The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-01-04
Tho Maxourka.

As the season of balls and dances has arrived,
It will no doubt interest many of our readers to
know the origin of one Of the most popular
waltzes OF the day. The following affords a solu-
ton of the manner in which the maz0urka first
came into vogue:
"A certain lord duke who has a very beaute-
GUS princess to wife, and as matter Of conse-
quence very fair court for all my lady's kin
dred, to the reGotest degree Of consequently,
crowded to her levees in the hope of obtaining
husbands and pensions. There was one mate
rial drawback to their happiness. and that was
the duke didn't dance. None of the officers
danced In fact no one danced at that court
but the ladies' themselves.
aTo mark up for his want of dancing propen.
sites, the duke had an ardent passion for the
chase. Every morn at the break Of dawn the
ladies' were awakened by the sound of-the hunt
er's revcille. There was a trampling of horses,
bayiug of hounds, jingling of hawk bells, and
confused clamor OF men crying SO la, la ! to
the dogs, and hu ali hu ahp to the falcons,
then off they all galloped, leaving the ladies' to
dance if they liked. When night came, the
hunters returned all covered with mud, and, if
the report Of the grooms might be relied on,
they tumbled right off into bed, boots and all.
SThis sort of conduct was intolerable, as you
might suppose. The duchess herself soiled
three pocket-handkerchiefs and ore slip of
wondrous satin in weeping and praying the
duke to sport toe, were it but at one Of her
reunions To her highnesss delight his high
ness not only promised to attend that evening,
with all his court, but even to furnish music
When this resolve Of the dukes was known,
wasn't there rejoicing in the ladies department
Oh no perhaps not
"The assembly that night was caution, il
ever there WINS one in the dukedom. Nine o'clock
passed, and the ladies' were beginning to fear
that his grace had forgotten, when bark there
struck up concert Of bugle horns in we'll
known hunting air, ta-ra-ra-ra-ra-ta-ra, ectetera
At this moment the door opened, and there came
rushing into the room the duke and his court
booted and spurred for the chase, and close al
their heels followed by troop Of dogs, five and
| fifty of them If there was single one. Advanc-
ing to her highness his grace caught her round
the waist, his court followed his axampled will,
the other maidens, and round and round they
whirled, beating time with the heels of their
boots to the music ta-ra-ra-ra- Ia ra-ra Round
and round they dashed while still the bugles
kept playing ta-ra-ra, and the five and fifty canine
outsiders pursuing their own tails and barked
with the excess ofjoy. The scene was exciting
Round and round they went, stamping and whirI.
| ing, the spurs of the cavaliers making sad
havoc with ladies drapcry diffusion, and other
fabrics, even to guess at whose names would be
proclamation. At length, wearied with their
pirouctts the hunters cast off their fair whirlgigs
and whrled themselves ont of the room. A
long, shrill whistle caused the five and fifty
CANNES TO give mouth, and with n flourish OF
their caudal appendages to dash through ar
open window, leaving the brenthless maidens in
state TO be easier imagined than described.
"A meeting of the whole feminine world ri
! japonicadum was Immediately summoned-the
princess in the chair. What happened at that
meeting has never transpired, but the next day
| the duke and bis court received perfumed bill.
! let requesting them to repeat the performance
that evening, wifhom spurs, which they did
| And thus was invented that transcendent dance
that took Europe by storm, the Mazourka Hon
groise.'
SEVERE CONFLICT WITH FUGITIVE SLAVES
| PIsToLs USED, AND SEVERAL NEGROES WOUNDED.
| We learn from the Philadelphia Ledger, that
on Friday last, gentleman from MARYLAND, in
! search Of fugitive slave accompanied bv n
Deputy United States Marshal and Constable
John Agen, proceeded in vehicle 10 the vicinity
of Gainesville, on the Columbia railroad, where
it was understood the fugitive was secreted
They arrived in the neighborhood Of the house
in question about o'clock in the morning, and
reused the inmates by asking for light to mend
the traces of their vehicle. which they pretended
were broken. A colored woman came to the
door, when the officers rushed into the house
and commenced the search. The owner recog-
Missed his slave but the other colored persons in
the house interfered, and arming themselves with
axes and firearms, succeeded in enabling the flu
gitive to escape. They also assaulted the Off
-