The Express.
London, England, 1867-07-20 00:00:00

LONDON, SATURDAY EVENING, JULY 20, 1867.

THE GRAND BALL TO THE SULTAN AT

THE INDIA OFFIOE.

Last night the Secretary of State for India and
the Indian Council gave a grand ball at the new
India-office, Downing-street, in honour of the
Sultan of Turkey. This was the only entertain-
ment which has been or will be offered to his
Imperial Majesty byany department of the govern-
ment, and it proved to be the most brilliant of the
series of fetes to which his visit has given rise.
The principal members of the royal family now in
England graced it with their presence ; almost all the
states of Europe were represented by their am-
bassadors or diplomatic agents and the general
company included her Majesty's ministers, the
great officers of state, the heads of the chief public
departments, distinguished generals, eminent
I Indian statesmen, and a carefully culled selection
from the fashionable eirclesof London. In order to
provide against any excessive crowding, which would
I have lowered the character and destroyed the effect
of the spectacle, the number of invitations was
limited within somewhat narrow bounds, and
ninny ladies and gentlemen who thought that they
had as good a right to be present as their neigh-
bours were "left out in the cold." Innumerable
jealousies and heartburnings were caused by this
necessary selection of the guests, and we are afraid
it will be but ...r consolation to those who were
excluded to • told of the beauties of the para-
dise which they were forbidden to enter.
The new India-office has not yet been occupied
by the department—indeed it was only completed
a day or two ago ; its halls are still untenanted,
its chambers unfurnished. The whole of the
building was therefore at the disposal of the Secre-
tary of State and his advisers for the reception of
their guests. Something more than the accommo-
dation thus afforded was, however, needed. The
official palace contains within its walls no apart-
ment large enough to serve as a ball-room, and to
meet this want the vast quadrangle in the centre
of the structure had been covered in and con-
verted for the occasion into a magnificent ball.
The necessary alterations were carried out by
Messrs. Crace and Son—who had charge of all the
decorations—under the direction of Mr. Digby
Wyatt, the architect of the Indian department,
and most skilfully and tastefully had the work of
transformation been performed. The principle
upon which the decorators had acted in adorning
the apartment was to interfere as little as possible
with the architectural features of the handsome
faeades which bound the courtyard, and to rely
rather upon the natural effect of elaborately
sculptured stone and various coloured marbles
than upon the flimsy attractions of scarlet cloth,
I gilding, and festoons. Acting upon this principle
I the added ornaments were of the simplest possible
character. Indeed little had been done except to
stretch beneath the canvas roofing an awning after
the fashion of the old Roman velarium, to erect at
the eastern end a richly carpeted dais and hand-
some canopy, and to drape the bays of the colon-
nade which runs round the quadrangle upon the
tirst floor with crimson velvet curtains, bordered with
rich bullion lace. In the centre of the mimic ceiling,
the ground of which was white, there was a large
star in crimson and blue, the points of which were
powdered with smaller stars and crescents, some
silver and some golden, and all round ran a border
of the same colours similarly relieved. The dais
was covered with a rich carpet, and the canopy—
, which had been erected over the chairs of state
, pre_pared for the reception of the Sultan, the Prince
of Wales, and other members of the royal family—
was hung with gold embroidered cloths, which had
been obtained from the India Museum. As the
apartment was intended to be used es a bail-room,
the floor was, of course, left uncarpeted for the
convenience of the dancers. The sides of the room
were principally occupied by the windows of the
various apartments running round the court ; but
between these casements there had been fixed
mirrors which reflected the shifting groups of
dancers or promenaders. The lower part of the
hall was illuminated by elegant gilt chandeliers
and gaseliers suspended by light rods from the
wall ; while round the cornice above the colonnade
floor ran a row of gas jets which effec-
tually lighted the upper part of the chamber,
but at the same time rather disagreeably elevated
the temperature of the atmosphere. Above this
row of lights was suspended on either side of
the room a row of banners, some blue and
some red, and bearing alternately the Turkish
device, the crescent and stars, and the royal
monogram V.R. In addition to this grand cen-
tral apartment all the rooms upon the ground
and first floors were appropriated to the use of the
royal, illustrious, and noble personages who had
been invited to the ball, while the upper floor was
devoted to the accommodation of those who ap-
peared merely in the character of spectators.
The passages by which the great body of the
guests entered the building, and those which
surrounded the hall and communicated with the
refreshment and retiring rooms, were lined
with a profusion of shrubs and hothouse plants.
The broad leaves of palm trees and the graceful
fronds of a variety of beautiful ferns met the gaze
in almost every direction ; while in an angle of
the great staircase there was a very beautiful
cascade of, as they say at the theatre, " real water."
Two broad and glittering streams fell from amode-
rate elevation into a basin of artificial rock work.
Tho ferns and lichens with which their channels,
as well as the pool which they formed at the
bottom, were surrounded, glistened with the spray
that was cast upon them by the falling water, and
altogether the effect of this miniature waterfall,
with its agreeable surroundings, was charmingly
refreshing. In the course of the evening morethan
one couple lingered by its side to enjoy the coolness
which it seemed to spread around, and before the
charm of novelty had worn off, something nearly
approaching a crowd frequently collected to admire
its beauties.

The supper rooms were upon the first floor, and
occupied nearly the whole of that part of the spa-
cious building. The apartment which was specially
appropriated to the use of the Sultan, and which
was at the west end of the hall, had been moat
handsomely furnished and decorated. The floor
was covered with a valuable Turkey carpet; upon
the tables and upon the buffet were displayed some
of the choicest specimen of the royal plate, princi-
pally of gold, which her Majesty had lent for the
occasion ; four of the six. panels of the wall were
filled with portraits of the Queen, the late Prince
Consort, and the Prince and Princess of Wales,
which had been sent from Marlborough House,
while the other two were occupied by two grand
mirrors, surrounded by gilt trellis work. Behind
this chamber were the rooms appropriated to the
use of the suite of his Imperial Majesty, while the
apartments extending to the right and left on
either aide of the quadrangle were devoted to the
accommodation of the general company. In
order still more completely to ensure the
comfort of the Imperial guest, the room
which is intended to be occupied by the
Secretary of State for India had been fitted up as
a retiring room for his Majesty. This is an apart-
ment of a rather irregular form, situated upon the
first floor of the round part of the building which
overlooks St. James's Park. To fit it fur the re-
ception of the Sultan, the domed and coved ceiling
had been painted in light blue, gold, and
white ; the floor was covered with a rich carpet,
and the plain oak panelling and carved work which
form the ordinary ornaments of the apartment were
enriched by a variety of objects of oriental art bor-
rowed from the India Museum. _ _ _

The great majority of the guests entered by the
doors towards King-street, where a covered arcade
had been prepared to shelter them as they alighted
from their camages. The lobbies and staircases
were covered with scarlet cloth, but beyond this
and the arrangements of plants and shrubs,

which we have already noticed, no attempt
had been made at a special decoration of these
approaches. The entrance set apart for the
Sultan and the members of the Royal family
was in the park side of the building. For the re
ception of these illustrious visitors there had been'
erected without the walls a species of pavilion,
the columns of which were painted red, enriched
with gilded mouldings, while the hangings were of
Turkey red cloth. The entrance hall and the pas-
sage leading to the ball-room were draped with a
similar material, and the walls were decorated with
handsome trophies of arms obtained from the
Tower, and arranged by Mr. Stone. The outside
of the pavilion was illuminated with a row of globe
lights, ranged close side by side like the pearls upon
the coronet of a viscount, and above the centre of
the line, flanked on either side by waving banners,
rose a handsome crystal star—the star of the Garter,
of which order the Sultan became a member on
Wednesday last.

Even before the arrival of the company the great
ball presented a very brilliant appearance. The
bright light from the chandeliers showed to won-
derful advantage the many coloured marbles and
the delicately sculptured friezes with which the
quadrangle is surrounded, and the statues of
eminent Indian warriors and statesmen which
adorn the facades. The rich velvet hangings sup-
plied just enough and not too much decoration,
while hanging baskets of flowers, suspended inthe
baysoftheprmcijoalcorridors, introduced an element
of lightness and freshness moat appropriate to the
present application of the building, although not'
at all necessary as far as regards its future
uses. The effect of all these attractions was,
however, greatly enhanced, when the guests I
entered the noble apartment, at first only in
twos and threes, but soon afterwards in more nu-
merous parties, and the floor became covered with
brilliant groups of ladies in many-coloured
dresses, squired by officers in scarlet or blue,
and ministers or privy councillors in their
richlylaced uniforms. The ladies, it need hardly
be said, had domed their most valuable jewels, and
the light flashed brightly from the diamonds and
was returned in softened and mellowed splendour
from rubies or emeralds. Among the gentle-
men the countenances of many a well-known states- 1
man and diplomatist or member of Parliament
were to be recognised. Lord Halifax, Sir G.l
Grey, Lord Stanley of Alderley, the Duke of
Argyll in full Highland costume, the Speaker, Mr.
R. Lowe, Mr. Horsman, Mr. W. Cowper, Lord
Cranworth, Lord Elcho, the Recorder of London,
Lord H. Lennox, Mr. S. Cave, and some
other members of the administration were among
the first to arrive. Soon the members of the
diplomatic body, of whom Musurus Pacha was the'
first to enter the hall, made their appearance, and
the space upon the dais which had been reserved for
their occupation was speedily filled with a brilliant
company, among whom stars, orders, and decora-
tions appeared to be as common as brambles.
Sir S. Northcote, as the chief host of the evening,
was among the very earliest upon the ground, and in
the intervals which he could spare from the dis-
charge of his duties in the reception of the princi-
pal guests exercised an active sad useful supervision
over the general arrangements. The other members
of the cabinet—with the exception of Mr. Hardy,',
who was among the first arrivals, did not
como till late. The Lord Chancellor, attired
in a suit of black velvet, anticipated his col-
leagues; but he was soon followed by the.
Earl of Derby and Mr. Disraeli, who entered the
room nearly if not quite together. Lord Clarendon
and Lord Granville were among the most distin-
guished members of the upper house who wore to
be noticed in thelesembly, and Lord Stratford de,
Radcliffe occupied a prominent position in the im-
mediate vicinity the ambassadors of foreign
powers. Some time before the arrival of the
Sultan the room and the great corridor were almost
completely filled, and the scene which they pre-
sented was the moat brilliant and attractive that has
ever been presented in any English, and pro-
bablv, one might almost say, in any European
ball-room. _

Those within the hall could, of course,
know little of what was going on outside, but
about 11 o'clock the strains of the national
anthem, performed by a band stationed oppo-
site the park entrance, announced the suc-
cessive arrivals of various members of the
royal family. As they arrived these illus-
trious guests were received by Sir S. Northcote and
some members of the Indian Council, and were
conducted to an apartment adjoining the great
hall, which had been simply but effectively deco-
rated. It was not until some time after eleven that
the Sultan reached the building. His Imperial
Majesty and his brilliant suite, the names of which
it is unnecessary to repeat, drove from Bucking-
ham Palace in several court csmages, and alighted
at the park entrance, where he was saluted
by a guard of honour, supplied by one of
the regiments of Foot Guards,i the band playing
the Turkish air. As the Sultan stepped from his''
carriage he was met by Sir S. Northcote,'
Sir J. Fergusson, and several members of the
Indian Council, who conducted him to the chamber
in which the royal and illustrious persons who
had already arrived were awaiting him. The
passage and stairs through which he had to pass
were lined with Yeomen of the Guard, and a
number of the Gentlemen at Arms were on duty
in and about the reception room. The effect pro-
duced by the trophies of arms skilfully arranged
against the red hangings of the walls was very
striking and beautiful, and his Majesty cast many
iiianuaspegreciating glance at these adornments as he
along. No great while was spent in the
reception room, and with only so much delay as
was necessary to arrange the positions of its mem-
bers, the procession of royal and imperial guests
entered the ball room. The Sultan led the way,
accompanied by the Princess Louis of Hesse, and
was immediately followed by the Prince of Wales
escorting the Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Louis
of Hesse, the Duke of Cambridge, the Grand Duke and
Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the Prince and
Princess do Teck, the Prince and Princess
Edward of Saxe-Weimar, Count and Countess
Gleichen, and the Duke and Duchess d'Aosta.
Feed Pacha and some of the most distinguished
members of his Majesty's suite were also in the
procession, for the passage of which space had been
cleared through the centre of the room, so that the
illustrious personages made their way without
difficulty to the dais. There was, of course, neither
cheering nor waving of hats, but as the Sultan
passed by, both ladies and gentlemen pressed closer
to the ropes which prevented their obstructing the
passage of the cortege, and manifested the greatest
eagerness to get a glimpse of the features of
the Commander of the Faithful. Everyone bowed
as his Majesty passed, and he frequently re-
sponded to these respectful salutes. When the
dais was reached the Sultan took up his position in
front of the central chair of state, having on his
left hand the Princess Louis of Hesse—or Princess
Alice, as it seems more natural to call her—in a
white dress, and on his right the Duchess of Cam-
bridge, who wore mourning. The Prince of Wales
was next to the Duchess, and the Duke of Cam-
bridge stood upon Princess Alice's left. Both
their royal highnesses were in uniform—the
Prince as a colonel of Hussars and the Duke
as a Field-Marshal. Beyond the Duchess of Cam-
bridge were the Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
in pink, and the Princess of Teck or Princess
Mary, who wore a handsome silver grey. Prince
Teck, easily distinguishable by his handsome blue
and silver Hussar dress, occupied a seat nearly be-
hind the Princess, and the other royal and serene
highnesses grouped themselves around these
principal figures. As the procession passed up the
hall the band played the Turkish air ; and
as long as this performance continued, the
Sultan and his illustrious companions remained