The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-08-06
RIGHT ROYAL FEAST.

us full particulars of the great ball to the Sui
tan, given by the Secretary of State for In
dia at the India House on Friday evening,
the 18TH For splendor and magnihcence
no entertainment for years past, given in Lon
don, could compare with this. After mnutely
describing the hall and the vast preparations
made, the Times says: 'It may be difficult on
these occasions to give, by a mere verbal de-
scription, an adequate idea of the effect when
such festive preparations as these SO instantly
produce, but yet are SO hard to depict. one
would almost need to write in gold and colors'
to give any fair impression of the brilliant as
pect which the ballroom presented. Every
thing that flowers costly draperies, gliding
mirrors, lights and, above all, splendid archl-
lecture, could give TO add brilliancy and splen-
dor to the scene were there, and when, shortly
before visitors were admitted, the whole place
was lighted up for the fete, its appearance was
really beautiful beyond description" Among
the decorations there were "stars of bayonets,
of muskets, of sabres, and of ramrods, some
of which stars were of immense size, and all OF
surprising briliancy as the gas stars in their
centres made the steel glisten with every flicker
of the light One Of the most beautiful Of all
was that which Immediately faced his majesty
on arriving. 1t was a huge crescent and star,
done in sabre blades and sabre scabbards, and
the brilliancy and perfectness of this great
trophy surpassed all the Others" at was
nearly II o'clock when his Majesty arrived.
lie was met at the Park entrance by Sir STAT
FORD NoRrHcorE, the Minister for India; Sir
JAMES FERGUSON, the Under-Secretary of State,
and the members of the India Council, and was
ushercd to the reception room, where the
Prince Of Wales, Prince and Princess Louis of
Hesse, and other members of the royal party,
were present 10 meet him. After short In
terval procession was formed, and proceeded
through an open space roped off in the centre
of the hall, to the dais and chairs of state
which were arrayed there. The Sultan led
her Royal Highness the Princess ALICE, the
Prince of Wales the Duchess Of Cambridge,
and after them came Prince LOUIS Of llesse,
the Duke and Duchess Of Mecklenburg Sire
litz, the Duke and Duchess of Aosta, Prince
TECK and the Princess MARY, the Duke OF CAM
bridge and suites" The Sultan did not dance
"At half-past -, the Sultan signifcd his pleas
ure to take supper, and q new procession was
formed, which proceeded up the grand stair
case, and past the pleasant cascade, with Its
refreshing sound of falling water, to the chief
supper room. The approaches were lined by
Yeomen Of the Guard and the picturesquely
attired members of the Sultan's body guard;
and stately show it was" bursts forth the
JENKINS of the Times, ias the courtly throng
divided to allow the chief guests to pass, the
Sultan giving his arm to the Princess ALICE
as before, and the Prince of Wales and the
other members of the royal party following to
the banquet prepared for them"
Supper was provided for twenty-five hundred
VISITORS and the Times gives the full list of the
company, in alphabetical order, occupying
four of its long columns, printed in solid agate.
This muster-roll, although of no interest to us
on this side of the world, we may be sure was
read with the greatest interest by millions on
the other side The fashion read it, of course,
to see their names in juxtaposition with all the
grandees who were present Then there were
the more numerous ranks of the dcmi-monde,
who were, of course, anxious to see which of
their patrons and acquaintance in high life
were present, and, likewise, TO be al fW on
fashionable talk Then, of course, the whole
army of tailors, hatters, hootmakcrs, millincrs,
and mantuamakers, who assisted
in getting up the great world for the evening.
Another class still of readers, we may be GER
tain, was deeply interested in getting such a
catalogue of iona .fde names of persons of sub
stance and consideration" viz: the venders
of patent medicines, secret remedies of all
sorts, lottery tickets, gift enterprises, ETC., etc.
These, doubtless, all set to work forthwith, and
sent circulars to every one of the twenty-five
hundred illustrious visitors-a penalty great
ness is thus compelled to pay, tax, as it were,
on rank. "NoblcSse obiye" Ito read patent
medicine circulars