Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1876-04-06
The Late Court Ball.

Tn the capital city OF the State of Virginia
there has been lately Witnessed celebration
which suffices to show that, even upon the eve
If the model Republics hundreth birthday.
the boast of heraIdry' still warns the bnsoms
of many so.caled Republicans, 10 whose veins
A,v the blood of ancestors descended from 40
sr;stocratic English stock. The 22d of Feb
ruary is, as every American koows, the ami
yersary of Washingtons birthday "a day which
has long been held in scarcely less honor
throughout the length and breadth ofthe Uolon
than the immortal FAurth OF July itself The
"Ceutennlal," which is shortly to be commem
Grated at Philadelphia, has set our Trans At
lan,ic cousins hiuking about the events oil one
hundred years ago, with view to reproduce
ATTEMPTED limitations of the scenes enacted dur
ing the fiery and excited times which preceded
the American Revolution, and the Declaration
of Independence to which II gave birth. Thus
| New Eugland, acting through It's principal city,
Boston, has opened the ball by celebrating the
skirmish at Lexington, 10 which was shed the
first blood that Was split 10 the War oil ReVolu-
ton, and BIZ pouring foods OF oratory upon the
battle of Bunker's Hill, which has been SO many
times toasted at Trans Atlantic dinners as "a
defeat which taught US our streogth. Fired
with cumulative jealousy, Richmond, the metro
nolis of the 20 d Dominion. +" has not been slow
70 remember tuat, century ago, Virginia join
ed hands with Massachusetts 10 raising the
standard of rebelliou, and that while Samuel
Adams and John Hancock were specially ex
cepted by name from the Amnesty Ac's OF
: stubborn old George the Third, the Declaration
of Independence was drafted by Thomas etfer
son and the supreme command ofthc Continental
armie, was cou6ded to George Washington.
Richmond, however, also prides herself upon
memories reminding her that Virginia was once
the first born child Of England, and settled by
! Cavaliers who traced their origin from families
that bed for the Royal Martyr at Nascby and
Marston Moor. The anniversary OF Washing
tons birthday Was, therefore selected by the
Fl Vrgnans Tor a crlebra ion, Which is more suS
p,stlve of aristocra'ic loyalty than OF RcpuGl.
can enthusiasm. Upon the twenty sccoud of
last mouth, the surviving members Ut the 'hrst
families of Virginia" took possession OF the
chief theatre u Richmond, which they conver-
) ted into ballroom. They proceeded TO give
what they called "a presentation OF u Vice
Royal Court Bail al Williamsburg, of the time
of Lord Boteinurt, one of the Colonial GJv-
the ball who was not descended 10 direct line
= from family existing when ord Botetourt
, was George the Thirds representative at Will
llamsDurg, and the very clothes and dresses worn
| BY most OF the dancers were drawn forth from
| old chests aod Wardrobes, 10 which they have
been carefully preserved for more than a ecu
e fury Upon thu stage Was 10 he seen the Gov.
9 erpor'. throne, in which Col. Berkeley, lloeally
descended from L I'd Botetourt, took his seat
p, and around him vas grouped host Of fair wo-
men and brave mcu, whose ancestors aud ances-
tresses we're not less loyal to thu EGg!sh Throne
than the inhabitauts Of Yorkshire or Devon
shire are 10 the present reign. Among them
were to be seen the modern representatives OF
tt WashingtoDs, the Spottsw Dods, the Far
f faxes, aud the Pevtous, while he silver gilt
, cup presented BY klng Charles IL TO the colony
of Virginia was displayed 10 pride OF place. As
the knots of we'll trained dancers walked .hrough
the stately mnuct in which George Washing
ton and bis contemporaries took such delight,
it might have been imagined by some day
dreamer that the Declaration oil lndepcodcGcc,
the capitulations OF Saratoga and ! OrktoWn,
ADD the substitution Of Il publican for mon-
, archica institutions, were nothing more than
idle ''coinagcs Of the brau.
) The "Ciuclnatus of tn, West" a. Lord By
ron calls the greatest oil Vlrgiuians. has been
fortunate in his bogra pliers, and all who have
read the Life Of Washington as severally
written by Chief Justice Marshall, Jared
Sparks, and WASHINGTON Irving, canuot fail to
perceive that th. first President of the United
States did oct draw the sword Of rebellion
without, casting many a longing, lingering
look behind" 1t has, indeed, been asserted
by more than one American writer that ii Lord
Botetourt's life had been spared the Ioyaiists
| ~ Virroio ou,rld nnunr hava lost tho invalua
, BILE support and countcnauce Of him who was
their nalura leader and chief. The relations
of Intimate friendship and mutual esteem
which subsisted between Lord Botetourt and
George Washington reuder it probable that
the rebellion would not have made such way 10
Virginia as it did when the beloved and popu-
lar Governor who preceded Lord Dunmore
had ceaseu to exist There We're many ties 10
bind the Odd Dominion" to the mother land;
and even to this day the English traveller who
visits some Of the old country houses scattered
along the James river will ind that they are
built OF bricks ADD wainscotcd With oak origin
ally brought from Great Britain. 1t was the
habit OF Washington and of his brother plant.
ers to send their tobacco crops twice year
from Virginia 10 England and to cyu>lgn them
to their agents 10 Bristol or LondoD. lu ex-
change they received thence everything, with
| Tue c4CCplIOu Vi IUUu, that was uctCssdlS Iol
: their daily lives. Ploughs, harrows, and farm
, Jog implements Of every kind were transmitted
to Colonel Washlngton-tor such was then his
title-by bis Bristol agent and letters are still
in existence which contain lists o.! clothing aud
| articles of female apparel enumerated 10 his
own handwriting by the lIlustrous Virginian
as being wanted by himself, his wife, end the
two children she bore 10 her FIRST husband. 1t
is beyond doubt that mapy OF the brocadcd
gowns and laced coats with ruff cuffs which
figured at tie tal of last month 10 Richuond
were made IL England for loyaliss who little
thought that the proud old State 10 which they
we're boro would ever take up arms against
the throne of Great Britain. 10 the early years
Of the eighteenth century, every Virgioian Of
substance aud standing loved 10 boast that
when the English Monarchy was degraded by
Cromwell into Comm 10 wealth, the anciebt
colony which took its uame from thu Virgin
@ ,.eo offered an asylum to the exilcd son Of