Year: 1871

The upper-tendom of New York society has
not had so delicious an occasion of expanding
its beautiful butterfly wings as 1t had at the
Academy last night since the Prince OF Wales
tripped the light fantastic in its honor.
Princes are very rare and precious in this
country and among even our first society
prince is a prize, though he may
have no throne or reignng family to
set off his bright prospective. The Princes
Albert and Arthur of Great Britain were
highly valued as society blossoms on
their visits here, although the dazzling mag
niicence of their reigning house was inefface-
ably stained by the sooty trade marks OF an
on-marching republicanism, which had long
ago commenced stripping all there was OF
tinsel aud grandeur from these make-belleve
princes. But when true Prince of Russia,
o son of the despotc Czar-one of the real
genuine monarchs before whom subjects pros
trate themselves-when such a Prince as this
comes among our society people what enter
tainment too gorgeous can we get up for him?
He is none of your republican princes, hedged
in and hampered by constitutions or councils.
He is genuine prince of the fairy tale kind,
beautiful as Amabel, brave as Richard, gen.
erous as the good King Arthur, and with that
unlimited power and perfectly irresponsible
rule Of action which only princes in fairy
tales or princes in Russia possess. He Is
prince not only in family, in rank, in the
greatness of his suite and in his decorations
as any royal born scion might be, but he is
also prince in stature, kingly young fel-
low among his fellow men-a combination and
| q form, indeed, which have been exceedingly
rare in our experience of princes. With this
| unusual combination of good qualities
blended in the prince it is not to be
wondered at that our society people have
stretched every point to make the grand ball
| to the Grand Duke such an affair as Cnde-
| rella's ball could not have equalled and let
| us pardon the ladies, too, if they have enter
tanned a vague, feeting notion that they
might lose just such magical slipper there,
and have just such matchmaking adventure
| as the little ash girl had in the famous fairy
story.


The magnifcence Of the ball is more fully
described in our columns elsewhere than we
need to describe it here. 1t was grand
display Of jewelry and diamonds, stately
movement Of handsome necks and shoulders,
a charming jumble of handsome faces, bright
eyes and pearly teeth. Rich silks and satins
rustled in the promenade, while gorgeous
diplomatic costumes and army and navy uni
forms moved in grand state alongside. Trains
that had cost modistes tears of agony to CON-
plete in time were recklessly flung by their
fair owners during the dance under the rend-
ing heels of uniformed cavaliers. Diamonds
that had never sparkled in company before
that might indeed, have been dug out of
Goconda especially for this occasion-were
torn ruthlessly from their places among the
costly laces in the whlrl of the waltz. Among
those untitled citizens who have no claim to
gold lace or bullion the tailor's art in the per-
fection of full dress had been driven to its ut
most, while gold, silver, medals, stars, deco
rations and swords were as thick as leaves in
Vallambrosa.


The young Prince moved about, observed
and admired, not by fair eyes alone, but by
manly ones, too. He opened the ball with
Mrs. Governor HcffmaD-a piece Of good taste,
and, possibly, of winning diplomacy for which
this sensible young Russian deserves ad-
dtional commendation. In the midst of all
the gayety which encounters him, as duti-
full son he has not forgotten the injunctions of
his father, the Czar, relative to the mission
which the HERALD recently made public, and
while pleasing himself personally in the choice
of so fair partner he made neat diplo-
matte point by recognizing in his choice the
supremacy of the State, which we hold greater
than Gear or Kaiser. Especially is this true
in view of the fact that no city government
was there officially represented-that the great
magnates of the municipality who toasted
Albert of Wales and Tommy Of Japan in
years gone by were conspicuously alb
sent-another happy result of the late
crushing war upon Tammany, and that
Governor Hoffman and his lady were alone
present to represent the executive branch
of our State government. With the early
Prince departed, and every lovely belle who
had been preparing months before for the
occasion RETIRED hopeful even after the bril-
liant scene had disappeared like dream that
her own little glass slipper might even yet be
in the possession of the Prince, and that the
crier would soon come, calling for her to try
it on.


NEWS FROM CHINA AND JAPAN. by tele-
graph from San Francisco we have news
report from China and Japan, dated at Hong