Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1860-06-16
A MAGNIFICENT FANCY BALL IN PARIS.

The ball lately given at the residence of the Duke and
Duchess of Alba the most splendid fancy ball given
in Paris for thirty years. Louis Napoleon gave t.
suspect il must have COS: sum which great dea
OF money even for a court ball There were two very
large buildings added TO the mansion expressly for this
ball night One was the bali room which was of large
dimensions aud decorated by the decorators of the Grand
Opera in the gorgeous style OF Louis XIV they paint
ed the riches bangngs and most delicate carvings and
were lavish with gold leaf The upper room was even
larger than the ballroom. Its form vas an immense
paralelogram and il entered by terraces and very
broad starcases painted to initiate the finest marble
their baustrades adorned with the richest Turkey
Smvrna and Persian carpets and cashmere shawls The
ceiling was supported by columns Of porphyry, with
gold capitals each column separated from the other by
the richest yo bocade hangngs. At the eud of the
supper ROOM opposite the terraces and saiIcases was
wire gauze curtain which gave dreamy haze the
behind it, This scene represented in the foreground an
enchanted garden which pictured by canvas scenes
u slides as YOU them Oh the stage it appears by
moonlight giant trees through whose thick foliage the
mOOnbeams uickle in a siivery rain masses of flowers
such as one sees in Italian villas cascade of real water
whose musical murmurs rise above the buzz and laughter
of the suppers and form sort Of accompaniment TO
them; while in the distance the front of the residence of
the Duke OF Alba represented all silvered by the
If YOU peo le this scene with the throng OF gid
dy mummerS of both sexes attired in the costumes of
every brilliant epoch colos mingled with colors accor
ding to fancy silks, laces Neltets sparkling with
dlalOnus, SllltfB VIII bO!ui eNNeutu Win TlObOns
you will form some conception Of the ball--or rather
masque triumph.
At half.past o'clock the dancing began by the ap-
pearance of sixteen ladies' without gentlemen represent
ing the elements. Those who represented Air There
we're four ladies' as each eemen wore costumes of the
most delicate gauze, lined with the most delicate tinted
blue silk, and adorned with diamonds
The four ladies who represented Water were habited
as Undiaes the body covered with fish scales formed
of silver and mOther-of-pear trimmed with sea-weed;
the skirts short and formed Of seagreencolored gauze
the belt formed OF pearls the composed of pearls
and gold.
The four ladies who represented Earth, were attred
in skirts of Sone-cooret gauze adorned with aspers
and MOSES ivy, mstle0c gold, and tufts of grass; the
body and sleeves represented the bark Of gnared
oak wrukled by the rains and SHOWS OF hundred years
the body mantle thrown; the mantle col
ored as geological maps are colored with the different
strata of the EARTH over which diamonds rubies and
emerads scattered in rich proiusion. the fringe
which bordered it adorned with golden of wheat
and fruit of every VARIETY The crown worn rural
crown entwined with laures
The four ladies' who represented Fire, dressed in
a fane-colored costume, wearing around their waists
for a belt golden serpent with ruby head, aud
their heads lofty flame composed Of diamonds and ru
bies
As soon as these sixteen charming ladies had taken
their places they began dance beautiful quldrlc
regulated by Mcrautc tie ballet master Of the Grand
Opera, and the Nile. Tdgloni who were both present at
the reheaTsals OF it, indeed they the rehearsas
OF all the dances executed 10y the parties that appeared
during the ball The beauty Of this quadre was so
e and much the taSe of the company present that
they insisted upon its being danced twice The quadre
of the Elements followed by the quadrle of the Fa
~ Tales which made its appearance in gay tumulta be-
fits fairies do not describe not much enumerate
the characters in this quadrlle Pus in Boots Little Red
Rd;ughood BIuebesrd 0gres Cinderella are household
limoges in every mind This was followed by the Quadrle
of the Italian Comedy: Harlequin Privelno Pulcniea
Spavento, Spe2zlferO, Columbne Matazzino Pantalon
Scanmouch Pierroi, LeO Leandre Scapn, Isabella etc
They danced the Carnival of Venice. After these quad
rifles ended was haf-past twelve o'clock At O'Clock
supper served. The walters lads between six
teen and eighteen years Od--there fifty of them
and they wore a pages costume of the middle ages
uacarut stocking net roundabout of gold embroidered
satin with hus-sr's dcmatca thrown over it, the dol
maca OF blue velvet with sashcd Sides the Montio
arms embroidered it before and behind, and they
wore a blue velvet cap with red feather in it. The
company did not disperse until o'clock the next
morning. The Empires; commanded magnificent cos
tune OF Diana such as the beautiful Duchess de IA Val
ere wore a fancy ball given by Louis XIV, copied
from a drawing of the epoch found in the Imperial Lii
brsry but she did not it. She and Louis Napoleon
appeared 10 domnOes he wore blue domino all the
evening; she wore first black domino and then white
domino. The Princes Mathde dressed as Arab
woman costume which suited well with her large and
tall figure. The Princess CO;ilde dressed Of
Wattcaus shepherdesses. Russian lady dressed
as Witch-Queen she 100000 worth Of diamonds.
German bankers wife, as Juno, wore nearly many
diamonds as this Witch Queen.