224 ST. HELENA 



with full green velvet, and edged with a gold-coloured silken twist 

 to correspond. The green silk forms a fine ground for the border, 

 and the style, in fitting up the upholstery, is chaste and simple ; 

 the curtain rings are concealed under a matted gold cornice, en- 

 closing the rod on which they run. The supporters are gilt and 

 carved patras, and the green velvet folds form into the architecture 

 of the room by falling in straight lines at each side of the windows, 

 where they draw smooth and compact, without interrupting the 

 progress of two useful, but often excluded, properties of nature 

 air and light. 



The centre table is formed out of one piece of exquisitely veined 

 British oak, polished in the very highest degree of perfection. 



The pier table is of the same timber and quality, inlaid with a 

 slab of the verd-antique marble of Mona (the only place in which 

 this precious material is now found), and surmounted by a pier- 

 glass with a frame of Buhl and ebony. The chairs in this apart- 

 ment correspond with the table. There are also two Greek sofas 

 with footstools ; these are particularly elegant, being enriched 

 with highly finished ormolu ornaments. The carpets are of the 

 Brussels texture in shades of olive, brown and amber colours 

 finely calculated to harmonize with the decorations in the room. 

 The walls are of light tints of sage green, with beautiful ornamented 

 panels in arabesque gold. The colours ascend from the darker 

 shades upon the ground till they are lost in the cream colour of the 

 ceiling. This produces a harmony in the decorations, which is 

 in the highest degree elegant. One of the drawing-room recesses 

 is filled up with a pianoforte, and a few tasteful chandeliers and 

 candelabra are occasionally introduced with a pleasing effect. 



The dining-room. A neatly finished table, supported by sub- 

 stantial claw and pillars, capable of being divided, to suit a company 

 of from six to fourteen. The sideboard intended for the Imperial 

 plate is of a new form, pure and simple in its construction and 

 decoration. The wine-cooler is of bronze and rich wood, and 

 shaped after the fashion of the Greek bacchanalian vases. The 

 chairs are plain. The curtains are of lavender-coloured silk, with 

 a rich black border, relieved by a gold-coloured silk lace and cord. 

 The carpet and walls are shaded with the same colours, falling into 

 a black and brown relief ; the latter, in various hues, pervades 

 the room. 



The library is fitted up in the Etruscan style, with a number 

 of dwarf bookcases. The curtains are of a new material, composed 

 of cotton, which produces the appearance of fine cloth. The 

 library table is particularly elegant, and mechanical ingenuity 

 has been laboriously applied to furnish it with desks and drawers 

 suited to every convenience of study and accommodation. 



The sitting-room is fitted up with several cabinets formed of 

 ebony, inlaid with polished brass ; the carpets are ethereal blue, 

 intermingled with black. 



The bed-room contains a high canopy bedstead, with curtains of 

 fine straw-coloured muslin and lilac draperies of Persian ; the 



