The New York herald., 1870-02-21

ITdut hlHittb huu iOOks PLEASANTLY enough.
Il has been nearly an hour since you Left the
dressing room, and you begin to desire shetering
place. where you can nave space to identity yourself
and look ABOUT. The Green Room adjoining and tho
East Room further on, the grand saiop are but .
sea Of heads Yoa may be fortunate enough to get
into an out or the way corner where you the
presentations and hear the music OF the orchestra
which ls an agreeable remove
Wnat an agreeable thing 1t would be TO have the
external man keep pace with Official or social pro-
motion. OF course everybody has heard, over and |
over again, that General Grant Ia ''ycry ordinary
looking mar-looks very ike his pictures &c. But
whatever your preudices may have been, they do
not bias your Impressions OF the small sauarey
gloves who has been standing like martyr Tor two
mortal hours shaking hands with hundreds OF people
with many OF whom u 10 impossible for him to nave
any Individual sympathy whatever The condensed
cast-iron expression OF his face grows more stold
and unrelenting as the moments wane. The fight 1t
out this line system characterizes his manner Ia
receiving. There is no Indication OF genuine enoy-
nent on his part Personal acquaintance linger for
brief conversation. The last visitor Is finally In
uoduced, presentation IL over, and the President
breathes more freely After little the crowd Is less
dense by the departure OF visitors and with his
0angnter Nellie. healthy, Rlrlish looking little
laaid Of twelve or fourteen years. in blue SILK with
Q high-necked, long-slceved overdress or elab0r-
cted SWISS NJ ana ner bonnie brown hslr crsped and
moving, the PRESIDENT makes q promenade through
the parors, whlch 10 now more iully induged In by
Ladies' In well gotten up toilets are partial 10
the promenade Leland why shouldn't they bei Isn't
1t quite natural for people to desire an appreciation
OF what they devote most OF their time and energies
costumes and devote their time to perfecting
their toilets one must have no tenderness at oil TO
pass tne .'sdx worm 6y and not make actual demon
Mrs. Grant ls supposed to wear this season only
some one~of her Partisan dresses be II silk, satin
or velvet. = ! I'll
For the most part gentlemen are in full dress, but
with the exception OF differently tinted gloves they
dress distinguishes them. There Is always sprink-
ling from tho army and navy, and the officers are
good enough TO attend In uniform they not only
themselves to be distinguished but give indi.
viduallty to the assembly. Admiral GodsbOr0uGn,
stanch and rotund, makes ample room for follow,
two-storied head towers well above the average
or those ABOUT him, while he looks to
Of men would Enthusiastically n1'1 follow lie on on
march from any where to the sea. I'm sure women
never Iss ns woad ano never w ever e do don
might pardon his daughter, however, who IL at once
az distinguished and refined In her manners as the
General u abrupt and snarp sometimes. She has q
fair, intellectual face cold rather than intense or
eager, and grace and high mindedness or address
that wins admiration when mere prettiness utterly
falls. Her dress Is some colored six under one Of
SwiHS ana valenclenneS lace. Her hair, light brown
IS very plainly dressed; no curs, nor frlzzes. nor
puns. white caInelia low At tile side OF the CHG
NON Is the only noticeable ornament. Az she Is SAID
to wear ner nalr uniformly plan, 1t might almost
pe SAFE criterion TO follow Tor strangers 10 identity
her at receptions.
For ladies' evening dresses, black, 80 much worn
last season. is but little worn this. silks OF all the
new shades and the 0d grenadines, SWISS and pale
oolored p0plns predominant. Although every lady
wears dress unlike her nelgnDors, degrees Of
dference are 80 naccOrdanCe with and subservlent
to general prevailing style, that lew costumes are
seen which may property be termed striking
matrons and maids seem Far less ,errded az Inc free
exhloltion OF their physical charms than are the
most unsophsticated Of DohOlders. But some mar
veously pretty shoulders pretty all the way around
make you feel grateful TO the owners Tor demon
sratng the fact beyond dispute that physical beauty
TO all the 'Iuss and feathersn wiln their atmosphere
OF pOnteness, not formal 10 stnness, now and then
one appears N ordinary street Dress with CLOAK and
hat IL looks little Out OF place, but quite pardon
able, when one fancies them 10 be strangers at the
Capital who LEFT their party clothes 'tu hum," and
couldn't fail 10 see tne President and the nne
people, and, when home. astonlsh the gaping lis
teners with IN account oi how SOCIAL affairs man
SPEAKER sLANE's RECEPTIONS.
The receptions OF Speaker Blame are far more en-
able, az there are lever people, aud social
which to receive. the parlors below and the rooms
above being ample and well arranged One meets
their wives and daughters, and az Mr. and Mrs
Blaine have the faculty OF imparting their good
feeling aud genuineness of welcome TO their
visitors everything begins happily and progresses
smoothly. Their mode OF receiving Is very in
formal, the visitors introducing themselves
is one OF the handsomest, If. Indeed
NOT the most elegant man IN washington. Mrs
Blaine. q tail, dark-eyed woman. charms ali by the
sweetness and suavlty OF her manner. Hardly
person Is present but is .'Iamousn In real or re-
fected honor imagining for the present success
Beck, OF Kentucky, tall, handsome man. holds a
small court with his handsome daughter whose
laughing generous style of beauty Is neither height
ened nor deprecated In her dress or gray SILK with
blue trimmings. Back OF General sheridan. who
Will persist ia dying his mustache, stands Colonel
Parker, OF Indian renown and wife, no il SAID to
entertain as well as any lady In Washington. The
diplomatic corps contributes some syisn looking
ladies, tall, dlgnIned and rODed III pale coral silks,
1urDeowed to repletlOn with the same. Burdett,
from Missouri, is striking looking man. large ana
hale looking such as cnaracIerlzes 30 many OF the
Western Logan n. Of ho
youngest member Of the House, and yet on the
sunny side of tnrty, Is sort Of magnned sunbeam,
popular with the men and doated OH by the ladies'.
Being ''unencumbered," he belongs by natural
right TO the ''catches' OF the season
TIE DIPLoMATICS.
We are not supposed TO 40 direct from the
Speakers house TO that OF the Russian Legation,
where Madame Catacazy presides, ana from which
splendid !" on their lips. Perhaps vt three on some
Thursday afternoon would be the best time. At all
events friend and went three and found 1t a
good time The dwelling Ike most IN Washington,
Is not remarkable IN any sense, unless you observe
the Russian coat OF arms embossed IN white on the
glass panels OF the door and look hugh enough to
note the liagstafr from the roof carpet spread
from the door down the steps TO the curbsL0ne.
LackeyS in white Kids and silver trays receive your
cards precede You, with your names, to the lady.
and before you are scarcely aware OF your own pre-
sence IN the house OF the kusslan Minister you are
overwhelmed (or would be were IL not for her grace
with the magniticence OF this peerless French wo-
man under the Russian banner. Her robe Ii royal
velvet black and Iusrous, made with u graceful
sweep OF train. An 0penthroated. loose sacK the
same, with flowing sleeves, heavily embroidered in
gold, reveals the lair proportions OF her neck and
arms and the noble contour OF her shoulders. She
Is O'er young yet, but never was more handsome,
perhaps, than W. Her complexion ls fair
ana deicately tinted us the heart Of
sea shell; her hair, GROWING her head with mas
give Draids shot through with dead gold arrow, ID
ike to corOnet through which CupH has shot his
arrow. It's color is like sunbeam lei IN q dark
room. The skeins OF pale yellow i0ssy ELK some
times hung up IN manufacturers cases TO show
people how beautiful silk may be and cause them to
break one OF the ten commandments may Bet Que
to dreaming OF this w0man's HAIR. II would set all
he artists III the studio Building on the gu UtOe to
try their arts III turning pigments into an indescrib
able color. Her features are high bred aud queen
uke--as we fancy our ideal queens TO be---Hhile
her eyes, although not beautiful. do not detract
from her attracuveness. Well what should such
people as came together then find to talk about?
me weather. Yes. You need not laugh st ihat
for unless you are remarkably gifted in lalk you
must fail lngloriously II you attempt 10 slight the
weather. We had graphic DESCRIPTION OF the Rus
sian winters, toidin excellent English nayored WITH
the French accent, and the added effect Of gestures
tnat make foreigners SO entertaining IN conversar
ton.
The rooms were elegantly furnished with moquette
carpeting IN delicate shades and furniture with up
h0stery OF crimson SILK. Then were maid tables
tllat suggested the OdOr ana spices OF the Orient.