pangled with gold; from each stripe. hung rims of gold taffels; the other fide of the petticoat, a rich embroi dery of white and gold, with festoons gold flowers, with white fatin leaves; train, rich white fatin, trimmed with gold. up with filver bullion ropes, with Dutchess of Dorfet. White crape petticoat, embroidered with gold fpangles, intermixed with beautiful ftone ftars, and richly embroidered with lillies and other flowers; the flounce richly embroidered with gold Spangles on tigre fatin, drawn up with elegant black and filver ropes, and hand fome ftone taffels: train cerufe colour, embroidered with filver fpangles, and rich filver fringe; cap, tigre fatin, embroidered with filver fpangles and feathers of uncommon elegance, ornamented with a profu fion of diamonds. Datchefs of Buccleugh. White crape petticoat, embroidered with coquelicot foil, gold and filver fpangles, trimmed with rich filver fringe; the train of coquelicot fatin. Dutchefs of Richmond. White fatin petticoat, embroidered with roses, green fatin train. Marchioness of Bath. A white and gold embroidery with fine fable. Marcbionefs of Salfbury. A rich white and gold embroidery, with oals leaves. Countess of Cardigan. A crape petticoat, richly embroidered with wreaths of coquelicot foil flowers, with olive leaves. Countess of Aberdeen. A rich embroidery of blue foil, with gold fpangles. Countess of Glasgow. A petticoat embroidered with bouquets of vari egated colours, feftooned with poppies and gold; a flounce of gold and crape, the defign beautifully triking, body of white fatin and gold. Countess of Portmore. A crape petticoat applique in wreaths, and bouquets of purple and brown, fancy flowers, train purple, and white fringed fatin, trimmed with ribbon, fringed cap, blond, and fatin, with purple, and white feftoons and feathers. Countess of Sutherland. A gold embroidery upon fatin, with a border of green foil flowers round the bottom Dutchess of Gorden. A white pet-of the petticoat. ticoat, trimmed with white and gold festoons, with velvet embroidered fhells, gold fpangles, and rich gold fringe; the trains of white fatin, or namented with gold and diamond wheat-ears, fmall gold taffels, head drefs plume of feathers. Dutchess of Leeds. A crape petticoat richly embroidered with gold taffels and fringe; train white fatin, gold fringe; cap, white fatin, gold wheat fancy, and white feather. Dutchefs of Rutland, A crape petticoat, one fide richly embroidered with broad ftripes of gold foil, headed with vandikes of fatin, richly Lady Sufan Gordon, A crape petticoat embroidered with filver in large fpots, with ftripes of blue and foil flowers on one fide of the petticoat; the other fide three loose draperies of white and filver, tied back with rich embroidered bands of blue foil and filver. Lady Chatham. A crape petticoat," richly embroidered with gold fpangles, in knots, the knots filled up with purple foil. Lady Bute. A white petticoat, ornamented with gold fpangles and wreaths of rich foil convolvulus's; loops of blue and white fatin orua men ments with fpangles, an elegant feftoon at bottom looped with rich stone buckles, and trimmed with rich gold and filver taffel: train, a brown and filver tiffue trimmed with rich gold and filver taffel fringe. Lady Eardly. A white petticoat richly embroidered with wreathes of foil, ftones, and fern leaves, rich taffel fringe and wreath of flowers ; train, white trimmed with rich taffel fringe. Lady Sharlotte Stuart. A white petticoat ornamented with wreathes of rofes and filver fpangles, rich taffel fringe, &c. Lady Mary Stuart. A white petti eoat richly embroidered with fpingles and ornamented with embroidered tygers fkins, gold bullion taffels. Lady Sufan Thorp. A plain white petticoat with an elegant wreath of rofes and filver fringe; train of tabby fatin trimmed with filver fringe. Lady Monro. A white petticoat, fichly fpangled with wreathes, foil ftones, an elegant feftoon of poppy fatin, beautifully ornamented with foil ftones, flowers and leaves trimmed with filver fringe. Lady Shuldham's drefs was among the first clafs of elegance at St. James's. Petticoat white crape, embroidered with filver in stripes and fprigs, a fancy drapery of purple ciape, with filver fringe and fcarf of purple and white tied up with rich. rofes and taffels. The robe of purple, and trimmed with filver. embroidered with gold fpangles; train of grey fatin trimmed with gold fringe. Lady William Gordon. A white crape petticoat richly embroidered with wheat ears of gold and ftones trimmed with gold fringe; the whole was elegantly fimple. Lady Audley. A crape petticoat embroidered in feftoons of white fatin, gold fpangles, white and blue ftones, purple, and bouquets of rofes and lilies in painted velvet, trimmed with rich taffel fringe; train, a pink and brown fatin trimmed with gold fringe; cap blond and pink fatin, with gold wheat fpangles and feathers. Lady Wilfiagbam. A crape petticoat richly aplique with white fatin, blue and brown wreathes of fancy flowers in feftoons; train, brown clouded fatin trimmed with blond; cap blond, blue fatin black velvet and white feathers. Two Lady Colliers. Crape petti coats, embroidered in white and gold, trimmed with gold fringe and fancy gold taffels; train, a purple and white figured fatin trimmed with gold fringe; cap, fatin, gold-wheat, pur ple, and white feathers. Lady Hillborough. A crape petti coat embroidered with filver, and lilac and green foil with filver fringe and taffels. Lady Warwick. A pale blue fatin gauze, and coat trimmed with fine point lace, intermixed with crape, em. broidered in gold with rich gold taf Lady Loughborough. A white fatin gown and coat, the petticoat richly embroidered with gold ftones. Lady C. Campbell. White fatin petticoat, embroidered round the bot-fels. tom with purple velvet and beads, drapery ftrewed with gold wheat drawn up with purple and filver taffels, trimmed with a very rich gold and filver fringe; train of white fatin trimmed with purple velvet and rich fringe cap in the form of a coronet with a purple velvet crown and gold fpangled fatin, ornamented with feathers and gold wheat. Lady Warren. White crape pettigat itriped with white fatin richly Lady Grenville. A crape petticoat richly embroidered with gold and ftripes, a broad gold fringe and rich gold taffels, the body and train of very rich gold tiffue; the general effect of this drefs was beautifully fplendid. Lady Northek. A crape petticoat richly embroidered on tilver, and pink rofes; the body and train of white fatin. Lady Ridley, A clouded fatin gown and petticoat richly embroidered with teftoons of colour and gold in the form of a rainbow. Lady Fortefeue. Dark fatin body and train, a rich gold and gauze petticoat, trimmed with gold fringe. Lady G. Smith. A blue, clouded gown, the petticoat trimmed with feftoons of blue and brown flowers Lady C. Bathurft. A clouded fatin gown, a crape petticoat embroidered with feftoons of brown feathers. Marivaux, notwithstanding all his wit, and found philofophy, in which perhaps no one ever excelled him, was, with regard to certain fubjects, credulous to a moft furprising degree; you may judge from the following anecdote: One winter evening, when a dangerous cold obliged me to keep my chamber, he called to fee me, as he came from the academy, almost dead with cold, and coughing more violently and frequently than I did myfelf, which appeared to me the more extraordinary, as I knew how very carefully he always was of his Lady S. Bathur. A grey fatin body and train, the petticoat embroi-health. dered with jonquils and filver. Lady Chetwynd. A violet fatin body and train, crape petticoat neatly embroidered with gold and feftoons of purple, drawn up with elegant gold taffels, and branches of roses. Lady Hume. Perticoat white and gold trimming ftriped, with blue flowers intermixed, with brown train the fame colour. Lady Macclefield. A crape petticoat embroidered with gold, ftripes of crimson; train, fcarlet poppies. Lady Hale. A dark body and train; a petticoat richly embroidered with fripes of gold. LETTER from M. de la PLACE, TO THE MARQUIS of N-. Containing a fingular Anecdote relative to the credulity of the famous Marivaux, a French poet. I You must not be too fevere on me, faid he, defirous to prevent my farcaflic remarks. Every thing muft have an end; ind ed I am quite tired of fo much refraint and regimen, which, inftead of removing my catarihous complaint, feems only to increase it. Befides, notwithstanding the danger to which I may feem expofed, by going out in fuch weather as the prefen', I have fecret, and, in my own opinion, perfecily fatisfactory reafons why I thould not appre hend any ill confequence. This declaration appears fo extravagant, faid I, looking full at him, that, had it proceeded from any one befide yourf, I fould have thought him deftitute of common fenfe. I fuppofe you would, my good friend, replied he; but let then atter reft, and make no mention of what you have heard. How, fir! Suffer me to fay, my curiofity, after what I have heard, is not less than my anxiety. If you can doubt this, I am not worthy the friendship with which you have hitherto honored me. Should not have told you while he was living, my dear Marquis, bat fince M. de R has already After a moment's filence on both aquainted you with feveral of his fides, I am to blame, cried he. Your peculiarities, and you feem inclined ferious air fhews me how much I to believe I know more of them than have excited your furize, and I any other person, I cannot but con-think it my duty to expiate my im-, fels that our late much eficemed rude.ice, by relating an adventure VOL. XXIV. E at at which you will probably laugh, but which I can no longer refufe to the friendly attention and concern you at prefent fecl. Let us therefore be left alone, and now liften to my recital: "Born at Paris, of a refpectable family, my father, who formerly was fuperintendant of the coinage at Riom, having left me fome property, the ardor of youth, together with the hope of increating my fortune, caufed me to become the dupe of the fchemes of the Rue Quinquampoix; when, after fome brilliant fuccefies, finding myfelf undeceived and ruined like many others, and awakened from my agreeable dream, I had recourfe to writing for the theatre. "My first performances. however, having procured me more fame than profit, I yielded to the folicitations of an old female relation, who was fuppofed to be very rich, and fet out for Lyons, where I foon found myself not a little difgufted at my fituation, as the lady was fickly and peevish, and far from being fo rich as had been reported. During my continuance in this way of life, extremely unfuitable to fo active a spirit as mine, going one day into one of the most frequented coffee houses of the city, I was ftruck by the appearance of a little old man, who feemed as ancient as Time himself is commonly reprefented, but whole lively eye and countenance, as expreffive as uncommon, interested me greatly. "I approached, hoping to engage him in a converfation which might enable me to form a better judgment of his character, but I was deceived in my expectation; for, whether he was difplead with my forward eagemefs or was in reality going before 1 came up to him, he immediately paid for his difh of coffee, and faluting me with a cold and diftant politeneis left the room. obliged to follow him by a kind of irretiftible charm, I went out after him, and, keeping him in fight, though at a diflance, prefently faw him go down one of the walks of the Fauxbourg de la Guillotiere, which I likewife immediately entered. He walked alone, in one of the moft retired alleys; and I, fearing again to offend, went into another, pretending not to take any notice of him, though at the fame time infenfibly approaching him, but feemingly attentive to another object. "However, as I could difcern by a fide glance that he perceived and no longer endeavored to avoid me, when I came to the bottom of the walk, I entered that in which he was, ftili affecting an abrent behaviour, and, prefently after meeting him, falute d him fo refpectfully that he could no longer doubt he was recollected by mc. "But how great was my furprize when, or turning, at the end of the walk, I looked in vain for the ftranger who had fo much engaged my curiofity, and who, as I was informed by one of the porters, had just left the place." You are no ftranger to my difpofition or opinions my friend, continued Marivaux, who faw I could not help fmiling. Far from finding my curiosity diminified, it was to much increafed that, having fought him again the next day, and found him in the fame place, I fufficiently overcame my timidity to go up to him, and, with as much earnefinefs as I was capable of at that age, intreated him to grant me his company, though only for a tew minutes. "I know you, Monfieur de Marivaux, answered he, finiling; and you may perceive that the trouble you have been at to procure a knowledge of me has not escaped my notice: but in this endeavor (at least at prefent) you will not fucceed." How ! "How! fir: I have the honour to be known to you and yet you will refufe-" "Be calm.-Yes; I know you, and knew your father, and the greater part of your relations; and, what is more, I know the motives which brought you hither, and am as well acquainted as you are yourself with your difgust at your prefent fituation; but reasons which I cannot difcover compel me to beg you will enquire no farther, and be not offended it I now take my leave." I ask your pardon, fir; but fince you know me may not at leaft hope “No, I tell you, I cannot now, and it is to no purpose to prefs me any more. Do not attempt to follow me; it can be of no advantage to you, but may prove hurtful to us both. I can only fay you have excited in me a confiderable regard for you, of which it depends on yourfelf to receive one day convincing proofs. Adieu, then, my dear Marivaux, continue to cultivate literature, and above all to preferve your rectitude; and, whatever may happen, be certain, and rely on my word for it, you shall not die till you bave seen me again. Once more adieu, we are observed, and I cannot stay any longer." he had nothing to hope, and still lefs to fear. I then perceived, my dear Marquis, how improbable it was I fhould be able to remove a prejudice fo deeply rooted it even appeared to me that, could I effect it, it would only be doing my friend an unkindness, fince it rendered him perfectly eafy under his ailments, and I have fince learned, by Midamoifelle de St. Jean, at whofe houfe he lived, that he died, at the age of feventy-five, without doubting the truth of what had been told him by his little old man, or abandoning the expectation of feeing him once more. HAVE amufed myfelf with col lecting certain little anecdotes of my family. You may remember the enquiries I made, when you were with me in England, among The next day I made a very dili.fuch of my relations as were fill gent fearch in all the coffee-houses, living, and the journey I undertook public places, and inns of Lyons, for that purpofe. To be acquainted but to no purpose. This extraordi- with all the particulars of my parennary perfon was known to no one, tage and life, many of which are and feemed to have been a phantom unknown to you, I flatter myself visible to me alone. I have now lived will afford the fame pleafure to you alinoft forty years and have not seen as to me. I fhall relate them upon him fince. paper; it will be an agreeable emSuch is my history, faid Marivaux,ployment of a week's uninterrupted fighing; and, and in fpite of every en-leifure which I promife myself dur deavour to difregard the impreffion made on me by this adventure, I never can perfuade myself that this man was either an imaginary being or an impoftor; who had any kind of intereft, prefent or future, in abufing the credulity of a perfon from whom be Aftriking likeness of the Doctor will given in our next Number. The work by fome accident has ap peared in French, previous to its publica tion in this country; and rom the French ing |