daring the whole time of the fiege, and feemed to take a patriotic pride in gratifying our curiofity. While I was furveying the fortifications and the various fcenes of action between the French and the brave garrifon, I repeated to myself thofe lines of Virgil, Juvat ire et Dorica caftra Defertofque videre locos, littufque relictum.

Hic Dolopum manus, hic fævus tendebat Achilles;

Claffibus hic locus; hic acies certare folebant.

On our return from Williamstadt we oroffed the Maele to Rotterdam by moon-light, and the effect produced by the night fceuery there was highly Ariking and pleafing. We spent the evening with an amiable English family reliding here, by whofe hofitality we were amply recompenfed for the fatigues and privations of the day.

We talk of leaving this place tomorrow. You may expect to hear from me when we get to Utrecht.

I am happy to inform you that my young friend and I agree very well together; his temper and difpofition appear to be open and ingenuous, and entertain great hopes of his improvement. He had laid a good foundation in the Latin language at W——, and he has a relifh for the beauties of fine writing. Early in the morning we devote fome time to the Hifiory of the Seven United Provinces, and when gliding in the treckfchuyte we have hitherto amufed ourfelves with Pope's Imitations of Horace, concerning which, if I am not miftaken, it was obferved by Lord Chesterfield, that he thought Horace was more obliged to Pope than Pope to Horace. Adieu; let me hear from you frequently, and believe me Yours ever. (To be continued.)

THE PROJECTOR, N LXVI. "If Beauty fail, Where are those ornaments, thofe nice

attires

greater part of this clafs of correfpondents choose to treat of the female drefs, by which I have been enabled, perhaps with tolerable certainty, to guess at the fex of the writers. By a few, I am very sharply rebuked for almost totally neglecting this department of periodical lucubration, while others are humble enough to hope that I may: yet retrieve my character by a complete treatile, or feries of papers on the fub ject.

Without divulging what my origi nal intentions might be on this important affair, 1 mutt fay, that fince my correfpondence relpecting Drefs began to increafe, I was willing to try how far my correfpondents would go of them felves, and whether it was likely that their letters, when they amounted to a heap, might not furnish me with a complete feries of arguments pro and con, from which a body of laws could be extracted applicable to every variety of fashion. But I have waited to no purpose; for my correfpondents, having little concert among themfelves, are accustomed to fend me the fame hints, and the fame advices, over and over again, from all which I can only learn that fome things want reformation, but nobody knows how to set about it.

I will allow that if I aim to be guided by precedent only, no apology can be fufficient for the apparent neglect with which I have treated the important fubject of Drefs; for which of my predeceffors would have reached his fixty6ixth paper without having endeavoured to fhorten a train, or to improve a trimming, to curl a ringlet, or to twift a fleeve? But it is this excels of precedents which has frightened me from the undertaking. Where' fo much has been faid, what remains for me? Where no article has escaped without an ample difcuffion, how can I hope for novelty; and what reafon have I to expect that my readers will be pieafed with repetitions? And, as this fubject has employed the pens of my predeceffors for nearly a century, I certainly did hope that in that time fome points might have been fettled,

epiftles which I have the honour to receive from my correfpondents, is a very confiderable proportion which conGifts of hints which I am expected to improve and expand, concerning articles of DRESS. obferve too, that by far the

ever fet at reft. It appears, however, that in this I have been difappointed, and that drefs is one of thofe concerns which derive no benefit from experience.

Perhaps, however, my predeceffors

may

may have been to blame, in not entering fo deeply into this fubject as it deferves, and in confining themfelves to the muffs, hoops, ribbons, o caps of their own times, without confidering these in connexion with the caufe of all drefs, and of all varieties of drefs. They look upon drefs only in its connexion with the body; whereas it is well known that the connexion is much more intimate with the mind, and that the body is a mere paffive agent appointed to exhibit the fymp toms and fignals of what is paffing within. I am not furprized, there fore, that men fhould have failed in reforming matters of this kind, who have viewed drels with the eyes of a milliner rather than those of a philosọpher, and have shown that they are better qualified to trim a gown, than to mend the wearer.

I do not profefs, in this paper, to enter upon the fubject at full length; because it would require, perhaps, the labour of a man's life to reduce it to a fyftem, with the comfortable conclufion that much of that labour might be thrown away. I fhall only, there fore, in compliance with the wishes of my correfpondents, throw out a few hints in my defultory way, which may be hereafter improved by thofe who have time and leifure.

Every fcience must be fludied by recurring to certain first principles, or general and acknowledged truths, from which we may proceed to particular and practical applications. It is, therefore, with fome fatisfaction, that I lately perceived an inclination to trace backward what may be termed the first principles of drefs. Indeed, we cannot be fuppofed to argue well upon any fubject without correct definitions, and without tracing the fubject as far back as poffible, and endeavouring to profit by thofe who have gone before us. In like manner, we fhall certainly understand one other better upon the fubject of drefs, if we are able to agree as to what drefs is, and what it was intended for.

Now, on these two questions, or, at leaft, on the fecond, a very confiderable light was lately attempted to be thrown. Dr. Johnfon gives no other definition of drefs, than by thefe three words, cloaths, garment, habit; which are by no means faisfactory, because they tell us merely that drefs is cloaths, and cloaths is drefs. But

perhaps we shall acquire more correct notions on the fubject if we inquire what drefs was intended for? And it is upon this important queftion, as juft now hinted, that confiderable light · has lately been thrown.

2

There'ufed to be two opinions an this fubject; the one, that dress was intended for ornament, the other for warmth and decency. The first opinion, I think, must be given up, unlefs they who hold it will confent that it fhould blended with the other. The fecond opinion is what we are most concerned in, and what muft now, I think, appear to be one of those antiquated opinions which we derive from our ancestors, but are not confiftent with that liberality of mind and free dom of thinking which diftinguish their pofterity. Indeed, if we appeal to facts only (and to what can we ap peal with more certainty) this opinion will appear to have very little foundation. If drefs were intended for warmth, would so many perfons have thrown it almost entirely off on the approach of a fevere winter? Would they have been content to perish in the extremes of froft and fashion, if warmth had been any part of the use of cloaths? As to decency, the opi nion of our ancellors may perhaps have a better foundation; but even with refpect to that, the fashionable world are by no means agreed, and the experiments of our milliners and mantuamakers on the fubject, have alarmed fome very well-meaning people of the old fchool. They have, I must con fefs, carried the ftripping fyftem much farther than it ought to be carried in this country, and mint ere now have been the deftruction of their own trade, if they had not made a finall referve of dress which they claim the privilege of new-modelling at pleasure.

It has been a queftion with fome reflecting perfons, to what all this tended? and numerous invectives, in all fhapes, effays, pamphlets, and caricature-prints, have been employed to ri dicule the fashion. For my part, chofe to contemplate the whole as the refult of an experiment tried in conjunction with our Parifian neighbours, in order to folve the queftion on the utility of drefs, in the first inftance, and then to determine the smallest quantity of drefs neceffary for a belle of the firft fafhion. That economy entered at all into confideration, muft, I

think,

think, have been a vulgar error, for I have been affured that fome of thofe ladies who put themselves on the fhortest allowance as to cloathing, have perceived no deductions from the accustomed charges of Bond-fireet, and that they paid as much for cold and nakedneis, as others did for warmth and cloathing. And a Parifian lady, it is faid, pays as much for a bust, as the would have done for the clofe covering and ruff of Queen Elizabeth's days.

The experiment, then, has been tried. Three or four years have witneffed fome of the boldeft attempts that ever were made to difenfs the ufefulness, or neceffity of drefs; and it is furely now high me to know what has been the refult; what particular advantages have been derived; whether courtships have been more ardent or fuccefsful; whether hearts have been more eafily affailed; whether the lift of killed and wounded has been longer; whether marriages have been more frequent, and more remark, able for the conftancy of the parties; whether delicacy, upon the whole, has increased, when left entirely with out any support; whether the character of the fex has gained or loft by the imporation of dress from a people who pretend to no character; and whether the almost unlimited expofure of the body has made it eafier to captivate lovers, or to catch cold, to bring on a courtship, or a confumption?

But whatever improprieties may be obferved in respect either to the quantity or quality of drefs, I am unwilling to throw all the blame on the wearers. The origin of the evil does not altogether lie with them. They may be, indeed, blamed for their fubmiffion to the dictates of a certain clafs of perfons who take upon them to drefs or undrefs the ladies of Great Britain as they pleafe, who are tied down by no laws, but whofe precepts are to be implicitly obeyed, although they are not of confequence enough to propagate even a fleeve by example. The mifchief is, that drefs is a matter of trude, and not of tafte; and that the fhops are allowed to dictate what fhall be worn in the drawing-rooms.

To remedy this, may in fome degree be the bufinefs of a PROJECTOR; and after much ferious confideration bestowed upon the fubject, I can think of no better fcheme than the

calling together of a fort of Female Convocation, or Parliament, whofe employment should be to regulate dress in all its changes and varieties. This affembly I would have compofed, in imitation of our Parliament, of a Houfe of Ladies and a Houfe of Commons; and as all diftinctions between ladies and women have been long ago abolifhed, no cap fhould be allowed to pafs, nor a fingle ribbon be enacted, without the joint confent of both houfes,. As to the Houfe of Ladies, the name fufficiently expreffes the quality of the perfons to fit in it, who are of courfe members for life. The Commons, however, fhould be under certain reftrictions as to qualifications, none being eligible who have not... I. per annum of pin-money, or feparate maintenance; the Ladies of Members. of Parliament to represent the coun ties, cities, or boroughs, for which their husbands are chofen ; but no milliner, mantua-maker, or other dealers in fashions, to be eligible upon any account, although it may be in the power of any member to fummon per fons of that defcription to the bar, to give information refpecting the ftate of lace, bugles, or beads for the current year, or to furnish any patterns that may be ordered by the Committees.

In fuch an affembly as this, it feems almoft, indeed quite impoffible, that any of the late enormities in dress could have been tolerated. As is the cafe in all mixed affemblies, there may be fome careless and indifferent to the interefts of their confiituents, but few, I think, would propofe any thing fo contrary to feminine delicacy and cha racter, as have lately iffued from be hind the counter, or been hatched in the back-parlour. The eloquent fpeakers and distinguished members of this affembly would confider, that, whatever may be the primary ufe of cloathe ing, the art of dress is the art of pleufing, and that nothing can long please which creates a blufh in the wearer, and difguft in the beholder. And as it is undeniable that the party to be pleafed is of great confequence in the community, it would reft with the wifdom of this Parliament to deter mine whether upon fpecial occafions, fuch as a motion for tripping, certain gentlemen might not be examined at the bar, as to the probable effects of fuch a measure upon their hearts. Had this precaution been taken a few years

ago,