THE NETHERLANDS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2300, 31 March 1898, Page 62

THE NETHERLANDS.

9 SOCIAL LIFE Itf AMSTERDAM. By a Lady op Nkw ?hal4nd. Pcjsion h:<ik-.e, 85d Leidechekade, Am^rdara, 17th December, 1897. This has been a very gay month. First of all on the sfch of December we had the St. Nicolas, the Dutch Christmas. They kept ifc up thoroughly here, the great thing beiDg for everybody to give eversbody else presents of all kinds and sous, and to try and make them up in all kinds of amusing fashions. Sometimes there is nothing at all in the boxes, after you take off all kinds of papers and think ib is going to be something very good. They aho write verses of poetry and put them in with ail kinds of ridiculous things, and if peop'a have any special weakness they dou'fc spara them. Nobody is allowed to gefc cross, and if th°y lose tbeir temper must pay a bottle of chamj a^ae. We had greab fun getting lvady fcho thiugs, and jit was all kepb very secret. At 8 o'clock we j were all in the. dining-room sitting round the ! table, when the servant knocked and bronghfc hi | parcels addressed to the difff-nt people. Then each opened iv turn, and one gentleman read out all the poems. ' That kept; goiDg on for four houra and & half, and ifc was half-past 12 before the last parcel had .arrived Some of the things were most arousing. A Dutch girl got a wrtfcfcy box, and on opening if. found a <ii !■' dressed in blue satin and lace, with a blue bsiiiel aud white lace veil. On lif'iiig fcho v*-il there was the face of a fish — and ifc reilly was a dead fi-.h dressed to look like a doll. Ifc had not a pleasant odour, but she cub it open and found inside a beautiful ring. Her mother had sent ifc. This is, I believe, a. favourite trick. Large hampers kept arriving — one for Madame Lufckie full of champagre. half a dczin botfcJes., Ifc came first , without the key, ant? had to stay in a corner I until nearly the end of ths evening, wbea in-1 ■ side or.fi of my packets we found a letter i addressed lo Madatae Xutkie, and inside fcha key. Everybody got some nice ihings and many atnubiug tricks. I got a prefcty litfcle sec of ivory table, sofa, and chairs, prettily worked; I & case which looks like a purse, bnfc is really a travelling ink bofctle, with pec, pencils, &o. ; seme boxes- of chocolates, a pretty box for writing paper, and a buttle of scent. Then I got a Jofc of^funny things. They always tease me because say 1 Jike big, fair nitju, and aboufc the middle of the evening a servant came to say a gentleman wished to speak to me for a minute. I went into the passage, «tnd returned screaming, for there I found the biggest mau i ! have ever seen, with long, fair aioust«ches He | was capitally made of straw, and beautifully dressed in long coat, tall h'lt", giove*, bo^ts, &«. He had a mask and an eyeglass, and looked quite living. Wfc brought him into the dining room, and he stood in a cornfcr smiling afc us. They leffcLim there for several d*ys, until poor j Mr Lufckie said he could not, go out because he j wanted bis boois and bafc ; so fcapn they cut him j up. His foundation was a loag broom, the end j being his shoulders, and the real straw. There were any number of arcusmg tilings like thafc, j so we spent an eveniug doing nothing bufc laugh ; aud for me iii was very interesting, being so thoroughly Dutch. Hoi wine, puncb, and cakes wereh.anded round ai interval?. We 1 hsd only time to g?fc ov^r the St. Nicolas, when I f.here arrived fcbe 'c eot Madame — her birth iay. 1 F.">r this they give each ye^r *>, diuiser to all the 1 lodger.«, and make qnii-u a fe'.e clay oi ic. We S were cautioned during the d*y nvfc to rat too much, bufc to keep ourselves will reserved for the evening ; aad I think fcho fairifc was well given, for I never saw a. better dinner in my lii'e. An Bogiish lady here fcells me that the Dutch always warn you nob to eafc too much during the doy when ibey give a dinnerparty of that kitid. Everybody send flowers aad a lifcfcle present; fcj Madame, soms of the flowers being ma t <;niScen~. We all put on our smartest frocks itfc dinner, and there was an sir of general festivity abouf. the houss. A ' chef came for two days to cook the dinner, and everything was splendidly served. I have the menu, which was pretty, and which I will post to you. There were 17 c >urses and seven different kinds of wive. The table was very pretty, covWiid with flowers and decorated with ■ bon-bons and colourea sweets, uougat-chocolate, &c, iv little baskets ; a pheasanS iv all his glory, and lobsters ia ice. The pheasant was beautifully prepared and looked living. The vegetables were served with silver slices, and ■were decorated with lifcfcle birds and roses, utasie ftv.ra carrots and turnip*, go prefcty. We had ! sorbets hi a course, which were served iv long I jelly glasses They sre made of pine ssppla done with champagne, and I think iced. Ifc is delicious. When we had finished half fcha dinner, thafc id before the sweets and dessert, we a^jouraed to the drawing room, and took coffee. Then a little play ws£s Riven m Dutch and was very amusing. j They interpreted for me infco French. j Af fcer two or three hours we returned again fco !the dining roois, anri fciheu came the sweets, jellies, creams, ices, fruit, chocolate, &c, and the champagne. Then the speeches were given, moßfclyin Dutch, interpreted for me infco French, and I gave one its English, speaking very slowly, bufc I don't thiuk they understood half of ifc. Mi 1 Lufckie replied, and all went merry as a marriage bell. I hear that is exactly the way they give marriage dinners here — eating half and then having aa interval. Ifc seems so funny to us. I gave Madame Lutkie & pair of pretty vases of Bohemian ware. They were just like wafceriilies and very prefcty. We did nofe go to bed until half-past 2 iv the tnornins;. I can quite believe thafc^lue eld Dutch and Flemish pictures ■of feasts must have been v^ry true. Nexb day 1 (Sunday) I went fco a very fine orchestral concert with an English girl, Miss Crabb, who gives English lessons, and -whom I mebafc the German "consul's when dining there. Ifc is one of the beat orchestras iv Europe after Paris. The next day (Monday) I expected the Blouefcs, having had a letter from Claire asking me fco be at the hotel as soon as possible in the morning. I went dowD, taking some flowers, but, was very disappointed to find only "Max O'Rsll." Claire took a bad chill at the last moment and was in bed. I had planned all kinds of things for the three days they would be here, and had intended going down with them to the Hague. Ifc was such a pity. He said, •• My dear child, you will have to present me with your flowers." Then I went with him to see the Zoological Gardens, which are rather renowned, aud we wenfc fco tea afc tliß largest restaurant; here. Ifc ia, I hear, one of the ; Jargeafc on tbe Continent, having reading and U'liard rooms and a winter garden. He was very interested in some kangaroos ; we saw the lifcfcle one in its mother's pouch. He had se°.n none in Australia. I interpreted for him iv Dutch ia the trarag, &c, aud helped him with the money — which is so puzzling at firsfc. He cau'6 gefc over my speaking Dutch, and we !'■ laughed very much. We talked in French 9 most of tLe time, and he was surprised afc the 1 '#ff'.;g£@3S I had made, He told Claire wiioa

wfiiiag that ifc was worth coming to Holland to hear me speak Dutch. I put him safely in his tram to go back to the note], and arranged to go with him next morning to the Picture Gallery. He Raw that in the inorntng, and went • to Ar..hc-m in the afternoon to give his lecture. ! His lfv-'ure here was the next day (Wed- . r.tsdiiy), and he kindly invited me to dine with him at the hotel and go to the lscfcure with him,", which was very nice. There waa a supper given for him afterwards by the committee, so I arranged to mest an Am ; rican clergyman and his wife and return with them. Tne lecture was on John Ball, Sandy, and Pat. It was a great succets, all thp best Dutch people being there, and there was great applause. He described New Zealand, and said ifc was the most beautiful country in the world, and gave au , account of Scotch DunediD, and of the China1 men having to take the prefix of " Mac " to i make a living. He smiled over at me when he spoke of New Zealand. I think he mentioned ib to please me. Yesterday he left for the Hague, where b- lectured Ixsb night. A supper was to be given for him by the English Ambassador. On ! Friday he lectures at Rotterdam, and en Saturday returns to London. I sent a few little pieces j of china to Claire and Madame Blouefc. The English clergyman," Me Thompson, called on me, and also the wife of a dear old -American minister, who is here making historical researches. 3lr Thocapeon is a young man and Scotch. He is lodgii-g in the s tmo house as the Americans, and if; is quiie near here, which is very trice for inc. Mr Cof win told mo Napolaon wrote a religious treatise when at St. Helena, and ha wondered if father knew anything of ifc. Heis anxious to findout. Hereminds me of Oliver Wendell Holmea. On Sunday there is a musical festival for Christmas »nd I am going with Mrs Corwia. Tne Dutch don't keep Christrna-s. On Tuesday I am giving a small evening, very smalJ, as an- room is nob spacious. I think of turning the bedroom, which opens out of the , other room, into a saloon bus will see. Only | Mr »url MrS Corwio, Mr Thompson, Miss j Crabb, and Mrs Bifirafceeker and her husband, an English lady married to a Dutchman. We Bhall fiiily talk, and I will show them my phofcoß, &c. Ism going to give a ten., and ask Sljsb Bosotaworfch, who lives with the German <jon•sul. She never goes oub at. iiighfc. I like the idea of going to Icaly. Gagliardi being there would make all the difference. I am having a tew riding lessons het'e. Thera is a capital ' school, a kind of private club ; only 4? 6d a lesson. It is very dear ia London — 10s 6d, I think. The weather still keeps fine. To-day is beautiful. While "Max O'Rell" wa3 here it iva? very wet, but we have had no cold weather. The houses are so comfortable that one does not feel ifc. I have a stove which keeps burning night and day, foe which I only pay 6d a day, so my rooms are always warm, it is a new method, partly open and more healthy than the old kind. Ifc is not much trouble to servants, for they only clean ifc once a week and rlon'fc have to lighfc ifc in the morning, aad there ia no dust. I am spending ray mornings in the picture galleries here. There is a great deal to I see. . ...