Star.
London, England, 1822-12-07 00:00:00

THE CONGRESS.

VERONA, NOVEMBER 20.
Yesterday, at four o'clock, the Duke of Welling-
ton went, in a full Court dress, to dine with the Arch-
duchess Maria Louisa, who had invited a small party
of about sixteen persons of the highest distinction
among the visitors now assembled here. His Grace
looked remarkably well, and was accompanied by
Lady Burghersh, who, since her arrival, has expe-
rienced from him evet y mark of affectionate regard
that could beexpected from the most affectionate uncle.

NOVEMBER 21.
The Ministers met yesterday, as usual, at the house
of Prince Metternich, and remained in formal con-
ference for not less than five hours.

The Duke of Wellington dined at home yesterday,
and all the official persons attached to his suite were
employed in the bureau during the whole day, and a
great part of the night. In the evening the Opera
was crowded to excess. There were present the Em-
peror of Russia, the King of Pitisia, and the King
and Queen of Sardinia. The Archduchess Maria
Louisa came in a winter dre,s of rich satin trimmed
with ermine, and on her head she wute a lace cap
imerted with alternate stripes cf white satin, and
having in front a vatiegated wreath of artificial
flowers. She seemed to look meditative and melan-

clioly, and did not, as on former occasions, enter into
conversation with her Chamberlain or her Maids of
Honour. It is oily recently that she has been released
from a state of the most paintul surveillance, for du-
ring the whole time that Napoleon was dragging out
his existence at St. Helena, she was watched with a
degree of jealous vigilance that nothing could equal.

NOVEMBF.It 22.

Yesterday was a day of elaborate preparation ; the
night was one of dismal disappointment. The Muni-
cipal Authorities of Verona, wishing to testify their
devoted loyalty to their own, and their profound re-
spect for the other Sovereigns, by a grand general
illumination towards the close of the Congress, ap-
pointed last night for the purpose, and t!ce inhabitants
(who had received ample notice of the design) were
not slow in seconding the laudable views of the Dele-
gate and the Podesta. The arrangements were made
upon a scale infinitely more grand, gorgeous, and
extensive, than any that had been previously witnessed
by the oldest man or woman in the town, and every-
thing promised a display which the youngest child
should never forget, if at all capable of retaining im-
pressions from external objects.
According to the usual practice on such occasions,
every bed lent its covering to grace the walls of
every house, and various were the instances in which
the exhibition of a dirty sheet or foul quilt only
served to proclaim to the world the slattern habits of
the padrona. In truth, the drapery was such as to
defy the most forcible powers of description. Ragged,
wretched, rich, splendid, clean, dirty, whole, torn,
and patched—it presented to the eye a combination of
motley emblems in colour, texture, and form, which
placed wealth in the more glaring contrast with po-
veity, by pointing out the extremes of both.
But the good people of this famous town of Verona
were not content with the exhibition of drapery alone;
there was not a single tradesman within the walls
who did not allegorise his loyalty with the contents
of his shop, and whether he sold broad-cloth or bar-
nacles, tallow candies or tobacco, it was all the same,
be still contrived to make out a series of substantial
metaphors, which he exposed at his door, in order
that all the world might see how happily he could
devise, and how fervently he could feel at so lute
toting a juncture. One individual carried his in-
genuity so far as to shape the likeness of his So-
vereign out of a large cheese ; and a baker moulded
a tolerably fair imitation of the King of Sardinia's
face out of the more plastic article of dough.—
In a fashionable and much-frequented quarter of the
town, called the Via Nuova, which leads into the
grand promenade, the public eye was challenged By
the shop of a man milliner,who had evidently endea-
voured to outdo all his neighbours in figurative em-
bellishment. Over his door was the following written
designation of his calling—Negosio di Pietro Bianchi
Modiste!—Everything was now ready, and Verona
was to have flamed from one end to the other, when
the elements conspired to mar The illumination. Just
as the evening began to close the rain came down in