The New York Herald Newspaper, March 1, 1868, Page 7

* THE FUTURE METROPOLIS, Indicatious of the Future Progress of the City—The Vian of the Western Tract—Its Thoroughiares, Longitudinal and Traus- werse-More Central Park Gates to be Needed—The New Parks and Avenuce—Pro- posed Widening of Madison Avenue, The city of New York has had really only two periods of history—viz., that in which it ranked simply as an ordinary seaport city, which was elosed with 1820, and that of a great commercial eentre, which it entered upon with the con- straction of the Erie canal and the completion, fink by link, of the leading railroads, which faave put it in communication with the produc- itive industry of the whole couatry. In 1756 '#¢ had a population of 10,381; in 1773, of 21,786; Him 1786, of 23,614; in 1790, of 33,131; in 1800, of 489; in 1810, of 96,373. In the year 1800, at the opening of the century, Philadelphia was of eater population than New York and put forth ims ag the commercial centre of the United ites, though founded sixty-eight years after the anding of New York; and at the beginning of the century also Boston disputed with New York for the palm of commercial importance, In 1810 tis city had just passed Philadelphia in point ef population, and exceeded it by eighty- si ~=persons only, while in 1800 the latter ceeded the former in this respect by nearly ten onsand. At this period the four leading cities the United States were Philadelphia, New York, Baltimore and Boston, in the order mentioned, le in 1810 New York stood in the van, Philadel- iphia, Baltimore and Boston following in their ter. The following table exhibits the relative pulations of these several cities at the begin- ing and end of the first decade of this century:— -w York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Boston. 0 710,287 26,514 | 24,937 0 96,287 = 85,538. 83,250 Malf a century has made a wonderful difference ; ile New York is now the metropolis of the con- nent, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Boston have lwindled comparatively to the rank of provincial ities and marts of local trade, for which New fork forms the great wholesale market. Since 810 the increase of population in New York has een equal to twenty-cight per cent every five ars, and has somewhat more than doubled its ginal once in every twenty years. The subjoined ulation exhibits the figures and percentages of semi-decadal increase:— Population, Percent Increase 0 «+ 123,706 ald late 6 Average rate of increase every five years.........28 In 1864 the City Inspector estimated the popn- on of the city at 1,030,000—an estimate which iu keeping with the general law of metropolitan ase ; and of this population one-half was es- ted to be above Fourteenth street, though no arate figures were then in existence as to the tive disposition of population, and recourse had to the figures of 1860, when the number ove that line amounted to 344,462. In 1840 so was the city built up that there was only aggregate of 33,811 above Fourteenth % to 278,899 below; in 1845, above population was 54,723; below, $16,495; 1860, above, 113,513; below, 402,034; in » above, 212,334; below, 417,476; in , above, 344,462 ; below, 469,792, In 1865 a estimate placed 504,000 abeve Fourteenth to about the same number below it; and will probably open with three-quarters of a of inhabitants e the line of Union Should the rate of increase which has led since 1820 continue, therefore, the year will open with @ population in New York of 2,187,024, the increase of which for every years will exhibit these figures :— will have been densely packed in 1875; in every vacant let below 155th street will have built apon, and in 1890 there will have been enough erected on the island for the ac- jon of 2,992,945 inhabitants. It may be for purposes of calculation that the lation of New York city is now increasing at rate of 75,000 per year, and will continue so tmerease for the next twenty-five years, or the whole island shall have been occupied— twenty-five persons per house of twenty by one hundred. Twenty-five is, however, Sarge an estimate, the average of London not over eight te every inhabited house. In this average in New York was fifteen, and probably never exceed twenty, with anything due regard to sanitary conditions. Below sixth street there were in 1865 lots the namber of 25,261, of twenty-five by hundred, which had not been built upon, and g increase of 75,000 calling for an increase of houses per year, this space will have been in ten and s half years. Five years ago the of buildings was going on at the rate of per year, and 3,000 hereafter is not, there- , ae extravagant estimate. In 1565 there was land enough below the line of 155th street the erection of 46,555 h uses of the size of feet by one hundred. In fifteen years from ., that ie in 1880, this area will, therefore, have filled ap, and only the Fort Washington tract be left for ballding upon. Streets are not op i this mathematical way of spacing, and at least one-fourth of the whole area we allowed for public buildings and other dwelling houses. Nor are cross streets filled * secon as the longitudinal avenues, pork sorthward like pioneers, often many wee te advenee* of the contiguous cross wed transverse thoroughfares. Up town, . popelation ie likely to radiate from centres Yorty De, Merlem, Manhattanville, Fort Wash- ead Spaytes Daywil; and to these may be * sooond teondeacy—viz., that of business, gather @@ the exterior streets and to push o@ Waneverse lines for residences; and « ond—wia., the tendency to radiation from f ity ist iH f i i ‘i iF the «pee of ehrewd investors are 4, wees to yield on Prom these point, os ee the inerease of values will dictions, watll every available of the ‘sland in cooupied. A few ‘\/a00 depending upon the Ue location wl, perhaps, soem vie with avenues im value of property, bet more NEW YORK HERALD, SUNDAY, MARCH 1, 1868—TRIPLE SHEET. than Manhattan street and the strect cutting | in grades, but by no means applicable to the to- through the hills from Tubby Hook to the Harlem river canvot be indieated at present with any probability of guess, from lack of data upon which to base calculations. An accurate survey of the | surrounding suburban cities would furnish th means for a calculation of this sort; but these surveys have never been made with a view to the solution of this problem, whieh is, after all, of more importance to the speculator than the public at large. THE FUTORE METROPOLIS. Thus far New York bas been considered as an isolated city—a central city in the midst of several continuous ones. This, however, is no just man- ner of consideration; and properly to estimate the metropolis it must be counted as inclusive of ite suburban sisters, Brooklyn, Wiiliamsburg and Jersey City, as well as Hoboken, Weehawken and the opposite shores generally—transit to which will ultimately be carried over on colossal bridges—making New York proper simply the metropolitan heart of a great metropolis, which will be larger ultimately than London and Paris taken together. The river will form then simply a silent highway of commerce, winding and doubling through the midst of the grandest metropolis that the world ever produced— the metropolis, perhaps, of the world itself; for, from a certain felicity of geographical situation and topography, there can be no doubt but that Manhattan Island and the country contiguous, making an elliptic of thirty miles in length by fifteen in breadth, is suscepti- ble of being developed into the actual mart, not of America only, but of the civilized world. Both the South American and Asiatic trade must ulti- mately centre here, and ere long—say within a century—London and Paris will come to the New York market and will find in the New York mar- ket the great trade centre. These specula- tions are, however, among the things about to be realized, and need not be discussed to the exclusion of present matters of interest. A table of the development of the whole considered as one metropolis may be appended as data for comparison, and with this may be concluded the speculation. The following table exhibits the sta- tistics of the population of the several cities, politi- cally speaking, which really constitute the city of New York so far as natural boundaries are con- cerned:— 1820, 1830, 1840, 1! 1860, New York... 123,706 202,589 812,710 515, 814,254 Brooklyn.... 7,155 15,396 36,233 96,838 266,661 Williamsb’g.. 1,000 2,000 000 30,780 — Jersey City.. 1,000 2,000 O71 6,856 29,226 182,961 221,985 857,015 650,021 1,110,141 increase..... 67 61 82 70 The population of the whole was in 1865 esti- mated at 1,600,000, which is in accord with the previous average of increase for every five years— viz, thirty-five per cent or seventy per cent for every ten years. Assuming seventy per cent of increase for every ten years, the year 1900 would open with 9,272,004 as the population of the fu- ture metropolis; and for every decade from 1860 forward the figures will stand as follows :— 1860. sqare miles or a little less—this accumulation of population is, perhaps, impossible; but that the laws upon which these statistics are based and the principles of development out of which they spring will prevail for a quarter of a century in the future, there can be no reason for doubting; for, with a population of less than six millions, the natural metropolitan capacity of the situation will not have been so exhausted as to set bounds tothe onward progress of the city and its sub- cities taken together. The line of the Hudson will, of course, furnish a sort of natural highway for the development of this metrepolis northward; and the time will soon come when Sing Sing and Yonkers will be simply portions of one vast city, of which the Hudson will form the commercial avenue. Asa metropolis considered, these cities are as lerge as Paris and, in fact, as large as London was jn 1831—though London is as old as the days of imperial Caesar; and if tables of population be collated with reference to the effect of the financial crisea of 1837, 1854 and 1857, and others of lesser note, it will be found that none of these have been sufficient to disturb its progress to any appreciable degree. New York is just now, in fact, entering upon its career of metropolitan grandeur, which will no doubt ultimately outvie the grandeurs of Paris and London; for both Lon- don and Paris are examples of what is possible in the way of prosperity and magnificence ; and he who has never seen either, and whose horizon of observation has been bounded by New York past and present as the grandest city and the most beautifal within his individual ken, may well fail to discern what New York is to be and with what splendor it will bedeck itself within the next quar- ter of a century. IMPORTANCE OF ADEQUATE THOROUGHFARE. It is important, therefore, that adequate tho- roughfare should be provided for in the plan of the upper part of the city’, and that bold and compre- hensive minds should bring their best talent to the work. Owing to inadequacy of thoroughfare Paris has undergone a complete transformation since 1848, most of which has been due to the far- sightedness of the present Emperor. Vacant suburbs have been incoporated in the city by the extension of its walls, and have been covered with magnificent palaces of business or dwelling; trees have been planted along the streets; elegant fountains have been introduced ; lighting by gas has became universal; a series of broad streets radiating from the regions back of the Hotel de Ville have "been opened, and large buildings of uniform elevation have been erected upon them; lines of quays have been completed; the Place de la Concorde and other public places have been embellished ; the Elysian Fields have been surrounded with picturesque structures, and its course through the Are de la Triomphe de l’Etoile to the Bois de Boulogne has been made the finest thoroughfare in all Europe. The Hotel de Ville has been magnificently rebuilt, the Palace of the Louvre has been finished, the Notre Dame has been restored, and hospitals, model prisons, bridges, fountains and arcs de triomphe have been added with profusion to the improvements within the Department of the Seine, making the city ex- penses under the administration of M. Haussman about 200,000,000 francs per year in this metamor- phosis of the capital of France, all of which might have been obviated by adequacy of plan at the beginning. The same metamorphosis has been going om to a considerable extent in the lower portion of New York, simply because the commissioners of 1807 placed 400,000 as the maximum of New York’s population within half a century from the completion of their plan (1811) and made no adequate provision for the double of that number and somewhat more which that half century brought forth. The Park “Commis- sion ought not to stop, therefore, without ade- quate provision for the utmost possible maximum both of New York proper and the adjacent cities; and it may be stated to their oredit that they have thas far (piloted by the comprehensiveness of mind and cultured taste of Mr. Andrew H. Green) manifested s very thorough comprehension of what is needed and expected from them. THE WEST SIDE has one of the tracts under the supervision of the Commission, and adequate provision is now being made for the development of this tract and the extension ef the city westward. The rectan- gular plan opon which the laying out of this tract was begun fifty years ago was based apon an utter lack of comprehension of the needs of this tract. The pian wassimple Seteuale matical enough, Bumerical enoegh in and fletenough a Pography of the ground te be treated. From the entire application of this plan to the upper west aide the Bloomingdale road is all that has saved the city; and from the utter absurdity of he = numerical nomenclature the Park Commission bave made an effort to re- deem portions of the upper tract. Thus far sites of command for public buildings have been comparatively few. The City Hall Park presents one; Astor place, at its intersection of the avenues, another; Union square a third; Madison square a fourth, though less commanding; and in the vicinity of the Park several further commanding situations are offered. The inter- sections of Broadway with the several aveuues affords a few more locations of lesser importance, but all together are quite insufficient for the wants of ® great city. These points are hereafter to become centres of value—a fact which real estate speculators are already beginning to com- prebend and to make significant use of. The area of the west sido tract is ex- ceedingly diversified and undulating, being divided by the Manhattanville valley into two main shoulders of highland. The surface of this valley is nearly at the water level, and entering at the Ninth avenue, it divides the hills with a bottom of five squares, from 123d to 128th street, running at that width to the Hudson river and thence extend- ing from 129th to 133d street. North of this a high bluff rises from the Hudson river, and round- ing over falls into level near Ninth avenue. This hill is from one hundred to one hundred and thirty feet in height. Below the valley above mentioned the ground has the general description of a high tableland, of which Eighth avenue occupies the ridge with an average elevation of thirty feet above that of Fifth avenue. The elevation of Eighth avenue above tide level at various points is as follows:— At Fifty-nioth street.. At Seventieth street. level of the Harlem plains, At 106th the ridge turns westerly amd passes under Ninth avenue, which rides thereupon to 120th street. Then comes a second westerly bend, at the ridge forming the southern side of the Manhattan valley to the Hudson. The grade of Eighth avenue, as now regulated, will rise by filling in depressions to the summit of this ridge at Ninety-second street, and thence fall regularly to the Harlem plains. A‘ bold bluff borders the Hudson from Seventy-second to 130th street. This bluff has a table of approxi- mate heights as follows: At Seventy-secona street... ‘At Seventy-ninth street. At Eightieth street... At Nivety-sixth street ‘At Ninety-seventh and At Ninety-ninth atrest At 110:h street....... At its bighest point, At 129th street... This ridge runs midway between Eleventh and Twelfth avenues as far as 129th street, between which and along the crest of the ridge has been laid out o sinuous avenue from Seventy-second street to 129th street. The Riverside Park begins atthe former street, with a width of half a square, and stopsat Eighty-fifth street, where the River- bank avenue is merged into the Twelfth, and con- tinues to run parallel therewith, or rather divided from it by s terrace wall of seventy feet in height, to Eighty- ninth street. At Seventy-ninth street one cross thoroughfare is yielded; and from Eighty- fifth to Eighty-ninth street, inclusive, five more cross streets have been extended to the river. At Eighty-ninth street the Park is again resumed and continues to 129th street, with an average width of half a square. At Ninety-sixth street another cross thoroughfare is gained. The Riverbank avenue is to be improved simply as a border to the Riverside Park, and will form one of the most elegant situations for villas and splendid resi- dences to be found anywhere in the world. In fact, in many respects, its lots cannot but be preferable to those of the Park border. From 116th to 127th street only two cross streets are continued to the Riverside Park, or rather the Riverside avenue; and a narrow par- allel avenue has been made to run midway be- tween Eleventh avenue and that on the crest. 138th atreet has also been discontinued for half a square between Eleventh add Twelfth avenues, owing to the intervention of a high bluff of rock. The Boulevard, which continues Broadway from its junction with Eighth avenue and Fifty-ninth street, claims second attention. Beginning in the grand circle, 432 feet in diameter at this junction and diverging from Eighth avenue at an angle of thirty-eight degrees, it crosses diagonally the parallelogram formed by Fifth-ninth street, Sixty- fifth street, Eighth avenue and Ninth avenue, and thence diverging from Ninth avenue at the same angle it cuts Tenth avenue at Seventy-second street. Thence, diverging from Tenth avenue at the same angle, it curves gracefully, cutting Seventy-cighth street midway between Tenth and Eleventh ave- nues, and, thence, is continued in a straight line and midway between the two avenues to 103d street. At 103d street it bends westerly at an angle of one hundred and fifty degrees, and cuts Eleventh at an angle of about thirty degrees, uniting with it. The transverse thoroughfares of main importance, therefore, aro indicated by these several janctions, and will be respectively Fifty-ninth, Sixty-fifth, Seventy-second and 106th streets—the latter of which will undoubtedly, from a certain felicity of situation, form the most important of all cross streets west of the Park. The Ninth avenue continues fn a straight line to 110th street, where it bends westerly at an angle of one hundred and fifty degrees, continues direct to 115th street, which it cuts at the distance of half a square east of Tenth avenue, whence it takes a northerly bend and keeps at the same dis- tance from Tenth avenue as far as 120th atreet. Thence, with a sweeping curve, it rounds 12lst street and joins Tenth avenue at 122d street. This variation of Ninth avenue from 110th street to its junction with Tenth avenue, together with the length of one square on Tenth avenue, forms the western boundary of Morningside Park, which occupies # space of thirteen squares in length. From 110th street the new avenue— with the only sainted name in the whole nomen- clature—runs midway between Eighth and Ninth avenues as far as the Convent grounds, which, rounding with a slight ourve, it passes and runs directly north on the line which would naturally be occupied by Ninth avenue. From 110th to 114th street this avenue forms the eastern bound- ary of the Morningside Park; and from the latter Point an avenue has been cut diagonally to 116th street, where it takes up the old mathematical line of Ninth avenue and continues to the Con- vent grounds, forming the eastern boundary of the Morningside Park. Tho land to be taken for this Park is a rough, rocky declivity, fronting to the east; the avenue on the west of it is from sixty to one hundred feet above the level of Har- i sMANHATTAN STREET. ‘The Manhattan vallcy is marked by Manhattan street, 100 feet wide, which runs from the junction of 124th street and the avenue above described to the Hudson river, where it forms a junction with 130th street. This street, being of easy grade, is likely to form one of the great west side thorough- fares of traffic. It cuts the line of the Boulevard detween 126th and 129th streets and terminates one aquare north of the Riverside Park ; and along its fino property cannot but become very valuable within a few years. The great Broadway of the ‘west side, however, will bp the Boulevard, and, of course, at its intersections with the avenues will be located its most immediately valuable points. In connection with these points projects to widen and ornament the iutersecting streets have been pro- posed and ventilated. As a thoroughfare of fashion the most important of these will be 106th street, which leadsdirectly from the Riverside Park to the most sightly poiat of the Central Park— viz., the great hill. The project of widening this street and treating it as a part of the Boulevard has been mooted (and will no doubt be adopted before the street is built up), as also has been that opening a new gate into the Park in front of the intersection of the street with Eighth avenue, to receive some name indicative of the élite which is hereafter to throng its sidewalks and pavé. This Park entrance, if agreed upon, should be highly ornamental, form- ing an appropriate structural ending for the street in question, hereafter to be the most celebrated transverse thoroughfare between Fifty-ninth and 110th streets, At present, in fact, and more especially as the city develops, the number of Park gates will be found quite insufficient, and their increase is a question which should be held open and subject to the public demand. By all means there should be a gate opening dfrectly at the base of the great hill opposite 106th street. Since the most eommauding devation of the whole Park is here located and ought to be rendered casy of access from this thoroughfare. This hill will * be terraced in due season also, and the natural open- ing of this terrace will be upon Eighth avenne, at the foot of it. This project is now under considera- tion and cannot but secure attention and active work st some time not long in the future. It would be well, in fact, to open new gates opposite every one of the thoroughfares indicated by the junction of the Boulevard with the several avenues, and no doubt the feasibility of doing this has already occurred to the Commissioners. The Park was laid out before the Boule- vard, and its gates, for want of data, have ‘been rather arbitrarily disposed than otherwise; and, though none of tiem suould be closed, others accommodated to the wants of the existing plan should be opened from time to time as public de- mand may indicate or public convenience require. In fact the gates on the west side ought to be more numerous than those on the east, since the great upper thoroughfares of the city will be located on this tract; and within the next ten years two- thirds of all the visitors thereat will really enter from thoroughfares of the western tract, pouring from every point. of intersec- tion heretofore indicated into the great pleasure ground of the city. No more far-sighted measure, in fact, could be adopted than the anticipation of this want before it is seriously felt aud the re- sponding to it in advance of any agitation, The expense would be at present comparatively small, andthe opening of these gates would secure a complete unison of the Park with the just completed plan of the western tract, and tend to develop with greater rapidity its leading trans- verse thoroughfares. The drive along the Boule- vard must otherwise, in order to gain the great hill, be turned at 110th street, instead of passing down to 106th street, which is opposite the hill; and tlus the pleasure seeker is forced to the Harlem flats to gaia access instead of continuing on the high ground along the line of the Boulevard to the ornamented junction of the Boulevard with 106th street, and across a highly ornamented street to the great hill. The propositionto extend the number of gates on the western boundary needs no further discussion, however, and may be left for five years; though itis sure to become a scrious question within that time, and to have its way finally. The opening at 106th street has, in fact, already received considerable attention, and will no doubt be carried into effect at an early day. THE EAST SIDE is also beginning to demand an ornamental thoroughfare, which in due season will be needed and must be rendered. Fifth avenue is by no means available for this purpose, and attention has been turned to Madison avenue, now opened as faras Eighty-sixth street and just about to be opehed to the Harlem river, as supplying the means to attain this desideratam. Property along this line has not attained that inordinate figure which renders widening impracticable, so far as it relates to the Fifth avenue and others; and if, in connection with its opening, its widening were ordered, the ornamental thoroughfares on both sides of the Park might be considered as com- plete. It has been proposed, therefore, to widen this avenue to the breadth of 100 feet from from Fifty-ninth street to the Harlem river, to which point it will soon be opened, and to orna- ment it with trees and carriage ways after the model of the Boulevard. The favorable consider- ation of this project by the authorities will secure another great longitudinal thoroughfare, which will be needed on the east side almost imme- diately, and should, therefore, be decided upon with protaptness and opened for grading; and it eis to be hoped that the city authorities will not be 80 short-sighted as to rejectit. And with this suggestion, leaving the Fore Washington tract to be hereafter discussed, this poner may be ap propriately though rather a Hig deed concluded, other details of the west side having been ex- hausted in a previous article. THE AMERICAN CONSUL AT JERUSALEM, ‘From the New York Hebrew Mesrenger, March 2.} the elegram appeared in the daily papers on Wednesday iast:— Bent, Feb. 19, 1868. an House of Deputies yester: worn. eeieia why tho. United states Consul at aubouchier) was al wo prison to cul et derusaiem refused bia and, a8 & subject of the King of Prussia, tor protection, The case creates much the Jews, who regerd it as involving rights milar to those violated im the Mortai represent ihst ihe outrage (s an iaault to jer Herdt, the F nance Minister, ree Consul at Jerusalem was o federal, sentative, and tet eonsequendy the »o made te the Chancellor appheation t jeation OF ihe Norte German Conteder Explanatory of the above we add a narratrve of fact as they have been transmitted to us by the constituie: eutheriies in Paeetiogn A Jew, named M. Steinberg, a native of Vrusia, aod, lea two daughters and a Ident of the dangli married a Russian and embraced Corintianiy. fhe the sole support of bis younger siser, also died, wing her, at the ace of fourtees, without any relative, and in needy ® worthy Ie also Prus- pian subject, Wok al wants The poor wick, and conveyed to the Row id Hospital. Her sister paid ber daily visits and !mportuaed ber to become a convert to (hristianiky, oferieg ber the comforts of a home; but the young Joven, aitnough physically weak, frm in ber principles, resolving raccer to die than aban. faith. In due time ene couvalesced, aad Rabbi the Ameri: 1, by twotoficers, ene tered be f Markus force, as the girt Soa 0s be tonne nies to be penished in ‘manner for resisiing, Srinvn, threatening 60 stab aay one who would atlempt wo reseve bis 5 sz z i] j z 3 t ; | a nied bim wo take aay one ‘was pot an Americas citisen, ‘who interfered?" To ail these we easwered 0 the negative. The suthorivies ‘fequen es ie aderess Cseeel may. mmewiiy cows ie. pT owe ‘Ore we take orice ye the matter. amencan —_ wae ee Biase THE LATEST FASHIONS. Fashion, with her fantastical vagaries for one whole year, has dictated to, aud ruled her wor- shippers and loyal subjects with a very rod of iron, but in this penitential season of holy Lent, her devotees have cast aside the shackles of tulle and ribbons which bound them in fashionable slavery, and now, together with the other good peeple of Christendom, have taken kindly to prayer. fasting and alms, Our ¢légantes have asserted their Christian propensities, and have ina measure discarded the delightfully perplexing and bewildering fancies that Dame Fashion invented to torment and craze them, and now read prayer books instead of puzzling their brains over the fashion plates in the magazines. Let us trust that they will find the change pleas- ant and beneficial, and that the short respite of seven weeks—how long it seems !— which they snatch from the pleasures and follies of the world may prove an advantage and a bless- ing to them here and hereafter..> Balls, routs, par- ties and receptions wound up last week in a per- fect blaze of carnivalistic splendor, and now, from Rome to Alaska, garments of humiliation, figura- tively speaking, ts the order of the day. It is befitting that some returm should be made to the Cunipotent for the many comforts and blessings that he has vouchsafed to his creatures here upon earth; and as Fashion exerts her influence and Sway over Church as wellas State, we presume that there is no great sin in going to church in fashionable attire, providing our prayers be as fervid and sincere as though we were arrayed in veritable sackcloth and ashes. Sack- cloth, as spoken ef in the Scriptures, is not a fashionable material te make sacks of now-a-days; but we have the consolation still left us that sacks are yet worn, and instead of ashes to mourn in, we can soon in clouds ef dust mourn for our sacks, Fine weather is coming on apace and before “opening day” there will be many bright genial mornings and sunny afternoons for the ladies to do their shopping and promenading. But if the slush and mud, whieh now lies e ngealed in great unsightly blocks and patches upon the sidewalks and in the streets, be not removed instead of piled up into black, misshaped ridges, the ladies will find itfar more at profitable and pleasant to remain home than to venture forth into the sloppy thorongh/ares, where nothing but colds and discomtitures await them, of pleasure, comiort and recreation, The ‘ous and vexations annoyances to which the women of this goodly eity will be subjected whenever a thaw commences, makes us sludder at the bare thought of warmer wi leaving the slush and mud as it is lef emplary street contractor—t and believing that our impatient to learn somethi latest styles, we now prop into the delightful little intricacies and iy of which we have learned something since our last weekly chit-chat, and for which, no doubt, they are ardeutly sighing. Scarcely auything new can be said of walking dresses. ‘The under skirts are sti!l made short, and the dress itself, when of the iy is cut shorter than usual and but i to initiate u piping forming pattes set in mented with galoon or braid. mentation is used on @ braid sash, trimmed with a fringe. and at its upper edge de-orated wiih tree rings of black jet, placed one above the and with cordelieres. ‘The biais of satin e whole contour of the dress. Another pretty dreas can be made of a subdued silk, with trimmings of the same color, but of a deeper shade, having at each end a flat button covered with the same material as the trimming. On each side of the front breadth, under the arms or thereabouts, the biais form the long and wide ends of a scarf, terminating in lozenges, and or- namented at the lower borders with buttons and tringe., The corsage should be high and trimmed with @ berthe formed by the biais and lace-beaded fringe. The lower border of the sleeve can be ornamented with a like biais, which should be permitted to run up a little towards the elbow and finish with fringe. Although bali dresses are ey out of use for the present season, we nevertheless append the following description of one which is considered by competent judges to be the dress, par excel- lence, of its kind. It is one of those in which gar- Jands and crescents of flowers create a new and charming effect. The under skirt is of puffed tulle, with @ broad piping of yellow satin of a peculiar shade, termed ‘‘ butter yellow,” while the over skirt, or rather train, is in spotted tulle, and is pretext for the use of two ti of tlowers ranning the front in a circular maw around the rear of the upper skirt and a bouquet at the waist and which gives this toilette so marked a char- acter. Flowers loop up the sleeves, which are worn short at the shoulders. The bodice is very short and cut exiremely low, especially behind, but at the centre the depth is scarcely appreciable. Each flounce of lace, with its accompanying sweep of flowers, is attached to separate skirts or tunics, and, the whole being light and diaphanous, the effect in daucing is of the most striking character. Biack and green are fast crowding Bismarck brown into oblivion. Pretty outdoor toilets of green are now trimmed with crosscut bands of black satin, fastened down at regular intervals by green gimp buttons. Dark blue serge dresses are eneraily trimmed with rouleaux and leaves of lack satin, and bluck dresses are fiuisued with ornamentations of black or blue. The latest in the way of evening toilets is a white gauze dress over a white satin petticoat. The apare is cut out to form grecques, which should be bound with satin and trimmed with fringe; 9 garland formed of pinked out satin should be placed above the grecques, and the dress should be looped up at each side by means of two sash ends, which are a@ continuation of the satin basquine. The basquine terminates with a short basque, both at the back aud front, and the basques, as well as the top of the bodice, should be wimmed with fringe, The newest eae in lingerie are cravat col- lars, comp ofa stripe of insertion, bordered with lace for the neck part, and two square or rounded lace lapelsin front. This is exquisite in either Brussels or point lace. For demi toilet the cravat collar is made of Valenciennes lace, witb pattern in thick embroidery worked over it io applique. ‘These patterns are mostly flowers or butiertlies, and look remarkably preity upou the clear lace insertion. Gilt metal continues to be the great ornament of modern toilets. It would be diilicult to ima- gine the quantity of it that has been used for the adornment of our fashionables this winter. We see diadeins of gilt wheat ears encircling the head and jooping up the hair, wide belts of gilt open work, or, for sashes, large rings, to which are added different emblems, such as a bow aud quiver, Diana’s horn, and so on, all of gilt metal as well ag the rings. The coiffure mantille is one of the successful Novelties of the season. It is made of the new va- riety of tulle, which ia embroidered by hand, and has all the effect of rich blonde. ‘Ine edging which borders the mantille corresponds with the centre, A velvet bandeau, studded with jet and edged at both sides with narrow black blonde, crowns the torehead. * For the Léa headdress the hair is combed back from the temples, and in front is so closely crépé that the parting is concealed, and the hair has all the effect of amall crisp ringlets. The back hair is combed to the top of the head, and is there arranged in large bows or loops. Two long curls commence from the chignon and fall below the top of the front of the bodice. A bandeau of margue- rites in diamonds crowns the forehead. For the Hortense coiffure the hair is tarned back in front over a cushion; at the back, at the very of the head, three or four small curls are fas- tened, then tue chignon is composed of a ; of very long curls. Curls are worn in P: every variety of toilet, both in and out of doors, THE PARIS FASHIONS, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENCE OF THE HERALD, Caratval Time and General Enjeyment— Contrasts and Uses of the Season—tirand Masked Ball, with Napeicon and Kugenic te Deminece—Costumes and Charactern— Spring Skirte-Dowdrops abd Diamonds— “pack of Cards” and the Pants, Feb. 14, 1868. Carnival is shaking her merry bells and with the winning persuasivences of » wayward beauty into momentary follity. It is should have met with a more than from the are content to throw over their shoulders a short bright-colored jenetion Nioek, on whieh stands out a» small arin- a 5 ning wax mask. This is notso much a fiction a@ it would appear at first sight, for the real disguise is, after all, on young men’s faces au naturel, where it is pretty diffloult to read truth nowadays, Their fathers, who are far less blasé, manage meanwhile to squeeze into a Mephistopheles suit or turn out Polichinelles, thus keeping up the wicked old times with all sorts of ci-devant graces and repartie, The contrast is hideous, but it is called merry-making, and the almanac ordains that people are to be merry anyhow at stated periods, This fanciful eruption on the outer sure face preserves Paris from many a serious malady; it throws out its antics, and the arterics of the big capital cease throbbing tor some weeks after this stage of delirium. ‘The first official masked ball will take place to- morrow, the 15th inst., at the Foreign Minister's; but I lave been favored with a few details and with a view of some of the preparations. The Emperor and Empress will attend in dom- inoes, which will be changed more than once in the course of the evening. The prettiest of the animated flowers will cer- tainly be the Daisy, with petal basques of silver cloth and skirt of green satin china aster leaves. The Fan, with pointed satin folds, mother of pearl belt, fanlike bodice, perle de cog ornaments and a fan comb on high chignon, while the wearer is an adept at fan play, with Andalusian eyes, coral lips and jet black hair. Black lace drapery, falling trom the comb, is to be coquettishly drawn round the perfect oval of the lady’s features. The Grecian, Watteau and Louis XV. styles are to be adopted by the proverbially indolent, whose imaginative faculties are averse to fatigue, and whose wardrobes are full of last season's finery for “making up.’ The spring is poetical, but woe to the bello who settles on so mild a sea®n and is not a beauty. The skirt of promise is azure blue gauze, sprinkled over with buds and bursting woodland flowerets. Dewdrops are the headdress, figured by dia- monds and crystal powder. The “pack of cards’? is made of tarlatan on which hands will be suufled about rather too pro- miscuously, I fear, as the wearer is an inveterate walizer. ‘The cards are made of stamped satin. The bodice isa game of whist, all standing out over a lace chemisette. The diadein of three cards is lasquenet, the ornaments are golden counters for the ears and necklace, The Derby will run with a smack ness about it; it is a thorougi rather fond of “going best’? and ou allo ns. The particolored jacket is to be of vermilion and light blue satin; silver reins, silver spurs, high boots to match the jacket, and a jockey cap wita silver ornaments will complete the attire. ‘The Hongroise and Cracovien are too well known to require description, ‘Te former ought i hold outa collection plate for the Hungarian joan! The aquarium is to be worn by 2 comtesse in transparent gauze, under which im about all < of racy game- d, of course, cutting down” the fiany tribe on a shiny texture which looks ex- actly like a sheet of water. The t and lobster are not forgotten. The headiress is coral. The vered with moss aud shells, costume the black swan. The nd made ot lake blue » over es of marabout to represent rippling this again fall long black feathers sparkling with water. The necklace is also made of black feathers. The wearec’s ieaddress will bo the head of a swan with ruby eyes. This and the Muse are the only train costumes; the others are short, indeed rather very so. These are the only details I have of what isto be, with the exception of the tree-trunk, which is to be all Bismarck, witha nest in a chignon of architectural entanglement, out of which a few young owls will peep. Are they young Bis- marck's? Al. the last official Wednesday, held by Mme. de Moustier, the prettiest toilet was Mme. de Met- ternich’s, a White gauze, with an enormous blue buncliy sash behiud, over which was another gauze skirt. While Tam mentioning the Princess I may add that she drives about in a neat black little een instead of the gaudy yellow vehicles which she favored last season. This tisconcerts her imitators. Black reminds me of mourning. The Faubou St. Germain has lost its tour dukes this year, ant very few balis will be given in that stately quar- tier, The mourned are the Dukes of Feyensac, de Blacas, de Luynes, de Cars. A pilgrimage to the East has been undertaken by some of the members of ‘hese berenved families (by way of bereavement I suppose). The only three balls that will be tolerated in the absence of the pilgrims are two at tue Duchess de Doudeanville’s and one at the Duchess de Bisa- A new fashion, imitated from hospitable capi- nd which has had to battle its way into Paris- awing rooms, is the introduction of tea and refreshmeat between the hours of tiree and six to stray visitors. The inevitable sweets do certainly Go against the faculty of medicine and take off ap- petite tor dinner, but @ cup of coffve or tea ona bleak afternoon is a charity to peopie who go their rounds every day with a coutinued smile on their lips and cold in their hearts, On the 16th of March the Prince Imperial will enter on his thirteenth year, and many are tho charities in contemplation on the ‘occasion of his eating of the holy communion in May. Hie religious director is De- guerry; his gourernanie, Madame Bruat; his medical atiendaat, Dr. Barthey; preceptor, M. Pilon; his equerry, M. Bachoo, and, first in im- ‘ation, the seard,bis governor. apartments of the Prince are at present the Pavillon de Flore, opposite tue Seine. The Emperor and Empress honored with t presence the fifth performance of Emile Angier’s “Paul Forestier,” which, | fear, will not so mach impress spectators with a horror of vice a8 give them a high relish for it dressed in very fine attire. The last item of this correspondence’ is the dawning return of panniers, as yet only imitated by court tailors with puffings of long breadths gathered in shorter ones; but more description of this in my next. This style is to complete the Marie Antoinette mania, of which edifices of false hair are the crowning feature. ASTRONOMICAL, gnani’s Messenger, Fob, 15.) ro that asironomers are looking st 10 the solar eclipse which ts to take place on the 18h ef August nert, and will be toial in India, On ul ubject M. Le Verrier inst week read a communication to tke Academy 0 So ences, ine forming that learned body t.at thetine of the central gb Aden, then enters India by Kola wuole continent to east, and quite it near Masalipatam, It thea erses the Gulf of Bergal, pastes north of the Andaman Isiands, crosses the northern part of the Peninsula of Malacca, the Gulf of Siam, the pout of Camboja, the North of Borneo and the Celebes, and lastly, skirts the south of New Guinea, will bo very long, aud last more than © haif, varying by & few seconds according tiea This long duration that while the moon will fore, has a large apparent diameter, the » apogee, and will therefore have a very emali diameter. Aden is o0t & comvenient station, bei have, the choice of excelient statics tions = MM. Le Verri is France, the poiat of (amdeys, which French territory of Saigon, ought to be selected tor the observation of the eclipse; that the Station for the purpose ougnt to be prepared forthwith And its latiiude and longitude determined, th mente deduced from the eclipse iielf being usef correct, the longitude in quesiion and to determine diame- ter of the sun anew; that the spectrum analysis of the ‘gun’s light, when reduced to a mere juminous curve, just before ino totality of the eclipse, will be of the utmost importance; the same being ‘he case with the reappear- ance of tho sun’s rays after the totalit: that the protuberances ought to be particulary wa: to ascertain Whether the Unfortunately, M. Le Our readers ar forward with grea! avoid the west udia, and select tucir stations on the eastern dechvities of the mountain ranger; M. Le Verrier thinks that care should be taken (0 asvertaim whether Cainboja is likely w present tue same imcouve- nienoe LONG ISLAND INTELLIGENCE. Annest oF AN ALL#oRD Munpenst,—On Thursday night two men called at tbe Astoria jail, and represent ing themseives to be in destituie hype sagen ten mp cell together, whieh req Eetper rented" betore ‘ele arture on Friday Meraing, Justice Purcell arrived at the jail, and became senmeditely liapresees oot Willam Coughiiay who i answered to the — re Sees ws Hosa ue 33 st ereupon he directed the retam ta Stil furtwor orders. He is yet in custody. Fra ot Oe aan oo as ve have ty ox a tbe be bos Cougulin be will be