The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1862-04-23
From London Correspondence OF philasldph.a rrcS!
a Royal Dinner Parry

| a Royal Dinner Parry.
| At this season, except that fashion -
slightly less busting in Lent, London i !!
generally very much alive-taking its ton"
from the Court. Queen Victoria's litt
dinners always drew & certain number E
! invited-no, of commaads4 guests, for 4 :
, etiquette is, not that Royalty requests L."
pleasure Of ones company but oraers Il.
Indeed, so very autocratIcal is the systeli..
that, supposing you had arranged to give +,
dinner TO number Of your own frlcnd :
and received card from the Lord Char
berlin of the Quccn's household desiri.,.
you to dine, on the same day, at IT,:
Queens table, there is no refusing, on az.
othcr plea than that Of positive Illness
Not to 90 would be sort of petty treasc' .
| and you would have TO send .ircu!f ,
round to your own guests statins that t..
Queens commands, compelling you to dit
at Buckingham, Palace, also compelled y>s
to uninvite them.
the thing, there can be much comfort g.
satisfaction in having ones legs under tbs
Royal mahogany. First Of oil, the CUES.
must put himself into Court dress, which
makes him look like footnan in private
life, with knee breeches and silk stocking
lace cravat and rufflss, anlplcst of wais,
coats and shsd hcllyist Of coats. Then i:
he does not keep his own carlagc, he mus
hire one, looking Ikea private vehicle, III
it is doubtful whether, since creation con-.
menced, any one ever acalkea to n royal dir
ner-and the iaea Of going thitlcr In cal.
would probably have a mortal effect on tn.
enormous porter, in scarlet and gold To-.
gerry, who receives your card of invitation
when he admits you. Nor, supposing oil
the preliminary trouble ended supposing
that you had found your way to the Queen,
and stealthly looked around at the picturci
and counted over GALL this time in solernn
silence) the spots or flowers on the. carpet
for the tenth time, and marched in file into
the sale de mange" -s2pposing all this, d"
not imagine that you are going to enj,F
yourself. No, indeed. None but Mari.
Tapley coat! DC Jolly" at such last.
Royalty has already dincd, about thre:
o'clock, probably off the hereditary leg Of
of mutton and turnips, and has added tn.
usual 4uantum of rice pudding and the hi:
of old Cheshire, or rich Stilton, or double
Gloster cheese, and iuIbibed the accustomed
mug or two OF Guinness or Mehx. THIS
repaSt, call ID lunch, is really good, home
~, filling dinner, ana at the sollMli repaSt,
tive hours later, people are expected to sip
and taste through several courses, SO that
one il reminded OF the famous cast Of the
Barmecide. The vands are Of the best,
he cuisine perfect, tn: ,intagcs superb
but Cue eau merely tiSts. R0yalty's ap-
petite was hlunted on the legor mutton and
the pudding, the cheese and the bottled
porter, and the guests should have taken
the edge Of theirs by 4 s!milar process.
At these sadly solemn reunions dull 81
lence grimy rcigns. There is not even
whisper to your neighbOr-if you knew
him. The etiquette is do not open your
mouth unless Royalty expressly conde-
sccnds to spvak to you. Do not expect
such compliment That is reserved for
few favored guests in the immediate vicin-
ity of the regal hostess The dinner &C.
cupics from sixty to ninety minutes, and,
when ended, the Queen rises, all other IA
dies rising and retiring with her. The male
guests remain Some ten m nutes longer, S..
ienlly slipping their wine, or whispering in
small knots with batcd breath. At last,
the senior etticer of the household present
rises on his hind legs md maj -sticaly gives
The Queen" as Il toast, wnica every orc
ufinkS. III any male mt mOer OF lle to}ai
Family be present, he bows an acknowi-
edgn mt Coffee llows and then the
guests lepart-a few to the drawing room
where the maids Of honor are yaWning, tho
rest going home, where it is supposed each
man gets out Of his livery, atoncc, and gets
rid oil his gnawing hunger 10y r,eans OF
oysters and stout. Such, am informed by
one who experienced il, is the rou,inc Of I.
royal dinner. Iiu was an East Indian, and
suffered much.