The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1852-04-27 00:00:00

A NIGGER BALL

Although it was full nine o'clock when we entered,
there was no one in the ball-room but the stewards,
strutting about in all the pride of lofty shirt-collars and
decorations; for this assembly of "All-blacks" had their
correct notions about the fashionable propriety of late
hours as well as the titled frequenters of Willis's Great
Rooms. Some of the earliest settings-down took place
shortly after our arrival, the ladies, in low dresses
tightened round the waist with an indentation more like
a girth than a pair of stays; all wearing little kerchiefs
of bright colours round their necks, with a sort of semi-
turban on their head, of a regular rainbow complexion ;
and drops, of such dimensions and gravity as elongated
ears into the shape of jargonelle pears. Men and
men wore white gloves, and their faces shone with a
ish as if they washed in copal varnish for the occasion.
ere was also a deal of perfumery in requisition, but
le Cologne and lavender-water soon became too
diluted with other essences to retain their virtues,
to mind Dean Swift's couplet—

- -
Not all Arabia's spices would sufficient be;
Thou smell'st not of their sweets—they smell of thee

The orchestra was at the end of the room, and in front
of it a refreshment counter, where mint juleps and oyster
patties were served out. There were several old people
amongst the company, all of whom had either a pair of
bones or a tin rattle in the head of their canes, to beat
- I not dance. Presently the fiddles and

banjos struck up, when the floor was quickly tenanted; a
movement very soon followed by a hurricane of sneezing,
during which I also caught the infection ; but the noise of
those nasal convulsions was partly drowned as the "fun
became fast and furious," raising up a dust which, seizing
everybody by the nose, set musicians, dancers, and spec-
tators into such a paroxysm of sneezing as brought all
simultaneously to a full stop. The ladies seemed ill at
-se, too, between the shoulders, and many a fair heel was
'nodically uplifted to allay the irritation on the other
pile others kept nipping their dresses, as if to ermi-
ne foreign intruder in the lining : in fact, danc-
-qng now became completely merged in sneez-
hing. I felt there was foul play some-
bins itched most irresistibly; but I very
..tie suspicion alit upon Mr. W- and
as the stewards in a body came up to us, sneezing,
e us to understand, sneezing, the sooner we retired
ter for our comfort and safety, as there was a great
neral inclination to inflict condign punishment on
what we had done. There was no use in attempting
.ination in the tempest of sneezing, and we left this
-iety to sneeze and scratch themselves to their
We, however, ascertained next morn-

leg, wk

nd that t

content

some mischievous wags managed to
n during the day, and dredged the
; and cayenne, which, sent floating

•et into the

the beating of the dancers
produced the a
s that led to our ejection.

thus describes his reception on visiting

THE MORMON CITY

red coming down the slope,
icts of the town the inhabi,.
it houses, but showed no disponi-
Ince account, apparently believ-