SOME EARLY HOUSES OF LUXURY
IN NEW YORK
 

The great style in which William Walton (of the Walton
House, Pearl Street), lived, has often been mentioned in
connection with our domestic history. It was said, that
when, in answer to the petition of grievances of some of
our people to Parliament, a member stated that the cora-
plaints were of an imaginary character, that he had traveled
and been entertained in New York, and had seen in the
houses of some citizens a display of plate and a style of
life that would have been respectable in the establishment
of an English nobleman; and it was supposed that in this
he had reference to the family of WiIIiam Walton, whose
mansion, erected about the year 1760, was removed to
make roora for the Brooklyn Bridge. Mr. Walton was one
of those merchants who, during the French War, suddenly
acquired great wealth by fortunate maritime ventures.
Several other private residences, upon a similar scale,
were erected about the same period, in different parts of
the city, but only one or two approached in style that of
Mr. Walton. Sorae indications of the furniture of this
establishment have come down to us, though our account
has reference to a later period than that at which it ex-
hibited its early magnificence.

The principal rooms were furnished with silk damask
and green worsted curtains, mahogany card-tables and
stands, mahogany dining-tables, mahogany chairs, with
damask seats; ditto, with hair seats; green Windsor
chairs, three large walnut gilt-framed looking-glasses, a
large number of prints, fraraed and glazed, besides a
large quantity of the ordinary articles of domestic furni-
ture, which need not be enumerated.

The silver-plate of the family was coraposed of the
following   articles:

Two pair of silver candlesticks..weight, 81^4 ounces

One   silver   snuffers-stand..........     "       1154

One large silver waiter................     "       32

Two  small silver waiters............     "       15j4

Two   pint-mugs   ............................     "       21j4

Two  pint-bowls   ............................     "       12^

Two  sauce-boats   ..........................     "       29

Four salts, and four shovels......     "       12^4

Twenty  tea-spoons   ......................
 

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