Tammany Society, which held meetings and transacted business under all
sorts of odd and peculiar forms. It divided the seasons of the year into
the Season of Blossoms, the Season of Fruits, the Season of Moons, and
the Season of Snows, instead of Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. And
the head of the order was called the Grand Sachem or Chief.

New York now became a very active and a very brilliant city indeed,
and all manner of improvements were made. The first sidewalks were laid
along Broadway, just above St. Paul's Chapel. They were pavements of
brick, so narrow that two persons could scarcely walk along side by
side. Then the high hill crossed by Broadway just above the Common was
cut away so that the street stretched away as broad and as straight as
you see it to-day. Numbers were put on the houses and streets were cut
through the waste lands about the Collect Pond, and the barracks which
were built for the British soldiers were torn away as unsightly
structures. These barracks were log huts a story high, enclosed by a
high wall. The gate at one end, called Tryon's Gate, gave the name to
Tryon's Row as it now exists. Trinity Church, which had been in ruins
since the fire, was rebuilt, as well as many, many other houses.

Now the fact that the city was the seat of the national government and
was the home of Washington had much to do with its improvement. But New
York had only been fixed upon as the capital temporarily, and a dozen
States were anxious for that honor. Finally, in the second year that
Washington was President, it was decided to build a city which should
be the seat of the general government, on land given by the States
of Maryland and Virginia for that purpose and called the District of
Columbia. While the city (which was given the name of Washington) was
being built, the seat of government was to be in Philadelphia, and
Washington went there to live. A great many of the gay and brilliant