The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1851-04-01

Americans Enjoying the Scenes In Rome,
Turin, and Nenice-The Schaffaer Dance NJ
THE MOB AT ROME.

The Carnival will terminate this evening, and to-
morrow sackcloth, ashes, and acts OF penance begin
am not sorry that this once celebrated fe Is over,
for its last days have been more than disgusting.
The whole mob of Rome has been let loose to occupy
the places formerly filed by the nobility and middle
classes, and haye had nothing better than fingng
OF bouquets in which hard stones were placed, and
throwing lime dust, by which more than one acct
dent has been caused Two English ladies have
been ncisly blinded, and one English gentleman
will consider himself well Oft if he escapes with his
sight. j am glad, however, to say that no more
Serious consequences have taken place, and that
the French soldiers and the people have not come
into collision. In the of last week,
it was esdent that the mob had orders to in
suit and annoy the men, but the latter in their
excessive kind nature and friendly feeling to the
crowd, seemed unconscious of the fact, and
piled to the various assaults in the most perfect
good humour, believing that all proceeded from
what with us is called ''the fun of the fair" Other
persons, however, saw what the secret object was,
and, the superior officers being enlightened the
subject recommended the troops to avoid all horse
play, and decline taking active part This ad-
vice has answered the purpose intended, and the
mob, finding no pretext for violence have behaved
with marked decorum SO far as the French army is
concerned. / wish could say the same of them
towards each other, and towards strangers; but the
truth is, decorum was quite out OF the question: and
noise and confusion were the order of the day But
the decline and fall of the Roman carnival is best
tested by the circumstance, that the masked ball
given at the Grand Opera did not exhibit more than
fifty persons, and of that number twothrds
English or American. The grand ball given by the
Prince and Princess Torlonia closed the festival
far rs the great world was concerned, last night.
Nearly 900 persons were present. including the ma
tive nobility and gentry, and I'll the resident English,
Russian, French, and Americans that were worth
inviting. The Princess was radiant with diamonds,
pearls, and her own loveness and her foreign and
native rivals wore costumes, if not equalizer that
was nearly impossible--of great magnifcence.
This ball attracted much attention, as it was tho
trst given by the Princess for three years.
THE END AT VENICE.
From a Venice Letter of March s.
The carnival, or should rather say, the season
OF the carnival is over for the farfarmed Venetian
modern patriots swearing "by Hercules " and the
body of Iacchus," never more to dance while the
Austrian reigns. Thisis, indeed, the through
out the LON bardo- Venetian kingdom and but for
the nightly appariton Of that facetious fellow Hare
quin ut two of our theatres, there was nothing to
mark the epoch Of merriment The state of siege,
all street reveng while the non-observance of the
pleasures of the carnival in private families may be
traced partly to the detection caused by the loss Of
independence, partly to the pecunary embarrass-
ments occasoned by the forced oan and the taxes
opinion levied on the rich. OF the anomalous state
of society here, you will be able to form notion
when tell you that the empire Of fashion is pretty
equally divided between two individuals, who, to
adopt French expression, "Jouissent dune fausse
position" The individuals alluded to Nj. de
Chambord and Nine. Taglioni. lie fttur de Ia
belle France, surrounded by group OF parasites,
holds his court and gives audiences, in expectation
of the nuptal day, or, to drop metaphor, in anti
cipaion of the turn in the tide which shall restore
to France the heir of the Bourbons.
The latter parsonage, instead Of dancing for her
own benefit, and for the amusement Of the pit now
throws open her doors for the benefit Of Others and
In this benevolent office, appreciated only by the
select, she is assisted by u Russian Prince. The
elegant theatre of the Fenice has been but thny
attended. no new opera, as yet, having been pro-
duced, and the ballet is third-rate; Madame May
wood, an attenuated American lady, being the chief
In this. department. But am informed that Verdi
has arrived for the purpose Of bringing out a new
piece, composed expressly for the FENCE.
THE scHAFFLER DANCE Ar MUNICH.
tfrom Munich letter Of Jan. %
] have just returned from seeing the ShnDFn
TdH-,-which was mentioned in the AftcfRnm "a
few weeks ago. By-the-by, il Is not thes hep
herds, some imagine, but the coopers dance,-
.Sc0DYr being the dialectc for cooper in this
part of Germany. Every body has been saying of
late so the Soto0er Tan. takes place this year"
The Munich papers have, for several weeks past,
been announcing. that " about the middle Of the
month the ShgDqer would perform this interesting
oauce-this being the seventh year since its last
hibiton; and that having danced before the royal
palace they would take in the various palaces
and residences Of the chief nobility, and continue
their dancing until Carnival time"
According to printed authority, to which have
referred, the origin OF this dance is as follows
In the year 1917, fearful plague desolated Munich
SO great the CONSERVATION which it occasioned,
that people dreaded to leave their houses All
doors and windows closed, and every man
avoided his neighbor. In the midst Of this universal
terror and silence, all at once n troop OF men,
coopers by trade, came in from the country with
music and fresh green garlands, and went from
house 70 house, calling TO the people, with sounds oil
mcrrment, to open their doors and windows. The
effect Of this unexpected summons was wonderful
The people came forth, and, rs If in frantic JOY,
danced through the streets. The pague-spell was
broken BY the delirium of gaiety which, as If in
defiance Of past misery, seized on every heart
There is something strangely wild in the idea OF
this fearful scourge being banshed by excess of
mcrrimcnt scarcely less fearful, the reaction OF
l.,n tai
Every seventh year, therefore, sn ommemora-
ton Of this event. is the SchgHIer 1dn- per-
formed--and this, fortunately for me, happens to
be the year.
On Monday the coopers danced before the pa
Iacc-thc royal family witnessing their perform
aDce from the windows; and this morning they
have danced before the war ohce-where have
them. An acquaintance OF mine having
friend in the office, we were promised seats ut
a window; and, accordingly, mt the appointed hour,
made our way thither, and soon found ourselves
seated comfortably, and gazing down on the crowd
below But where my antique costumcsl-
where all the wild poetry Of the dance, as had
imagined IL ] had expected too much. This Is
what | saw.
A ring Of spectators in the centre Of which moved
In variety Of fgures in character not unlike our
country dance, our Sir Roger de Coycrley, or the
various tours of the German cotlon, a score or so
of young dressed in cosehtting jackets Of scar
let trimmed with silver lace, (but the jackets had
sadly modern air,) black velvet breeches, white
stockings Shoes little short yellow leathern aprons
adorned with broad crimsod satin ribbon fringed
with gold, and on their heads modern-shaped
light green caps, in which stuck little
noddng white and blue feathers. The dress was very
disappointing mot to be compared in antique cut
and association with the quaint particolored cos
tune in which | band OF "English
Plough Bullocks" attired.
The dance itself, however, was very pretty, e.
pccally from the different effects produced by
garlands Of fresh, green box which the dancers
bore in their hands. The lively music, the
bright contrast Of the scarlet jackets with the
fresh green Of the wreaths, and the piquancy
of the dance were altogether something very
the same costume and on the ground before them
stood graceful little pyramid Of some light-colored
wood, which were painted stripes of bright blue.
On this stood an elegant little BARREL and basket