The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1856-09-05

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS. Sent 1st

cosREsPoNpESc OF TINS ptspArcH
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, Sept lst
| Iwrote you;a few days since, letter from this
| place, which am sure greatly disappointed your
readers, they supposed probably, no letter from
| the White Sulphur could fail to give some fashion
| able intelligence. Dear reader | am a vagabond
| know nothing of fashion, and am utterly nm
| aware Of the habits and usages of fashionable
| people Alas, II men could only get to heaven
| fashiouably, what would become Of me My doom
| would be beyond peradventure. Nevertheless as
| man is an impressible ANIMAL and shapes his con-
| duct somewhat from surrounding circumstances
| find myself observing the motions OF people and
| crowding my way of nights TO the ball room
| where eesweet yeung ladies and gay gentlemen
| going through the maZes of the dance l drink the
| water, too as other people, but not quite much
| of il 8 some who reach thirty glasses day T.
There is too, practical usage of fashion which
| always join in and that is to go regularly to my
| meals. The dinner table is neutral ground q
| common platform of coDamon principles. and may
add. common food, where all classes and fashions
| meet with one accord-some of them, however
| with what called private dishes-i @, dish
| es of vegetables, eggs, or game, not provided
for the whole table, but which are purchased by
| the guests themselves
| AS l informed you, the place Is crowded In my
| route l heard that ii was so crowded that the
stages were used as lodging rooms, and rented out
| by the drivers for that purpose. This being men,
toned In the presence of one of the drivers he po
| stively contradieted it. So, although lodging in
stages has the fashionable example of Beau Hick-
man, who was domicled for some time of nights,
| in the flaming red stage the "Red Rover" in your
| city, the beauxs of this place have not yet
| adopted it, friend of mine informs me- howev
er, that he knew of three of them sleeping in one
very narrow single bed This illustrates the com
pactaess of lodging here. The weather has been
| very cool for few days, and people are moving
| off; but they come in very fast. Immediately af
| ter the morning stages leave, the temporary dwell
lars in purgatory rush TO Mr. FRY and demand the
| rooms vacated by the departed He accommodates
| all he can, and you soon see the baggage wagon
| Transporting baggage from Dry Greek and Mastin's
to some of the cottages forming the boundary of
| this magic spot; which, in spite of every obstacle
and every difficulty, attracts the fashionable hIong
and holds uudisputed sway in the kingdoms of wa
| tering places.
| Many of the notabilities here short time since
have left; and although there are many distinguish
ed men present, there is no decided Lion amongst
them. Most of the people here are from the
South, and the wealth of that part of the Union
is well represented-I should add the beauty also
| There are some very pretty young ladies among
them; but tear the letter writers have made them
| vain to degree that mars the winning geuteness
| and sanc,ity of manners which are the chief
adornments of the sex. / have always thought
| the charms of female loyeliness were too sacred
for personal compliment in print, and that the Gus.
tom of the day, which individualiSes and lauds
their accomplishments publicly, was the most Sc
ductive Of all expedents that could have been do
yised for sapping and undermining that most valu-
able of female virtues, Modesty which, to any
other system of attack, is shield seyen-tod thick
er than the seven-fold shield of Ajax
1t may be excused ignorant as am of fash
ion and dress, for referring to such matters,
would say that there seems to be more propriety
| IL the ball room this year than last. Ladies are a
little more chary of the exposure of their buSts
and they co not rely SO much upon that unreliable
material illusion, which is SO light as to be almost
mmaterial SO far as it concerns the nerception of
vision. There is remarkable dignity in the ball
| room indeed, it seemed to me that there was
| gradual approach towards the manners and move
| mepts that might be styled courtly Are we to go
through the fashionable cycle of former days-the
| hoops-the lOoped and hooped dresses-the pow
| dered hair-and that stately and beautiful CON
| comitant of these, the Minueti Ii SO, and the
gentlemen would put shorts and wear buff
vests and long tailed coats, the ball room would be
| greatly more brilliant am ready for this change
| Indeed, have ceased to quarrel with Fashion and
hereby inform her that if she shorts for my
| spindle shanks and cooked hat for my head, now
| turning grey shall submit with good grace ;
for know her to be the real temporal ruler of the
civilized world, and will bow obedience to her will
l will say, however, of ladies' dresses just now,
that think they are rather too long without Il ain
| bearers for their wearers must be greatly a.
poyed by the dust Nevertheless they have sucl
graceful and oblging way-especialy st ,hs
White Sulphur-of lifting up their series of drape
ries and showing very lovely and handsomely
turned ankles, that if it pieases them, SO far
am concerned, they may continue it as long as it
suits them.
The dignity and staidness of movement in the
ball room, of which spoke above, may be, in
measure, attributed to the limited size of the room
There are ladies and gentlemen enough to fill with
sets a room four times its size. 1t is so crowded
that the dancers have DO room TO dance, and sim
ply walk and bow through the figures. If the pro-
prietors would, in the slightest and toughest man
ner, enlarge this by knocking away the rooms at
the ends of the building, and bringing out the sides
to the colonnades it would he great improve
ment and then the doctors Office now so close
q hn uad from hnr ia
not at all lit to be. doctors office in the TEN pie
of Health, the abode of the graces
10 see young ladies and young gentlemen ele-
gantly dressed, going through the dance, is grand
ana exhiliratnE-it makes even my venerable
pulse beat little quicker. / am clear for widen
ing the area OF freedom for this delightful and
graceful enjoyEeut which at once gives health
and grace to the body. The ball room at the
Springs Is the auxiliary of the fountain and should
be commensurate with the numbers that gather
there for health.
The band at the White Sulphur is most excel
lent, and / spend some hours in listening to it
daily.
The news brought by the Dispatch about the
destruction on Last Island, created quite sensa-
tion at the White Sulphur. Several families here
fear that they have suffered there in property, and
in the loss of friends and relatives.
1 am not lavish in my compliments, generally, as
you know and think it simply due to say that
young Mr.. FRY the business man at the White
sulphur, acquits himself in u most creditable
manner. He not enly shows himself to be man
of business, but man of politeness, while he pos
that invaluable characteristic for one in bis
situation, eDen temper, which nothing uusettles
| There are still ruinors about the sale OF the
White Sulphur; and there have been negotiations
going on; but nothing definite has transpired-
That most worthy and estimable gentleman Mr.
| WIN Il. CALDWELL, who has the chief direction
| of the property, understands well what is wanting
| to meet the demands of the annually increasing
| visitors to the Springs; but he is SO hampered oy
circumstances, that be cannot bulge towards car
| rying out his views. l suppose the valuable pro-
perty will be sold soon. 1t must ever remain the
| great Sulphur Spring OF the continent, and the
| great resort of Fashion. When the Covington and
Ohio Railroad Is completed, ii the accommodations
are sufficient there will be assembled here in sum
| mer from seven to ten thousand visitors. u
| -
| AN ACTRESS FOR ST. REPRESENTATIONS OF
| the most charming actresses of Paris, Miss En.
doxie Laurent, has just been engaged 10 visit the
| Russian capital. She Is the most lovely female
it is said, OF all Paris, and great lamentations are
| made at her departure la order to carry with
| her q suitable wardrobe. she gave EMPLOYMENT TO