The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-02-26 00:00:00

THE i' BACHELORS' BALL"

" Come take up our hats, and away let us haste
To the " butterflies' ball," and grasshoppers' feast,"

To THE EDITOR OF THE NORTHERN TIMES.
Sh',—Your correspondent " Globe," being a sublunary
integument, cannot look down upon things after my
asl ion ; for, according to a poet of your planet, I see
imore business in a wicked way in half an hour than my
brother, Sot "
can look upon in four and twenty, and
.11 I appear so modest all the time. lam not at present,
,ning to the monetary crisis up here in these high lati-
tude to keep a secretary, and that will at once
account to you for the non-appearance of more frequent
te,pistles from me. There are two other reasons also for
2,1 e angels, visits of my letters—the duty on paper is very
.'evated, and the penny postage is only spoken of; it
,S, however, said (this is in confidence) that our " en-
'2.g.htened " legislature intend to take it into " con—
• ,Tteration." We are contemplating a railroad along
i,flut,e,valley of Lord Ross's telescope, and as the engineer-
,;p,,difficulties in that quarter are " nothing at all, at
I expect the " rail," as far as the first station
t he "Equinoxal line," will be opened about the 21st of
atarll in the year 784,697.4 There are strong rumours of
n oPPosition road being got up, on the ascending scale,
7:!ci Messrs Balloon and Co. are already engaged to make
`ne preliminary surveys. Hearing of this, through the
olurrins of the Milky Way Expositor, a journal published
(1:1 the adjoining principality of " Mars," I resolved
I„unabimously " within my own mind—for Ido everything
Y own mind—to go down and see what it was all about,
-7-s I am a warm supporter of the Great Equator Viaduct
Zt,r!e• Of course I was received most graciously—all depu-
Talons are _and, on my way home, I proceeded by the
anSunbeam Junction," as far as modern Tyre. Here I was
allglY pressed to make one at the " Bachelors' Ball,"
a very pleasant evening I spent in Mount Pleasant.
2,7 fry traveller, now-a-days, from Billy Russell (of the
gies), to Sir Robert Peel—l mean the " real brick " Sir
Robert—gives a lecture about, or writes a letter in the
Papers, on what he, or she, or they, saw and heard,
and b way of giving good value for the
edeal ntrance money, he, or she, or they. tell and write a good
more than what was seen and heard by the aforesaid
he' She, or they. Now, this not only leads into serious
Inistakes, but very often into awkward positions, which
salso lead to parliamentary explanations—but 1
34PPose you, down in your sphere, don't mind
uch things, as, after all, I am informed, on
t e authority of the Jupiter tell truth—an impartial
JouJournal, published in an adjoining county—that parlia-
ntary explanations, mean nothing ! There is a rule in
nr Parliament, of which I have the honour of being a
alaember, that every word uttered must be true, and a
!!alation of this rule (it may be considered, perhaps, an
absurd rule enough) subjects the utterer of a falsehood to
expulsion never again to be re-elected. As I intend lectur-
Ing what I saw in your country—its not so very bad a
alultrrafter all—l purpose adhering to this rule, and as a
eleton of the programme may prove interesting to "your
,}lTerous friends and the public," (a fine sentence I
,r,slekced up whilst amongst you,) I give it "without note or
Zurnment, —another good subluminary sentence. I will
Just tell what I beheld at the " ball"—
L)11, saw shin ng at the feast that night,
Earth treading stars (the ladies' eyes of course) that made dark
Heaven light.
Ine,reason of the darkness on that peculiar evening was
Zrabsence from home, as our gas man could not find
e key of the metre. Ido not know if all the gentlemen
Who were at the " ball," belong tot hat " single state of
blessedness,'' as lam not much given to make " further
enquiry," because I always see enough to be satisfied ;
11t, what struck me most was the beautiful supper table,
that contained, amongst other things—
Pine cabbage, eggs, and bacon,
That would set the very portals of a vacant stomach aching.
Thethe
Plate and the plates, and the things upon both—and
Lie knives, and the spoons, and the dishes, and the forks,
and
the waiters, and the cloths, and the—excuse me, as
wu not used to such nice things, and don't know what
to ca:J them. I only asked one question, and it was
.14'1114 this—where did all this finery come from ? The
answer was, "not from Chowbent, but London"—
Pb you think," demanded my informant, " that vulgar
understand
could produce any thing like it ?" I did not quite
him at the time, but next morning—l was
stoppia...
5, at the Adelphi—at breakfast, I made some
%-f."01117, and an intelligent waiter—not a bad authority—
lo—nrlned me that the " bachelors "of Liverpooll:eschew
itylery thing local (except the ladies) at their "Ball." I
thought it very peculiar, for a great many reasons, and I
as about to state some of these, when the letter of my
mother, the
" Globe," was handed to me in your paper.
nIY lecture 1 shall give " a full, true, and particular
cfnewn„lll!t " of everything, from the time the supper was put
na„" '0 be cooked, until it disappeared: One great
tho'all,taile I have gained by my visit is this : I find
from („Bachelors " draw large sums of money
hahi; L,ae shopkeepers, tradesmen, and other in-
n.;,`l,ritB of Liverpool, but that they repudiate
jal,„","'ing in the ,shape of reciprocity, not by any
encouraging local talent or otherwise, I have
•esolved to offer all the unappropriated shares in our
1.4i11042 to her
gentlemen who act so generousl
towards
strangers. and I have been promised most ample support. I cannot close, without informing you (privately
X(' Confidentially), that I intend, for all that, to fashion
r hotel at the central station, on the equinoxial line,
after a model of Radley's, and the refreshment room after
"lat of Morrsh's as I am of opinion both are better than
the sample Ii had, at Mount-pleasant, although furnished
tr
°ill the great metropolis. I shall forward you, by the
!text mail, a copy of the Mountain Herald, which will con-
'alb a full report of the lecture given by your obliged,
THE MAN IN THE MOON.
GiN'en at Enlightenment Castle, Feb. 24th, in the Four
_ _

Thous'and and Oae Year of our reign.

Si w
r -m. Wiseman, commander of her Majesty's ship
,
-el3Pe while on the voyage to
Ilan seam
Bay, had a narrow
ti f • •
b rom assassination by an ian seaman, who rushed
,TOTI him, whileon deck, with a dagger. The captain sac-
frVel in warding off the blow and in taking the weapon
a the hand of his antagonist, in doing which he receivel
deep cut in the hand.
m'c'NatEtirrA.TED MzsmenrsTs.—The meeting of the
Society was attended with an incident worth
th,,"
e°,,ruing • This society,, whichates its from
a3's of Mesmer himself, has maintained thefoundation highest
•eutation
throughout Europe ever since, and holds its
eetinba with as much solemnity as in the palmy days of
s ence, when everybody believed everything. The
presence of more than five hundred somnambules of every
degree, who filled the arena of the salle where the meet-
ttlg
was held • the vast crowds which filled the galleries
thePlatforms' erected round the walls; the solemnity of
in president and the officiating magnetizers, all assnm-
drg ea t? themselves an occult power, of which the very
renders the audience awe struck and attentive
aevery movement ; all these elements combined create
o
interest in these meetings not experienced upon
.407 enquiry into any other branch of scientific research
de sever. The platform, whereon were placed the presi-
and his satellites, being raised at a considerable
height from the ground, gives the magnetisers the greatest
o
wer over the somnambules; and it is, perhaps, one of
Drepeat wonderful sights the world at this moment can
truce, to behold the utter nothingness of the somnam-
i,,tp the hands of the skilful magnetiser. After various
tx,l,i.dual experiments and sundry passes, to test and
thulbit the several susceptibilities of the somnambules,
oti Word was given—a general rush of the magnetisers
lin. the platform towards the crowd of subjects"
gtrig the body of the hall. For awhile, the
riseetisers stood on tiptoe, with arms extended,
few with bead thrown back, as if inspired. For a
the seconds only did their trembling fingers point towards
p; Multitude below, when gradually (with some few
eelitions immediately removed) the whole of the ()nu-
rant
g of the body of the hall fell off to sleep, some bolt
fit fight, stiffened with their efforts at resistance, some
to Tr") outstretched limbs and uplifted eyes, as if appealing
aor, eaven against this helplessness—others again, in the
less)
sweet slumber of contentment, until all were motion-
rei; seemingly dead, until the silence of the tomb
bened throughout the hall. Presently, from one of the
yo-heuea near the door, arose a low wail.ng cry, and a
the"ng girl advanced, in spite of all obstacles, towards
1 Platform. Her manner ot advancing was fright-
.iutn„!° behold. With both feet joined together,
tviicritng right and left, and throwing her arms
Dee aloft with the short saccade movement
p, Mar to this state of somnambulism, she seemed to
veBesa the strength of a whole squadron of soldiers ; she
h !let those who approached, she pushed aside the
teettl?hea filled with ople, and still advanced over the
vvarlfied crowd, all huddling together to get out of her
Pre3r,;,, ``The current ! the current !" exclaimed the
4re in"eat in alarm, " break the electric current, or we
listi,.,-8t!" In a moment a number of the magnetizers,
tlic, —Mailed by the red ribbon and the little silver hand,
buttemb!em of their calling, which is attached to the
s'rai " 'sole, jumped down from the platform, and made
ght towards this novel kind of femme forte, magnet-
effect With all their power, but without the smallest
Witi?,,t' That same unearthly ghost-like dance went on
,ecicitit a pause. " Open the doors, there will be some
the
cried a voice from the gallery, " let her out
e Street. The face of the president expressed
triliy,s" ,most contempt and pity. " A pretty counsel
strop he exclaimed; "in her present state she is
Path enough to upset a coach and horses, should her
tr,sor )e obstructed." Soon, however an erpedient was
girl
half
which seemed to calm heapwerful exertions.
'3lrl dozen of the strongest magnetisers took the
al:°!! each side and ran with her an swiftly as possible
Nit °f down the ball, until it was entirely cleared of the
filv th the company. What took place afterwards, or
Nva3, e refractory patient was restored into a rightful
:Peeuf,thinking, we know not, but can only say that the
Idie;cie, with its strange mixture of the horrible and
atoll fortune to witness it.—Faris Correspondence of the