The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1860-12-28
WINTER SPORTS IN NEW YORK

On Saturday last the skating ponds in the Cen
trail Park, New York, were thrown open to those
who delight in the ezharating amusement. We
take the following from the Herald of Sunday:
HOW THE PEOPLE WERE DRESSED.
vi course there was diversity of attire, such
as New York is noted for. The men were clothed
in great coats, some OF cloth and some of skins
their necks encirced with furs, scars, comforters
aud other warm things, their heads covered with
fur caps of all shapes and qualities felt hats cloth
caps and black hats. Some had Scotch plaids or
shawls, and one man was rather conspicuous. he
having over his shoulders large whitish-yeow
Buffalo robe, doubtless brought from the vehicle
in which he to the Park. The ladies were all
attired in warm winter dresses of dark colors and
many of them adopted the wise precaution of hav-
ing them either made short in the skirt or so loop
ed up that they entirely out of the way of the
skates. Nearly all Of the two hundred who visit
ed the "scene of excitement" had on the warm
looking "Balmoral petticoat," three or four of
the red and black rings appearing below the loop
ed up dress. Furs were there in abundance. Fur
hats, fur capes, fur cuffs, fur mus and muffs with
out fur. Wooden head-dresses. trimmed with fur:
wooden coats, edged with fur, wooden neck-ties
without fur, and wooden dresses. The ladies seem
ed very warm and comfortable while they kept
their feet, but. when they changed the vertical for
the horizontal position they seemed decidedly I'M
comfortable, although they generally rose up with
a laugh at the misfortune.
THE PARK AT THREE O'CLOCK, p 81.
The drive at this time completely alive with
vehicles, mostly close carriages, in which the la
dies arrived on the enchanting scene. Although
large number of the fair sex kept to the part re-
served for their use, it little to be expected
that all would contine themselves to such narrow
limits as it was that all the gentlemen would keep
out of the reserved part. However, to give the
officers power to remove the gentlemen If they
came in the way of the ladies, properly enjoying
themselves the following notice was placed at the
head of fight of twenty steps, which were divi,
ded into several landings and formed the passage
way to the ice:
Passage to the Ladies' lee Gentlemen will not
pass this way unless their attendance is required
by the ladies. Please not to occupy the passage
wav.
But as many gentlemen did pass without being
''required by the ladies" to do, yet they be-
haved themselves becomingly, they were allowed
to remain, and many times afforded the phi
vilege of skating with the Glowing ringlets," the
'black eyes" and the various other ct ceteras,
which combined, formed what is commonly known
by the name of ''woman." TO a good masculine
skater, such a privilege yesterday would have been
a "boon indeed" for among the
LADY SKATERS
there were some of the best practised that could
have been found anywhere. Our reporter could
not ascertain the of all those who were pYor
thy of such distinction, and they were many, but
Frauein Munich, of Berlin; Miss Gerard, OF this
city; Miss Cameron, of Nova Scotia; a lady from
Boston, and another from Newark, were the espe-
cial objects of admiration of all beholders. The
first named was particularly noticed, not only for
liz
bat also for the easy manner she "saied" along
when in the company of gentleman. She execu-
ted beautiful waltz with the same gentleman to
the music of her own voice, but had to give it up
after a very short time, as the singing of the
tune would interfere with the grace of her move
ments.
The PECULIARrrIEs OF PEKIN.-The news o f the
capture of Pekin by the allies imparts additional
interest to the peculiarites of that CITY, letter
from the seat of war, in the Moniteur de PArmee,
states that Pekin is built in the form of polygon
its northern portion offering parallelogram, and
its southern portion square. 1t is surrounded by
turreted wall, with towers at short intervals:
outside of this wall is deep ditch, and beyond
this enclosure circle of suburbs, as densey peo-
pied, as busy and compact as Pekin itself. The
capital of China consists in fact of two cities the
North or Imperial City, and the South CITY. The
former is called the City of Tartars; the latter the
City of the Chinese. They are separated by
turreted wall, and communicate only by three
gates of which the middle one is reserved exclu-
sivey for the Emperor. The Tartar city contains
the palace of the "Son of Heaven" 1.-THE EMPEROR,
mass of buildings of every size and shape, pavil-
lons pagodas and gardens, equally extensive and
indescribabe, which, it is sad takes month to go
once over.
The population of Pekin and its suburbs exceeds
two millions. Sixteen gates communicate between
the suburbs and the two cities within the walls; on
either side of each gate is party of soldiers, who
act policemen. The principal streets, especially
in the northern portion, wide and handsome,
but the greater part of both the towns consists of
narrow, dirty, crowded lanes, rendered yet more
diSagreeable by the numerous hucksters, traders
and cook-shops established the narrow pave
ments.
The Chinese are fond of raree-shows, and Pekin
contains many exhibitions ofpuppets, learned an
finals, dancers and conjurers, giving the town the
aspect Of an immense fair. 1t also contains numer-
Gus pagodas, built of porcelain, painted in the gau
diest colors, and surmounted by pointed roofs. As
for the carriages Of the Pekin grandees, they
described resembling 'bOxes of soap set upon
wheels, and drawn by oxen harnesSed in the rough
est possible fashion. Pekin contains nothing ana0
gOus to the handsome public buildings which adorn
the capitals of Europe. Even the imperial palace
shows no attempt at architectural design, and is
like all Chinese erectiOus mere shapeess agglom-
GRAFTON of walls and roofs.
THE SHOE TRADE IN MASSACHUSETTS. The Boston
Traveller has been investigating the effect which
the political panic has had upon the shoe trade. At
Natick the depression is most serious. 1000 work
men out Of 200 have been discharged and Geo of
these remain at Natick doing nothing while the rest
have gone to their homes in different parts Of
New England. In South Natick four manuactur-
ing firms, S. Walcott q Co., l.. d. Moody & Bro,
John w. Cotton Co., and Crosby & Woodbury.,
have all failed, their aggregate liabilities being
nearly 100000. These failures have all tax en-
place within few weeks, have thrown about 800
men out Of employ, and stopped the manufacture
OF about 225 cases per week. Shoes which were
made for II to 20 cts per pair are now made for I6
manufactured, of the 900 wUrkmen employed in
the busiest seasons 600 out of employment al
together, while 200 working only part of the
time. At Marbehead, Danvers and Haverhill the
stagnaton prevails. To speak generally of
the trade in these prominent places, (says the
TrdDeller,) we remark that orders from the South
and W est come in occasionally, but the mauufac-
turers are generally afraid to fill them during the
present crises. There seems to be no disposition on
the part of Southern customers to repudiate debts
though some have failed and others asked for ex-
tensions.
The WoMAN's SECREr.-The only secret a woman
can keep is her age. At Paris recently, Mdlle.
Cleo, the piquant actress of Paais Royal, was to
be witness in favor of some cosmetic used by la
dies and as French Courts invariably ask the age
of witnesses, all the youngest actresses of Paris
were there, and they reckoned upon good deal of
merriment and profit when Mde. Cleo came to dis
close her years. She was called to the stand,
sworn, gave her and profession. When the
Judge said GLOW old are you ?'' she quilted the
stand, went up to the bench stood on tip-toe, and
whispered in the Judges the malicious secret
The bench smiled and kept her secret.
Two PosTMAsTERs ARREsTED.-Two men were Ia
ken to indianapolis on Friday charged with rob-
bling the mail. They were both postmasters. and
both from Elkhart county. One was named Brew
ster, from Middlebury Postollice, and the other
Kincaid from Yestula POstoiice. 1t appears that
Mr.. Carver has suspected something wrong about
the postoflice at Middiebury, and laid trap to
catch Brewster, the postmaster there, in which he
succeeded in not only trapping him, but Kincaid
also. He baited for one tricky sucker and caught
two.-Louisvile Courier
MARRIED.
On the 9th bay, 1860, by the Rev. J McCabc, JOHN p.
g. F 14 I I. :