"At ten, the upper flight of rooms open, which consist of two large rooms, besides a very large ball room, furnished, and hung, in the most superb taste, with an exceeding good band of music in an orchestra erected at the upper end, and rows of benches, down the sides, placed one above the other. In this room they dance country dances, but no minuets at all.
"At half-past eleven, the company in general repair to tea, and have small round tables for their separate parties.
"At twelve, the Cotillion gallery opens, with another range of seven rooms underground, which, from the vast variety of furniture and ornaments, the grandeur, and magnificence, of some, the elegant simplicity of others, together with the amazing beauty of the lights, one of the principal excellencies of the whole, form a view, on descending a perpendicular flight of stairs most sumptuously, and pleasingly, striking.
"In these lower range of rooms, the company finish the evening, the young in dancing cotillions, the others in looking on; for there are no cards, nor gaming, of any kind. At one, the company begin to separate, and continue going till four, but the major part break up about two."
By which set of rules we see that Madame Cornelys, started her establishment in the strictest propriety, whatever became of it afterwards; and these rules were strictly carried out. The rooms, on off nights, were used for other purposes; for instance, she, knowing the power of the class, gave a servants' ball; and the Old Westminster scholars held their Anniversary Meeting in her rooms.
Her prosperity excited envy, and many were the rumours set afloat, to her detriment. For instance, in 1766, it was said she owed her late cook £50, and that she had run away from her ruined creditors, to France, with many thousand pounds.
She had to contradict these reports, and said that she had, within thirteen months, spent £11,000, on the house, &c.
Concerts, both instrumental and vocal, were given at Carlisle House, and the tickets for them, which survive, are very beautiful, many of them being drawn by Cipriani, and engraved by Bartolozzi.
The Royal Family used to patronise her soirées, as did also the King of Denmark, when he visited England in 1768.
Early in 1770, she gave her first Masquerade, which immediately lowered the tone of her establishment, and was the precursor of her downfall. This was under the patronage of the "Tuesday Night's Club," and the Dukes of Gloucester, and Cumberland—besides numbers of the aristocracy of both sexes, were present, and it was a very brilliant affair.