The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-02-11

says that on each side of the mogul's
throne were two umbrellas, and also de-
scribes the hall of the King of Ava as
decorated with an umbrella. The Nah
rata princes, who reigned at Poonah,
had the title of Oh hatra-pati, lord of
the Umbrella" In Ava it seems to have
been part of the kings title, that he was
king of the White Elephant, and Lord
of the pwenty-four Umbrellas" Even
down to our days the umbrella has not
lost its emblematic meaning. In 1855 the
King of Burmah directed letter to the
Marquis of Dalhousie in which he styles
himself His great, glorious, and
most excellent majesty, who reigns
over all the umbrella wear
etc" The general use of the parasol in
France and England was adopted about
the middle of the seventeenth century {;
and most probably from Italy, where it
had been known and used for long time
previously. Beaumont and Fletcher have
an allusion to the umbrella (164O):
Now you are glad, now in your mind at ease;
Now you have got shadow. an umbrella,
10 keep the scorching worlds opinion
From your fair credit
Rule wife and have wife" Act i'll, sc. 1.
Ben Jonson, too, mentions it once (16l6),
speaking of a mishap that befell a lady at
the Spanish court:
And there she lay, fiat spread as an UNI
The Devil is an ASS" Act iv., se /.
Various passages in different authors
lead one to believe that the umbrella was
not used by gentlemen for very long
while after its merits had been recognized
by the fair sex That the use of the UNI
brella was considered far too effeminate
for man, is seen from the following ad-
vertisement from the Female Tattler for
41,,- 49,.
rowing the umbrella belonging to Wills
coffee house, in Cornhill, of the mistress,
is hereby advertised, that to be dry from
head to foot on like occasions, he shall be
welcome to the maids patterns"
Defoe's description of Robinson Crusoe' s
umbrella is, of course, familiar to every
one. He makes his hero say that he had
seen umbrellas used in Brazil, where they
were found very useful in the great heats
of that country, and that he constructed
his own in imitation of them. 1t may be
remarked here that from his description
the original heavy umbrellas obtained the
name of Robinson" which they retained
for many years, both in England and
France Another nickname which has
chung to the umbrella longer than that OF
Robinson" is Camp"
In concluding this short essay on UNI
| brellas, it may not be out of place to quote
says about them: "There are three things
that no man but fool lends, or, having
| lent, is not in the most helpless state Of
mental crassitude if he ever hopes to get
back again. These three things are
books, money and umbrellas! l believe a
certain fiction of the law assumes a rem.
edy against the borrower; but l know OF
no case in which any man. being sufh
| GENTLY bastard to gibbet his reputation
! as plaintiff in such suit, ever fairly sue
| ceeded against the wholesome prejudices
of society. Umbrellas may be 'hedged
about by cobweb statutes; l will not
swear it is not so; there may be laws thai
make such things property, but sure am
that the kissing contempt, the loud
mouthed indignation of all civilized soci
ETY., would sibilate and roar at the blood
his side to obtain from him the restitu-
ton of a-lent umbrella