Fashionable society had only one engagement last evening, and that was the first of this season's Assembly balls in the Madison Square Garden. The corridor at the head of the red-carpeted stairs on the second floor was set apart as the cloakroom, the ladies using the large retiring rooms at the eastern end.

The concert ball had never before been so elaborately decorated. The terrace rising from the platform at the western end of the chamber was backed almost to the ceiling, with ferns and small exotics in the foreground and immense palms and rubber plants in the background. The edge of the platform occupied by the orchestra had a fringing of low palms and ferns.

In other parts of the ballroom festoons of evergreens fell with graceful sweeps to the edge of the first balcony, and the front of the balcony was trimmed with evergreens. The upper balcony in the rear of the hall was filled with exotics, and bunches of holly were fastened to the centre of each panel around the interior. When the electric blaze was turned upon the ballroom the striking comparison between the deep green and the light cream brought out an expression of admiration from each guest. The decorations were presented by Thorley.

As the guests entered they were met by Mrs. Griswold Gray, Mrs. John Minturn, Mrs. Lorillard, and Mrs. Frederic J. de Peyster, the Reception Committee. There was general dancing from the opening of the ball to the supper hour, at 12:o'clock, when all the guests followed the Reception Committee and the subscribers into the supper room.

In an hour the supper had been served and the orchestra again struck up. Elisha Dyer, Jr., gave out the cotillion numbers, and the cotillion started at about 1:30 o'clock. As there were 101 numbers, making in all only 202 dancers, the boxes were thrown open to the rest of the 535 guests, who either watched the cotillion or danced in the Chamber Music Hall. The cotillion was danced for about an hour and a half, and it was nearly 3:30 o'clock when the first Assembly broke up.

Many rich costumes were worn to the ball. A Princess gown of heliotrope crepe, with a deep bertha and high puffed sleeves, was worn by Mrs. Frederick H. Allen.

Mrs. William Bloodgood was dressed in a brocaded costume of black and yellow silk.

The gown of Mrs. I. Townsend Burden was of pearl-white satin, with silver embroidery, trimmed with light blue velvet.

Miss Evelyn Burden wore a green tulle gown, with pink velvet trimmings.

Mrs. Edmund I. Baylies was gowned in red b rocade and black lace.

A gown of turquoise blue and white satin was worn by Mrs. Lloyd Bryce.

Miss Cutting was dressed in a lilac satin Empire gown. Her sister, Miss Mary Cutting, wore a gown of white satin.

Mrs. Frederic J. de Peyster was attired in a gown of white satin and point lace.

Miss Helen Van Cortlandt de Peyster appeared in a gown of green silk, over which was a white silk net embroidered with vines around the bottom.

Mrs. Richard Delafield's gown was of old white brocaded satin trimmed with electric-blue velvet.

Miss Marion de Peyster Carey, who was with Mrs. Delafield, wore pink and white striped satin trimmed with pearls and lace.

A black satin gown was worn by Mrs. James Duncan.

Mrs. George B. De Forest wore blue satin and lace.

Attractive dresses of white satin were worn by the Misses Duer.

Mrs. T.A. Emmet wore a black brocaded dress with black lace. The gown formed a good background for several large diamond ornaments.

Miss Emmet's dress was of white satin, with full trimmings of old point lace. A white satin gown with lace embellishments was worn by Miss Beatrix Jones.

Miss Euretta Kernochan wore an attractive dress of white satin, very richly made up. A white silk Empire gown of moiré antique was worn by Miss Leon Marie. Mrs. George Place wore an Empire gown of yellow silk.

Mrs. Charles Post was attired in a green brocaded gown, the overskirt of which was most elaborately embroidered. A light-blue satin gown, trimmed with gold embroidery and point lace, was worn by Mrs. Whitelaw Reid.

Miss Annie Sands was attired in an attractive and richly-made-up dress of yellow brocade.

Miss Whitney wore a gown of lilac satin trimmed with lace.

There were several guests of honor at the dance, among them being F. Marion Crawford, C. Parsons of Cleveland, James J. Harrison of England, Grafton Cushing of Boston, Alfred Le Ghalt, Belgian Minister to the United States; Frederick Meige of Philadelphia, Secretary of the Navy Tracy and Mrs. F. Wilmerdling of Washington, Edward Everett of Boston, the Rev. Sherrard Billings, James S. Bowdoin, Mr. and Mrs. Oswald Hicks and Mr. and Mrs. Harry Ashmore of England, and Lawrence Roche of Boston.

Mrs. Richard Mortimer of 810 Fifth Avenue gave a dinner before the ball, and went there later with her guests, Mr. and Mrs. James F.D.Lanier, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Sloane, Mr. and Mrs. Pierre Lorillard, Jr. Worthington Whitehouse, Mrs. Paran Stevens, Miss Grace Wilson, Miss Taller, James Parker, Mr. and Mrs. Cram, Mrs. Charles Perkins, Reginald Ronalds, Mr. and Mrs. Richard Irvin, and Peter Marie.

The subscribers to the Assembly balls who were present were Mrs. Edmund L. Baylies, Mrs. James A. Burden, Mrs. Isaac Bell, Mrs. George S. Bowdoin, Mrs. Lloyd Bryce, Mrs. Brockholst Cutting, Mrs. Henry A. Coster, Mrs. S.V.R. Cruger, Mrs. James Cross, Mrs. Harry Le Grand Cannon, Mrs. Walter Cutting, Mrs. Paul Dana, Mrs. J.G.K. Duer, Mrs. T.A. Emmet, Mrs. Griswold Gray, Mrs. John Hone, Mrs. Adrian Keelin, Jr., Mrs. John Kean, Mrs. Luther Kountze, Mrs. Maturin Livingston, Mrs. Lorillard, Mrs. James Lanier, Mrs. John March, Mrs. J. Pierpont Morgan, Mrs. John Minturn, Mrs. Robert B. Minturn, Mrs. A. Newbold Morris, Mrs. Charles A. Post, Mrs. Frederic J. de Peyster, Mrs. Edward T. Potter, Mrs. William Evans Rogers, Mrs. Sheldon, Mrs. Paran Stevens, Mrs. Henry A.C. Taylor, Mrs. Alexander Van Rensselaer, Mrs. Arthur Wellman, Mrs. George Peabody Wetmore, Mrs. John C. Wilmerding, Mrs. Hamilton Fish Webster, and Miss Whitney.

Among the other dancers were Mr. and Mrs. William D. Sloane, Miss Adele Sloane, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Barbey, Mrs. Whittier, Miss Whittier, Mr. and Mrs. John J. Wysong, Randolph Robinson, Miss Robinson, Mrs. Robbins, Gordon Fellowes, Miss Montant, Mr. and Mrs. B.C. Peters, Mr. and Mrs. Paul Tuckerman, Cambridge Livingston, Julien Potter, Mr. and Mrs. George H. Bend, Miss Bend, Mr. and Mrs. L. Townsend Burden, Temple Bowdoin, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Sloane, Richard Peters, Mr. and Mrs. James A. Murray, Mr. and Mrs. Stanford White, George B. De Forest, T.J. Oakley Rhinelander, Mr. and Mrs. William Osgood, James M. Varnum, Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton Fish, Jr., Hamilton Fish, 3d, Whitelaw Reid, J. Lee Tailer, William Rockefeller, Gardiner Sherman.

Mr. and Mrs. H. Mck. Twombley, Mr. and Mrs. James M. Waterbury, Mr. and Mrs. W.T. Burden, Mrs. James Hude Beekman, Alexander Van Rensselaer, Miss Van Rensselaer, Arthur Leary, C.C. Baldwin, Ward McAllister, Mr. and Mrs. W.P. Tiffany, Mr. and Mrs.. C.G. Francklyn, Mr. and Mrs. Reginald Henshaw Ward, Mr. and Mrs. Victor Newcomb, Miss Weeson, Augustus Gurnee, Miss Gurnee, George Vanderbilt, Mr. and Mrs. Elliott F. Shepard, Miss Edith Shepard, Mr. and Mrs. Anson Phelps Stokes, Amory S. Carhart, Ludlow Remsen Webb, A. McD. Hawkes, E. Madison Jones, Francis Hoppin, Miss Helen D. Kingsbord, Mrs. Kid, Miss Kid, F.G. Le Roy, Miss Clarisse H. Livingston, Edward Livingston, Thomas C. Mayer, Woodbury C.Langdon, Alexis R. Mellvaine, Phoenix Ingraham, Nathaniel G. Ingraham, Miss Taylor, Miss Madeleine Dinamore, Miss Condert, Mr. and Mrs. R.P. Huntington, Jr., Miss Eva Morris, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Trevor, the Misses Barbey, H.I. Barbey Jr., Miss Barlow, Miss Helen Stokes, the Misses Choate, Mrs. A.P. Stokes, Miss Stokes, Miss De Ruyter, Miss Helen de Peyster, Miss Lila Thorne, Thomas H. Kelly, W. Hude Neilson, H.W. Cooper, E.C. Moller, Miss Nellie Mackay, the Misses Greenleaf, the Misses Ives, Miss Lulu Webb, Alexander S. Webb, Jr., Maturin L. Delafield, Jr., Mr. and Mrs. Philip Rhinelander, Mr. and Mrs. William Rhinelander Stewart, Miss Clara J. Williams, Lieut. Keech, Langdon Schroeder, W. Pierson Hamilton.

R.S. Minturn, the Misses Minturn, Miss E. Delafield, Miss Wilmerding, Miss Adele Gardiner, Miss Katherine Minturn, the Misses Clarkson, A. Lanfear Norrie, the Misses Norrie, Miss Katherine Beekman, Mrs. James P. Kernochan, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Parish, Jr., Gerard Beekman, Miss Bessie Ward, Augustus Clarkson, Mr. and Mrs. Borden Harriman, Miss Alice Hartiman, Philip Benkard, Gerald Benkard, Mrs. Louis Fitzgerald, Miss Geraldine Fitzgerald, Churchill Satterlee, Mr. and Mrs. Harry McVickar, B.P. Robbins, J. Van Schaick Oddie, Jr. H. R. Taylor, Miss Taylor, Mr. and Mrs. H.R. Hoodley, the Misses Lawrence, Miss Cutting, Miss Ethel Scott, Grenville B. Winthrop, Col. S.V.R. Cruger, Harry Le Grand Cannon, Mr. and Mrs. Cavendian Bentinck, Miss Mabel Vanderbilt, Mr. and Mrs. Chauncey M. Depew, J. De Conroy Ireland, Miss Massie Strong, J. Langdon Erving, Frederick O. Beach, Dr. and Mrs. W. Seward Webb, J. Wadsworth Ritchie, Mrs. Arthur Randolph, Center Hitchcock, Hamilton Carey, Raymond Le Ghait, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Sturgis, J. Frederic Tams, De Forest Manice, Miss Manice, Spencer Pratt, Mr.  and Mrs. Bloodgood, Mrs. Edison Bradley, Miss Julia Fey Bradley, Miss Marguerite Appleton, Appleton Baker, Miss Baldwin, Charles Appleton Baker, Mr. and Mrs. P.J. Barlow, Charles Page Bryan, Philip Lydig.

Mr. and Mrs. C.H. Marshall, Mr. and Mrs. Paul Dana, R.T. Wilson, Jr., Robert G. Hone, Frederick Diodate Thompson, J. Clinch Smith, Mr. and Mrs. J. Hooker Hammersley, Mr. and Mrs. John E. Alexandre, Eugene Higgins, Pierre Lorillard, Miss Maud Lorillard, T. Suffern Tailer, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Abercrombie, Renwick Clifton Hurry, Joseph Lee, Howard Potter, Mrs. Barron, Miss Barron.