The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1860-08-25

captious sneers from pariies who would be nothing
if they were not critical. The third annual re-
port of the Board of Commissioners contains, in
addition to good deal of information in relation
TO the work already done and what yet remains
10 be completed, some very useful hints and sug-
gestions which, in view of our early possession
of Druid HILL and the prospective organization
of q competent force for similar purpose, may
be well worth noting.
The Central Park of New York is described as
being about two miles and half long by half
mile wide; bounded on the sides by parallel
avenues OF streets, and at the ends by streets
crossing these at right angles. Seven hundred
and sixty-eight acres, the area originally pur-
chased, has already been enclosed by rough, dry
stone fence, four and half feet in height; but by
a subsequent purchase, the Park will eventually
comprise eight hundred and thirty Eight acres
When this land first came into possession Of the
city, the southern portion of the site already
part of its Struggling suburbs, an1-according to
the Commissioners suburb more filthy, squalid
''and disgusting can hardly be imagined, many
''of the inhabitants being engaged in occupations
(Which were nuisances in the eyes of the law,
"and which were followed at night in wretched
"hovels half hidden among the rocks where,
''also, heaps Of cinders brck-bats, potsherds and
"other rubbish were deposited by those who had
Occasion to remove them from the city. Large
''tracts were covered with stagnant water, and
'rom the surface ten thousand cart loads of stone
'fwere taken TO form the present enclosing wall -
Even when the novels were demolished, and the
pools drained, this portion of the Park still pre-
sented most confused and unsightly appearance,
from the rude entertainments and rock excavations
which had been formed in the process of grading
for streets. Two swampy valleys occupied sepa-
rate portions of the space, but between the two
were couple of moderately smooth tracts, both
of which were rocky, and portion of the smaller
one bog. The remainder of the lower Park was
made up Of low hills and hillocks, chiefly COM
posed Of rocks Cropping out sometimes boldly
above the surface, but more generally just barely
"breaking through the soil, in the depressions Of
(Which a few meagre shrubs and grasses strug-
'ged for existence. With the exception of portions
''of the two swampy valleys, and the two ten
'acre tracts above mentioned, and about three
''acres elsewhere, there was not acre in which
CHE great underlying ledge of gneiss rock did
''not in some form thrust itself above the sur
''lace' The natural surface of the upper Park
was much more favorable to the operations
of the landscape gardener, but sufficient descrp-
ton has been given to show the difficulties which
had to be encountered in transforming rocky
and almost treelcss desert into noble pleasure
grounds, and the improvement which has already
been made in the appearance of this once unsighty
waste shows what skill and energy can accom-
plish when backed by liberal appropriations Of
money. We have condensed from the Commits
sioners' Report this account of the topography of
the New York Central Park, for the purpose of
contrasting it with the description of our Druid
It'll Park, which was given in THE EXCHANGE a
few weeks ago. A comparison between the two
will make evident to the meanest capacity the ad.
vantages which our site presents over that which
the people of New York were constrained TO
choose, or to go without any Park at ALL That in
the course Of the next half century the Central
Park of New York will be one of the finest in the
world, and that the sanitary benefit derived from
" ~ d pl",e of recreation for all classes of the
lions Of dollars which t;e Is n Of the ten mil
cost, may be admitted; but the present generation
will sadly miss the branching foliage and the
grateful shade, which constitute the chief attrac-
tons of such places Of public resort. In Druid
Hill Park our Commissioners have secured noble
domain, which three-quarters of century ago
passed under the hands of a landscape gardener
whose magnificent groups and masses, vistas, bays
and solitary trees, still remain to attest his skill
and to make the work Of PREPARATION and improve
r1pnt NOT less easy than economical N our Park
there will be no waiting for from thirty to fifty
years for trees to grow. They are already there in
all their primitive beauty, and with an expan sion
of trunk and limb variety of color, and a per-
fiction of outline, which leaves nothing in this re-
spect to be desired IN the course of few days this
fine estate will pass under the control of the Park
Commissioners, when it will be necessary to APP
point keepers for the purpose of preventing depre-
dations upon the property and to establish such
rules and regulations as may be necessary to
maintain order within its limits, and to carry ont
efficiently all the duties that may be devolvedupon
the officers in charge. We do not believe that our
people are more prone to commit acts of spoliation
than those of other cities; but it is, nevertheless,
quite necessary here as elsewhere, that certain
ordinances should be adopted, and rigidly enforced
whenever an attempt to violate them is manifested.
Those drawn up by the New York Commissioners
have been found practically efficient and while
they may not prove entirely applicable with us,
they nevertheless will afford our Commissioners
helps and hints of which they may wisely take ad-
vantage. Under the rules of the Central Park all
persons are forbidden to enter or leave the Park
except by the gateways; to turn cattle, goats or
swine into the Park; TO carry firearms or throw
stones other missiles within it; to iniure or dc.
face the trees, shrubs plants, turf &c. within the
precincts of the Park; to travel in carriages on the
drive at a rate exceeding seven miles an hour or
on horseback, on the road set apart for riding at
rate exceeding ten miles per hour no vehicle is
permitted on the riding road, nor any vehicle,
horse or animal Of burden, on any part of the Cen
tral Park, except the authorized avenues; no art-
Giles, or things, are to be exposed for sale in the
Park, except by license of the Commissioners:
no vehicles designed for purposes of traffic are
allowed TO enter the Park proper; no threatening,
indecent, or abusive language is allowed nor is
any person permitted to tell fortunes or play at any
game OF chance, or do any obscene or indecent act
within the Central Park. All these regulations are
good in themselves, and what is better still, they
are courteously but firmly enforced by the Park
wardens. One other point in relation 10 the force
employed upon the Central Park is particularly
deserving of notice by our Commissoners-no no.
litca partisanshp is allowed to bias the selection
of workmen, all the officers engaged in supervising
and directing the various operations of construc
lion being expressly forbidden, on pain of dismiss
SAL to tamper with the political opinions of the
men who are placed under their orders This rule is
Imperative; and in their programme of instructions,
whenever it shall be drawn up, we sincerely trust
that our Park Commissioners will follow the excel
ent example which has been set them by those of
New York, by giving similar orders prominent
place, and by an equally inaexible adherence to
them.
Our NAVAL Forces THE GULF OF MExICo-
The somewhat sudden departure for Vera Cruz of
the steam-frigate Susquehanna, and the order of
the Navy Department for the immediate equipment
Of the Powhatan, have caused naval people to ex-
pect brisk times in the Gulf. The Powhatan's
destination has not officially TRANSFERRED but the