WELSH CHARACTER. RUSTIC DRESS. 209 



of which a union-jack was hoisted, and within which there is 

 a peal of three bells, that continually, all day long, did ring 

 most unmusically; there were booths in the main street, 

 in which women sold dry goods, hosiery, pottery, &c. In 

 another street horses were paraded, and in other places cows 

 and swine. 



There was present a considerable crowd of the country 

 people, which I observed carefully. I verily believe if five 

 hundred of the common class of farmers and farm-labouring 

 men, such as would have come together on similar business 

 say from all parts of Litchfield county in Connecticut had 

 been introduced among them, I should not have known it, 

 except from some peculiarities of dress. I think our farmers, 

 and particularly our labourers, would have been dressed up 

 a little nearer the town fashions, and would have seemed a 

 little more wide awake, perhaps, and that s all. I not only 

 saw no drunkenness, except a very few solitary cases late in 

 the day, no rioting, though there were some policemen 

 present, but no gayety ; every body wore a sober business 

 face, very New England like. 



The small farmers and labouring men all wore leggins, 

 buttoning from the knee to the ankle ; heavy hob-nailed 

 shoes ; little, low, narrow-brimmed, round-topped felt hats, 

 and frocks of linen, blue or w r hite in colour, the skirts reach 

 ing below the knee, very short waists, a kind of broad ep 

 aulette, or cape, gathered in, boddice fashion, before and be 

 hind, loose shirt-like sleeves, and the whole profusely covered 

 with needle-work. I suppose this is the original smock-frock. 

 An uglier garment could not well be contrived, for it makes 

 every man who wears it appear to have a spare, pinched-up. 

 narrow-chested, hump-backed figure. The women generally 

 wore printed calico jackets, gathered at the waist, with a few 

 inches only of skirt, and blue or grey worsted stuff petti- 



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