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January 7, 1888 The Record and Guide. and the tap has been turned on the stream of talk. It does not seem as if anything would he done until tbe close of the session in June next. In the meantime the surplus will keep on accumu¬ lating, and the business of the country will suffer because of the uncertainties created by the tariff debate. Concerninq Ren and Things. *"* Evidences of the "New South" are becoming visible in the Horth. One of them ia the increasing number of coal cars to be seen in the freight yards of the Pennejivania and other railroads. There are dozens of green- painted West Virginia cars standing now iu Jpr'^ey City; indeed the number of Southern freight cars of all kinds has become conspicuous. The recent coal strikes in the North and the consequent advance in prices have given Southern mine-owners an opportunity, of which they seemingly have Bvailed themselves, to enlarge tha market for their product both Northward and Westward. The inducements which the South offers to capital are only just gaining recognition. The modern era, the day of real commercial enterprise, is dawning beyond Mason and Dixon's line, *** The Mercury celebrated its fiftieth anniversary last Monday by a dinner at the Aator House, after which there were speeches by the old contribu¬ tors. Before the daily papers got into the Sunday field the Sunday pr^ss was quite an ioatitution. The Mercury was one of tbe most profpercm, and during the Civil War it bad a very heavy circulation, although it charged eight cents a copy. Its war news was particularly accnrate, and its Washington dispatches, giving forecasts of the movements of the armies, were reproduced by the associated press throughout the country. It ia said that General Thomas Eckert, the war censor, was often astonished how matters got through to the Mercury from Washington, The fact of the case was that the Mercury was served by an expert, who reasoned out the movements of the armies with rare sagacity, Andrew Jackson Davia, the ppirituahst, was publishing a paper during the war, in which he under¬ took to give forecasts of the pending army movements. Of course this information assumed to come through mediums. Davis and the Mercury expert held a conference after tha war, when it was found that the mediums were wrong nine times in ten, while the Mercury man was gen¬ erally justified in his vaticinations by what actually occurred in the tield. The Jlfercury is still a prosperous paper, but the distinctively Sunday press has been overshadowed by the Sunday issues of the daily preas. *** Richard Mansfield ia one of the fortunate actors who is well cared for by the press. Everything he does is commented on and commended. His "Monsieur" and his "Count Rudolph" were mere variety shows, but they were puffed to death. His dramatiaation of Stevenson's weird story is a disagreeable performance, and does not take with audiences; neither are Mr. Hyde and Dr, Jekyll at all what the book suggests. Manefiald is an actor ot talent that almust approaches genius, but his proper place is in a stock company. There is not enough of him to make a star, *'* Steele Mackaye has scored another success in "Anarchy." Not'more than one in four of his pieces are playable, but he was very fortunate with " Hazel Eirke," While " Anarchy " is an excellently constructed play, though, it should be classed as a melodrama. The American drama is doing very well, * * w Henry R. Beekman will make an excelleut Corporation Counsel. He is a good lawver, is thoroughly posted in the city's affairs, and has what is needed in that position—a judicial mind. He belongs to our Real Estate Exchange, and was an efficient member of its Legislative Committee, It is a pity that some more of the members of our old New York fami¬ lies are not prominent in city politics. Mayor Hewitt was quite right in regretting that more of tha graduates of Columbia College did not take an active part in municipal affairs, so that he could appoint other than foreigners to posts of trust and authority. .** German opera at the Metropolitan establishment is running to emptyings. While there was any new Wagnerian operas to bring out there was st least the charm of novelty in the performances, for nothing could be more novel than Wagner's musical compositions. But the reproduction of forgot^ ten operas sixty and eighty years old is quite another matter. The fact is, the German operatic stage is a comparatively modem one ana has not the history that is back of either the French or Italian repertoires. It is clear that if.the Metropolitan Opera House is to retain its popularity it must give a season of Italian opera now and then. New Vork, too. cuuld stand a short season of French grand opera. But our musical public will not be satisfied with a repetition of the chestuuty revivals of Weber and the author of " Cortez." It will interest architects and arcfase^logista to learn that the Italian government has appointed a commission to excavate the ancient city of Sybaris, said to have been inundated during war by the inhabitants of the lival city of Crotonia. Sybaris was the seat of a Grecian colony in the southern part of the Italian peninsula. Its splendor, luxury and licen¬ tiousness are still proverbial. As it was destroyed about 500 B. C, any discoveries made are expected to be of great historical importance. *** Tbe Commercial Spirit, ever on the look out for new fields to conquer, is just now turning its attention to the Holy Land. The fag ends of civ¬ ilization—Jewish, Mahommedan and Christian—which have found a haunt there for many centuries are threatened with extinction; and in a few years more its present chief characteristics to the traveler—break-neck roads, filthy caravan series, dirty dragomans and backsheesh—will protably be things of the past. New roads of modem structure with troUoirs are bein^ piade: tbe ancient town of Tiberias, a fashionable city in the days of the Tetrarch, Herod, is to be converted into a health resort, with large hath houses at the adjicent sulphur springs, and steamers are to ply on the Sea of Galilee. The climate during certain months is said to be lovely, aud it is expected that it will become "quite the thing" for " society" of Londou, Paris and Berlin to pass some of its spare time by the "waters of Israel," The years bring about queer changes in the affairs of men, and someof them are not devoid of mockery. *** It is marvelous how much of ancient history has been written hy tha pickaxe and spade. Most of what we know of Ninevah and Babylon, Media, ^Persia and Bactria, was hterally "unearthed" by these tools. Schlieman's discoveries at Troy, or on Ihe supposed site of Troy, are known to all. Pompeii was dug out of its tomb of ashes, and the spade has found, hidden in caves and mounds, tbe skulls, weapons, and even the drawings, of men who must have existed in a remote prehistoric period, when tbe geographical distribution of land and water was not aa it is to-day—when the Rhine flowed into England, the Caspian, Mediter¬ ranean and Red Sea were one vast fake, and ice covered the face of Northern Europe. Prominent Buildings Ereclcd During 1887. A review of the tables of buildings projected during the twelve months jast closed shows that 1887 was not behind preceding years in the number, size, or costliness of realty important buildings commenced. South of Hth street the tendency of practice is towards the erection of more and more solid and expensive edifices, and however much cartain diatricts maybe open to the charge of cheap slipshod work, tbis cannot be said of anything but a few of the tenements in the lower part of the city. For the rest, the great improvement ia the construction of offlce, store and warehouse buildiuga deserves)notice. It is unnecessary to speak here of the architectural merits or demerits of the work done in 1887, but the many architecturally Eatisfactory warehomes which have been erected should not be overlooked. Here, where the architect is least called on as an artist, he has in many cases achieved the most satisfactory results. The materials are often well chosen, the designs suitable, and the requirements of the buildings have been admirably met. South of 14th street a great deal of the "big" workdone during the year was of thia kind, for very few ofllce buildings were put up. On Greenwich street, at the northeast corner of Laight strset, a fine six-story brick factory, 81.4x125.10, to cost $110,003, is nearing com¬ pletion. On Franklin street, at the northwest corner of Varick street, D, S, Walton & Co, the paper firm, are erecting what will be one of the finest factories in the city. The cost will be §200,CCO, The char¬ acter of Greene street has been wonderfully changed by the builder in the last few yeara. At Nos, 159 and 101 a handsome brick and brown rtone warehouse of a very solid kind is almost ready for occupancy. A short distance from the foregoing, at Nos. 9^ to 99 Prince street and No. 147 Mercer street, John Jacob Astor is building a fire story brick and stone store and offlce building which will cost $150,000. It is nearly com¬ pleted. The most important building commenced on lower Broadway during the year ia that for the Consolidated Stock and Petroleum Exchange at Nos, 58 to 63 and on Noa. 31 to 29 New street. The super¬ structure of this edifice is nearly completed, and the public character of the building will surely make it attractive to critics. We can safely leave the architectural side of the matter to them. Tha building wiil cost $335 OOO, a large sum considering that the ground on which it stands is leased for only twenty five yeara, and the rent Is $75,300 per annum, with taxes, etc. Of important store buildings on Broadway south of lith street there are two deserving mention, one ia at No, 637 and 639, an iron and brick six- story structure of the old type, to cost $110,000, and the other a brown stone and brick dweUing, seven stories high, at No, 737. The latter is a very pleasing structure in the Romanesque style. A little further up Broadway, Nos. 803 and 808, adjoining tha gardens of Grace Church, is a six-story brick Gothic store building, of which a great deal was expected archi¬ tecturally, being iu a style seldom used in commercial structures. It cannot ba said that a wonderful success has been achieved, but the building is well built and of course is a decided improvement on the cast- iren fronts of other days. At. Noa, 59 and 63 Allen street and No. 88 Eldridge street a large five-story stable is building by E. Ridley & Sons. It stands ou the site of the old Dutch Church, A novel feature of the new building will be a bridge, which it is proposed to throw over the elevated tracks to the firm's old establishment on the east of Allen street. North of 14th street, the number of large buildings and structures of importance vie well with those south of that line. Indeed, the most costly building under way for which plans were filed this year is tha Central Turn Verein Gymnasium and Club on 67th street, near. 3d avenue, which takes in a frontage of 175 feet and wQl oost upwards of $400,000. When finished it will be one of the finest buildingsof its kind in the city, especially in its athletic department. Several institutions of prominence are under way up town. Amongst them is the Home for Incurables which the St. Francis' Bisters are erecting on Wid street, between Brook and St. Ann's avenues, to cost $200,000; the Ottendorfer Home for Aged People on 30th avenueandigothstreet, to cost a similar sum, and the Montefiore Home for Chronic Invalids on llth avenue, batween 133:h and 139th streets, to cost $125,000. There are several other clubs with a number of factory and office buildirgs, two of which are for electric light companies. That athletic sports are gaining ground is shown not only by tbe construction of the Turn Verein building, but by another structure to be entirely devoted to gymnastics on 44th street, near Sth avenue. Indtei, amongst the important buildings under way north of Hth street there are almost as many as minister to pleasure and recreation as there are devoted to business or any other purpose-. Amongst the various buildings ccmmenced and finished this year is one of exceptional character and deserves passing notice. It is the laboratory built for Dr, Loomis on 26th street, near 1st avenue. This ia one of the mo^ elaborate of its kind and is said to he the finest private laboratory m