The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-12-11

TIE New CRY HALL-The sub ect of new
public buildings-the Post Office among others
will come up before the Corporation this
evening, and several Of the proposed schemes
will probably be discussed. A building or
buildings to replace tina. recently de-
stIoyed ly fire, must absolutely b. com
menced before many months elapse for the
want of accommodation for the courts, public
departments, &C. cannot be endured much
longer. Two plans have been proposed. One
is to erect several buildings, similar in size,
and separated at small intervals from each
other, between the rear of the present City Hall
and Chambers street. The other is to build one
large edifce, in the form of three sided
square-one side to front on Broadway, the Sc
cond on Chambers street. and the third on Tyron
row and Centre street, opposite the Harlem
Railroad Office B, tween these wo schemes
the public will shortly be called upon to Judge.
It is dificalt to conceive what arguments
can be used in favor of the first plan. 1t makes
no pre- ensions to architectural beauty, and has
no advantage Whatever, in point of capacity
and convenience, over any three houses taken
at random in any other part of the city. A
more unsightly spectacle than these three piles
would present, jamm-d close together as they
their gables to the public, cannot well be ina
gined. If the city wanted Martello towers or
stables. the plan might be good one but We
can surely do better for our public buildings.
This plan would cost something like three mil.
ions of doll ars.
The second plan has, at all events, the merit
of possessing great capacity for architectural
establishment. The quadrangle which would
be formed within the proposed building would
be the finest thing of the kind in the city. On
Chambers street and Broadway, colonnades or
some other ornamented front might be adopted,
and thus the sameness which now in q measure
spoils the appearance Of these fine streets nigh
be removed. In building of This size all the
public departments might be conveniently
lodged, and section might be set apart for tn.
Post Office, instead of building a separ tie es-
tablishment for tina branch OF the public SER
vice. Halls might be appropriated for public
meetings; and there might be room found for
nature. It is Of course impo .sble to estimate
the cost Of building of this vast size: the
more 80, as almost any sum of money might b.
spent in ornament, or architectural display
But one thing is certain, this rich city can
afford to have City Hall that will vie with
those Of foreign capitals. Built of iron, ana
honestly constructed, it would last forever,
and the millions it might cost would prove ID
the end most economical investment.
Between the two plans there can be no com
parison
BUSINESS BEFORE CoNGREss.-The President
and his Cabinet have recommended to Congress,
among other ,hings:--
An increase of the army.
An increase Of the navy.
Notifications of the postage laws.
Provisions against marine disasters.
A reduction Of the tariff.
Considerable legislation concerning our Indian tribes
&C., &c.
The measures and subjects not recommended
but likely to come up, are:-
Various railroad land jobbing bills
Several millionaire patent monopolies.
French spoliations.
The naturalization laws.
The slavery question and the late elections.
The Know Nothings and the old political parties.
The Cuba question.
The Sandwich Islands.
The case of Captain Gibson.
Mr.. Soule and the Ostend Conference.
Rivers and Harb0rs,
Repeal of the coal duty.
TIE affairs Of Hayti.
The Pacific Railroad.
The next Presidential election, &c.
Here we have a schedule for nine or ten
months busy spet ch making or Buncombe, and
less than three months to do it in. The pros
pect OF business is slim. Nothing bus party
caucusing will probably be done in either house
till after New Years Day. This will reduce
the working limits Of the session to two months
We, therefore, in relation to tbs session, have
no hopes or no fears, as the case may be, OF the
annexation of Cuba, or Hayu, or the Sandwich
Islands, or of the passage Of Pacific Railroad
bill, or Of the reduction of the tariff, or of any.
thing else outside of the regular appropriation
bills, and few Galphin aud Gardner claims,
J"ss W Iuiee III " uHc VIC xnowinS nuuSer ~
the Unsuitable spoilsmen Of the Kitchen Cabinet
and the lobby. The most that we can hop. for
is that the session will make large hole ia
Gnthries surplus, with little or nothing to
show for it except the profits Of the spoilsmen.
1t is their last chance under tnis administra-
lion, and we doubt not they will make the most
of their time. The beginning looks very well
for the spoilsmen.
The Know NoTHINGs IN MASSACHUSETTS,
MORE MUrINY.-Among our poll ical intelli-
gence this morning, several extracts from the