This view looks lakeward from a balcony at about Magazine Street (note the slats of the balcony railing in the foreground).  Prominent in the middle of the picture is an elaborate fountain on the Canal Street neutral ground at the Camp/Chartres intersection.  Beyond Camp Street, we see Magazine and Prytania horse cars of the New Orleans City RR on the inner tracks in the block between Camp and St. Charles.  Their turntable is on the river side of the Henry Clay statue, which is also visible.  Beyond Mr. Clay we can see the Christ Church steeple, which dates the picture to before 1883.  The remarkable thing about this picture is in our view of the Canal Street neutral ground closest to the camera.  We can make out the outer tracks on the edge of the neutral ground, just outside of the double line of trees, and one lakebound inner track, used by the Magazine and Prytania lines since 1861 to approach their turntable.  But the Crescent City RR turntable and approach tracks, thought to be used by the Tchoupitoulas line, are not there!  The Tchoupitoulas line was started in 1866, according to Hennick & Charlton, who state that its original route began from this missing turntable.  Research by Morris Hill into court records reveals that the original terminus of the Tchoupitoulas line was at Canal and Magazine, and the line was extended one block to Canal and Camp only in 1873.  So this picture must be dated 1873 or earlier. — Theo. Lilienthal