1827.] Letter on Affairs in general. 71 



men one a clergyman being out shooting until late in the evening, 

 met each other in a wood mutually fired wounded each other des- 

 perately and both ran off crying out " I have shot a poacher !" Now 

 this is very shocking ; and the last sort of event that we could laugh at. 

 But, each running off, and crying out " I have shot a poacher !" what 

 the deuce did either of them take upon themselves to "shoot 

 poachers" for? J rather think, if either had "shot a poacher," he would 

 have stood a very fair chance of being hanged for it. 



We^iave medical books written now, and legal, and even philoso- 

 phical (for the use of the unenlightened) purposely divested of 

 " technical" expressions : I wish somebody or other would induce the 

 MILLINERS to write in a language that mortal man might comprehend. 

 The Belle Assembled magazine, for example (of the contrary style), which 

 is potential in all matters of costume and fashion, gives the following 

 paragraph, which, I protest, entirely exceeds me : 



" WALKING DRESS. (This I believe is for the last month.) A 

 pelisse of gros de Naples of a pomegranate-red. A full wadded 

 rouleau finishes the skirt next the feet ; over this rouleau, at a 

 suitable distance, and down each side of the front, is a trimming, 

 en volan, pinked at the edge, and set on in a serpentine wave; the 

 trimming headed by a narrow rouleau. The pelisse fastens close down 

 the front with full rosettes of gros de Naples. The body is made plain, 

 with a narrow pelerine cape, partially scolloped, and trimmed at the edge 

 in a correspondent manner to the sides in front of the skirt. The sleeves 

 are en gigot, but not very full. A Jailing collar of fine India muslin, 

 trimmed with British lace, encircles the throat, and is fastened in front 

 with a rosette of broad pink ribbon. With any other red this would be 

 incongruous, but one great quality in the beautiful and becoming pome- 

 granate-red is, that it is suited to every colour. The bonnet worn with 

 this pelisse is correspondent to it, and is finished by a narrow ruche at 

 the edge of the brim ; the trimming on the crown is of the same ma- 

 terial, and is put on in arcades, which are edged with a narrow ruche, of 

 a shade lighter. The strings are in a loop of ribbon, variegated with 

 pomegranate-red and green chequers on a white ground." 



What a fool is a philosopher ! Now have I no more notion what 

 "rouleau" and " volan" and "ruche" and "pelerine" and "ar- 

 cades," mean, than I have comprehension of the doctrine of transub- 

 stantiation ! And yet I suppose there is not a cook-maid in the house 

 but could explain every line of the paragraph and argue on it if it 

 were read to her. 



By the way, the engravings portraits of <c Lady Susan" this, and 

 " Lady Jane" the other in this Magazine of Modes, are really exqui- 

 site : they are the best specimens of the kind that are produced. And I 

 don't mean at all to decry the business of the " volans," c. : for I know 

 a family of young ladies, who although they buy the book, always copy 

 out all the descriptions of the quilted petticoats, and so forth, by way of 

 amusement. 



Elliston, the actor, has appeared among the list of bankrupts (in last 

 night's gazette) in the character of a bookseller. And his chattels have 

 been sold by auction, moreover, at his house in Stratford-place : his two 

 " suits of armour" one of steel, and one of brass being bought by 

 George Robins to the surprise of every body (unless it were to sell 



