Weekly national intelligencer., 1850-10-19
NOTICES or NEW BOOKS. LITERATURE, AND
THE FINE ARTS IN NEW YORK.

Nrw Yosx, Ocrosra 10, 1850.
The latest illustration Of the progress of luxury
IN this city 10 furnished in the new ATHENEun just
opened st No. 663 Broadway, opposite Bond
street. within the limits Of the fashionable sphere
of "above Bleseker." The idea Of this establish
msn' very good ons. bsns simply suite Of rooms for
conversation chess. reading. &e for the use Of subscribers
somewhat on the plan. Ia miniature, Of the elubhous
much 10 vogue In London ba, The ys in which the apart
msn have essa osnsmsnisd and furnished makes them really
curiosity 10 shs wsy d sphossnps and decoration. The
same description d lavish display which Is now 90 freely sx-
pended upon the saloons Of Atlantic steamers and the drawing
rooms Of fashionable ho has been called into requisison
by the psopss Of the Aihsn.am their surs means Of
success and during hs psss wsek eo~ds our ossns hsss
been inspecting the brilliant results. sybars mish en-
JOY himssf In these sampsuous apartments and. sfsr ALL
what Nsw Yosksf. with hia modern appliances o axwy,
bo, syssis of later dsis, and easy opportunities mag
nfesnee, The " Cosr0ssfien-voom" (in which ssoAsg
allo~ed) b spacious apartment fay feet square and
twsn'y-ons high. eomrsble sots sm-chsiss pohsd
walnut snd green plush make H. and opsnins By dosbs
doors into The eAesoo. smaller saloon, nchIy
dseossisd The walls and ceilings lined with edm~u
damask, fssiocned and arranged 70 form dinc a.
coses within whore quiss csssss phssephics ssms of
chess may be prosecuted without sss s dsssbsscs Tbs
reading~oo1s b he fask and ID the oa splendid d ths
suite Every spsoinsmsa, Of gorgeous ars~iasseenfh.s
bssn Avishsd upon h spsrnsn 10 which even hs szss-
en Of reading shs last mssssns viii seem en- sxsoa 30
admirably b arranged Cor the esjsymsns of shs dss ~
nsense 70 which Wilton cspsss ssan dsms~ curtains ss
coed esiinss and qxurous sofs invite Fos hs bear6l az
such - can kssp swsks 10 ths midst q al sbs psssasses
poss the entire a. hs ns~spsp~s ssd pssocs
lersiuss Of shs dsy Assnesn EasA snd Csassasa srs
q hands Ths otsc, ef shs psspsisssn 10 nsks he
Aihsn1om co.Pssss dspasissy u shs species q nsnsas.
The syh n which this sssslhssns hss bssa sc ap viii
no doubt render attractive, and perhaps susss, bss ne
are expected 10 pstrcniss this sassrps fsnds oS
clubs any thing resembling Aem They are entirely an.
suited % The habits Of our city l. which, general rule
sxsnd The hours Of basins~ tbs entire day. leaving shs
evenings only Scs seceson, which h more sps 10 be co.
caI character drawn from public Of snesaiu-
men than from thst ssgnsnt smossmsn which ssss-
es the race of London bschsoss their elubhoases In
London. bssA the clubs rspsssnt Of society," po
cal parties literary cique shsy ere central places Of resort
for persons Of kindred views snd sociaons and hus form
distinct and permanent features of the social osssnizson
In New York club simply place Of convenient sssonfor
tho benefit Of hos who have agreeable way of dis
posing ofthsr iimes class Of psno0s BY msans,
in this great metropolis.
In fact the number OF such in his city ! r-
markably small In France every provincial capital hss s
Cercl, i,s RsSaion,' or club under soms name or
other, connsxion with which 10 Indispensable 10 respec-
biy and standing. Sc too in Germany, and generally
the continent, where domcsiciy 10 little cuvasd Hsrs in
New York, nothing Of the sort prevails. There 1kw
clubs got for purposes Of convenience and maintained By
subscribers many Of whom frequent ,hem and one or
two, such the Union and the Rackef Clubs established
with view to performance The former Of these 10 conn
posed mainly Of gentlemen Of leisure who take pleasure
in pepetuatns agreeable association and the latter asr
having tried the experiment Of keeping up i organisation on
the strength Of the athletic game Of racket has come to be
simply place Of resort for such Of its Subscribers a. have an
idle hour their hands, The majority sensible people
prefer in these dsysof cheap literature read their periodical
in their chair At home and to command their own
| society according to their humor.
Strangers coming to New York for few weeks viii 6rd
convenient to avail themselves Of the resources Of this
new Athenaum, or Of the Society Library In the lower part
Of the city either Of which they easily have access to-
/ Two years ago the announcement Of Romance BY
LAnAarIsE excited universal anticipation and degree of
enthusiasm reminding Of the eeaf attendant upon the
publication Of Wavsrley." The story Of Ceneriere,
just published here in translation by SrRIssKR e. Towx-
SEND, though from the pen Of the author Of Raphael srs
hardly breath Of the wasted popularity which be 20 sey en-
joyed II is, in point Of fact, pleasing and exquisisly
finished romance Of the sentimental school but the rsge
Of authorship which it would have had in the palmy days.
though brief of the Provisional Government lost and rooe
The publishers have good lament the ngaade Of
Republics, exempfed in the Of M. Ds LAxAxrrsu
WILIIss lastvoum ovely adcapfandnm ske,ches Life
Here and There, has gone second edition. and finds ia
vor with his admirers It 10 pity that the genius which
gives point many Of bis essays and occasional papers
should confne itself to the range Of deane literature 10
which be SO exclusively devotes himself
In Boston, TIcKSoR REED and FIELDs announce new
novel from the pen Of HAwrHoass, author Of Toice Told
Tales, and the more recent called The Scarlet Let
ter The last named work has enlarged the hitherto almost
exclusively New England reputation Of this writer Who Il
really of the most imaginative and individual a our
authors His works mostly Illustrative Of the early pso-
vncia and colonial history Of New England 90 far a. their
subjects concerned but be is master Of the supernatural
and mystical In the abstract and cultivated minds his
highly anil fancuI creations give pleasure akin to
the effect Of ghost stories youthful readers The unex-
pectedy large sale Of the Scarlet Letter. whose popularity
quite surprise to the publishers presume has sa-
coursged the prompt announcement Of another work.
The London papers making themselves merry over The
furore in New York occasioned by the arrival Of Jxxxx
LIND The Times far departed from s historic savi,v
indulge in couple of columns Of unwonted iocosenes
and shakes lis sober sides ardent d
enthusiasm The Bosonans however, have 90 totally ecps,d
thing and every thing in the way Of excitement which
got here that this reproduction our oles does NOT
seem as mrh-provoking it would otherwise hsve done
Pending the return Of the Nightingale speculation has full
sway with regard to the probabilities Of her being heard in the
Il