W.H. Bartlett                                                                                                R. Wallis

View Of The Ferry At New York

Reproduced from a 7¼"x 4¾" Steel Engraving

from a Drawing by W.H. Bartlett

The Ferry at Brooklyn, is  Print # 43 of 66 from  Volume I "AMERICAN SCENERY"
or LAND, LAKE, AND RIVER Published in 1839 by George Virtue,
26 Ivy Lane, London

VIEW OF THE FERRY AT BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

BROOKLYN is as much a part of New York, for all purposes of residence and communication, as " the Borough" is of London. The steam ferry-boats cross the half-mile between it and the city every five minutes; and in less time than it usually takes to thread the press of vehicles on London Bridge, the elegant equipages of the wealthy cross to Long Island for the afternoon drive; morning visits are inter­changed between the residents in both places--and, indeed, the east river is hardly more of a separation than the same distance in a street.

Brooklyn is the shire-town of King's County, and by this time, probably, is second in population only to New York. Land there, has risen in value to an enormous extent within the last few years; and it has become the fashion for business-men of New York to build and live on the fine and healthy heights above the river, where they are nearer their business, and much better situated than in the outskirts of the city itself. The town of Brooklyn is built on the summit and sides of an elevation springing directly from the bank of the river, and commanding some of the finest views in America. The prospect embraces a large part of East River, crowded with shipping, and tracked by an endless variety of steamers, flying through the channel in quick succession; of the city of New York, extend­ing, as far as the eye can see, in closely piled masses of architecture; of the Hudson, and the shore of Jersey, beyond ; of the bay and its bright islands, and of a consi­derable part of Long and Staten Islands, and the Highlands of Neversink. A more comprehensive, lively, and interesting view is nowhere to be found.

Historically, Brooklyn will long be remembered for the battle fought in its neighbourhood between the British and Hessians under the command of General Howe, and the Americans under the immediate command of Generals Putnam and Sullivan. It was a contest of a body of ill-disciplined militia against twice their number of regular troops, and ended in defeat; but the retreat conducted by General Washington saved the army, and relieved a little the dark fortunes of the day.

The American forces were composed of militia and raw recruits, and without even dragoons to serve as videts. They were stationed on a chain of eminences running from Yellow Hook towards Hempstead; and the British, from the Ferry between Staten and Long Islands, through the level country to the village of Flatland.  From the last-mentioned place, a strong column, led by General Clinton and Lord Percy, marched into the Jamaica Road, through an unoccupied pass in this chain of hills on the right, and turned the left of the American army.  General Grant at the same time attacked the right of the Americans under the command of Lord Sterling, posted near the Ferry; while the fleet commenced a powerful cannonade upon a battery at Red Hook, to draw off the attention of the Americans from the main attack directed by Sir Henry Clinton.

As soon as the Americans perceived that the enemy had gained the rear, they were thrown into confusion, and attacks were made on the centre, commanded by General Sullivan, and the right, commanded by Lord Stirling, and both divisions completely routed. A gallant attempt was made by the latter officer, which, though unavailing, facilitated the retreat of part of the troops under his command.  He was himself taken prisoner, as were also Generals Sullivan and Woodhull.  The number of Americans killed is estimated at four hundred, and the wounded and prisoners at a thousand.

General Washington. who had passed over from New York to Brooklyn during the heat of the action, perceived that nothing could be done to turn the fortune of the day, and that the only thing to be accomplished was a retreat. The British were only waiting for a wind to move their shipping into the East River, and the next morning might find the ferry in their possession. The British were encamped within six hundred yards of him; and the wind, until eleven o'clock, was unfavour­able. At that hour it lulled, and a thick fog covered the bosom of the river. The army commenced their embarkation under this fortunate protection; and the whole of the forces, with their ammunition, provision, horses, waggons, &c. crossed undisturbed. The retreat was discovered by the British half an hour after the evacuation.  The sound of their pickaxes was distinctly heard within the American lines during the embarkation.

NOTE:  This is an exact copy of the original 1839 text describing the above Print, from "AMERICAN SCENERY" 

Volume I, Page 91, Published by George Virtue, 26 Ivy Lane, London

THE MAGIC POWER OF SILENCE

A good women in New Jersey was sadly annoyed by a termagant neighbor, who often visited her, and provoked a quarrel. She at last sought the counsel of her pastor, who added sound common sense to his other good qualities. Having heard the story of her wrongs, he advised her to seat herself  quietly in the chimney corner when next visited, take the tongs in her hand, look steadily into the fire, and whenever a hard word came from her neighbor’s lips, gently snap the tongs, without uttering a word.

A day or two afterwards, the good women came again to her pastor with a bright and laughing face, to communicate the effects of this new antidote for scolding. Her troubler had visited her, and as usual, commenced her tirade.

            Snap went the tongs.

            Another volley. Snap.

            Another still.  Snap.

            “Why don’t you speak?” said the termagant,

more enraged . Snap.

            “Speak said she. Snap.

            “Do speak; I shall split if you don’t speak!”

And away she went, cured of her malady by the magic power of silence.

June 1861 the British Workman 

Two-Thirds of Consumers Fret About Phone Security

We're using our phones for banking, buying, and broadcasting our location -- but that doesn't mean we're not still nervous.

• PCWorld
• » Phones

By John P. Mello Jr., PCWorld    Oct 31, 2011 1:04 pm

Consumers are becoming more comfortable with mobile services like location tracking and banking, but a significant number of them -- 68 percent -- are uncertain how safe their data is when it's stored or transmitted from a cell phone.

That was one of the findings in a study released today by Oracle Communications, a business unit focusing on telecommunications within Oracle Corporation of Redwood Shores, California.

The survey of some 3000 global mobile phone consumers finds significant growth in the number of wireless wranglers banking online through their phones (28 percent in 2011 compared to 18 percent in 2010) and making online purchases (18 percent versus 9 percent, year over year), but those activities aren't doing much to calm the qualms mobile users have about their phone's security. For example, only 6 percent of the survey sample said they'd made a purchase in a store with a mobile phone and only 21 percent said they feel "very comfortable" making a purchase with a phone instead of a credit card.

What could be contributing to consumers' anxiety about mobile phone security are the almost weekly reports of malware attacks on Android smartphones that have been appearing for months now.

Oracle researchers also found that nearly half the consumers (41 percent) of the consumers participating in the study who do not have a tablet computer intend to buy one in the next twelve months.

Smartphones have significantly penetrated mobile markets around the world, with 70 percent of the respondents saying they use that type of mobile device, according to the study.

Concerns about privacy threats posed by location services appear to be fading in the minds of many consumers, the researchers discovered. While 33 percent of consumers in 2010 said they were interested in receiving relevant content based on their location, in this year's survey, 45 percent say they're already chosen to share location information with an app on their phone.

What's more, smartphones are increasingly replacing other electronic devices in their users' gadget arsenal. For example, in the 2010 edition of the survey, 52 percent of survey respondents said they believed their mobile phone would replace their digital camera by 2015. In this year's version, 43 percent say their phone has already replaced their camera.

Similarly, in 2010 54 percent of respondents believed their phone would replace their music player by 2015; in 2011, 34 percent say it has already supplanted their music player.

Fifty-four percent of those surveyed in 2010 also predicted that their GPS units would be replaced by their phone by 2015, but only 24 percent say their mobiles have already replaced their GPSs.

Data usage by consumers has also increased over the last year, the study found. Some 47 percent of the respondents told surveyors that their data usage has increased over the last 12 months. Increased usage is reported in other areas, too, such as text messaging (41 percent), call minutes (39 percent), and apps (38 percent).

Oracle's survey (PDF)also had some good news for wireless carriers. More than four-fifths of the respondents (84 percent) say their mobile service provider is doing a good job. However, only about half those surveyed (54 percent) believe their carriers gave them the necessary tools to manage their monthly usage.

Follow freelance technology writer John P. Mello Jr. and Today@PCWorld on Twitter.

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