The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-12-13

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tainable.
Rev. Antoinette L. Brown last evening, ct the
Tabernacle, delivered the third lecture
Of the course before the New York ntrSlavery
Association. Our report Is unavoidably crowded
out.
The Fire King seems to be busly at work all over
the country. We this morning publish accounts Of
confiagrations at Columbia, 8. c., Baltimore, 81.
lem, Ala, Troy, Belleville, N. J., Poughkeepde,
Hartford, Philadelphia, and other places. The most
disastrous Of these events occurred at Phadelphis
at an early hour yesterday morning. The exten
sive estabshment Of Cornelius Co., together With
fifteen or twenty dwelling houses, was destroyed,
involving loss Of property to large amount.
The BOARD OF Adermen-The New City Hail.
Those who have never witnessed q meeting
Of the Board of Aldermen of the city Of New
York can form no idea Of the singular picture
it presents when . question of any interest
arises. Other assemblies have their bores and
their merry makers, their heavy artillery, and
their light skirmishers: but those who per-
senate these several characters in the Board of
Aldermen leave all rivals far behind. The
oldest Congressman might search his memory
in vain for parallel to the monotony of Mott:
and no mountebank that ever fourished on the
greasy boards" of country circus could
compete with Drake in buffoonery or impudence.
What may have been the object OF the electors
Of the Twenty. first and Twenty-second wards in
Aldermen, 1t were no easy matter 70 determine:
so far as the interests ofthe city are concerned,
they had better be serving in the armies in the
Crimea, for, then, the public business might be
despatched with speed and regularity. But, in
truth, the interval which separates them from
their colleagues is not SO great that it Is quite
worth while to draw distinctions The whole
style Of .transacting business is characteristic.
"You must be very blind" growls one gen.
tleman to the chairman, mot to see me-"
Members are freely told by their amiable
colleagues that they must not pretend to
call themselves honest men !" and as for con-
Predictions, they fly thick as hail stones, with
out objection or remonstrance from any quar-
ter. When the chairman requested Alderman
Drake on Monday evening to address him
self to the chair" that worthy member Of this
respectable body sprang forward from his seat,
assembled the steps Of the chair, and waving his
arm triumphantly over his head, began, as he
said. to address the chair" at point blank
range. True to their instincts, the whole as
sembly roared with laughter at q joke which
would have been Kissed at the Bowery or the
National theatres
To this general rule there are exceptions of
course. Alderman Williamson and one or two
others are respectable men, and manage to
tranract business without joining in the gene
raj endeavor to degrade the character Of the
deliberative assembly to which they belong
They shine the brighter by contrast with their
associates.
On Monday evening, for instance, the question
of the new City Hall was brought up on mo-
tion to confirm and adopt the report of the COM
mittee in favor of Mr.. Thompson's Martello
tower plan The reader will bear in mind that this
plan Of Mr.. Thompson's is for two new buildings
like the present City Hall, to be located be-
joined together, like the Siamese twins, by
band issuing from their centres At a single
glance, any one can see that this plan would be
not only hide0us in appearance, but absolutely
useless for practical purposes, and before long,
far too small fer the wants of the city. For
reasons best known to themselves, neither
of these objections occurred to the Com
mittee or to the Boards to which its
report was referred They thought the
Thompson scheme admirable, and it was not
till the press sho led them that, though obscure,
they were not entirely out Of sight of the public,
that they consented to reconsider their opinion.
On Monday evening, Mr.. Williamson moved
that the adoption Of the report be reconsider
ed, with view to see and examine other plans.
Some old fogy instantly started to his legs and
argued that the time for receiving plans had
expired, &C., &c: as though, by imposing fool
ish restrictions ON themselves the Aldermen
could release themselves from their response
bility to the public. Mr.. Mott, Mr.. Tucker and
others then talked nonsense for some consider
a feeble sort of way to the singular express
sion of opinion in the public prints" We are
not ut all surprised that gentlemen of their
calibre should think it very singular" that the
public prints should interfere with their little
schemes: but this is one of the inconveniencies
Of q free country, and Mr.. Mott must bear
awhile with the prints" We have not done
with him yet Finally after very dull de.
bate, the Board coincided-apparently against
its inslinations-in the views presented with
equal force and modesty by Mr.. Williamson,
and the subject was recommitted.
Some time may elapse before we hear of the
scheme again Committees are often "tombs
OF the Capulets" for projects Of this order. But
it is well, ere the public mild is diverted from
the theme, that every man in New York should
possess himself of the leading features Of the
rival plans, SO as to exercise, in proper time and
place, q salutary pressure on the Board should
a second attempt be made to give the Pre-.