, 1876-08-27
Some Recoilections OF the Old
Town in Revolutionary
Times.
The Famous Beauty Of the Last
Century---Polly Lavton.
De Broglie's Delightful Account Of Her
Winning Ways.
What the eNineteenth-C Century Girl Thinks
-..fs No Gush."

, Polly Lawtuuf" is the quesuon L1at Is Fe!t ue-
ouent1y asked now OF the Intelligent visitor
here, Who is supposed to have sentimental in
: tcrest In old Newport # you have not paid q
visit to this celebrated person, lose no time in
1oing So Her home at present and her hope
Ior all future time is on the Avenue, as it should
te The edidce wherein she now holds court is
the most fa1nohs and timc-honorcd Of any in
Newport It was built in 1750, and it is called
Redwood Library from the stately and bencf-
cent Abraham Redwood, whose public spirit
and taste first suggested its existence, and then
contributed largely to its prosperity.
But the old building is much changed
since those old days, and much
changed also from its modern rehabilitation in<r
about 1860. You walk in now, through broad
outer room, into really spacious kas1, high
and light, where the reading tables are, and the
collection Of pictures, and
HERE POLLY LAwros RECEIVES Tou
Us graciously as pictured woman can. must
Owl that I was disappointed in this pictured
scmblance Of the girl who played such havoc
with such experienced gallants as the Prince de
Brog1ic and the Coute de Scgur. This pict-
urcd semblance is handsome enough, but it is
not interesting. ct That Polly Lawtonr'
exclaimed as looked at it.
+'But who Is Polly Lawtona' asks the uncn-
lgh1cned, / won't say the uninte1ligcnt,
stranger. t'Who is this Polly Lawton that you
sentimental people are all making such q row
about just now! Who is Polly Lawton, that her
picture should be sent to the Redwood Library
.t.this late day." And because her picture has
Vi the Lawtan family, and in consequence the
name and fame of Polly Lawton has suddenly
been brought forward as matter Of interest, l
propose to tell what I know OF one
f-A- u1sr 49,
nected with old Newport All of us
history know that Newport's women have al
ways neen celebrated for their beauty, from be-
fore and after the Revolution up to the present
day. But it was just after the Revolution that
poly Lawton's beauty brought her into famous
notice. Tie Duc dc lauzun, and the rest Of the
young French gallants who were of Kochanl-
heau's army, returning from their field OF e1.
lluits to France, carried with them wonderful
']luc de Vauban came back. bringing with him
the. Prince de .Broglie and the Comte- dc
met the Incompatible Lawton the year
t'cfpFe, and, after taking his friends
still better things Tomorrow It is on this
.'to-morrow .' that the Prince meets for the
first time Polly I4awton. The old Quaker,
3'ollt's fat1er, receives these grand gentlemen,
anS 1nfy ase al ehela pa
-NAaAN~A
under the inonosylabic reception of the
father, the daughter appears and apparently
rcpays them for everything. De Broglie breaks
into rhapsody at the remembrance. "Sud-
we beheld the Goddess Of Grace and OF
Beauty, Minerva in person. having exchanged
1'er stcrncr attributes for pastoral cllurms. It
Was the daughter Of the Quaker,-Pol-
+ La~ton: lie spelled the name,
customs OF her sex,' De Brog1e goes on, tsshe
addressed us fahiliarly (,ous 1arle en- ,,o14s tu-
toya'afl. but with simplicity and grace which I
can only compare to that Of her toilet. 1t was 3
kind OF English dress, fitting the figure closely,
and was white as milk, muslin apron Of tie
same color, and large handkerchief gathered
close around her neck Her coiffure, composed
Of = simple little cap Of baptis1e, with round
llaits, ami permitting only balf-inch OF hair
Eoy IL rsstoa Ts Tsoa taf n deshteae fte .St g
Prime that he wound up, with a
hurst Of enthusiasm, II confess that
f7Rs seductiTe Lawton appeared to me |
I reza:. her image ] am tempted to write great |
hook against the tncry, the tactit;ous graces,
and the coquctry of many ladies' whom the
kur}d adnires.''
gets iuto even greater ecstasies than the Prince.
tn the yellow old cllrQpicles he tells about "tbe
Silent, serious old man ~ Of De Broglie's ar-
7'tInt, who very seldom barred his thoughts, and
newer bared his head, and he declares that his
ir*t interview would have been the last, g had I
not seen the door Of the dressiRg-room sud
.enlv opens and 4 being which rescm-
aird nynph rather than a woman en-
Ar the apartment So much beauty. SO
.:ue! simplicity, SO much elegance, and so
II .fll ulotlesty were perhaps never combined in
tllc same person.
IT WAS POLLY LEIGHTON.
Her Gown was white, like herself {dc Broglie
ic1,s it to nilk); while her ample muslin
1..y,1l- ,f,x;n IF
;:p which scarcely allowed 1le to see her light
.laTcd hair, aud the modest attire, in short, of
P:t'us Fir.7n seemed mainly to endeavor to
o1al tile most graceful figure and the most
10 rifrct- as i'll mirror, the neekncss aud Puri-
: IT h1r mind and the goodness of her heart. |
sile re- cirtd us with au open ingenuity which
delighted ME, and the Of the familiar word
lh'u which the rules OF her sect prescribed
:avc. 70 OUT acquaintance the appearance OF all
III friendship
Anu wncu this charmer reproaches this ad-
'7iTer Tor coming to make war, or to join lit
,,ch "!ckedness against the commands Of God, |
5 s4e in her simple faith understands the Bible,
7uld reply to that angel. for in truth was
<11:Dtcd to believe that She w:n a celestial be-
1R'' And then he winds up, with true French
lspess. '' Il is certain that If ! had not been
ytend the liberty Of the Americans, have lost
iy own At the fett Of Polly Leighton!''
ASH stood the other day before the portrait |
u this angel" recalled these
RHal'$oDlEs or THE FRENCHMgx.
was q slender t,yai face I looked st, With !
ruWn eyes, and hair, what could he seen Of it I
the s. lf-i,lch." Ms De Broglie describes, BE-
~ the muslin cap, the color of the eyes. The
,mp1exien was tic - flower o. the peacl," and I
IL lips almost voluptuous in their rcd fullness.
he nose laigh-bridgrd and long,-one OF the
rs.ight handsome noses that are called proud,
II vhic4s, TO me, look hard aud bony. aud in
triably give cold expression to the face. But 7
: TINS picture is copy, and not the
It announcement in the newspapers, ! :
n1av bc that the fresh lines and color, uusoft- r
c.i By time. may give an untrue aspect The | 5
cs, however, ure soft enough, and one can ! :
'agine that the early painter, when brought t
.- 10 face with the denure beauty had not the +
uras.c left after looking into those soft depths
dr1w his sitter out of her diguifed silence
ough t. break the composed line Of those lips. q
Rloglie and De Se@ur. there is no doubt, had "
Is courage. and We can imagine Polly Leigh /
II. under their Influence, might have looked !
Iced like the sociable angel - they found l
r. The dress is PRECISELY rs they describe it. u
le folded kerchief, the little cap Of baptiste,
>cptiug, unfortunately, the dress " as white
oEu tingc- II
ITO THINK OF ALL THAT FUSS | II
ing made over that prim piece Of pink and nj
ser ~ <xsH