Morning Herald

The Fair:—the beautiful Petticoat and the pretty Petticoats!

Fair at Niblo's! Fair at Niblo's! Fair at Niblo's! was in every one's mouth yesterday from morning till midnight. It was printed and pasted up at every corner of the street. About one hundred omnibuses were running up and down Broadway, literally filled with beautiful young women, elegantly dressed, all hastening to the Fair.

At a moderate calculation, there must have been seven hundred of these sweet visitants at Niblo's yesterday. Their's were very like "angel's visits," although they were not "Short and far between."

Many went there to see the beautiful works of art of which the rooms contain the most brilliant assortment ever sent there—many went there to see the beautiful works of Nature, of which there was a glorious assemblage—three hundred handsome young ladies in the garden at one time! Many went to see the young men—but they were mostly ill-looking—they must turn out better today, or the girls will go west for sweethearts. And many went there to be seen—to show their fair faces, pretty persons and elegant dresses. All fair girls, in love, as in politics, put on your most becoming attire and go in crowds; for, without you the exhibition would be incomplete and wearisome. Go, girls, go.

But probably what drew numbers there, was the report that a most magnificently worked Petticoat valued at $700, intended as a present to the queen Victoria, was to be seen yesterday. It is said to be the production of seven young ladies of this city, all under eighteen years of age, and has occupied them incessantly for seven months. Think of that, ladies! A petticoat worked by seven sweet girls in seven months, worth $700. Don't let it go out of the country. There are plenty of American ladies worthy of wearing such a petticoat; far more so than all the queens in the universe. It is now confidently asserted by those who seem to be in the secret, that this extraordinary petticoat will be finished in time for the exhibition on Wednesday.

The articles that seemed to attract the most attention yesterday were a carriage of pure gold and one of silver, each drawn by two large bed bugs, said to be sent (but that seems hardly credible) by the Commissioners of the Alms House, as being the "first fruits" of their late labors, and being four of the identical bugs alluded to in their late poem upon vermin.

Two cases there deserve most particular attention. and are alone worth a visit to Niblo's to see.

1. A case of cutlery.
2. A case of pocket books.

There is but one manufacturer in the United States of the cutlery contained in this case, and he employs no boys, girls or journeymen to assist him. The case contains nothing but pen and pocket knives, and these are worth $500, all made by one man in three months. They are most excellent specimens of workmanship.

It is most desirable that we encourage the home manufacture of this article. We now import from Sheffield cutlery to the amount of ten millions of dollars annually. One house in Sheffield (Greaves) manufacture twenty thousand table knives and forks for the American market weekly.

Insignificant as a pen knife seems, over 120 persons are employed in its manufacture, and in the actual "making up" of a knife there are twenty distinct branches, viz: Blade forger, blade grinder, blade polisher, spring forger, spring polisher, scale cutter, (inside), scale driller, do. cutter, (outside,) shoulder caster. Tommying boy, (to stamp,) shoulder stamper, shield maker, handle cutter for pearl, do for ivory, do for bone, do for stag-horn, do. for tortoise-shell, outside scale carver, silver back mounted, setter in. A blade forger, can forge three gross of blades per day, worth 4s. 6d. per gross. Yet all these branches are executed by one individual in New York. New York must beat all creation in cutting instruments, as the New York Herald beats every paper in cutting paragraphs.—

Look at that case of knives, ladies, look at them, gentlemen, buy them; present them to your sweet-hearts. Never mind the nonsense about knives cutting love asunder. Love can't be cut. You can cut your swains, and they can cut their stick, but they can't cut love.

Now for the pocket book case, or cases, for there are two of them. They are just at the foot of the stage, and the alms house commissioners bugs are in one of them. Besides these valuable animals, the cases contain goods worth $1000. Splendid affairs—beautiful presents. Ladies' card cases, not to be equalled in the world, home manufacture: Ladies dressing cases—a dressing case presented to a lady is the surest way to win her heart, she thinks of the giver every night as she makes her toilet before laying her beautiful limbs in bed; she renews her recollections the instant she rises, and resorts to her case. We counted forty-six ladies around these cases to look at the dressing cases, and the cage of bed bugs said to be sent by the alms house poetical commissioners.

Pocket book making is now an important manufacture in this country. Bussing began it in this city 25 years ago—he is the oldest and the best in the country; the articles manufactured here and those in the fair are superior to the French work: New York can produce the best pocket books, as well as the best pickpockets in the world. There are three of these manufacturers in the city; they have a capital invested of $10,000. There are eight or ten manufacturers of coarse pocket books with a capital of $20,000 down east—but all their fine work is sent from here; there are three in Philadelphia with a capital of 10,000, but Bussing supplies them all with fine goods—so with Boston, and the south and west. In this one house there are $50,000 worth of goods and 300 different descriptions of pocket books.

In Connecticut and Massachusetts, the manufacturers employ through the summer several hundred girls to make pocket books—beautiful daughters of respectable farmers! They get a dollar a week and find themselves—in the winter they return to their fathers' farms. In New York the girls only do the sewing. In Bussing's manufactory 30 men are employed, and only three girls. Four-fifths of the leather used is American—only the very finest is brought from France. But France can't compete with our New Yorkers either in quality or price. We have driven them out of the market, as we drove the British hireling soldiers out of the city.

Success to the Mechanics' fair! We are hard pushed for time and space tonight or we should say more, much more. It will be—it is a splendid exhibition—great scenes and sights will be met with there during the week. Two marriages were got up there yesterday and the happy day fixed—the wedding cakes are now in the fair. Nothing like it from Maine to Mexico for bright eyes, fair faces, and beautiful forms.

We will do justice to the whole of the fair, and fine things at the fair.

Ten millions of dollars could not purchase the works of art at this fair, and "all the wealth of all the Indies," could not purchase the pretty women there. God bless the whole of them. They love mechanics; they love the real working men, the producers of all the pretty things that embellish society and make life endurable. There is no trace of "the pressure" at the Mechanic's fair; the only pressure experienced there is that in the crowd you occasionally get pressed against a pretty girl; and such a pressure is, to say the least of it, endurable. God bless the girls! God bless the mechanics! success to their fair at Niblo's, and to the fair who grace it with their presence!