The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1889-05-23

The foreign residents of India live very well.
Calcutta is called the City of Palaces, and the
Government House is an immense structure,
large and fine enough for the home of king.
The Marquis of Lansdowne has now possession
of it, and India is governed by one OF the royal
family. This Marquis, as the Ficeroy, has
brought all the fashionable neoDle Of the coun-
try TO Calcutta, and during the Winter there is
little English court here. There is more style
than IN Paris or London, for servants are so
cheap anu the liyories they wear are so gaudy
that the poorest foreigner has what would be
called at home an aristocratic turnout. l feel
iiKva 2abob myself in Calcutta l take drive
every afternoon, and l can get carriage for
whole day for $1.75 This carriage has two
spanking horses. It's driver has gorgeous red
turban and blue gown, and beside him on the
seat sits my man Dwarry. On the step behind
stands footnan, and the barouehe in which |
recline shines like jet with black varnish. The
roads of Calcutta are excellent, and there is u
park in It's center rs large as eight farms OF 100
acres each. This park is close to the river and it
is the lungs of Calcutta. Towards evening the
road along the strand is filed with fashionable
turnoutS, and now and then you pass Rajah
dressed in cloth OF gold, and with out triders be-
fore and behind him. There are pretty English
girls and good looking foreigners from every
where. There are about 10000 English
residents in Calcutta, and these are among the
richest people Of the East / attended the
great court fancy-dress ball of the season last
night, and 1 got my invitation through one of
the Queens Indian officers. There were only
two American ladies present, and one of these
appeared in the costume Of Martha Washington.
Her dress was that of our Colonial days, and
the ecostume, amid those Of Dowager Dutchesses
and of all the costumes of European nobility
and peasantry was the prettiest to the six
American eyes which were present among the
hundreds of Englishmen. Many of the dresses
were imported for this OCCASION and | am told
it was the finest fancy ball that India has ever
had. l never saw anything like it in America
The hall was perhaps 200 feet long aud 100
feet wide, aud it had promenades at the Sides
separated from the dancing by great, wide
pillars Four or five sets were On the floor at
a time and it seemed as if all the world Was
going mad in the dance. Among the chaTac-
ters | noted con Wet with chains on his ankles
and these clanked as he moved up and down
the floor with Sister of Charity. One maiden
represented the London Times, and ParnelPs
last speech could be read on her hustle.
Another was decked out as a carrier pigeon,
and she had the skins of half dozen gray
pigeons spread out upon her dress. Another
was labeled Dresden China, and third, all in
| white, represented Gaatea. There was Old
Mother Goose with her broom and cooked bat,
/ Normandy maids, and ladies in the dress Of the
middle ages. There was q Chinese mandarin,
Burmese noblenan. and q japanese daimio,
together with all the characters of fiction, from
| Oliver Twist to Sir Richard Lovelace. / was
! surprised at the fine, fresh faces of the Eng
| lish girls, and I asked my Government friend
| how they kept their color under the hot suns
| of India.
"They do it easy enough, replied he. "They
spend nine months of the year in the Hima-
| laya Mountains and only come to Calcutta
during the Winter. Many of them go home
every year, and they never do any work. Cal
cutta and India are for the English the LATEST
| of nIncesv