With regard to all those articles which fall under the general denomination of "plate," we should advise that all imitations be avoided; let those who cannot afford silver be content to use simple metal, which does not pretend to be more than it really is. All the imitations of silver will, even with the utmost care, betray themselves in a very short time, and have a would-be-genteel-if-I-could sort of air, which is ten thousand times more ridiculous than the plainest of all materials; besides, the money they cost would purchase a few real articles, which are always worth their weight in silver, whereas the imitations have only a nominal value, and lose even that as they become discolored and dull.

Metal tea and coffee pots may be had very good, and in handsome patterns, and are far more durable than china, drawing better, and retaining heat longer. The following is a list of the usual articles in silver required to furnish the table.

Dishes and covers. Table knives and forks. Dessert knives and forks. Table spoons. Dessert spoons. Gravy spoons. Soup ladles. Sauce ladles. Salt spoons, with gilt bowls. Fish slice. Trays and waiters. Bread baskets. Cake baskets. Decanter stands. Decanter labels. Liqueur and bottle stands. Cruet frames. Egg frames.

Asparagus tongs. Cheese scoops. Knife rests. Nut crackers. Grape scissors. Tea urns. Coffee urns. Tea pots. Coffee filterers. Sugar basin. Cream ewers. Sugar tongs. Tea spoons. Toast racks. Butter coolers. Snuffer trays. Snuffers. Candlesticks.

Cheap cutlery is mistaken economy. Good knives and forks will, with ordinary care, last for years; common ones have no wear in them, and never can be made to cut well.

Crockery, china, and glass, we need say little about, for they may be had at all prices and of all qualities. The mould ed or cast glass looks as well as cut glass, if not placed in contrast with it, and wears as long, and costs considerably less. For dishes, pitchers, butter-coolers, etc, we should always use it; decanters, wineglasses, and tumblers, do not look so well in it.

As regards ornamental china, or glass, or what not, little can be said, these things being so much matters of taste; but it is better to have but one, and that one really handsome and good, than a crowd of cheap, showy trifles; besides, these are things which gradually accumulate, and therefore it is always better to devote the money in hand to necessary articles, and leave the more ornamental ones for after consideration. A good clock for the kitchen, and a handsome one for the drawing-room, are useful and necessary things, especially the former.

In household linen, again, it is false economy to buy common or cheap materials. For sheets, linen, cotton, and Swiss twilled calico are used; these substances are now woven wide enough to render a seam unnecessary, and all we have to do is to measure the width of the beds and allow an extra half yard; the ordinary length of a sheet is three yards and a half. The pillow cases must be of the same material as the sheets. Marseilles quilts are too heavy to be beneficial to health. Any industrious housewife may knit very serviceable and pretty counterpanes in squares or shell-shaped pieces, during those periods when she is chatting, or between the lights, or at hours when she would otherwise most probably be doing nothing. It is for 6uch useful purposes as these we value knitting, crochet, etc, for they can be made the means of economy and usefulness, instead of being, as they too often are, employed on useless expensive trifles.

The most durable sort of linen for sheeting is the Russian, German, or Irish fabric, a good stock of which should be laid in to avoid the necessity of frequent or irregular washing.

An inventory of furniture is given by Soyer as follows:-

Twelve pairs of sheets; ten ditto pillow-cases; three dozen napkins; two dozen and a half various-sized tablecloths, including breakfast, dinner, etc.; six servants' table-cloths; three dozen towels; six round towels; three dozen kitchen rubbers; two dozen napkins for fish, vegetables, and fruits; six pudding-cloths; two dozen damask d'oylies; one dozen Berlin wool ditto. I also have occasionally in the wash the cover of the carpet, the anti-macassars, which I have knitted at my leisure, and the netted window curtains. Of glass and china, I have the following; they are counted every month, and the broken ones replaced:- three dozen wine-glasses; two dozen champagne ditto: two dozen claret ditto; three dozen goblets; six water caraffes; six decanters; one liqueur-stand; twelve liqueur-glasses; two glass pitchers; one celery-glass; one trifle-bowl; eight dessert-dishes. . China: one full dinner service; one common set for kitchen; one common tea service for kitchen; one good tea service; one breakfast service; one good dessert service.

The following is my list of plate:-three dozen prongs; two ditto tablespoons; one and a half ditto dessertspoons; one and a half ditto dessert-forks; two ditto tea-spoons; six salt-spoons; one cheese-knife; four butter-knives; one asparagus-tongs; two sugar-tongs; two soup-ladles; four sauce-ladles; two gravy-spoons; two sugar-ladles; two salvers; one bread-basket; four candlesticks; one hot-water dish for haunch of mutton.

Table-cloths, tray-cloths, and dinner napkins will of course come under the category of "linen," and can be obtained at very reasonable prices compared with what they were twenty years since. Towels, too, are included in this list. In the case of chamber towels, again, comes diversity of opinion; some preferring a soft, others a hard, some a rough, and some a smooth towel; damask and diaper are not soft enough for some delicate skins. For our own part we like towels which administer a certain amount of friction to the skin, and all medical men agree that this is requisite to health. For the kitchen, round towels, tea-cloths, and glass-cloths, will be required, as well as dusters, pudding-cloths, knife-cloths, house-cloths, and flannels for cleaning. These will have to be purchased at the same time by young housekeepers newly furnishing, who "have no rags-poor things," and therefore may as well be mentioned here. Old sheets make good glass cloths; old table-cloths make nice soft towels; all dresses of cotton, or old dress-linings, will serve for dusters, and old blankets for house-flannels.

There are also needed toilet-covers for chamber tables, and chests of drawers, etc, carpet covers, muslin for chamber window-curtains, muslin for drapery for the toilet-table, coarse sheeting for dusting-sheets to cover the beds or drawing-room furniture when sweeping and cleaning; a yet coarser sheet to lay down in front of the stoves when they are being cleaned; chamois leathers for cleaning the plate, brass, steel, and windows; and bags for the best brooms.

Then we come to brushes, and their name is legion. Oh, this furnishing a house is a serious affair! a carpet-broom. a 6hort-handled one for the stair carpets, a hair-broom for the bed-rooms, and another for the passages and kitchens; feather-brushes, dusting-brushes, stove-brushes, hearth-brushes, shoe-brushes, plate-brushes, paste-brushes, clothes-brushes, a hat-brush, and a table-brush to remove the crumbs from the tablecloth, are all needed; and these should be bought at a good warehouse, and of good quality, if we would have them do us service, and not fall to pieces, or lose their hair, as soon as they are fairly brought into use.

There are many items yet unmention-ed, but it will not be requisite for us to waste our time, or that of our readers, by enumerating them all seriatim; we will therefore proceed to other matters.