No. 344. THE LONDON AND PARIS LADIES' MAGAZINE OF FASHION, Polite Literature, etc. FROM OUR FRENCH CORRESPONDENT. AUGUST, 1859. BOULEVARD DES ITALIENS, 26th July, 1859. CHERE AMIE,-English bareges are much approved in Paris for either morning or evening toilettes of light colours, or for general wear in the country, jeans also, with the ground white; nankin, pink or blue, a new and pretty style, pink, lilac, blue, or sea green, spotted with white; this material in thin piqué may be used as a large casaque or round body, with ceinture of the same, trimmed with white guipure, the noeud at the side, and very long ends. Silks in checks, stripes, chinés, etc., and printed muslins are all in demand. Dresses ornamented with guimps are always fashionable, and it is always useful to refreshen a dress requiring a new trimining for travelling or country wear. Guimps, indeed, unite richness of trimming with economy, but they should be handsome and well made, as well as new in style. The number of narrow flounces now put on skirts varies according to fancy, frequently five, seven, nine, or twelve are seen; other skirts are trimmed in front, or with moutants all round the skirt. In jeans two colours may be used for tunic dresses, in the lower one white with casaques of nankin. The sleeves of the pagoda form, open and large. The present fashion of reducing the width of the upper part of the skirt, and throwing the fulness all to the bottom, renders the use of double skirts difficult; flounces are preferred, but not rising above the knee. Many mousselines de soie are trimmed with narrow flounces, and one wide falling on the last. Robes of tarlatane, tulle, muslin, are made with mantelet or châle confectionné to match. These dresses are with flounces, headed by narrow ones or ruches, the corsages round and low, full in front, similar to those formerly styled à la Vierge or Raphael, long ceinture of the same material, trimmed with a narrow frill, or plissé a la vieille, or light ruche; short sleeves, with frills. White dresses are also fashionable in cambric muslin, embroidered and trimmed with lace; embroidered muslin dresses are trimmed only with lace or flounces, embroidered in deep feston. For high dresses the new style of robe casaque, without separation at the waist in front, is very generally adopted. The bataliere sleeve, long since forgotten, has re-appeared, and there is no reason it should be rejected; it is wide, closing at the wrist by a bouillonné lined with ribbon, having a nœud to tighten it at pleasure. There is not much novelty in sleeves just now; the tight sleeve is too warm for summer, the pagoda continues in most general use, as well as those with two frills or à ballons. Some are made in three, five, or nine bouillons, others square, hanging below the arm, plissées at the top, wide at the bottom, or full at the top with bouillonnés to the elbow and small revers. As a general remark, we may mention that wide flounces are used alternately with narrow ones, but only in thin materials. A dress of malachite gre tom of the and six narrow ones surmounting it, with edge of violet ribbon the sleeves had six small frills. We therefore see that the threaten expulsion of flounces has not succeeded, since they have even attaine o the sleeves; but it is only applicable to thin materials. Some dress have three rows of narrow flounces put on in three divisions of equal distance, so that between every third row the interval is doubled. Many of the dresses of organdy have mantelets of the same. Silk dresses are mostly made with high bodies, unless for evening wear; in thin materials, they are either low or with fulness from the shoulders, open in front or high; they are also again making halfhigh bodies, drapé in front, with plain backs: but the favourite styles are with point, with ceinture or with gilet, and for country wear the veste Zouave of white muslin. The under body for the Zouave has buttons to the throat, and is confined to the waist by a ceinture of blue ribbon with bow and long ends; the veste itself is large and long, extending below the waist, with wide sleeves and loose wristbands; this veste may equally be worn with a white or coloured skirt. Dresses of white jean, with large casaques, are much worn this summer in gauze was ornamented by a deep flounce at the bot VOL. 32 velvet, with buttons of black velvet, sleeves with revers, also edged with black or Prussian velvet. Coloured muslins are often with low bodies, and a pelerine forming high body; double skirts are ornamented with plissées of the same material, or narrow flounces; not unfrequently flounces are bound with ribbon. Shawls and mantelets the same as the dress are very fashionable, those of white muslin or organdy are equally in favour; small pelisses with hoods trimmed with a deep frill and heading festonnés; burnouses of white muslin are also worn. Double châles, burnous pelisses, mantelets of black taffetas trimmed with plisses of the same fluted, are the different kinds now seen in general use; but for grandes toilettes the richer descriptions are ornamented with bugles, insertions, lace and guipure, besides the chales and mantelets of lace. For travelling or the morning promenade at the sea side, little pelisses are made of slight fancy materials, particularly in greys; they are made with a full capuchon, in the centre of which is a noeud; they are trimmed with a frill, which is sometimes festonné with contrasting colour. Shawls are more fashionable this season than mantelets, and generally they are trimmed with two rows of lace; they are made in all materials, cachemire, lace, silk, muslin, crape; fringes, bugles, and grelots are also used on them; the shawl of black cachemire is often embroidered with bugles or fringe, and if not trimmed with lace or guipure, a deep fringe of chenille or twisted silk is used. Some elegant bonnets have been made with the front coloured and the crowns entirely black or white. One of white tulle, delicately embroidered, had the front of mauve crape, ornamented on the right side by a scarf of mauve crape trimmed round with blond; on the other side, a bouquet, without foliage, was placed rather high; the trimming inside was of blond, with the exception of a bunch of flowers without leaves, forming continuation of that inside. The bonnets this season are much varied: sometimes the simple capote of straw, with black voilette; or of green crape, and little trimming, a bunch of grass, a noud of ribbon, a pompon catalan, a shaded ribbon; or the Leghorn, with cock's or ostrich's feather, or large flowers of rich tints mixed with black lace. A pretty bonnet of paille de riz and bands of plaid taffetas was trimmed with small black ruches, corn flowers, and poppies, inside a ruche of black tulle on the forehead, and poppies, brides of plaid. Another, of mauve crape, had an aigrette black and white, a moss rose in the centre. According to the fancy of the moment, most straw bonnets are trimmed with black taffetas ribbon and field flowers. Leghorns are always elegant, and equally suited for feathers or flowers in dress bonnets. Crape ones are preferred ornamented with blond and flowers. A new style of trimming has been remarked lately: it is, putting both inside and out, so that they unite, a bunch of flowers or large chain of ribbon; but it is not much admired. The round hats will again be much worn in the country, made of Leghorn, trimmed with blue or black velvet and cock's feathers, with noeud of velvet. In semi-toilette, straw bonnets with the voilette Clotilde are mostly worn. DESCRIPTION OF THE ENGRAVINGS. PLATE I.-Dinner Dress.-Robe of tarletane in bouillons, divided by bands of ribbon; low body, with pelerine, composed of bouillons meeting at the waist, with noeud sleeves, also in bouillons. Coiffure of black lace and ribbon. Child's Dress.--Frock of pink barege, with double skirts, each edged by two narrow flounces; low body, with basque and bretelles of frills, half-long sleeves trimmed with frills, guimp and under sleeves of muslin. Walking Dress-Robe of lilac taffetas, with full plain skirt, and high body closing with buttons. Mantelet of black lace, with deep frill of lace. Bonnet of Belgian straw trimmed with green ribbon. PLATE II.-Morning Dress.-Robe of taffetas, with open skirt, edged by deep revers of blue silk and ruches; the body with plastron to correspond, and sleeves with revers cuffs of blue; under skirt ornamented by plissées of blue ribbon. nous of striped silk. Hat of spray straw, with cock's feather and nœud of velvet. Carriage Dress.- Robe of grenadine, the skirt ornamented by numerous flounces, edged by a narrow fluting of ribbon; high body, with basque and wide sleeves. Bonnet of paille de riz, with wreath of flowers and plissé of ribbon at the edge. PLATE III.-Walking Dress.-Robe of barege, with double skirt, the upper one edged by a band of taffetas, and the body high, with brandenbourgs of taffetas, noeud with long ends, edged by a narrow black lace, large open sleeves, ornamented by tabs, edged with lace, forming nœud. Bonnet of crape, with voilette and field flowers. Walking Dress.-Robe of jean, with casaque of the same, ornamented with buttons. Hat of fancy straw, with lace round the edge, and wreath of flowers encircling the crown. Public Dejeuner Dress.-Robe of grenadine; the skirt is ornamented by three rows of pompons and ruches of ribbon; high body, closing with buttons and nœud of ribbon with long ends; the sleeves in bouillons to the elbow, and lower part tight, closing with pompons. Bonnet of paille de riz, with voilette Clotilde of blond. PLATE IV.-Promenade bonnet of mauve ribbon and black lace. Carriage bonnet of white chip, trimmed with pink chinasters and a broad plait of satin across the head. Morning cap of black and white lace, trimmed with light red ribbon. Hat of pink satin, trimmed with ribbon of the same colour, and a white rose over a fall of white lace. Morning cap of white net, trimmed with black lace and blue flowers. Bonnet of amber satin, trimmed with bunches of white flowers. Canezou of white muslin and lace, with trimmings of narrow black velvet. Bonnet of white crape, trimmed with narrow bands of green satin and a white feather. Cap of black blond, with rosettes of narrow black velvet. DESCRIPTION OF MODEL. We give a new Model of sleeve, consisting of three parts, the small plain piece forming the top of the sleeve, and a large bouillon (the Model is only half of it) set in to a plain tight sleeve from the elbow; there may also be a jockey or open epaulette, but we feared to confuse by too many pieces being given. THE NINEVEH MARBLES. THE WINGED HUMAN-HEADED LION. THE majority of our readers must no doubt have heard how Mr. Layard, wandering through Asia Minor and Syria. during the autumn of 1839, and the summer of 1840, descended the Tigris on a raft, and saw and examined the ruins of Nimroud. Amid a luxuriant vegetation were partly concealed a few fragments of bricks, pottery, and alabaster, upon which might be traced the well-defined wedges of the cuneiform character; and were it not for these remains which marked the nature of the ruin, it might have been confounded with a natural eminence. From what he saw and heard, Mr. Layard had his curiosity greatly excited, and he formed the design of thoroughly examining these singular ruins. Whilst detained at Constantinople, he entered into correspondence with a gentleman in England on the subject of excavations, and also wrote to Mr. Botta, who commenced excavations in the huge mounds of Assyria. The first successful act was sinking a well in a mound; when, at a small distance from the surface, they came to the top of a wall, which, on digging deeper, they found to be built of sculptured slabs of gypsum. Forming a wider trench, and carrying it in the direction of the wall, they soon found that they had entered a chamber, connected with others, and surrounded by slabs of gypsum, covered with sculptured representations of battles, sieges, and similar events. Their wonder may be easily imagined. A new history had been suddenly opened to then-the records of an unknown people were before them. They were equally at a loss to account for the age and the nature of the monument. The art shown in the sculptures, the dresses of the figures, the mythic forms on the walls, were all new to them, and afforded no clue to the epoch of the erection of the new edifice, and to the people who were its founders. Numerous inscriptions accompanying the bas-reliefs, evidently contained the explanation of the events thus recorded in sculpture. They were in the cuneiform, or arrow-headed characters. The nature of these inscriptions was at least evidence that the building belonged to a period preceding the conquests of Alexander; for it was generally admitted, that after the subjugation of the west of Asia by the Macedonians, the cuneiform writing ceased to be employed. Subsequent discoveries proved that these monuments appertained to a very ancient and very civilised people; and it was natural, from its position, to refer it to the inhabitants of Nineveh. Many bas-reliefs were discovered in these great Assyrian ruins at Nimroud and Koujunjik, standing in the walls of palaces and temples, and which had lain buried for nearly twenty-five centuries, under a vast accumulation of earth and rubbish. The mounds containing them were on the eastern bank of the Tigris, near the modern city of Mossul; and were excavated during the year 1846 and part of 1847. A colossal figure, the winged human-headed lion, formed one side of a portal leading from an outer chamber into the great hall of the northwest palace at Nimroud. The one selected stood on the north side of the western entrance. It was in admirable preservation, and about twelve feet square. Each entrance to the same chamber, and the entrances to most of the halls of the Assyrian palaces, were formed by pairs of similar monsters, either lions or bulls, with a human head and the wings of a bird. There can be little doubt that they were invested with a mythic or symbolic character-that they typified the Deity or some of his attributes-his omniscience, his ubiquity, and his might. Like the Egyptian Sphynxes, they were probably introduced into the architecture of the people on account of their sacred character. Thirteen pairs of them-some, however, very much injured-were discovered among the ruins of Nimroud. At Koujunjik five pairs of winged bulls were dug out, but neither in these ruins nor at Khorsabad, was the winged lion found. They differed considerably in size, the largest being about sixteen and a half feet square, and the smallest scarcely five; and in every instance were sculptured out of one solid slab. The head and fore part were finished all round the body and hind legs being in high relief. The spaces behind the back and between the legs were covered with a cuneiform inscription. The gigantic specimen that was sent over to this country by Mr. Layard, and is now located in the British Museum, is nine feet long and the same in height. It is of gypsum, and the slab ten feet square by two feet in thickness. It was situated at the entrance of a chamber, being built into the side of the door, so that one side and a front view only could be seen by the spectator. Accordingly, the Ninevite sculptor, in order to make both views perfect, has given the animal five legs. The four seen in the side view show the animal in the act of walking, while, to render the representation complete in the front view, he has repeated the right fore leg again, but in the act of standing motionless. The countenance is noble, and benevolent in expression; the features are of true Persian type; he wears an egg-shaped cap, with three horns, and a cord round the base of it. The hair at the back of the head has seven ranges of curls; the beard is most elaborately curled; and the hair on the legs and sides of the animal represents the shaggy appendage of the king of beasts. In the ears, which are human, are pendant car-rings. Round the loins is a succession of numerous cords, which are drawn into four separate knots; at the extremities are fringes, forming as many distinct tassels. At the end of the tail, the claw is distinctly visible. The strength of the animal is admirably and characteristically conveyed. Upon the flat surface of this slab, is a cuneiform or arrow-headed inscription; twenty lines being between the fore legs, twenty-six in the middle, eighteen between the hind legs, and seventy-one at the back. The style of this sculpture is majestic, yet soft; it seems almost as if, in having recourse to a comparatively soft material, it had relaxed the rigidity of Egyptian sculptors and Pharaohic granite. In size, as well as in style, it seems to hold the mid-line between them. Thus, although the monster-tiara, the deeply-chiselled eye-brows and lids, smack of Egyptian art, it is almost impossible not to see the germ of the Olympian Jupiter in the lower parts of this colossal countenance. The elaborately-curled moustaches, the nicety of the square beard, and the immense flow of hair are quite Phidian. The triple row of horns issuing from both sides of the unadorned diadem, and the massive earrings, are, however, purely Assyrian. The head protrudes about a foot above the level of the slab. If the head is chiefly characteristic of that mild serenity which is usual even in Greek divinities, the limbs of the lion betoken, on the contrary, active power, whether they are looked at in front or in profile. And in thus turning round is first noticed both the peculiarity and the reason of this gigantic figure having five legs; thus, whilst in front only two limbs are visible in juxtaposition, in the side view there are four perfectly apart, thus ex THE LONDON AND PARIS LADIES' MAGAZINE FOR AUGUST, 1859. pressing the double effect of action and repose. This is allowable, because avowed deception of the visual organs may hereafter be found to solve much that remains as yet mystical in this sculpture. But the enumeration of each detail gives but a feeble notion of the grandeur, from which, however minute, the ornamentation never detracts. The muscles are designed with rare power, and if the tendons at first sight seem a little exaggerated, a little reflection will show that they were not too strongly marked for their low relief. AUTUMN GLORIES. THE black-heart cherry spreads a net The jargonel its ripened fruit Its bullion weights upon the bough The blossom's on the summer corn, Like little threads of ruby seed Spreads on the greenhouse glass: The flocks of daisies blanche with white The gooseberries rich golden globes The strawberry its scented fruit No longer now with double note The lime is raining blossom gold, Make all the windows gay, The fuchsia sheds its violet drops, Its gloss by rain washed out; Dead yellow autumn lurks amid A silver dew is on the web The bergamot its scented juice Is treasuring for me; The beurré hoards its syrup gold Far up the spiral tree. The oats their silky, feathery heads Toss wantonly about; The weaving shades that scud and skim The breezes put to rout. Above my head the walnuts grow, Green, marbled, round, and smooth; The filbert with the flapping leaf, The currants, blood veined, in the sun, The shadow slants across the roof, And from the sun's wrath smiles. The roses at the window sill Are snowing round the wall; At every gust those scented snows Upon my paper fall.-National Magazine. THE TENTH OF AUGUST AT LUCKNOW. 61 After these had been knocked over, the leaders tried to urge on their men. Again and again they made the attempt, but back they had to go by a steady fire. Their chiefs came to the front, and shouted out, "Come on, come on; the place is ours; it is taken." And the sepoys would then rush forward, then hesitate, and finally get under cover of the stockade, and keep up a fearful fire. Some hundreds of them got under the Cawnpore Battery, but found the hand-grenades rather disagreeable, and had to bolt rather sharp. Poor Major Banks came up, and cheered us during the hottest fire, and we were glad to see him. Our shell now began to fall amongst the enemy, and this still further roused their indignation; you could hear additional yells, and horrid imprecations on the heads of all Christians. No less than three times were we assaulted by enormous odds against us, and each attack was, thank God, successfully repulsed. There we were, a little body, probably not eighty men in all (i. e., Cawnpore Battery-our post, and Captain Germon's) opposed to several thousands of merciless, bloodthirsty fanatics. We well knew what we had to expect if we were defeated, and, therefore, each individual fought, as it were, for his very life; each loop-hole displayed a steady flash of musketry, as defeat would have been certain death to every soul in the garrison. Had the outposts fallen, they were in such immense numbers that we could never have turned the enemy out, and then not a man, woman, or child would have been spared. It was, indeed, a most anxious time, and the more so as we did not know how matters were progressing at other points. We dreaded that the other might have been even further pressed than we were. At intervals I heard the cry of "More men this way," and off would rush two or three (all that we could possibly spare) here and there; and then the same cry was repeated in an opposite direction, and again the men had to rush to support their comrades who were more hotly pressed, and so on; as the pressure became greater at particular places, men rushed to those spots to give assistance. During this trying time even the poor wounded men ran out of the hospitals, and those who had wounds in the legs threw away their crutches, and deliberately knelt down and fired as fast as they could out of the loop-holes; others, who could do little else, loaded the muskets, whilst the able-bodied soldiers fired; and in this odd manner these brave men of Her Majesty's 32nd upheld the honour of their nation, and strained every nerve to repel the furious attacks of the enemy.--Captain Anderson's Siege of Lucknow, THE HAPPY FAMILY.-Conversing with the proprietor of the "Happy Family," which stands on Waterloo Bridge, London, I was informed that this exhibition had been in his family upwards of thirty years; and that the mode he got the animals to agree was by placing always young ones in the cages in the place of those who died. The magpie was the patriarch of the cage; he had had this bird five years, hopping about, and chattering. The next to the magpie was the starling; he had been in the cage two years. He left all the creatures in the cage together regularly every night-owls, rats, rabbits, jackdaws, dogs, &c.; but he was obliged always to take the monkey out, and put him in a different place, he was so very mischievous, and kept all the other animals awake, teasing them when they were asleep. “Ah," said he, "them monkeys is awful blackguards!"-Buckland's |