of the brim was six inches: "Some wore their hats open before, like a church spout, or a tin flour scale; some wore them sharper like the nose of a greyhound: there was a military cock, and a mercantile cock; and while the beaux of St. James's wore their hats under their arms, the beaux of Morefields Mall wore theirs diagonally over their left or right eye; sailors wore the sides of their hats uniformly tucked down to the crown, and looked as if they carried a triangular apple pasty on their heads." Buckles were

worn at the knees and in the shoes till the close of the century: the large square plated buckle was the ton of 1781, and ladies covered" their beautiful little feet with an enormous shield of buckle." In 1791, however, buckles were discontinued for shoe-strings: the late king (then prince of Wales) considerately endeavoured to turn the fashion by wearing buckles himself, and ordering his household to do the same; but the royal example was not followed, strings became general, and a buckle was only to be found upon the foot of old age, from which it has almost entirely disappeared.

The inimitable pictures by Hogarth, in our National Gallery (and we hope, familiar to the reader), will furnish a better idea of the costume of the first half of the last century, than many pages of description; and the portraits by Sir Joshua Reynolds will supply the dress of the next forty years. That of Mrs. Molesworth, by the latter artist, is distinguished for the matronly

grace and simplicity of costume; in toupeed hair, neckerchief to the chin,, full richly-flowered silk gown, with large flowing sleeves trimmed with lace, and long worked stomacher. Recollection of the portraits of a few popular characters will aid the reader. Thus, in that of Dr. Johnson, is the gigantic body, the huge massy face, the brown coat, with large cuffs and metal sleeve buttons, (though Johnson wore plain wristbands when all gentlemen wore ruffles), the coat sleeve very wide, showing his linen almost to his elbow; the black worsted stockings; and the cut and bushy wig.

The colours of the coats, at this time, were, probably, more various than their cut: Hogarth wore a sky-blue coat; Sir Joshua Reynolds, a deep crimson; and Goldsmith's favourite coat was plum-colour. Reynolds's portrait of Sheridan is in a long-waisted formal blue coat, with large flapped white waistcoat; that of George III. in a long skirted blue coat shows the old country gentleman; and that of his son, the Prince of Wales, in blue coat, white waistcoat, buckskin breeches, and top-boots, shows the well-dressed young man of fashion of the same period. Cocked hats, richly trimmed with gold lace, and feathers horizontally, occur in Hogarth's pictures and prints. Velvet and satin were the favourite material of court-dresses, which had jewel buttons: they were sometimes trimmed with gold lace, when they rather resembled liveries of servants than the dresses of

X

masters. If to these we add the pigtails, silk bag, or well powdered bag wig, and gold or silver mounted cane, an enumeration, at least, of the principal characteristics of the costume of the last century will be nearly complete.

The leading change in fashion from the last to the present century has been from cumbrous finery to tasteful elegance, so as to set off the beautiful symmetry of the female figure, rather than to overload it with ill-arranged drapery and superfluous ornament. Nothing can be more ludicrous than the hoop, which has been mentioned as the courtly fashion of the last and even of the present century; for, it was not until the reign of the late king that the farcical hoop was discarded from the English court-dress, and the rich material of the robe allowed to fall over the graceful form of the wearer. A magnificent feature of the old courtdress, the train, has, however, been reserved; notwithstanding it has long since disappeared from the court costume of France.

Attempts

have likewise been made to lop off the train from our court; but her present majesty, with genuine patriotic feeling, has refused to sanction the innovation. The present court head-dress is, altogether, more elegant than at any preceding period. We miss the velvet cap, profusely embroidered, and set with rich and rare gems; but, in its place, we have the stately plume, the nodding grove, of exquisite feathers, obtained from beneath the wings and tail of the

ostrich.

In Africa, the bird is hunted for the sake of these feathers; and, a traveller observes: "Those beautiful plumes, destined possibly hereafter to decorate the head of some elegant beauty, and wave in the drawing-room, are there seen fluttering in the wind, and rudely hurrying over the desert." Nearly one thousand pounds weight of ostrich feathers have been imported into England in one year; and the finest feathers are obtained from the domesticated bird, (such as we see in our menageries,) from which they are cut about thrice in two years. The fleecy whiteness of these feathers is superbly set off by the brilliancy of diamonds, the rich delicacy of pearls, and the varied richness of gems, all of which give to the head-dress a lustre of almost unapproachable splendour. Meanwhile, it is curious to reflect, in what manner are obtained these additions to the natural charms of a court beauty. The feathers are plucked from an unsightly and unclean bird; and the diamonds are washed by poor slaves from the clay bed of certain rivers in South America*.

* Many persons have contented themselves with seeing the diamond glitter on a court beauty, or in the crown of the sovereign, without seeking the natural or even the commercial history of this extraordinary production. The tales that we hear of its lustre do not overrate its value. In the countries where they are found, diamonds are sold in small bags, sealed up, so that to the purchaser it is a complete chance. The sums at which some fine diamonds are valued would be handsome fortunes. The Emperor of Austria has a yellow diamond,

Descending to the less costly fashions of private life, we find our intercourse with India and France to have materially influenced the taste of the present century. The shawl, which forms so magnificent a feature in the costume of southern and western Europe, has been introduced from India in superb style; many specimens, of rich manufacture, being sold at one hundred guineas each, and upwards. Yet, the ingenuity of the British silk weavers soon led them to imitate these expensive shawls, with astonishing resemblance, and with certain advantages; for the silk, or the raw material, was obtained from India, and our countrymen, from their superior knowledge in the arts of design,

worth 155,6821. The George IV. diamond is of a rich blue colour, and was purchased by his late majesty, for 22,000l. it forms the chief ornament in the imperial crown. The late Duke of York possessed a black diamond, valued at 80001. A diamond in the Russian sceptre is the size of a pigeon's egg, and was sold in 1775 for upwards of 90,000l. The Pitt, or Regent diamond was purchased in 1717 for 135,000l.; and its cutting and polishing cost 50001. The Rizzot diamond was disposed of by lottery in 1801, for 30,000l. The Nassau diamond, in the East India House, was originally valued at 30,000l. In the Treasury of Russia is a diamond valued at 369,8001. Persia has four large diamonds, two of which are worth 180,6481. The buttons on a silken coat of King Joseph I. of Portugal consisted of twenty diamonds, valued at 100,000l. The largest diamond in the world is nearly an ounce in weight, and has been valued at three hundred millions sterling the late king of Persia had a hole bored through it, in order to wear it suspended about his neck on gala days.