The celebration of the anniversary of Washington's birth-day was duly observed on Saturday; the men-of-war and other vessels in harbour were gorgeously dressed out in bunting, making a gay picture from the Bund, and salute was courteously fired at noon by H. M.S. Cadmus. This royal salute of 21 guns was fired punctually at 12 o'clock, the time of 5 seconds between each gun being marked with admirable accuracy. The commanders and officers of the U.S. 8. Iroquois and Saco had done additional honour to the casion, by inviting a distinguished company to an afternoon fete and dance on board the former vessel. The guests were conveyed from the Custom House wharf, in the steam launches and gigs carefully provided from the men-of. ar to re-assure the most timid of the fai week's gales might have the usual sampan, In this commodious manner we safely reached the Iroquois, sounds of soft music floating across the waters from the open portholes as we neared the gangway, and lending a gist to the anticipation of the pleasure to come. On crossing the bulwarks and descending on deck, we found ourselves in the midst of a spacious ball-room extending from midships right astern and across the poop, and roofed by a canopy of colour formed from the flags of all nations, known and unknown, An improvised reception room was formed out of. the Captain's saloon, and what would correspond to an ordinary (or rather extraordinary) supper was lai out in the Ward-zoom,—Conspicuous among the decorations was a handsome portrait of the Father of his country, and
Tea Punch. The guests began to come off magnificent bow! of most excellent Green shortly after 1 o'clock, and by 2 sufficient ladies had arrived to enable the dancing to commence, In all, about 30 ladies braved the perils of the deep and gave life and beauty to a scone which, uj to the time of their arrival, though gran and imposing, lacked animation. ~The number of uniforms cors of the three Nav mingled with the varied costumes of the civilians of whom about 100 wore present, recluded all possibility of monotony.
notwithstanding the heat, which in the early part of the afternoon' was positively tics were entered h great spirit, the ladies exhi ing a praiseworthy self-denial in the caus of the day's enjoyment, Nu partner wi rejected until all the cards were filled, while the fatigue of dance after dance was braved without intermission, until the setting sun gave the signal for a general departure. There were in fact two ballrooms, one on the poop and one on the upper' deck. The coup dail looking down from the poop on the lower ballroom was strikingly effective: in the foreground the dancers, beyond them the band, an amalgamation of that on board with one from the shore, which discoursed most excellent music; and in the extreme distance a crowd of admiring sailors; the other sides and corners being filled with the attendant wall-flowers of the non-dance-producing classes—those in fact whose devotions to Terpsichore are confined to silent contemplation. Meanwhile the collation in the ward-room was not neglected: indeed we remarked two streams constantly flowing in and out by way of the companion ladder; one gravely descending, the other smilingly-nseending the facile Avernian descent-variously created types, from the highest intellectual to the lowest omnivorous, being conspicuous in the crowd, Nor must we omit notice of the cosy smoking room which had been rigged up beyond the ball room, affording every comfort to the devotees of the narcoticherb—the tobacco-consuming class, Here, a numerous though select company consoled themselves for their inability to partake farther of the substantial feast below stairs, by joining in the no less real, if slightly less solid, feast of reason and flow of soul liberally dispensed by some highly gifted individuals there assembled. But all feasts must have an end, so most
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.