Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1873-08-08

Past writes l have lrlenu-tnOuSu w
not boast of him-who is simonpure London
m,n Of fashion He is the second son OF
lord and has an income eff five thousand pounds
a year Of course he is not 80 ungentlemanly
AS TO engage in any occupation. fear the old
Baron, his father, would make short work OF
hi, five thousand if he dared to hint a purpose
of f"roipg into trade" And what does he do {?
He seems to be the most enviable of men, tor
never saw mortal more perfectly content with
everybody, himself included As his dal y
career is the type of high London society in
general, will sketch it Tor you. lu his per-
sou he represents more perfectly and exhaus-
lively than any one know, the spirit of arlsto-
cratic London in the season. He rises in his
room at the Albany at halt-past S, and
breakfasts at the Junior Carleton, close
by; skins the Times, and chats with his
boon companions till 10 o'clock. Promptly
at that hour his groom appears with the
<cekest of chestnuts which he mounts and
makes for Rotten Row. There he hrts. hears
,hs latest gossip, books wager for the Derby,
aud takes an hours brisk canter. From the
Park he goes to lunch-not to the Junior Carle-
,op but to some West End house; likely enough
he drops 10 to lunch with Lady Blanche, and
then goes to lunch second time with Lady
As,elia--that is, lounges at lunch time into
perhaps a halfdozen houses, where he nibbles
at the delicacics and enjoys refreshing chat
The afternoon is full Of engagements; it's fete
campctre at Richmond or Putney, match OF
cricket at Lords, race on the Thames, q royal
break last party in the gardens OF BucklDgh ham
palace, or Windsor, crack game Of billiards at
the club, meet Of the hounds in Middlesex,
drive into Kent or Surrey, an hour at the Ex
hihitiou, pleasant little party to the Acade-
oI,;t In
the evening his brain is in a perfect muddle
what among so many things to do. There is
Patti as Desdemona at CoveDt Garden,
there is Dumas ''Diane de Lys' at the
Princess, and the Wandering Jew at the
AlcIphi But Lady Tompkins is going to have
an at home, and the Countess of Cranberry's
ball must not be neglected; there is musical
>oirce at Sir Titus Tite's, and the masque at
lanbury house; Cremorne, with It's lanterns
aud song and free and easy frolic, is tempting,
and not less so Tom Hokins' bachelor punch.
So our man Of fashion, whom practice has
made >ubtly perfect, dresses himself ingenious
ly with view to variety of projects. He drops
Tor while into his box at Covent Garden and
makes tour Of the boxes of bis acquaintances.
Here he sees no more than any plebeian can
Scc Tor hafcrown; who, from his berch In the
amphltheater, may gaze down upon the most
dazzling array Of dress, jewels, fashion and
rank in Europe Covent Garden on night In
the md-season is wonderful; everybody is as
rc>plendent as he or she can devise; everybody
enjoys himself; and the theatre is saloon as
well as a theatre; where society goes to make
its"fheard and seen as well as to listen and be-
hold.
What brilliant, noisy, gathering London it
is, one of those limpid June nights There IS
something infectious iu the gay sounds and sight
v which the stately quarters west OF the parks
are full. Every other house is alight from top
10 bottom: the roll of equ pages is ceaseess;
the burly ,curly-wigged, scarlet coated cockaded
coachmeu are everywhere; the escutcheous tn
the coach doors glitter in the gaslight lit e
covered ways from the doors Of lofty. MANSIONS
to the curbstones, with carpets laid beneath,
obstruct your way at every other step; and as
YOU pass cloud-like forms pop outot the car
iages, whisk by in twiukling, and hurry
along in over the pathway; and so quickly, how.
ever, but that you are dazzled by glitter OF
Jewels aud simmer of silk. Within there is
the subdued hubbub Of conversation, or, per
haps, the rumble of waltz; all around about
Is hustle and rafting; and sou ask yourself If
these are really the melancholy folk which the
bithe old Freuch chronicler of the fourteenth
CENTURY so lugubriousy describes. My fashion
aoIe !rend who seldom goes to bed, IN the
Iasou, until he has made his appearance 10
Aaii dozen West End drawing rooms, clearly
eNl"yS II all, and comes out next morning as
yAy an Englishman cau-as fresh and red
GIcrkcd as if be had just come off Devonshire
arm