New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-04-25

The balls of the Crescent City have long Seeh
regarded as one of her peculiar features. IN ue
other city of America has terpsiehore so many ar
dent admirers--no where else is the dance pursued
with such grace and abandon or with that indiHer-
ence to the dancing master which only comes from
an impulsive poetic recognition of rythm and mea-
sure. The self taught children who dance upon
the sidewalks with the grace Of so many Bacohan-
tes and the movers in the gilded saloon ana the
ballroom, alike, have the feeling and the insplra-
ton in their blood and could easily be distinguish
ed las we have heard it frequently remarked dur
ing the last four years. in any assembly.
A dress ball. az was that of last evening, lacks,
in many respects the attractive qualities which
give full SWAY to mirth and merriment in the oaG
,nasoue You miss the mad testers and the skirts
which are not 80 long as to be trod on in dancing
The matron who is still as fond of gayety as her
unmarried sister is ruthlessly consigned to the
split-bottomed chairs, and the young miss, on such
an occasion whose features are not strictly
beautiful, only appears in the obscure role
of a wall flower, and vainly repines at
the happiness which is &c so near and yet so far"
However, we were forced last night to remark that
what is lost in stiffness was fully compensated for
by brilliancy and richness of toilet, and by the OPP
revealed charms. We prefer the elan, the esprit,
and the atmosphere of coquetry which character:
lie the masquerade; but the entertainment of last
evening was the more consistent with the ideas of
propriety of our best and most fashionable pop
ulation, and was certainly in every way model of
its kind s~a~
AS had been anticipated, from the interest which
our best known citizens took lin the affair, the
crowd almost amounted to well dressed mob of
ladies and gentlemen, and more than one beauty
must have sighed over the wear and tear of mus
Inns and fine laces, the compression of hoops, and
the damage to inery genera ally. A long line of
carriages limited at what was going on within
the crowded ante-rooms, and the stairway carried
out the idea; and in short everywhere, in drawing
room, supper room, dressing room, up stairs and
down stairs, and in my lady's chamber, the
| crowd danced and firted and ate restaurant sup.
| pers and, though it sounds like joke, there was
probably larger number of conquests com
menced and ompleted-susceptible men in
terested or completely hooked-than at any SINH
| lar fete that has been given in our city, simply
| from the number of business men who were pres
ent, and who usually have not the time to go te
| such places and who in consequence were doublJ
exposed
4 Altogether we have seldom witnessed a ball
room characterized by more decorum, {perhap!
inlthe earlier part of it little too much SOL ant
better representation of the responsibility
to say the fashion of the city. So far as we wert
able to observe, the ladies present represente,
the elite of our population; and that is giving q
high praise as could be awarded any ball thi
season. "
Il Something like thousand tickets were sol
and the number of invitations was fully tire
times that number.
!, In short, the town Kept fast hours and diss
pated late. The dancing world chased the hour
with flying feet, and the ball was kept in motto
until the band masters declined to blow an
longer. As the hall has frequently, during tn
past season, been engaged for twenty night
ahead, and as the affair of last night closes til
Terpsichorean season, we suppose these owe
wrought musicians will not regret that they al
now allowed to breathe at their leizure, and hav
! their lungs at their own disposal.
! 1t might astonish even old habitu6s to see IL
pile Of pins hair pins, bits of lace, Illusion sht
/ strings, etc, which is swept up from the floor
! the close of such entertainments; but, at the la
1 hour at which we write, we forbear to comment
L -----a-es e.-------
2 The great question of the Broadway Rallros
still agitates the city of New York and the Sta
: legislature. The House had passed bill in fav,
! Of the surface road project, and the Senate a.
/ pointed committee to examine the subject az
} report all of the various plans-surface, unde
ground and elevated. This brought number
! Broadway property holders to Albany, incudin
A. 7. Stewart, who worked zealously in oppt
sition to the measures. Mr.. Stewart objected tha
the bill gave away for nothing franchise wort
millions; that it surrendered TO private corporf
ton property worth several millions dollar:
to-wit: the Bowling Green and part of the Ba
terry, at the lower end of Broadway, and that
granted these privileges to comparatively unknow
men; at the same time declared that, if the legi
lature thought Broadway railroad necessary b
would pay two millions for the grant.
The committee, it seems, took Mr.. Stewart
> his word, and reported bill granting to him IL
privilege Of constructing railroad through Broa
way for the sum of two million dollars.
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