, 1876-03-26
EUROPEAN GOSSIP.
Schneider, the Queen.Dowager Of Opera
Bontfe---How English Women
Dress.
4 Concert "by Command ''-..The Cathe-
dral at Upsola, Sweden---Marshal
MacMahon at Versailles.
THE NAPLES CARNIVAL

MacMahon at Versailles.
THE NAPLES CARNIVAL.
Writing from Naples on Feb q, the CORE
spondcnt Of the London Daily Mems ssys :
" Favored by weather exceptionally soft and
sunny. the opening day Of the Carnival festiv-
's1ea vas brilliant SUCCESS. Nothing could ex-
ceed the order, good humor, and festal enjoy
ment OF tho enormous crowd that thronged the
whole length OF the Toledo and tho yass spaco
OF tho Piazza del Piebscite, in front OF
the Royal Palace. The view OF the great street,
IN lts majestic length, clearly visible from
end to end every balcony, and many OF the
roof-tops, crowded with spectators was T. sight
not eoon to be forgotten, and these two Thugs
the aspect OF tho crowd and the street-wero
the two impressions likely to abide longest with
all who witnessed them. The lower balconies
those Of the entresol and the frat Aoor-wcre
several OF them very artisticusly decorated, aud
those balconies were crowded with the beauty
and fashion Of Naples-all eagerly intent ou
what to them waB the great p}eas1re OF the day.
the incessant and inexhaustible discharge Of
corlandoli, (bnEd comfits, thrown at full force
from elegantly scoops at all pas6ers-by.
especially at those who passed in carriages In
order to secure u constant supply OF thls holiday
ammunition most OF the lower balconies wero
provided with long wooden troughs, kept con-
etantly full OF coulfts, 60 that from noon till
dusk there ueed be no pause there WAS no
pause i'll the peltin1 Of the pitiless storm. Soon
the street WAS white and inch-deep undor tha
inceHsant discharge Of the sngary bal; the
crowd from being black became a dusky gray
mass, and the 1lniuga of the carriages looked
as though -four sacks had been emptied
over them. Any rash person who yentured
upon srnart attire, ~ but few did. was tho
object OF peculiar fury, and one poor lady, pro-
vlilclal, who in her innocence appeared in all the
splendor Of new blue satin toilet, was COM
PEELED fairly to leave her vehicle and take ref
uge as best sho could under & carriage entry.
There must be some strange fascination N
whitening ones fellow-creatures with sugar
ulnms. for many OF the fairast occupants OF the
lower balconies continued tho pastme with un-
wonted e1ertion till the bright day had passed
iuto twilight, aud the aim became uncertain il
the dusk. The people, the street, and tue joyous
escape from conyentloualism Of one Of the most
conventional societies in the world we're the really
striking facts OF the festlyity, but the show proper
was not at all bad. The cavalcaae of the Arab
Emir, with its canols and admlrably -got-up
BcdouinR, and its wild march music specially
composed for tho occasion, was exceedingly e[-
fective, and the comft artillery was suspended
- it passed.. IRON very proper desire not to
startle thu horses, who, as it WAS, required very
dexterous handling to get thom safely through
this WIS may be judged of by the fact that
this cavalcado, which started from some dia-
tauce beyond the MuseO at about 1880, did not
reach the open Bpace in front OF tho Royal
Palace till nearly 1:;|0, the distauce covered ba-
lug q li:tlo over 11a miles. After the cayalcado
came the cars, ten IN number, several OF them
very ingenious In device aud tasteful in execu-
ton. THE most admired Of all WAS that OF tho
artists-tho colossal figure Of siren. besutiful
in face AMI form, rising re:ally ont Of tho Saves
aud dragging after her as she advanced. towas-
ing high over the crowd. vast net. which form-
ed the car, laden with shells and cora!s and other
sea spolls, among which. dwarted by her
vast bus. appeare1, in quaint DISCUSSES aud
closely masked, several OF the artist notabilities
Of Naples. 4 lalf-moon OF mother-of-peari,
TILED with mummers in bright azure, silver
spanglod 8 tropical forest glade. its palms high
in the wind. tenanted by apes: huge balloon
rising to the height OF the third stories, with i'll
Vulnerable smaller balloons swinging and surg
ing around it; great galley With lofty poop,
manned by medi9val mariners moving gar
len, With partorres and fountains and statues !;
n raised liable wl:h fair da1nask table-cioth,
bearing double row of ricllv-adorned bon-bon
boxes. out Of each OF which darted up from
time to time maguilcontly decorated yaller ::
these were some Of the most generally applaud
Cd devices. Each OF these cars had its we'll
stored magazine Of coriaudoli, and each WAS
duly provided with its ammunition troughs, and
every merry hummer had his scoop in his
hand. and the battle raged interminably between
cars and balconies, especially at those points
where the street Was par1owest and the locon1o-
tion most ditIcult. Among tue ladies' no one
more eminently distinguished herself in the
mimic fray than tho Countess Miratiore.
Amoug the cavaliers the palm must, perhaps,
be awarded to ton members of the
Je,1nesso Dore, of Naples, who, from tho we'll
stored balcony of the Cafe dc Naples, poured
forth their mimic fire all opponeuts till dusk
came at first to slacken aud finally to stop the
combat. And then came QUE OF tho prett1est
parts OF the days show. Suddenly, from all
the cars and from many Of tue balconies along
the vast length Of the street and in front Of the
Royal Palace, where the King was stationed.
there sprans up high jets Of bright fame. aud
then an all-illunlina.ing vapor Of crimson aud
azare fires; and the cars, as they PASSED slowly
along, moved to music, each having lts band,
a1lu the great show CAME to = triumphant close
amid the glare Of a great illumination and the
enliyening strains OF Ufenbach and Lecocq."
SCHNEIDER.
Grace Greenwood writes from Paris to the
New York Times: One night We all e make
clean breast Of it, went to see and hear Schnei-
der, tue queen dowager OF opera houde, now that
Judic roigns in her stead She condescends to
p!ay in tho Folies Dramatiquas, & little diRgy
theatre. which We found very sparsaly filled with
a motley, but most denonstratlye audience.
Schneider is fair, fat, and 10 something
retaining very little Of the beauty
OF ho- blooming. joyous sudacioua
youth. OF graco OF figure or action little
low remains; sho is uudeniabiy COARSE, but
there is still strange sort of magnetism about
the uoman-in her rich, strong vitality, her
abandon, her abounding, perennial jotiity. sho
radiates strange contagious insouciancs s-some-
thing luxurious. defiant, aud debonnars-whlch
you certainly do not approve Of. morally Or
ostheticaly, but which you can hardly resent or
resist, as you doubtless should. She is still
evidently the idol of certain class OF people
and lower down III the social scale
81 she was once the IDOL Of gay young mobiles
and Princes. It was almost startling TO hear
tue shouts aud the strange ahrill cries Of delight
which burst from the galleries whenever ahe
sang one OF her peculiar songs, IN her rich rol-
licking uav, or which greeted her most auaacious
bits OF acting. Schneider still wears her famous
levels, many of them the gifts OF Princes. In
ouo ecene Of tia Belle Poule sue looked as
though sue had been out in rain OF diamonds
aud .syas dripping with great drops and i've
riyulcts Of light. They seemed out Ut keeping
with that uurofned place OF entertainment:
where free aud easy audience talked and
laughed loud between the acts. aso oranges ana