Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1855-01-01
STAR.
LOCAL INTELLIGENCE

TIE GALA Day From early light this
morning it was apparent In the streets of
washington that this was to be very general
day of popular festivity. The air worn BY
nearly all passsrs being that Of persons bent
on starting ont for . season of pleasure By
noon tho doors Of hundreds OF the reception
rooms Of our fellow citizens were thrown open,
displaying tables grOaning under the weight
of so-called good things Of this life, prepared
with little regard to expense and very general
ly with capital taste. From that momen.
until We 60 to press, our principal streets
have been thronged with gentlemen and ladies
in holiday costume, hurryiDg hither and
thither, to and from these various and enter
tanning saloons, all Of which have been crowd.
ed with happy people, here and there moro
or less of them being, We regret to have to
write, too happy by half.
At noon the portals of the Executive Man
sion were thrown open, the diplomatic corps
for tho most part having been, according to
cogtom, privately received by the President
and his official family few moments before
Though fashion makes that part Of the day .
ceremony q quasi private reception, it was
never the less very brilliant one All the
foreign diploma,ists and their various score
taries and attaches appearing In full court
dress, loaded down with gold and silver lace
and other embroidery, small swords, chspeaux,
brilliants, &c. This brilliant ceremony having
been completed, at noon precisely the mai n
doors of the mansion, as we'll as the window
next west thereof were thrown open, the large
window being temporarily converted into
passage way for the accommodation OF the vast
crowd which has been thronging in and out
Of the mansion for the last two hours, and is to
continue so doing for al hour longer. They
in ar fa in
hacks, and Wagons, en- chevGt on footback
and even on crutches, streaming through all
our principal streets, more especially through
Pennsylvania avenue, and oonverging into q
dense wedgs-like mass under the grand porti
co Of the mansion of state In the last two
hours at least 5000 persons have thus paid
their respects to President Pierce They are
from all walks in life some of our industrious
and worthy w0meD, who are well known to all
In Washington, from having for years been the
deities presiding over particular benches In
the centre market, being as conspicuous in the
tbrong, and as civil, quiet, and As respects BILE
In their demeanor there, as tho refined ladi es
dangling on the arms of gallant representa-
tives and amorous senators-if it is admissible
to attribute to the latter propensity to love
ought but their country. There were, however,
divines and pickpockst,, legislators AMI ere.
CALLERS d';,sdnstrei Real generals, and gene.
rails who owe their titles to lavish expenditure s
at times for bad rum " for the crowd" For
sgn ministers, and some excellent people who
minister to the wants of the wo Id when seated
around our capital hotel tables Here and
there too, in that immense company, were to
be seen persons evidently more or less crack
cd, whose, for the most part, however harm
less eccentricities Of behaviour, though great
y subdued by the novelty of their position,
afforded lots of fun for the host of wagpish
juniors forming considerable portion Of the
company packing and jammiDg the Presi-
dents reception rooms on this interesting and
really agreeable occasion.
On entering the mansion-and 1t REQUIRED
perhaps half an hours elbowing before one
oould finally get in-the Marine Band we're
found stationed in the large nall, in full fea-
ther, discoursipg their best music in most
capital style. After another considerable de
lay, arising from the want of space in the door
ways to admit more than two abreast, tho Wis
itor found himself drifted by the wave of tho
avalanche, as 1t were, into the presence of the
President, his estimable wife, and some OF the
members of his official family, surrounded by
a crowd Of foreign and domestic notables
among whom were many elegantly attired
ladies, dowsgers, and noted beauties In full
bloom, and blossoms of lsvelinsss just bursting
into the ripeness of womanhood. Jonah D.
Hoover B.q-, Marshal of the District of Co.
lumbia, according to custom, ofdciatsd a
grand chamberlain, or rather master of oere
monies; and the stranger, ON being surged by
the crowds pressure to where he stood BY the
side Of the President, whispered his name to
Mr. ID. who announced him formally to his
EIcellensy, to whom he bowed, and, after
passing the compliments Of the eeason, u
was in like manner introduced to Mrs. Pierce:
and ebowed by the dense mass, he floats with
the current through the smaller reception
rooms into the gorgeous parade room of the
mansion, known, the world over, as the &C East
Room, which he found filled with promenad-
en- IN all conceivable costume, from the care
fully darnsd hose Of respectable poverty and
humility: to the yellow plume of the General
In Chief otthe American Army and the dia
mond studded decorations dangling from the
button holes OF some of the seemingly 80 we'll
pleased representatives of royal governments.
forelgn military and naval uniforms, most Of
inem exceedingly striking, were as plentiful
0 white cotton gloves, in which tho hands of
more OF less Of the b'hoys present were duly
encased
In the grand East Room all wore all.eys,.
etinciling each others appearance. Here and
mere IN corners little knots Of politicians,
muitary and naval gentlemen, diplomatists,
ana az times divine creatures, managed to rest
lor the noncs in convsrsation, hsighteninp the
scene as 1t were by their comments on what
vas passing around them.
Inc jam was terrific indeed Ere We could
get within the room whore the President stood
receiving his thousands of guests, we unfor
.anately got jammsd between two Iadies-a
aoNager IN our rear, fair, fat, and forty" at
iesst' and spinstsr of the Calvin Edison order
Do In front Of rs, who had evidently seen some
.nl'S nVe summers. A dense mass of people
Immediately n before US got into dead lock,
as i we're yielding not an inch to the terrible
pressure OF the impatient crowd behind. It
was an awful, sufooating jam, from which we
eonid hardly have escaped without serious
injury, but for the fact that the twain between
Hnom We were wsdgsd were exceedingly soft
tne doHager from natural on bon point, and
mo sPlnster, owing to the good Judgment of
ner dress maker, who had made, fortunately,
her shape Of raw cotton. While thus held In
dursncs, We witnessed all around awful work
played with rich and costly dresses-furba
ioes squashed, head dresses smashed, fine silks
and lsses almost torn by the pressure of the
crowd from the persons of the fair ladies who
mad unwittiDgly attended in full dress. But
such things are the usual attributes of the
fresldsnts House on New Years DAYS.