a stray cookery-book, and I remarked that || mits us a member of an aristocracy of senshe trod very heavily upon the floor cloth. || timent, and we enter with all reverence The "little-ones" too were by no means Cupids but it is idle to expect wings in the nineteenth century; and I have no doubt the poet's dog, when he bit me at the gate, was a true philosophic dog, with a proper sense of the vanities of human flesh. It has been said, on the authority of one or two " modern instances," that poets may be known by their feet: this may be very true in their verses; but, as I have seen it somewhere intimated, they may be better characterized by an aptitude of dress. Leigh Hunt, I imagine, disdains any thing below pea-green; Wordsworth philosophizes in “sober grey," with a peach-colour lining; Moore sparkles in claret-colour; and the Laureat wraps him in the pedantry of black, with edgings of gold lace.

ال

into his inspired religion: conducted by him, we cast a Parthian look through the vista of genius, of whatever clime or complexion, even up to Moses-beholding shapes and colours, all equally beautiful and fantastic, yet all different. We see Homer and Milton blind, who, without eyes, saw more than a hundred "Arguses— we desery Virgil with his pipe, and fancy we hear him playing upon it: the pen, the chisel, and the palette are alike visible. There is nothing that we do not (or might not) see-from the arrow in the heel of Achilles to the rusty nail between the feeble fingers of the captive of Sterne. With him we traverse plains and cities, || from the Parthenon and the Pyramids, to the country of Robert Burns, of Wilkie, and Sir Walter.

But chiefly I love the poets for the freshness with which they have painted the female character. Admire the heroines of their pages, with eyes bluer than the heaven which they belong to, and feet that might out-glass-slipper Cinderella's. Whether an epigram or an epic poem be the more difficult achievement, I cannot resolve:

After all, who will be senseless enough to confess that he does not owe something to the poets? Who has not found, among their caprices and complaints, some warm and pleasurable feeling, that has peopled the haunts of memory with kind and gentle images? It is not alone in sorrow and in darkness that the poet's light and glory may be known: he stands like a rainbow, spanning the dark sea" of ages, and call-but sure I am that the task most difficult ing together a multitude of beauties and expressions from the ever-shifting features of time. He is the St. Peter of imagination, and keeps the key of genius. He ad1 las ond yr szolgd £ve and

will be, to celebrate, în fitting terms, the praises of men, by whom so many amiable and happy feelings have been awakened in the world.

Original Poetry.

b.

Records of the Beau Monde.

FASHIONS FOR OCTOBER, 1825.

EXPLANATION OF THE PRINTS OF THE FASHIONS.

No. 1.-EVENING FULL DRESS. OVER a white satin slip a dress of tulle, ornamented at the border with two broad puckerings of the same material: the fulness of these puckerings confined by rouleau-straps of white satin, and each puckering headed by an ornamented satin rouleau: on the right side a half chaplet of large full-blown roses. Circassian body, with short sleeves, moderately full, and ornamented with satin straps in bias. Hair arranged in the newest Parisian style, in curls and light bows; with a full-blown rose over the right temple.. A beautiful plume of white feathers surmounts the whole, playing in various directions. Necklace and ear-rings composed of pearls and rubies. Bracelets worn over the gloves, of the same costly materials, and clasped with one very large ruby.

No. 2, PROMENADE DRESS. HIGH dress of murrey-coloured gros, de Naples, with five broad bias folds round the border. Sleeves remarkably wide, and confined at the wrist by a broad bar of gold. Double pelerine collar of embroidered muslin, trimmed with Urling's lace. Sash of broad rich ribbon, the same colour as the dress, with moderately long ends in front, fastened with an embossed gold buckle. Pamela hat of white gros de Naples, ornamented with white figured ribbon, and a half wreath of full-blown roses: the hat fastened under the chin with lappets of Japanese gauze edged round with blond. Scarf of white cachemire, with a variegated border.

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS

ON

FASHIONS AND DRESS. MANY have asserted, that in this month there is a total stagnation of fashion; and certainly the subject does not afford the diversity that is to be found in those months when the town is full, and inven

tion on the alert. Yet, at this time, devoted to rural retirement, a new fashion is seized with avidity, and every change in costume is regarded and described with attention: the illustrations of the toilet become more finished models of elegance; and, from various authentic sources, we present remarks, in the full assurance that they will be found worthy of notice,

We are obliged to employ many technical terms belonging to the toilet. Every subject has, or ought to have, its peculiar style; the ladies of France have dressed well for many years, and deserve to be imitated; therefore, we must sometimes use French terms; and as the French language is now generally cultivated, very few can be at a loss to know "what sort of a colour terre d'Egypte was;" which, according to our notions of euphony, sounds much better than Egyptian earth, or mud. Canezou is also preferable to the "lengthy" phrase

a spencer with a drawn body." We do not make the fashions: invented by the first fashionists, and adopted by the higher orders, we content ourselves with describing them.

The weather has been so delightful that, though crape shawls, both of the Chinese and Cyprus kind, with summer silk pelisses, are adopted for walking, yet many ladies in their carriages wear over their white dresses only a fichu-pelerine, of ruby and emerald-green ribbon, with long ends in front, and a sash of the same, but narrower, round the waist. Sometimes these elegant articles are of etherial blue ribbon, richly figured; and they are then worn over silk dresses of a suitable colour. We do not admire them, however, on any thing but white. Fichu-pelerines of muslin, also, richly embroidered, or trimmed round with lace, and made with long ends confined under the belt, are often worn over high dresses: the belt is generally of striped ribbon, buckled on the left side with a gold buckle; a bow confines the pelerine at the

1

throat, of the same ribbon that composes
the belt. Spencers of dark satin, trimmed
with very rich fringe, have appeared on
some young ladies of distinction; they
are a charming and convenient dress for
the promenade.
sel iddo 190

Bonnets are of white gros de Naples, crowned with a profusion of damask roses and barberries; they are still wide in front,

being the same as the gown, over which this corsage is worn. This is a very elegant appendage, and looks on a good shape, which it serves

and have the ribbons floating loose. Full to see but it will not do for corpulent

blown summer roses, with heliotropes, are ladies, though favourite fashions are often also much in favour as ornaments on white indiscriminately adopted. Dresses of white crape transparent bonnets; as are ears of gros de Naples, trimmed with rouleaux of corn on white sarcenet bonnets, amongst gauze, are much in favour for evening cospuffings of crape. Bonnets for the pro- tume: this trimming we should admire, if menade consist chiefly of Leghorn, and it were not unmeaningly fastened on one are very large; they are trimmed with side, by a bunch of coloured ribbon, or a ribbons of different colours, in a full clus-half garland of flowers, as represented in ter of bows in front. The feathers in car- our engraving of this month, for an evenriage dress hats are placed on each side of ing dress. the front of the crown, in two full separate plumes, short, and if not downy, very fully curled. Bonnets of white gros de Naples are now generally lined with rose colour; and though feathers are much in favour, a very full cluster of different flowers, forming a half wreath in front, seems the most prevalent ornament.

A gown of light olive-green silk is much admired for half-dress; it is trimmed at the border with two broad flounces: over the upper flounce are pinked points, falling over and forming a head to it: the body is made en 'demi-blouse (who could say, 66 it was made partly like a waggoner's frock?") partially high and square across the bust. The sleeves en gigot (i. e. in the shape of a leg of mutton! which they certainly resemble): they are confined from the wrist upwards with two bands of pink satin. Another favourite half dress is a jaconot muslin: but the reign of white dresses is at an end; they always, however, look well on young persons. This dress is ornamented at the border with three flounces of lace, set on in festoons; between each flounce is a rich pattern of embroidery, with one more remarkably beautiful over the upper flounce. The sleeves, en gigot, confined at the wrists by three cambric bands, worked in raised embroidery with shining cotton.

The ball dresses are simple, generally consisting of fine white leno, or tulle, with three broad-bias folds round the border of No. 10.-Vol. II.

We repeat, that as we do not invent the fashions, we must give them with all their incongruities, s, as well as varieties: the latter, we are happy to say, are the more prevalent. We do not exactly adhere to the worn-out quotation of beauty being, when be

"Unadorned, adorned the most."

Ornament, when guided by taste and fancy, embellishes beauty, and gives to it new charms: the form is aided by a well made dress; and on the well arranged tresses much depends on the placing of a flower, or the waving of a plume."Oka

Very little difference since last month is observed in the disposal of the hair. Young ladies, at least those who move among the higher orders of society, now all wear caps, or some light kind of covering on the head; because the display of ringlets, braids, and bows of hair has become general among the lower classes. These caps of our high-born fair are very beautiful: they are composed of fine thread net and lace; the head piece ornamented with coloured crape, lace, and full blown roses. They are truly becoming; and being placed very backward by means with the strings loose, they do not by any take from the youthful appearance of the fair wearer. In evening home dress, how- 'r ever, an ornamental comb is often the only addition to a fine head of hair, arranged" with studied simplicity. For the ball2 C