1850-51 
COURT DRESS 
355 
products of the animal kingdom seem to have 
included anything from tallow candles and gelatine 
to tortoise-shell and pearls. 
In March, Owen attended his first Levee, where 
he was presented to the Prince Consort by the 
Earl of Carlisle. From a long account of the 
ceremony given in a letter to his sister Maria we 
make the following extract : — 
‘ Finding, after my invitation to the Prince’s 
Council at Buckingham Palace, that I could no 
longer postpone paying my humble duty in form, 
I sent for a Court tailor, and Carry and I devised 
a very handsome and elegant attire, I think quite 
as good as any Court dress I saw. A rich sort 
of dahlia-brown cloth, with bright steel buttons, 
buckles, sword, &c., and a white satin waistcoat 
with rich flowers embroidered. Lace cravat full 
and long, and the same for the cuffs. Cut-steel 
loop in the cocked-hat. All very fine', as Pepys 
Would say, ‘ and gave great satisfaction to Carry 
and Catherine when finally fitted on this morning.’ 
Besides attending the Committee meetings of 
the Great Exhibition, he sat on the Smithfield 
Commission on the Meat Supply of London at 
frequent intervals. An entry in the diary (Feb- 
ruary 19), states that a City deputation attended 
the meeting on that day ‘ with a ridiculous plan of 
patching up the market, instead of doing away 
with it, and also of adding slaughter-houses. 
The minds of those whose firmness was of such 
