The Express.
London, England, 1867-06-10 00:00:00

BALL AT THE HOTEL DE VILLE.

(FROM OUR OWN COI

PARIS, SUNDAY EVIMING.

The Emperor Napoleon, out of his minute
courtesy towards his guest, the Czar, has taken
care that no soldier wearing the Crimean medal
shall be on guard at the Elys3e. His Russian
Majesty could not, however, help seeing a great
many at the review.
The anecdotes of the attempted assassination of
the Czar are nearly exhausted. Those of to-day
consist principally of repetitions and corrections of
minor inaccuracies. I believe I have not yet men-
tioned that the crest (cintier) of the Czar's helmet
was damaged by a splinter from the pistol when it
burst.

The ball at the Hotel do Ville last night, which
far surpassed in splendour and prodigality that
magnificent one given in 1855 to the Queen of Eng-
land, illustrates the progress of luxury. When
the "good city of Paris" gave a ball to Louis
VIII. and Anne of Austria, it was proclaimed in
the streets, with sound of trumpet, that the saloons
would be illuminated with 300 candles, and that
twenty musicians, receiving double pay for their
extraordinary exertions, would play all night.
Yesterday, for the reception of the Russian and
Prussian sovereigns, there were 70,000 wax lights,
to say nothing of gas, and the orchestras con-
sisted of 250 performers. Queen Victoria saw
flowers and shrubs, the hire of which for
the night cost upwards of 2,000/. ster-
ling. But the far more splendid floral display of
yesterday was furnished by the hothouses and
gardens of its own which the city of Paris now pos-
sesses at Passy. For the last week waggons laden
with exotics and the choicest native products have
been circulating continually between Passy and
the Hotel de Ville to transport Flora's contribu-
tion to what in the familiar language used in the
description of the Hotel de Ville fates, and which
though stale, is difficult to improve upon, consti-
tutes a " fairy-like scene." When, in addition to
flowers you get " living " or " foaming masses'
of waters, " life like rocks," " dazzling lights,"
rank, fashion, beauty, uniforms, toilettes, and dia-
monds—still diamonds, you have the substratum
almost impossible to vary in its essential particu-
lars—although royalty from this or that country
may be there to see— of a grand official ball.

WEATHER REPORT.-(THIS DAY.)

MONDAY. JOlll 10, 8 A.M.

2 :L. T.I W. Irte 1,--LA-treme.
1 12 7. D. ,
—•
Nairn
I Leith BO.OB 63 W. , 3 8.
Ardroasan.. l9lO 66 N.N.W. ' 7 N.N.W.
Clivenalsl,l4 '110.15 68 W.B.W. . 6 W.
Yaleatia... 30.2s 54 5.w. , 2 B.W.
Cape Clear SO 36 59 b. W. 4 &W.
Llverpool 60.24 Olt 8.8. W. 1 . W.B.W.
Holyhead 10.22 56 8.8. W. : 0 B.W.
Peurauos 130.33 67,1 Z. 3 ' W.N.W.
Breit 20.32 66 &N.& 4 W.& W.
Wean, 80 24 69 N.E. 3 W.&W.
11.mhefort —10.24 51) 21.3 ' 1 N.E.
Plymouth Wail 68 Z. i I W.S.W.
Weymouth W.3<80 Z. ! 6 W.
Portsmouth 30.31 01 S.W. . 5 W.B.W.
London
_ 30,32 62 W.N.W. I N.W.
Yarmouth 60.2003 W.N.W. I 5 &&&
Scarborough 80.1 d 00 W.N.W. 6 B.W.
Shields 30.1766 N.W. 6 N.W.
Balder ' - , -

REMARKS.

Atnimpherical presrttresll3ce7i4;ididay has Increased. and is
now Increasing except on the west coast of Front*. Winds on
the north and east coasts have become north-westerly, and tvm-
yerature in generally higher. Weather la now line a little rain
has fallen since /Saturday on the north coast.

The Paris correspondent of the Fog says that
the hairdressers now begin work at 9 o'clock in the morn-
ing and continue throughout the dar. These great artists,
indeed, give themselves airs just now. "The invited to
balls have to positively implore their aid, and pay from
IMr. to 40fr. for half-an-hour's decorative arrangements of
the true and the false. M. F—, the mighty monarch of
the coiffure empire, showed me, with • certain tone of
pride, a note be luul received from • great lady who re-
quired his services. In English it would be something
like this :—' The Princess C— reposes full confidence in
M. F—'s promise to be at her hotel by 11 o'clock ; never-
theless, the carriage will be sent for M. F— at half-past
10 o'clock, in whom alone the Princes' C— has conti,len cc,
and for whose taste she has the highest consideration.' "

Thanks to a scrupulous adherence to the menu.
riabr of the post the Times says the grand scene whi7h has
attracted to the Danube as many distinguished spectators
as could be spared from the gathering on the Seine is
already as distinctly present before our eyes in anticipa-
tion as the moat minute description of the actual transac-
tion will ever make it. "We almost see the pale
and careworn look of the imperial and royal candi-
date, as, hitt with his ' thirty hours' fast,' he
kneels at Mar in the old parish church of Buda ;
we almost feel the 'three to four pounds' weight
of the holy and precious diadem which must press his brow
during the whole of a ten hours' solemnity; we interpret
the deep colour mantling the lovely countenance of the
Empress as her neck and shoulder are bared to allow of
her being anointed, not on the forehead, like the King,
but. according to inexorable prescription, ' under the
right armpit; and we hear the roar of the ordnance, the
peal of the bells, the clatter of the splendid cavalcade,
in which one of the magnates is to appear in a complete
snit of solid silver plate armour, another is to wear jewelry
on his coat to the amount of 6,5001., while the mere capa-
risons on the charger of a third are valued at 8,000/."

The North German Lloyd's Company are having
built a steamer, to be called the Rhine, to run between
Bremen, Cowes, and New York, and two steamers to run
between Bremen and Baltimore. The Rhine is to be tie
fastest Atlantic steamer afloat. All these steamers are
being built in Scotland.

fn the days of American slavery, the negro
women of the South constituted fully one•half the field
force in the labour of cotton culture. Even last year they
worked in the field to a contiderable extent; but a
Southern correspondent writes that thix year they have
almost entirely withdrawn from it. They declare that
" the white women never work out, but are 'imported by
their men, that it ought to be so, and that they (the
blacks) will not submit any more to out-door work."