The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-10-04 00:00:00

GOSSIP ON DRESS

Tin: changes of costurhe rendered necessary by the
recent variations of tfemperature have caused some
activity in the workrooms of our leading dressmakers
and milliners, and forecasts are already being made
with respect to the fashions for ti e coming winter.
The Paris correspondent of the Queen writes: The
newest and most popular silks for winter wear are in
the style called in Paris " ameublement," by which is
understood those hitherto used for upholstery pur.
poses. There is a dash of the Louis XVI. character
about them, and there is a decided partiality for wide
stripes, either in two materials, such as silk and vel-
vet, or in two colours (called Pekins), and these are
sometimes studded with flowers to break the mono-
tony of the lines, and sometimes they are plain.
Broche velvets of thick substance and in which the
designs are fris6 ; soft corded silks, such as the rich-
looking Bengalines, and plain velvet of many qualities
make up the leading features in silks.

Tun designs are spears' heads, trefoils, roses,
fishes' scales, pilgrims' shells, leaves of the chestnut
tree, spots and flowerets, and the designs are mostly
in relief, for both in embroidery and silks ths
patterns appear as though they were padded. All
figured and striped materials are to be made up with
plain tissues, aid velvet forms an important addition
both on cashmere and serge gowns, being used for
bands, tucks, cuffs, collar, and panels. The most
costly trimmings are prepared for plain materials—
gold cloth and gold embroidery with chenille inter-
mixed, fine jetted gimp balls, cloth bands with
chenille and gold threads introduced, braids inter-
woven with gold, silver, and steel, and mohair
guipure, in all colours, worked with metallic threads.

IN broche fabrics, the favourite colour will be
heliotrope, both in dark and light shades, also old-
gold; but in plain materials green, in every variety
of shade, will take the lead, from dark moss-green
to the tender hue of the growing leaf. Plain
materials, whether silk or woollen, are supple, and
there is a tendency to simply arranged skirts,
especially in rich fabrics. Still, thero must be a
foundation of either silk, alpaca, or cotton twill, as
it serves for the introduction of steel springs, which
would be unsightly in skirts over which no drapery
fell, consequently the foundation is edged with
narrow kiltings, and the skirt proper is mounted
upon it.

IN woollen materials the selection will lie between
vigogues bouclees and serges striped with steels threads
scarcely visible, yet soft in effect; in pale blue grey
this serge will be much in vogue. For trimming there
is cream . lace in breadths, a sort of guipure with small
medallions in fine Mechlin; bands of chenille passe-
menterie studded with balls of silk-like oranges, and
these for the edge of skirts; a new variety of very
rich guipure made of coarse woollen braid, and called
dentelle de Karthoum," and which will border
skirts, and be used as revers, plastron, cuffs, &c.; and,
lastly, there is the coloured worsted guipure now
produced in all shades, and which already trims
woollen materials of the same colour; but of course
this last is for more ordinary dresses.

A PARISIAN milliner (the same correspondent says)
is making bonnets in plain velvet with ettotnan strings
of contrasting colour. The principal shapes are the
Caleche de Merveilleux, the capote, the tall hat with
narrow brim, and the toquet, with narrow brim and
square crown. The trimmings are coloured embroi-
deries on velvet for capotes, small stags' heads, birds
of two colours for hats, and masses of curled feathers.
The colours in vogue are "Bacchante," a soft violet
shade ; "ashes of roses," and greens in all tints from
light to dark; also coleus, a brown that is almost red.
Green and coleus harmonise well, the shade is so-
called after the plant of that name. Mousse, an olive
shade of green, is in high favour, likewise brown, that
shades off to beige colour.

WINTER mantles are ready; but not even mantetets
are wanted during the present brilliant weather. The
first wraps required will be tailor-made jackets, either
made of the same cloth as the dress, or separate
jackets to wear with any dress. The latter will be
made of Montagnac cloth, a frise woollen, so fine that
it seems of silken texture. They are lined with silk
or satin, and have no trimming. They look well in
a.ny of the new red-brown shades, called Egyptian
brown, dark blue, nlum, stone, and dahlia colours.
When made as pat of a costume, the material is
either plain broadcloth, or the new mixed colours in
smooth broadcloth, in wl:lch golden brown or red
threads appear. The fronts of such jackets are double-
breasted, while the back fits the figure closely. When
made in fancy cloths they have velvet collar and ces.

Tun following items we extract from a special
article on "Autumn Fashions" in the columns of
a London morning paper: Jackets are to be very short
this winter, and mantles very long. Astrakhan will
be much used as a trimming, and even for entire
jackets. Those made of dark grey cloth look very
well when trimmed with the undyed astrakhan which
is in many shades of grey, and of a wonderful softness
of texture, of which it is deprived to a considerable
extent by the process of .dyeing. Fur capes are again
to be worn. Some are made short, so that the care-
fully cultivated waist may be left unconcealed and
unprotected. A novelty has been produced in the
shape of fur gauntlets' which reach from the wrist
almost to the elbow. These are made of seal, skunk,
or mink, and are intended to be worn
with capes to match. Some of the new
capes are made with a " hygienic " collar, in addition
to the ordinary one. The former can be turned up or
down, according to the wish of the wearer, being
made of fur on both sides. The new pelerines form
a collarette, reaching to the shoulders, and have two
long, flat ends in front which extend to below the
knees. These form an independent trimming, which
may be dispensed with on those days yclept by the
million "muggy," of which our winter usually affords
us a goodly number. Or, better still for our variable
climate, a set of furs can be bought to wear with
tailor-made costumes, consisting of cape, hat, muff,
gloves, and gauntlets. With these it is a simple
matter to adjust one's toilet to a nicety to the exi-
gencies of the weather.

SKUNK is to be very much worn this winter. It can
be deodorised to a very great extent, though never so
completely but that latent odours can be made
apparent by heat or by a lack of ventilation. To this
one defect it brings many good qualities, a deep, rich
colour, a fine gloss, and a pleasant softness of touch.
A pelerine made of this fur has tails all round the
cofiarette, which reach to the waist: The ends of the
pelerine are also furnished with tails, all of them
being of so deeply brown a tint that they are almost
black. A small muff forms a part of this useful
garment, which is an immense improvement Upon the
round and slippery " boa " of our grandmothers.
Long mantles of sealskin will be in much
favour, and the sleeves are to form a salient
feature of their construction. It is said that
mantles are to be so long as completely to hide
the dress, but it is to be hoped that this is an
exaggeration. Not only are they very ungraceful
when made of such a length, but they are also ex-
tremely inconvenient, especially in muddy weather.
Last winter a few of these fur-trimmed coats were to
be seen touching the ground at every step. The im-
pression they produeecl was, that they had been made
for much taller figures than those of the ladies who
wore them. There is, also, a very ugly kind of
swing produced by a mantle closely buttoned over the
shirt, a sort of "lilt" in the gait, which is by no means
graceful.

BONNETS remain rather small, though evidently dis-
posed to increase in size. Hats are immense. Their
trimmings have reached quite a pitch of exaggeration.
It remains to be seen if Englishwomen will follow the
lead of their Parisian sisters in this matter. A French
lady, who passed through London a few days ago, was
observed to have seventeen large poppies in her
brown gauze hat, quite irrespective of buds. The
bloEsoras were not crushed down in a heap, as poppies
often are, but being mounted on quivering stalks of
twisted wire, they were well displayed, each looking
over the other's shoulder as it were. The height,
measuring from the lowest petal of the first poppy to
the top petal of the highest, was about ten inches. A
novel trimming for bonnets or hats consists of a
miniature sunshade made of wire and covered with
strands of chenille. It is trimmed with velvet leaves
and flowers and the handle wreathed with the same.
The colours are soft red, bronze, or salmon pink.
These will also be used for bodice trimmings.

BRIDESMAIDS are wearing nun's veiling and delaine,
but next year these materials, which have become
almost as stereotyped as the bride's satin and orange
blossoms, will probably [be replaced by canvas or
painted net. The latter is a very lovely.fabric, soft
and fine of texture, on which are painted designs of
flowers in their natural colours. The softness and
fineness of the net allows it to fall in the most grace-
ful of folds. A dress of this material was made with
a silk skirt of the palest blush rose pink, the design
on the net representing apple blossoms. One deep
flounce of this almost covered the skirt, which was
edged with a very thick ruche of pinked-out silk in
the two colours—the pink of the blossoms
and the brownish - yellow - 'green of their
leaves. Another dress was made with a skirt
of pale peach - blossom mauve, over which
was gracefully draped the net, on which sprays of
lilacs were beautifully painted. The short bodice, as
well as the ribbons which held the folds of the net on
the skirt, were composed of violet velvet in a deep,
rich shade which approached to prune colour. The
net itself was in a soft shade of creamy white, which
enhanced the beautiful effect of the colouring. In
the coming winter bridesmaids will frequently have
their dresses trimmed with dark fur, which has an
excellent effect when applied to pale blue, pink,
mauve, yellow, or cream colour. Sable, skunk,
marten, and mink are the most suitable furs for this
purpose; and marabout will still to some extent be
used:, though not so much as it was last winter.

" I haven't had a bite for two days," pleaded a
tramp. "Is it possible ? " answered the woman with
sympathy. " 111 see what I can do for you. Here.
Tie—Tige--" The tramp broke a 2 dols, gate get
-
tin away.

THE NILE EXPEDITION.

The following telegrams have been received through
Reuter's Agency:
WADY HALFA, Sept. 28.
The heads of two Emirs killed in the battle of
Korti have arrived here, having been sent by the
Mudir of Dongola. A steamer has been hauled with
difficulty through the Semneh Gate.
The body of the Guardsman Cash, who was killed
by a crocodile at the Sarass cataract, has been picked
up here.
WADY HALFA, Sept. 29.
A nuggar, containing two officers and thirty-six men
of the Royal Sussex Regiment, has been wrecked on
the island of Nilwarhall. Two men were drowned,
and all the kits, arms, and provision lost.
SOUAKIM, Sept. 29.
The principal Sheikhs of the Amarar tribe have
arrived here in order to see the Governor. They are
most anxious to open up the Berber road, but doubt
their ability to do so unaided. They are being
supplied with arms and provisions, and will leave to-
day for Sheikh Barghoot in the steamer Jaffariyeh.
ALEXANDRIA, Sept. 26.

, .
The chartered hospital ship Bulimba, witli detach-
ments of Royal Marines, a company of Royal Engi-
neers, a draft from the Ordnance Department, and a
dozen Nile boats arrived here to-day.
GIBRALTAR Sept. 29.
The hired transport Ocean King, with 384 Canadian
boatmen on board, arrived hero to-day. After coaling
she will continue her voyage to Alexandria.

WADY HALFA, Sept. 30.
Sir Herert Stewart and Staff, together with 250
men of the Mounted Infantry, arrived at Dongola
to-day.
CAIRO, Sept. 30.
Three men of the 35th 11,giment died after their
arrival at Bongola. Several serious cases of sickness
are reported among the troops there.
Intelligence has been received here that the garrison
of Berber have embarked for Suez._ •

The first 200 of the Mounted Infantry have arrived
at Dongola. A nuggar conveying 40 of them, under
the command of Lieutenant Tudway, together with
47 cases of ammunition, passed a spot on the left
bank of the Nile where the palm leaves and furze
were ablaze for a distance of half a mile. The sail of
the nuggar caught fire, but the crew cut down the
mast and threw the ammunition overboard. No one
was injured, and the men arrived safely at Dongola,
after recovering the ammunition.

The special correspondent of the Morning Post,
under date Keneh, Sept. 14, writes as follows:
There is now amassed at Assouan and Wady Haifa
a store of nearly 300,000 rations, or, in other words,
rations to feed 3000 men for 100 days. The force at
and above Assouan is composed of four battalions of
infantry—namely, the Sussex Regiment (35th), com-
manded by Lieutenant-colonel Vandeleur ; the Staf-
fordshire Regiment (38th), Lieutenant-colonel Eyre;
the Essex Regiment (56th), Lieutenant-colonel W. R.
White; the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry (46th),
Colonel Richardson, C.B. ; the mounted infantry,
numbering 400, and some Royal Engineers and blue-
jackets. These infantry battalions average a strength
of 700 glen each, and with the mounted infantry and
the small detachment of Engineers and blue-jackets
make up a total of about 3330 men. This force.
therefore, is rationed approximately for three months.
But this force is to receive an addition of three bat-
talions (either the two battalions—the (18th) Royal
Irish, and the (78th) East Surrey—coming from
India—with the (Ist) Royal Scots, from the West
Indies—or a brigade, probably the Highland brigade
from Cairo), an addition which will raise the number
of men preparing to advance on Khartoum to about
5000 combatants. Then there is the force of 400
cavalry coming from England, which, with the 10th
Hussars, who will proceed to the front from land, will
amount to about 800. There will thus be troops
to be fed numbering about 6000 above Assortan
after the advance begins in its entirety. The 800
boats, which are to start from Wady Haifa with
rations in each for 10 men for three months, give a
supply of 800,000 rations, roughly speaking, and
this, added to the amount of 300,000 already accumu-
lated at Assouan and Wady Haifa, will bring the
provision for the whole expedition up to a total of
1,100,000; or, in other words, rations for 6000 men
for six months. Of the cavalry force of 800 and
the mounted infantry of 400, not more than
400 probably will be mounted upon horses, and
these horses will be furnished by the Egyptian
cavalry, who, whatever service they discharge, will
have to accept the duty of acting dismounted. The
remainder, 400 cavalry and 400 mounted infantry, will
be mounted upon camels, which will be obtained at
Dongola. A considerable quantity of forage for
horses and camels will be found at Dongola,
but a certain proportion of it may be forwarded
from Wady Haifa, and this forwarding can be
done by camels. It may be computed, there-
fore, that, without drawing upon local supplies for
anything but forage in inconsiderable quantities, we
shall have accumulated by the time that the entire
force sets out from Wady Haifa provisions between
Assouan and Dongola for 6000 men for six months.
The amount and quality of labour in these prepara-
tions may be estimated through a consideration of the
following statement of distances and transport re-
sources : From Cairo to Assiout, 254 miles by train:
from Assiout to Assouan, 344 miles by river, by means
of steamers and steamers towing barges; from
Assouan to Philce, nine miles of train round a
cataract; from Philce to Wady Haifa, 240 miles by
river, by small steamers towing boats; from Wady
Haifa to Dongola, 262 miles by boats, sailing or row-
ing, by river, and by camels by land—a total distance
of 1000 miles, over the last stage of which—from
Wady Haifa to Dongola—the stretches of water are
so broken by cataracts and rapids as to be nearly im-
passable, except for very small boats at very high
Nile; and unfortunately the Nile of this year is not a
very high Nile, and the boats can surmount this dif-
ficult section of river only by aid of traction from the
banks.

Colonel Sir Herbert Stewart has proceeded to take
command at Dongola, where he will have the dis-
posal of the Sussex Regiment, 200 of the mounted
infantry, and the Egyptian troops under the Mudir,
the remaining 200 of the mounted infantry being not
sufficiently far advanced to arrive at Dongola for
some weeks. _ _

-While the condition of General Gordon and his
garrison and the prospects before them are not pre-
cisely known, it must remain uncertain what move-
ments Colonel Stewart will attempt. Ambukol, the
point from which an advance of 160 miles across the
desert to Shendy will be made, if such an advance is
decided upon, is about 100 miles beyond Dongola,
and it, is at Corti, near Ambukol, that the Mudir of
Dongola, according to recent intelligence, apparently
reliable, reported by Lieut.-Colonel Colvile, who is at
Dongola, met and completely defeated two Emirs of
the °Malidi. Ambukol, consequenLly, is a point of
importance, and the river thence from Dongola is free
from serious difficulties, so that it not impossible
that Colonel Stewart may push his reconnaissances
to this point, and even establish a post there, either
with the view of pushing forward stores, or of con-
ducting a further reconnssance by land into the
desert, or of achieving both these highly advantageous
objects. The Mudir of Dongola is understood to
have promised that if English troops were sent him
he would, by help of the prestige of such a force,
accomplish, if not establish, communication with
General Gordon. The desert from Ambukol to Shendy
is one of the least forbidding of deserts so called, it
has vegetation, and except over one considerable stage
a fairly ample supply of water from wells that do int
run dry, being visited as a rule by tropical rains in
Juno and August, or perhaps, having regard to the
general untrustworthiness and imperfection of the
information we possess about these distant regions, it
is safer to say that such are the blessings it is reputed
to possess.