly

bought, if it is bought at the lowest possible rate. It must be had if possible in every community, and the man who grudges money to save the city from destruction, can be only one who wants no security but for stocks, and

dividends, and bonds, and mortgages ; and into whose thoughts the welfare and happiness of his fellow beings never enter,

296 CELEBRATION OP THE But does water cost so much? London, in 1834, was supplied with 34,000,000 gallons, and paid for it annually $1,380,000. Paris is supplied with two quarts per day to each individual, at an expense of $750,000 per annum. The Croton will furnish three hogsheads a day to each of our population, at but $600,000 per annum. After all, we have followed but at a respectable distance ancient Rome, with her nine

aqueducts, some of which were longer than the Croton Aqueduct, and together were capable of supplying 250,000,000 of gallons per day. But history does not enable us to say, if all of them were in operation at one time ; nor do we know all the purposes to