The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1848-02-01 00:00:00

THE METROPOLITAN GRAND CIGAR DIVAN.

The visitor to the Metropolis, who has not yet had an
opportunity of witnessing the extent to which splendour
of decoration, magnificence of furnishing and fitting, can be
carried, in establishments devoted to the purpose of provid-
ing comfort, luxury, and recreation for the public, would
exclaim on entering that unique establishment—the Grand
Cigar Divan in the Strand, Here I must, at the least,
expect, in return for the privilege of being the inmate for
an hour of a princely palace, to pay at a princely rate."
We have lately been enabled to undeceive such an ex-
pectant; and shall make no apology for intruding upon
our readers a brief sketch of this unequalled establish-
ment.
Some years ago we knew the Grand Cigar Divan as a
salon, in which, for a shilling entrance, you could have
the very finest coffee, a la Francois, with a rare and
choice Havannah. It was then the first establishment of
its kind in London, or in the Kingdom. The enterprise
of its spirited proprietor, Mr. S. Ries, has now made it
the first in the world. The Divan is situated in the
Strand, opposite Exeter Hall ; and occupies the premises
Nos. 101 and 102. The exterior front is modern and
elegant, but presents nothing of an extraordinary ap-
pearance, being only the front of a first-rate cigar depot.
Enter the Door, however, proceed up stairs and a scene
at once presents itself, which cannot easily be equalled.
The room in which you find yourself is 60 feet in length,
35 feet broad, and 28 feet high, illuminated—if at night
when you see it to the best advantage—by a prolusion of
splendid chandeliers, which are reflected and multiplied
by the aid of 20 immense looking-glasses, each fourteen
feet in height, and fixed in the spaces between the win-
dows, which are themselves at night filled up by splendid
paintings, of various subjects, by eminent artists. The fur-
niture and fi tings of the room are of the most gorgeous
description. 'The seats consist chiefly of sofas, ottomans,
and lounges, covered with the most cosay crimson Utrect
velvet ; and the tables, which are very numerous, are
made of the finest marble, inlaid as chess tables, and for
backgammon,.&c. As may be anticipated, you meet here
some of the finest players of the former noble game ; and
many of the celebrated matches of the day are played in
the divan. The fireplaces are of black marble, richly
inlaid • and surmounted with chimney glasses of the first
style Of elegance. The coup-d'oeuil to a stranger, on first
entering, is scarcely describable; and its effect is height-
ened by the uniform respectability of the parties whom
you find frequenting the divan, either for the purpose of
enjoying the excellent cigars, coffee, &c., provided by the
proprietor, amusing themselves with chess, draughts, &c.,
conversing or reading the books, magazines, and news-
papers, which are supplied in abundance. The frequenters
of the divan we may mention, are principally composed
of parties of an intellectual and literary character ; and
for the convenience of foreigners, French, German, and
other languages are spoken by the waiters employed.
The library consists of upwards of 2000 volumes, com-
prising the standard works In every modern language, the
best historians, novels, &c. ; and the divan is also sup-
plied with all the leading daily and weekly newspapers,
both metropolitan and provincial, together with the
leading foreign journals, and with the reviews, maga-
zines, &c. Books of reference are also kept in nearly
every branch of literature and science. Lest' it'
should be imagined by any party, not a consumer of the
Havannah, that the smoking of others will be likely to
annoy him, we may mention that the room is so venti-
lated that the atmosphere is at all times as clear as that of
a drawing-room. The waiters, who wear handsome
liveries, are most civil and obliging.
The.price of admission to the Divan is the very small
sum—the cost considered of the luxury with which the
guest is surrounded—of one shilling, which entitles the
visitor to a cup of coffee and a fine Havannah cigar, or
any other refreshment he may prefer to that amount.
The proprietor, to render his establishment more strictly
one of an improving and intellectual character, has re-
cently removed the billiard tables, formerly occupying the
basement floor of the building, which he purposes con-
verting shortly into a first-rate tavern and restaurant, to I
be conducted on the same excellent principles and reason-
ableness of charges adopted at the Divan.
We know of no place in the metropolis where a more I
agreeable hour or evening can be spent than at this unique
establishment, which combines continental elegance and
splendour with English comfort ; and the stranger visiting
London need not regret that he has not the entree to any
of its clubs ; for in the Grand Cigar Divan he has more
luxury and enjoyment at a small cost than any one of
them can boast of being able to provide.

A PATIENT TRAVELLER.—A quiet elderly gentleman
found himself the other day one of four travellers in a
railway carriage. The other three were ladies, who talked
from the beginning to the end of the journey—kept up,
in fact, so lengthened a conversation that it was exactly
200 miles long. When nearly at the terminus, the
most voluble of the ladies expressed a hope to the gentle-
man that the incessant colloquy had not disturbed him.
"By no means, madatn (said he, politely), I have been
married exactly 25 years."—North British Mail.
THE G/LEAT SNOW STOHM OF 1620.—The snow fell
during thirteen days and nights with very little intermis-
sion, accompanied with great cold, and a keen biting
wind. About the fifth and sixth days the young sheep
fell into a torpid state and died, and about the ninth and
tenth days the shepherds began to build up large semi-
circular walls of the dead, in order to afford some shelter
for the living ; but the protection was of little service,
Impelled by hunger, the sheep were frequently seen tear-
ing at one another's wool with their teeth. On the 14th
day there was, on many a high-lying farm, not a survivor
of extensive flocks to be found. Large misshapen walls
of dead surrounding a small prostrate group, likewise
dead, and stiffly frozen in their lairs, met the eye of the
forlorn shepherd and his master. Of upwards of 20,000
sheep maintained in the extensive pastoral district of
Eskdale Moor, only about 45 were left alive.—Gallery of
Nature.

AN AFFECTIONATE DUCK AND DRAKE.—RCfering to
the habits of the mandarine duck (a Chinese species), Mr.
Bennet says, " Mr. Beale's aviary afforded a singular
corroboration of the fidelity of the birds in question. Of
a pair in that gentleman's possession, the drake being one
night purloined by some thieves, the unfortunate duck
displayed the strongest marks of despair at her bereave-
ment, retiring into a corner; and altogether neglecting
food and drink, as well aS the care of her person. In this
condition she was courted by a drake who had lost his
mate, but who met with no encouragement from the widow.
On the stolen drake being subsequently' recovered, and
restored to the aviary, the most extravagant demonstra-
tions of joy were displayed by the fond couple. But this
was not all ; for, as if informed by his spouse of the gallant
proposals made to her shortly before his arrival, the drake
attacked the luckless bird who would have supplanted
him, beat out his eyes, and inflicted so many injuries as
to cause his death."—Couch's Illustration's of Instinct.

CULTIVATION OF THE BEAUTIFUL.—It has been the
fashion with prudes and pedants, time immemorial, to run
down the advantages of external appearance—thus the
phrases " Outside show," and " Skin-deep beauty," had
obtained a sort of currency which gave therri at, id others
of similar import, an appearance of grave-authority. The
present age is bold enough to quit this dictum, and even.
to go as far as to extbUthe study or externals as a duty to
society, which should have presented to it agreeable ob-
jects, and now contends that e cultivation of the beau-
tiful holds a place',secon in iMpOrtance to the pro=
motion of the-good. is it'which holds out eticou
ragement to those 'who 'our to 'put the public in pos-
session of means to t a end:: Oldriage's 'Balm of Co-
lunibin„ as the most eetive preservative or renovator of
that most beautiful tirnament the Human Hair, takes tirst
rank, and'as lo 's its Valuable, properties' continue to be •
known and a cii;ted; inuirtake the precedence of
every product' n intended for exteri4i improvement in this
. direction. . and A.':OLPAIDGE'g BALM OF CO-
LX.TMBIA uses the' "1/air; to-arl'bkaiiifully; 'frees it''
from scurf, and steps it froM falling 'Oft*,:and a few bottlei
• generally restore: it again it 1;also. .prevents greyness.
3s, fid., 6s.' and Its. Per .bettle:- .No. other prices are
genuine. Ask for OLDRIDGWB. BALM, 1, Welling-
ton-street, Strand, Linden. SOld by all respectable.'
• C4emiots, l'erfomers, and Stationers.