The Sun.
London, England, 1866-02-17 00:00:00

The Gay Season in New York.

The New York Times says the gaieties of the pre-
sent season in that city surpass in extent and mag-
nificence those of all previous years. The public
balls, entertainments, and receptions ; the concerts
and the theatres, the skating " carnivals," and the
displays at Central Park, exhibit a more general
lavishness in expenditure, a wider distribution of
wealth, and a greater popular attractiveness, than
ever were known before. In fact the development
of these matters in New York, within recent years,
has been enormous. Fifteen or twenty years ago
society, so called, was very limited, even if it was,
as it claimed, quite select. At a single ball or other
entertainment could be found nearly all there was
of " society," and but a limited number of such
affairs were included in the season. The beauties
and glories of the Park were unknown, there were
no Fifth-avenue ponds or skating carnivals, the
Academy of Music had no existence, and such
" turn-outs" as may now be seen by the hundred
could not then be found this side of Paris. The
ladies displayed no such toilets, and emblazoned
themselves with no such diamond jewellery as they do
now. They had no such " empire" bonnets or
waterfalls, or looped dresses. But now, says the
New York Times, behold our fashionable entertain-
ments, and amusements, and exercises ! Behold our
fashionable belles ! Measure, if it be possible, the
extent of our fashionable society ! It counts not
by a few hundreds, but by a few thousands ; its re-
sources are measured not by millions, but by hun-
dreds of millions! Not only in New York, but
throughout all the great cities of the country, the
current winter has been one of unprecedented attrac-
tiveness. In the East, Boston has only been less
vivacious than New York ; and Chicago, in the
West, has, for its size, outdone everything on the
continent. Whatever they go at in Chicago they
carry out with a vim that even New York knows
nothing of—whether it be politics, money-making,
skating, or dancing—and even the sweet strains of
music, which soothe the people of other places, are
listened to by those of Chicago in an impatient and
sort of frantic manner. If we can believe their
newspapers—all of which, however, are half frantic
—they have carried their popular gaieties this win-
ter to a pitch never equalled in the wide world,
and both sexes have plunged in as though there
were but one winter season in their existence.

Railway Traffic Returns for the Week.

Miles Opened. Receipts.

Railways.

1866. 1865.

Belfast and IN, Counties 9 )1
Belfast and County Down 44}
Blyth and Tyne 36
Brecon and Merthyr ..... •
Bristol and Exeter l2ll
Caledonian, Scottish Central 4:sli
Cambrian
Cockermouth K & Penrith .. 311
Coekermouth and Worltin .. 9 9
Cork and Bandon 2O 20
Cork, Blackrock, & Passage 6l ti
Cork and Youghal
Cornwall 651 654
Ceeside , 17 17
IDo Extension
Dnuubblilinp
35 :35
Dublin and Meath
6'ani4ed Difarostg
Dub. & Wicklow
teudnaction ;. 61
so
Forth and Clyde Junction .
Furness, &c ........
_,•••• • _
Glasgow & Bouth-Ilettern
Union •• ;271 663
Gt. Eas fern,Nrf k.•& •
..... 401 401
Great Northern, .. .:....•
58 53
Great North of Soo
42 4e
Do Branches.,
Bt..(irei.) 7ll 71
qt.Soutiin.: Istn 1
Cit. Nortun. t
1280 Isti
270
Great We tern
Hull & HOrllSeli
High/and
Irish North-Western 145 145
-ee.(lrind.) 3B7t 7i
Lancashire & Yorkshire lO3 403
Limerick and Ennis 2ll 241
Limerick and Foynes 26* 261
Llanelly 461 461
Llynvt Valley
London & North-Western
London, & South-Western
Lond. Brighton, &S. Coast
London, Chatham, & Dover, ( 134 12/ I
all Metropolitan Extension 112 114
Do. Kent toast
Lon., Tilbury, & Southend
Hau.,Shellield, & Lincolnsh .. 246 216
Manch. S.Jun.& Altrincliam.. l gi
Maryport and Carlisle
Metropolitan
Midland (incl. N.-Western)., 67/4 6UI
Midland Gt. Wenn. of I rind.
noninouthsh. Rail. & Canal 4l 44
North British, Edits., Perth
and Dundee .•

1211
40d
121

7021 siii

N-Eastern and Stock. & Dart 12071 116tri
North London ll 9
North Stallordshire 258 258
Pembroke and Tenby lll 114
Rtlyntney l9l /91
Scottish North-Eastern 135 138
Somerset and Dorset 66 66
South Devon
South-Eastern 315 3CB
Taff Vale 6l el
Ulster
Vale of Clwyd
Waterford and Kilkenny 3l 31
Waterford and Limerick
IA.Vt: hs
r7i Au5trian.........-.• fin
C.
11/
FOREIUN AND CoLoxiat..
1.e.a.t.0.
....................... :
812:
828
' Bahia and San Francisco •• •• 76i 76i
Belgian Eastern J unction.. •• 264 26k
Bombay, Baroda, & t,en. India 306 1851
Detroit and 31ilwaukie ....... 189 169
Dutch Rhenish .............. 1081 It 81
Eastern of France 15.1 14:,.3
Eastern Bengal ...... ..... 110 110
East Indian
Grand Trunk 01 Canada 1:17 1.177
Great Central of Belgium 285 261
Great Indian Peninsula 590 653
Great Luxembourg 134 134
Great Southern of tndia
Great Western of Canada 315 3i5
Madras . 6ll 533

~2 315 10,514
x.,111 43, 27
4.318 .4 211
7,710 6.01
104
957 992
17-

1,662 728
g.J.I 3,77
19,227 17,650
4,70 d 6,0,0
2,t31 2,1 s
10 155
539 37 t
1421. 1,120
WU 445

31,440 30,129
aO6 574
3 5 298
11,251 3,877
4,'213 3,737
4,431 4,3:35
68,530 57,619
2,104 1,795
39,418 31,54.1
23,715 20,251
5,531 e.,4 7
4794 14,601
5,143 4.083
671 501
11,4.7 9,',97
7,783 7,141,

Metropolitan Board of Works.

Yesterday the ordinary meeting of the board was
held at the office, Spring-gardens, Sir J. Thwaites,
chairman.

The cash balances in hands of the treasurer on
the 10th inst. amounted to £310,579 Bs. 7d. ; and
cheques ordered, but not presented, £49,912 16s. Id.
On the recommendation of the finance committee,
the sum of £29,230 ss. 3d. for public works, was
ordered to be paid, and also that the sum of £5,000
be transferred from the general deposit to the gene-
ral current account of the board.
Cheques were ordered to be drawn for £2,137
10s. 3d., and paid to the metropolitan boards of
guardians for sums expended to Lady-day and
Michaelmas-day, 1865, under the Houseless Poor
Act of 1864.
Precepts were next ordered to be issued to the
several parishes and districts of the metropolis, for
the amounts required for meeting the expenses of
the Fire Brigade for the current year ; and as re-
turns have been obtained:of the insurances effected
by insurance offices, application was ordered to be ,
made to them for the amount of their contributions I
towards the expense of the Fire Brigade.