but it is not yet so generally adopted as various rich kinds of silk. That called gros de Tours, is the richest, and the most decidedly fashionable. The skirts of dresses are of an excessive and unbecoming width, and without trimming in general; there are, however, a few exceptions, one of which we shall presently notice. The forms of corsages have not altered, but we think that those en demi cœur are not quite so much worn. Long sleeves of blond lace, over short and excessively wide beret sleeves, of the material of the dress, are now so generally adopted in full dress, that except for ball dress, we do not see any others. The exception noticed above, is a dress that appeared at a late splendid evening party; it is composed of granite watered satin. Plain corsage, cut very low, and trimmed with blond lace in the new mantilla style, that is to say, with draperies which descend on each side of the front. Short sleeves of unusual shortness, forming a single beuffant, under the blond lace long ones, which were en gigot, of the same pattern as the draperies of the mantilla, but in three rows of bouquets, very large at top, and descending gradually towards the wrist in a smaller pattern. The trimming of the skirt consisted of a wreath of plain satin oak leaves, of a very large size; they were placed immediately above the hem, at regular distances, each leaf was bordered with narrow blond lace, and issued

from a small rosette, formed of ends of riband, also to correspond.

Ball dress is of a very rich description for grand parties; the most strikingly elegant are those of plain gauze, with a corsage draped à la Sevigné, in front, and finished round the back and shoulders with a trimming en pelerine, of the same material, embroidered in gold and silver flowers, with green silk foliage. A nœud de page of gauze riband, spotted either with gold or silver, adorns the short sleeve, and being placed exactly in the centre, forms it into two distinct puffs. The trimming of the skirt consists of a wreath of flowers, embroidered to correspond with the corsage; it goes round the back and part of the front of the skirt immediately above the hem, but ascends in the drapery style on the right side, nearly half way to the corsage, where it terminates in a bouquet à la Jardinière.

The Grecian coiffure is still the most fashionable for ball head-dresses. Dress hats, composed of velvet or crape, with small brims and crowns much on one side, are in great request for full dress. Some are decorated by a single ostrich feather, attached under the brim by a diamond agruffe, and winding in a serpentine direction round the crown others are adorned with esprits. The colours most in request are pensée, crimson, murron, slate-colour, green, all the shades of aventurine, and all the bright shades of rose.

BIRTHS.

Ar Scarborough, the lady of Frederick Robert Crowder, Esq. of a daughter. In Belgrave Square, the lady of J. W. Lyon, Esq. of a son.

MARRIAGES.

At St. Mary's Church, Islington, Mr. John Hill, of the Coal Exchange, to Elizabeth, daughter of the late Mr. John Duke, of Montrose. At Caterham Church, C. J. Roberts, Esq. M. D. of New Bridge Street, to Marianne, youngest daughter of Mr. Pinder Simpson, of Old Burlington Street. At Aston Church, Mr. L. W. Clark, of Great Charles Street, Birmingham, to Mary, second daughter of Mr. G. Mewis, of Lichfield Street, of the same place. At Beddington, by the Rev. J. B. Ferrers, Henry Thomas Estridge, Esq. youngest son of the late Joseph Estridge, Esq. of Carshalton Lodge, and graudson to John Taylor, Esq. of Carshalton Park, to Mary, youngest daughter of George Loraine, Esq. of Wal

lington, in Surrey. At St. George the Martyr, by the Rev. Robert Armitage, the Rev. Brathwaite Armitage, eldest son of Whaley Armitage, Esq. Moraston, Herefordshire, to Ann Susanna, eldest daughter of the late John Longden, Esq. Queen Square, Bloomsbury.

DEATHS.

John Hopton, Esq. of Barnsbury Street,. Islington. In Bryanston Street, aged 53, of inflammation on the chest, Eliza, wife of Lieutenant-General Campbell Callander, deeply lamented. In Kepple Row, Newington Green, Mr. William Masters, aged 76, much respected. At Leamington, Elizabeth, Dowager Countess of Darnley. Stephen Parrell, Esq. of Deptford, Kent, aged 69, much regretted by his family. Mr. John Keylock, of Lower Ashley Terrace, Bristol. At her house in Sloane Street, deeply regretted, Lady Harvey, widow of the late Sir Ludford Harvey.

WERE it not for the occasional success of pretenders, the almost unerring predictions of such men as Lilly, Moore, Bacon, or Coombs, would never be credited; not that I would be supposed by that remark to advocate the cause of fortune-tellingfar from it-for I think nothing more ridiculous than a belief in the capability of a few miserable old women to dive into futurity, and bring that to light which it was evidently the design of an All-wise Providence to keep hidden. But it must certainly be allowed that the men whose names are above mentioned, owing to their extensive powers of observation, their secret means of obtaining information, added to many other, unknown sources, acquired by their keen pene tration, and other qualities, a celebrity that was somewhat dangerous when opposed to the weak faith of the multitude, who are ever ready to credit the marvellous in preference to what common sense dictates as the more natural view of the question. Taking these things into consideration, it is not to be wondered at that they were in general pretty accurate in their prognostications. But how are we to account for the fact when persons reared in a foreign land, without the necessary education to enable them to direct the powers of their minds to the acquirement of that discrimination and coolness of judgment indispen

FEB. 1832.

Julius Cæsar.

sable for the purpose of extracting the information which will serve as a clue to the fulfilment of their predic tions, and who are afterwards brought into a strange country, amongst a strange people, and there foretel with accuracy occurrences of which they could have no previous intimation. Thus it was in the case of the gipsy's prediction of Josephine's future advancement to the throne of France,* and in several similar instances, which have been too respectably authenticated to admit of a doubt.

It is to illustrate one of these remarkable occurrences that the following tale is introduced, the leading incident of which is true.

"

Some few years ago I made a short excursion into the north of England, accompanied by my friend Mr. Lennord Bartlett. Having surveyed many of its varied beauties, we at length arrived at the little, bustling, smoky town of North Shields. "And now, said my friend, wiping his mouth with a napkin, by way of conclusion to a hearty dinner, "where shall we stroll for a little fresh air ?"-"Towards Tynemouth," I replied, "as it will be unpardonable to return to London without having explored its magnificent ruins."--" Allons donc," returned my friend, taking his hat and stick, an example which I speedily followed, and away we went.

There is nothing very remarkable

H

along the road (a mile and a half in length) necessary to be traversed between North Shields and Tynemouth; but at its termination is a small square house with a red front, a row of trees on each side, and an oak at the back, the wide spreading branches of which extend over the roof, and some three yards beyond it; where a little goldenhaired, blue-eyed girl, with cheek and lip that would shame a cherry, serves you, in a portly earthen ware jug, with ale to which nectar itself could bear no comparison. To pass the place without tasting were a sin, as the old ballad has it; consequently, in we trudged, and seating ourselves in a clean, well-sanded room, three sides of which boasted in all of nine windows, called for a pitcher of their celebrated beverage Whilst we were discussing its merits, a couple of sturdy fellows, with red cuffs and collars to their coats, and gold-laced hats, entered, leading between them a young man of about eight-and-twenty, whose hands were pinioned to his sides with rope. There was something out of the common way in his appearance. He was dark complexioned, had thick curly black hair, whiskers, and mustaches; his attire was of the coarsest and plainest description, but clean and whole; and as he wore no vest, his bosom displayed a shirt, the whiteness of which strongly contrasted with his swarthy skin. The opening of this was fastened with a large gold brooch, and his ears were decked with rings of the same metal. His eyes were large, black, and brilliant; his features regularly formed, if not handsome; and his figure slight, and even elegant, in its formation.

"A dusty day, your honours," said one of the constables, (for such they were,) wiping his brow, and eyeing our tankard wistfully.

"Very true," I replied, filling him a glass of its contents, by way of bribe for information with regard to his prisoner.

"We've had a warm job of it," said the second constable, edging up to the table.

"Of what?" asked Lennord, offering a brimmer.

"After this vagaroon gipsy fellow,

your honour," replied he, quaffing off the liquor.

"What is his offence?" inquired I. "Offence, your honour! offence! Ax any bairn in all Northumberland, and they'll aye be telling you he kens folks fortins.'

"And is that all?"

"That all, your honour! that all! Why, he's given us more trouble to click haud o' him, than all the rest of his vagabond crew put thegither."

"That may be; but I wish to know what crime he has committed?"

"Crime, your honour! crime ! Ha'ant he been setting forth that if ever the French beat us we shall ha' a foreign king?"

"Well friend," responded I," and that certainly will be the case if we are such fools as to let them beat us; and, arguing upon the same plan, this young fellow stands a fair chance of punishment for his folly in suffering himself to be caught by two persons so unfitted, by good living, to keep up with him in a race.'

"Heart o' my soul," exclaimed the gipsy, breaking silence, "a porker might as well strive to pursue a hare as they me; but each had a surefooted horse betwixt his legs;—yet even then I should have escaped had they not surprised me asleep near Tynemouth Abbey, and deprived me of my pistols."

"You must be a dangerous character, if it be your usual habit to carry fire-arms about you."

"I have been but a short time in England," replied the young man, "and know little of its customs, though I have experienced one to-day which I should never have expected to exist in a Christian country.'

"And what is that?"

Why, sir, after thus binding me with vile hemp, they dragged me along the road, stopping to drink at every public-house, and refusing to suffer me even to moisten my parched lips with a draught of water."

I was shocked at this, and immediately proffered him the jug, and requested his captors to loosen his wrists for a few moments. They readily complied, but no sooner were the gipsy's hands at liberty, than, darting