Morning journal and courier., 1880-08-05

How Sundry British Bachelors Made the
 Great Hit of Stupid SeAscn-Supper
 Without Struggle, Moonlight With
 out Cloud, GOndolas a Miniature
 Luke and Carriages That Came When
 Called.
 (London Correspondence of the New York World
 LONDON, July 24-One of the most sue cessful entertainments given in London for many years past was the Bachelors Ball" held the night before last in the splendid mansion built by ''Baron Grant, for himself but now to be let to Mir. James Keene or any other American millionaire who wishes to come over and cut dash in London. The idea of the ball WAS not, of course, new one, but it was carried out in 8 more bril- liant manner than anything of the kind ever held before in London. The ball recently given by the ''Blues'' (Horse Guards) in their new barracks overlooking Hyde Park was completely cast into the shade. It will never be heard of again. Some one with genius for organization must have been on the com mittee The house itself is very easily deco rated by skillful hands, but the ingenuity and trouble-to say nothing of the enormous ex- pense-brought to bear upon it last Thurs day would have turned stable into a palace of beauty. On the gardens alone thousands of pounds have been spent, for nearly all the flowers which bloomed in terraces and walks were brought from 'nurseries' at distance. Between thirty and forty thousand colored lamps and lanterns were used in the grounds, and the lake was made to resemble a scene in an Arabian tale. To crown all. the night was superb-the moon at it's full, the sky without a cloud. This in itself must almost be regarded unusual incident for there has really been no summer in London-noth- ing that you or your readers would call sum- mer. Thunder storms and rains have been almost incessant. It would be great mis- take however, to suppose that London wealth hac lad al Tn ort of Sussex, where spend good deal of my time there has scarcely been any rain since April last, and not single thunderstorm, al though once we heard thunder at distance The sun has shone out brightly nearly every
 day, and in all respects the weather has been simply perfect London has now climate of it's own, winter and summer, and it is the worst in the world.
 The bachelors who gave this. ball are, of course, all extremely well known in the socie- ty of the day. Among them was the young Duke of Portland, the lucky heir of the Ben tincks and the possessor of fortune which goes far beyond even ''the dreams of ava rice" In these days large fortune soon melts away under the combined influences of ] the turf and the gambling club. Horse rac- l ing especially as understood and conducted | by some noble lords, will in course of time l send almost any man to the Jews, but it is | deemed the proper thing now to combine it
 
 Jews cannot keep man upon his legs. The Duke of Portland is, however, too apprecia- tive of the advantages which have suddenly fallen to his lot to fling them away, and it is to be hoped that the examples which are pre- scented by his friends right and left of him will not be lost on his understanding. If he wants to see what racing and card-p playing bring men to he has only to look round the set to which he belongs
 Among the other bachelors was the Earl of Mayo, whose notion of the rights and duties of friendship and hospitality was illustrated in very striking manner two or three years ago. It is not however, for Bible compar- ison about a clause in the tenth command ment that a man is to be condemned or thought any the worse of in the present day, especially by the ladies. Two Rothschilds were also on the list, one of them having unluckily failed not long ago to get admitted into the Turf Club, owing, it is said, to the amiable exertions of particular friend of the family" But that is nothing against him-the Rotchsehild I mean, not the treacherous friend for a man who puts his name up at any crack club nowadays has to run the gauntlet in a way which must try the best of tempers-and regulations. Augustus Lumley and ''Jimmy Lowther'' were among the Bachelors, as a matter of course, and there also the new lord-''Rowton, :" to wit, the ever faithful secretary of Lord Bea- consfeld. People do not laugh so much as they did at the secretary made into peer At first it was thought capital ioke but Mr. Montagu Corrys family and ancestry wereSat least as good as those of two-thirds of his brother peers Perhaps a malicious man might easily show that it was a great deal better but we will not go into that subject at the present moment. Sufficient is it to know that the combined efforts of the Bachelors produced what will be remembered as the great success of a dull and somewhat stupid season Every one of them was overwhelmed with requests for invitations. When such an affair as this is coming off great is the anxiety of all the people on the borders of the fashionable world to be numbered amonp the elect. And these borders have been so materially widened during the past four years that it is almost difficult to say where they come to an end. They glide impercep- tibly into regions once thought far beyond the ken of princes and lords of high degree. Even in the list of persons invited to meet the Queen at the Prince of Wales garden party there were names which certainly would not have passed under very rigid revision, no matter on what recognized principle it had
 been based. The doubtful" are precisely those who are most eager to be invited on these unusual occasions. It is hard if they do not happen to be on friendly terms with some persons of influence in the manage ment, and as a rule they have had to press their request in the particular way which it is most difficult to refuse. How can man tell his fair friend that her character is not quite spotless enough to pass the scrutiny of 8 committee of invitation. Moreover, where is the line to be drawn Some people would rule out the professional beauties of the day especially one of them, whose husband has at last found the honors of his position lit
 tie too much for him, and left his wife to en-
 joy her celebrity and distinguished friend ships alone. But the P B. $ Gas they are now
 called) might turn the tables by asking some ugly questions concerning their critics, es-