The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-04-23

Exchanged
The Madrid correspondent of the LondoI
Times gives the following account of the EN-
blema!ic ceremony Of washing the Apostles
feet az recently performed by King Alfonso
| "The religious service attended by the King
which is performed in the chapel, and ia
which the public are freely admitted, was
over at noon, and l went up the Princes
Stalc ase on my way to the Hall of the Col.
umns,' where the ceremony of the day was to
come of. Everything about the Madrid Al.
cazar is grand, If not strictly beautiful; the
commanding site, with the view of the dreary
arrama ridge, the courtyard, with its massive
but clumsy colonnade, the chapel with its
wealth of marbles and frescoed vault; finally
the Salon de las C0!zNlNGs, q spacious vestl-
bule Of magnificent holiness, stately en-
trance to the somewhat too gorgeous suite of
state apartments-everyth is on q large
scale and admirably befttlng great imperial
home. 1t was not without q terrible struggle
that the persons favored with pass and clad,
the Dlen in uniforms or in sober evening
black, the ladies' in the brilliant colors Of
their brand new finery-the black mantilla
along being de yigeur-could force their way
along the corridors and up TO the portals, be-
set with an unwashsd throrg. among whom
pockets.
With good deal of wear and tear, how
ever, brave men and pushing women managed
to get through, and by tho time entered a
compact mass Of silk and velvet, broadcloth
and gold lace crowded the saloon, the specta-
tors, more than eight hundred of whom were
ladies, standing all round, damned upon
benches, row upon row, leaving barely the
most limited space open for the perform
ers. Within this space the twelve pau
pers. or apostles, sat upon a settee, each Of
them with their best foot and leg bare to the
knee, and as well prepared for the occa-
sion as by dint of much soap and water could
be contrived; the King in his grand uniform,
with towel tied around him, apron-wise,
followed by Cardinal Moreno, Archbishop OF
Valladolid, in his scarlet robes and skull cap,
and behind and all around them great staff
OF grandees and marshals, an array Of golden
uniform only distinguishaOle from the no less
sumptuOus liveries Of the court mcnials by
the stars, crosses, corlons and scarfs of their
chivaIrous orders. The Cardinal went first,
and sprinkled few drops of perfumed
water over each of the bare feet in succession,
the King came after, kneeljng before each
foot, rubbing it slightly with bis towel, then
stopping upon it as ii he meant to kiss it.
The ceremony did not take many minutes.
The twelve mon then got up; they were mar
sha!ed in great pomp around the hall, and
seated in row on one side Of the table, with
their faces to the spectators. in the order OBJ
served in Leonardo's grand picture of the
Last Supper.
In the rear Of the table on a high platform,
stood the court. In the middle the Infanta
Isabella, Countess Of Girgenti, heiress pre-
sumptivc to the throne. upon whom, after
long discussion, the title of Princess Of As
turias has been lately conferred, looking tall
and maj stic and even somewhat stern and
naughty from her elevated station, and with
the only grave countenance in that vast as
semblage; she was simply attired in gray silk,
and wore an ample white mantilla- BY her
side, right aud left, and behind her were
ladies Of honor, the Cabinet Ministers and
multitude Of State and palace dignitaries.
On the extreme right stood tho diplomatic
body, the heads and subaltern members of all
foreign legations-the English and believe
the Dutch alone excepted; the European rep
in their uniforms, the American
republicans in plain evening costume