Star.
London, England, 1825-06-09 00:00:00

m••••••-•
• -'

~~

MASQUERADE AT THE ARGYLL ROOMS.
Theseßooms were onTuesdaynisht thrown open to the
festive crowd, and amt sober dommo, and gay masque,
assembled there at an early hour. Soon after twelve,
the Rooms were nearly full. In the throng that circled
ceaselessly round us, the, loud laugh, the oft-repeated
jest, and secret whisper, successively met the ear. A
Masquerade in this country is generally a heavy scene
—the spirit of its people is not sufficiently mercurial to
animate it. Italy was its home. In fallen Venice, the
Masked Carnival is now, like Rome, a heartless pa-
geant. But in other days the gay groups crowded th,
colonnades of Sr. Mark all night long, and seldom dis-
persed until the dawn blushed on the Adriatic. The
light guitar and tamborine spoke sounds of universal
joy, while groups of fantastic figures—" Gond°lieri,"
and others, swarmed in every direction. They sung the
verses of Ariosto, the wars of Charlemagne and the
Moors. and then of the woes of Orlando. The melan-
choly sonnets of Petrarch after succeeded, and the
magic of his poetry was assisted by all that Italian mu-
sic and expression, heightened by the enchantment of
Venetian moonlight, could give. The Masque, like the
Drama, took its rise in early Greece, from the rude
Feasts of the Goat, in which the vine-clad rustics
appeared with their faces deeply stained with the
lees of wine. The actors in the days of heroic Greece,
appeared on the stage in masks--formed like speaking
trumpets—and the nude in subsequent times was uni-
versal in Italy, and the greater part of Europe. In the
time of our Second Charles, women were in the habit of
going masked to the Theatres, where, in that disguise,
they listened to the prurient language of Beaumont and
Fletc'ter, Dryden. and others. It was at a masked ball
in Stockholm, that the ill-fated Gustavus fell by the
arm of Ankerstrom. Since the days of Mrs. Comely,
masquerades are seldom seen here. It was at one of
these that the beautiful Duchess of Devonshire, the
lovely Mrs. Crewe, and Mrs. Bouvetie, masked, and
habited as Witches, apostrophised Lord Carlisle, who,
at one siting, it was said, 1o:120,0001. to General Scott.
" AR hail. Carlisle ! ball to thee,
Once Lord of annual thousands thirty-three,
• But now so more. Beware that Tirane—
Beware that Scott ! bell drain thee
Dry u mountain hay."
Argyll Rooms are now the centre of enjoyment, and
Mr. Wright is the " Prospero" who creates the gay
scene. Characters abounded on Tuesday night. at
which the Goddess of Spleen, in her worst humour,
must have laughed.
The higl4atronage under which it was announced
that this splendid fete would be'given, was an earnest
of the unrivalled magnificence with which it might be
expected to be got up. No wonder, then, when the
attraction was so powerful, that the number and high
fashion of the visitants, who honoured the Rooms with
their presence, greatly surpassed what has heretofore
occurred on the like joyous occasions. Gentleman of
the first rank and talent supported characters with con-
siderable eclat. A talented person, as a postman,
evinced his knowledge of town and " ton," by his cor-
rect delivery of letters, prepared for the occasion, to dif-
ferent individuals, who were astonished at being known.
We recognised a great many of the leading men of
fashion in various disguises: Mr. H. as a ballad singer,
sung. " Greet/ grow the rashes," con antore t and Lord
—, in a similar character, was voci.eroiss all night
with " Ohl lit lave, Via love." We were a long time
at a loss to discover who was the Dante *tick!, of the
company ; but accident having given us a glimpse of
the Lady's face, we recognised the beautiful and at-
complished Mrs. T. who had spirit enough to assume a
character which her talents were equal to support. A
group of Parliamentary Orators got up a mock de-
bate on the Chancery question ; but on a division, the
noes refused to go owl, and the Speaker was obliged to
leave the chair. Mr. G. as a celebrated Ministerial
Orator. was excellent; while Mr. M. was peculiarly
happy in his imitations of a leading Opposition Mem-
ber. D. was successful in hitting off the manner of a
ci•devaat Chancellor of the Exchequer; and Mr. Q.
echoed a certain Irish Orator to the life. Mr. S.T.
was about to pronounce judgment as a solemn Lord
Chief Justice, when Death stepped in and took the
parties out of hearing. Mr. W. as Don Juan, capti-
vated all hearts, but was at last caught himself by
Madame V. who has been already so much celebrated
in the part, and we may expect soon to see their joint
appearance in public, for her benefit only. Sir James
B— headed a band of Spanish guerillas, and Colonel
J--- and his Lady were admirably dressed, after one
of Esstlakes pictures, as a Roman bandit and his wife.
We could not be mistaken in our friend R— as
Jerry Sneak, or in Mr.D. as Major Sturgeon.—Captain
W. played Death to the lift, and Tom I. as the Devil,
was delightful Sir Isaac announced a new stone coffin,
company. Mr. I. as a Getman Doctor was loud ins
praise of what he termed an antidote to swoon, melan-
choly, and despair, and a stimulant to the awakening
of joy and mirth, which he recommended with irresisti-
ble drollery. Many Ladies, prompted by the curiosity
so natural to their sex, tasted of the Doctor's, nostrum,
and the immediate sparkling of their bright eyes, and
their increased vivacity, at once proved that he did not
overvalue his delightful potion. The bua of satisfaction
which attended the Doctor's prescriptions drew the at-
tension of the well-known Charles Wright of the Hay-
market, who tasting the medicine, at once established
his fame in the circle, and covered the Doctor with
confusion, by declaring the specific to be no other than
his own sparkling cbampagne,which,he further informed
the 'company, would constitute one of the delights of the
supper table. An illustrious Falstdr, and the Hon. Mr.
,as the Prince, afforded much amusement, and
were admirably supported by three Gentlemen (whose
names we could not learn) in the characters Barnfolph,
Poists, and Pistol. Jews, Gypsies, Monts, and Country-
' men, filled up the indescribable mass ; who supplied ey
good humour and mirth their want of more prominent
and distinguishable points of character. Bands of ma-
sic were stationed in the different rooms, and kept in
requisition for country dances, waltzes, and quadrilles.
Eneellent refreshments were provided, and nothing left
deficient to please the eye and gratify the senses. Ati
two o'clock the large supper rooms were thrown open
and filled in a few minutes. An excellent supper was
soon disposed of, and when the cheerful glass had re-
vived the exhausted spirits of those who had partaken
most freely in the charms•of the busy crowd up stairs,
their stores of humour were again opened, and the table
dashed with wit and repartee. Several characters took
off their masks, and the surprise of acquaintances, and
the recognition of friends, gave no slight zest and va-
riety to the scene. This joyous entertainment, abounding
in wit, and graced by beauty, talent, and fashion, was
prolonged to a late hour.
The wines were famished by that famous commis-