, 1875-07-04
FAR!6lAN 0AYETtES.

season was unAllT lnteTIEu ak al eafty dcuI yes
te1day, to tho sound Of music and laughter. ant
to the light Of roae-colored lamps tnat vainl,
stroye against the morning sun, ina fetg as
brilliant as it WAS original, The cards Of invi.
tation convoked the guests to Mutt Venitienne
and in truth the fete reminded one OF those
scenes with which Victor Hugo delights &c
reyivify the Silent City Of the Sea. The Hote
d'Aquila ia splendidly adapted for such a pur.
pose. The picturesque gables seem to invite the
painting Of their outlines with jets Of light. The
loxangs shaped painting OF the outside walls
comes out with excellent effect under the sub
dued color. and the various saloons aud conscr-
vatories sll Of difTcrant shape, give plenty ot
space for promenaaers and plenty OF nooks for
those who cnltivete solitude deuz. But no.
body remained in thu rooms last night. AL hur-
ried into the garden as soon as each guest had
been announced a hauts COLI, much to the de.
comfture Of many ladies whose disguise was for
ever gone. The strictest control was exercised
at the door; no lady WAS admitted except in
fancy dress or domino. and no gentle
man without At leaat J. Venetian mantle
to disguise the uniformity Of his dtess
clothes. The ladies' in costume concealed thair
features in cloud OF white Or BLACK lace, which
formed as impanetrable disgnlsa as the thick
est mask. The men wera not allowed to hide
their features, but several wcll-known a.tista
wore excellent costumes. The majority. how
ever. contepted themselves with the yenetinn
mantle. Nov this il not a. strictly becoming
garment; indeed, it always seems to me slight
" ridiculous when terminated at one end hy
D chimney pot hat and at the other By
black t:ousers. But the night was 30
warm that most of the men walked about the
grounds with bafe heads, and T must confess
that the mass OF colored mantles moving about
among tho trees lept singular brightness to tho
scene. Myriads OF Venetian lamps Of all Sizes,
but chiefly Of ona rose-oolored hue, were dis
posed about the gardens Taay we're sluns high
across the lake. raectiug thair co1ors in the clear
water. They dropped from the full leaves Like
ripe FRUIT and they nestled at the dark roots Like
elow-worrna, Ths place NAs filed with q gentle
light bright enough to show off the costumes,
but not sufficiently powerful to anablo even An
intimate friend to penetrate the tlinnest dis
guise. There must have been at least 1000 peT-
sons present, and as they wandered about they
filled the place with color that changed as con
stantiy as the effects in Kaleidoscope. No
device was neglected that could enhance the
beauty Of the scene. There were fountains
ranged from green to deep red. from orange to
blue, as though tho water itself we're changed.
Some OF tho costumes Were bingularly rich and
costly, but the palm was borne OF by tue hostcss,
Nine Ratazzi. who, clad IN Cleopatra costume.
was literally ablaze with diamonds. She carried
boy, appropriately dressed. to hold up her train.
! stage was erected at one extremity Of the lake,
aId here tahiaaux viyauts we're exhibited, repre-
senting with considerable disregard OF convan~
tionality copies Of such subjects as 'The
Judgment Of Paris" and t'The Toilet Of
Venus" The dumb actors aud ACTRESSES wore.
OF course, professional and several Of
the latter might serve as models for = sculp-
tor. The effect of the tableaux as reflected in
the;water Was excellent, and etii1 more remark
able VAS tho picture OF the hundred OF costnu-
ed guests Is they sat and stood round the other
sides Of the lake. The other entertainments
were in keeping with the semi-fantastio charao-
ter of the fetc. The duet from Romeo and
juliet waa sung on the balcony OF the house,
and the Mlserere scene from the :" Ttovatore
WAS given from the tower. There was strange,
original charm about the whole affair, and it was
NTH manifest regret that the earliest to leave
perceived the first threatening Of che breathing
dawn. I, for enc, dreaded to ace the havoc that
that daylight would play with the scene, and
hurried of when the stars began to PALE mutter-
ingito myself line from Romeo, >
"AWay, away, tho sport Is It tts height Ia