Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1857-05-29

natural locks and the new braids they have
purchased and at half past four they descend
to dinner, arrayed IN such magnlicence as
solomon IN all his glory never began to have
the Ieast idea Of
Dinner, which consists principally in an
animated contest with the walters, who
won't bring anything they are sent for, but
will persist in carrying everything off that
may chance to be upon the table, lasts an
hour or two, and then our ladies all adjourn
to the parlor, where sitting around in
groups, surrounded by their iavorte beaux.
they gaze allably ON the grand crowd of
masculine individuals that surrounds the
door, not one off whom but wishes he
knew them all. However, a cat may look
upon n king and we doubt not that Adam,
after being kicked out of Paradise, ire
quently went and pceped longngly into the
gate Of that garden. So continue to gaze,
q Jones, Smith, and Robinson and envy
as you may the happy fellows who have in
PRODUCTIONS.
In the evening our ladies' go to the French
opera (where the performance is matter
Of secondary interest to the struggle Of the
spectators to out do each other in richness
OF attire,) or the theatres ,or--it is a fact
| to the circus more tastcully termed the
"horse OPERA which latter is patronized
/ p
other place of amusement. Then comes
supper, oysters and cold turkey and they
retire
But on Monday evenings the st. Charles
is IN its glory for then comes of the weekly
" hop. y hop is generally supposed to be
a small and informal dancing party, at
| which the ordinary dinner dress may be
worn with respectajility.
But as the ladies from Mississippi, ard
| Tennessee, and Louisiana, and Kentucky,
and Arkansas, and MIliken's Bend, and
every other part of the world, have a large
number of party dresses of amazing beauty
and richness, and not very great number
Of opportunities Of displaying them. it SO
happens that our hops at the st. Charles
Hotel are what are denominated full dress
balls. Here you may see the celebrated Mrs.
Il, whose first husband lett her in pos
session OF such an immense estate, accom-
panied by her niece, the lovely Miss A,
the belle of Alabama ; the dashing and mag
niiccnt widow B, whose four hundred
bales a year are her least attraction the
cxquisitely beautiful Mrs. c.. from the
/ " CUlst.' 80 who's, charms Of manner and con-
vcrsluon have made her the belle Of the ST
Charles Mrs. D. quiet but observing ;
pretty Miss E., from Kentucky lively
Miss -, the Philadelphia heiress Mrs.
G-, tall, stately, and always tasteiulIy
dressed little Miss H. with her hair
done "a la Chnoise' and her feet in the same
style the pretty Misses J., Kentucky
beauties Mrs K, superbly dressed,
whose dres,mnker's bill is fifteen hundred
dollars a year NJ me l., the 'Admira-
bic Crichton Of the female sex, from Mo-
bile and SO on through the alphabet, in
cludins all the wealth, fashion, beauty, and
eXtravagance Of the South.
Annually at the st. Charles are given those
grand dress balls, which have attained a
Lnion-wide celebrity, and which are well
worth travelling over the Union to attend
Three thousand invitations were issued to
the grand ball Of this season, and a more
crowded, uncomfortable, or magnificent
spectacle | never expect to witness. The
large suite Of rooms were crowded to exces,
by the most lovely ,bewitching, and animal.
ed crowd that ever were assembled Dane
ing was impossible they could not do tho
schottish,there was not room to pump arms
select.
should say that there was great deal Of
hospitality in New Orleans, which (witl
some notable exccptions) appears to b.
graduated pretty closely to the number Of
bales Of cotton annually shipped to that city
by the recipient, As there are vast number
OF strangers who do not ship cotton at all
and OF course have a great deal of leisure
time at their disposal, it follows that tho
"Rotundn' OF the st. Charles is pretty con
stantly filled. This "ROtunda" forms the
centre Of the building it contains about
hal! an acre Of tesscllted floor, and is fur
nishcd with most comfortable, cushioned
arm-chairs, Here, if you take seat be-
tween the hours of / a. m, and p. IN.
you will have tho pleasure OF seeing every
white male inhabitaut of New Orleans, and
the majority of those inhabitants Of the
whole | Onited States that are worth know
ing, and with whom you have acquaintance
They come and 90, a constant panorama oI
familiar forms and faces
The organ of the word "Rotunda" i:
singular, and not generally known. At the
risk ot appearing pedantic, will "notate
it. Many years ago, shortly after the touE-
datlon Of Rome, distinguished architect
Of those days, named Cudius Nitellius
Smithers, erected the first building that ever
was surmounted by dome. The building
was originally intended for savings in
sutution, but the Roman that oiIiciated as
cashier having left with the funds, it was
used successlvely as a market dancing
house, theatre, Presbyterian meeting house,
and finally fell into decay and became a
mere mass of ruin. Such it remained un-
til the time of the Emperor Alexander
Seryerus, when the monarch one day, ac-
companied by his courtiers, came down tC
examine the ruins, with a view 10 pur-
chasing the lot on which they lay, Here the
Emperor eye was attracted by the fallen
dome, which he gazed on with great curl
osity, and finally picking his steps over the
stones and rubbish that interyened, he
found his way beneath it. The ancient
Romans had the same partiality foI
cheap distinction that animates the modern
Yankees; they lost no opportunity of leay-
ing their autographs in all public and pri-
yatc places; the consequences was, that
when the Emperor looked up he was amazed
at the number Of inscriptions that the in
terror Of the old dome presented. 1t was
quite black with ancient and respectable
appellations. ella l' said the Emperor
Alexander Seyerus, with the air Of a man
that has made great discovery (and with
an utter disregard of all grammatical rulcs)
"H s hcsn rrote Upder.
lisprincipal courticr, Naso Sneakellius,
Instantly repeated the remark with syco-
phantic reverence 70 the bystanders, getting
about as near it as that stupid official gen
orally did to everything The Emperor, he
slid, says this has been a Rotunda Hats
off =
The Romans all bowed with great soem
nifty not having the most dim or distant idea
of the Joke, and the interior OF a dome from
that day to this has been called a Rotunda
have not told you one half the greatnes,
AMI magniicence of the St. Charles hut
have not time nor paper to continue. | car
only add that it is u most agreeable place tC
pass the Winter, that the proprietor il
pleasant and attentive to his numerous fam
lies, (whon he makes a fortune the St.
Charles Hotel will make great Haul, } auc
and that any one who doubts that it is
delightful place of sojourn had better pro,
ceed there at once and have his mind set at
rest, which can be done at small expense
fain would | tell you of the St. Louis, anC