The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1861-02-12
AN IMPERIAL, SKATING pARTv

u
light. In Paris the streets were muddy; it was
supposed decided thaw had set in, the ice on the
lake in the Bots de Boulogne was pronounced un.
safe-it was, as | ascertaned myself, watery on the
surface, and not soul was to be seen upon it.
But beyond the Longchamps race course, and on
the banks of the Seine, near NJ. de Rothscbid's
splendid villa, aud just opposite SureSne there is n
meadow studded with pretty clumps of high trees
which was overlooked during the late floods, and
which, although the thermometer had risen to
shade above Zero still presented a smooth coating
of solid ice there being scarcely any water under
meath. At this spot the Emperor, with as much
secrecy possible, had made rendezvous for 10
o'clock at night. The great GoGot under
taker OF public rejoicings, hung the branches of
the trees with hundreds of Chinese lanterns
and serving men, numerous as those peasants
who erst walked all night long up and down the
ponds about the Royal palaces, to prevent the
frogs from waking the King of France, promenaded
the frozen meadow with lanterns fixed on their
heads. Besides this constant illumination there
was an In terinttent succession of Bengal fire and
hzzlng torches, which lighted up the scene al
gtorRo. A body of men in white blouses-a special
ice police-formed Gordon round the field of on
eratons, and kept off those who were unlimited
but the crowd of spectators, though considerable
consisted mainly of the inhabitants of St. Cloud,
Suresne, and the neighboring villages The popu-
lation of Paris knew nothing of the fete and up to
this hour neither the Woniteur nor any other Jour
nal has said word about it.
As soon as the Emperor and the Court arrived
the sport commenced in very buSiness-like style.
The Empress got into sedge, and NJ Hartogs a
German gentleman, whose proficiency as a skater
attracted the Imperial notice two years ago, and
who is now called at Court the Emperor's Aide de
Camp de gdce, had the honor of pushing her Males
ty on the ice. He took her along at railroad speed
and was out of sight of shore in less than min
ute. The Emperor then put on his skates and con-
Quoted the sledge of lady whose name l could
not learn. The Countess de Morny, enveloped in
| velvet and white furs, essayed her proves, but
was supported by two gentlemen, who gave her
hand on each side. The Princess Poniatowski
went along very well by herself In short time
the ice was thickly studded with a host of cham
berlains, generals, aides de-camp, and
| judges who had come with the Court party to
join in the fashionable amusement of the hour.
The notion of coming to skate in thaw was highly
approved, for the night was by no means cold The
| Emperor and the Empress remained on the ice till
halfpast eleven. This afternoon, the frost in the
| meantime having returned with considerable inten-
sity, the sport was resumed by the Imperial party
at the same spot. NJ. Hartogs gave the Empress
promenade in a beautiful sledge which was sent
for by telegraph from Germany, and only arrived
this morning. Afterwards her Majesty ventured
to skate, bnt only with the assistance of two gen.
| tlemen. She is not at her ease upon the ice and,
| considering that she comes from sunny SPAIN this
| is not to be wondered at.
The Emperor is very good skater. He does
not attempt any tours de force, but he is perfectly
master of his movements. His wont is.t0 20 along
rather slowly, and he stops frequently to contem-
plate the animated scene around him. Net the
least etiquette is observed on the ice. No clear
space is kept about the Emperor or Empress
lHeN 20 dDOuG just ike anybody elSe ana to-day,
unlike last evening, everybody, without exception,
was allowed to skate at the same time with them.
The Emperor had nothing whatever but his own
adrotness to prevent him from being knocked over
by the first tyro in the sport whose skates might
away with him. 1t was an interesting
sight to see the master of so many legions, the
mighty potentate upon whose mysterious
breath the fate OF so many nations hang,
slipping about unpretentiously on the ice, no
squire or even servant following him, and ap-
parently as much on equality with the people
about him as carter is with ploughman on an
English farmyard pond. Once young man. who
saw the Emperor skating slowly along the middle
of the lake, steered almost ndiscreety close to him
and gave him the go-by, with an evident inten-
ton of getting credit with the spectators for being
the best skater. The Emperor then, without any
apparent effort, increased his speed, gracefully
distanced his opponent by few yards and, con-
tented with his victory, resumed the steady pace
| which, as | said before, he seems to affect. The
rostis severe tonight. and, should it continue the
rage for skating will attain extraordinary proper
lions. Happy the amateur who has good pair of
skates, for the manufacturers cannot make them
| fast enough The lake in the Bots de Boulocne is
again in capital order.
WRECK ON THE DELAwARE-Ship Cut acih the Ice
and Sunk-One Nan Droocned-Y esterday after
noon the ship John Trucks, belonging to Bishop,
Simons d Co., of this city, cut by the ice and
| sunk at Arch street wharf. The ship was from
Liverpool with an assorted cargo of saltpetre, cut.
ery, dry goods, pig iron, &C.. and she entered the
bay on Friday and stopped at New Castle until yes
terday morning. While on her voyage to this port
she had sprung a leak, but it was of no great i'm
portance The city ice boat was engaged to tow
| her to the city. The two vessels left about six
O'Clock in the morning, and as the floating ice was
encountered, in large quantities, the ship must
have been cut, as the water in her hold then began
| to gain Roadway. Arch street wharf was gained
late in the afternoon, and it thought desirable
| to work her into the dock, where she might settle
IN shallow water. Before this could be accom-
plished, the stern grounded, while the bow was
still out IN the stream. Ropes were thrown out
| the stern made fast. and the steward, Mr.
Wilcox, with two three others, entered the hold
Tor the purpose OF removing article and while
they were below, the ropes which held the vessel
to the wharf snapped in two and she slid into deep
| water and went down, and she lies with four
teen feet oil water above her rails Mr.. Wilcox was
drowned. One man escaped through the cabin
windows, and it is thought that two or three other
men were in the hold at the time the ship made the
plunge. The John Trucks was fine vessel of 500
tons burden and nearly new. Captain James B.
Lindsay was in command. Her masts are now
| above water and, from appearances last evening,
it was feared that the ship would still further slide
out into the stream. The River and Harbor Police
were on hand with boat and did good service in
watching during the night and protecting the ex.
posed rigging from the hands of the river thieves
The bark Anne Kimball, also from Liverpool, and
whose PROLONGED passage Of over 90 days gave rise
to serious fears for her safety, was at New Castle
on Saturday morning. badly cut by the ice, with
three feet of water in her hold, and the leak ra-
pidly increasing. The City Ice Boat proceeded
The ship Ann E. Hooper, for Liverpool which
was driven ashore in the Horse Shoe, during the
gale of Thursday last, was got off on Saturday
without damage.-PhH. Ledger, Feb. II.
| BULwER AS AN ORAToR.-Bulwer, as parliament
airy speaker, reserves himself for great occasions
| When the Senate is deeply stirred upon some
| questions, rumor runs round the benches that
| "Buwer Lytton will address the house." Every
seat is filed and the listeners resign themselves to
| what is, after all, however, only checkered en-
| 1OVment. The orators seat. in OnDOSition in
| Office, is on the front bench usually next to Mr.
D'lsraeli. The stranger in the gallery sees tall
thin, attenuated figure come to the table. The
face is PALE the eye speaking and intelligent the
hair abundant on the head, lip and chin, but neither
artstically arranged carefully tended the
attire careless, not to say shabby. The features
are eminently aristocratic and intellectual. The
hearty cheer that greets him is succeed BY respect
| ful silence and strained attention, the reason for
| which is soon Nature, so bountilul to him
in oratorical gifts has denied him the faculty of
| clear and distinct utterance. Now YOU miss a
word, then sentence. Sometimes those around
| him catch a happy ausion, which is scarcely un
derstood by those at whom the shaft is aimed but
! who are separated from him by the Speakers Ia
Bile. Whether the defect be one of palate or
tongue, or lips, it would not be easy to say; but
| those who have sat opposite to him at public din
ners, when he has harangued large audiences, have
| found it impossible to follow him throughout al
though sitting in front of him at distance of only
five or six feet. To listen to Bulwer Lytton is
therefore one of the most tanaIzing OF oratorical
enoyments. All that is heard sharpens the zest to
hear more. OF so carefully considered and highly
| elevated an Grafton you would not willingly miss
| one word. In moments of vexation, with which
| admiration Is largely intermiugled you ask YOUR
| selves whether Demosthenc regime'of pebbles and
seasbore ought not to have been prescribed for the
| young politician? If any is heard, why not all?
The singer who bites his words made to practice
with cork between his lips Why are inarticulate
sounds so provikongly mixed up by this orator with
audible words of weight and wisdom which sgive
us pause, even when they do not carry conviction?
| His gestures confirm you in the belief that this
versatile genius never thought it worth his while
to go through the drudgery of preparation for par
liamentary and political life. He often gesticulates
with his spine, makes low salaams to the door
| and will neither learn grace from D'Israeli nor
dignity from Gladstone Yet all these defects are
swallowed up and lost in the pleasure which his
brilliant sallies and pointed apothegms produce
SHAM INTRODUCTION OF NEGROES TO THE ORDER OF
FREE MAsoNs.-Joseph Gundy, negro, was arrest
ed on the charge of having swinded nine South
Carolinian negroes out of 81 so each. The South
ern importations recently arrived in that city, and
meeting Gundy, consulted with him on the propri-
ETY. of going to Hayti. Gundy thought that if thev
could join the Free Masons they could do well
enough in New York, and kindly offered to initiate
them into the mysteries of that order for the tip
sum of ST. each. The negroes produced the fee
and Gundy took them to his house in Jersey street.
where they were put through peculiar formula
OF grips and heated irons, and pronounced Free
Masons. Whether the iron was too hot or the grin
nr OF h,,t ~