The Union. [volume] (Georgetown, Del.) 1863-1866, 1863-12-04


They couldn't be settling the affairs of
Europe all day and all night long. They
were obliged to knock off work, and to take
a holiday sometimes. 1t was for this rea-
son that Aix-la-Chapelle assumed, during
the session of Congress, the aspect of an
old fashioned Fair in its noisiest days.
The camp-followers far c9tnumbered the
regular army. By the side Of the grandees
who were partitioning the Continent among
them was horde of brilliant parasites and
hangers-on. There reigncd carnival of
dinners, balls, fetes champetres, gambling
parties, promenades, picnics, and firta-
tions. 1t was a tremendous time for the
cooks. The chefs, the sons-chefs, the
marmitons, the whole tagrag and bobtail
of the kitchen, foolish fat scullions and
all, were in their glory. The sovereigns
and the princes, and the marshals and the
ambassadors, brought their wives and
daughters with them, or at least their mis-
tresses. There was a beau monde and a
demi monde under the shadow of the old
Dom-Kirch. The greatest danes and the
greatest demireps in Europe were there.
1t was in this conjuncture that the man
with the tortoiseshell spectacles made him.
self remarkable Beyond the spectacles,
of which more anon, there was, however,
nothing very peculiar about his personal
appearance He was short, thin, little
man, apparently not more than fifty years
of age, clean-shaven, high-dried, and Of a
sallow complexion. He dressed plainly,
generally in bottle-green surtout, nankeen
smalls, and speckled grey-sllk hose, and
wore a nut-brown wig. In his shirt trlll
he carried large diamond, set as a brooch.
He was slightly lame, and walked with the
aid Of Il gold-knobbed cane, and when he
snuted, the stimulus was taken from a
maachite box. The spectacles he wore
were certainly curious. They were very
large, and the lenses appeared to have a
slight yellow tinge, which gave the orbs
beneath jaundiced and not very pleasant
appearance. They were encircled with
rims and furnished with appendages of tor
toseshell, very broad and handsome, but,
to say the least, unusual, The man with
the tortoiseshell spectacles spoke English,
French, Italian and German with equal
purity,---the FIRST language perhaps with
greater fucnoy and decision chan the other
threa As4d he 4save himself out To he an
american.
At his period the Americans were
prime fvorieties in Europe. The English
were glad that they had just concluded
peace with them, and, according to their
custom, bore no malice to the gallant pco-
pie with whom they had been fighting
(?ED. CoURIER.) The foreigners were in
love with the brave Yankees because Com
modore Decatur had done the English so
much mischief, and the veterans of the
Peninsula had got the worst of it at New
Orleans, and the United States were Re-
public too far off to interfere with the
Holy Alliance and absolutism.
For these reasons, Major Sprott, as the
man with the tortoiseshell spectacles call
ed himself became universal favorite.-
He went everywhere. He occupied an
entire suit of rooms on the first floor at
one of the best hotels, for which he paid
a fabulous rent. He gave sumptuous din
ners. He got up ball at least once
week at the Conversation House. He or
ganized picnics. He presented the ladies
with magnificent boquets. He was full of
anecdote and dry quaint humor, He was
bachelor, but was understood-for all
his fifty years and nut-brown wig-to be
an mieux with the Russian Princess
Schmutzicoff and with Mademoiselle Catin
of the French theatre. To the ladies with
whom he was on such terms he gave ruby
bracelets and rivieres of diamonds. Major
Spro,t was the Fashion. Had he pro-
claimed himself an Englishman, embar-
RAISING questions might have been asked
as to his belongings; for, in our tight little
island, the art of finding out who's who
is pursued to an inconvenient degree of
perfection. But his character of America
saved him from cross examination, and
was an indubitable passport for him. Be-
sides, Aachen, like most other German
bates, has always been a free-and-easy kind
of place in the way of introductions; and
man who can pay 200 thalers week for
first floor, and who gives away good din
ners and diamonds, seldom runs the risk
of being looked at askance.
Play ran high-mountains high, indeed
during the Congress of Aix-la-Chapelle.
The pig headed King of Prussia and the
stitf-and starched Austrian Kaiser did not
gamble, but the archkukes did; and the
British nobility tame and milksop games
of roulette and trente ct quarante reigned
supreme in lieu of hazard The impulsive
Gar of Russia, when he was not raving
religious mysticism, was far from averse to
bout at the green table. The great
Duke played heavily, and lost or won his
handfuls of Napoleons with unvarying
equanimity. The ambassadors looked
upon card playing as an essential part of
diplomacy; and, to be sure, some pretty
little secrets OF state have from time to
time been revealed over the tapis vert.
Was it not one night, or rather early
morning in Paris, that playing at the
Duehesse de Luynes, Talleyrand took out
his watch, remarked that it had stopped,
and asked what time it was
just FOUR said a bystander.
(They played deep and late at the Ouch
esse de Luynes.)
Has the Prince de Conde,' asked Tai
leyrand, in his imperturahle manner, 'any
children beyond the Due d'EngAjenp
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