New-York daily tribune., 1856-08-20
WATERLNG-PLACE EXPLORA TIONS.
SARATOGA.
SAh lON
From Our Special Correspondent.

| From Our Special Correspondent
SARATOGA, Saturday, Aug. l6, 1856.
Among the greatest juggles which external nature
plays are the mist phenomena of the valies as sur
yeyed from the hills. In the glowing Goals Of a
| cheerful fire the msg can trace aquiline
nO.es classic foreheads, uIdulatiDg forms, and any
amount of zoology; so, too, in the stumps and un-
deIbrush of The forest viewed perspectvely, elfs,
gUblins vafers and mail-robbers rise intOquaifed
r+aiies; so ALSO in the clouds, camel or a saw
mill respectively promenade or operate to the eye
that is amable aid accommodating in such matters;
but the valleys mist it lay before me carly yes
terday morning as ! looked from the pOrticO Of
Sharon Springs required no c0ndescension to make
it seem as lake, vast, cold and fog-crowned-
which only yielded its disguise to the hot jets of
the Summer sun. Then the performance Of the
day began with the birds and the squirrels and the
colts and their mammas, and the calves and their
mammas, and all other bucOlc odds and ends too
numerous to mention. And this beautiful matutinal
dream foated by as a merry party OF us drove
away from the Springs TO the railroad station, a
distance Of some ten miles.
We then took our places, booked for Saratoga,
but possibly going furtber-tO eternity owing to
the peculiar institution which exists on our rail-
roads. But We were whirled through beautiful
country-vslley hill, river-tO Schenectady, and
waiting there hour, took the train to Sara
toga, the landscape much inferior to that just
passed through.
That old BalstOn Spa-a terpsichorean cemetery
where Hash the ghosts Of myriad balls, hirtatons
cOlquests, loves; where leg-OfmuttOn sleeves
George WITH coronation buttons, with long. tailed
blues, once HOurished-now all gone; the place
used as neglected spout through which pour the
new streams of ton, wealth, display, grace, lowell
-. Il. l.. I'D L. IL
We pursue!
Saratoga wac never fuller. / am not one of
those who condemn watering places on the con.
trary, they teach people how to dress and behave
themselves. They bring, too, people from all the
remote quarters OF the cOuntry-as well as foreign
cOuptries-intO closer c0ntact-lntO better init
macies-into the economies Of acquaintance max
ing, and display, amid whatever drawbacks of
fasbion and folly, balance in favor of amenity,
good breeding, and the ihter-social culture which
has as Duch 10 do with keeping us o united nation
ss laws and material calculations. The world at
large ,nly knows men through newspapers. A
spob, With an Honorable handle to mis- name may
be known from Maine to California, viii e genius
is kLown to bis own set only. But that set, too,
extends through every State, and may be one, be-
cause it meets as happy family each Summer at
the great watering place. so, too, this social unity
has its individual celebrities, not in print but
drawn from all points of the compass, aud inter-
.winiDg the fbres of the national heart by the re-
ligiOn Of courtesy and mutual liking
The event of the season was the great ball Of last
night. The orchestra sang sOnOrously with all the
derium Of the newly born musicsl idealisn of the
dance, and automatically tinted dresses came
over the scene, thick the pge ons
Of autumn. The women were all gayly dressed,
and the IN, were all plainly dressed.
The long lines take their places for the quad
rifle that graceful fossil which survives tne
wrath of change All the rainbOws of oil the
heav, Ms are now peripstetic. Gentle hands and
early hearts are here, and love and hope and joy.
But the men are all in black, and amid the gor-
eeous futter Of the scene, look like crows in
fower-garden. What magnificent sight must
the Dtfaby glorious Versailles have been-the
grand room, which should be seen to be measured
- when filed with the superb rabble Of kings aud
nobles-the men splendd1y attired 90 the women,
and manners as soft aid graceful so prides were
vast and illogical! But now We hsve no corres-
pondtnces Of !ustey bc.wht mssenliDe and fem