ribbon velvet, and silk and satin buttons, embroidered or circled with a different color and material.

CLIPPINGS AT OUR CENTRE-TABLE.

BURIAL-PLACE OF KINGS AND QUEENS.

THIS graphic description of the Royal Vault, at Windsor, will be interesting to those who have recently read the description of the funeral of Prince Albert, and recollect how the coffin sank slowly after the touching service to the vault below.

THE ROYAL VAULT.

At the bottom of the grave, down which the bier was lowered, is a stone passage, about six feet broad, and some eight or nine feet high. On the right, in a little niche, stands the very simple machinery used for lowering the biers, and a little beyond this, in another niche, a row of very tall, black, gaunt-looking, two-armed, wooden candelabra, employed for torches when the royal vault itself is opened. For some twelve or fifteen feet beyond this the passage continues descending, and turning a little to the left, till further ingress is cut off by two plain, rusty, wide-barred iron gates. This is the entrance to the royal vault. It is a very plain, wide, lofty, stone vault, with a groined roof springing from stone columns. On either side, supported by these columns, are four tiers of marble shelves; in the centre are three very wide and massive slabs of marble, raised some two feet from the ground. The side shelves are destined for the members of the royal family-the centre marble biers for the coffins of monarchs only. As the light slowly penetrates this dismal chamber, two purple coffins, looking almost black in the gloom, can be distinctly seen at the furthest end, brightly reflecting back the rays of light as the beams fall upon their richly-gilded ornaments, which shine as though affixed but yesterday. These are the coffins of George III. and Queen Charlotte. Above their heads, but shining out warmly with a bright crimson glow, are the coffins of three of their children, who died young. At their feet, but some distance apart, and quite alone, lies the gorgeous coffin of George IV. On the centre slab, and nearest to the gates, the coffins of William IV. aud Queen Adelaide rest side by side, the Queen being on the left. There are no coffins on the right side of the vault, but on the left are those of the Duke of York, the Duke of Gloucester, the Duke of Kent, and the Duke of Cambridge. Strangely enough the coffin nearest the gate is that of the Princess Charlotte, of Wales. It is a crimson coffin, close in view, and, like the rest, as bright as that which, alas! has been so lately laid there. Along this passage, we have described, the bier of the late Prince was wheeled till the foot of the coffin was at the gates of the royal vault. Yesterday a Queen's messenger brought from Osborne to Windsor three little wreaths and a bouquet. The wreaths were simple chaplets of moss and violets, wreathed by the three elder Princesses; the bouquet of violets, with a white camelia in the centre, was sent by the widowed Queen. Between the heraldic insignia these last tributes from his widow and orphan daughters were laid upon the coffin-mementos of domestic love and worth above all heraldry that ever was emblazoned.

LITERARY ITEMS.

Mr. Samuel Smiles, known to American readers through the reprints of his "Life of Stephenson," and "Self-Help," has just published "Lives of the Engineers; with an

Account of their Principal Works." It is a bulky work, in two large volumes. Beginning with the earliest known specimens of British engineering, the draining of the marshes, and the embanking of the rivers, before and in the time of the Romans, he gives a succinct and interesting account of the inland communication of Great Britain, and full biographies of some of the most prominent engineers of the last two centuries- Briudley, Smeaton, Telford, Rennie, and others. Nothing of value, respecting the men and their deeds, is omitted.

The daughter of Hood, Mrs. Frances Freeling Broderip, has just published a charming child's book, "Tiny Tadpole, and Other Tales," which her brother, who is clever with the pencil, like his father before, has illustrated. The Hon. Mrs. Norton has in press a new volume, with illustrations from her own designs-"The Lady of La Garaye."

Mr. Coventry Patmore, the poet, enters the field of compilation with "The Children's Garland, from the Best Poets."

Mr. Robert Browning is now in London, editing the poetical remains of his noble wife. They will be published simultaneously on both sides of the water. Mr. James Miller, the successor of Francis & Co., having purchased the early sheets, the volume will appear about the first of March.

Lady Wallace has in press a translation of Felix Mendelssohn's Letters from Italy and Switzerland.

AMIABILITY.

As amiability is a woman's chief charm, and as a cheerful, sunny temper cannot be maintained with dyspepsia, we need not apologize for a lengthy clipping from a late English magazine, presuming that the advice is given to the masculine portion of the community in the article from which we quote:

"With due attention to temperance, exercise, and early hours, you may set dyspepsia at defiance. Neglect one of these precautions, and you lay yourself open to the approaches of the enemy; neglect two of them, and it is hardly possible that you can escape. And, above all things, keep this in mind, that no other disease or affection of the body is so stealthy or insidious as dyspepsia. If the first few instances of carelessness or transgression were to be visited with the pains and penalties that afflict the patient when the malady has become chronic, few men would be so insane or so obstinately reckless as to postpone the work of reformation. But the earlier symptoms are rarely of an alarming kind. The appetite is not sensibly affected, though the digestion is impaired, and the complaint seems for a time to be limited to flatulency and heartburn. Such unpleasant sensations, however, can be easily removed; essence of ginger and fluid magnesia seldom fail to give relief, and the patient flatters himself that there is no ground for apprehension. But the symptoms do not disappear; they recur with greater frequency, and the antidotal doses, though increased, are found to have lost their efficacy. stomach has now become more seriously deranged. kinds of food generate acid, and in this stage the patient usually has recourse to the carbonates of soda or potash, which in their turn give a temporary relief, though without in any way arresting the disorder. By this time dyspepsia, like an insidions serpent, has fairly folded the victim within its embrace, and is squeezing him at its leisure. Everything he eats disagrees with him, and seems to undergo some wondrous transformation. That which was served up at the table as haggis seems converted, two hours afterwards, into a ball of

The

All

knotted tow; mutton-chop becomes a fiery crab, rending the interior with its claws; and every rice pudding has the intolerable effrontery to become revivified as a hedge. hog. After that come nausea and vomiting. You derive no benefit from the food you swallow. From twelve stone weight, you dwindle down to ten. Your counte

nance becomes ghastly, your eyes hollow, and you totter prematurely on your pins. The mere notion of exercise becomes distasteful. You feel as if you had no strength for anything. You are pensive, moody, and irritable. Your mind loses its elasticity and power; and when you sit down to compose, instead of manly matter, you produce nothing but the dreariest of drivel."

Fashions.

NOTICE TO LADY SUBSCRIBERS. HAVING had frequent applications for the purchase of jewelry, millinery, etc., by ladies living at a distance, the Editress of the Fashion Department will hereafter execute commissions for any who may desire it, with the charge of a small percentage for the time and research required. Spring and autumn bonnets, materials for dresses, jewelry, envelops, hair-work, worsteds, children's wardrobes, mantillas, and mantelets, will be chosen with a view to economy, as well as taste; and boxes or packages forwarded by express to any part of the country. For the last, distinct directions must be given.

Orders, accompanied by checks for the proposed expenditure, to be addressed to the care of L. A. Godey, Esq.

No order will be attended to unless the money is first received. Neither the Editor nor Publisher will be accountable for losses that may occur in remitting.

The Publisher of the Lady's Book has no interest in this department, and knows nothing of the transactions; and whether the person sending the order is or is not a subscriber to the Lady's Book, the Fashion editor does not know.

Instructions to be as minute as is possible, accompanied by a note of the height, complexion, and general style of the person, on which much depends in choice. Dress goods from Evans & Co.'s; mourning goods from Besson & Son; cloaks, mantillas, or talmas, from Brodie's, 51 Canal Street, New York; bonnets from the most celebrated establishments; jewelry from Wriggens & Warden, or Caldwell's, Philadelphia.

When goods are ordered, the fashions that prevail here govern the purchase; therefore, no articles will be taken back. When the goods are sent, the transaction must be considered final.

DESCRIPTION OF STEEL FASHION-PLATE FOR MARCH.

Fig. 1.-Dress of sea-green silk, with a deep fold or bias piece of black silk on the hem of the skirt. Charming spring mantle of rich black silk, a sweeping Talma shape behind; the front en tablier (or falling in tabs). It is half high on the shoulders, with a hood of rich guipure lace. It is bordered by a band of mauve silk, edged by guipure, and crossed by rich points of guipure and velvet. Dress bonnet of white crape and chip, with a plume; bandeau of Burgundy roses, with buds and foliage.

Fig. 2.-Home dress of woollen grenadine, in stripes of black, mauve, and white. It is made simply, and worn with an Imperatrice collar of white piqué; cravat

of black velvet. The cap is a cawl, or net, formed of good lace, with knots of mauve ribbon.

Fig. 3.-Silk dress, the fashionable shade of green. The sleeves and side trimmings quite new. Skirt with a flounce, headed by a puff, crossed with velvets, and conflued by buttons. Leghorn bonnet, with mauve ribbon and plume.

Fig. 4. Carriage or visiting-dress of the new bright shade of tan d'or. The velvet trimming is the same color, a few shades darker. We commend the sleeve as particularly good, and giving an idea of the length and width now most popular.

Fig. 5.-Riding-habit of lobelia blue cloth, handsomely braided in black. The skirt is longer on the back than the front; an important modification, as it allows the skirt sufficient length in the saddle, and relieves the wearer in walking. Gray Leghorn hat, one of the best shapes, with plume of game feathers.

Two juvenile costumes.-The first, trowsers of dark gray cloth, sacque of tan d'or. The second, skirt of drab cachmerine, bordered with blue. Garibaldi shirt of blue flannel.

CHITCHAT UPON NEW YORK AND PHILADELPHIA FASHIONS FOR MARCH.

BRODIE is preparing for his spring opening many useful and graceful styles of the short paletot, so popular in France and England, but which our ladies have been so slow to adopt. The exaggerated length has passed away, and more graceful proportions are given to the figure. He will introduce in these some newlyimported ladies' summer cloth, in excellent shades of tan, and drab, and stone-color; also some broken plaids and stripes of the most delicate tones. Plain cloths turned up in contrasting colors will be very popular, or sleeves lined and turned up with a deeper shade of the same color. A modification of the talma has come up again for those who prefer loose wraps. Some of these are richly braided or embroidered at each corner and in the middle of the back. Indeed, embroidery and rich braid patterns in cord and gimp are very popular on dresses and mantles both, after having been laid aside some little time.

A dress made up recently at Madame Demorest's uptown establishment, an imported robe, was elegantly embroidered up each seam of the skirt; the sleeves, the front, and even the back of the corsage had its peculiar design en suite, or matching the prevailing idea.

In recent Parisian letters we find a dress of maroon silk described, embroidered with lilies in the same shade; also a dress of violet silk with daisies worked in black silk, and ornamented by a deep flounce worked with daisies.

The Russian, Swiss, and Medic waistbands are now indispensable with a round corsage, as it has gone out of favor, except for plain house dresses. The pointed bodice once more rules, and is welcomed back by many ladies to whom the round waistband gave a dumpy appearance. The best dresses are made with points before and behind, and open sleeves; tight sleeves will be entirely laid aside until a colder season returns, except for travelling-dresses. These girdles or waistbands are prettily embroidered in silk and jet, or silk, or braid alone. In rich evening dress they are ornamented with small Roman pearls, and abroad, where huge incomes can afford it, even real precious stones.

The Gabrielle style for dresses will be somewhat worn as the spring opens, but its chief popularity has passed.

The Garibaldi shirt will be extremely popular as a home dress, particularly for young ladies, with a new skirt called the latiere (milkmaid). The joupon latiere is usually either red, gray, or white cachmerine, or soft flannel, with one wide velvet or several narrow rows, placed above the hem. It may also be ornamented with a simple dressing braid pattern. The Garibaldi shirt should have a running pattern in black braid on the plaits and cuffs of the sleeve. The most fashionable collars are of piqué, very small, high and straight, with cuffs to match. These are worn with the universal cravat bow called imperatrice, and display the dress trimmed around the throat. A pretty style; quite popular.

Unbleached alpaca and woollen organdie are spoken of among the new dress materials.

In styles of making up we describe a dress of black silk, corsage plain and pointed at the waist, which is cut square around the neck, and edged by a narrow ruffle of blue silk turning back from the edge. Sleeves bell-shaped; a full, round cap at the top, edged with the blue silk quilling. It is drawn in a little at the bottom, and has a puff of the blue silk, edged by a frill of black. Down the front of the dress a puff of blue silk two inches wide on the waist, and broadening into four on the skirt, with small rosettes of black ribbon, and lace at intervals.

Dress of shot silk, one of the new fabrics; this has two shades, a deep and light shade of mauve. The dress is plain in front, with four narrow ruffles on the bottom in alternate shades of mauve. On each of the back seams of the skirt, commencing on the sides, is a pyramidal trimming of narrow ruffles; a scarf mantle, the shade of the dress, which is one of the spring novelties for the later spring, has two ruffles all around in a deep and light shade of mauve. It is thrown just across the shoulders, and has long tablier ends.

A dress of plain apple-green silk, a lovely shade, pale and quiet. The waist is quite plain and round. The skirt is full, and handsomely trimmed by a flounce, five inches wide, on the bottom of the skirt, and three full puffs above it; the flounce is edged by a row of narrow velvet, quite a dark shade of green; the upper part of the skirt has the same trimming repeated, at about the depth of a short tunic. A narrow waistband of silk, edged on each side by narrow, dark-green velvet, has a sash-girdle, to the left, of silk about the width of an ordinary bonnet ribbon, edged with velvet ribbon. A spray of velvet shamrocks is embossed on each end and on the bows. The sleeves are moderately wide, with a flounce and three puffs to match the skirt; the trimming goes up square at the back of the sleeve to the elbow, giving the appearance of being cut up. With this dress is worn a headdress of a brown-orange color, a coronal of drawn velvet ribbon, with flat bows at each ear, and ends with chenille tassels drooping from them.

The

A dress of shot silk, mauve and black, has five narrow flounces, placed at a little distance apart, and set on in box-plaits, separated by a plain space the width of the plait. A heading is formed by a row of narrow velvet ribbon, about an inch from the upper edge. waist is plain, but there is a pointed pelerine crossing to left surplice fashion, trimmed by two ruffles set on as are the flounces, two inches and a half wide at the back, and narrowing to one inch and a half at the point, where it is met by a sash ribbon of the silk edged by velvet ribbon. The sleeve is rather loose, slightly full at the arm, the fulness on the top of the sleeve; the bottom

has one ruffle to correspond with the skirt, and a piece in a double scallop on the forearm; in each scallop, a diamond-shaped rosette, in black and white lace.

The bonnet selected for this dress is a Leghorn, with a black silk cape turned up with raspberry red, and covered by black lace; a bouquet of a large raspberry-red rose and foliage, with a cluster of purplish grapes; on the outside, the bandeau has a puff of raspberry silk, a rose, and a few grapes, with black lace.

For those who object, from delicate health, to wearing dresses with revers or turned back, vest fashion at the throat, there is an excellent style, quite as ornamental; the revers meet from the throat down, quite close, and are faced with some color contrasting with the dress; as, for instance, a black silk, with revers of deep bright blue, edged by a narrow puffing of black satin ribbon. Bell-shaped sleeves, slashed with blue on the top, the slashing crossed by puffings of satin ribbon; at the bottom of the skirt are two flounces of black silk, the lower one headed by a puff of blue, the upper by a puff of black.

We notice a pretty new sleeve for home wear. They are somewhat in the gigot form, with a band at the wrist, and an epaulet or cap, neatly trimmed. The gigot, or mutton-leg, is quite popular for home wear. As the season advances, and thinner fabrics appear, tight sleeves will be given up; indeed they have been very moderately worn in Paris the past winter, many of the best dresses being made up with sleeves quite open at the wrist, and much longer behind than on the arm, besides various modifications of the bell-shape.

The shape of straw bonnets is already defined. They follow the high brim and sloping crown of the past winter, and are very shallow at the side, so that the top trimming dies away to a narrow ruche of tulle on the cheek. There is a new style of ruche. The plaits have the air of being separated by a plain space, but the effect of the late full ruche is also gained, softening the outline of the face, and inclosing the cheek in a line of wavy, delicate blonde. Across the brim, flowers and lace are

still carried; on the outside of the bonnets, the Letitia bow will be very popular. It is a flat bow, exactly on top-to describe a bonnet trimmed in this way-a pretty spring straw, with the high brim, curtain of mauve silk, with two square plaits at the back, plain on the sides. The plaits are trimmed across with rows of straw and small pendent ornaments of straw. Strings of No. 30 ribbon; from the cape, pretty well at the back of the bonnet, a plain ribbon, of the same width, ascends, meeting on top in a Letitia bow, formed of two flat loops, one turned each way, passing under a flat tie; on each corner of the loops are small pendent ornaments of straw. Inside, a ruche; at the top, a broad, close bunch of purple violets, with a pink moss rose and foliage on each side.

We have seen ribbon of an inch and a half in width used in this way: three rows across the top of the bonnet, and in one case, five, of an inch in width, covering the whole bonnet.

We have seen a very pretty chip hat, with cape of bright June green; the front has a broad, rich white ribbon passed over it, at the top a knot, in which is placed a light plume, which curls over the edge of the brim, and forms a part of the bandeau; bright green leaves complete it. Strings of broad white ribbon. Next month we commence our regular notices of spring openings, by Miss McConnel, Mrs. Scofield, and others.

FASHION.