REAL  ESTATE  RECORD.





What's the ]VL\tter?—Peter Cooper, as
Chairman of the Citizens' Association, com¬
plains, upon the representation of several archi¬
tects, of the biulding law, and states that it is
oppressive, especially in enforcing the unneces¬
sary (as he thinks) appUcation of iron shutters
to buildings of a certain class, and objects to
the system of presenting plans to the Superin-
tendeut;of Public Buildings, and to the stamping
thereof, .ind after charging the Inspectors with
neglect of duty, pitches into the clerks of the
office for making mistakes; he then states that
the discretionary power vested in the Superin¬
tendent is too extensive, and not only burdens
him (the Superintendent) with a heavy duty,
but gives a great deal of dissatisfaction to those
who are subject to if; and finishes up -with the
remark, that he has some more complaints to
make, but the Association \nl\ not allude to
them at present.    How is it, gentlemen ?

FiFTu Ward Musetoi Hotel.—The build¬
ing long known as Riley's Museum Hotel, at
the south-west comer of West Broadway and
Franklin street, and considered one of the most
noted landmarks of the city, may now be num¬
bered amongst the things that were; Mr. John
Kerr having purchased the property, with a
view of erecting on the site three fine stores.
Mr. Thomas Riley first established a drinking
saloon there in 1820, and subsequently added a
restaurant. In 1835 Mr. Riley enlaiged the
premises, including a large hall in which poU-
•ticians of every shade have assembled and
advanced their respective views on the affairs
of the State and Nation. Mr. Riley collected
together many objects of interest, comprising
specimens of natural history. Revolutionary
relics, gold, silver and copper coins of every
description, etc., and displayed them to advan¬
tage in cases provided for them in his bar-room,
and thus attracted thousands of strangers to
see his curiosity shop and patronize his bar.

Y. ]iL Christian Associatioit. — Several
buildings at the Southwest corner of Fourth
.avenue and Twenty-third street h.ave been
demolished, preparatory to the erection of the
new hall designed for the Young Men's Chri¬
stian Association, which wiU be built of free
stone and Nova Scotia stone, five stories high
and basement. It will have a front of about
80 feet on Fourth avenue, and 175 on Twenty-
third street. It is imderstood that the ground
floor will be fitted up for fine stores, and the
upper floors for rooms and hall of the Associa-
taon, ofSces, etc. It is expected that the new
building Avill cost about $400,000. The ground
cost §75,000; and §125,000 was offered for it
immediately after it was purchased.

New York Life Insur-otce Co.'s New
Building, now in the course of erection on
Broadway, Leonard street, .and Catherine Lane,
on the site formerly occupied by the Society
Library, then by the Appletons, and lastly by
Chittenden & Co. and others, will be an im¬
mense structure; three stories under ground
and four above the street surface. The build¬
ing -will be 60 feet wide on Broadway and 71
feet wide in the rear. It wiU be 196 feet deep
on the Leonard street side and 197 feet 3 inches
deep on the Catherine Lane side. The Broad-
front will be of White marble. The basement
walls are four feet thick, of stone, lined with
brick. The front porch will rest on piers 13
feet by 8. The entire building will be con¬
structed in the most substantial manner and
fire-proof. The plans were prepared by GriflSn
Thomas, Esq., architect; the mason work is
being done by John T. Conover; the carpenter
work Avill be done by Thos. Gardiner, Jr.; and
the iron work by the Messrs. Cornell.

Tite tenders for the general formation of the
iiew park at Sefton, Liverpool, ranged from a
little below £75,000 to £85,000. The lowest of
eleven was accepted by the municipal authori¬
ties. The work will be pushed fonvard Avith
gieat vigor.





DOMESTIC ITEMS.

A LEADING dry-goods house of this city has
purchased the Moffat Mansion, formerly occu¬
pied as the seat of Mahonej''s government, and
the firm has rented it as a fashionable boarding-
house. The same firm has purchased the en¬
tire front on Broadway, between Eighteenth
and Ninteenth streets, and Avill commence the
erection of a marble dry-goods store, extending,
the entire length of the block now occupied by
tivo-story frame and brick houses of mean ap¬
pearance.

The house carpenters of the Eastern District
of Brooklyn have resolved to demand, on and
after the first Monday in April, $3.75 per day,
and to quit work on Satm-days at 4 o'clock.

THE Common CouncU Committee of Brook¬
lyn favor the loan of 3,000,000 dollars for the
erection of the East River Bridge.

The Stillwater Brick Mfils, at Millbury,
Mass., have been bumed.   Damage, $200,000.

The Colvins Ironworks, at DanielsonviUe,
Connecticut, were bumed to the groimd on the
night of Monday the 10th.

Rome, New York, is to have a $30,000 Meth¬
odist Episcopal church.

California has 60,000 Chmese, of whom
4,000 work on the Central Pacific Railroad.

Barnum proposes to build a house at Bridge¬
port, Conn., near Seaside Park; also summer
houses for his daughters in the same location.

It is stated that Mr. AVilliam E. Dodge, of
this city, has given $10,000 to the fund for the
erection of the new Theological Hall of Yale
CoUege.

California is considering a bill to sell aU
her public lands, except the 150,000 acres set
apart for the Agricultural College.

At San Francisco an ironclad -ivith all the
modem improvements is being bmlt for Juarez.

The Toledo (Ohio) Blade states that four
large and important manufactmlng establish¬
ments will be commenced in that city avithin
the next month, aU of them upon Toledo capi¬
tal, and ONvned and managed by the citizens of
Toledo.

The Benton statue in St. Louis"wfil be in¬
augurated in May. The proceedings are ex¬
pected to be attended by large numbers of vis¬
itors from every part of the country, and to
pass off ^vith unusual eclat.

Irving Place is to have the Nicolson pave¬
ment. It has also been ordered for Nineteenth
street, from Third to Sixth avenue ; Thu-tieth
street, from Sixth to Ninth avenue; Maiden
Lane; West Twelfth street, from Sixth to
Seventh avenue ; Twenty-ninth street, from
Eighth to Ninth avenue ; Dey street; Third
avenue, from Thirty-fourth to Forty-fourth
street; and Sixteenth street, from Fourth
avenue to Rutherford place.

A new Roman Cathohc church is to be
erected mid-way between West Hoboken and
Hudson City, on the " Hill."

The Croton Aqueduct Department awarded
contracts yesterday for the constraction of
several sewers.

The new fire-escape completed the night be¬
fore on the tenement house, No. 113 Eldridge
street, saved eleven lives at the recent fire.

The streets of Brookljm are to be renum¬
bered, and a new pump is to be constracted at
Ridgewood.

The subject of reducing the fees for obtain¬
ing a patent is being discussed in Washington,
with a fan- prospect of success.

The work on the Paterson and Newark
Railroad is bemg pushed forward wth great
energy, and laborers are in considerable de¬
mand.

A grand masonic full-dress parade is to be
given in PhUadelphia June 24th, when the cor¬
ner-stone of the new hall is to be laid.

The St. Louis merchants exchanged adopted
resolutions yesterday in favor the St. Louis,
Vandalia and Terre Haute Railroad enterprise.

The " Lawyers' Headquarters," on the cor¬
ner of Leonard and Centre streets, has been
purchased for $36,000 by Prank Queen, editor
of the CUjYper, who intends erecting on the site
a $64,000 building.

Brick is scarce at Terre Haute,





d





rOREIGN  ITEMS.

The quantity of sugar used in busine
England increased from 9,988,340 lbs. in'
year endmg at Michaelmas, 1806, to no less _
39,217,264 in the year ending at Michaelml
1867.    The  increase   in  Scotland Avas froJ
209,113 lbs. m 1866, to 351,456 lbs. m 186'
and in Ireland from 148,534 lbs. to 1,425,2
lbs.

The Sultan lately applied to the Briti.,
Government for ten artisans to serve in n,
arsenal at Constantinople, as instructors in tb"
manufactmre of machinery and war materia;"^
and Mr. John Anderson, of Woolwich arsena
was iiStructed by the War Department to mat
a selection, and has done so accordingly. Til.
men are to receive £20 per month, and £3
each for travelling expenses.

New SotTTH AVales produced 250,882 onnc
of gold during the past year.

The amount of gold exported from Melboul
in 1867 Avas 1,733,422 ounces.                        '

The " Grosvenor ]>Iansions," just erec
in Victoria Street, London, on the estate of
Marquis of Westminster, is a splendid bloci
residences on the Parisian plan, laid out
flats, and each flat containing aU the requii
ments of a separate house, but entirely sepj
ated.    These buildings, from the skill of thi
planning, are altogether different from what
known as the " Tenement House " among u
being, in European cities, occupied by f amill
of the highest distiaction,  even nobles, ai
arranged Avith the utmost luxury and convenj
ence.    Some of these flats in the Grosven
Mansions rent for over £300.    No great city
the Avorld is so deficient in residences for pi
pie of moderate means as Ncav York; and its\i
therefore strange that, Avith so many example*-}
before us of what is done successfuUy in Euro
pean cities (for such buildings are demande-
faster than they can be built), our builders a
capitalists have not yet been' able to meet
imperati\-e a demand.

A NEAV system of paAdng footpaths has bee
tried in Paris on the Boulevard de la Chapell^
Avhere iron frames, measuring three feet squardl
have been laid, into which, by means of holel
bored in the frame, are encased blocks of pop
lar, forming a capital pavement, iioplar havint
been selected instead of oak. The latter Avood,
froin. its non-absorbing qualities, Avas found o
jectionable. The system presents a pleasu
appearance, and looks weU. On each side
the footpaths are small conduits, by aa'M
rain water is di-ained off to the side seAver.

Efforts are being made in London to infer-
duce soluble glass, or silicate of soda, for ren
deringmaterialsuninflammable; andaniustanc
is prominently mentioned of the Grand Duk
of Bavaria's Theatre haATUg been saved" froi
destruction in consequence of that materii^
having been largely used in its construction,
Muslin steeped in this substance bums sloAvly
but does not flare.

Building in " Concrete " is just now makin;
a great stir among the builders and architect
of England. At a recent meeting of the Archi
tectual Association, expressly to discuss th
subject, Mr. TaU, Avho has lately patented
ncAV process, made some startling assertions
He said that in any clay country, Avith brick
even as Ioav as 20s. per 1,000, he could build coi
Crete houses at half the expense of bricks. I
on the other hand, there Avas no clay, bi
gi'avel, stone chipijings, clinkers, or anything
of that sort, he Avould undertake to cmsh th
stuff and use it up Avith the concrete at muc
less cost than brick work.

A nugget Aveighing over 500 oz. has bee
found near Landhunt, Victoria.    ,. ;

A Neav Thajies Tunnel.—Ail: importamj
engineering project, Avhich has excited but lit
tie public attention, and for which the necessar;
Parliamentary sanction has not yet been ob
tained, is already in process of exieeiition, viz.
the tunnel or sub-Avay intended t6' be diivei|
under the Thames between London>Bridge an'
the ToAver.

The railway from Nice to the Italian frontier
belonging to the Paris, Lyons, and Mediter¬
ranean Company, is uoav completed.