The Patriarchs' Ball: February 9, 1880

 The Most Brilliant Social Entertainment of the Season

At Delmonico's last night the Patriarchs gave another of those brilliant private balls which have formed such a marked feature of the fashionable season. The society, now in its seventh year, was originally founded for the purpose of giving social entertainments of undoubted tone and exclusiveness, and embraces in its membership some 45 or 50 gentlemen from the higher social circles in the City. Their entertainments have, during the last seven years, become as celebrated for elegance of detail as the Philadelphia assemblies. The floral decorations are always fine. They were peculiarly so last evening, probably following the universal taste for floral display that has been one of the features of the season.

A distinctive trait of the entertainment last night was the mellowness of the illumination, which was relieved of the unpleasant glare so fatiguing to the eye at many a ball, and so impairing to the effect of toilets. This was produced by the use of imported porcelain globes, tinted with pink. The special feature of the ball was the opening at 10:30 with an old-fashioned quadrille, one that has not been danced in this City since the famous occasion when the Prince of Wales opened an entertainment with Mrs. Morgan, the wife of the ex-Governor. Only the original members of the society participated. The couples were arranged as follows: Mr. Ward McAllister and Mrs. William Astor, and Mr. August Belmont and Mrs. F.G.D'Hauteville, Col. De Lancey Kane and Mrs. Philip Schuyler, and Mr. Meredith Howland and Mrs. George Griswold Gray, Mr. James P. Kernochan and Mrs. Maturin Livingston, and Mrs. Buchanan and Mrs. Blight of Philadelphia. Mr. Paul Forbes and Mrs. William Bliss and Mr. William Cruger Pell, Commodore and Mrs. Baldwin, and Mrs. Rutherford, Mr. Townsend Burden and Mrs. Buchanan Winthrop and Mr. N.M. Beckwith and Mrs. James P. Kernochan. Mr. W.W. Phipps and Mrs. R. Irving and Mr. F.G. d'Hauteville and Mrs. Delancey Kane.

At 12:30 o'clock the supper was served in the restaurant on the first floor, fronting on Fifth-avenue, and, at the same time, the large supper-room above was thrown open. Last night was the first occasion upon which both have been necessary to the accommodation of the guests. At 1:30 dancing was resumed, Col. De Lancy Kane leading in the cotillion with Mrs. F.G. D'Hauteville, and from that hour until 3 o'clock, when the guests began to order their carriages the ball room presented a scene of surpassing brilliancy.

 Among the distinguished people present were Mr. and Mrs. William Astor, Mr. and Mrs. August Belmont, Mr. and Mrs. William Waldorf Astor, Mr. and Mrs. C.G. Francklyn, Mr. and Mrs. N.M. Beckwith, Mayor Edward Cooper and wife, Mr. and mrs. Frederic Bronson, Mr. and Mrs. Smith Clift, Mr. and Mrs. William Gihon, Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Edwards, Mr. and Mrs. J.N.A. Griswold, Mr. and Mrs. James W. Gerard, Mr. and Mrs. Meredith Howland, Mr. and Mrs. George Griswold Haven, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Garner, Mr. and Mrs. F.G. D'Hauteville, Mr. and Mrs. George Peabody Wetmore, Mr. and Mrs. Rutherford Stuyvesant, Mr. and Mrs. Ward McAllister, Mr. and Mrs. Maturin Livingston, Mr. and Mrs. Royal Phelps, Mr. and Mrs. William Cruger Pell, Mr. and Mrs. W.W. Phipps, Mr. and Mrs. Edwin A. Post, Mr. and Mrs. William Octhout, Mr. and Mrs. Johnston Livingston, Mr. and Mrs. Pierre Lorillard, Col. and Mrs. De Lancey Kane, Mr. and Mrs. James P. Kernochan, Mr. and Mrs. George F. Jones, Mr. and Mrs. Adrian Iselin, Mr. and Mrs. John W. Hamersley, Mr. and Mrs. Clarkson N. Potter, Mr. and Mrs. George L. Rives, Mr. and Mrs. William Schermerhorn, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Suydam, Mr. and Mrs. Brockholst Cutting, Mr. and Mrs. Charles E. Strong, Mr. and Mrs. William R. Travers, Mr. and Mrs. E.N. Tailer, Mr. and Mrs. William Turnbull, Mr. and Mrs. George Henry Warren, Mr. and Mrs. Buchanan Winthrop, Mr. and Mrs. Charles H. Berryman, Mr. and Mrs. I. Townsend Burden, Mr. and Mrs. Frederic W. Stevens, Mr. and Mrs. Frederic Post, Mr. and Mrs. Louis C. Hamersley, Mr. and Mrs. Marshall O Roberts, Mrs. Paran Stevens, Mr. and Mrs. Howard Potter, and Mr. and Mrs. E.W. Stoughton.

Among the young gentlemen and distinguished foreigners present were Mr. George Cavendish Bentinck, of England; Mr. Mackintosh, of England; the Marquis de Talleyrand Perigord, Mr. Edward Everett, of Boston; Mr. Arthur Kennedy, Mr. Lispenard Stuart, Mr. Martin Van Buren, Mr. Perry Belmont, Mr. Granville Kane, Mr. Gerald Hoyt, Mr. H. W. Halleck, Mr. Thomas Maitland, Mr. Walter Kingsland, Mr. Campbell Stuart, Mr. C. French, of England; Mr. Carroll Bryce, and Mr. Oakley Rhinelander. Among the noted belles of society were Miss Garner, Miss Cunard, Miss Berryman, the Misses Livingston, Miss Bulkley, Miss Kernochan, Miss Frick, of Baltimore; Miss Astor, the Misses Whiting, Miss Beckwith, Miss Stuart, and the Misses Carroll.

The toilets of the ladies were magnificent. There were in all 350 guests.