THE HARBOR.
The harbor of New York comprises the Hudson or North River on the west side of the island, the East River on the east side, and the inner bay lying between the mouth of the Hudson and the Narrows. Beyond the Narrows is the lower bay, which is little more than an arm of the sea, though the anchorage is good and secure.
The harbor contains the shipping of all civilized nations, and the flags of some of the barbaric powers are often to be seen at our piers. The North River piers are devoted to the great ocean steamship lines, and the steamers to domestic ports, while the East River is occupied by the old sail-vessels almost entirely. Each river has its peculiar characteristics, so that in leaving the water on one side of the island, and passing over to it again on the other side, one might easily imagine himself in a different port from that he has just left. The harbor is always full of vessels, and sometimes as many as fifteen first-class steamships will sail from the bay in a single day, bound for foreign and domestic ports. This is exclusive of the large number of river and sound steamboats, and sail-vessels, that arrive and depart daily.