Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1858-03-04
Correspondent of the Home Journal.
Mad Cap in London.
LONDON, January 26, 1851

| NOfu. OH lndl gusts udt, HHCn VIC sdiu
our adieur oD the deck of the Baltic
promised that the return steamer should
bring ylou budget of foreign TENS from
u ad Cap But then, II hadn't beer
"rocked in the cradle of the deep," and a
mighty rocking have had since! " asn't
| at "the point of doom!'' Go to, Barry
Cornwall Proctor, with your song of
| 1.-THE sea. the sea- the open sea,
| The blue, the fresh, the ever tree!''
you're BIT of humbugi And the sea
isn't "fresh." It's "open" enough, heaven
knows, for people catch their deaths of cold
on it, The sixth day out was my sixth day
in; indeed, had all the Innings" all the
voyage, for never lef. the cabin until we
houe in sight (you see how naughty-cal ann
of the ma Inland. All me- how desolate,
and gray, and chalky the Old World loomed
up that misty morning! "Dismal England"
said /, ''if one may judge by your outskirts"
But was heartily tired of ship life and sea-
sickness; had 0een under-b board long
enough to wish myself overheard a thousand
times, and anything was preferable to the
ca5n-even the dull uninviting coast before
US. For the first time understood the
hopeless, weary heart-sickness expressed
in that dolorous last verse of that dolorous
old ballad which coud no: help repeating:
Its barren shores are long and dark,
And grHy It's autumn skv;
But better these, ILan This gray sea,
IL but TO nd-and die"
And so, -, when | placed my Yankee
boots on English soil, the memory OF my
promise to write you on uur arrival had long
since taken igh', Ike the capriciuus birds
| which haunted US down the New York Mar
rows, and deserted the ship when we got out
to sea. So make grave in that Kind heart
of yours, dear pundit, for broken vow
How We spent three days
in Liverpool, where the hotels looked like
private houses and the private houses SEEM
ed like hotels how cousin Fred kept say
ing all sorts OF wicked things about every
body: how we dashed OF 10 London. and
found sunny welcome from Mr.. G-n
and family-these are items for another
document. cau't stop to pen 'em now. ]
have seen roya! bride and bridegroom it'll
my own plebeisn black eyes!
Awhile ago the flags were half-mast for
the gallant Havelock. aud England was in
mourning fJr the dead. Yesterday the .
world tooss ed up its hat for the living! The I
funeral baked meats furnished forth the /
marriage table" as it were. The wedding I
pageant and the funeral cOrtege 90 side by ,
side in this world; and despite the gay tinsel
of one and the black Grape Of the other, it !
is hard sometimes TO saw which is saddest!
But 20 gayer matter. Fred, You know, is ,
sort of American Mephislopheies. He
gets admittance every " here, sees everything
aud kBuws everybody. The approaching
marriage between the Princess Royal and
Prince Frederick OF Prussia, set every one
en- .ip-toe, and Fred (meaiing Plebeian
Fred) determined that we sh,u:d have a
peep at the royal goings on-and we did
= x Yesterday. after waiting one
mortal hour at the entrance Of the Culon-
made, the door of which is at the lower end
Of ST. James street, our potent tickets
(Which Fred procured, heaven can tell howD
were examined, and we passed into the
palace We were among the first admitted
end consequently had choice of seats. In
place vacant. The seats in the Colonnane
were tastefully covered with crimson cloth,
and little blue lines, some twenty-five inches !
apart, designated the space allowed each |
person. Twenty-;nches only. for "no crino-
line" was the order of the day. Never was
there Mad Cap so squeezed before! Our
position, however. was admirable, giving US
,c 10 i,b
were tn pass, and which seemed as if they
never would. IL had time, could be co.
lhusiastc in my praises of English beauty
as disp iayed on this occasion. The "gear
OF the dear Ones" to quote Fed, twas the /
best part'' Those white bUnEeis," remark |
ed that hypocritical young gentleman, ''are
dis,racting: everybody looks ike BRIDE VI
| Indeed, it was 50. But have seen as many
| pretty women on Sunday in the little
church at Guesswhere The scene, never
theless, was brilliant one. W-eaths of
ivv and holly, pinned with streamers OF
white satin, were hung between the pillars
of the Coonnade; and .ier, after tier, crowd
ed with Jewels and feathers, glistened and
unduIated like a sIoping Parterre of pinks
and white roses.
There xe sat, a wall of human bricks,
until twelve o'clock Owing To an obese
dowager Oh one side, and Fred on the other,
didn't breathe easily for two intermlnable
hours In the mean time my eyes were in
dustrious enough, and my tongue, too, as
for that matter; but made so many ludi-
crous mistakes with the latter felicitous ar
tic!e, that gave up in despair, gazed, and
said nothing Like Dame Partiugtun.
couldn't open my mouth but put my foot
into it. Twice only my rebel tongue was
too much fer me.
/ Fred said |, after prolonged silence,
"who is that distinguished Hobleman Just
stockingsl'
That replied Fred, trying to hush down
f a malicious laugh; 'that is Lord BIS
footman!"
so lord!" thought I. "Well, then, Fred"
| ventured again, 'whose fuotman is that?"
and pointed with my bouquet to modest
" dressed man who was leuning against a
pillar beneath us, and looking at everything
with PAIR of cold gray eyes. "Whose
footman is that!"
, "That," said Fred, sis Lord B. HIMSELF"
After that kept still, but thought to
myself, "What a land is this where the
f loolmen wear all the good clothes!' \ \ +
Shortly after twelve o'clock sound of
trumpets and clash of sde-arms announ-
ced the approach of Her Majesty and suite.
+ | did no. even catch a glimpse of the
I Queens iace-it was said to be very pale
: Her costume was Of peach color moire anti
a que, with heavy fl unces OF Honiton lace,
: and train OF peach velvet. | had ga good
e ook'' at the Bride. To parody proiane
n proverb, she is not so white as she is paint
e ed. Her d;ess was magnificent beyond de-
n scriptiou-of white MORE antique, the dress
| e ..,nnrh Hnnitnri .nninurp i'll three fin.