from the Tower of London, gossamer fabrics from the looms of Cashmere, Sevres china, Gobelin tapestry, Indian curiosities, stuffs, jewelry, musical instruments, carriages and machinery of home and foreign manufacture, Marochetti's colossal equestrian statue of Washington, Kiss's Amazon, Thorwaldsen's Christ and the Apostles, Powers's Greek Slave, and a host of other works of art beside, will long be remembered as the most tasteful ornament that ever graced the metropolis." Beautiful, however, as was this fairy-like palace, it vanished in smoke in the short space of half an hour, on the 5th of October, 1858, and fell, burying the rich collection of the American Institute, then on exhibition within its walls, in a molten mass of ruins.

1855.

In the winter of 1855, Canal Street was extended from Centre Street across Baxter to Mulberry Street, at which point it intersected Walker Street. The latter street was at the same time widened twenty-five feet to East Broadway. Park Place and Duane Street were also widened, and the Bowery and Chambers Street extended.

1856.

In 1856, that great lung of the city, the CENTRAL PARK, was, for the first time, thrown open to the public. The project of a large park had long been agitated; and even as far back as the beginning of the present century it was proposed to make the Collect Pond the center of large ornamental grounds. But, with the exception of the small parks scattered here and there, throughout the city, nothing definitely was decided upon until the 23d of July, 1853, when the Legislature authorized the purchase of a portion of the present Central Park, at that time bounded by Fifty-ninth and One-hundred-and-sixth Streets and Fifth and Eighth Avenues, about two and a half miles long by half a mile wide, and comprising nearly seven hundred and seventy-seven acres. On the 17th

of November of the same year, five commissioners were appointed by the Supreme Court to appraise the land for the Park. They completed their work in the summer of 1855, valuing the land at $5,398,695; and in February, 1856, the Common Council confirmed their report and made the purchase. The State Arsenal and grounds were shortly afterward added, at a cost of $275,000. In 1859, the Legislature extended the northern boundary of the Park to One

hundred-and-tenth Street, thus including a high hill east of McGowan's Pass, from the top of which a fine view is obtained of the whole island. In 1864, the Park was again enlarged by the addition of Manhattan Square, a rough and uncultivated piece of land, covering a space of nineteen and a half acres, and bounded by Seventy-seventh and Eighty-first Streets and Eighth and Ninth AveThe whole area of the Park was thus increased to

nues.

eight hundred and sixty-two and fifty-nine one-hundredths acres more than twice the size of the largest of the London parks, and eight times larger than all the public parks and squares of New York combined.

"The year 1857 was a disastrous one to New York; a year of mob rule; beginning with civil strife and ending with financial ruin. Many defects in the city charter called for remedy, and the growing abuses in the municipal government of New York, proceeding from the ignorant majority that controlled the elections, seemed to demand that certain powers should be transferred from the keeping of the city to that of the State, which was so deeply interested in the welfare of the great American metropolis. It began to be more and more realized that there were two peoples in New York, the property-owners, or bonâ fide citizens, who were for the most part respectable, orderly, and law-abiding men; and the poor and illiterate masses, chiefly of foreign birth, who owned scarce a rod of land or a dollar, yet who ruled the city by their votes, and elected to office only such men as would pander to their vices. Nevertheless, the latter class represented and still represents New York city in the eyes of many; a most unjust judgment.

"In the spring of 1857 the State Legislature passed several bills relating to New York, and amended the charter in several important particulars. The charter and State elections, which had hitherto been held on the same day, were separated; the first Tuesday in December being fixed as the date of the former. The Comptroller, as well as the Corporation Council and Mayor, were to be elected by the people. The city was divided into seventeen aldermanic districts, from each of which an Alderman was to be elected by the people once in two years. The Board of Councilmen was composed of six members elected annually from each senatorial district, or twenty-four in

all. The Alms-house and Fire Departments remained unchanged, and the superintendence of the Central Park was given to a Board, to be appointed by the State Government. The most important innovation, however, was the transfer of the Police Department from the city to the State. By the Metropolitan Police Act a police district was created, comprising the counties of New York, Kings, Westchester, and Richmond; and a Board of Commissioners was instituted, to be appointed for five years by the Governor and Senate, to have the sole control of the appointment, trial, and management of the police force, which was not to outnumber two thousand, and to appoint the chief of police and the minor officers. This Board was composed of five members. The Police Commissioners were to secure the peace and protection of the city, to insure quiet at the elections, and to look after the public health. The first members of the Board appointed were Simeon Draper, General James W. Nye and Jacob Chadwell, of New York; James S. T. Stranahan, of Kings County, and James Bowen, of Westchester County-the mayors of New York and Brooklyn being members. ex officio.

"This was the signal for war. Mayor Wood, who had strenuously opposed the action of the Legislature, announced his determination to test the constitutionality of the law to the uttermost, and to resist its execution; he refused to surrender the police property or to disband the old police; and for some time the city witnessed the curious spectacle of two departments-the Metropolitan Police under the Commissioners, and the Municipal Police under the Mayor-vieing for mastery. After exhausting all the resources of the law to evade obedience to the act, the Mayor and municipal government finally caused it to be referred to the Court of Appeals. Before the final decision came, blood was spilled. On the 16th of June

matters were brought to a crisis by the forcible ejection from the City Hall of Daniel D. Conover, who had been appointed Street Commissioner by Governor King, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of the former incumbent. The Deputy Commissioner meanwhile claimed his right to hold the office, and a third competitor, Charles Devlin, had been appointed by Mayor Wood, who claimed the appointing power. Mr. Conover immediately obtained a warrant from the Recorder to arrest the Mayor on the charge of inciting a riot, and another from Judge Hoffman for the violence offered him personally; and armed with these documents, and attended by fifty of the Metropolitan Police, returned to the City Hall. Captain Walling, of the police, at first attempted in vain to gain an entrance with one warrant. Mr. Conover followed with the other, but met with no better success. The City Hall was filled with armed policemen, who attacked the new comers, joined by the crowd without. A fierce affray ensued, during which twelve of the policemen were severely wounded. The Seventh Regiment chanced to be passing down Broadway, on its way to take the boat for Boston, whither it had been invited to receive an ovation. It was summoned to the spot, and its presence almost instantly sufficed to quell the riot. Mr. Conover, accompanied by General Sandford, entered the City Hall and served the writ on the Mayor, who, seeing further resistance useless, submitted to arrest. The Seventh Regiment resumed its journey; nevertheless the city continued in a state of intense excitement, and nine regiments were ordered to remain under arms. Their services were not needed, however, and the Metropolitan Police Act being declared constitutional by the Court of Appeals on the first of July, the Mayor seemed disposed to submit, and the disturbance was supposed to be ended.

"The city, however, had become greatly demoralized