welcome. The dresses were d'une magnificence
enchantée, and everything passed off
delightfully. Even an awkward matter of
etiquette (something of the sort seemed to be
in wait for members of the congress at every
turn) was turned by the polished Count to so
much social capital. With so many stately
personages present, who was to go first? Who
was to be led out first for the minuet? The
Count disposed of the matter very happily by
requesting a young nobleman to select a
partner, and commence dancing at once.
Thus was the ball, as it were, accidentally
opened, and no one's dignity was wounded.
Not till five o'clock next morning did the
unwearied Plenipos bethink them of turning
homeward.

But, there was yet more to come. The
Count de Tarouca, having so gracefully
performed his part in the round of pleasure,
gave place to his colleague, Don Louis
d'Acunha, who threw open his salons that
very night for a grand bal-masqué. This
species of entertainment had never been
witnessed in the sober city of Utrecht, and
was looked forward to with extraordinary
curiosity. Even the tailors and milliners had
to be initiated into the mysteries of masks
and dominos, having never heard of such
gear till then. The result was a brilliant
festival, perfectly dazzling by the multitude
and variety of the dresses. The fascinating
duchess was of course present, figuring in the
strange character of Scaramouche, which
may be likened to the modern débardeur
costume; while Madame Denhof, with far
better taste, appeared in a simple Spanish
dress.

Still, this was not enough. These great
entertainments were a little overgrown—
perhaps too crowded; and it was thought
that a series of small fêtes, given only to a
select few, would be less constrained, and fill
up the dead portion of the week pleasantly.
Accordingly, the first of these little re-unions
took place, in a few days, at Count Denhof's,
and the amusements of the evening was a
grown-up children's play, known as the
Gâteau des Rois, which seems to have
resembled our Twelfth-night games. That
grave senator, my Lord Comte de Strafford,
was chosen king, and selected the pleasure-
seeking duchess for his queen. Twenty people
exactly assisted at this little gathering, and
it was ingeniously suggested that each
member of the clique should entertain the rest
in his turn. So admirable an idea was not
allowed to fall to the ground; and, before
separating, an heir to the crown, in the person
of the Roman minister, was chosen, who was
to be the hero of the next Gâteau des Rois.
Even the polished Abbé de Polignac, and my
Lord Évêque de Bristol, contributed their
share to the merry-making. A few days
later, the gallant Tarouca, not content with
his previous exertions, must needs throw
open his great pavilion for another high
festival. So the round of pleasure and of
mumming went on.

Perhaps it was while performing Gâteaux
des Rois with Madame Marckchal and other
diplomatic syrens, that my Lord Comte de
Strafford was seduced into consenting to
terms, long afterwards held to be shameful and
discreditable to England.

During another fête given by Count
Denhof, and which did not break up till
long past midnight, a stroke of business
was effected. It was noted that late in
the night, the Abbé de Polignac and Count
Zizendorf had withdrawn together into the
recesses of a window, and had there
communed for a space of some three hours. It
was further discovered that my Lord Comte
de Strafford had disappeared about midnight,
and was proved to have gone away in the
Dutch minister's coach, to my Lord Évêque
de Bristol's, whence he had not departed till
three o'clock in the morning. Very important
matters were concluded during this vigil:
nothing less than a renewed guarantee for
the succession to the English Crown, and
Barrier Treaty betwixt England and Holland.
Of such importance was this night's work
held to be, that Le Sieur Harrison was sent
away at early dawn, bearing despatches for
the English Court. More fêtes succeeded, the
unwearied Count Tarouca striking in again
and again, with ball and masquerade,
whenever there were symptoms of flagging. At
last, news arrived of the death of the King
of Prussia, which event prematurely cut
short the festivities.

In this fashion did the famous Utrecht
Treaty come to be signed, exactly one
hundred and forty-four years ago.

   TWO MILLIONS OF TONS OF SILVER.

THE future historian of Great Britain will
doubtless relate, among the fashions of the
nineteenth century, the rise and progress of
aquariums,—how ladies, grown weary of
buying and losing and rebuying their cats
and dogs, drowned their sorrows in salt-water
and transferred their affections to a lively
shrimp. But while they are exploring the
living wonders of the deep, scientific men
have been ransacking the sea for treasures, if
not as interesting, at least as valuable as the
beautiful zoophytes; and their experiments
have led them to the conclusion that the
ocean holds dissolved two million tons of
silver.

To three French chemists the discovery is
due. They took gallons of water from the
coast of St. Malo, a few leagues from land,
and analysed it in two ways. A portion of
the water they acted upon by the usual tests
for silver; and the presence of the precious
metal was clearly ascertained. The remainder
of the water they evaporated; and the
salt they obtained, they boiled with lead.