New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1862-01-17
NUMBER 26S
Letter from Virginia.
Special 70 the New orssur crsscens.1 ~ = aa

LHen, Tor positively tine 1Tst and last appearance OIL
your correspondent.in the character Of" Jenkins Z
IT'S night in the Confederate capita1--a winte,
I night. A desperate war is raging id the land
hundreds of thousands Of brave Southern gentle
men are in the tented field, their dauness hearts
hgmg wall against the foe, hundreds on hundreds
are p,n'ng IN the hospitals, and each hour fresh
grave yawns 70. receive, the corpse of some de-
Isnaer % o. MS country q What Of that? We will be
essy sava mere e n .ne saRta or brohera
dance, let joy be unconfned.n Will il mend the
matter for US to, be wretched? Nay, truly, who
speaks Of decent respect for suffering patriots
What fool compares gaiety in the Confederate can.
ital to merrimem in the house Of mourning, and
predicts an ignoble fate for a people soinsensibe
to the peril and the calamity Of their country Go
to; let the croakef crsak. We will attend q HOP
at the spotswood Hotel. Let us rejoice q. night
for tomorrow we die. After us the delage.
So be it, then. We will go to the SpotsWoods a
dense fog hangs 1ike pail over the city, but not
go dense that We cannot see the lights cleaning
from the ever open war office as we pass Ninth
street. War !ETut Don't think of it. We are
going to wrigge in the mazes of the polka
Dylne pleasure, ,rapturous occupation. So manly
and pretty At all times, and especially during q
| war. Pish! Lets think about something else we
ascend the steps leading to the second story from
the ladies entrance. There is broad streak of
green on the newly painted wall. But bark the
sound OF the viol comes to our ears. Wequicken
our pace, give our hat and coat to negro, brush
our hair, adjust our collar, and enter the. great
| parlor, to which the carpetless dancing room is
attached. ~. .Z3''.<' :. III
Not such crush as we have seen in Washing
ton atthe parties given by members Of the Cabinet
or at the big hops at Browns" This is our nm
spoken thought, as we catch first glimpse of the
company: Still, here is very respectable and
well-looking assemblage. There is 8 style about
these people which we greatly like, for tits in the
people themselves, not in their clothes THE men
carry themselves well, and have character in their
| faees-they are gentlemen ; and certes there are
some lovely faces and forms among the women.
This we discover while they are gliding through
| the dance; presently we shall be impressed with
their rare beauty in repose. An unpleasant sensa-
ton comes over US as we discover here in Rich
mond unmistakable specimens Of the genus squirt !;
thing with added brains, tongue besmed with
slang phrases, and some soft .sickly hairs fuzzing
parts OF its weak face-a thing born of the
tailors goose-just such poor thing as you see id
Washington-,a wretched littlec and popinjay, the
morbid prodnct of civilization anywhere. Female
ceuhterparts Of these pittnl fddlededees you also
seeIcreatgres that giggle and carry on-tbe shall
low.hearted silly, fashionable, false, artificial;
vapid, ,sickening, pasty limitations caicatures, beIs
on womanhood-ft only for spending money in
| gmcracks and for breeding such wretched little
dogs as you see frisking around them tonight. We
turn away from these, convinced that there must
be some stern but most inexpicable necessity that
| brings this human scnm into eXstenceand to the
surface Of society. There is here something really
worth looking at-lets view it, by all means.
DO you see that lady over there by the wall !?
lAOoh wen Ut uef, you nave never seen VIII
| probably never see again SO beautiful woman.
Observe her magnificent form, her rounded arms,
her neck and shoulders, perfect as if from the
scuiptor's chisel her golden hair the pose of her
human cheeks? They are natures own roses.
ermouth, her teeth, her eyes, her every feature,
al are IN keeping And she is notl less intelligent
| than beautiful 49, -.> q,5 - ~ E
kings ransom, a life time Of trouble, 10 look at
one such woman. No wonder Beauregard pro.
nounced her the most beautiful in that city Of love
ly women, Baltimore. Her sister-she who made
the battle flag that is to rest on the top OF the
| Washington mohunent-a very pretty woman,
stands near her. Not far off you see her COUSIN a
fair exile from Alexandria, less tall, less rosy, but
| by some thought even more beautiful than Miss
Hettie herself. Seldom indeed is it given to man
| to see three ladies, all bearing the same family
name, and all SO extraordinarily beautiful.
On the other side of the room, just opposite the
tar Batlmorean, is face that attracts you at the
wins and fascinates you the moment the pretty
mouth is opened, and the music of her witty
tongue begins. Don't 60 mad over that hand-,tis
too little thing to drive grown man distracted
Be on your guard, for that miniature member has
slaughtered more students in Charlottesville than
all the Trojans Achilles slew before the walls of
Troy. #c-,,,! sE ...-
Here comes, leaning on the arm of an officer, a
tall, styiIsh-iook1ng girl in black velvet bodice
She is blueeyed, fair, very quiet and modest Any
where in the world she would be accounted
beautiful woman. She is the daughter of one of
The Wealthiest men in the famous tobacco city of
Lynchburg. Not far from here you descry a
young lady, below the medium stature, with dark
hair and eyes, an expressive face, and form
charmlngly moulded. What delight she takes in
the dance! She is a granddaughter of Patrick
Henry Moving most gracefully across the floor
for now the cotillon has begun-you can but
notice the sweet face, the soft, lustrous eyes, the
emlnentiy lady like manners of the young girl in
a. white body, white bodies are quite the rage
brow she has, and how her sweet face is lighted
up with innocent gaiety! This ia tile singer
whose beauty, not less than her admirably calti
waited voice, have added SO much to the attrac.,
items OF the concerts lately given here for patriotic
purposes. The Virginian who looks on her is
filled wit pride to think that in the lovely country
places of the Old Commonwealth, far away from
the and the fashions of the great Cities so
lovely and refined a creature can be produced.
Our country gentlemen are the glory of the State,
our country girls the perfection Of their sex Do
you want proof? Look again at this genuine
daughter of the soil. 4s
Yonder, SO surrounded by beaux. that you can
scarcely see her, is a tall, proud beauty flaxen-
haired, violet-eyed-a young Saxon queen, with
just trace of the Celt in her nose-the least bit
retroussezand all Celt in the fire. the spirit, the
animation, the energy of her manner and express
sion. Her mouth, where pretty scorn sits en-
throned is full of even pearls you notice her ears,
SO like wondrous little sea.shells white yet lucent
with the roseate TENTS of life and admire the small
head that rests 80 firmly yet so gracefully on her
swanllke neck. Her dainty, milk white hands, are
but marred in their beautyby the blazing diamonds
in the rings that cumber her taper fingers This is
one OF our city bellies whose irresistible charms
are far more fatal than the shot that came from
Sherman battery on the dreadful day at Manas-
sas: Her wounds no physician can cure.
The list is not ended yet. There is another lady,
clad in pure white, slender, 1.-the, fair haired,
azure-eyed, gentle, and graceful exceedingly--a
Hebe, just in the bloom of madenhood. Her face
is lovely in every outline, her skin as SOFT clear
and pure as beings of immortal birth. While
you gaze at her, you doubt whether she is not
the most beautiful Of all, the beautiful Balti-
morean not excepted, SO patrcian is her air, SO
symmetrical her figure, 50, tasteful her dress, 50
perfect her every movement, Would you know
her name? cannot tell you; but II you will ask
the gallant gentleman Of whom Punch lately I'M.
plored peace-ss Paoene Peagrin Precansuy I-he
may possibly inform you. ~. -
These are not all the pretty girls in the room
there are others WHO would be esteemed pretty
any where else, hut whose prettiness pales in the
midst of this galaxy of wonderfully beautiful
women, the like of which, l dare be sworn, no bail
room, however vast, in any of the great Yankee
homes or in any ofthe capitals Of Europe can ex-
hbt. Certain it is, that the Jenkins pro'hac oce,
who has seen many assemblages OF fair women,
never in all his life saw in company OF thrice the
size, half SO many truly beautiful young ladies as
he sees tonight at thehopat the Spotswood. But
there are married ladies, whose charms, If they do