The Sun.
London, England, 1860-10-30 00:00:00

and necessary to the opening of any and every ball.
The prospects of the fete were most seriously dark-
ened by this catastrophe. The general opinion of
everybody who looked into the gap was that " some-
thing" ought to be done. Somebody ugzested
carpenters, but this idea was regarded as remature,
inasmuch as the managers of the fe had not at
once made up their minds as to how th contretemps
had taker. place. Eventually, however, they came
to the same conclusion, as everybody else had done

'rom the first, that the mishap was solely owing to
,he want of proper support beneath. Carpenters

were the practical suggestion, after all. They were

summoned accordingly, and the work of restoring

at once undertaken. For more than an hour the

rough shirt sleeves and coarse jackets of the work-
men were mingled with the delicate toilettes around
an amusing commentary on the anxious forethought
of the committee with regard to dress. The work
was done with marvellous quickness—so quick in-
deed, I am told, that one of the men was overlooked
and nailed down under the floor. He knocked to be
let out, but his request coming at such a moment,
just when the floor was complete, was generally
regarded as frivolous and ill timed. He maintained,
however, such a determined knocking that his de-
mand was at last conceded, a plank taken up, and
the imprisoned artisan let out all hot and dusty. A
little before midnight the flooring was thoroughly
restored and dancing began. His Royal Highness
first danced with the wife of the Governor of the
State of New York, and afterwards, over the very
spot where the accident had occurred, with a num-
ber of the daughters of distinguished citizens. The
curiosity of the company was quite irrepressible, and
was displayed in so bold and demonstrative a manner
that one was sometimes led to regret the committee
had not vouchsafed a hint concerning manners as
well as dress. Hundreds of gazers hemmed in the
guests as they danced, impeded their movements,
and utterly forbade their free participation in the
promised enjoyments of the evening. Nevertheless,
the Prince continued to dance until a late hour in
the morning, with apparently the same pleasure
which he seemed to find in all the provincial balls.
The crowd lingered until the end, and towards the
close appeared to brighten into a more cheerful
humour than had been earlier shown. It is fair to
say that the remembrance of the ball, although less
gratifying, on the whole, than that of many pre-
ceding entertainments, is to all extremely pleasant
and agreeable ; and that, if the more important
festivities of Canada had not been so unexception-
ably administered, this would, perhaps, have been
without a rival.
The day of Saturday was passed in driving round
the city, and making private calls and visits to some
of the chief objects of interest along the Broadway.
The first was to Mr. Brady's photographic establish-
ment, where a number of admirable portraits of the
Prince, alone and surrounded by his suite, were
taken for the members of the historical society, with
whose wish to have these interesting records of the
Royal visit the Prince had at once complied. The
sittings over, the whole party drove to Barnum's
Museum—a building in which all sorts of vulgar
monstrosities and curiosities, more or less real, have
been gathered together by that prince of showmen,
Mr. Barnum. The enterprising proprietor was
himself absent on this occasion, but his deputy at-
tended to receive the illustrious visitor, and showed
him over its Bizarre collection, sometimes containing
objects of almost interest, sometimes the merest
rubbish and absurdities of deformity. His Highness
next drove to the magnificent jewellery establishment
of Messrs. Ball and Black. This building is a very
recent addition to the rows of superb stores that
abound in the Broadway, and is one of the finest
even in that splendid avenue. The rooms in it are
of a height and size such as we have no notion of in
London, and decorated with a magnificence which
would appear lavish and almost absurd for places
merely meant for business shops. Of course, in such
a building the stock of plate and jewellery is dis-
played to most unusual advantage, and a very grand
effect produced. The details of this effect, ho waver,
scarcely repay examination, There are no grand
works of art in gold and silver, while for exquisite
reproductions of ancient cups and salvers, or rich
minute objects of bijouterie, there was not so much
in the whole store from top to bottom of American
manufacture as can be found in a single case at Bir-
mingham. I say this in mere justice to our own
.great goldsmiths, whose stock in trade certainly as
much surpasses those of the stores at New York as
their places of business is utterly eclipsed by the
buildings here. An immense crowd collected round
Messrs. Ball and Black's establishment while the
Prince was visiting in it, cheering so determinedly
that at last his Royal Highness was obliged to show
himself at the balcony in acknowledgment, to the
intense delight of the crowd, who roared themselves
hoarse with enthusiasm. From the Broadway the
Royal party went to Gen, Scott's house in Twelfth-
street, of the Fifth Avenue. This was, of course, a
strictly private visit, and one which when it became
known gave immense satisfaction to the New
Yorkers, for the General, as an old and distin-
guished veteran, is one of the most popular men in
the State. A stay of more than two hours was
made here, after which the party returned to
the Fifth Avenue Hotel, all along the route
being crowded with enthusiastic people, who
cheered him till the air rang again. By the way, I
may allude to the fact that the New York Journal
electrified the city by coming out with an edition in
which was an account headed " Attempt to Assas-
sinate the Prince," and which went on to state that
a bloodthirsty miscreant aimed a heavy blow at his
Royal Highness while stepping into his carriage,
and swore that he would take his life, &c. There is
no truth in this. A drunken man refused to move
from the private door of
,the hotel, so was taken up.
As at the station he persisted in saying if he was let
go he would return to the Fifth Avenue, and that
Albert Edward never should be king, if he had to
invade England with 100,000 men to prevent, it,
he was locked up till he got sober, when he at once
expressed regret for his misconduct, and was dis-
charged.
These are the real facts of the " attempt to assas-
sinate the Prince." No reliance can be placed on
any of these " sensation" articles. It is publicly
known here that they are fabricated to order, and,
until confirmed by the New York Tribune and
Tines, are scarcely ever noticed or attended to.
Late on Saturday night the grand torcbli.ght,
procession of the firemen, in honour of the Prince,
commenced, and continuedpromenading the streets
till past one o'clock in the morning. The volunteer
fire brigades of New York always form a most im-
portant and picturesque element in all processions.
As fire brigades, however, they are most colossal
shams, as any ono who takes the trouble to examine
into the organisation and working of the whole force
can see in a short time. At Boston and Cincinnati
their uselessness has been long seen through, and a
regular paid force, like our own fire brigades, sub-
stituted in their stead. At Philadelphia also, the
volunteers have been to a great extent done away
with, and in a short time will be superseded en-
tirely. Among the intelligent citizens of this city
the fire brigades arc no more believed in than they
were at Boston or the " Queen City." Their
torchlight processions, however (which are always
remarkably splendid), make them popular with
the people, and what is of importance to their con-
servation is that they form rather too strong a
political organisation to be rashly meddled with.
lam told they number among themselves some
10,000 votes and influence more than four times
that
number. The functionary who would be
rash enough to propose their being superseded by
regular
paid corps must make up his mind, whether
he failed or succeded, to forego public life in
New York entirely.
New
men, therefore, are still among leinoslutintuteteiornfis fire-
men,
this State, and the resultl is that in no other city
of the same size in the world are fires of such
common occurrence or commit such destructive
ravages. Their processions, however, I must do
them the justice to state, are always admiraLly
managed, and most effective in their general bril-
liancy.
On Saturday night all the volunteers of the
various companies turned out to the number of
13. 6,000. All their engines (polished till they
resemblednear goldsmiths' work) were hung with lamps
and draped all over with garlands of flowers. The