New York. Gothamite. A New Yorker. A correspondent of Notes and Queries, 10 S. v. 288, traces this to Salmagundi, 1809; but it is earlier. As to the older Gotham, see Notes and Queries, 10 S. vi. 85, 137.
1800. Our wise Gothamite Editors declare that it cannot be true that the French have gained a victory over the Austrians.—The Aurora, Phila., June 6.
1806. The Man of Gotham, who prints the Freeman’s Journal, won’t credit the Appointment.—Lancaster (Pa.) Intelligencer, May 6: from the Republican Argus.
1810. A day was appointed, when all the good citizens of the wonder loving city of Gotham were invited to the blowing up. [Alluding to the torpedo experiments.]—Mass. Spy, May 2.
1824. An honest man stopped at a tavern in Gotham with a load of pork for sale.—The Microscope, Albany, Feb. 21.
1824. You will not honor Gotham with your company another winter, we presume.—Id., April 17, p. 22/3.
1824. One of the most frequent subjects of complaint in this our goodly city of North Gotham is the extreme filthiness of our streets. [We must make a change,] or poor old North Gotham will have to change her sober and venerable name for the shocking one [of skunk’s paradise.]—Id., May 22.
*** The 1824 references are to Albany, N.Y.
1834. Some of the boasted parks, groves, and gardens of these hospitable Gothamites.—Caruthers, ‘The Kentuckian in New-York,’ i. 177.
1836. The blood thirsty Gothamites are now waging a war of extermination against the canine race.—Phila. Public Ledger, May 31.
1836. Our “Philadelphia loafer” goes to Gotham, to put to rights the sixes and sevens into which Gotham’s genius had put Gotham’s post-office; and he was sent on this errand by Amos Kendall. Now Amos has an eye like a hawk, and a nose like a blood hound, and keeps a sharp look out upon Gotham.—Id., July 14.
1836. An Albany or Newark dog is as well worth fifty cents, if brought to Gotham’s authorities, as if actually killed in Gotham’s streets…. We understand that dog’s flesh is quite a luxury in Gotham market.—Id., Aug. 5.
1837. We say New York, because among the active, enterprising, driving, shoving, pushing, pulling, scrambling Gothamites you will find one thousand times more talent in the newspapers than you will in any other of our cities.—Id., Feb. 3.
1840. Col. Johnson was in New York, drinking juleps at Delmonico’s. He was warmly received by the excitable Gothamites.—Daily Pennant, St. Louis, July 22.
1841. We of Gotham may claim the honor of being the ‘Literary Emporium’ over our eastern sister, who now bears the title.—Knick. Mag., xviii. 566 (Dec.).
1842. The Yankees [of Boston] are determined to keep a stiff upper lip with the Gothamites.—Phila. Spirit of the Times, Jan. 26.
1842. Enterprising urchins fairly “disintegrate their linen” in their anxiety to supply Gotham with Bulwer’s Zanoni.—Id., April 6.
1842. Captain Du Solle is rowing us of Gotham up Salt Creek, for the edification of the broad brims of the City of Brotherly Love.—Id., April 11.
1842. [Mr. Charles Dickens] is to leave New York in June for England. Will the Gothamites take a lock of his hair for the Museum, before he sails for home?—Id., April 25.
1842. Aided by their usual accompaniments of salad, or as we Gothamites facetiously term them, ‘trimmings,’ your oyster fried is no contemptible ‘finish’ to the protracted evening sitting.—Knick. Mag., xx. 227 (Sept.).
1845. One of the most ridiculous propositions in the world, is being treated seriously in the New York papers. It is gravely proposed to make a second story street in Broadway—id est, to erect iron pillars at the curb-stone, and on them build a covered railway for cars, as a substitute for the omnibuses that now vex that main artery of old Gotham.—‘The Cincinnati Miscellany,’ i. 165.
a. 1848. Ye Men of Gotham! What a pretty looking nest of varmints ye are, taken in a heap, altogether!—Dow, Jun., ‘Patent Sermons,’ i. 182.
1848. In a few hours more I will be in the great Gotham.—W. T. Thompson, ‘Major Jones’s Sketches of Travel,’ p. 106 (Phila.).
1849. An ingenious poem on “Gotham” was read before certain societies of Columbia College.—See Knick. Mag., xxxiv. 516–22.
1851. This [Broadway] is the great fashionable promenade of Gotham, where all the belles, beaux, and babies—Knickerbockers and Yankees, are shown up to the best advantage.—Joel H. Ross, ‘What I Saw in New-York,’ p. 164 (Auburn, N.Y.).
