Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1874-11-17


those WHO have notpaid in advance The time
within which all in arrears can close up the ball
ances due and make M advance payment IS am
ple, and we fatter ourselves that but few names
will be dropped.
ALEXANDRIA, November y.
FAsCINATIoNS OF WOMEN NOT YOUNG
The success OF the performances given lately at
the Theatre Ventadour, for the benefit OF Miss
Virginia D.jazet, may be source OF consoIa-
ton to persons of the gentler sex, who dread
the age when their charms are lessenlng. Al
though the beneficiary is seventy five years of
age, the press and public unanimously acknoWl-
edged her uneQualed talent on that occasion,
when she seemed as fascinating aud graceful as
she was even in the times of the lllustrlous
French sougster, Beranger. But history is
full of the accounts OF the tacinatlons OF women
who were 40 logger young Thus, Helen, OF
Troy was over forty when she perpetrated the
most famous el0pement on record; aud. as the
siege of Troy lasted a decade, she could not
have been very juvenile when The i'll fortunes Of
Paris restored her to her husband, who is re-
rorted to bave received her with uCquestloulng
love and gratitude. Perclcs welded the courte-
san Aspasia when she was thlrty-Slx, aud yet
she afterward, Tor thirty years or more, welded
an undiminished reputation tor beauty. Cleopa-
ira was past thirty when Antony fell under her
spell. which never lcssened until her death,
nearly ten years after; aud Liyia was thirty.
three when she Won the heart of Augustus, over
whom she maintained her ascendeocy to the
last. Turning to more modern history where Ii
is possible TO verify dates more accurately, we
have the extraordinary Diane de Poltlers who
was thirty six when Henry Ii (lhen duke Of Or
leans, and Just half her age) became attached to
her: and she was held as the first lady and most
- m Ia
the monarch's DEATH and Of the accession to
power of Catherine of Medics. Aune OF Aus.
iria was thirty eight, when she was described
as the handsomest queen of Europe, and when
Buckingham and Richelieu were her jealous
admirers. Ninon de lEuclos, the most cele-
brated wit and beauty of her day, was the IDOL
of three generations OF the golden youth ol
France, aud she was seveuiy-two when the
Able de Bernis fell in love with her. True it
is that in the case of this lady, rare combl
nation of culture, talents and personal attrac-
fractions endowed their poSsessor seemingly
with the gifts of eternal youth. blanco Cape'
10 was thirty eight when the Grand Duke
Francisco Of Florence fell captive to her charms
aud made her his vile, though ne was nve
wears her Junior Louis XIV welded Mme. de
Nlaiutepon when she was torty-three years OF
aye. Catherine IL of Russia was thlrty-three
when she seized the Empire of Russia and
captivaetd the dashiDg young Geo. Orlott. UP
20 the time of her death lat sixty -seyet) she
seems to have retained the same oeWl'cnlng
powers, for the lameutatlurs were heartfelt
among all those who had ever known her per-
sonaIly. Mile Mars, the celebrated French
trarcdiepne, onlv attained the zenith OF her
beauty and power between forty and torty-hVe;;
at that period the lovelluess OF her hands and
arms especially were celebrated througho out
Europe. The famous Mme. Reeamler was
lhirty-eight when Barras was oustc' from pow
or, aud she was, without dispute, declared 10
be the uost beautiful woman 10 Europe, which
rank She held for fifteen years. Although this
list might be still further extended, our read
ers-those interested especially see from
it that woman Ne ed not lose her attractions
though youth be gone aud, above all, that II
her mind be cultured, her talents real, and her
heart kindly, she wi II retain power OF never
fading fascination.
RECENT AssYRlAN DISCOVERIES We may
see says Fraser's Magazine, numerous black
stones in the British Museum which record the
sale and purchase OF particular lands, and the
most terrible curses are invoked upon the
heads Of those who should iDiure and destroy
these evidences of the ownership of property.
One of them, lately found by Mr.. Smith, tells
ed by the king upon sort of poet laureate on
account of some pauegyrics he had written up
ou the kingdom. Still more plentiful than
these are private contract tablets, often
in an outer coating Of clay, on which
an abstract of the contents of the inner
tablet is stamped Many of them are pierc-
ed with holes, through which strings were
passed attached to leaves OF papyri. The lat
ter have long since perished; but papyruss was
used by the Accadiaus as writing material at
remote date although the more durable clay
tablets were preferred. The mercantile class
seems to have consisted chiefly OF Semltes,
rather than of Accadans; and if We want to
fud the fullest Development OF business and
commerce We must come down to the e'gnth
and seventh centuries B. g., when Niueveh
was busting centre of trade. Tyre had been
discovered by the Assyrian kings, and trade
had transferred itself further to the east. Car
chemish, which was tavorably situated near