The Sun.
London, England, 1866-12-05 00:00:00

crowding at any one point. At about ten o'clock
the imperial family and the foreign princes made
their appearance. The Prince of Wales, as a mark
of courtesy to Sir A. Buchanan—who is a *Scotch-
man—wore the Highland dress, a red vest, and plaid
and kilt of Stuart tartan. He also wore the grand

cordon of the Danish Order of the Elephant. A
gentleman of the prince's suite also appeared in a
Highland costume, the vest of black velvet.
The ball was opened by the Cz trewitch at about

half-past ten with Lady Buchanan, the Grand
Duchess Maria Feodorona dancing with the Prince
of Wales, the Grand Duchess Alexandra Josephovna
with the English Ambassador, and the Prince Royal
of Denmark with the Grand Duchess Catherine Mi-
hailovna. About half an hour later the Emperor
appeared, looking very welt, and quite an Emperor,
iu his red uniform of Horse Guard officer, and his
helmet surmounted by the golden spread eagle.
After a turn or two round the saloon his Majesty
approached M. Larrainzar, the Mexican Minister,
and asked him if he had news from the Emperor
Maximilian. He next spoke to M. de Moira, the
Portuguese Minister, who bowed low and often in
response, thanking the Emperor for the favours he
had lately conferred on him. Tie had that morning
received the Grand Cordon of the Order of the
White Eagle, one of the first of the Russian orders.
The Count of Redern, the Prussian Minister, who is
about to leave St. Petersburg, likewise received that
day the Order of St. Alexander Nevski. The Em-
peror then sat down at the whist-table with Prince
Basil Dolgorouky, Baron de Lieven, and Count
John Tolstoi, Postmaster-General.

Besides the illustrious guests above named the ball
was honoured by the presence of the Grand Duke
Vladimir Alexandrovitch, the Grand Duke Con-
stantine Nicolaievitch, the Grand Duke Nicolas
Nicholaievitch, senior, the Grand Duke Michael
Nicholaievitch, and the Grand Duchess Olga Feodo-
rovna, his Grand Ducal Highness Duke George of
Mecklenburg-Strelitz, their Imperial Highnesses
Prince Nicholas Maximiliauovitch, Duke of Leuch-
tenberg, and the Princess Eugenie Maximilianovna,
Duchess of Leuchtenberg, his Highness Prince
Alexander of Hesse, his Imperial Highness Prince
Peter of Oldenburg, their Highnesses'rince Herman
of Saxe-Weimar, and Prince Albert of Saxe-Alten-
burg, Duke of Saxe.

The dances proceeded without interruption for
some time, the august visitors taking part in them
with a spirit fully equal to that displayed by them
at the fete recently given by the Princess Helen
Kotchoubey. It was remarked by some that the
number of youthful countenances and showy
shoulders seemed to be in excess of those displayed
on former festival evenings. This was attributed
to the number present from the " British Colony"
in St. Petersburg. As for the dresses of the ladies,
it would pass the limits of any reasonable space to
attempt to describe thew. Suffice it to say that
poplin was the preponderating material—velvet
poplins, silk poplins, satin poplins, poplins of every
colour of the rainbow. An exception must, however,
be made in favour of the marvellously beautiful
attire of the Grand Duchess Alexandra Josephovna.
Let our readers picture to themselves a w hi t e dress
with three flounces rolling in vaporous folds, and
confined with garlands of algae and other sea-
weeds, which were also to to be seen in the head-
dress ; the whole surrounded and, so to speak,
flooded with waves of light, with green flashes from
the most perfect and magnificent parure of emeralds
that the eye has seen—necklace, bracelets, ear-
rings, chaplet, and ornaments for the corsage, &c.
The harmony of this whole display, which at the
sanie time was perfectly in keeping with the style
of ball dress, and in no sense suggested that of a
fancy ball, enhanced a grace and beauty too well
known to need mention. The august lady appeared
almost a vision of a goddess of the sea surrounded
with the beauties of her native element. The supper
was served to the guests seated at table, and after-
wards dancing recommenced, and was spiritedly
kept up till three o'clock in the morning.
It is needless to add that the Ambassador and
Lady Buchanan did the honours of the embassy with
a graceful heartiness, and were unwearied, and, it
might almost be said, übiquitous in their attention
to the guests, from the commencement to the close
of the fete. They were ably seconded by the per-
sonnel of the embassy, who evinced a zeal and readi-
ness which in no small degree contributed to the
complete success of this brilliant fete. It was felt
that the great power of Britain was worthily repre-