St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1877-02-09
Our New York Letter.

DEMAND FOR A CARNIvAL-THE ROMAN
FESTIVAL WILD RACE-$3,5 500 FOR
BROOKLYN CORONERs-A S25, 900 LES
sON-MERCHANTABLE MEMENToEs-
DEATH TO THE DoGs-THE AQUARIUM
IN MOURNING.
NEW YORK, Feb. 5, 1877.
To the Editor of the Caledonian:
The rather meagre list of holidays set
down in the New York calendar bids
fair to receive an important addition
this year. A number of gentlemen who
have witnessed or participated in the
Carnival celebrations of Europe, and of
New Orleans in this country, are max
ing decided effort, and with every
prospect of success, to introduce the
festival, as observed in the latter CITY,
into New York. Everybody has heard
more or less of the famous doings in
which many nations take their '.fare-
well to the flesh" (which is the meaning
of carniUaD just before the forty days
of Lent, which are Supposed at least to
be passed in sack-cloth and ashes. Es-
pecially in the Italian cities is this the
greatest holiday season of the year, ex-
tending through whole week. 1t has
been my good fortune to take part in
the Roman Carnival, and | can assure
you that it is what we call in the Amer
lean language "a high old time" No
business is done excepting in costumes,
masks, candles, confetti, bon-bons and
the other auxiliaries of the season, and
the streets are crowded day and night
with carriage loads of masked beauties,
and the pedestrian throng of fools,
knights, satyrs, skeletons, and what
ever other shapes it pleases humanity
to assume for the time being. The
windows and balconies of the main
streets are gayly draped, and as densely
packed with maskers as the roadway
below, while those above and those be-
meath pelt and shout at each other with
tireless good humor. Throwing con-
fetti still continues to be the favorite
amusement of the multitudes as of old,
but in late years economy has detracted
from the pleasure of this recreation by
substituting for the sugar plums or con-
teth proper, base imitation consisting
of little balls of clay about as large as
peas, whitened by rolling in lime.
Among the most interesting features
of the Roman carnival, which, however.
| should not care to see introduced here.
is the reckless horse race with which it
closes. Late in the afternoon of the
last day, when the excitement begins to
flag through the sheer WEAKNESS of the
participants, the centre of COrsO, the |
broad street some two miles long which |
is the principal theatre of carnival fes-
Invites, is cleared by the tremendous
exertiOns of the police and military,
and the motley mass of jewellers are |
packed along the sidewalks. Then. |
when all is in readiness, a signal is
given, and half a dozen wild horses are |
lOOsed at one end of the street, and start
like arrows down the open roadway.
Along their TANKS are loosely fastened |
little steel barbs with points as keen as
a needles, which prick the startled an
imals at every leap. Urged on by the
triple goad of pain, fear and excitement,
their speed soon becomes absolutely
terrific. On they rush through the
double row of spectators, who yell and
gesticulate as they pass, and close in
behind them like the water in the wake
of a swift vessel. Faster and faster t1y
the straining steeds, wilder and wilder
grow the cries of the surging crowd, till
at the end the poor beasts, foaming,
painting, trembling and utterly crazed
with fright, run blindly against an i'm
mense padded rug hung across the street