Morning Herald

Ball at Washington:

The bloody news from Washington has so engrossed our feelings, and occupied our space, that we have not been enabled to find an opportunity of inserting the following account of a gay scene at that city, which took place previous to the awful crime. At this ball, the pitiful creature—whose greedy, senseless, and morbid appetite for notoriety occasioned the murder of a fellow creature, with the disgrace of several others—and his cad of the American were present—the former with his craven heart brooding over the scene of blood he had in contemplation, and the latter thinking it honor enough to follow in the steps of such a leader. While we have the opportunity, we give the letter of our correspondent, or the further proceedings growing out of the murder, and the interest of the Canada disturbances will exclude everything.

Washington, Feb. 23, 1838.

Mr. Bennett—

I wish most sincerely that I possessed the imagination of a Boz; for no other that I know of, except perhaps our own Washington Irving, could do perfect justice to a description of the ball here, last evening, to commemorate the birthday of the illustrious Washington. As I observed one of your friends there who keeps you en courant of the news of the gay world here; and who, doubtlessly, will enter largely into a description of last night's revelry, my remarks on the subject will be brief, as I am not desirous to enter the lists with him in the descriptive style he so much excels in.

The room was, to do the managers justice, quite tastily arranged; and the designs, which were so ably executed on the floor, reflected great credit on the taste, at least, of the managers; and while on this subject, I must say, that I much regretted, that the worthy gentlemen who officiated as such, had not appeared in full ball dress, as the figures of some of them were eminently adapted to the display of a well made pair of "unwhisperables." There was nothing to distinguish them from the remainder of the company, but a small rosette of white satin, very tastily affixed to the button hole of each; although some one or two did indulge in the extravagance of a white satin stock, which said white satin, was peculiarly becoming to their complexions. The foreign ministers added much to the brilliancy of the scene, by the richness of their official costumes, and were countenanced by several of the young officers of the Marine Corps, whose splendid uniforms are well adapted to a ball room, although I cannot say their swords were. The President entered the room about ten o'clock, and at the same moment with Mr. Clay, to the tune of Hail Columbia; several enquiries were made as to whether the honor was intended for the incumbent, or the expectant, President.

The belle of the room, I think decidedly, was a young lady from Georgia, who by her personal attractions and as some say, very solid charms, is ensnaring the youthful hearts of the beaux here. Being rather under than above the usual size, she, with great good taste and judgment, endeavors to obviate any error in her size by constantly wearing velvet, which, besides being very becoming to a very young lady, is so well calculated to make her a little shorter than she really is.

As I wish to pass on to a recital of what occurred at the end of the evening, I leave all further description of the ladies to your other correspondents; but cannot dismiss the subject without a reference to some of the gay Lotharios of the evening. There appeared to be a great rivalry between the gentlemen as respected their dancing; and it is hard to say whether the Honorable member from New Jersey, or the gentleman whose loud voice makes him so invaluable in the "House," reflected the greatest credit on the master under whom they acquired the art of "tripping on the light fantastic toe."

They were, however, closely followed by numerous others, and if the representative of Her Britannic Majesty, from Toronto, did not equal them in the quadrilles, he had a decided advantage in the fact of his being a waltzer, which they were not. His style of waltzing is very graceful, partaking of the gallope of a cow with the trot of a camel; and, when added to the personal beauty of his appearance and his locks, is well calculated to make him the "observed of all observers" when he "has the floor." The New York Committee, which has been sent on here to eat dinners figured largely among the young men of the evening.

But, Mr. Bennett, the memory of Washington was more appropriately celebrated after the retiring of the ladies. The gentlemen then repaired to the "supper room" to indulge in the feast of reason; and, considering that not more than one half were very much "how came you so," the spirit of the illustrious dead must have been much gratified by the attentions showed to its memory. The health of the distinguished Major General of the Army, having been drank, he addressed the meeting in a very short and appropriate speech, concluding by drinking the health of all assembled to the injury of his own as the wine, that I suppose to Mr. Carusi, was one degree little better than poison, and the champagne the best that Newark could afford. Commodore Patterson next addressed the company, and we regret that we were unable to hear his speech as it appeared to be of a very fine order. Mr. Wm. Cost Johnson in a lengthy speech appeared to adapt his expressions to the condition of his hearers, and succeeded to perfection. The manager in the white satin stock, then got on the table, but his feelings appeared to be too strong for utterance; as, after several ineffectual attempts, he gave it up in despair—as he had a bottle in one hand and a wine glass in the other, his consolation was not distant. By this time, the company had arrived at that happy state, entitled the noisy—or, as Mr. Sliggins would say, "the meeting was so-so," and when the Envoy Extraordinary from "Shocco," was hoisted on to the table, with every disposition on his part to make a speech, the patriotism of his hearers was too great to enable them to say any thing but "hear him, and silence;" and as they continued to shout, of course he could not be heard, further than the beginning of his speech, which was "hold your tongues, my boys."—He would make an admirable Secretary of the Navy, and has frequently been mentioned in the newspapers as our next. As there was now a manifestly growing disposition on the part of many of the company to break the party up, General Washington was drank with three cheers, and the House adjourned.

Could the day have been better celebrated?