minutes. Convenience teaches that the best manner of enjoying society at dinner, is to leave every thing to servants that servants can do; so that you may have no farther trouble than to accept of the dishes that are offered to you, and to drink, at your own time, of the wines which are handed round. An English dinner, on the contrary, seems to presume beforehand on the silence, dulness, and stupidity of the guests, and to have provided little interruptions, like jerks which the chaplain gives to the archbishop, to prevent his going to sleep during sermon. Some time after dinner comes the time of going to a ball, or a rout; but this is sooner said than done; it often requires as much time to go from St. James'ssquare to Cleveland-row as to go from London to Hounslow. It would require volumes to describe the disappointment which occurs on arriving in the brilliant mob of a ball-room. Sometimes, as it has been before said, a friend is seen squeezed like yourself at another end of the room, without a possibility of your communicating except by signs; and as the whole arrangement of the society is regulated by mechanical pressure, you may happen to be pushed against those to whom you do not wish to speak, whether bores, slight acquaintances, or determined enemies. Confined by the crowd, and stifled by the heat, and dazzled by the light, all powers of intellect are lost; wit loses its point, and sagacity its observation; indeed the limbs are so crushed, and the tongue so parched, that, except particularly well-dressed ladies, all are in the case of the traveller, Dr. Clarke, when he says in the plains of Syria, that some might blame him for not making moral reflections on the state of the country; but that he must own the heat quite deprived him of all power of thought. Hence it is, that the conversation you hear around you is generally nothing more than "Have you been here long?"-" Have you been at Mrs. Hatroom's?""Are you going to lady Deathsqueeze's?" Hence, too, madam de Staël said, very justly, to an Englishman, "Dans vos routs le corps fait plus de frais que l'esprit." But even if there are persons of a constitution robust enough to talk, yet they do not dare to do so, as twenty heads are forced into the compass of one square foot; and even when, to your great delight, you see individuals to whom you have much to say, and, by fair means or foul, elbows and toes, knees and shoulders, have got near them, they often dismiss you with shaking you by the hand, and saying, "My dear Mr. —, how do you do?" and then continue in conversation with a person whose ear is three inches nearer. At one o'clock, however, the crowd diminishes; and if you are not tired by the five or six hours playing at company which you have already had, you may be very comfortable for the rest of the evening. Anonymous. A PROMENADE ON THE PRADO AT MADRID. THE clock has already struck four,-the siesta is now finished; let us therefore hasten to the Puerta de los Recoletos, where the beautiful Prado lies before us, extended a quarter of a mile. Even beneath the shade of these aged elms and chestnut trees, we yet feel the heat of the sun ;—we are, besides, somewhat too early for the company, and may therefore as well wander down the promenade at our leisure, and then intermix among the walkers, and make our observations upon the various characters we behold. Here and there we may perceive some indolent fellows lying upon their faces, and stretched out upon and beneath the stone benches. Now and then a regidor (police officer) wakes some of the slumberers by the touch of his cane, in order to remove them from the seats which are destined for the beau-monde of Madrid. About this time the watercarts begin to appear in the walks, and sprinkle the sandy ground, to prevent the dust from incommoding the passengers, and enveloping them in a rising cloud. - The farther we advance beyond the Franciscan Convent, the wider do the walks become,-while a stream. of water in the vicinity imparts a cooling freshness to the air. In the centre of a noble basin stands a figure of Cybele, drawn by a yoke of lions, from whose manes falls the light spray of water that glitters in the rays of the sun. The majestic avenue expands itself, as we approach the Alcala gate, to five rows of trees :--here too we find both a multitude of stone seats, and several hundred light straw chairs with backs, which are arranged in rows, for the gratuitous accommodation of the visitors of this place of resort. Opposite to the street of Alcala is situated the old royal palace of Buen Retiro, which, although it is far from striking either through its architecture or situation, is nevertheless exceedingly imposing, in consequence of its monstrous extent. On the left hand we meet with another basin, in which stands a majestic Neptune with his elevated trident, drawn by dolphins, who emit torrents of water from their nostrils. In this part of the promenade the various streams of passengers unite so as to form a crowd; and here too is indisputably the finest situation of any upon the whole extent of the Prado. The botanic-garden fills the air with the most delicious perfumes, while through its palisades are seen, in all their luxuriance, the rarest exotic plants refreshing the sight with their beauty. Further on, a fountain, decorated with statues of the Seasons, cools the atmosphere by a fine drizzling shower, on which the beams of the sun cast all the hues of the rainbow. Besides the three fountains we have mentioned, there are two others to be found in the course of our walk. One is astonished at meeting with such fresh trees and luxuriant foliage upon a soil so little favourable to vegetation as the dry sand on which Madrid is situated;-yet when we notice the artificial hollows scooped out around every tree and supplied with water from the fountains, the enigma is at once solved,—since we perceive, that it is to those we are indebted for the cooling freshness of the atmosphere. When we have passed the street of St. Jerome, the walk begins to contract: before us stands the beautiful Atocha Gate ;—on one side the convent of our Lady with its noble garden of olives; and then the enraptured eye roves over the Pasco de las Delicias, and its intersecting walks, as far as the flowery banks of the purling Manzanares. Yet we must not tarry here too long, admiring the natural charms that present themselves to our view. It is time to hasten in search of character; and for this purpose let us mingle among the groups that are to be found before the duke of Alba's palace; in front of the venerable Retiro; or between the St. Jerome and Alcala streets. The benches and chairs are now all occupied. Throngs, composed of persons of every description, roll, like the billows of the ocean, towards the shade beneath the elm trees. Uniforms of all varieties are seen intermingled amongst grave merchants and tradesmen, who come here for the purpose of indulging in conversation, in which they are interrupted by the buzz proceeding from swarms of professed and privileged idlers. In one place we may perceive a couple of monks wrapped up in their dusky garments, and seated in silence upon a stone bench,-the other end of which is occupied by two fashionables, who are discussing the last bull-fight, and who interlard their discourse with many a caras. Elderly citizens are seen with their mantles thrown across the left shoulder, in spite of the intense heat of the sun; while the younger ones pass by us in spensers. And now for our glasses to examine the ladies. There goes a charming young creature, modestly pacing down the walk, wrapped up in an elegant veil, and attended by an elderly duenna. Further on, two nymphs of less reserved appearance trip along with large bunches of flowers in their hands, which they wantonly whirl around. Groups of well dressed women have arranged themselves in semicircles upon the chairs, behind which the gentlemen are stationed. It is in this rich parterre that we meet with the most beautiful flowers which this metropolis can produce; while, here and there, we may observe among them a fair Andalusian, more charming still. A stolen glance, cast from beneath a half-lifted veil, addresses itself in the language of the heart to a youth, who, buried in amorous reverie, is leaning in the adjacent walk with his back against one of the elms. The Argus eyes of the watchful matron relax their vigilance, for she is now engaged in deep discourse with her neighbour upon some most interesting topics-the subjects discussed in this conversazione al fresco being to the full as important as those which occupy the fair votaries of a northern tea-table. The men, in the mean time, whether arrayed in the ecclesiastical or laycostume, examine this gay flower-bed with the penetrating look of connoisseurs; for it is here that coquetry (although, by the by, the Spanish language, in other respects so rich, has no distinctive term for this noble science) exerts all its arts;-vanity all its manœuvres. Here a captivating little foot and ankle just discover themselves by chance ;-there the mantilla,-formed of a long piece of fine muslin, that is thrown over the head, crosses the bosom, and then falls down on each side, displays its magic powers, and achieves those wonders which used formerly to be produced by the once favoured but now banished fan. When exercised by one who is a mistress of the art, the mantilla is sure to arrest the attention of all the passengers from beneath its half-expanded veil, propitious glances are thrown at the favoured lover;-contracted in closer folds, it envelopes its wearer in a mysterious obscurity that cannot be pierced-it betrays a blush in a most advantageous manner,-yet, at the same time, serves to conceal an embarrassing confusion, while the fair hands of the owner are busied in adjusting the folds. In the midst of this multitude employed in gallantry, or some one of the pursuits of pleasure, are many who are intent only on gain. Itinerant sellers of articles of luxury raise their cries, some being melodious, and others harsh, which thus form a chaos of sounds. Me |
