Our great regret at leaving Russia is not having seen the great, and I believe good man, the emperor, who has done so much to elevate the condition of the masses in his extensive dominions, and to improve the entire country. I leave Russia with exalted opinions of the wisdom and patriotism of the emperor, and doubt not that, if his life be spared, Russia will continue to advance in all that makes a country great and powerful and happy. I have heard anecdotes in plenty respecting the czar, and all of them reflect great honour upon the qualities of his head and heart; but I do not feel that I am

at liberty to state them in this public manner, as they were related to me in the social circle by men who are favourably situated to know their truth. Some of our party saw the emperor at the church of the palace, at Peterhoff; but I spent that Sabbath in the city. Had we remained a day or two longer we should have seen the emperor on board; but his time and thoughts had all been engrossed with the pressing affairs of the great vexed question between Russia and Turkey.-Dr. Choule's Cruize in the Baltic.

AN AMERICAN ON DANCING.-" When she (Cerito) is dancing, it is purely an animal perfection that enthrals your eyes. Your senses are steeped in it; but they are not carried away as they would be by the witcheries of Carlotta. No marvellous magic bewilders you, as it used to do when gazing on the matchless and floating form of Taglioni. You are not startled into admiration as you have been by the faultless figure and wonderful movements of the Ellsler, who was by far the most perfect

mechanical dancer of the three. Your admiration for Cerito is a sensual one. Your rapture is neither a marvel, nor is it joy. * * You wish to know her,

*

to bask in her broad and happy smile, and revel in her laugh, for Cerito can-or could when I knew her-laugh as freshly and as merrily as any country hoyden who had barely counted fifteen summers."-You have Heard of

Them.

FASHIONS, OLD, IN DRESS.

[From Timbs's "Curiosities of London."]

THE mutability of dress is proverbial; but old fashions are retained among Londoners to a far greater extent than one would at first imagine. Thus, the whole dress of the boys of Christ's Hospital is the costume of the citizens of London at the time of the foundation of that Blue coats were the common charity by Edward VI. ings were very generally worn at this period. The jackets habit of apprentices and serving-men, and yellow stock

of our firemen and watermen are also of this date.

The Yeomen of the Guard, royal beef-eaters (buffetiers), wear the dress of private soldiers of the time of Henry VII, with some variation; but it has continued unaltered since at least the reign of Charles II, in the scarlet embroidered tunic, the red stockings, the particoloured shoe-bows, the stiff white ruff, and the black velvet cap with its circlet of red, blue, and white ribbonknots.

The London charity-school girls wear the plain mobcap and long gloves of the time of Queen Ann. In the brass badge of the cab and omnibus men we see a retention of the dress of the Elizabethan retainers; while the shoulder-knots that once decked an officer now adorn a footman. He alone carries the cane which was borne

by ladies and physicians in our time. The sailors' dress of the era of William III is now seen amongst our fishermen. The University dress is as old as the age of the Smithfield martyrs. The linen bands of the pulpit and the bar are abridgments of the falling collar. The butchers' blue is a guild uniform.

The fashion of scarlet coat, flap-waistcoat, and frilled sleeves survived into this century. The last man in London who is believed to have worn this costume was a quack doctor, who lived in a corner house of Salisbury Square.

What will not fashion do to gratify her ever-changing conceits? She has even ransacked the tombs for a "new "in the starched frill and flounce of the shroud, pattern," known as pinking. This has been sold to our belles by the furnishing undertakers of the metropolis, whose trade thus lay almost as much among the living as the dead.

FROM

OUR FRENCH CORRESPONDENT.

CHERE AMIE,

:

BOULEVARD DES ITALIENS. August 27th, 1855.

WALKING dresses are mostly composed of taffetas or other silk materials, ornamented with laces or gimps. Some ladies prefer feather trimmings, so much in fashion. Marron colour continues also to be worn: it harmonizes so well with the real black laces. In the country, simplicity is always admired; and redingotes of printed muslin or white cambric muslin, with insertions and bands of open trimmings, are in favour. Black is always fashionable; and, for home wear, many ladies, with ottoman veste of velvet and steel buttons, trimmed with black lace, add a pretty little cap of black lace ornamented with ribbon. Bretelles are almost exclusively worn by very young ladies for those much advanced, drapery is preferred, particularly for dress, whilst with high bodies the berthe round behind, forming fichu in front, with point, is fashionable. In all thin materials, flounces are indispensable, and vary in number according to taste. Short figures should never exceed four; whilst tall persons may have as many as seven. But fashion is very capricious, as is instanced in the make of bodies, which are worn full with ceintures à la Watteau and Pompadour, or Mignon-a German style. The ornaments on them constitute the chief novelty; the sleeves are with frills, flat at the top, with small bouffants; the skirts are gathered in thin materials, but in round hollow plaits when of silk.

A new sleeve has appeared, but meets with so little favour that, unless modified, it is not likely to become a favourite. It is composed, at the top, of a round bouillon, terminating with a deep frill in perpendicular folds, sometimes with pattes above of moire placed obliquely. The whole effect is so inelegant, we augur little for its success.

Taffetas is decidedly the favourite material this season for the promenade; muslins, organdys, and grenadines are reserved for carriage or dinner dresses, and barège is abandoned to the simplest toilette. All dresses with high bodies admit of being ornamented by a berthe of the same material, of which we give a Model with this Number. It forms a

VOL. 28.

very pretty addition to the high body, and different styles are used to vary the uniformity of the plain high body; fancy ribbons, velvets, and fringes are all used; on the Medici form three ruches of lace or pink taffetas, bouillons or blond are placed in the fan form, the waist rounded without basques. The bretelles or braces of ribbon worn on some bodies have given the idea of making them of embroidered muslin, edged with Valenciennes or Mechlin lace; they are narrow, pass across the shoulders, meet at the waist, which they encircle, and have a pretty effect on a dress of striped or light silk. Chemisettes, with collars of lace and insertions, continue to be worn with a noeud of velvet or ribbon. Fichus bretelles are also of embroidered muslin, and insertions of Valenciennes nœuds of ribbon on the shoulders and at the waist. Fichus Antoinette are worn with lace bodies either of embroidered muslin, point d'Angleterre, or thread guipure; they tie behind and fasten in front by a noeud of ribbon.

Basquines or jackets of black taffetas, but more particularly of black lace, are much in fashion, with skirts having the flounces covered by others of black lace, headed by a ribbon ruche. These basquines are not tight, but hang loose over the figure, showing the colour of the under body, whether high or low.

An entirely new form of dress is a body or corsalet with very long waist rounded off, a little open towards the bottom, the same sort of form rounding off at the throat, and closing up the front with steel or gold buttons. A plain basquine, prolonged round the waist, the sleeves in large folds to the middle of the arm, terminating with bouillon below the elbow and then plain, fastening with buttons, and deep cuffs of guipure with square collar to match; the skirt in large flat plaits, confined at the waist and widening out, descend the skirt regularly; the only trimming is a rich gothic design to the knee on each side. These costumes are generally of a gray colour.

Muslin dresses are made with three flounces having broad hems, which are edged with narrow velvet, and with the light dresses of the season, barèges, mousseline de laine, grenadines. Loose berthes are worn, made of blond or lace, with ruches and noeuds of ribbon. Cannezous are much in demand, particularly those of black tulle, ornamented by black velvet; but even those of white muslin are trimmed with very narrow black velvet, as well as the mantelet and bodies of dresses, which is equally used on the robes of moire antique. The low bodies of muslin dresses are worn with bretelles (braces)

of embroidered muslin trimmed with lace, crossing in front, and either forming two ends on the front of the body or crossing behind; they are sometimes replaced by ribbon.

Casaques with pelerines are new and much approved; they are of the shawl form, the jacket being trimmed with a wide lace, the pelerine and pagoda sleeves to match; sometimes a second lace, narrower, falls on the deep one. Small fancy voilettes are very fashionable; some, being embroidered with straw, are very pretty with open straw bonnets ornamented with field flowers and wheat; other voilettes are embroidered in straw-coloured silk with edge festonné; sometimes bunches of flowers or feather confine the folds of the voilette at the sides, and enable it to droop prettily on the edge of the bonnet and the throat; some are trimmed with ruches of ribbon, and have a pretty effect when turned back on the bonnet. These ruches are of the same colour as the tulle, harmonizing with that of the bonnet. The Leghorn bonnets this month are decidedly of the Pamela form: the fronts much larger and round, inclining a little on the forehead, each side being raised by large bunches of roses or wild flowers with long brides; the outside with cordon of flowers, intermixed with coques of ribbon and long ends.

Feather trimmings, so much used now on dresses, are equally applicable for bonnets in resilles or fringes, and they harmonize so well with black or white laces and velvet, the contrast they offer being in high favour. Pretty bonnets are made of white crape with flat runners, each being separated by a narrow black velvet, ornamented at the side by a rosette of tulle edged with black velvet and a single rose in the centre of it.

The capelline or calêche bonnets are always much in request in Paris at this season, by ladies who are returning to the country or sea-side; they are made to advance a little on the face and protect it from the sun, and deep bavolet to protect the neck. Marron is a favourite colour, lined with pink; with voilette of marron, tulle and ruches of pink ribbon. More elegant ones are made of pink and blue taffetas, covered by a voilette of spotted tulle. More simple ones again are made of batiste. As the season advances, bonnets of satin with ornaments of velvet replace the open straws, and the crape flowers will be succeeded by those with velvet petals, if not entirely of velvet.

Ladies wear of a morning pretty little caps of black lace ornamented by coques of ribbon; and for dinner many little coiffures are formed of two rows of lace placed on front of the head and confined by noeuds of black velvet with ends floating behind; at the sides a lappet of lace; and behind a rose encircled with a plain black lappet, the ends falling back with the two wide ribbons. Nothing is prettier than a coiffure of white lace confined by a noeud of black velvet.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ENGRAVINGS.
PLATE I.

Walking Dress.-Robe of barège, with deep flounces and full body, with ceinture. China crape shawl, embroidered and trimmed wild gold-coloured fringe. Capote à coulisses of pink silk, with nœud of ribbon on the top.

Carriage Dress.-Robe of taffetas, with double skirt, each being ornamented by three rows of graduated flounces. Jacketbody, with very deep basques, closing up the front with small buttons and a wide fringe forming revers from the shoulders; the sleeves of the bell form, edged with fringe. Bonnet of crape and lace.

Déjeuner Dress.-Robe of pink grenadine, with triple skirt, ornamented by small ruches of ribbon forming border, laid on standing; high body with deep basques and triple bell sleeve, all ornamented by ribbon ruches; collar and sleeves of lace. Capote of paille de riz and lace.

Walking Dress.-Robe of taffetas, with high body, ornamented by bretelles of the same, edged by small ruches; the ends are long and rounded; the flounces on the skirt similarly trimmed. Bonnet of fancy straw with flowers.

Dinner Dress.-Robe of organdy, with three flounces embroidered. Jacket of violet silk, trimmed with bands of stamped velvet. Col broche of guipure. Coiffure of ribbon and flowers.

PLATE II.

Public Déjeûner Dress.-Robe of taffetas, ornamented by colonnes of ribbon bouillonné, rising up the skirt and forming bretelles on the high body. Mantelet of taffetas, trimmed with fringe and velvet. Capote of paille crape.

Young Lady's Dress.-Robe of pink barège, with flounces edged by rows of narrow velvet. Jacket-body, trimmed with frills of the same and narrow black velvet. Bonnet of paille de riz with voilette.

Dinner Dress.-Robe of moire, high body, closing with fancy buttons; double revers with scolloped edge forming point at the waist; the skirt ornamented en tablier by revers; the sleeves tight to the elbow, terminating with frills, and lace ones under. Coiffure of lace and velvet ribbon.

Promenade Dress.-Robe of taffetas, the skirt covered by embroidered flounces; the body high with revers, and the sleeves covered by frills. Bonnet of paille de riz, with fauchon of lace and geraniums intermixed with lace.

Carriage Dress.-Robe of grenadine à disposition, with flounces covering the skirt. Mantelet of white taffetas trimmed with narrow frills and fringe. Capote of taffetas and ribbon, with ruches of lace at the edge.

PLATE III.

Carriage Dress.-Robe of taffetas, with three deep flounces: on each is a full ruche in deep vandykes Jacket-body and pagoda sleeves trimmed to correspond. Mantelet, with frills of embroidered muslin. Bonnet of tissue de paille ornamented with feathers.

Little Girl's Dress.-Frock of checked barège, with double skirt, full body, and short sleeves with under ones and guimpe of muslin. Fichu Antoinette of muslin, trimmed with lace, tying behind. Straw hat, with torsade of ribbon encircling the crown.

Promenade Dress.-Robe of taffetas, with flounces, edged by a wide fringe; high body, with basques trimmed as well as the sleeves with fringe. Pamela bonnet of paille de riz and flowers. Mantelet of velvet and black lace.

Carriage Dress.-Robe of moire, with three flounces, edged by spots of velvet and narrow bouillons in three rows; high body, with berthe to correspond. Mantelet of the same, trimmed with frills edged by black lace and rows of narrow velvet above. Bonnet of pink satin and ornaments of velvet. Toilette de Campagne.-Robe of taffetas, covered with numerous flounces; pinked corsage; Watteau revers and frills on the sleeves, pinked. Chemisette and under-sleeves of cambric. Hat of brown straw, with wreath of field flowers encircling the crown; puffing of ribbon inside, and nœuds at the ears with long brides.

PLATE IV.

Public Promenade Dress.-Robe of grenadine, with three flounces edged with narrow fringe, and bands of moire with narrow black velvet between; high body with basques. Mantelet of black lace, headed by bouillons. Bonnet of satin and lace.

Public Déjeuner Dress.-Robe of organdy, with flounces having broad hem with ribbon through; full body with ceinture. Talma of taffetas, trimmed with lace headed by a plisse of ribbon. Bonnets of taffetas and paille de riz, with chrysanthemums.