Identifier: belleoffiftiesme00clay (find matches)
Title: A belle of the fifties; memoirs of Mrs. Clay of Alabama, covering social and political life in Washington and the South, 1853-66
Year: 1904 (1900s)
Authors: Clay-Clopton, Virginia, 1825-1915 Sterling, Ada, d. 1939
Subjects: Washington (D.C.) -- Social life and customs United States -- History Civil War, 1861-1865 Personal narratives Confederate side
Publisher: New York : Doubleday, Page & Company
Contributing Library: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Digitizing Sponsor: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

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umph in the rendering of a familiarmelody, the beauty of her marvellous art rose superiorto the amusement which her broken English might havearoused, and men and women wept freely and unashamedas she sang. Mid bleasures and balaces,Do we may roam, etc. It was by way of a flight from the capital that SenatorClay and I and a few congenial friends were enabledto hear Parepa Rosa and Forrest; and Julia Dean, inIngomar, drew us to the metropolis, as did AgnesRobertson, who set the town wild in the Siege of Sebas-topol. I remember very well my first impression of Broadway,which designation seemed to me a downright misnomer;for its narrowness, after the great width of PennsylvaniaAvenue, was at once striking and absurd to the visitorfrom the capital. Upon one of my visits to New Yorkmy attention was caught by a most unusual sight. Itwas an immense equipage, glowing and gaudy under thesun as one of Mrs. Jarleys vans. It was drawn by sixprancing steeds, all gaily caparisoned, while in the huge
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JENNY LINDProm a photograph made about 1851 RELAXATIONS OF CONGRESSIONAL FOLK 103 structure (a young house, all but ) were women in gaudy costumes. A band of musicians were concealedwithin, and these gave out some lively melodies as thevehicle dashed gaily by the Astor House (then the popular y up-town hotel), attracting general attention as it passed. Thinking a circus had come to town, I made inquiry,when I learned to my amusement that the gorgeous caval-cade was but an ingenious advertisement of the newSewing Machine ! Charlotte Cushman, giving her unapproachable MegMerrilies in Washington, stirred the city to its depths.Her histrionism was splendid, and her conversation inprivate proved no less remarkable and delightful. Icould listen to her all day, wrote a friend in a brief note. I envy her her genius, and would willingly take her ugli-ness for it! What is beauty compared with such genius !A most amusing metrical farce, Pocahontas, wasgiven during the winter of 57-58, which set

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