The Refuge is a brick building three stories, with basement and three wings, and has accommodations for 450 persons. The first floor contains the steward's department, with store for Island supplies, matron's room, cutting-rooms, and sleeping departments. The upper floors are devoted to dormitories. This building is devoted, as its name indicates, to destitute cases, chiefly healthy women and advanced children.

The Nursery, or Home of the Children, is a three-story frame building with Mansard roof, 120 by 90 feet. In the basement are the dining, play, and bath-rooms. The first floor contains the matron's and the sleeping-rooms. On the second are the school-rooms, with every convenience. Their instruction is conducted by teachers supplied by the New York Board of Education. On the third floor is the Roman Catholic Chapel and its ante-rooms, dedicated in 1868, by Archbishop McClosky, assisted by a number of his clergy, in the presence of the Commissioners and other distinguished persons. It is a neat and commodious room with seating for 500 persons.

The Protestant Chapel occupies the second floor of a separate brick building, 2'5 by 125 feet, and in design and finish corresponds with the Catholic Chapel. Connected with it is a reading-room supplied with a large number of periodicals. The first floor of the edifice is used as a medical ward for women, and will accommodate forty-five patients.

The New Barracks consists of a plain brick edifice, with three stories and basement, with rear projection for boiler-rooms, bath-rooms, etc The building is 160 feet by 44, is heated with steam, and contains berths for 450 persons. The dining-hall is a separate edifice, 50 feet by 125, with tables for the accommodation of 1,200 persons at one time.

A three-story and basement brick, 25 by 125 feet, is the Lunatic Asylum. This is under the direction of the physician-in-chief, and by him regularly attended. During 1869 there were 322 of this class under treatment, of whom 116 were discharged cured or improved; 21, whose term had expired, were transferred to the Blackwell's Island Lunatic Asylum, 31 to other wards for other maladies, and 16 died. At this writing it contains 86 insane women, and 64 men, one-half of whom are Irish; and the others represent nearly all the countries of Europe. The present building is entirely insufficient for the accommodation of this large and rapidly increasing class, and the Commissioners have set apart $250,009 for the erection of a large and commodious Asylum.

Besides numerous other buildings, which we have not space to describe, we may simply state that the residences of the physicians, superintendent, and his deputy are all ample and well-furnished, in keeping with their wants and responsibilities.

Immigrants having paid their commutation fee are allowed to return, in all cases of sickness or destitution, for five years, and share without charge the treatment of the Hospital, and the comforts of the other Institutions. The farm is cultivated with this emigrant help, and as many as possible are made useful on the premises. The buildings form a village, surrounded with sloping lawns, fruit and shade trees, gardens and fields of high cultivation. In pleasant weather women and girls may be seen sitting in groups of fifties in the shade of the buildings. A Catholic and a Protestant chaplain hold stated services attended by their respective adherents.

About fourteen thousand are annually cared for on the Island, the average family amounting to about twelve or fourteen hundred. As might be expected, the magnificence of this princely system is often imposed upon, both by the spendthrift and the miserly immigrant, who returns too frequently to be clothed and boarded through the winter season at the Refuge. Appropriate legislation only can check this growing abuse. We turn from the review of this interesting subject, feeling that the ample reception provided for our alien brethren is sufficiently worthy of our times, and of the great city and State whence it emanates.