The Express.
London, England, 1852-05-13 00:00:00

FRANCE.
• • Pall& WIDII7IIIIDAT EVINIXO.
*Last night toile place at the Boole Militaire the
bell given by the army to the President. So in-
moss we. the number of persons invited that at
half-past ten you might have seen streams of car-
two miles In length oonvergiug from the po-
o s quarters of the city on both banks, to the
Militaire. At eleven the line of vehicles from
de Mars along the quays, and over the
Ileat asst I'lace de la Concorde, past the Madeleine,
mid up the Boulevards, extended as far as the &ele-
gised des Italians. These innumerable carriages
awed on slowly, without the loot disorder, or even
Miss, to their &idnation. But the delay became no
lam that several parties left their conveyances and
pressehd to the ball on foot. Some of those who
had the perseverance to remain did not reach the
frost of the Ecole Militaire till three in the morn-
by. The President left the Elyse., at ten, escorted
a strong guard of cuirassiers, and repaired to the
mohe of festivity by the Pont de Jena, which pas-
sage was left open exclusively for his convenience.
The annals even of Paris hardly record a noctur-
nal fete on so gigantic a scale, lighted with more
splendour, decorated with greater taste, or more i
amply furnished with viands and champagne. For
this occasion the immense court of the -Boole
taire had been transformed into a fairy palace,
I divided into vast halls of the lightest structure,
hung and adorned with drapery, painting, statuary,
flowers, and adapted to the various pastimes of the
guests. The three principal saloons, each ample as
the nave of a cathedral, were parallel, and separated
by long galleries. The ball-room in the centre was
entered through a vestibule from the Place de Foote-
noy. At each corner of the vestibule were pilasters,
the bum of which were supported by four cannons
and four howitzers, which rose out of a profusion of
natural flowers. The shafts of the pilasters were
composed of trophies of swords, pistols, and
axes. The mouths of the cannons were filled
with bouquets. On either side of the entrance
to the ball-room were two effigies of knights
oa horseback, armed cap4pie, and lance in
rest, as if guarding the door. Inside the
ball-room, on either side, stood a column, 15 feet
high, formed of cannon-balls, musket-barrels, and
ea6res; the summit being formed of lance-heads with
their pennons, and crowned one with a bust of the
Emperor, and the other with one of the Prince-
President. Behind these two columns were to be
seen the cross of the Legion of Honour and the
recently established military medal, in colossal
proportion, formed of military weapons of every de-
scription.
The ball room was nearly 70 feet high, and in-
cluded the inside front of the hotel and a part of the
façade of Louis XV.'s architect, Gabriel. Down the
whole length of the room were placed 80 pillars of
arms, which, rising to the roof, supported two large
galleries, constructed at about 20 feet fromtheground,
accessible by wide staircases.
The decorations of the front bore the stamp of the
17th and 18th centuries. The draperies were of red
velvet, trimmed with gold; four lo oolimmei tteado
of gun-barrels, and ornamented with traplrisg ef
SCUM stood in front, and before them were
knights bearing resplendent armour. In the gees
which separates the columns on the right and left
were two other figures of mounted knights, their
berms also in armour, whilst other pieces of armor
were placed at the corners of the central window of
the first floor. A wide scroll, with the words
" Honneur et Petrie" written in letters of gold, ran
above. Near this point, and reached from the inte-
rior of the hotel, was placed a tribune for the Prince
President.
Tho orchestra was placed opposite the front, in a
large tribune erected over the principal entrance • on
the front was represented an eagle with outspread
wings, and below it the inscription of "L'Armee ow
Prince Louis Napoleon!"
To each of the square columns already mentioned
were suspended groups of arms, arranged with gnat
taste, and interspersed with tricoloured flags. These
martial ornaments were composed of Saracen and
French armour of the time of Henry IL and Henry
IV., coats of mail, helmets, pikes, lances, and halberts.
Each of these groups of arms was surmounted by an
escutcheon bearing on it an eagle, and the
words " Hormone et Patric." At the foot of the
et., all of which were remanded with
were large mortars, the mouths
of which were Cdedwith Sowers. The balustrades
of the two galleried were formed of the blades of
sabres placed perpendicularly, and terminated at the
t:adpbeialistol barrels. The interior decoration of
those eyes was white and orange. A forest
bra, bearing 24,000 wax-lights, shed their
lustre on the different arms, and produced a dazzling
east.
Between the upper part of the galleries ands
beide of the roof hung large garlands,
era one bearing the names of vietosies gained by
the Trench armies under Napoleon. Under the gal-
leries seats were arranged, for the accommodation el
the ladies.
The nave situated to the right of the ball-room on
entering was intended to serve as a conversation
and card-room. The fine architecture of the
Spiel wee merle me of for the decoration of this
sail* which is of the sense dee as the ball-room.
The/teas gallery at the end opposite the entrance
wen severed with Musson velvet drapery, fringed
with gold; the inner part of the walls between the
columns was lined with velvet, and adorned with
various arms representing allegorical designs or mili-
tary attributes. This saloon was lit up by 15,000
wax-lights.
The nave on the left served as the supper room.
The table of the Prince President, in the form of •
horse-shoe, accommodated 80 poems. Over the
chair of the Prince was to bo seen the figure of an
*woe eagle, with wings extended, the whole
farmed of different warlike weapons. In the middle
of the roma were twelve tables of fifty covers each,
which were seeupied by parties of 800 ladies in sue.
maim The supper room was opened at midnight.
Mai elk rlf this room, as well as at that of the
earcemthill solok_ galleries were fitted up with side-
boards to lighter refreshments during the balL
The sportsman of the Eoole Militaire,
whieltboi lately beat completely repaired and fitted
up with pat leesidisence, were, with the excep-
tion of Kean nom wowed for the use of the Prince
President, all area to the guests. The stone stair-
case which lee& to these apartments was lined with
minim hang's,. and arnomented with steel armour.
The hall rooms, astedelik and supper rooms ex-
cited two awe aid Slold. and the whole of that
epees filled oesoffawiog.
Thewee Wks' to
MS as=st at the end by
e, whose wino ang tail were com-
d posed sabres, the talons of horeopistols, the eyes
of fns-ooloored airades, and the beak of the hammers
of pereoesioa looks
I'Y ladies who arrived without cavaliers were
intredneed by Moen, who wore on their arms tri-
imbrued scarfs with gold fringe, to mark their func-
tion as stewards. The dancing began at 10 and
coatiaued till six in the morning.
The Prince arrived at half-past 11, and proceeded
at ones, on alighting, to the private apartment set
apart for his use. After a short delay he entered
the ball room, accompanied by his staff, by the Mar-
shals of France the Princess Mathilde, the Mar-
chioness of Douglas, and the diplomatic corps. He
was received with applause, but no political cries
were uttered. The band struck up the favourite air
composed by the Queen Hortense.
In the suite of the Prince was observed the Mar-
quis of Douglas, in his splendid Highland costume,
the Doke of Brunswick, and a great number of
English and other foreign officers, in their various
uniforms.
The immense number of ladies invited rendered
it next to impossible that the toilettes of the majority
should be elegant. The greater part being the wives
end daughters of officers, several appeared in homely
dresses, which contrasted the rich toilettes of the
fashionable people, and the fleshy dresses of fair in-
terlopers of • questionable out. The chief object of
curiosity was a tall lady of a certain age, who wore a
wart dress of the empire. Her long gown, of red
velvet, was fastened by a girdle immediately below
the bosom. She was said to have been one of the
maids of honour of the Empress Marie Louise. Then
you might have seen many a grey-headed general
frisking about in quadrilles with a nimbleness that
emulated the feats of five-and-twenty. The brisk
noirechaes of General Camelot, commander of the Ist
division, afforded general mirth. General Magoon
was observed to reel a good deal, which was attri-
buted to his onslaughts at the champagne bottles of