1825.) 
A gentleman, or lady, introduciay 
a friend to breakfast ......-. 0716 
— dinner......... 0 26 
liincl?. 2303 69.0% BO IO 
—— tea...... OE 0 
Ox13'6 
Bed-room fire, if required ...... 
_ WINTER CARD :— 
From the \st of October to the \st of June. 
A bed-room and board, per week £2 2 0 
Ditto, with a sitting-room...... 2170 
Ditto for two, if occupying one 
bed-room only.........+.-.- 4 10 0 
A double-bedded room for two, 
BE BOOTED wie a) «5,5 «1s oe ose. oe) =< 4 00 
Friend introduced to breakfast... 0 1 6 
——__-———— dinner .... 0 40 
TER. 2) eis r= TG 
Fire in sitting-room, per week .. 0 50 
Ditto in bed-room ........ 0 40 
PSUNPICHITEB ia). <4 o)s/ct. «if tse +A PROLOG, 
Servant’s board and lodging, per 
WEEK .. cera s'e's © eyesore aes oi oe 10 
These charges, of course, do not in- 
clude wine; but nothing can be more 
reasonable, considering the great excel- 
lence of the accommodations. Indeed, 
there is no place where pleasure and 
gaiety can be procured upon more 
moderate terms than they can here,—I 
mean, of course, in our own country: 
nor is there any place in the whole 
world, where the amusements resulting 
from them are so well-arranged and 
conducted. “The goddess of pleasure,” 
to use the words of a simple annalist, 
“has selected this city as the place of 
her principal residence. Here, she dis- 
plays all the variety of fascinating forms 
that elegant dissipation can suggest; the 
most fashionable train of resplendent 
amusements are ever obedient to her 
dictates; fancy is always on the wing, 
to supply her with every elegancy that 
can command esteem, or excite admira- 
tion; and curiosity introduces to her 
court all the admirers of social gaiety: 
so that, at present, her throne is raised 
to a height of grandeur that can scarcely 
be paralleled.’ Now, bombastical as 
this is, there is really some truth in it; 
and although, of late years, there has 
been a considerable “ falling-off”’ in the 
attendance of company during the sea- 
son, the last season was a very brilliant 
one. 
I have alluded to the reasonable rate 
at which pleasure can be purchased 
here. What think you of the following 
regulations ? 
“ That a subscription of £1. 10s. to the 
dress-balls shall entitle the subscriber to 
three tickets every buall-night (there are 
twenty-two balls in the season), one for the 
Letters from the West of England. 
127 
subscriber, not transferable, and two for 
ladies. A subscription of 15s. shall entitle 
the subscriber to one ticket, not transfer- 
able.” 
“ That a subscription of £1 to the cotil- 
lion balls (of which there are twenty-five) 
shall entitle the subscriber to one ticket 
every ball-night. This ticket is not trans- 
ferable.”’ 
“That every person, on admission to 
these rooms on ball-nights, shall pay str- 
pence for their tea.” * 
Those who are willing to enjoy these 
advantages, must, of course, pay implicit 
obedience to the code of rules, which 
regulates these formal pastimes. They 
must bow to the dictates of the Master 
of the Ceremonies, who is as complete 
a monarch here, as the proudest poten- 
tate is upon the throne of his ancestors; 
whose sway extends over the region of 
pleasure, with unlimited power ; whose 
word is a law, and whose nod is annihi- 
lation. The foundation of this despo- 
tism may be fairly traced to the tran- 
scendent impudence and abilities of the 
celebrated Beau Nash, “ under whose 
auspices,” says the luminous historian 
already quoted, “ Bath quickly emerged 
from that obscurity in which it had 
been hidden for ages, to splendour, ele- 
gance and taste.” 
"Of a verity, this same Nash was as 
complete a despot as an African fiend 
of Ashantee. When the Duchess of 
Queensberry appeared at the dress-ball 
in an apron, he deliberately commanded 
her to take it off; observing, as he 
threw it to the attendants, that there 
was no regulation by which house-maids 
were admitted to the balls. And when 
the Princess Amelia applied to him for 
one more dance after eleven o’clock, he 
refused,—assuring her, that the laws of 
Bath were, like those of Lycurgus, un- 
alterable. 7 
The influence which this firmness, 0 
his government, gave him, in the little 
world of Bath, was unbounded ; and 
Nash took care to preserve and increase 
it by a considerable affectation of splen- 
dour in his dress and equipage,—aware 
that external appearance has a powerful 
and visible effect on the greatest part 
of mankind,—the weak and the proud, 
namely; and that the wise and the good 
are not quite insensible to it. Consist- 
ently with this just view of human 
nature, his house was richly furan ; 
is 
* These are the subscriptions to the New 
Assembly-rooms : those to the Kingston 
Rooms are somewhat less. 
