The Portland daily press., 1882-08-03
London in Season.
[hetter to Chicago Tribune.l


The overshadowing social event in Great
Britain is 'London in the seaSon." Suppose
that the capital of the United States was
changed to New York, and the public build
ings in Washington were transferred to that
city, with all their occupants and contents;
suppose that during the sitting of Congress,
say from February 10 to July !, $4,000 or more
of the weathiest families of the repablic were
to go to New York to live, and that 10000
should take with them their carriages, horses,
and servants, and occupy houses in that city
for three or four months each season; suppose
that several thousand of the richest of these
families owned residences in New York, which
they occupied each year during the season.
while other thousands of rich "provincials''
leased houses, and the remainder of the 1000
swarmed in the hotels and overfowed into re-
spectacle private houses which took in dodgers
and rented furnished apartments to the visitors
by the week or season; and that they all came
to enjoy themselves pretty much regardless OF
the expense. Now, imagine Gotham" filled
up to social suffocation in this way, with
quarter of million of fashionable people male,
and female from all parts of the republic, each
one intent on having "a good time" lndlffer-
ent of COST and that in Central park every fair
afternoon might be seen thousands upon thou
sands of equipages filled with ladies and gentle
men, driven by liveried coachmen and waited
upon by footmen in livery, and other thous-
ands of people on horseback, and all the ave-
nues leading to the park covered with endless
professions of vehicles and equestrians going
or returning. Then think of the horse racing
and yachting, the feasting and dancing. the
dinners and balls, the opera and theatre going,
the lawn tennis parties and polo playing, the
shopping, the crowds at the picture galleries,
museums and other places of display OF art or
natural history. Imagine all these things as
happening in New York every spring for l2O
DAYS, and then you have at least some concep-
ton of what is meant by London in the sea-
ion."
All the families that can afford it and thou
sands that can't, come up to London from the
provinces and the colonies "to spend the seas
on" see and be seen, and enjoy the convlvlal
carnival carried on in this vast Vanity Fair.
The whole British arstocracy and platocracy
are here at this time. All the officers OF the
army aud navy who can obtain "leaves' come
to London in 'the season." The 5000 absen-
tee landlords are all here to spend their rents
and influence the London press, Parliament.
and British opinion against the 100000
wretched tenantry Oh the sister island whom
they rob and pauperiZe
But all the attractions and gorgeous displays,
the grand balls and banquets, racing, and gay
times of London in the season, do not draw
hither the titled or wealthy classes of the con-
tinent. France, rich, gay, and fond of display
sends lew or no representatives,. Inc arlstoc-
racy of Germany are conspicuous by their abb
sence. The mobiles of Russia, so numerous in
the other capitals of Europe, are none of them
here Wealthy Holland and Belgium keep
away No Spanish graudees, no Italians of tt
tie put in an appearance. And yet London is
only nine hours distance from Paris, and less
than days travel from most of the principal
cities of the continent. Then, again, their
seasons are now overall except that OF
Paris. The only foreigners here for pleasure
and sightseeing are their own COUSINS the
Americans, of whom there are several thous-
and in London at present. who are held here
by the destinations of ''the season."