A LADY'S LETTER FROM LONDON. Feminine Faots, Fancies, Foibles, and Frivolities [BY THE AUCKLAND " STAR LONDON CORRESPONDENT.]

Te Aroha News, Volume II, Issue 59, 19 July 1884, Page 5

A LADY'S LETTER FROM LONDON. Feminine Faots, Fancies, Foibles, and Frivolities [BY THE AUCKLAND " STAR LONDON CORRESPONDENT.]

London, May 23. Dkar Mr Eoitor,— Of all places in the wide world I think London is at the present time the most delightful. Some people pretend to prefer living down in the country at this time of the year, but that is simply because they don't know what's good. Later on in the season, the weather gets too hot and town becomes oppressive, but during the early part of May, when the sun shines brightly, the Parks are a shower of green, our toiletes are fresh and new, and our pleasures as endless as they are multifarious, one does enjoy lite. The other day Tom brought home an old Ohristchurch friend of ours, who has come to Europe to show his eldest hope (a nice lad of 17) .some of the sights of the Old World. The boy was enjoying himself intensely. " I should never have thought London was so beautiful," he said to me enthusiastically. '* One sees nothing oi the misery and poverty I have read about, only boundless wealth and luxury, and an unending panorama of beautiful sight . Till we came Home we seem only to have. fxiited, now I lire thorouifhiy every hour of the day.' His father shook his head over this youthful exhuberance, remarking to me presently that he feared he had made a mistake in bringing the boy, as it would probably lead to his being discontented with the colonies. Both Tom and myself strenuously combated this idea. We are both great advocates for lads who have careers before them in the colonies spending a few years of their youth in Europe. So far from tendering them discontented, it broadens their minds, enables them to draw fair comparisons between the Old World and the New, and to sec clearly the special advantages and drawbacks of colonial life, Men who live thirty-five or forty years at the antipodes, and then come to Europe, seldom if ever enjoy themsel ves or create a good impression. Some day I will tell you about a striking example of this theory, but not now. Already too much time and space have been wasted over "gush." It is rather late in the day to tell you about the private view at the Academy, so I'll simply content myself with remarking that I never before saw such a throng of peers, statesmen, actors, artists, soldiers, bishops, poet", judges, and savants under one roof before. Miss Fortescue, in a black lace gown, with a small white lace bonnet and muff, was one of the most observed of observers, and divided attention with a remarkable American beauty in a white ottoman silk skirt with a short plush jacket in a lovely shade of green. The hat worn with it was of immense size, and made of the same plush as the jacket. Altogether, a most eccentric get up. Next to Mr Yicat Coles V lovely landscape of •' Mapledurham Lock," the oil painting in this year's Academy I should like to have best is " The King and His Satellites," by Mr Briton Riviere. It is a picture showing a lionpainted in a very strong and forcible manner — standing in the desert watching the dawn slowly breaking, with a crowd of cunning, cruel jackals prowling in all attitudes behind him. The noble dignity of the king of beasts, as well as his evident loneliness, has been admirably portrayed, and contrasts powerfully with the mean, cringing crowd of jackals. Mr Riviere painted this as a companion picture to the three lions prowling at nightfall among the Tombs, which created such a favourable impression three years ago. The Royal wedding festivities at Darmstadt wound up, as you have probably heard, with something extremely like an esclandre. The Grand Duke himself hati for some years been secretly attached to a very rich and very beau f\ln\ divorcee, Madame de Kalemine, and on the evening of the Princess Victoria's marriage with Pi i nee Louis of Battenburg, he absolutely contracted a morganatic union with her. Tlik happened, please remember, under our rigorouily re&pectable Queen's very nnee,o c c, and at a time when the decease of his first wife was (consequently on the publication of her letters) fiesh in everyone'sminds. Only a few days previously the disconsolate widower and the recently-bereaved ir.other had mingled their tejirs together over tender memories of Leopold and Alice. The Queen went to Darmstadt specially to do honour to the Grand Duke. On the day of the royal wedding she blessed him graciously, but the next morning, when news reached her of his morganatic union (performed at nightfall, and not even solemnised by the Church) with a lndy of by no means stainless repute, her wrath was exceeding great The Crown Princess of Prussia left Darmstadt at once, but the Queen resolved on the wiser course of ignoring the whole affair, merely visiting her anger on the Grand Duke personally. Morganatic marriages are very common in Germany To go no further than the Grand Duke's own family, his brother Henry is married to the daughter of a Hessian Colonel, Prince Charles of Electoral Hesse to the daughter of Count Grote, and, to come still nearer home, Prince Louis of Battenberg is the son of a Hessian Prince, and the Countess of Hancke, whose children by a special law are known as Princes and Princesses ot Battenberg ; while the Tecks are the children of a Wartemburg Royal Duke and of a Countess of Hohenstein, who never took her husband's rank. The other day I visited several shops in Regent, Oxford, Bond, and Sloane-streets respectively, that I might take notes for the benefit of my colonial readers ; straining memory to retain details no less than to possess myself of those general impressions which often have to serve in place of details too lengthy to be given here. I observed at a large and fashionable draper's a number of sunshades apparently made of some thin flaxen material spotted with coloured bird'seye ppots. There was no lining to them, the ribs showing plainly through. These were intended for wear with the new cambrics and embroidered nuns' veildresses, which are also sprinkled with coloured spots and other fancy figures. These small patterns are very general. Fashion is in extremes just now. Either the designs are immense— embracing tulips, peonies, roses, and other large flowers ; or otherwise, fashionable materials are powdered with minute dots, tiny squares, half-moons, and similar designs. Pale blue cambrics and nuns' veil, with red, dark blue, blue and white, and red and white patterns, are visible in all the shop windows. Blue cambric handkerchiefs, with coloured boarders, and ho3e to match, can always be purchased en suite. In colours, pa c, pink, and blue are rivals, but the latter is certainly first favourite. The rage for accordian plaiting extends even to parasol covers. At one very fashionable shop I noticed both white and cream-coloured sunshades overlaid with lace, accordian fashion ; other shades were massed with cream or white patterned nets, the folds being so voluminous as to prevent their closing in any compact form. Simpler parasols have a shell

pattern in lace on each section, with a wide flounce of lace below. This flounce is attached by means of beads of pearl or jet, according to the colour of the shade to be decorated. The beads are sewn on about two inches or less apart. Pearshaped pearls are often used instead of the more common round ones. At the top the lace is often turned up to form a cup. A t: ni'Mif volvot wallflowers has a very pleasing t-lii el . i it placed in a slanting direction extuuUi.., .lownwards from the apex. Ked parasols in satin and Turkey twill are very general, but they only look well with an all-black toilet, or with one in which there is some harmony of colour. I saw the other day a red sunshade carried by the wearer of a pale blue dress dashed with' crimson, and thought it effective but I should hardly care to repeat those effects too often. For women who have not large allowances for dress it is better, in my opinion, to buy two or perhaps three inexpensive parasols to match the various dresses they possess, rather than a single costly sunshade, which beautiful though it be in itself, will never appear to advantage if ill-contrasted with any dress to which it is the prominent adjunct. A plain black parasol, covered with beaded net or otherwise trimmed with lace, is an excellent "stand by." A creamcoloured parasol will harmonise with many fete dresses, and there are also some inexpensive sunshades in solf-coloured materials lined with chintz, which are very pretty j or the buyer may select one all-red shade, making a complement of three or four moderate-priced sun-protectors, which will ensure harmony in this important detail of the out-door summer toilet. The most useful en tout e<is which serve to protect from sun and shower alike are principally made in fehot silks, with great porcelain knobs as terminations to the handle. We went to see the revival of " The Rivals " at the Haymarket the other evening, and were much pleased with the mounting, which, despite all the critics say, is simply perfect. Mrs Bernard Beere played the usually second - rate part of "Julia," with extraordinary effect, looking a perfect picture in a riding dress of dark claret velvet with a large hat and long drooping feather. The newly-opened Health Exhibition lies within a few minutes' walk of this house. We have been there once or twice and token a hurried scamper through the principal galleries, but to investigate them all thoroughly would occupy weeks. Being of a housewifely disposition, the portion that interested me as much as any was the western gallery, where the piocesses of sweetmeat - making, jam, mustard, and chocolate manufacture are carried on daily. With children there is no stand in the whole exhibition so popular as that of the Messrs Allen and Sons, who keep 25 people employed there in the making, packing, andfsale of sweets. The other afternoon the cooks were busy over acid, pear, and pineapple drops, and very delicious they proved. I believe Volckmanu supplies the colonial market with boiled sugar goods, but I can honestly say I never either saw or tasted any at all equal to those of Allen and Sons', of Bishopgate-sfcreet. There are endless other stalls of sweets at the Exhibition, most of them much more expensive, but Allens were the best. In the same way, after watching the process of soap-making, we awarded the palm to Pear's rather than Cleaver's. Gosnell's "Blush Rose' 1 bouquet wasonall hands pronounced the most delightful scent, and Beach's jams the finest preserves. In my next letter I shall try and describe some ot the features of the dress departments, which contain many interesting and useful novelties. The model bakeries, dairies, and gymnasiums must also be noticed, as well as the street of furnished rooms, which are marvels of luxurious comfort. Passing out of the Exhibition on Tuesday, we came upon a grill for Australasian mutton, and near it the Vegetarian Society supply a filling meal of all e-orts of oddities for ninepence. The popular mealn with the multitude, however, seem to be the sixpenny and shilling dinners provided by the School of Cookery, who hold lectures, practically illustrated, twice a day. Tom gave me such a strange, clever book to read the other day. It is called " The Hidden Picture," and was written by a young girl— a Miss Carrick Brodie — who has made the hit of the season (.so far) with it. The scene i* laid in Italy, at the time m hen the Fiench, ruled by the first Napoleon, were supreme there, and the story deals with the thrilling adventures and hair-breadth escapes of Nina de Castellas, daughter of a rebel duke. The supreme interest of the tale, however, centres in a terrible walk underground, which the hero and heroine are diiven to undertake to *»aye their lives. The passage traverses the family vaults and burying places of many Florence nobles, and gome of them are full of ghastly sights and of corruption. Missßrodie describes herheroine'ssensations with wonderful power ; in fact, the halfdozen chapters that deal with this episode would alone suffice to stamp her as,a very clever woman. All who like theatrical gossip should read Irving's "Impressions ot America." It is naturally a very ephemeral work, written to meet the taste of the hour, but you can take a volume of it at any time and read a bit anywhere. Mr Joseph Hatton makes the utmost of his material, and some of the great tragedian's jeux d' esprit are well worth chronicling. Cheap editions of Mr Edward Kennard's sporting story, "The Right Sort," and of Hamilton Aide's " Introduced to Society," are announced, and out of compliment to the Duke of Albany (who was much interested in it when he died), Mr Bentley means to give ue a six shilling edition of J. S". Le Farm's ghastly ghost stories, "In a Glass Darkly." I have not heard any new songs myself lately, but Mr Louis Engel speaks very highly of two by Miss Louisa Gray, " Evening Star " and " She and I." We attended the meet of the Coaching Club on Saturday, and a fine turn-out it was. Twenty-eight.drags and all superbly horsed. I liked a team of blue roans best, but with the majority of onlookers, Lord Charles Beresford's splendid bays seemed most popular. P.S. — It Ib now stated that the Duke of Hesse's morganatic marriage with Mdmede Kalemeine will not be consummated. The newly-wedded couple separated directly after the civil ceremony, and I hear the Queen has persuadad her son in-law to go no further in the matter. Some of the papers pretend Her Majesty knew of the affair beforehand, but of course that is nonsense. She would either have interdicted the ceremony or left Darmstadt at once as the Princess Royal did.

Signor Verdi's new opera is approaching completion. The composer, it seems, is unwilling to call his opera "lago," as that personage is quite a subsidiary character, The work may not improbably be entitled "The Moor." Signor Boito, the librettist, has dispensed with the business of the first two acts ©f Shakespeare's play* and, curiously enough, he nas made Roderigo and Cassio comic characters, obtaining a good deal of fun out of the love business of Roderigo. In the catastrophe Desdemona sings an " Aye Maria," and after a lengthy and dramatic duet with Othello, is duly smothered.