FRANCE. 



609 



de rose hat. The same regard for her complexion induces her to fit up her boudoir with a 

 suitable color, according as she is a blonde or a brunette. One superlative merit must be 

 granted to the French ladies ; their toilet is the perfection of simplicity. The dress of 

 an English or American lady would furnish materials for that of half a dozen moderate French 

 women. 



Thus far we have been speaking of female dress. Tlic French gentlemen, instead of at- 

 tempting to give the law in dress, rather affect the English fashions. The imitation, however, 

 runs into caricature, and while the English gentlemen are the best dressed men in the world, the 

 French are almost the worst. But it is not among the higher classes alone, that dress is con- 

 sidered a matter of importance in France. Every station has its peculiar costume. The wife 

 of a shopkeeper, or a milliner's girl, wears a dress equally distinct from that of a peasant or of 

 a lady. It generally consists of a chintz or stuff gown, a colored ^c/d/, black-silk apron, and 

 a cap of a fixed form, ornamented with lace and ribands. A bonnet is considered as the exclu- 

 sive privilege of a lady, and no severity of weather would induce a Frenchwoman to depart 

 from this rule. The peasants in the different departments of France have a costume peculiar 

 to themselves. The most remarkable variety is in that of the women in Upper Normandy, 

 where the cauchoise cap is worn. It is made of starched muslin, and is from half a yard to a yard 

 in height. It stands up nearly perpendicularly, and is ornamented with long lace lappets, called 

 coquilles. The hair is braided in front, and gathered up in a mass behind. Upon a young and 

 handsome woman, these high caps have a pretty effect. They are called Cauclioises, Mar 

 mottes, and Pierrots, according to the height and form. The rest of the dress consists of a 

 bright scarlet petticoat, extremely short, a black jacket, called an Jlpollon, and a colored apron; 

 long gold ear-rings, and gold.Tiearts and crosses, fastened either to a black velvet riband or gold 

 chain. In the town of Bolbec, the greatest luxury is frequently displayed by the peasant 

 women on Sundays and fete days ; not only in the lace and ornaments of the cauchoise cap, but 

 in their gold trinkets, which are frequently of no mean value. In Lower Normandy, the 

 peasants' dress is nearly the same, with the exception of the cap, which is low and flat in 

 the crown. 



In the other departments, there are different varieties of costume ; and in some places, such 

 as the neighborhood of Lyons, the peasant women wear a flat, round, black hat, either of cloth 

 or velvet, and not unlike those worn in some parts of Switzerland. The men are dressed 

 pretty much as the laboring classes in England, or the United States. The village dandy is 

 shaved and curled on Sundays and holidays, and at other times, usually wears a blouse of blue 

 stuff, like a wagoner's frock, buckled in at the waist, and embroidered in white at the wrists 

 and collar. 



15. Language. Two dialects grew out of the corruption of Latin ; which language was 

 introduced by the Roman conquest ; the Southern one was called the Langued''Oc, and the 

 Northern, the Langue d'' Oil. The former, though much changed, is still the language of Pro- 

 vence, Languedoc, Catalonia, Valencia, Majorca, Minorca, and Sardinia. The literature of 

 this language, is principally in the songs of the Troubadours, which were chiefly confined to 

 the two great themes of chivalry ; love, and war. The modern French, is derived from the 

 Langue d'Oil, and it is so well adapted to elegance and social life, that it has long been the 

 language of courts, diplomacy, and the higher classes in many countries. A knowledge of ii 

 will carry a traveler over all civilized Europe. Besides the French, and the Proven9al lan- 

 guages, the Bretons have their ancient British tongue, and the Germans have a corrupted Ger- 

 man. The French, however, is general, in all the towns. 



16. Manner of Building. In France, are some of the most magnificent edifices in the 

 world, but these are principally in the cities, for a country life is seldom led by the wealthy. 

 The great power of the kings, before the Revolution, and of Napoleon, since, enabled them to 

 expend large sums in buildings, and other public monuments. The Revolution dispersed many 

 of the rich landed proprietors, and the class of rich merchants and manufacturers reside chiefly 

 ill kOwns. There are, therefore, few elegant and commodious country houses in France, com- 

 pared with the number in England. The old chateaux are gloomy and without taste ; but the 

 cottages are generally substantial and comfortable. They are thatched, and have windows and 

 chimneys ; the floors are of clay, beaten hard. In some parts, the houses are of nuid, mixed 

 with straw, which is cut into large square pieces, and hardened by drying. A house of this 

 kmd is sometimes of three stories, and has window frames of stone. The pise is a common 

 mode of building, and it is a process by v/hich all kinds of earth, except sand, are compressed 



