The Sun.
London, England, 1845-05-12 00:00:00

INNOVATIONS OF THE DAY.

One of the old poets, ti ho flourished in the days of
Queen Bess, observed,

" In England's happy land,

Fashion and fame go always hand in hand."
This old distich, which has survived the wear and tear
of nearly three centuries, is more than ever true at the
commencement of the present season. The weird sisters,
Fashion and Fame, still roam together " hand in hand,"
and have deigned to pay a lengthened visit to the esta-
blishment of Messrs. Nicoll, in Regent-street, who have
done so much to welcome their wayward guests, that
there seems but little probability that they will abandon
their present abode, and " the men, the horrid men," as
Lady Booby says, are doing their utmost to set off their
persons to the best advantage, and for this purpose
those who are endowed with taste and judgment inva-
riably repair to this Establishment, which is always
supplied with the last caprice of the Parisian lions. The
trite and homely proverb says, that it is impossible to
make a silken purse out of a certain porcine appendage;
but although this remark has stood the test of ages, the
Messsrs. Nicoll have shown its futility, as some of their
clients, on whom nature has been somewhat chary of
her bounty, when turned out in registered paktots, and
other necessary habiliments, by the artists of this Esta-
blishment, would pass muster with the most elegant of the
slim beaux who talk scandal in the bow window at White's.
The Count de Grammont, who was seldom known to
go to bed, at least for the purpose of sleepilg, would
perhaps have been a more drowsy mortal if he could
have reposed his pleasure-worn frame upon such a
luxurious bed as that which has recently been invented
by Wilson, the upholsterer, in Wigmore-street. Since
every new pomatum or hair oil is now a Greek compound,
this novel bedstead, out of deference to the established
usage, has been christened the Philokathanistic, for the
definition of which term we refer our unlearned readers
to their lexicons. As the old " yellows," with their
four posters, have been swept away by the railroad en-
croachments, so are the old massive four-post bedsteads
destined to be supplanted by these light and elegant
couches. The unwieldy masses of mahogany which for-
merly propped up the tester are replaced by four light
brass rods, supporting the canopy, which, by means of a
simple piece of mechanism in the bedstead, can be lifted
up and down at pleasure, thus enabling the servant to
clean, adjust, and brush the whole bed- furniture within the
space of a few minutes. We recommend a visit to Wig-
more-street, to judge respecting the merits of this inven-
tion. Whilst our readers are in Wigmore-street, we would
suggest that they would do well to look in at the atelier
of Clark, the statuary, who has a superb collection of
casts from the antique, as well as from little scraps and
corners of Gothic atchitecture, which he has collected in
his rambles through Normandy and other parts of the
continent. His designs for monuments and emblazoned
tombs are remarkable for the correct taste which he has
displayed in their selection. Whilst looking over the
" storied urns" and monumental effiges, we see how—
" The sculptor's art exhausts the pomp of woe,"

and we are shown a thousand different designs by which
we could record our respect for departed friends or rela-
tives. Mr. Clark has also recently completed several
statues and busts, one particularly, that of Salmacis,
one of Diana's attendant nymphs, which is exquisitely
beautiful. Pope talks about a lady who possessed such
tender feelings that—
" To make a wash she'd hardly stew a child."

Now, the ladies of China, Japan, and Persia, who are re-
markable for the beauty and clearness of their com-
plexions, attribute this delicacy to the use of a cosmetic,
which, whether it be made of stewed children or no, is
certainly endowed with wondrous properties. We are
told that the ingredients are principally herbaceous ;
but, then, Professor Liebig declares that "man is a
vegetable," which relieves the cannibals of a very
serious imputation. This cosmetic is called " Been
Fun," and the long secreted recipe was revealed by
a priest of the temple of Teen 'Fan to Dr. Charles
Malcolm, who has appointed Fabian and Co. to be his
agents for dispensing it to the ladies of this country.
If Mrs. Commissioner Lin has as good a complexion as
has been bestowed upon her in the wax-work representa-
tion, we should need no stronger proof of the efficacy of
the Celestial skin powder. We can assure our lady
readers that we are in earnest, and that we do not mean
fun merely when we advise them to give this cosmetic a
trial. We recently had the pleasure of recording our admi-
ration of the choice collection of articles of vertu, bijouterie,
and or Th rerie, which is displayed at Piot's establishment
on the Boulevard des Italiens in Paris. We learn from
persons who have just returned from the French capital
that he has lately made an immense addition to his
stock, and that his shop has become the " Storr and
Mortimer" of Paris. The most flattering accounts are
received in this country of the taste and workmanship
which are displayed in all the articles exposed for sale in
his establishment.—Morning Post.