Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1857-08-17
Correspondence of the N. Y. Evening Post.
Mr.. Wetmore's Fete at Newport.

day by Mr.. w. 5. Wetmore, of this place,
and the preparations for it. On Monday
morning counted over thirty ladies enter
ing, before nine o'clock. one small milliner
establishment under Downing's Sea Grit
House. All the Flora McFlimsies of the
Ocean, the Bellevue, the Fillmore, and the
Atlantic hotels seemed to have turned outin
search of something to wear for the afternoon,
and as the result proved, they generally man.
aged to find it.
When the afternoon came, stream of car
riages began to roll towards Mr.. Wetmore's
| SPLENDID residence, and before four o'clock
/ nearly three hundred carriages and not less
than two thousand guests, including the
! yacht SO uadron, had Arrived. Two!thousand
invitations had been issued, and many of the
| guests brought their friends who had receiv-
| ed no such provocaton for theirs attendance.
| 1t was, probably, the largest party of the kind
| ever given in the United States. In ap.
| preaching the house, after passing the stone
arche1 way, it was provided that each carriage
should take circuit within the grounds of
less than twenty acres. The guests were
1 then ushered in through the library into the
main hall, where Mr.. Wetmore received them
and, in turn. presented them to Mr.. George
| Peabody, the London Banker, in whose hon
or the tsts was provided Js.
The house, or chateau as it properly may
be termed, is of granite, very spacious, and
| furnished with great splendor. On this &C.
| casion its decorations of boquets, festoons,
streamers, &c, set off the parlors with effect.
The windows of the parlors had been thrown
| open to the piazza, around which an awning
was drawn, thus afording much indoor space
| for promenading, and screening the ptomen.
| aders from observation. After surveying the
inside of the house, the guests proceeded lei
surely to the tent through covered and car
peted passage way made for the occasion, l60
| feet long and ten feet wide, its width having
reference to the convenience Of ladies, two of
| whom it was supposed could walk it abreast
with the broadest amplitude of skirt.
| The dancing tent was eighty six feet on
each of its four sides, and could accommodate
| probably 1000 people. 1t was most hand
sonny, adorned in every respect, and just the
| thing Tor the purpose, the boarded floor being
made as smoothly and compactly as if intend
ed not for day but for all time And it
must be confessed that the dancers, under the
exhilirating infuen of the Germania bands
music, did it full justice.
There was also another tent for refresh.
ments, connected with the other by passage
way twenty feet by ten in dimensions. The
1
in this was the main table, twenty feet by
five, in addition to four corner and Two side
tables.
| Among the articles provided were 10000
picked oysters, 1000 fried oysters, 10 boned
turkeys, 500 woodcock, ployer and chicken.
| patridges 70 pounds Of salmon, about 40
| dishes Of chicken and lobster salad, 200
| quarts Of icecream, ices and sherbets, and
| other compounds with an English name. Nor
| here would it become the faithful historic.
| grapher of this occasion, to forget the ripe
| hgs grown on Mr.. Wetmote's own grounds,
nor the three hundred and fifty pounds of
grapes which hung from the awning in clusters
as lucious as those which the Israelites gath
cred near the Brook Eschol.
Some of the guests betook themselves to
i the lawn where they enjoyed the fine view of
the ocean and the fresh breeze from the sea,
under the canopy OF the sky, which was veil
ed during the day with thin film of clouds.
The greater number. however, preferred the
crowd of the tent and the flying feet of the
dancers. Here were congregated more of the
notabilities OF fashionable lite than have ever
been brought together in NEWPORT before.
Here was Mr.. Wetmore, the host, appar-
emily well pleased with the result of his en-
teItainment to MIR. Peabody, whose benevo.
lent face indicated his own pleasure at the
occasion. There were Captain bae, the
English Arctic explorer who discovered the
tea spoons and other remains OF Sir John
Franklin's expedition; the handsome Capt.
Rowan, OF Crimean celebrity two young
Russels, nephews of Lord John, with Lord
Althorp and Lord Hervey. There were also
several Representatives OF France. including
Count de Montholon. E. Fould, nephew Of
the present French Minister of finance and
evidently jew, R. Hottinguer, a son or
nephew of the distinguished banker of Paris.
Then there was Brignoli, Count Stanko-
witch, attending his vile, Madame La Grange,
Count Frauianelli, and others OF similar note.
Before the tete considerable discussion had
been held as to the costume appropriate to be
worn by gentlemen on the occasion, which
was something of dress ball as well as an
out, of door daylight fete. Most of the guests
settled il in the sensible way Of wearing thin
frock or sack coats of dark color, with black
or white pantaloons, white vest and light kid
gloves iscarding dress coats, and broad
cloth in general, as an uncomfortable burden
for party Of this character in the heat oil
midsummer.
AS for the ladies, they shone in the full re-
splendence of the millinery art, and beng al.
most entirely unable TO distinguish one arti-
Gle Of female apparel from another, l can
only ulspOse OF LheIn with the customary re-
mark, that they "beggared all description -
Madame Lagrange was nrrayed in a dark
purplsh silk, with black lace mantilla and
her bonnet was white, tastefully trimmed with
blue ribbon, while two full blown red roses
decorated one side of the frilled cap which
encirced her face. Her earrings, bracelets,
and breastrin, sparkled with superb diamonds
and emeralds of large size. On her breast,
struggling in gold, emeralds, and diamonds,
was attached the genuine American eagle,
after the pattern, though twice the size, OF the
emblem on our half-dollars.
might speak of Mrs. Henry P. Duncan,
who was present, and in the general opinion
the most beautiful woman OF Newport OF
Miss Russell and Miss Ogden, whose undine
vesture was extremely becoming; of the two
charming Misses Hutton, also of New York,
WHO were so much admired in the society oil
Paris. One Of them has already been mem
toned in the pubic journals as the lady to
whom Count de Morny was commonly be.
lieved to be engaged Noles noted was Mis-
Julia Peabody. of Ohio, the neice of Mr..
George Peabody, who assisted in the recep-
ton OF the guests with natural. unaffected
grace of manner, which materially promoted
their enjoyment.
About six o'clock the house Of Mr., Wet
more was lighted up, and those of the guests
who could leave the dancing, wandered abou
its spacious apartments until seven, when
most of them returned to their residences
I A - 49, .