New-York daily tribune., 1858-02-16

C.
have be en- watching with interest the proceedings
Of the Commissioners of the Central Park We
have hoped much, but expected little; for whss
efficiency or pfomptness OF action could we look
for in an unwieldy commission of eleven mea'
However competent each might be In maae" Of
business, or even in park building were 'ne' s'ca'
angels eleven would be 8 surplus and wssse.
From what We can see and learn aside from the
embsrrassments of Mayor Woods procecdnssl
there has not from the outset been any un'y OF 'c
ing or concert Of action in the Board, nor thers
vet: this of itself must cause infinite delays aoi
nernlexit;e,. We have shrewd suspicion that
tbs RESIGNATION of the President might be traced
n This fact. But aside from this inherent diff
Guilty, we believe that il the question were asse4
of the Commissioners themselves with perhaps
one or two exceptions: What do you know about
making a park, Of the principles Of landscape gar
aenipr. Of the practice of il, of the selecting aud
plsntpg of trees, of their future eiiects' oil tos
making and cost of roads, of the method And
value of draining, OF the application and Vare'ss
Of manu~s, of the different styles OF Ornamental
ton which would be within your reach IL thess
and variety of such questions were asked Oh most
of the Commissioners, they being honorable mea.
would say: "NothiDg, absolutely nothing NOM
il does not follow that smart and capable man
might not succeed in doing this work well BY ap-
plypp himself to il and putting keen sense and
sharp study into it. But gentlemen fall OF aairs'
driven by business or leisure, who work for two
or three hours q week and hurry through some
thing so as TO get home to their dinners, are not
likely TO do this work rtry well. These gentlemen
themselves know that Board of Bank Directors
could not do business 80. No; they select one or
two of their beat men and pay them for putting
their whole minds ard experience into the matter.
and digesting the business 20 that It may De acted
on intelligently ard thoroughly. However COM
petent the officials may be, we apprehend they
cannot, if they would, take the responsibility. we
are not finding fault because we love 1t, or because
we wish to blame any one; but how Is the "orA
progressing Thorough draining Is matter
of first consequence. What has been done ABOUT
tbatl A Superintendent of Draining has been en-
Moved for some months, and yet we cannot learn
that he has been authorized or permitted to make
examinations or prepare plans; and what will %
the state of this important department when tae
Spring opens Nothing ready-no plans-a year
lost.
As to plans for laying out the Park, too, there
have recently been some communications In our
columns. The Commission Issued printed propo-
sails last Autumn-perhaps as early as practicable.
One of the conditions was that the plans should Do
prepared in India ink and sepis-an excelleat
provsion-the only safe way Of securing an accu-
rate Judgment This provision at late day Is an
nulled-the work of the fifty or sixty landscape
gardeners in great degree wasted; and their only
chance now is to present as dazzling picture az
they can make, or hire some sgu-psinter to make
for them. We pity them, aud the Commissioners
too. But in order to get these gay pictures, tho
time for presenting plans is extended from March
to April /. What does no! this involve' One
or two months delay to wrapgle about selection
the Spring work at stand-stiH, or done 10 be IN.
done, for want Of an intelligent plan-and another
year gone We respectfully ask the Commission
ers if this ia, in their opinion, busness-like Way
of conducting great enterprise
The carrying on Of such work is no simple aud
easy matter, and we thank the Commissioners for
having stood up against Fernando Wood; but va
opine that the majority of them will fully agree
with US, and will heartily second any plan by which
the Park may be properly carried forward, and 80
as to keep il out Of the hands Of blood.suckiag
jobbers. In some way, time, mind, taste and ereen
tire talent must be put into the work, or /. will b.
dersion and d'grace; and we are free to say that
the first thing to be done is to reduce the Con.ms-
sion to three, or at meet five men, who have soue-
thing of the needed knowledge and ability.