The Sun.
London, England, 1871-02-09 00:00:00

AMERICAN DRESS.

The " upper ten thousand " follow the fashions as im-
ported from Europe. In all the large towns there are
French modistes, and the native dressmakers have as good
taste as their foreign rivals. Among the vulgar rich, espe-
cially in New York, there are to be seen outrageously loud
exhibitions, Parisiennes out-Parisienned. The de ver poem,
" Nothing to Wear," well expresses the reckless extrava-
gance of female dress among certain classes ; but on the
whole I have never seen more elegance and good taste than in
the walking dresses of American ladies. The men also follow
the European fashions in dress. But in speaking of dress
I am not referring to the followers of fashion. The
national tendency towards carelessness in costume is
shewn in many ways. The first specimen of an American
from shore was the pilot ,who boarded the Scotia. His
dress gave matter for study and reflection. He had
nothing of the look of a sailor. He had a chimney-pot
hat, and a tweed suit, coat, vest, and trousers all of dif-
ferent patterns. An Englishman, walking through the
White House, was asked if he would like to see the Pre-
sident. " I won't trouble him," he replied ; " besides, I
have not come prepared to be presented," He referred to
his dress, but was set at ease by the answer, " We don't
think about that here," and so he went upstairs and
" interviewed " the President. It is common to see a
minister in the pulpit in black cravat, and with a coat
of most unclerical cut. In the Court of Common Pleas
in Philadelphia I saw a judge n,2t of middle age, and
who looked younger from having none of the externals of
office. Around him were the counsellors, all wigless and
robeless. The scene was as if a set of lawyers' clerks
in Chancery-lane were burlesquing a trial. Yet
Judge Ludlow is respected as an able judge, and the
proceedings are as weighty as if surrounded by all the
bumbledom of office. Such is the power of habit iu
lessening what Bishop Butler called " the influence of
externals." At funerals, too, black is not universal, often
not general, and I saw even the drivers of mourning
coaches with coats of various colours. Few officials, either
of the Government or of-companies, have any distinguish-
ing dress. One might think at first there was aversion to
anything like livery or the badge of servitude. Yet there
is no principle in the thing, for the police and the postmen
as well as the army and navy, have uniforms. The
carelessness as to dress is only part of the national spirit
of independence. I ofteu heard the words used prover-
bially. "It isn't the clothes, but the man in the clothes."
It is with dress as with rank ; it is " but the guinea's
stamp,"

"A man's a man for a' that"
—Leisure Hour,

SALE OF THE WASHIN 6 TUN HALL ESTATES, HUN.
TINGDONSHIRE.—This property, comprising a mansion
and 2,070 acres of freehold land, situate seven miles from
the cathedral town of Peterborough, and producing a ren-
tal of about £3,000 per annum, was offered by auction at
the Mart, City, on Tuesday, by Messos. Chinnock, Gals.
worthy, and Chinnock, and met with considerable com-
petition. It was finally sold for £90,000, and a further
sum of £4,000 for the timber, to Charles Robertson. Esq.,
of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire.

NEW LINE OF STEAMEItS TO THE WEST INDIES.
—The North German Lloyd have announced that their
line to the West Indies, Venezuela, and New Granada,
iam
China,
will be opened on the 10th of March, on which day the
a'with all ports on
and Japan.
The King William I. will be followed by the Crown
new steamer King William I, will leave Southampton for
the Colon
V Nest Coastreet,
Prince Frederick William, leaving Southampton on the
10th of April, and the Count Bismarck on the 10th of
May.

Til K ANTAGONISTS OF SUNDAY TRADING.-111
the interest of a number of persecuted tradesmen, we
trust that the coming session will witness the repeal of the
old-fashioned Act of Parliament under which so many
prosecutions for Sunday trading have recently taken
place. On Tuesday a batch of tradesmen at Notting-hill
and its neighbourhood were again subjected to the--
we cannot call it unostentatious—zeal of the Rev,
Bee Wright and Mr. Jackson. At Maryjebone the
above - mentioned gentlemen have upon various
occasions met with serious rebuffs in the carrying
out of their extreme Sabbatarian views. On Tuesday Zit
was again demonstrated to these earnest personages, that
the course of procuring a number of convictions does not
always " run smooth ;" for in one case, where the defen-
dant proved that he had been wrongly summoned, the
Rev. Bee Wright had to pay the costs out of his own
pocket. It might have been a blow to the public in the
reign of Charles 11., to be told they were about to lose
the services of two such active members of society, but
we confess we should receive the intelligence rather as a
relief than otherwise.—Morning Advertiser.