THE ESSAYIST. THE RIVAL BEAUTIES. ANASTASIA and Maria met at a ball in Paris; they were rival beauties, and each seemed to represent the nation to which she belonged; they both had a train of admirers, and the opposite parties ingratiated themselves with the beauty of their preference, by finding fault with the rival of her charms. "Maria wanted feeling and expression, was deficient in wit and liveliness," the calmness of innocence and the dignity of high birth cast an enchantment of ne common kind. The manners of these lovely ones are as different as their persons; the former bewitches, whilst the latter appears to engage and to condescend at the same time; the one transfixes, the other attracts and binds her victim: Anastasia's conversation is playful and amiable, obliging, entertaining, fascinating; that of Maria is gentle, and graceful, but placid and of a dignified yet retiring nature. In dress the beauty of France displays a knowledge and alleged the flutterers round Anastasia's at-taste most superlative, whilst the maid of Albion assumés a simplicity which is, nevertheless, highly adorned tractions. "Anastasia was too artificial, too studied, had an infantine voice, and had not the transcendency of complexion which I had an opportunity of seeing them both Maria possessed," exclaimed the flatterers in the same occupations, namely, in the who composed her circle; each bent on dance, and playing on different instruments; the other a jealous eye, yet each took a dif-Anastasia's downcast yet not distant eyes, ferent road to gain the heart; the former, by her sportive manner and by her proficiency in the art of flirting, and the thorough study of the graces, took the affections by a coup de main; the latter seemed intent on throwing a secret enchantment over the beholder, and fain would appear neglectful of her conquest, and unconscious of her power; this warfare of bright eyes and of external perfections, added to archness on the part of the one, and commanding qualities on that of the other, made desperate havoc amongst the beaux; but that my reader may decide for himself, I shall present him with the por traits of these charmers. Anastasia is of stature a little above the middle size, but proportioned symmetrically -her foot and ankle are chefs-d'œuvre of nature, her waist is taper to a wonder, her whilst moving through the waltz, must certainly have been enough to warm the breast of an anchorite, and put to nothing all the coolness of a stoic. Maria's form challenged the most scrutinizing eye of criticism, but her passions were not brought into play, nor were her feet and eyes in unison at this moment. The British dancers rather neglect the body in favour of the feet; the French do justice to both. A young man might have wished, on this occasion, to have been the lover of the one, but would have felt comfortable in being the husband of the other. Anastasia played with the guitar as if she could make it speak what language she pleased, and as she carelessly, but with the hand of a mistress, struck its chords, her eyes, her smiles, her dimples, and her varied expressions did incalculable execu features are not regular, but she possesses tion. Maria bent o'er her harp, and whilst she threw her taper fingers o'er the strings, she looked like no earthly being, her soul was wrapt in melody, and silence seemed enamoured of every sound which she produced. In a quadrille, performed by active youth of each sex, Anastasia bore off the prize, for Maria seemed to mingle complaisance with her exertions, although her steps were critically performed, she seemed to assist in the merry ring, whilst her rival actually appeared to reign and to be the genius of the dance. Loud was the applause, and boundless the approbation which either lady gained from her party, but very different two brilliant diamonds curtained by a rich long silk fringe, which makes it impossible to meet her eyes without falling a victim to them; her mouth is not excessively small, but her lips and teeth make amends for this circumstance, and are of the first cast; they too, occasion strange sensations to a sensitive being, and she is so much a mistress of the art to please, that her means are infinite and inexhaustible; I had forgotten her jet black ringlets and clear brown skin of exquisite polish and softness, but I might be pardoned for forgetting any thing when dwelling on the subject of her lips and eyes. Maria's form is majestic, tall, imposing, and the opinions given as to personal beauty, of that species which mingles astonishment dress, address, conversation, music, dance, and respect with admiration and a tender &c.; the British beauty touched with the feeling; the alabaster of her well-turned enchantress's wand the pulse of many a shoulders, matchless bosom, and elegant foreigner, though I am not clear that novelarms defies description, whilst a full blue ty was not one charm thrown into her preeye of purest lustre, and a profusion of dark ponderating scale; but Anastasia not only brown hair, contrasted by the lily and the rose, the pearl and ruby of her small mouth, and fine blooming complexion, render her a finished picture of excellence, over which kept a host of her own nation captives to her fascinations, but she surprised and electrified a very huge proportion of sage and sober English characters. After supper, THE PARTITION OF THE EARTH. (From Schiller.) When Jove had encircled our planet with light, The hunter he sped to the forest and wood, But fearful and wild were the looks that he cast The mien of disorder, the wreath which he wore, And he rush'd all in tears, at the fatal decree, And the Thunderer smiled at his prayer and his mien, It hung on thy visage, it bask'd in thy smile, And forgive, if, bewilder'd and dazzled the while- The earth, said the Godhead, is portion'd away, And I cannot reverse the decree, But the heavens are mine, and the regions of day And their portal is open to thee LORD F. L. GOWER. THE DEATH OF LEONIDAS. The torrent swept the glen, He spoke no warrior-word, The fiery element Show'd with one mighty gleam, Rampart, and flag, and tent, Like the spectres of a dream. All up the mountain's side, Waved the Persian banners pale. And foremost from the pass, Like the lightning's 1 ving brand. Then double darkness fell, And the forest ceased its moan: But there came a clash of steel, Anon, a trumpet blew, A host glared on the hill; A host glared by the bay; The air was all a yell, And still the Greek rush'd on They found a royal feast, Then sat to the repast The bravest of the brave! That feast must be their last, That spot must be their grave. They pledged old Sparta's name But now the morning star Up rose the glorious rank, Fear on King Xerxes fell, But down swept all his power, They gather'd round the tent, Their king sat on the throne, Thus fought the Greek of old ! THE ESSAYIST. THE RIVAL BEAUTIES. ANASTASIA and Maria met at a ball in Paris; they were rival beauties, and each seemed to represent the nation to which she belonged; they both had a train of admirers, and the opposite parties ingratiated themselves with the beauty of their preference, by finding fault with the rival of her charms. "Maria wanted feeling and expression, was deficient in wit and liveliness," alleged the flutterers round Anastasia's attractions. "Anastasia was too artificial, too studied, had an infantine voice, and had not the transcendency of complexion which Maria possessed," exclaimed the flatterers who composed her circle; each bent on the other a jealous eye, yet each took a different road to gain the heart; the former, by her sportive manner and by her proficiency in the art of flirting, and the thorough study of the graces, took the affections by a coup de main; the latter seemed intent on throwing a secret enchantment over the beholder, and fain would appear neglectful of her conquest, and unconscious of her power; this warfare of bright eyes and of external perfections, added to archness on the part of the one, and commanding qualities on that of the other, made desperate havoc amongst the beaux; but that my reader may decide for himself, I shall present him with the portraits of these charmers. the calmness of innocence and the dignity of high birth cast an enchantment of ne common kind. The manners of these lovely ones are as different as their persons; the former bewitches, whilst the latter appears to engage and to condescend at the same time; the one transfixes, the other attracts and binds her victim: Anastasia's conversation is playful and amiable, obliging, entertaining, fascinating; that of Maria is gentle, and graceful, but placid and of a dignified yet retiring nature. In dress the beauty of France displays a knowledge and taste most superlative, whilst the maid of Albion assumés a simplicity which is, nevertheless, highly adorned I had an opportunity of seeing them both in the same occupations, namely, in the dance, and playing on different instruments; Anastasia's downcast yet not distant eyes, whilst moving through the waltz, must certainly have been enough to warm the breast of an anchorite, and put to nothing all the coolness of a stoic. Maria's form challenged the most scrutinizing eye of criticism, but her passions were not brought into play, nor were her feet and eyes in unison at this moment. The British dancers rather neglect the body in favour of the feet; the French do justice to both. A young man might have wished, on this occasion, to have been the lover of the one, but would have felt comfortable in being the husband of the other. Anastasia played with the guitar as if she could make it speak what language she pleased, and as she carelessly, but with Anastasia is of stature a little above the middle size, but proportioned symmetrically the hand of a mistress, struck its chords, -her foot and ankle are chefs-d'œuvre of her eyes, her smiles, her dimples, and her nature, her waist is taper to a wonder, her varied expressions did incalculable execufeatures are not regular, but she possesses tion. Maria bent o'er her harp, and whilst two brilliant diamonds curtained by a rich long silk fringe, which makes it impossible to meet her eyes without falling a victim to them; her mouth is not excessively small, but her lips and teeth make amends for this circumstance, and are of the first cast; they too, occasion strange sensations to a sensitive being, and she is so much a mistress of the art to please, that her means are infinite and inexhaustible; I had forgotten her jet black ringlets and clear brown skin of exquisite polish and softness, but I might be pardoned for forgetting any thing when dwelling on the subject of her lips and eyes. she threw her taper fingers o'er the strings, she looked like no earthly being, her soul was wrapt in melody, and silence seemed enamoured of every sound which she produced. In a quadrille, performed by active youth of each sex, Anastasia bore off the prize, for Maria seemed to mingle complaisance with her exertions, although her steps were critically performed, she seemed to assist in the merry ring, whilst her rival actually appeared to reign and to be the genius of the dance. Loud was the applause, and boundless the approbation which either lady gained from her party, but very different Maria's form is majestic, tall, imposing, and the opinions given as to personal beauty, of that species which mingles astonishment dress, address, conversation, music, dance, and respect with admiration and a tender &c.; the British beauty touched with the feeling; the alabaster of her well-turned enchantress's wand the pulse of many a shoulders, matchless bosom, and elegant foreigner, though I am not clear that novelarms defies description, whilst a full blue ty was not one charm thrown into her pre eye of purest lustre, and a profusion of dark brown hair, contrasted by the lily and the rose, the pearl and ruby of her small mouth, and fine blooming complexion, render her a finished picture of excellence, over which ponderating scale; but Anastasia not only kept a host of her own nation captives to her fascinations, but she surprised and electrified a very huge proportion of sage and sober English characters. After supper, her conversation and sprightliness gained over some deserters from the other side, and left her almost mistress of the field, although I thought that I could detect a little too much endeavour to charm. Maria now seemed to be indifferent to applause, and that very air regained her more than one fugitive. It was at times a most puzzling thing to decide on her to whom the palm should be awarded, but, upon counting numbers, Gallia had a small majority. I do confess, that I was illiberal enough to be mortified at this, yet, on reflecting, I was convinced that manner often does more than matter, and that she who aspires to captivate, must be pleased as well as pleasing; where was the fault in either beauty? I could see none. and you will hear him continually saying, "it was not so in my time." One would imagine, from the statement of such characters, that the globe had taken a retrograde motion since the last century, and that there was no advancement or improvement since; now the fact is decidedly the contrary, as I have had to observe, since my younger days, in a thousand particulars. To return, however, to my first statement; the pleasures in which old age cannot becomingly mingle are many, but it is by no means necessary on that account either to despise them, or refuse to be present at them; of this number is the dance, and I know a score of old gentlemen and ladies, who criticise the dance and cry, "I hate to see a parcel of conceited crea In this dilemma I applied to a French no-tures whisking about in a quadrille, or sail bleman who is a great judge in these mat- "Au gré de tous les yeux Clymene a des appas: ing through the immodest waltz;" others detest a child's ball, and either fly to the card table, there to lose their money, or their temper, or perhaps both, sooner than witness a pastime in which they cannot participate; and I have frequently observed a knot of tabbies and aged bachelors hovering on the flank of a quadrille, or inspecting a waltz with envious look, in order to be able to dissect every beauty and to find some fault with each individual engaged in a harmless and elegant amusement. "One lady is too easy; a second beauty is too bold; a third is awkward; a fourth dances too well; it is quite an exhibition; the marquis is too Frenchified; Sir Charles is too bad-it is open love-making in the waltzthe squire dances like a bumpkin-the officer of the guards is a lump of conceit-Lady Betty's a harridan, and her sister is a prude; the dowager is too old to dance, and the admiral's daughter is too young; the one ought to be thinking of something more suited to her years, and it is a shame to bring out the other so young in life." There I had no difficulty in comprehending that Clymène meant Maria, nor in understanding what he considered as the only requisite to her perfection. A little nationality now came into my mind, and I was about to accuse the majority of a want of taste and discernment; I was also just about to decide, that the opinion of the many is not the standard of wisdom, that many a male butterfly would be no loss to the court of our British Venus, and that, perhaps, she had in talent what she fell short of in numbers. At this critical juncture, I came in contact with the brunette object of adora- is no pleasing these severe judges, and beau tion, and drawing respectfully back to let her pass, she made me a curtesy with so much grace, whilst her bright eyes thanked me with so much heart and sensibility, that I tottered on the brink of apostacy as to where I would have paid my vows had I been young and handsome, rich and gay, and a being of a disponible situation. THE DANCE. A COLD and selfish being when he descends the vale of years, becomes insensible to the pleasures of another age, and, forgetting his own feelings at the time, withdraws from being a witness to the sports of youth, nay often condemns them; he is in the language of Horace, Dificilis, querulus, laudator temporis acti;" ty is certain to give offence, since "Smallest specks are seen on snow.". I remember a noble peer making the following remark to me at a ball at court : "Do, pray look at old lady -, how she eyes lady Mary! She puts me in mind of a cat watching a canary bird." This remark I have found applicable to many since. For my own part, I delight to sit in the corner of a ball-room, and to admire the rising generation-to behold the fine turned limbs and exquisite proportions of lovely woman-to witness that animation and elasticity which only exist in the spring of life -to admire smiles and the increased roses of the female performers; and to approve of the excellence of those who are finished dancers. I look back to my own younger days, and only regret that they were not of longer duration, those winged moments. "Eheu fugaces." Even a child's ball has charms for me, since sportiveness and innocence never can fail to be interesting. To do justice to France, I must say, that la danse is more general than with us; it extends to all ages-it occupies all classes; it is entered into with more spirit and perfection than any where else by the young, and is sanctioned and praised by the old. In France, the lower orders not only dance, but they dance the very same figures as the higher classes; the woman of fashion and the laundress both dance and waltz; the private soldier and the lowest mechanic figure in the quadrille, or glide through the latter dance of German origin: all dancethe population is in perpetual motion, "And young and old come forth to play, And dance the cares of life away." I am convinced that the people owe to this exercise health and high spirits, for the dance leaves no care behind it, unless a piercing black eye does execution, and the heart is wiled away in the muses of the waltz. your next female dancer, and then to your partner; indeed the whole of a quadrille is a gay well-bred flirtation between partner and vis-a-vis, the former figuring occasionally with the happy vis-a-vis, to return with more effect and more welcomely to him to whom her hand had been given for the dance. I have heard ladies doubtful whether they preferred a good partner or a good vis-avis; both are necessary, but a little preference leans towards the former. Mademoi selle, a young lady of my acquaintance, likes to have her admirer for her partner, and her brother for her vis-a-vis, the latter to show off her dancing, as he is an admira ble dancer himself; the former to be the tender companion of these mirthful mo ments. The waltz has undoubtedly a charm in it which no other dance possesses, from the facility which it gives to behold so nearly the charms of the female engaged and engaging in it, to hold her delicate shape in one arm, (at the commencement) and in both at an after period (some of our British fair keep their partners at arm's length from them, but that is not the original genuine waltz), to meet her eyes continually as she spins round, and to step in unison with her lightly-moving feet. I must acknowledge that the waltz looks very like close love-making, and on that account a young woman should consider who she is going to waltz with. But I am not sure, whether the rendering the waltz a matter of course at a ball, and the attaching no importance to it, as is the case every where abroad, does not render the matter more simple and harmless, than making all the distinctions of who, and where, and when, and then, after all, playing the prude awhile to consent to take a partner, and to go through the blushing and ogling of coquetry; for if the male partner be a libertine, he ought not to be allowed to dance with any man's wife, daughter, or sister, any dance, or anywhere; and if otherwise, the dance will be innocent whatever be its form. The English country dance pleases me the least; it has, however, the merit of possessing a variety of steps, and of uniting a great number of people together; there is less coqueting in it than in those above-mentioned, but it wants much of their elegance. Having said so much on dancing in general, it may not be amiss to give a short dissertation on its particularities and on its tendency and utility. What then is dancing? It is exercise taken in a graceful manner; activity reduced to system; and the addresses of the youth of one sex to the fairer work of nature in a kind of pantomimic portraiture of attitudes and steps; which are sometimes the first advances to love or friendship, to attachment and to matrimony. The dance is of various kinds, but the meaning is always the same; the minuet, now so little in use, is an assemblage of very graceful postures and positions, from the first bow and courtesy of respect and making acquaintance, to the last extending of arins to come to a conclusion, the right and left arm extended at another period is not unlike an offer of the hand, the glances at the turning corners serve as opportunities to the lady for exhibiting a fine arched neck and well-proportioned shoulders, and to the gentleman to cast partial but respectful looks on his young partner, who, perchance, blushes and appears doubly interesting on that account. The quadrille (much improved within the last twenty years) is a dance of great variety and beauty; it admits of a number of agile, well-invented, fanciful and difficult steps, its figures are many, powerful magnet-in the decline of autumn The motives for dancing, as well as the effects which it produces, vary according to the age of man; in childish age the pleasure of jumping, and bounding like the gamesome lamb is the chief attraction; in the sunshine of our days the partner is the amongst which the en avant deux is a leading feature; the balancing represents a playful flirting, and "how happy could I be with weither!" when you balancez first to men dance from complaisance, or from the ambition of having a titled lady's hand, or from wishing to appear younger than they are; elderly misses dance in order to make |