the following pages, we pro

inner life of a town seldom trodden by the English tourist-in winter; at least, the season when 'society,' as in most continental towns, is at its height. The rich city merchant who determines to give himself and his family a three-months' holiday in the winter time, or the retired country tradesman, may be met with at every corner in Rome or Naples. Those bent upon society, find the Napoleonist saloons, and even those of the Faubourg St. Germain' in Paris, easier of access than the exclusive circles of Vienna. No foreigner, except of known character and rank, or well recommended by his ambassador, can hope to gain admittance into the "Haute Volée.' Amongst themselves, the strictest rules prevail. No one who has not sixteen perfect quarterings is admitted. Perhaps it will be as well to explain the system of sixteen quarterings' now. It is generally admitted that each person has a father and a mothertwo parents, exceptions only prove a rule, Macduff and Minerva are the only ones we remember at this moment; this degree constitutes two quarterings; that is, the son or daughter quarter their (the parents') arms on his or her shield; well, each of these had a father and mother, therefore the original individual has two grandfathers and two grandmothers - four quarterings. This is bringing the explanation to the level of the lowest capacity. Therefore each of these has two parents, eight ancestors in the third generation, and sixteen in the fourth. Now, each single individual of these sixteen must have borne arms-that is, must have had no connection whatever with trade, must have belonged to the gentry, in fact. Any flaw in any part of the chain destroys the whole of the quarterings. Jews are, on this account, never seen in the best houses of Vienna. The branch of the Rothschild family living here, though holding a fair and honourable

position, is never admitted into society. Having explained the groundwork of our theme, we shall now conduct our readers some eight hundred miles from 'London Society' (with which they are already acquainted), into the heart of the capital of the Austrian empire.

The first object of an Englishman, on entering a foreign town, is always to find out the best hotel. The two rivals in Vienna are the 'Erzherzog Carl,' vulgo, Archduke Charles, and the Munsch, known in Congress days as 'the White Swan.' They stand on exactly opposite sides of the narrow and busy 'Kärnthner Strasse;' the former, however, possesses the advantage of not forming a thoroughfare like the Munsch. In Vienna, namely, the visitor will constantly observe passages leading under archways into the court of a house or houses, and then break [out again; these are termed voluntary passages,' or, in the harsh Teutonic, Freiwillige Durchgänge.' Whether this name arises from every one being at liberty to pass, or that there is no strict right of way, and that the passage is granted by the proprietors (like the passage at the bottom of 'Hay Hill,' between Devonshire and Lansdowne Houses, which is shut one day in every year, on the 1st of September, we believe), we are unable to state; however that may be, they are all closed at ten P.M. Having selected one of these hotels, or one of the many others, the traveller will most likely begin to look about him, unless he finds snow of three feet in depth a drawback. However, as our object is rather to lead him into society, we will say nothing about the town at present, excepting as its description tallies with our project. As we have said before, the unaided Englishman, even of the best family, will find it very difficult-nay, almost impossibleto gain admittance into the charmed circle, unless he have some previously-made acquaintances therein, or be furnished with letters of intro

duction; however, having once burst the barrier, his progress will be rapid, for nothing can be more cordial than the behaviour of the Austrians and Hungarians to a foreigner; indeed, it has been said that to know one Hungarian was to know the whole nation. Last season was unfortunately a rather dull one, as the gloom of death hung over the court and many noble houses. The Emperor's uncle died in December, and the Esterhazy, the first Hungarian house in Vienna, had experienced the loss of a sister and aunt. The season here, where the natives do not care about broiling themselves half dead as in England, begins properly on, or the day after Twelfth-day, the 6th of January, and lasts, with the exception of Fridays in each week, when dancing is prohibited, till midnight on Shrove Tuesday, when everything ceases. This period is called the 'Fasching;' its length, therefore, always varies with the date of Easter Sunday. If this be early, the season begins again in a modified manner afterwards, but the 'season' proper only lasts during Carnival-a term, of course, derived from 'farewell to meat,' that being, theoretically, prohibited during Lent. We must begin with the highest pinnacle of society, the Court. No foreigner has any chance of ever seeing a 'Kammer Ball,' since foreign ambassadors, though representing their sovereigns' persons, are excluded; only those nobles who enjoy the Emperor's confidence' are invited, and the families of military personages attached to the court, with the dignitaries of State, if possessed of sixteen quarterings. We believe Schmerling, the first lord of the treasury, to be excluded on this account, but will not sign an affidavit on the subject. The papal nuncio, however, is admitted; and as, from his position as Roman Catholic ecclesiastic, he may not even look on dancing, the privilege, no doubt, affords him great gratification. The Bavarian minister, who represents the head of the empress's family, has also the entrée. Foreigners are, however, admitted to the Court' balls, properly so

sur

called. The 'R. & I. Redouten Saal' in the palace, where these balls are given, is a most magnificent room, about four times the size of the Throne-room in St. James' Palace, and it is always most brilliantly illuminated, on these and similar occasions, with wax candles. A balcony runs right round the room, at about half its height, from whence those who do not dance may see all the fun. An annual ball is held here, by permission of the Emperor, of a curiously characteristic nature, called the 'Bürger Ball,' or 'citizen's ball.' In Vienna all classes, trades, and occupations form themselves into Vereine,' answering in some respects to our guilds, excepting that we have no theatrical or 'fourth-estate' guild, whereas here there are such. All these different associations give one ball during the carnival; but only the Bürger and Industrial Society's balls are given in the palace. At the former all the wealthy citizens, who never are admitted into society, have the privilege of gazing at the empress, whose radiant beauty even passes that of her sister, the queen of Naples. The imperial party always visit the ball-room, and sit for an hour or so in the royal box on the balcony. The Industriellen Ball' is given by a committee of the artistic manufacturers. Tickets are obtained to these balls, on payment, by sending in your card to the committee. Here actresses and authors, telegraph clerks and merchants' daughters jostle each other in gay confusion. We observed Couqui," the prima ballerina of the opera, surrounded by a legion of admirers, all with more or less stars on their breasts, walking along on the arm of the admirer with most decorations, whilst a rich old banker, H, followed her steps, looking something like an ugly lapdog with its hair dyed, carrying her shawl and fan. The dancing is carried on to the inspiriting strains of Strauss' band. It struck us once, as a remarkable fact, that this band was always advertised to play at least in three different places on the same night, and always under the personal superintendence of

Strauss. If asked on this point, he (Strauss) might have objected, like the Irish M.P., that 'I can't be in two places at once-like a bird!' However, there are now three brothers-John, Edward, and Joseph, though only the two last lead; and these two were always advertised together. To see the elder of these two lead is really a sight refreshing to behold. His whole frame regularly keeps time to the music; far different from the unimpassioned demeanour of the estimable C. Coote, senior, whose band, for dancing purposes, is perhaps as good. During the waltzes and other fast dances, the ladies all stand together in a wide circle round the room, and the gentlemen form an inner circle about three yards off. When the music strikes up, the first gentleman walks across this space to his partner, and then dances round between the ladies and gentlemen, each successive couple going off in the same manner immediately: when they have completed one turn, they are stopped by the M. C. Thus no dancers pass each other, and order is preserved in a manner which would astonish the crowded confusion of a London ball-room, where the area of a child's hoop is considered quite space enough to dance in. In the cotillon, which was danced at the middle of the ball, and not at the end, as in England, only one figure was danced, which consisted of all the ladies-there might have been 500-joining hands, and the gentlemen ditto. Then the ladies were led through the circle of gentlemen, in rows; and at the end, the scramble for partners was amusing to behold from the gallery. The supper-room is not good-a low, mean-looking place, where you sit down and pay for what you take. There is another smaller ball-room adjoining this one, called the small 'Redouten Saal,' in which are given Gesellschafts Bälle,' or Society-balls, every fortnight. They are also termed "Pick-nic' balls; on what principle it is difficult to make out, unless it be that balls are given by night, and pic-nics by day. (Lucus,' &c.) These answer in some degree

to our almost forgotten Almack's, tickets being obtainable through lady patronesses only. The proceeds are devoted to a charitable purpose. The society of these balls is very good, the military element preponderating greatly amongst the gentlemen, as, indeed, it does on most public occasions in Vienna. The variety of uniforms, however, gives a gay appearance to the ball-room, very unlike that of a London ballroom, where the gentlemen all givå a foreigner the idea of being undertakers in a new line of business, and turned butlers. At the 'pic-nics' the dancers are not restricted to a line, but the room is never overcrowded. Prince Auersperg gave a ball in his large house, outside the inner town, to which the Court came and stayed about two hours. A magnificent marble flight of steps leads up to the drawing-rooms here. One of the rooms formed a large conservatory, which, though doubtless charming in summer, was much too cold to be entered in January. One of the many excellent military bands played the music. Polkas and Mazurkas are very favourite dances; but the Lancers are hardly ever heard of. The masked balls form a most prominent feature in the entertainments of Vienna. One Sunday we counted twenty-three balls advertised in one paper for that evening! To these, however, ladies never go, the female element being largely supplied out of the société equivoque of Vienna. Many elegant masks are to be seen at these balls; however, the 'Debardeur' element predominates largely; and higher flights of fancy were seldom attained, for fear of verging into the political, which is strictly prohibited. No gentlemen mask; and only some four or five men, who were paid to appear as pierrots, enlivened the rooms with dreary facetiousness, consisting chiefly in hitting each other on the head with flexible wands that they all carry. The balls at the 'Teater an der Wien,' that took place every Wednesday, were the best. The pit and stalls were boarded over, and the stage turned into a room, the bands being placed in the gallery. Twice a week

large masked balls were given at the Diana and Sophien Bäderbaths in summer, ball-rooms in winter-really magnificent rooms; we have nothing to compare to them, as ball-rooms, in London. In the latter, Strauss and a military band played alternately, leaving hardly any pause between the pieces. It was the Strauss brothers' custom to produce a new waltz at every guild ball, with an appropriate name. So, at the 'Bürger Ball,'' Bürger Sinn' was produced. At all these places smoking was supposed to be prohibited, but was nevertheless indulged in, as on English railways. 'Sperl' and 'Schwender's Colosseum' were two other ball-rooms of a lower order, both with two separate dancing-rooms, and both magnificent in their proportions. Each of these establishments held three balls each week. The latter answers, in summer, to our Cremorne, and is about the same distance from Vienna as that from the West End.

After

midnight, masks were generally laid aside; and the general beauty then visible was certainly only second to London loveliness, and far above that of any other European capital, though we cannot speak of that of St. Petersburg, not having seen it. To conclude our list of dancing establishments indulged in by Vienna society, we must mention those of the dancingmasters. Each of these, about six, gave small soirées about twice a week, not excluding Fridays, to which it was not unusual for the best young men' to go.

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The hours of dining are much earlier than in England. We consider ourselves lucky if we sit down by nine o'clock; but in Vienna halfpast five is the latest ever achieved in private society. The system of tables d'hôte does not obtain here, and therefore those not invited to a private dinner have to partake of that meal unsociably by themselves, unless, as is more usual, several friends agree to dine together at whatever hotel they may choose; as is almost always the case abroad, the gentlemen leave the table with the ladies, and the conversation is never prolonged, as they all hurry

off to the Opera or theatres, which begin at seven. The opera is always sung in German during the season, and is not generally blest with any first-rate singers, though Herr Wachtel, of the high chest, and Fraulein Ilma von Murska, who has appeared in London this season, sang, and very beautifully. The ballets, however, which are given twice a week, and often varied, are charming, chiefly owing to the delightful dancing of Couqui, who seems, on the stage, the very incarnation of grace. Perhaps Ferraris and Mouravieff danced as well, but Couqui is a worthy competitor to either of them. Herr Frappart, also, was always excellent in comic ballets. They occupy the whole evening; about ten different ones were given during the course of last season, one being entitled, "The Chimney Sweeps of London!' in which all the sweeps wore dresscoats with yellow facings; another was founded on 'Monte Christo,' but, unlike the play taken from the same celebrated novel, which was so long as to take two nights to act, was over at half-past nine, the usual time for the close of the various performances. The Carl Theater' is the amusing theatre of Vienna, nothing but light vaudevilles, farces, and operettas being given. La belle Hélène,' of Offenbach was produced here almost contemporaneously with Paris. The audience part of this theatre is a perfect half-circle, and the dress circle is more fashionable than the stalls. Most of the theatres have, however, an institution they call the Fremdenloge,' or foreigners' box, into which they admit any one to a separate seat, at a slightly higher rate than to the stalls. At the latter end of the season a French company made its appearance at the Wien,' but the attendance there was the reverse of encouraging.

The majority of the educated classes speak English, but they will always talk German to you if they perceive that you prefer exercising yourself in that language; unlike a Frenchman who, if he does happen to know ten words of English-a rare achievement-insists on making

himself unintelligible to you in it for the rest of the evening.

After the theatres, the men generally go off to the club, here called, rather bumptiously, Das adelige Casino,' or aristocratic club; it is, however, an extremely select one, the election being by ballot, and admittance can only be gained by a foreigner through the intervention of his ambassador, or, as was the case when we were in Vienna, Lord Bloomfield being absent, that of the Chargé d'Affaires, who at that time was Mr. Bonar, a fine specimen of an English gentleman. The rooms are large and lofty, and fitted up in the English style, with solid chairs covered with leather, &c.; a large billiard and card room takes up, nearly half the first floor of the palace (we forget its name), in which it is situated. The billiardtables are the French ones, without pockets; the chief game being the simple cannoning one. Here a good dinner may be obtained from four to seven. Smoking is allowed in all the rooms except the readingroom, which, indeed, is one of the smallest, the social German not caring very much for literature when here. After having met their friends here, the gentlemen generally go off to the parties that may be held on that evening. The foreign minister, Count Mensdorff Pouilly, held receptions every Friday, where all the society might be met with, the lady of the house receiving at her drawing-room door as in England. The beauty of the higher orders is not to be compared with that of the lower classes in Vienna, as regards the gentler sex. In walking through the town, the stranger cannot help being struck every moment by the beauty of the women. As regards the men, the features of the higher classes are cast in a greatly superior mould. The fashionable walk and drive of the Viennese, answering to Hyde Park, is the famous Prater; at Madrid the same institution is called 'El Prado.' In the depth of winter this looks very cold and bleak, with snow lying all round about three feet deep, the trees all leafless. It consists of a large wood, extending from

about a mile outside the town down to the larger branch of the Danube, with one straight road, the fashionable drive and walk, cut through it. It is, however, by no means too thickly planted with trees, and must be very lovely in summer; numerous coffee-houses were scattered up and down by the sides of the road, but all shut up. Here many sledges were seen, but they are hardly ever used in the town itself, though we saw one man driving a sledge, standing up and holding on by the reins! One of the dictates of fashion here is, that you must never be seen sitting in a one-horse fly; this is infra dig. It might sound arbitrary and dictatorial to a London ear, where our highest ambition is ahansom;' but in Vienna the two-horse cabs rather, if anything, preponderate over the one-horse vehicles. The pace they drive at is terrific, and there was always one old woman, at least, driven over daily, in the papers. The omnibuses look like relics out of the good old times, so medieval are they in appearance, though perfectly modern, in fact: they have a sort of double coupé in front and a section of omnibus behind, with one or two seats by the driver. The cabbies of Vienna sustain the reputation of their kind for mother-wit, but unlike (?) their London 'co-drivers,' they are not invariably civil. The principal tailor, Gunkel, only deals in English cloth, and makes his garments after the last approved Poole patterns, charging, however, Vienna prices, that is, if we suppose them to be considerably more than those of London. Skating is a very frequent amusement before the snow falls, and the piece of water in the 'Volk's Garten' was always crowded after midday; more adventurous spirits find fine sheets of ice for their purpose in the Prater. The zoological gardens are also situated in this Prater, but the social Sunday gatherings have not come into fashion, at least in winter. In the Volk's Garten,' Strauss gives a concert every Sunday and holiday during Carnival, in a sort of hybrid establishment, half hothouse, half restaurant, where the approved, and,