The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-10-09 00:00:00

nobility, and ev

princely hospitalities that have distinguished the Eng

Aruba

ssador's residen,

I great peopi

ble, seeing that about

spacious andlaudsome apa

and trouble, pr,
the rear of the house, on a level with the drawin
floor, into which it opened. The top and sir'
formed by a monster tent or marquee, striped white and
red, with alcoves—ope at one side for the orchestra,

infinite pain?

groom

es were

another 'opposite for those who ihight desire to reL.
from the dance. At the further extremity were the com-
munications with the supper-rooms. The entrance to this
temporary ballroom was of by means of a passage
formed by canvass, which led from the hall through
the garden, and so up by a staircase to the level of
the first floor. This passage, which wound through the
natural trees of the garden, had two branches, iu one of
which was a comfortable little buffet, well provided
with good wine; it was lighted with variegated lamps,
and had a very pretty effect, and it was very Useful in
removing the pressure of so large a party on the front
staircase. The usual reception room of the palace was
fitted up with much taste and magnificence for the supper
of the Emperor and Empress, the Imperial family, the
high ambassadors, and the ladies of the imperial Court.
One long table, coverei with silver epergnes, goblets, and
Cups of the finest workmanship which English hands
could produce, and with beautiful white china, extended
along oue side of the room. On the wall, over one
extremity of the table, there was an oil full-length of the
Queen, which Mr. Ker, one of the attaches to Lord
Wodehouse's mission, managed with small means to paint
very creditably,, and with great rapidity. Two round
tables, equally well-appointed, were placed at the other
side for those of the Court who did not sit at the principal
The large room used • for dancing at Lady Gran-
...te's previous balls was arranged as, a supper room for
the distinguished polloi who were not included in the
guests at the tables of the Imperial party.
well supplied with silver plate, scarcely
the load cf various dishes—hams, tongues, jellies, pa
de foie: gras which were placed on it, particulr
was rather weak on its legs, and was expose
strain all night from the crowd which pressed ag
number of small round auxiliary tables were

tffic'ed to sustain

ly as it

I to gre.

to of the room, a seat at one u.
exertion and ambition, or of patien
ways rewarded. A row of gol I plate and st
domed the buffet along the wall, and all the supper was
served on silver plate. Here France had again come to
the help of England, and the entente cordiale between M
de Morny and Lord Granville was evinced • •
sence of the servants of the French Embassy
lent on this State occasion to assist in meet;
. _

the other s

Nhich w

who we

exigencies of the night, a service which has;
been reciprocated in kind. The vases in the I
dorned by a profusion of flowers

supper room wer

hese r

pets, E

unonty w

na t
lighted with wax, was un
It was about 9.30 when

and comfortable
and E
Lady Granville at the stairs, and the attaches and su
the Embassy were also in attendance. The Grand Duke
and Duchesses and the ladies of the Cuurt followed,
and the party proceeded to the ball-room. On
entering the orchestra struck up a polonaise. The
Ambassador was honoured by
the Emperor led forth Lady G

press arrived

They were re

hand of the Cz

_ .
opened by a stately promenade in 'this order, fro
end of the room to the other, to the strains of the
in a kind of measured step, the finely dressed and gl
"--

crowd opening right and left, and formi
shed with diamonds, gold, orders, sue''
ones, between which the EmoP-

r and Empress

their partners advanced:. The vu—
Duchesses, the Prince and Princess de Ligne, and Prince
Esterhazy and others, took part in the polonaise, and
followed in the wake of the host and hostess. It should
not be supposed that the procession, if such it might be
called, was dancing. The polonaise is nothing more than
A walk up and down to the sound of a march (some'
like the Minuet de la Cour in Don Juan on this.occasioL
in which those who step forth show themselves to all th.
company. As the Emperor and Empress passed, they
saluted the ladies and gentlemen, who bowed and
curtsey when they approached in the dance. Just hi tl
same way they walked through the crowd the otb'

r night

at the Kremlin ball. Every limn present was in unifoimi
of some kind or other, and the room offered one of the
brightest coups crceil of the many presented by these
brilliant coronation fetes. The rich uniforms of the Court
of Russia contributed in no small degree to this effect.
The Chamberlains of the Emperor wear frock coats of
green, slashed with gold—indeed. splashed with it front

and reae—white bre=eches, silk-'sto'ckings, and buckled
shoe's, and are decorated with many orders, and their
riband and gold key of office. The Ecuyers are dressed
somewhat in the same manner, except that they wear
long boots of patent leather, and more gold on their

coats, if that be possible. The Chevalier Guard on ball
nights are in scarlet tunics, with gold epaulettes an I
facings ; the officers of other regiments are dressed pretty
much as they are on ordinary occasions. Every man who
had any wore his ribands, his crosses, stars, and medals.
Prince Orloff and one or two more of the oldest an I most
favoured servants of the Czar displayed what is con-
sidered the highest honour and reward in the power of
that Czar to offer—namely, his portrait in the form of a
medallion on their breasts. There are five orders in
, Russia which rank the following order :—St. Andrew, St.
Alexander Nefsky, St. Vladimir, St. Anne, St. Stanislas.
There is another order, of which the honours are only
Conferred for distinguished services in war—nanaely, St.
George. As each of these orders has its cross, riband,
and star, it may be imagined how perplexing it is to find
out when you see an old and distinguished Russian officer
what decorations he wears, and which is which.
Lord, Granville could -certainly present no such diffi-
culties to the inquisitive stranger, inasmuch as he
wears none at all. I believe that the Czar offered him,
M. de Moray,- and Prince Esterhazy, the Grand Cros6 of
St. Andrew, but that Lord Granville refused it. The
Russians say that the Duke of Devonshire and some other
English noblemen who represented Great Britain on
former occasions received the Russian orders without any
difficulty. Be this as it may, Lord Granville has not, we
understand, applied for permission to accept the order of
St. Andrew, nor will his suite be able to rdoice in that of
St. Staniqas, which was offered to their chief for them.
To the ambassadors of the second-rate power the Cross
of St. Alexander was offered, and it was aceeptokby all but
the Prince de Ligne, who considered that as he was of the
bison d'Or, he could not take an order of the second
class; but it has been well observed, that the offer was made
to him, not as Prince de Ligne, but as the ambassador of
a Foreign State ; and that the order mentioned is not
below that which the rei:resentative of a Power certainly
not first-rate has a right to expect. When the polonaise
was over—and very glad some people were that it ended
—dancing commenced, and the old generals and statesmen
retired to the seats round the room to talk politics, and the
old ladies to t

.alk something else and to admire their sons
s. The reason why the nervous people were
ejoiced at the cessation of the polonaise was that it is
a dance regulated by no rules or known laws, and that the
persons in it may go where they please, so as they follow
their leader. Thus it may happen that quiet people, who
are enjoying, as they think, a safe look at the Emperor
or Empress, are horrified by a sudden wheel which brings
those distinguished persons right down on them, and on
such occasions there is, certain as fate, a very stout and
demonstrative old lady , who won't give way, behind you,
or a strong man who resists your efforts to press him
back by thrusting your right across the Imperial party.
The Czar takes it would seem, a particular pleasure in
turning into unsuspecting corners, and in traverse sailing
across the waves of the ball-room. After the dancing
had gone on for some time the Emperor, who enjoyed it
to all appearances as much as any one, did a thing
which gave sensible satisfaction, and was remarked
very generally. His Majesty had been dancing in one
particular set in the upper part of the room, but sud-
denly, when the nest quadrille was about to form, he
left the upper set, and leading !Lady Emily Peel
as his partner, he took his place in the second set,
and began to dance among the dii minores, leaving those
of the majores Pentium perhaps somewhat astonished.
He born his share, and perhaps more than his share, of
bumping with great complacence, and once when a long
'Englishman in all the vigour of the Britannic waltz "ran
slap right into him," and actually distUrbed the Imperial
equilibrium considerably, the Czar with the utmost
readiness and true politeness relieved the culprit from all
embarrassment by apologising to him for the accident,
and saying, "he (the Czar) really could not get out of
the way, the crowd was so great I.' All the Imperial
family seemed in good spirits, and were evidently much
pleased with the ball. The Grand Dake Constantine
waltzed, quadrilled, mazourked with the greatest zeal,
and warmed up as though lie were in a sea fight; and
old Prince Esterhazy disptayi d the graces of the old court
style of dancing—as well as his diamonds and pearls—on
more than one occasion. But, magnificent as were his
jewels, they were not without rivals. The Russian ladies
were blazing vs ith them. The Empress, the Grand Duch.-
esses, Lady. Granville, Princess de Ligne, and many others,
bore whole fortunes on their heads. A little sprig, the
feeblest-stemmed shakiest thing in the world of botanical
lorfevrie, trembled with drops of dew, each worth
thousands of pounds, on:one head; a grand circlet of
diamonds surrounded another with a million of charms ;

person of note in Moscow, attended

this:splendid reunion, which appropriately terminated the
- - - _ - - -

To meation all the

persons were present, most of them of high rank or posi-
tion, and some of whom were so anxious indeed to pay
their respects to Lord and Lady Granville that they came
without any invitation whatever. Same thirty or forty
people offered our Embassy this high compliment. Depu-
ties from the Caucasus, from the Caspian and Lake Aral,
from the confines of China, and from the wild tribes of
Central Asia, with unknown and unpronounceable names,
and many people of note, whose names I forget, formed a
portion of the company. The outside of the Graziani
Palace was illuminated with coloured lamps, which cast
a bright glow on a crowd of faces in the streets, all silent
and quiet, as a Russian crowd ever is. In order to pro-
vide dancing roam for such a large assemblage, a very
matt had been erected with
;jecting over the garden of