The New York herald., 1851-11-18
The Dloomer Ball In London.

From the London Chronicle, Oct 3O.l
IL Bloomersm was az al tardy in walking into
fashion the notion Of trying whether It would not
dance into supremacy was, TO say the least of it,
ingenious. Lectures-even with disgrams-were
found TO be Of the dryest, and the rghs of woman,
imported by the American ladies, afforded no aid to
the progress Of their Iettiooss and pantaettes. A
bloomer Ill would put the thing in gay and more
practical light; an one was accordingly got up,
bot with somewhat worse than dubious results.
There win be no COED done TO Boomerisn by the
display in the Hanoversl luare Rooms last night.
lLdeed, could find II Ia our hearts to lament that
the progress OF any thing like reform in the ac.
knowlcdged absurdities o. female costume, must
be seriously retarded by any such exhibition.
ON approaching the scene Of action soon after
midnight, we GOupd dense crowd clustered around
the doors at the corner Of Hanover square, and the
loud UuTmurs and he occasional half uttered
bursts OF cheering which rose from them announced
the popular interest in the Boomers. And, truth
to say that inttrCst did not appear favorable The
crowd was surly, and swayed roughly to and
ho-very unlike the ordinary behaviour Of tae
mob OF spectators who assemble round the por-
tals Of ballroom, to gaze on gay toilets or
fancy dresses Some dozen of policemen had
enough 20 do TO keep order. AS the long line
Of vehicles drew up and discharged their occu-
pants, discsrGant bursts Of uproar broke forth.
shout Of disappointmeut, not to say impatience,
hurst out when the person aighting Glanced as was
gererslly the case, 90 be a gentleman Ho was
sometimes sautsd as a "he Boomer " and politely
aFked whether he had net left bis peiticosts in the
cab; while II a ladJ in the expected COSTUME pads
htr AIfeatanee, ss6 was toer6, sure to 6e greeted
BY an outbreak Of noise, half cheer, half laugh
laugh, however, by no means sounding like an ap-
proving one, and the tone Of the cheer evidently
sarcastic. The mob seemed to pay particular atten-
tion TO private vehicles. "lts only hlnsom,"
was the sign for momentory indifference "Hush
here's a brougbam y produced an instantaneous
hush Of expectancy; but as few, very few Of the
BloOmers came in broughams, the gentlemen who
emerged from them paid the penalty of public dis
appointment in being saluted With roar Of satri-
cal laughter, and as many slangy wittcisms az
could be mustered on the tpur of n minute.
Entering, We found the ante-rooms and staircases
crowded with gentlemen, nearly sll in evening dress,
while nov and then butterfly looking Boomer
would glance like meteor among the black coats
AID trousers. A. the doors and corridors close to
the ballroom, gentlemen who had clearly been dining
out were amusing themselves by pushirg each
other about, and occasionally using stronger Ian
gusgo than seemed cutie consistent with an over
10 the bsrocm Iiislf, dancing was rapidly proceed
ing to the strains Of a very brassy band, but the
comparative number Of rersoos taking share in
the quadIille may be conceived when we say that
there were present at least Gfty gentlemen to one
lady. Asto the "ladics," we may as well state at
once, ard 10 prevent mistakes that they certainly
did not compose the dae Of the casinos-and that
the fact was in all respects glaripgly visible The
masculine part Of the congregation was strik-
iDgly different, the macs formed Of persons do
ciccdly above the calibre OF gents, and half the
weknown faces Of the West end beDg present.
and the Lower House had contributed respec.a.
bic dcputstion. The clubs must have been emp
ticd--ndetd, at every turn you came upon faces so
familiar to every opera goer-guardsmen, dandos,
iarcied oreself in the crush room. The immense
majority had evidently come merely as spectators
"a dark row, standiRg on the seats, lined the
length Of either wall. The floor was more or less
crowded; and In the interior Of pushing, shifting,
ioltirg rirgs Of occasionally noisy gentlemen, the
Boomers and their partners were jerking each
other about in galloping polka, in the styl fam-
liar TO the habttue of any of the casinos or Gre
none Sometimes rush would be made aud
the circle broken, amid the expostul atoms OF the
dancers and tho loud laughter Of the intruders.
Sometimes, again, cheer would be raised for a
fat Bloomcr, or a thin Bloomer, or an old Boomer
or Bloomer with particularly gaudy ribbons or
particularly Haunting feathers aud, to do the
ladies justice, they came out strong in both
respects. The standing joke Of the night
appeared TO be 10 shout out, Kossuth 4"
Here's Kessuth az a beautiful Bloomcr !"
upon which there would be an immediate sway
Of the crowd, and roirs Of laughter. As for the
ladies' the less that is said, either Of themselves or
their dresses, the better. The latter we're very
generally gaudy and tasteless- the prominent points
Of Bloomerism copied but in q very few cases with
anything like grace or detail. Some Of the girls
wore mere ordinary polka jackets; others had hor.
rible affairs glaring with unmatched colors; and
not few presented shabby makes up from faded
old materials. Some wore loose and wide Turkish
trousers; others drawers, or whatever they may
be called, htting as closely 70 the lime as common
Isntaloors The majority spofted beaver hats,
Electrically perched on one side Of the head, and
decorated with alarming plumes Of feathers. lu
fact, as general rule, the coored dresses were
gaudy and haunting TO degrees those in which
white Jredoninsted were dingy and dirty; the whole
tone Al d style Of the thing, in fact smacking un-
mistakably Of VauxhaN at o late hour on cheap
.ight.
a supper was laid out below, but what occurred
there We hardly fsls L. incumbent on US to stay to