equality.  The prince has been so long in that kind of life that he probably has thought through the mistake under which the republican stranger is laboring, and considers him a goose.  Moreover, an American may reflect that he will probably have very little in life to do with princes, and that his interview with a prince has been an “experience.”  It would be about as foolish to assert one’s dignity with the Mammoth Cave or the Matterhorn.

Besides these balls and concerts there are yet the queen’s and prince of Wales’s breakfasts or garden-parties, which come off about 3 P.M.  These are the most exclusive and unattainable of all the court entertainments.  There are two or three of these in a season, and out of all London society only a couple of hundred are invited.  There are certain persons who are always invited, and others who are eligible and are invited occasionally.  A large part of the diplomatic corps are always present.  Each ambassador or minister, with one or two secretaries of legation, is invariably among the guests; but a queen’s breakfast is the highest point which a secretary of legation can touch.  No secretary ever dines with the queen:  the minister himself only goes once a year, and he “not without shedding of blood.”

The dress worn by gentlemen at these breakfasts is a curious one, and anything but pretty:  it consists of a dress-coat and light trousers.  The dress which our diplomatic representatives are now compelled to wear at the other court ceremonies and festivities needs a word of mention.  Our people in America are somewhat conceited, somewhat prone to be confident, upon questions of which they know very little.  Congress, at a distance of many thousand miles from courts, thought itself competent to decide what sort of court dress an American diplomatist should wear.  An able though crotchety man brought forward a measure, and, once proposed, it was certain to go through, because to oppose its passage would have been to be aristocratic and un-American.  Mr. Sumner’s bill required Americans to go in the “ordinary dress of an American citizen.”  There was no attempt to indicate what that should be.  Up to that time our diplomatists had worn the uniform used by the non-military diplomatists of other countries.  This consists of a blue coat with more or less gold upon it, white breeches, silk stockings, sword and chapeau.

An attempt or two had been made before by the State Department to interfere with the trappings of its servants abroad.  Marcy issued a circular requesting American diplomatists to go to court without uniform.  This afforded James Buchanan an opportunity of making one of the best speeches attributed to him.  The circular of Mr. Marcy threw consternation into the breasts of certain ancient functionaries of the European courts, for shortly after its appearance the lord high fiddlestick in waiting called upon Mr. Buchanan, who was then the United States minister in London, and