writer in the country has in one way or another left his foot-prints here. One alcove has its odd story of being haunted; and the neighboring Sands mansion has also its ghost, which in former times had a curious way of frequenting the library, as if seeking congenial companionship, on winter evenings whenever the eminent Dr. Cogswell chanced to be alone.

Alexander Hamilton, grandson of the statesman of that name, is now president of the trustees of Astor Library. His associates are: John Jacob Astor, treasurer; Professor Henry Drisler, LL.D., secretary; and Hon. Hamilton Fish, Dr. Thomas M. Markoe, Hon. John L. Cadwalader, Bishop H. C. Potter, S. Van Rensselaer Cruger, George L. Rives, Robbins Little, and the mayor of the city.

When Lafayette Place was in its glory it was shaded with beautiful trees on both sides. Next to St. Bartholomew's Church lived the distinguished Dr. Alexander H. Stevens, President of the College of Physicians and Surgeons; and the most southern house of the Terrace was the home of his brother, Byam K. Stevens, who married the daughter of Albert Gallatin, the great financier. Here the sons of the latter, Alexander H., Byam K., and Frederic W., were reared to manhood. It was said of Benjamin L. Swan, the old-school gentleman who built the large, double, brick house next to and south of the Terrace, in 1841, and resided in it until his death, that he always was more polite than the person he was with and it was amusing to see him sometimes hat in hand talking to a beggar, for he never would be outdone in civility. His son-in-law, Charles N. Fearing, afterward occupied the mansion. The house of same age or thereabouts, separated from that of Mr. Swan, only by a carriage-way, was built by David Thompson, who held numerous important monetary trusts in Wall Street, was for some years vice-president of the Bank of America, and president of the New York Life Insurance and Trust Company. He was the son of Jonathan Thompson, Collector of the Port of New York, and his wife was the daughter of John Lyon Gardiner, the seventh lord of the manor of Gardiner's Island. Next below was the dwelling of the merchant, William Chauncey, treasurer of the New York Historical Society; then came the home of Wyllis Blackstone; while number 19 was occupied by Mrs. John S. Tooker. Madame Canda's French boarding-school for young ladies, which flourished here, was noted for being one of the best and most fashionable institutions of its kind in the city. Madame Canda's beautiful daughter was thrown from a carriage and killed while returning from a ball, and her parents spent the money which was to have been her marriage portion in a remarkable monument, familiar to all visitors at Greenwood Cemetery.

The home of Adrian Iselin, the wealthy banker, whose wife was the daughter of General Columbus O'Donnell, of Baltimore, stood next to St. Bartholomew's Church. His daughter became the wife of De Lancey Astor Kane, who deserves a place in history for having introduced modern coaching into this country. This same house, number 6, was distinguished at a later period as the residence of Charles O'Coner, the great lawyer. His wife, as Miss Livingston, had been considered a great beauty. Her first husband, McCracken, died in Africa. At number 12 lived Dr. Gustavus A. Sabine, the notable physician, father of Rev. William T. Sabine. Upon the site of Dr. Sabine's house has recently arisen the great building of De Vinne, whose fame as the printer of the Century is as wide as the magazine itself. Near by for many years dwelt Gabriel Mead, whose wife

was a sister of Gouveneur Bibby, and Thomas W. Pearsall, whose daughter married Edwin Thorne, of Thorndale. John Milhau, the druggist, lived for many years in number 41; he was born on the island of Hayti, where his father owned extensive plantations, but was obliged to flee at the time of the rising of the negroes when the French were expelled. A. T. Stewart wished to purchase this house, and offered him three or four times what it was worth, but was refused. Milhau said that Mr. Stewart had not money enough to buy it. His son was a medical director in the regular army. The home of the well-known Dr. Jared Linsly, who was Commodore Vanderbilt's physician, is the handsome brick house, number 22. Thus the homes of three physicians of note have been identified with the prosperity of Lafayette Place. At number 24 lived the Quaker millionaire, Samuel Willetts. He would start for his place of business every morning, summer or winter, at seven o'clock, return to dinner at noon, and then go back to his counting-room, and remain until six o'clock in the evening. Adjoining Mr. Willetts' was a handsome dwelling, replete with the elegancies of life, that of Jacob R. Le Roy, a man of fashion, who was celebrated for his fine horses and equipages. He was related to the Livingstons, and finally bought the old Livingston manor-house on the Hudson, and resided there for some years before his death. The same house in Lafayette Place is now the delightful home of Hon. Orlando B. Potter. At number 28 lived George Ferris, whose son commanded the old City Guard. John Carey, son-in-law of John Jacob Astor, had a pleasant residence in the Terrace. The edifice at present occupied as Routledge's publishing house was the attractive home of Henry Mason and his fashionable family. One of his daughters became the wife of Heyward Cutting. Number 7, just beyond, was the residence of Christopher R. Robert, widely known for his benefactions. He was the founder of Robert College, Constantinople, and of a large school on Lookout Mountain, near Chattanooga. The palatial home of the Schermerhorns in Lafayette Place stood on the corner of Great Jones Street. It was furnished in a costly style, and was the scene of many notable entertainments. The newpapers of 1854 chronicled a fancy dress ball given there by Mrs. Schermerhorn as "conspicuously magnificent." It was, as the cards of invitation stated, a bal costume de riguer of the reign of Louis XV., a period distinguished in French history for the remarkable beauty of the costumes worn at court. It was the first time that a ball of this description had been given in this country. The invitations were issued four weeks before the appointed day, and, in accordance with the rules, none attended except those who were in the prescribed attire. No ex

pense was spared in preparing for the occasion.

In many instances six

and seven hundred dollars were paid for the simple dress, exclusive of jewelry. The lace on the dress of one lady guest alone cost fifteen hundred dollars. Many of the ladies who could not otherwise secure the services of Martel, the famous coiffeur and hair-dresser, had the artistic work of hair-dressing performed the day before, and slept in chairs, that the mountain of beauty upon the head might not be disturbed before the time came for its exhibition. The gentlemen were compelled to part with mustache and whiskers, in compliance with the the custom of the Court of Louis Quinze. They nearly all appeared with court swords, and "some of them absolutely sparkled with diamonds." The chroniclers were evidently bewildered with the novelty, and for once used more ink in describing the costumes of the gentlemen than those of the ladies. We cannot forbear quoting one or two paragraphs for the amusement of the reader of to-day-thirty-two years afterward.

"Mr. Me, sky blue velvet coat, elegantly embroidered with silver; diamond buckles; rosette of blue ribbons with diamonds; powdered head. “Mr. S―n, crimson velvet coat, embroidered with gold; white brocade vest, embroidered with flowers; crimson velvet breeches and chapeau.

“Mr. S―ff, coat of royal purple velvet with diamond buttons; star on left breast made of diamonds; knee buckles also of diamonds; wig powdered; lace ruffles, white cravat of lace; white vest, with diamond buttons and embroidered with gold. This costume, diamonds included, cost, it is said, seventeen thousand dollars."

Some idea of the brilliancy of the fête may be formed from the fact that, the costumes altogether cost between forty and fifty thousand dollars, as was estimated at the time; and the jewelry worn that evening was worth half a million. The mansion was richly decorated and embellished in the style of the reign of Louis XV., and so strict was the enforcement of the rules that even the servants were dressed in the costume of the period.

In the immediate vicinity of Lafayette Place, as well as within its charmed limits, were clustered many homes of exceptional interest during the historic period of which we are writing. Mr. Maturin Livingston, Mr. Cottenet, and Stephen Cambreleng lived in Great Jones Street; Mayor Philip Hone, Mr. Charles H. Russell, Joseph Sampson, and Hon. Dudley Selden, in Broadway, close by; and John David Wolfe, at the corner of Astor Place and Broadway. An Opera House was erected in Astor Place, in 1846, which was thronged as soon as opened by the élite of the community. In the spring of 1849, William Charles Macready, the English actor, was on a farewell visit to the United States, and it was announced