The second "Patriarchs'" ball of the season was held last night at Delmonico's. The floral decorations consisted chiefly of a magnificent arch over the ladies' entrance and numerous bouquets. Some of the bouquets were of unusual beauty and rarity. The supper was excellent, and all the arrangements were in accordance with the taste of the managers. The question is often asked, "What are the Patriarchs." The circumstances which called for Almack's, in London, have resulted in "The Patriarchs." Quoting "Endymlon"_" the necessity of providing regular occasions for the assembling of the miscellaneous world of fashion led to the institution of Almack's, which died out in the fierce competition of inexhaustible private entertainments." The lady patrons of Almack's were: The Duchess of Norfolk, the Marchionesses of Ely, Londonderry, and Westminster: the Countess of Jersey, the Viscountess Palmerston, and Lady Clinton. The rules prevented the introduction of any lady whom a patroness did not visit, or any gentleman who was not presented by a lady member on whose visiting list he was. Almack's turned out to be one of the most brilliant collections of people London had ever seen. "The Patriarchs," then, are simply an American Almack's, with 360 guests at a ball in place of 1,700, Almack's limit. In no sense of the word are the "Patriarchs" assemblies, for in this City an assembly would embrace at least from 1,000 to 1,800 people. They are simply private halls, given by 48 gentlemen, and at Delmonico's instead of at their own houses, as they find their houses too small comfortably to contain the fashionable world.

The following list embraces the "Patriarchs" and their wives and guests, nearly all of whom were present last night: Mr. and Mrs. William Astor, Mr. John W. Hammersly, Mr. Clarkson N. Potter, Mr. and Mrs. W.W. Astor, Mr. and Mrs. L. S.G. d'Hauteville, Mr. and Mrs. August Belmont, Mr. and Mrs. Meredith Howland, Mr. and Mrs. James A. Roosevelt, Mr. and Mrs. Robert G. Remsen, Mr. and Mrs. Mathurin Livingstone, Mr. and Mrs. Francis R. Rives, Mr. and Mrs. George Peabody Wetmore, Mr. and Mrs. N.M. Beckwith, Mr. and Mrs. George G. Haven, Mr. and Mrs. George L. Rives, Mr. and Mrs. William C. Schermerhorn, Mr. and Mrs. Charles H. Berryman, Mr. and Mrs. L.C. Hammersley, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Suydam, Mr. and Mrs. Adrian Iselin, Mr. and Mrs. S.V.R. Cruger, Mr. and Mrs. H. A. Johnson, Mr. and Mrs. J.W. Clendenin, Mr. Charles E. Strong, Mr. and Mrs. John Steward, Jr., Mr. and Mrs. Delancey Kane, Mr. and Mrs. Edward Cooper, Mr.and Mrs. Pierre Lorillard, Mr. Johnson Livingston, Mr. and Mrs. Ward McAllister, Mr. and Mrs. Edwin A. Post, Mr. and Mrs. William Oothout, Mr. and Mrs. William C. Pell, Mr. Royal Phelps, Mr. and Mrs. William R. Travers, Mr. Smith Clift, Mr. and Mrs. E.N. Tailer, Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Edwards, Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton Fish, Mr. and Mrs. William Trumbull, Mr. and Mrs. George Henry Warren.

Mr. and Mrs. James W. Gerard, Mr. and Mrs. Matthew Wilks, Mr. and Mrs. J.N.A. Griswold. Mr. and mrs. Alexander S. Webb, Mr. and Mrs. William Guion, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Goelet, Mr. and Mrs. Buchanan Winthrop, Miss Astor, Mr. F.B. Abbott, Mr. and Mrs. B. Coleman Drayton, Viscount Lymington, Mr. C.B. Hoffman, Miss Mynert, of Boston: Gen. George B. McClellan and Miss McClellan, Mr. August Belmont, Jr., Mr. and Mrs. William R. Stewart, Miss Drexel, of Philadelphia: Mr. Martin Van Buren, Miss Berryman, Miss Bird, Mr. W.F. Kingsland, Mr. and Mrs. William Post, Mr. J.M. Forbes, Jr. Mrs. Frederick Sheldon, Mr. Kerrick Riggs, Mr. and Mrs. Philip S. Van Rensselaer, Mr. Allen T. Rice, Mr. and Mrs. Philip Schuyler, Mr. and Mrs. F.R. Jones, Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd Bryce, Mr. and Mrs. C. G. Francklyn, Miss Minnie Stewart, Mr. Alexander Baring, Miss Haven, Mr. Frelinghuysen, Mr. Bayard Tuckerman, Mr. J. Kean, Jr., Mr. and Mrs. J. Lawrence, Miss Fish, Mr. and Mrs.. W.F. Morgan, Miss E.R. Leroy, Mr. C. Floyd-Jones, Mr. George Griswold, Jr., Mr. George Bird, Miss Ethel Potter, Miss Appleton, Mr. and Mrs. Ogden Goelet, Mr. James P. Kernochan, Mr. Augustus Schermerhorn, Miss Sargent, Mr. and Mrs. F.C. Lawrence, the Marquis San Marzano, Mrs. Parsons and Miss Parsons, Mr. and Mrs. Yznaga, Mr. Gerald Hoyt. Gen. and Mrs. Di Cesnola, Sir William Johnson, Miss Goodline, Mr. William Foulke.

Mr. Francis Lowell, of Boston, Miss Prince, M.J.H. Hammersley, Mr. Bierstadt, Miss Gertrude Hoyt, Gen. S.W. Crawford, Mr. Bowers Lee, Mr. Julian Kean, Mr. Henry Hoyt, Mrs. Torrance and Miss Torrance, Mr. Frank G. Griswwold, Mr. Philip Allen, Gen. Lloyd Aspinwall, Mr. and Mrs. William Iselin, Miss Stebbins, Mr. Langdon Wilkes, the Misses Johnson, Mr. J.F. Tams, Mr. and Mrs. C. Robert, J. Rutgers Le Roy, Mrs. C.F. Blake, Mr. S.N. Kane, Mr. Oakley Rhinelander, Mrs. Paran Stevens, Mr. and Mrs. C. Bentinck, Miss Livingston, Miss Estelle Livingston, Mr. and Mrs. James B. Toler, Mr. H.B. Livingston, Mr. Campbell Steward, Mr. J.S. Cram, Mr. Harry Oelrichs, Miss Lorillard, Miss Emily Pell, Mr. and Mrs. Bradley Martin, Mr. Edward Everett, of Boston: Mr. F.S. Witherbee, Mr. R. Mortimer, Jr., Mr. F.H. Baldwin, Mr. B.S. Wells, Jr., Miss Bessie Morgan, Miss Oothout, Mr. John P. Kingsford, Miss Emily O. Post, Miss King, Mr. Le Roy King, Mr. C.A. Post, Mr. John L. Cadwallader, Mr. T. Maitland, the Misses Carroll, of Maryland; Gen. and Mrs. Barlow, Mr. and Mrs. T. Roosevelt, Mr. and Mrs. James Brown Potter, the Misses Remsen, Mr. and Mrs. Roland Redmond, Mr. P. Marie, the Misses Rives, Mr. and Mrs. David King, Mr. Center Hitchcock, Mr. and Mrs. J.L. Lee, Mr. Henry Cram, Mr. and Mrs. Duncan Cryder, Mr. and Mrs. W.L. Suydam, Miss Suydam, Mr. A.S. Carhart, Miss Gandy, Miss Helen Grant, of Boston; Miss Harriet Lawrence, of Boston.

Mr. and Mrs. John J. Kane, Mr. Lorillard Spencer, the Misses Turnbull, Mr. Henry Chauncey, Jr., Miss Isabella King, Mr. W.A. Duer, Miss Travers, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Hoffman, Miss Mary Mason Jones, Mr. and Mrs. B.K. Stevens, Mr. F. Winthrop, Mr. H.H. Harter, of England: Mr. William C. Maxwell, of England: Mr. Victor Drummond, First Secretary of the English Legation; the Misses Warren, Miss Kate Bulkely, and Mr. Gould Redmond.

The costumes of the evening were fully equal, and in some points superior , to those of the first ball. As on that occasion, the most of them were Parisian. Among them may be mentioned those worn by Mrs. Astor, Mrs. Goelet, Miss Carroll, Miss Livingston, Mrs. Wetmore, Miss Bird, Miss Oothout, Miss Drexel, Mrs. Drayton, Miss Potter, Mrs. Stevens, Miss Lorillard, and Miss Grant, of Boston. The ball began at 11 o'clock; supper was served at 12:30 and carriages were ordered at 3 a.m. The cotillion was begun at 1 A.M. Mr. Frank Sturgis and Mrs. John Steward, Jr., leading, Mr. Ward McAllister and Mrs. W.W. Astor on their right, and Col. Delancey Kane and Mrs. F.S.G. d'Hauteville on their left. The favors were flowers and imported articles of vertu.