Of the prominent public buildings, the city and county hall deserves being
mentioned in the first place. It is an imposing structure, of Maine
granite, in the form of a double Roman cross, with a tower 245 feet high,
surmounted by four statues. This magnificent edifice is fronting on
Franklin Street, and was completed in 1880 at a cost of nearly $1,500,000.

Other handsome buildings are the U.S. custom house and postoffice, at the
corner of Washington and Seneca Streets; the Buffalo library, on Lafayette
Square; the State arsenal, in Broadway; the Erie County penitentiary, one
of the six penal establishments of New York; the general hospital, in High
Street; and the State asylum for the insane, an edifice which cost about
$3,000,000, located in Forest Avenue, adjoining the Buffalo Park.

The city is also adorned with several handsome churches and theaters.

Buffalo was first settled by the Dutch in 1801, and became an important
military post during the war of 1812. It was burned by a combined force of
British and Indians in 1814. Its city charter was granted in 1832, and
since then its growth has been very rapid.

As regards its live-stock trade, Buffalo ranks third among the cities in
the Union, and its iron and steel works are next in importance to those of
Pittsburg. The shipment of Pennsylvania coal, which finds a depot here,
has been greatly increased in recent years; about 1,500,000 tons being
distributed annually. The lumber trade is also large, but has been partly
diverted to Tonawanda, ten miles below Buffalo.

The industrial works comprise four blast furnaces, large rolling mills,
machine shops, car shops, iron ship-yards, stove foundries, tanneries,