The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1855-07-12
ADVENTURES IN CALIFORNIA,
AND THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS
BY z. c. g., OF ADBEvILLE.

The neatness with which most of us from
the States dressed in Rio, and other pecu-
liarities belonging to us as Americans, had
sngu!arly impressed the amiable natives
they were assiduoYs in their attentions, and
exceedingly careful lest our responsibility
should suffer from disagreeable intrusions.
The Pharoux Hotel, which was frequented
almost exclusively by Americans, became
the fashionable house of the season, where,
of course, everything was conducted a la
the States, and no deviation from this high
standard was suffered moment. =
One evening the mato of vessel from
the States, stranger, entered the bar-room,
dressed out in the full fancy of bright
blue shirt, and calling for refreshments,
took seat with the usual 'complaccncy of
an American tar. The locuns tenens-the
manager of plates and glasses-eycd him
from head to foot; the face and air seemed
all right fully up to the Pharoux model;
but the blue shirt! that was too decidedly
outre to be American, or to be tolerated at
the Pharoux. The mate sat all this while
perfectly unconscious of the trouble his
unlucky blue shirt was brewing for him,
expecting every moment servant to appear
with the ordered refreshments, and at length,
impatient of his delay, called out jim full
sailor style, to. know of the man why in
the deuce he was not served. "Lcave the
house" replied the clerk. Quick us thought
the mate had pitched into him, to use all
expressive California phrase, and at one
blow stretched him on the floor A gen
cral rush for the bar-room now followed;
the Americans, of course, gathering around
the mate, and his countryinen't to the rescue
of the discounted clerk. and before'a word
of explanation could be given or heard, a
free fight was up, in which pitchers, bottles,
and glasses whistled about on duty as ,nu-
sically as the Irislman's shell at Sebastopol.<
The noise soon reached the ears of the po-
lice, who, bursting into tho room, separated
the combatants, turned all of them out of
doors, and, locking the house, put the key
in their pockets.
1 noticed, and doubtless it becomes me
TO state it, that New Workers mostly led the
van whenever roistering dissipation or noisy
rowdysm was the game.
The l4th of March, being the birthday
of the Empress, was usherea in with tu-
multuous acc'amations of joy by tho peo-
pie, and terrible booming of cannon from
the fort, batteries, and mcn-of-war in the
harbor. The reverberation produced by.
this din in the surrounding hills and noun
Istains, was grand beyond description. The
military turning out in gay corors, and stir
ring music, began early to collect iii force
about the palace, to give the Emperor and
Empress, who were to arrive at 2 o'clock
from country'residencc, an imposing re-
.cePtion.
The arrival was announced by salute
of guns from the shipping, and hastenea
to get aplace from which I could enjoy
good view Of their Majestics. The body
guard had already posted themselves in
open order, facing the way they were to
pass from the main entrance of the palace
to the foot Of the grand staircase, some dis
tance BACK in the basement story. The
cortege presently entercd, DON PEDRO in
front, apd the. Empress Immediately behind
him, followed by retinue Of lords, ladies'
and attendants, dressed in the fashiest styli6
of tawd.y magnifcenee. The royal pair,
in pleasing contrast to this, wcro attircd
with greatplainness, and their countcnances
gave evidence Of an easy benignancy.-
The Empress seemed quite young, not more
perhaps than twenty or twenty-five, but
much too short and fat to be beautiful her
manner, however, was, most amiable and
progressing, as she tripped slowly along
ill the midst of her motley subjects, hold
ing her hand Gas did also the Emperor,)
first to the right and then to the left for
them to kisss, ,swlich they did with hearty
pleasure, since the royal couple enjoy, in q
remarkable degree, the confdence of tile
people.
At this stage Of the show, we like to have
had terrible fracas, caused by the consci-
entious scruples of a sailor in the crowd, to
don his democratic hat in the presence of
the Emperor. The guardsmep ordered him
to npll it off, but he Indignantly refused to
do any such anti-republican act, notwitll-
standing the odds against him, and when
several of them proceeded to knock it from
hts head, he pitched just as he was into; the
entire body guard, with as much alacrity
as he would reef atop gallant, and in a
trice had laid two OF three of them lower
ON the pavement, than even the royal pro.
gramme of proceedings called for. He was
soon overpowered, however, and locked ind