Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-07-24
Old Newport Bellies.

there were still many relics OF the CAV
French days. The headquarters of Ro-
chambeau, where the count received and
entertained Washington when he came
to Newport just one hundred years ago,
in 1881, were at the Vernon house. at the
corner of Clark and Mary streets. TWAS
g handsome mansion, and in the DAYS
when the Easy Chair knew it, the win
dow-panes were scratched with the names
of the beaus and bellies, vanished with
Rochambeau, Washington, and De Tier
nay, with Biron, the Viosmenils, De Van
Ban, De Chastellux, De Chabanes, De
Champceretz, and Bozen de TalIeyrand,
the fascinating group Of French gentle
men and heroes, of whom the Charmed
Newport beauties knew only that they
came and went. There is fine glimpse
of Washington in one of the French me-
moirs, as he walked bareheaded, with
Rochambeau at his side, from the wharf
to his headquarters, between the lines of
soldiers Of both armies drawn up three
deep. sIreg arded him." says the French
man, s'wlth the attention which the
sight of great men always inspires We
half expect TO find in their features the
6 3nius which distinguishes them above
their fellows. Washington IS adapted
more than any other man to produce this
impression-tall, noble, well-propor-
toned, with an open, sweet and calm ex-
preston land an entirely modest air, he
impresses and interests French and
Americans, and even his enemies.''
Do the loiterers on cottage piazZas at
Newport to-day know how full of ghosts
is the air around them? Do they smile at
the quaint old bellies and their stately
minuets Of century ago? Would the
lithest Of the lovely figures this evening,
floating on air, exchange the turn with
the Incompatible waltzer for grave bow
from Washington as partner? For he,
too, has danced in Newport. In honor
of his visit the citizens gave a ball at the
Assembly Room in Church street, and he
was requested to open the festivities. In
later days, when the Prince de Joinville,
on his way to st. Helena for the dust of
Napoleon, stopped at New York, and
went to private ball, there was great
futter of curiosity as to the first partner
whom he would select after the hosts
daughter. 1t is singular that the lady
whom he asked became afterward the
wife of a French gentleman, an adherent
of the Duchesse de Berri. Tradition
cherishes the name of Washington's part
ner at the Newport ball. He solicited the
honor of the hand of the beautiful and
accomplished Miss Champlin, with a
high bred, respectful courtesy which the
incompatible waltzer of to- day might
well emulate, and he asked his partner to
name the dance. The lovely Champlin
selected GA Successful Campaign"-a
dance in high favor-and as the hero led
out his partner upon the floor, the French
officers, with graceful gallantry, took the
instruments from the musicians and
played, while Washington and the Cham
plin bowed and stepped and courtesied in
the minuet. She had beautiful. eyes, so
the Prince de Broglie said, a sweet mouth,
perfectly shaped face, fine figure, pref
ty foot, and an air Altogether attractive.
"that is to say" adds the true Partisan,
ga la Francaise;" and she spoke the
princes language.
A quarter of century go, the grand
son of that famous beauty was living in
her fathers house, where Washington
took tea on the evening of the ball. 1t
had been the home of five successive gen.
erations, and on one of the Windows
memorial windows were they all-was
still legible, scratched with diamond,
the name of Betsey Halliburton. The
name of another of the bellies whom the
Frenchman saw is familiar from that of
the famous library founded by Abraham
Redwood. His daughter was exceedingly
beautiful, and tradition declares, without
fear of denial, that sailors, stepping,
ashore from long voyages, lifted their
hats as she passed, gazing as if they had
seen an angel Boys of a generation be-
fore that which the Easy Chair recalls
remembered grave old lady mixing wine
and eggs and sugar in a pan, then step
ping into the paddock where the cow was
grazing, and returning with a foamlng
syllabub 1t was the beautiful Redwood,
the friend of the Champlin and of the
daughters of William Ellery, who signed
the Declaration Of Independence, one of
whom was the mother of Or. Charming
and the grandmother of the wife of
Washington Allston. There were other
beauties whose names survive. The
Misses Hunter were s'rivals in beauty and
reputation of the adorable Champlin,
the elder of whom ''dresses as well, but
not quite so freshly, perhaps" while the
younger, if not of SO lofty an air, ''is a
rose in person"
But the queen of the fairies was a
Quaker Titania All the French men,
oirs glow and palpitate with the charms
of Polly Lawton. "The goddess of grace
and beauty exclaims De Broglie: 81
confess that this seductive Lawton ap-
peared to me the chef-d'euvre of ma
ture" GA nymph rather than wom-
an says De Segur: $50 much beauty, so
much simplicity, so much elegance, and
so much modesty were perhaps never
combined in the same person" The di-
vine Quakeress reproached him for max
ing war, and for obeying the king rather
God "What could / reply to that an
gel9' the captive, doubtless recalling
Madame la Comtesse de Segur; ''for in
truth was tempted to believe that she
was celestial being" The prince and
the count departed, as the duke and the
marquis and all the gay and gallant gen.
tleman of Rochambeau's army had de-
parted two years before, and five years
later came Brissot de Warville, and in
this paradise, from which in the late
summer midnight, as an old fashioned
wanderer fingers upon the beach, he
seems to hear in the pauses of the surf
the faint beat of festal music far away,
and to catch the glimmer of the lovely
faces of ssdear dead women" the French
citoyen saw shideous women, lean child