worst of the evil. Females of allages, are subjects to the longings, especially when dressis in the question. Hence they sel dom fail to return home, loaded with what they call bargains, that is to say, millinery, perfumery and a variety of gewgaws, made up of trompery, damaged goods, which j most solemnly declare are not worth half the price at which they are sold in these cheap repositories. As to the millinery articles, they are notto be compared with what they formerly were in the habit of purchasing from my good friendand neighbour, mrs. modish; Neither does the perfumery approach in quality to that sold by my old acquaintance, honest tom Lavender, whose name, poor fellow, as wellas my own, j expect very shortly to see in the gazette. In vain is it, thrat j point out all this to my vife and daugther, they are alike deaf and blind to all proof and remonstrance. Say what j will, nothing will go down with them, but what they buy at the bazuars. J am not even allowed to purchase the articles j want for my own use, at à regular shop. Thus my wife baought me home the other day some patent shaving-soap, which fairly took all the skin off my face, and presented me with a pound of hairpowder impregnated with lime, which has burnt my hair to the very roots. On my complaining of the injury j had sustained by her cheap bargains, she sallied forth incontinently to the bazaars from which she returned with a bottle of ma cassar oil, to regenerate my hair. But though jhave nearly consumed both the one and the other of these articles, by continual application, j neither find any benefit from the huile divine, which instend of healing my face, has freckled it all over; nos has a single hair sprouted up, to replace those, which i have lost by her adulderated powder. As to the caps and veils, which they are. Constantly purchasing for themselves, «j protest they do << not last my wife or daughters a week. But then, they are such cheap bargains, and the bazarrs are such a delightful morning lounge, and all the fashionable « world goes there; and what can be more amusing than « to kill time, in a place, where one may see such a prodigious variety of things, without being compelled to lay out a farthing? though, bye the bye, j must honestly declare that j never yet knew the day that they returned from their morning excursion, emptyhanded. « « (80) Quoique la présence des princes de la famille royale recommande annuellement les courses d'Astcot, et que les personnes de distinction et du plus haut rang (high life) y affluent, ces courses sont cependant moins célebres que celles de Newmarket. Celles-ci se tiennent dans le comté de Suffolk, à quatorze milles de Cambridge. Les paris qui s'y font sont toujours très-considérables. S'il s'y trouve cinquante mille personnes, on peut assurer qu'il y a plus de dix mille parieurs. Le comté de Suffolk est très-renommé pour la qualité des chevaux qu'il produit; ils sont réputés les meilleurs coureurs de toute l'Angleterre. Les propriétaires s'y montrent aussi soigneux que jaloux de conserver cette supériorité. Il y a des personnes qui paient jusqu'à quarante guinées pour faire couvrir une jument. Un bon étalon peut, dans un seul jour, rapporter quatre-vingt guinées à son maître. Du reste, il est difficile de se faire une idée du soin que l'on prend de ces animaux. Un palfrenier est souvent chargé de soigner un seul d'entr'eux. Il existe donc aussi des chevaux qui, dès leur naissance, sont destinés à être heureux sur la terre. Les courses de Duncaster ont également du renom : les personnes du premier rang, et la bonne compagnie, ont coutume de s'y rendre. FIN DES NOTES DU SECOND VOLUME. |