A LADY'S LETTER FROM LONDON.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 350, 13 March 1889, Page 3

A LADY'S LETTER FROM LONDON.

(By Elise. )

London, January 26. Deak Mr Editob, — " Black Monday " was well worthy its name this year. A dense fog wrapt London in ibs yellow folds, and the cabs, filled with dismal school-bound youngsters, wero only able to grope their way to the various railway termini with the greatest difficulty. Not that going back to school nowadays is the ordeal it used to bo. The good old days of bullying have long passed away, and beyond a, regret that the end of the holidays has come, and a distinct qualm anent the holiday task, which ought to have been learnt and hasn't, our boys can usually face Black Monday philosophically enough. The simplesb and yet smartest wedding of the winter took place at Sb. George's, Hanover Square, on Tuesday afternoon, when the Premier's third son. Lord Robert Cecil, married Lord Durham's youngest sister, Lady Nellie Lambton. There were two grown-up bridesmaids only, and five children. The bride wore a very simple dress of white satin, the only brimming of which consisted of bands of silver passementerie down the front. A tiny wreath of orange blossoms surmounted her dark hair under a long tulle veil held by superb diamond stars and a cross, and several brooches of diamonds glittered upon her bodice, The children wete in white silk dresses with broad scarlet sashes and scarlet stockings and shoes, the latter surmounted with buckles ot dead gold. They also wore modified Tarn O'Shanter caps edged with beaver. The tout ensejnble was excellent, the party looking warm and bright, instead of chilly. Lady Salisbury wore green velvet, of the grey shade known as mignonette, with a ironb of cream-coloured crepe. A pink aigrette relieved her green velvet bonnet. Most of the guests were in furs, some of the sables being exceptionally fine. The bride's travelling dress is described by the " Morning Post" as an exceptionally beautiful and artistic composition in dark sable brown, with interludes of bright, soft poppy red. Tho material was chiefly j cloth, of which the whole of the overdrapery consisted, the folds being draped from the waist in" a manner calculated to add to tho apparent heigh b of the figure. Ab one side the cloth opened over a brown velveb underskirb, showing bars of poppyred moire ribbon laid across the daik velvet. The edges of the cloth were lined with similar red, and being edged with bands of the darkest Russian sable, the conbrasb served to heighten the vivid softness of the moire, as well as to deepen the beautiful brown tones of the fur, the points of which were very nearly black — a proof that the sable is of the most rare and costly description. A rich passementerie, beadless and free from all glitter, as are the •rjmrnings now used by the best modistes, was laid upon a long fold of tho cloth, the colour ot which it matched exactly, diversified, however, by touches of the tanbrown which marks the lighter tones of sable. The bodice contained all the ingredients of the skirt, mingled with tho deftest art, and, as in the skirt, following the poppy colour in the merest glimpses. This, according to Kuskin, is the highest use of colour, which loses ibs effect when lavishly declared, but rejoices the eye when gently suggested. The small toque matched, the dress, with tho exception that it included no red, though tho muff had ibs touches of colour among the deep tones of its brown velveb, clobh and fur. The larjre travelling mantle was in brown velvet, lined throughout with bright poppy-red silk brocaded with a design of conventionalised flowers in dark brown lines. It was edged with sable, and on the shoulders were ornaments in brown passementerie. There was a very smart private view at the Grosvenor Gallery on Saturday, at which quito a number of show celebrities turned-up, notwithstanding there being "no one in town." The jJuchess of Manchester, in a wonderful mantle, challenged comparison with Lady Colin Campbell, who was in dark green trimmed with fur, and | an extraordinary flat drab hat. Lady Randolph Churchill wore a mouse coloured cloth gown embroidered with black and the new puffed sleeves. Rhe looked very bright and nice, as she always does, and a great contrast to the (esthetic, saucer-e3 r ed, powdery-faced Miss Dorothy Dene, who was clinging, as usual, to one of her limp sisters. Miss Dene's Liberty silks and gay gauzy garments are, no doubt, all right in the summer, but at this time of the year they positively make one shiver. It was a relief to turn to the rich furs of Lady Coleridge (leaning on the Lord Chief Justice's arm), or even to the rather startling red velvet costume of Lady Gerald Fitzgerald. Miss Fortc=cue, arrayed in a velveb Zouave jacket over a crimson skirt, as usual attracted a good deal ot attention, and a great many questions were asked about a mir/non lady in a dark green gown with many capes, who turned out to be Mrs George Batten. Little Miss Norreys (looking very pale and small) accompanied Mrs Labouchere) who had a gieab deal to say (apparently) to the Dv Mauriers, and Robert Browning went conscientiously through the pictures, paying no attention to bhe giddy throng about him. Labe in the afternoon Mrs Beringer came in for a moment with her bwo little girls, who do nob strike one aj3 specially attractive children off the stage. Vera is evidently glowing fast, and I should say will grow out of " Little Lord Fauntleroy '" sooner than that managing lady, her mamma, will caro about. For bhe rest I saw Lord Rawton, Mr and Mrs Edward Ledger (of bhe " Era "), Lady Duff Gordon, Lady Alexander Gordon-Lennox, Oscar Wilde and Comyns Carr (as usual arm-in-arm), Mr Herbert Schmalz, Kate Terry's daughters (tho Misses Lewis), Forbes-Robertson (pale and pre-occupied), and a host of journalists, from BroadleyPasha, of the " World," to Mr McColl, the editor of the "Athenaeum." From what reaches me I fear very painful circumstances were connected with the death of poor lima Di Murska. She never saved a penny during the shorb hey-day ot her prosperity 25 years ago, in fact amongst impresarios had bhe name of being one of bhe mosb biresome and accenbric of prime donne. A perfect menagerie of pebs travelled about with her wherever she went, and fer these the most extawagant luxuiies Aveio provided. "Mapleson's Memoirs" contains a number of amusing stories about the poor uoman. Di Murska "lagged superfluous on the stage " long after she had lo&t every semblance of her phenomenally high soprano voice, and became at last a perfect terror to managers. When she visibed Australia ib was almosb gone, but she managed its remains well nigh as superbly as Sims Reeves does bhe remnant of his grand organ, and, I fancy, made a fairly successful tour. This, at any rate,

was the fallen star's jasb stroke of luck. Afberwards she proceeded to the United States and soon faded out of public life. Di Murska married three times, if nob oftener. I know that at one time she was credited with having two husbands living and two under the sod. The little woman had a craze for h limit ton, and married her only daughter to a rascally Pomeranian (Jount, who deserted her. Nob long ago mother and daughter were found starvving in New York, and they were sent home to Croatia. They settled in Munich, and people were kind to them, but to the last Di Murska's pride and eccentricities were egregious. She always seemed to have what vulgar boys call "a tile short," and latterly must have grown quite insane. Her unfortunate daughter, whose nerves had become totally unstrung by long watching and want of proper food, took poison by her mother's grave. Groves 's Dictionary of Dates gives the date of Di Murska's birth as 1843, but Colonel Mapleson thinks 1835 would be nearer the mark. Certain ib is that even in 1870 she (though always monstrously made up) was thought an elderly woman. Her get up had the effect of making her seem inignon and pretty at close quarters, bub shadowy and artificial in facial outlines in the distance. "An ungrateful world," writes M. Engel, " describes Di Murska as a person remarkable for a compass that extended bo F in alb. Eeader, believe ib or nob. Is nob bhat nobe attainable by Etelka Gersber, Mme. Van Zandt, our sister's schoolfellow, and many other 3 ? Yet they are not Di Murskas. It is true that the Fa in the famous fiorilures of the " Queen, of Night " used, when sung by Di Murska to chime with a delicate ring and inimibabla precision of touch, which made ' Gle Angui d'lnferno ' her especial property ; bub^ she was no less unapproachable as Elvira in 'Don Giovanni,' a part in which even Nillsson failed." People, perhaps, will remember Di Murska best by her Lucia. Ib was bhe first Ibalian opera I ever saw, and I shall never forget the impression Di Murska made in the mad scene. Unfortunately, Fancelli was the Edgardo, and though he sang divinely, he couldn't act a bit.