The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1850-08-06 00:00:00

FASHIONS FOR AUGUST.

(From the New Monthly Belle Assemblie.)
PUBLIC PROMENADE DRESS.—Fawn-coloured silk
redingote; the corsage, high at the back, and opening en
cceur on the bosom, is trimmed with flat galon to corres-
pond, disposed in an interlaced pattern. Sleeves of the
horse-shoe form at the bottom ; they are a three-quarter
length, and trimmed with galon. An embroidery of the
same decorates the front of the skirt. Muslin under-
sleeves. Rice-straw chapeau : a round moderately close
shape, the interior trimmed with white brides; the exte-
rior with bouquets of jessamine at the sides. Green taf.
feta pardessus ; it is a pelisse of a half-length ; the cor-
sage high, and close-fitting in front; the skirt round, and
nearly, but not quite, closed before. A pelerine of a triple
fall supplies the place of sleeves. The garniture is com-
posed of fringe of a new pattern, headed by a light em-
broidery in braiding. The front of the corsage and skirt
is ornamented with braiding, and puffed ribbon disposed
of in a novel manner.

CARRIAGE DRESS.—White barege robe, corsage Louis
Quinze, and demi-long sleeves, both embroidered in
green silk, in patterns to correspond with the flounces on
the skirt, but smaller. There are three deep flounces on
the skirt. Italian straw chapeau, a small round slap :
the interior trimmed with coques and brides of white
ribbon, the exterior with a band of very broad white rib-
bon, tied on one side of the crown in a knot, with float.
ing ends. Pink taffeta paletot; the corsage quite high,
and more closely fitting than they are in general. Tight
sleeves, not quite a half-length, terminated by two
flounces lightly festooned at the edges, and headed by a
ruche. Short skirt, trimmed with two very deep flounces
festooned on the edges, and headed by a ruche.
DEXII-POlLETTE.—Groseille silk robe ; the corsage
high at the bark, and opening in a long V in front, dis-
plays a lace guimpe; a row of lace stands up on each
side—it is set on plain ; a revers of two falls, embroidered
in black silk, descends to the opening of the corsage, and
is terminated under a butterfly knot of ribbon; a second
is placed lower down, and a third just below the waist.
Th sleeve a three-quarter length, and moderately wide
from the elbow, is terminated by a volant corresponding
with the revers. Lace ruffle. The skirt is trimmed with
embroidered volant. White silk capote; a small round
shape, drawn in full runners; a tuft of toses, attached to
a cluster of ends of gold.coloured ribbon, decorates each
side of the exterior; white brides; lace scarf.
MORNING DRESS.—Green Bros de Naples robe ; the
corsage made quite up the throat, opens in a straight line
in front, just enough to show the broad Valenciennes lace
frill of the chemisette ; it is bordered with one of the new
flat fancy trimmings, which descends to the point ; two
buttons on each side are crossed by cord. Sleeve rather
more than a half-length, finished with thesatre trimming;

flounces ; they are headed and bordered with trimming.
Fancy straw chapeau, decorated with white ribbon, an%
gerbes of red grapes, with their foliage on each side of the
exterior ; white brides.

On Wednesday seven large porpoises were netted in
the river Dee, at Chester, by a man named Edwards.
He immediately got them, when several men attacked
them with knives and other weapons. The largest fish,
which we learn weighs upwards of 1400 lbs., was killed
by musket shots. There were two others of nearly an
equal size ; one, a female, whose teats were full of milk,
had in her pouch a young one, weighing 114 lbs. ; and
three more, about 400 lbs. each ; all of which were killed
by being stabbed.

A SPOUSE FOR THE HIPPOPOTAMUS.--We understand
it is a cabinet secret, that the Pasha has ordered a fresh
party of hunting soldiers to proceed up the river, as far
the white Nile, to search for another young hippopotamus,
a female! We mya, therefore, look forward to the un-
rivalled fame of possessing a royal pa
if pair"

as were never yet seen in any collection of natural

•o say n

a progeny

. „
are national question;,—why should they be cabinet se-
crets ?-I)ickens's Household Words.
GAS APPARATUS FOR PRIVATE DWELLINGS.—R. 11.
J., in The Builder, says, " I have an apparatus for light-
ing my own premises, constructed on a very small scale,
consisting of furnace, retort, vessel for purifying, and
gasometer, the whole occupying a space of only five feet
square. The material used for making gas is the refuse
of the kitchen, such as grease or fat of any description,
it matters not how dirty, as the whole is burnt off in the
retort ; it produces a brilliant white light far surpassing
any gas made from coal. I have had it constantly in use
for eighteen months, and no bad results have occurred,
although it is a thickly-populated neighbourhood. The
apparatus is not at all expensive : it consists of only three
vessels, and can be adapted to any number of burners. Suf-

ficient gas can be made in one hour to supply one burner
for a sitting-room for twelve hours, at a cost of about
threepence halfpenny." _ _

ROLAND AND OLI VER. —Cancinni says there is a figure
in the church porch at Verona which, from being in the
same place with Poland, and manifestly of the same age,
he supposes may be Oliver, armed with a spiked bsll
fastened by a chain to a staff of about three feet in length.
Who are Roland and Oliver 7 There is the followinF
derivation of the saying :—" A Roland for your Oliver, '
without any reference or authority attached, in my note-
book :—" Charlemagne, in his expedition against the
Saracens, was accompanied by two ' steeds,' some writers
say ' pages,' named Roland and Oliver, who were so ex-
cellent and so equally matched, that the equality became
proverbial, I'll give you a Roland for your Oliver;'
being the same as the vulgar saying, I'll give you tit for
tat,' i.e., ' I'll give you the came (whether in a good or
bad sense) as you give me.' "—Notes end Queries.
JACK Avn BULL.—A few weeks since, as a party
or '-eamen belonging to ner majesty's snip rialisburv, just.
arrived from the Halifax station, were walking up Point.
street, Portsmouth, rather elated with heavy wet, a bull,
which had escaped from a slaughter-hou,e, came running
with his tail erect towards the jolly tars, when all of them
jumped out of the way except one, who, being an immense
sturdy fellow, stood in the street directly in the way of
the bull, and hailed it in the following words :—" Bull,
ahoy Bull, ahoy Bull, ahoy ! I say drop your peak
and put your helm a-starboard, or you'll run aboard of
me." The bull continued his course, came in contact
with Jack, and capsized him ; but Jack, not the least in-
timidated, sprung from the ground, and, shaking his
clothes, very good-naturedly observed to the hull, " Oh,
you lubberly beast, I told you how it would be."—Hump-
shire Independent.
THE ROYAL MARRIAGE ACT.—The Times supports
Lord Brougham in his strictures on the Royal Marriage
Act, and proposes that collateral branches of the Royal
Family should be exempted from its operations. " Let
us relieve all these collaterals ; let us free *hem from the
onerous dignity which oppresses them ; let them form
what alliances they will, and thereby forego all claim to the
throne. Let, for example, the present Duke of Cam-
bridge understand that his descendants may marry whom
they will; let a line be drawn which shall separate the
collateral from the Royal Family. They will then soon
descend to the condition of private persons, forming
happy connections with the wealthy and honourable of
the kingdom, and they will thus be enabled to win for
themselves an honourable independence, gaining liberty
for themselves, and relieving the people from the burden
of maintaining them. Let no one say this is unseemly
or impolitic. We commenced by saying, that this is pe-
culiarly a reasoning and calculating age. The people,
if this line be not drawn, will call into question the insti-
tution itself from which such consequences flow. The
real good of hereditary monarchy will be forgotten in the
immediate evil of unnecessary expense, and we shall see
fiscal reasons overpowering the suggestions of a long-
sighted political experience."_

AMERICAN POST-OFFICE STATISTICS.— A table kept
in the New York Post-office conveys a correct idea of the
amount of business transacted in the foreign department.
During the quarter ending June 30, 1850, there were
received from Europe 287,048 letters, viz. :—By British
steamers, 251,213 ; Bremen, 33,909 ; United States,
(Collins' line,) 1,626. During the same period there
were sent to Europe 346,572 letters, viz. :—By British
steamers, 268,594 • by Bremen, 38,064 ; United States,
(Collins' line,) 39,814. The number of California letters
received during the quarter has been 95,314. The number
of letters sent to California during the same period,
]08,991, making a grand total of 466,563 letters sent to
Europe and California, and 382,362 received from the
same places. To this must be added 50,000 shin letters
received and sent, making a grand total of 887,925 letters
received and sent in the foreign department alone of the
Post-office. During the month of June there were
received from California 23,875 letters, and there were
sent to the same place 40,925. There were received.
from Europe 87.857 letters, and there were sent 108,997,
making a total of foreign letters sent and received of
261,754. During the quarter there have been sent from ,
the dead-letter office to the Post-office here 164 dead
letters, of which 53 have been restored to their writers,
and in four cases out of every seven the cause of the non-
reception of letters las been that they were improperly
addressed. The sums in the dead letters thus restored
have varied from 1 dol. to 14,000 dols.—New York ,
Courier.

A &ENE AT TUE MAYO ELECTION.—The proceedings
at the recent election for the county of Mayo were dis-
graceful. They are reported at length in the Irish papers,
and as a sample of what took place we give the following.
After repeated interruptions Mr. Butt spoke thus :
" Well now, Mr. Sheriff, let me have no misunderstand-
ing. I have a perfect right to put forward any argument
I please to the electors of Mayo as the grounds upon
which they ought to elect me ; and if they choose to say
they ought to elect me from my character as an advocate,
I will introduce what subjects I like. Again, Mr. Sheriff,
I must call upon you for protection. I will not go on
until that rev. gentleman sits down, and I will stand here
until twelve o'clock to-night unless I get a hearing.—Rev.
Mr. Egan : lam here as a freeholder, and I shall not sit
down for any strange renegade or scoundrel—(cries of
shame, shame'. )—Order having been somewhat restored,
Mr. Butt proceeded : This is one letter out of many. It
was written just as lie was about to bid farewell to his
native land. You will remember, gentlemen, when Smith
O'Brien was indicted for high treason, I was not counsel
in any of those cases.—Rev. Mr. Egan : You were a hire-
ling—you were paid for doing your duty.—Mr. Butt :
Mr. Sheriff, it is really impossible for me to go on.
Mr, Butt then, after much interruption, read Mr. Smith
O'Brien's letter :--Rev. Mr. Egan : You were paid your
fee, sir (cries of Shame!)—Mr. Butt : Let no one cry
shame. I shall bear with him (loud cries of You are au
Orangeman.') lie has put me to the severest trial I have
endured, but I shall respect his sacred calling. Mr.
Sheriff, I call upon you now not to protect me, but to
protect the character of your county from the poison
which a few characterless men are endeavouring to dis-
seminate. [Mr. Butt alluded to two or three drunken
men who were in the assembly.]—Rev. Mr. Egan : Don't
put out your tongue at me, sir.—Rev. Mr. Hughes You
are a regular juggler; T tell you that to your face.—Rev.
Mr. Egan : You are a thimble-rigger.—Mr. Butt : I only
ask two minutes longer.—Captain Higgins He broke
faith with us.—Mr. Butt : I will stand here until twelve
o'clock to.uiglit unless I get a bearing."