Washington sentinel. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1855, 1854-03-19
PARIS GOSsIP-GRAND BALL AT THE
HOTEL DE WILLIE.

we extract from the rams correspondence Vi
the New York Express the following descrip-
ton Of "a grand ball at the Hotel de Vile. for
which eight thousand invitations were sent ont.
Those fond of gossip will find in it something
to amuse them:
"PARls, February 22.-The great event OF
this week in Paris was the second and last ball
at the Hotel de Vile, to which eight thousand
invitations we're issued, and which last night
enchanted at least that number of persons.
was quite pleased to be among the number OF
the invited guests Of the pretet, and promised
to be ready at halfpast seven or eight, to ac
company my party. We anticipated arriving
among the first, and enjoying all the evening
from the hours the doors opened until the close
of the ball.
II have no idea how many rooms were
opened-I was told there were 40. But know
that there were four bathrooms, each elegantly
decorated with flowers, and having all orchestra
of many musicians, besides the grand ballroom
which is lighted by thirty immense chandeliers
and is the most superb salon OF the kind in the
world. The Tuileries pale before the splendor
of the Hotel de Vile; and, indeed, it alto
gether impossible to imagine the magnihcence
of thcse apartments. One long gallery must
tell you about. 1t was entirely covered with
flowers, sides aud ceiling, all hanging from
vines on lattice-work, and lighted by different
colorcd lamps, hid among the flowers, or rest
ing on the heads Of statues Of bronze and
marble! No language can give You an idea o.
the effect this produced.
"There were also rooms innumerable, in al
directions, devoted to reireshment, and every
hall, saloon, and stairway, was lined with natu.
raj flowers and shrubs, in full bloom! Foun
tains were PLAYING among them, and statues
clothed in armor, adorned the inches.
"But there is no use in attempting to de-
scribe to you the luxury, and embellishments,
and extent of the most superb hotel, for enter.
tainments, of Europe. We got home at FIVE
ing under the same roof arrived at six o'clock
and o half; so we were not the last (by q great
MANY to leave this bewildering fete, you see.
among the most gazed upon of the bellies
there, was the fair English girl, Miss Sneyd,
who is attracting 80 much attention here just
now, from the oa-dis about her aud the en-
peror. II seems that at one of the balls at the
Tuileries, the emperor was so much struck By
her beauty that he sent an aid.de-camp TO her
to say it was his supreme pleasure to dance
with her. The cotillion ended, he handed her
to her mother, and afterwards he sent her an
order FOR his opera box and these attentions
having been much commented on, she is now
the observed OF all observers in public. AT
the. opera, two nights since, there was crowd
Of Eve hundred people staring at her, and OBJ
structng the stairway she was descending; all
of which seemed greatly to her taste, and her
mother was SO gratiied as to stand still some
time in order to allow her to be thus looked
upon. She is the daughter Of deceased cap
tain in the navy, and so her position is not
among the nobility Of England. OF course
on dit temperatures is very jealous and un
happy. For some time past the bal costume
given at the Tuileries last Saturday, has been
the engrossing topic Of conversation. There
were only FIVE hundred invitations issued; so il
was extremely select, and confined to the French