Year: 1860

eihinehIly thankful. EARLY In the morning
the town went to the country, and the coun-
try came to town, as usual on this day. But
though the intention on the part of the
town was to escape from the Fourth" il
was clearly an abortive undertaking. The
Fourth of July is universal; and stars and
stripes, fire crackers and rockets pistols and
guns of larger calibre meet you in all possible
and improbable places. Shade of jefferson
could you but hear the roar of gunpowder
your own words have ignited, it must start
you from your honored repose year after
year During the fore part of the day, the
heat and dust were excessive; but in the
afternoon there was very heavy shower. as
there always is on training DAYS" If it
was not for this popularity of our climate.
which in summer smothers us with dust or
drenches us with rain, ladies' hats and gen.
tlemen's head gear might last too long for
the profits of trade; at all events it is fear-
tul to think what quantity of starch was
taken out of the Sunday fxings of both SEX
es on the Fourth. As sat at the window
OF pleasant country house, just outside the
city, and watched the evening sky brilliant
with terrestrial fireworks, fell into serious
vein of thinking, How gracefully some of
those short lived comets ascended to their
uttemost, and curving gently, exploded just
at the right instant, and fell again to earth
In shower of pasti.colored fire Some lives
are just as symmetrical and well timed
There again was the impatient rocket, which
darted away towards the zenith, but getting
just above the hCusetops, gave one spiteful
little jerk and "6zzled out" How many
lives are like the rockets-done ere begun.
ANY way" said, how many men 90 up
rockets and come doml stisls." Away scars
the balloon, all alight. 1t grows very brill
liant all at once, then down, down, drops the
fiery fragment along the face of night and all
is darkness again. Its combustble substance
could not long hold the dangerous fire with
in it. Thus perish many "shining" but un-
happy or unholy "lights." Color, light,
noise it was all well enough for the Fourth,
but the calm, steady faces of the stars fur
nish different suggestions The money-and
in what connection does not an American
think of money-that was expended on pow
der would have founded home for the
the friendless, free college, or an orphan
asylum; but don't know whether the poor
thought of it, for they like these Shows" as
the only advertisement their hard lot affords.


Well, our Oriental visitors have left u.s. and
it was quite time, for everything in New
York would soon have turned japanese, if
they hadnt-at least so you might Judge
from the manner in which the press laughed,
scolded, croaked, and sneered over them hy
turns. The whole city had a washing. day"
where there was mo peace about the house."
The poor Japs were terribly tormented by
their admirers; being often driven off the
street by the crowds that followed them.
Occasionally, one of them was smart enough
to dodge into a store, and close and lock the
door between him and the street. Even
then dozen would be Instantly fattened
against the glass. At some of the theaters
they had burlesque called the japanese.
At Niblo's, which joins their hotel, the bill
regularly announced that "the japanese
would promenade the gardens at all times
during the performance (Which, however,
they did not always do. At Chrisy's, there
was a capital burlesqne, the irresistible fun
of which made the Japs themselves run out
of the house in couvulsions Of laughter II
was gravely announced in consequence that
they should no longer have the freedom of
the house, for they disturbed the audience
But the greatest buresque of all was that
perpetrated by our Aldermen when they
gave the great Ball of Welcome Only
twelve thousand people were crowded into
the Metropolitan Hotel and Niblo's theater
and garden. And there then the varieties
of the genus homo which were there collec-
ted Before the Ball, it was announced that
the Fifth Avenue-ites and the like choice
circles were to be invited. after the Ball,
what doleful account we had of the pro-
eeedings of the opposite orders, beginning at
the shirt sleeve gentry. The truth was,
there was everybody there tho the Home
.fashion in any such popular affair. The
preparations were really magnificent, as they
ought to have been, considering the money
lavished upon them. The guests par ereeI-
lence, however, had very little to do with the
ball. and soon retired from its bewildering
crowd Not one of the Embassy showed
any love for our amusements except Tommy,
that unfortunate youth of seventeen years


who, according to some of our papers, was
about to demoralze the whole female popu'
lation 10y his galantries. Poor youth, he
must have been alarmed at the accounts oi
himself which he found in the "Times" and
"World' (for he reads some English). Hap
PLY he has been taken away from the scenes
of his disastrous triiing. l confess that the
frank and pleasant look of the boy as he rode
down Broadway, seated under a palanquin
alongside of the treaty-box, smiling and bow
ING his farewells, was so little like that of a
"heartless deceiver" that | renounced any
fears might privately have had about Tom
my's morals. However, / rejoice that the
female portion of our community has been
saved.


We had not quite parted with the Oriental'
from Japan, before another oriental, the
Great Eastern, was claiming our curious and