HOTELS.—The hotels form an important part of every large town, and in many instances one of their chief attractions. What would Clifton, or Saratoga, or New York be to the great traveling public, without their hotels. The hotels of New York rank among the largest and finest in the world. Among them may be mentioned the Astor, Metropolitan, St, Nicholas, St. James, St. Cloud, Hoffman, Everett, Clarendon, New York, Fifth Avenue, Grand Central, Gilsey, and a hundred more, many of which are of equal notoriety.

THE ASTOR HOUSE was erected in 1836, by John Jacob Astor, then the richest man in America. It is a six-story granite, on Broadway, overlooking the City Hall Park, and covers the spot where Mr. Astor resided during most of his business life. The front extends across a narrow block, and the building affords accommodations for six hundred guests. Architecture on Manhattan has so decidedly improved since its erection, that its glory has long since departed. Its exterior appears sombre and heavy, its windows are small and unadorned, no balcony or colonnade tempts the inmates into public view, and its single massive entrance is not really inviting. Under the management of the Stetsons it has, however, long ranked among the very first hotels of America.