Daily Iowa State Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1856-1859, 1857-12-15

Translated from the Curer de Paris, No. l6 for the
New York Herald.

There is o great deal said about the forth.
coming arrival of rich American and his
daughter. the beautiful Cecilia Ron. Mrs.
Cecilia Ron is a splendid beauty; she is
90 years of age, and widow Her hus
band, one of the richest inhabitants of New
York, was killed three years ago by rail
way accident. Being rich on her fathers
SIDE as also by the inheritance of her hus-
band, Mrs. Cecilia is perhaps the best match
in the United States. But she hates the
American, and, teased by their courtships
and weary Of dragging always behind her a
retinue of Yankees, she comes to live in Pa
ris. She will open her house this winter,
and give splendid entertainments. Mrs.
Celcilia is sumptuously fashionable. She
spends at her toilet a budget exceeding that
OF the largest city Of France, Paris except
ed. Her expenses are computed by mil
lions. She has already been three times in
Paris, but only stopped here a few weeks
to make purchases which she did not want
toientrust to anybody. She bought each
dresses, SO many shawls, SO many laces, 30
many gloves. SO many shoes, that people
could not believe that all these goods were
for her own use, in the Partisan stores,
where sheis well known. She has always
been thought to be the owner Of o large
maison dc nouuedutes Of New York
New York is the world where the ladies
90 to the greatest expense for their toilet
yes, it is in the republican city, par ercel.
tence, that luxury has attained the extreme
limit of its expansion.
Will you have an idea of that luxury
by official statistics? Here are the figures:
During the fiscal year ending on the Both
of July, 1857, the value Of imports in the
United States amounted to s34, 679, 492, of
which S42, 62i ,55S was for articles of ladies'
! toilet. More than one-third Of that amount
has been spent by the ladies of New York
Forty-four millions Of dollars that is to
say, nearly the produce of the California
mines during year This amount Of for
ty-four millions would have been more than
sufficient to prevent the American crisis
Out of these forty four millions of dollars.
s3l, I'll ,766 have been paid for silks; &C.
S76, S53 for laces and embroideries; &2,529..
II for shawls; 1884 $50 for gloves ::
1867 ,731 for furs; sS44, $50 for iewelry ;:
1885, PAT for silk and woolefstuffs. $3l,-
I'll 100 for silks, is, as you see, a respectable
amount. Thanks to the development of the
crinoline, the United States have spent two
millions more for silks than for sugar.
The luxury of the American ladies is un-
heard Of (inomi). Nothing is more common
than to See an American lady travelling
with baggage varying from twenty to nifty
packages. Three or four ladies are enough
to load ship. In any other part of the
world there is not princess. not a queen
who travels with such train (attirain-
While the French and English ladies have
city toilets more simple and more modest
when they are out walking, the American
ladies would blush at that simplicity Of
good taste; they like to sweep the side
walks with spmptuous silk dresses, with
dresses OF moirc. midas brooches, or velvet,
costing more than a thousand frances, and
which are only worn here in parlor or in
a carriage.
One can Judge by that of the luxury OF
Mrs. Cecilia R-on's toilet In New York
| she bears the reputation of being the most
fashionable lady Of the United States, and
Of spendlngthe most money for her toilet
Rarely does she wear dress three times,
even be it of velvet embroidered with
pearls. She never wore one four tines
The luxury of Mrs. Cecilia Ron is such
that an American poet, who has remained
anonymous, but is believed to be Mr. But
Ter. Of New York, has written poem about
her, under the title Of Nothing to Wear
An Episode Of Fashionable Life"