Washington sentinel., 1855-04-03

tn. s. JESUP.
Col. VIM. MCREE, Wheeling, Virginia.
->eO>S-
MASQUERADE AT THE ST. CHARLES
HOTEL, NEW ORLEANS.
We transfer into our columns, for the benefit
of the fair portion of the Sentineps readers the
following account Of the "Grand Mask and
Fancy Dress Ball." given by the gallant pro-
prietors of the St. Charles Hotel, New Orleans,
to their lady guests, on the night Of ST. Joseph's
day. The affair is thus portrayed by the
Pcayune of the 25th ultimo:
Masquerade at the St. Charles Hotel.
"What if give masquerade? will!
But how? Ay, there's the rub Pveg got my cue
The worlds masquerade! the maskers you"
[Godsmith
From the long notice given by those expe-
rienced adopts in providing for the luxuries as
well as the necessities of their friends, Messrs.
Hall q Hildreth, of the st. Charles Hotel, it
was very evident that the Mask and Fancy
Dress Ball to be given by them, on the night
of St. Joseph's day, to the ladies resident and
sojournng within their hospitable walls, was to
be something little beyond the ordinary ruu
of those affairs. There were several other
things that combined to produce this idea.
The notice being given SO long beforehand, op-
| portunity was afforded to those who were in
vited to provide themselves with BETTING cos
tunes Tor the occasion; and to "a looker-on
here in Vienna, for full fortnight before the
grand event, there was no little enjoyment in
silently but appreciatingly noticing the way in
which q large proportion of this charming mas.
querade was gradually making. Certain scenes
in Chartres and st. Charles street, chance rem
contres among the mdrchandes des modes in
that attractive region, were enough to convince
the close observer that there was to be great
display of taste and lberality in the way Of
dress upon this exciting occasion. And it was
amusing to note how warily many of those little
business transactions we're conducted, lest the
pattern or the style of the costume should be
recognized on the eventful evening.
Again, the judicious givers of this superb
affair were emphatic in their requirement that
this should be what they designed it, mask
and fancy dress ball, and great was the appre-
hension, on the part of many, as the night of
st. Joseph's drew near, that, not having pro-
vided themselves with costumes, they would be
shut out from the enjoyment they were so hap
PLY anticipating. And then, almost at the
last moment, what ingenious transformations
were devised to give ball or party dress the
air and character of fancy costume What
rosetteing here, and tucking up there; what
drafts upon female taste and invention, to
make the wearers presentablel White muslins
are spangled with silver, and 10,
aurora now, fair daughter of the dawn"
shines forth in gittering array. Black lace is
bestrewed with golden spangles, and straight
there appears goddess OF the night, in all her
sombre splendor. To an elegant brocade,
deftly caught up at one side, and fastened with
bouquet, powdered wig had but to be ad
ded, to make the wearer perfect Pompadour,
and as to passable outfit for a peasant girl or
flower girl it bat required straw hat and
plentyof red ribbon, wicker basket, and
few bouquets, and the costume was COM
plete.
1t was good idea to convert the great din
ing room on Gravier street into the salon dc
ddnse upon this occasion, and to devote the
other public apartments of the hotel to the pur-
poses of drawing rooms and refectories. Thus
there was sample verge and space enoughnfor
the dancers to figure in, for the maskers to
show off their dresses to advantage, for the
spectators to see what was to be seen, for the
weary to rest, for those so disposed to 6irt, for
the hungry and the thirsty to refresh them.
selves; and, indeed, for everybody to do just as
he or she pleased.
The great centre of attraction was, of course,
the grand ball room, which was filled from ! 0
o'clock at night until somewhere among the
small hours Of the morning with most motley
mob of maskers; kings, queens, princesses,
princes, emperors, ords ladies, soldiers, priests
nuns, cardinals, jockes, punchinellos, trouba-
dours, debardeurs, matelots, porters dandies,
fortune-tellers, flower girls, vivandieres, files
de regiment, bloomers, ballet dancers GOODIES.
ses, representations of the morning and Of the
night in short, it would be as difficult to say
what was not as what was represented there.
1t was amusing to watch the curious comb.
nations which the exigencies Of the dance ef.
fected. In the quadriles,
the merry company,
In a manner Of a maske, enraged orerly,"
presented some curious juxtapositions. For
example, where "a friar of orders gray" in
dalmatique and tonsure was performing the
cavalier seul opposite to Cracovienne, in a
short frock and red boots, with jingling heels
Next to this couple might be seen very we'll
made up Paul Pry chasccing with q nun, or
right-hands- crossing with Mary, Queen Of
Scots while in the set next to them, Robert
the Devil was performing lie pdntalon with a
Sister Of Charity and Cardinal Wolsey was
talking soft nonsense to that pretty Bloomer,
HIS puIthets
And when they began to waltz, and to polk, |
and to schottische, and to siciliene, and to |
varsovia, and as Mr.. Swiveller would say, "to |
come other games Of that Sort" il was a feast
for old Democritus, the laugher to see Don
Casa de Bazan whirling round the room with
Norma, the Drnidess, in his arms, Punch pi |
rouetting with Vestal, and the Ghost in "Don
Giovanni" tripping off in the raise dc deur
tcmpts, with one Of Byron's beauties.
And in the supper room, too, many most
amusing combinations we're to be seen, afford.
ing rich feast to the lover and appreciator Of
the ludicrous. The Prince Of Como, "The
Merry Monarch" and Monk r.asing them
selvea agreeable to LADY reazle, a Greek
peasantess, and nc-ce in white veil, was
one group me noticed. Prince Leopold, at
another table, was hobnobbing with a black |
flower girl, and lie vie,ir de Ia vcille," Ia most