The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1877-01-20
Our Washing ton Letter.
WASHINGTON. Ian. 1G.

Rotor HuttdHd Globe What a demo.
cratic institution these official receptions
are n foreign courtier familiar with the
fuss and feathers Of European court Ell
quet:e, must be slightly aslonished wher
be learns thai the clerks in the different de.
paTtments, both men and women, may and
sometimes do, 60 from the government
buildings in the dresses in which they have
been working TO the presidential recep.
tons; the employees of government, the
guests OF the executive of half the English
speaking race! A gentleman or lady calls
upon a cabinet officer on some official re-
ception day, leaving a card with the callers
address thereon, and such caller will re-
ceive, in consequence OF such call, an in
vitation by card, to that cabinet ministers
evening reception and yet those gather
lngs will contain much Of the best talent
aud culture in the nation, both native and
foreign.
The reception at the house Of Secretary
Fish, last evening, go far transcended the
best OF a country village in the amount of
talent, learning, beauty and wealth, as to
be a rare treat and yet, 1Vva evLI1pJ ,
everywhere, is wonderfully alike, in char
acter and appointments here was simply
a condensation Of the lest, from all sec
tons Of the country. Here were the first
in position in the courts, in the cabinet,
congress, army, navy and society, with the
addition of the foreign diplomats, all in
citizens dress except q few that looked like
inferior officers and such a wealth Of
dress and. ornaments among the ladies as
must have delighted the lady correspond
ents of newspapers that were present.
Some Kentucky ladies spoke of the advant-
age ladies have over gentlemen at such a
times as while they are talking they are also
Enjoying the spectacle of the magnificent
toile'tes, and especially called attention to
some diamond necklaces near by.
The Peruvian envoy, Frcyrc, has a fig
ure that attracts attention Jolly looking
but short, rotund and ample, after the
style of Mr.. Pickwlck his wife and
daughter have figures of a similar pattern.
The newspapers, speaking of the gym
nastic exercises of the ballet dancing girls,
call it kicking and quote Tallcyrand's re-
mark about dresses, that begin too late and
terminate too soon. 1t seemed in bad taste
that last evening, a very few-some in
high position-wore dresses that began too
late and also terminated too late by about
six feet, for the convenience of the gentle
men.
A Danish gentleman spoke of the west
ward movement of the Gulf stream as af-
fecting our climate; said that one thousand
years ago Iceland produced vegetables and
trees, that cannot grow there now, and as
eigned as the ~undoubted cause of such
change, this movement of Gulf Stream.
A Gentleman from Ohio mentioned Just
receiving a letter stating the thermometer
as at 200 below zero 100 miles south of
Lake Erie. This being mentioned TO Mr..
Fish as remarkable while it is 50 warm
here ; he spoke of the reflection of the
t%hermometical line, while he was in the
senate the thermometer indicating 60
above zero here, while ut New York ii
stood at So below zero he also said he
had tried to raise the holly in the banks Of
the Hudson it would flourish two or
three years and then fail aud that the fig
tree, grass and fruits here, in outdoor cul-
turc, If swathed around the trunk with
straw. Notwithstanding the rain and the
reception last evening at Laughton's, the
T~p0gntipn rnpgnQ pf Mr. Ihob rr,nrn o.orrloI.
a carpet and u canopy, extending to the
outside of the walk protected callers from
the carriage to the door. The house occu-
pied by Dir. Fish is a plain three story
dwelling at 1900 street. Tue
newspapers attribute to him the posses
sion of property valued at 81, 600, 600; 30
invested, however, that IL yields only
800, 900 annual income. He Is a native
of New York city, SO years old, a graduate
of Columbia college, a lawyer, wa gov
ernor of New York lS4S-1s5O, an United
States senator 1S5l-lS57, Travelled and
studied art and literature several years In
Europe, was president of the New York
historical society, has been secretary Of
state since 1869. HIS father, Nicholas Fish,
was an adjutant general in the revolution
airy war. His wife, it is said, is able to
converse with the foreign diplomats in
their native tongues. They both seem in
easy stateliness and animated, vigorous
affability to approachIone's beau ideal; both
have commanding figures.
To-day, Henry Moorhousc, the English
revivalist, of whom Mr.. Moody says he
learned the way to study the Bible, spoke
an hour at the Calvary Baptist church, on
the subject Of studying the Bible. He is
about five and a half feet high, weighs per-
haps 100 pounds, hair dark and short, no
beard, features coarse, utterance lacks dis
! tinctness, sways bis body to and fro, ges-