THERE are eighteen public and several private parks and squares on Manhattan, covering in all over a thousand acres or one-fourteenth of the entire island. Many of the early parks have either disappeared or been greatly changed during the last few years. The Battery, which now contains twelve acres, was originally somewhat smaller, and was early profusely set with Lombardy poplar trees, all of which have now disappeared. This park, affording a fine view of the bay, and fanned with the cool breezes the ocean, was for many years the most popular resort of the city for all classes.

It is being again improved with walks and trees, after being long neglected. Bowling Green, so named because the favorite bowling place of the military officers of King George, is a small oval enclosure at lower Broadway. It was fenced with iron before the Revolution, and the heads of the posts were broken off and used as cannon balls during the war. The City Hall Park contains ten acres. Many great and beautiful trees in this were cut down after the erection of the Marble Hall, to enable the populace from all quarters to get a view of the edifice. St. John's Park, which contained four acres, is said to have once presented, besides its beautiful fountain and beds of rare flowers, a greater variety of trees and shrubbery than any other spot of its size in the world. It is now covered with the Hudson River R. R. freight depot, ornamented with the costly bronze statue of the present railroad king, who has just demolished a fine church, and many other costly structures in another part of the city, to make place for the erection of another immense depot, the largest on the continent. Stuyvesant square contains four acres, and was presented to the city by the late Peter G. Stuyvesant.

Tompkins square contains ten acres, and is much used as a place of military parade. It contains few ornaments. Washington square was formerly the Potter's Field, and was thus used during the Yellow Fever periods of 1797-1798, 1801-1803. It contained, until recently nine and a half acres, and is believed to have received the bodies of 125,000 strangers. The recent extension of Fifth avenue has somewhat marred this beautiful park, by forcing a wide street through its center.

Union and Madison are very attractive centers, surrounded with high iron enclosures, containing beautiful fountains seats for visitors, and a fine growth of young trees.

Murray Hill Park, adjoining the distributing reservoir, is being much improved though the absence of shade has hitherto prevented it from being a place of general resort for the neighborhood. New parks are being formed on the upper parts of the island, among which we mention Observatory Place, containing 26 acres; Manhattan square, containing 19 acres; and Mount Morris, containing 20 acres.