The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1881-04-19 00:00:00

OFFICERS" UNIFORMS.

The serious expense to which officers of the army are
put by the constant chants& that are male in their
uniform appears to be a metier quite beneath considera-
tion. It never seems to o-cur to the authorities that those
alterations, many of which are apparently unneoeuary,
entail an outlay which officers, who, for the moat part by
no means wealthy men, can ill afford to meet. If a
retrospect of • very few rears were taken, and the various
change* in the dress of officers during those year', with
their cost to individual., were
_reckoned up, the result
would be rather ariooithing. The frock coat of former
days hat been superseded by • patrol jacket, the merits
of *WA are somewhat difficult to discover. In Arai*
claps many fearfully and wonderfully_ made designs have
been tried; the hideous cap with the chessecutter peak
war, when the eye had just become accustomed to its i
ugliness, superseded by the Glengarry cap or bonnet,
which, in its turn, has been laid aside, except in certaia
corps (few in samba), and • cap which,. almost • revival
of that worn a quarter of a amatory ego has been substi-
tuted for it The bead-gear for full drew has also afforded
the designers of new patterns scow for the exercise of
their talents. The kepi-shaped the& with glazed leather
top was some few Flare ago superseded by nee of • lighter
description, covered with dark blue cloth and ornamented
with narrow gold braid. As this article had but little
solidity it was easily crushed and knocked out of shape,
while the blue cloth won cot rubbed, lost its colour, awl
presented an appearance to which the expresetoot
though perhaps Iselsgant, term " seedy " was very
appropriate. Hot it is now of the things that
were; and in Its place we have the helmet, which
may be • little more pleasing to the eye than the chg.-
but I. not 01 maidaptir durable material to stand tlat
wear and tett of wdinary soldiering for any length of
time. Working downwards from Um head-drew we
come to the tunic. in the ornametantion of which changes
have from time to time been made. Is place of the old
cuff of the colour of use regimental facings and rings of
gold loose new a.ragetnent of lace has been made on the
sleeves by the amount and pattern of the embroidery coo
which the rank of the wearer is iedicated. Gold shoulder.
cords were some time back directed to be worn instead of
the red silk twist by which the sash was kola la 48
on OA left s houlder. These cords have within the
place
months given way to heavy shoulder-straps of
, on which the hedges of rank previously wore on the
collar are now pieced. For the patrol jacket cloth
shoulder-straps have been adopted, on which the
In which, to% • slight ohmage has been
Wtits, are displayed. It is difficult to underseted the
object of this alteration, for =rely it must be ten lazy
to distinguish the mak of so officer by hie badges
when these are worn on the shoulder than when
they were Owed us tit collar. However, the shoulder
knot, look handsome and cost money' and if it is foundthat the distinctive marks are not so readily recognised as
before, what more easy than to hem them restored to
their former more con-picuous position on the cellar, and
thereby glee the WHOM a little more remunerative work.
The shell Athos has not escaped the imposition of lace, '
and melt waistcoats have received their share of
atbrutlon. For mounted officers of Infantry pantaloons
and hoots have been made the regulation, and to the
ailment of these officers has also been edited the
which is not partioularie ormare-t. -••eaty
orchid and
be found useful Lor
cigar r.-a""'"4""' not latest, innovatise which
croilte le that of felt-dress meshes, gold lace belts, and
trousers to be worn at Wiese, balls, and so forth ; but we
believe it is optional with an officer to provide Waged( or
not with these articles.
The above are some of the various changes is the uniform
of mo taisidgy oat, which have presented themselves to
our recollection, sod they ate here set down without any
minims to the ithronologioll order In which they took
plows. If time and apace permitted we could no doubt
point out oases affecting the wilier?, the ofhoers of which regiment have of late lead • large addition of gold
lace to thstr shell *kW% the corn' of H 07•1 Engineer ,
for whose Akers • hes* was some little time ago adopted, of a pattern so hideous that no one would own to its
paternity, and the cavalry; but the instances we have
tad Dm we think, numerous enough ln show that there
Ii • constant bettering at the drain Of Alms which onset
',aril on hondeeds to, them very serious pecuniary bwdet,
These changes are, however, trilling in comparson with
the atteratOons and traneformetions which will he'rend7cad neceleary by the reorgenieation, or as meta would calf it
(pedals, net unreasosulole), the diseretuaeatkot, of e,r
army that is to take effect in a few month,. ram, tin
territorial army will be formed. The prostket mutt be
anything but pleasing to the,gladft
hearts of the tailors, on s of the sine; bat the
other baud, will be
multi gladdened. It 'press. from this order Aat Cow
moments hitherto wearing either t•Des or trona,r, me to
adopt the kilt, four whose diem is now that of the
ordinary line regiments are to be converted into riff and four battalions are to be
regiments clad It Highland turned into Scotch unkilt7d
jackets and trews. In the
case of these last four regiments and battalions antirelte
now uniforms awl appointmente will be requisite, in that
of the (fret foot it may be possible to adapt tome palls oy
the present dress to the new regulatass ; but. r. 44E.
broadly it may be stated that twelve nero,:litotto wcwitre
an entire change of dims, •
computation three houdruut „Team eawest
obliged to Plaids *Waves Ailt a* Whim,