The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1843-08-01 00:00:00

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will give the preference always to the woollen, as any
one will soon find who tries the two methods : blisters
will soon warn him, after a prolonged walking exercise,
which will suit him best. The pedestrian cannot do
better than look out for a very soft lambs-wool sock, and
store himself with the number Col. Shaw mentions.
There is a kind now much in use by sportsmen of the
fowling-piece or rod—and they are good judges ;—they
are very soft and easy, and at first their appearance is
rather formidable to our modern Wellington—boot
dandy—being thick and clumsy-looking : in this lies
their very excellence. They are knit in Scotland by old
women, and from their style of pattern, are known by
the name of the " midge socks ;" they are more expen-
sive to buy at first than the machine-made ones, but this
is nothing in the scale of comfort, and not worth alluding
to here, only it is mentioned that parties inquiring may
have a guess as to whether they are getting the right
sort or not. The real ones always fetch their prices which
prove the extent of the demand. We have been in the habit
of wearing them constantly now for two winters, only
substituting them for angola or merino, in the very hot
weather ; and having been subject to habitually cold
feet, we can state honestly that they are the best socks
we ever had, and that they do keep the feet as warm as
can be, considering the varying nature of our climate
and other eircumstances, producing chills of the whole
body

23. Shoes and boots deserve no little attention amongst
the list of preparations, accordingly we shall proceed to
make known all that we know which is worth knowing or
unlearning thereupon, first giving the reader the benefit
of what has been said by our former and any other au-
thorities. The Colonel open his remarks ons pedestrian
excursions by recommendations about the nature and
and selection of shoes. He says, "If any one in-
tends to make a long tour on foot, it is necessary to take
some precautions. I need not say that English shoes are
the best. Ido not mean new shoes, but those of which
the upper leathers are good and soft, and have been worn
to fit the shape of the foot. To such a pair of shoes iet
an additional sole be put, with small nails* at the toes
and sides, care being taken that the heel be not either
too high or too heavy. Let them be laced a short way
up the instep, and of a size to allow the foot to sit easy
without being loose, when a woollen stocking is on. Of
these strong shoes have two pairs, and a third pair, not
of such strong material, to be worn when you come to
the end of your journey."
The author of the " Art of Preserving the Feet"
thus expresses himself, by opening his remarks with a
philippic, which will serve to show those readers whose
attention has been little given to the claims of utility
and comfort over fashionable tyranny, what reflection
elicits. He says ;—" Fashion, it must be confessed,
reigns too often with sovereign sway, sacrificing to its

to its caprices, not only ease of motion, but
even firmness of position, whether walking, dancing, or
riding. The slaves of fashion may smile at these re-
bellious sentiments—let them smile and suffer !

" In the first place, then, let all persons trou' led with
corns, whether proceeding from constitutional bias or
from exterior or temporary causes, avoid sharp-pointed
shoes or boots, or which are too tight over the toes. Let
the shoe be, as nearly as possible, fitted to the shape of
the foot ; and the upper parts formed of soft, supple, and
well-tanned leather. This latter caution is of vital im-
portance at the present day, when rapid chymical pro-
cesses have been substituted for the ancient system of
bark tanning ; in consequence of which, the leather is
not only pervious to damp, but often also acquires hard-
ness and wrinkles, that are extremely pernicious to the
foot of the wearer. If shoes of well-tanned leather
cannot be procured, they ought to be well oiled at re-
peated intervals, not only to fill up the pores of the lea-
ther, but also to soften any asperities that may arise
from contraction through wet, &c. Even the best
tanned leather will become hard and unpliable, espe-
cially in the dirty weather of winter, if, when covered
with mud or dirt, they are thrown by for the night
without cleaning, or perhaps laid aside and forgotten by
careless servants.