ofusion. All that money
can do to make the place attractive and luxurious has been done, and as
money can always command taste, the work has been well done.

The servants attached to the place are generally negroes of the better
class. They are well trained, many of them having been brought up as the
_valets_, or butlers of the Southern gentry, and answer better for such
places than whites, inasmuch as they are quiet, uncommunicative,
attentive and respectful. One of these men is always in charge of the
front door, and visitors are admitted with caution, it being highly
desirable to admit only the nominally respectable. The best known houses
are those of Morrissey, in Twenty-fourth street, and Ransom's and
Chamberlain's, in Twenty-fifth street. Chamberlain's is, perhaps, the
most palatial and the best conducted establishment in the country.

[Picture: A FIRST-CLASS GAMBLING HOUSE.]

The house is a magnificent brown-stone mansion, not far from Broadway.
Ascending the broad stone steps, and ringing the bell, the visitor is
ushered into the hall by the man in charge of the door, who is selected
with great care. An attentive colored servant takes his hat and
overcoat, and throws open the door of the drawing rooms. These
apartments are furnished with taste as well as with magnificence. The
carpet is of velvet, and the foot sinks noiselessly into it. The walls
are tinted with delicate shades of lavender, and the ceiling is
exquisitely frescoed. The furniture is of a beautiful design, and is
upholstered in colors which harmonize with the prevailing tint of the
walls and ceiling. The mantels are of Vermont marble, and over each is a
large wall mirror. At each end of the room is a long pier glass, placed
between richly curtained windows. Fine bronzes are scattered about the
room, and in the front parlor are large and well-executed copies of
Dora's "Dante and Virgil in the Frozen Regions of Hell," and "Jephthah's
Daughter." The front parlor is entirely devoted to the reception and
entertainment of guests. The gaming is carried on in the back parlor.

In the rear of the back parlor is the supper room, one of the richest and
most tasteful apartments in the city. A long table, capable of seating
fifty guests, is spread every evening with the finest of linen, plate,
and table-ware. The best the market can afford is spread here every
night. The steward of the establishment is an accomplished member