damask curtain: those at the Pavillon are of damask, the colour amaranth, fringed with gold, and looped up at each side with the most costly gold cords and tassels. It is easy to perceive that the Prince is a lover of the fine arts, les objects d'Arts sont repandus partout, et sont d'une coquetterie exquise. Three thousand persons attended this ball. Their Majesties and the young Princesses were present. The Princess Clementine grows tall, and becomes prettier every day, and more like the Queen of the Belgians -ma beauté par excellence. The Princess Mary looked very well: her dress white blonde over satin, ornamented round the bottom with small bouquets of very minute crimson flowers, and two larger bouquets up the front of the dress. The corsage was plain with Sévignés put on, the sleeves short and full, ornamented with three small bouquets. Her royal highness wore her hair in bands, the back hair high in braids and coques, intermixed with flowers the same as those on the dress. The Princess Clementine was entirely in white.

I think it will amuse you that I should continue my descriptions. White tulle dresses (of course you understand by this plain blonde) were the most general.

The Duchess de B wore one of these dresses; a wreath of vine-leaves, with gold tendrils commenced at the waist, went down each side of the front (increasing in size as they went down), and round the bottom of the dress. A very small bunch of grapes (en pierres fines) was placed in the centre of the front of the corsage; the same at back, and one on each shoulder. Her coiffure was to match.

Madame P was also in white, her dress open in front, and held back with bouquets of precious stones placed at distances. She had a turban à la Juive, also of white tulle, with a bird-of-Paradise dyed black, elle état ravisante. Her sister, Mademoiselle Célestine, made her début there. Her dress, of course, was simple:-a white gauze satinée, in small flowers, over white satin. This demoiselle is counted very fair; éntre nous ma chère, she is what in England is called "French white," rather inclining to yellow! With such a complexion, she should not have worn white.

Madame le H- wore a dress of pink gauze over pale pink satin. The dress was intended to appear as if it opened at the side, where five bows of satin ribbon, from each of which sprung a bunch of diamond wheat, were placed at distances; the corsage à la Sévigné; and the sleeves, which were short and full, were ornamented with the same. Her coiffure was quite new; the front hair in bands; the back, a high braid en couronne; but round her head was a kind of Féronnière, flat and extremely narrow, but of gold open work; a magnificent opale, set in diamonds, was in front. These new

Féronnières are coming in, and are very light and beautiful. Opale is the most fashionable stone for the centre; it may be set in diamonds, rubies, emeralds, amethysts, &c. &c., according to the dress with which it is to be worn. A small bird, about the size of a bee, his wings extended, and perched upon a branch of gold fillagree-work, is also a new and splendid ornament; the bird may be entirely in diamonds (with ruby eyes), or be in different coloured jewels. A small light bouquet, every flower in different stones, with foliage of gold fillagree-work, is also one of our nouveautés. The bird or bouquet to be placed over the left ear.

Another beautiful dress was à l'antique, of light blue satin, broché all over in a running pattern with silver; the corsage perfectly plain, ornamented on the shoulders and down the front with small diamond sprigs; the skirt, which was open in front, was also looped back at distances with diamond sprigs; the sleeves were à double sabot, but so short that they did not near reach to the elbow. The dress was worn over a white broché satin petticoat, with two deep flounces of rich blonde put across the front breadth. The coiffure was à la Mancini; a single long blue feather was placed rather at the back of the head, where it was retained by a diamond sprig, similar to those on the dress; two other sprigs were placed amongst the tufts of curls of the front hair. Diamond necklace and ear-rings.

A very pretty pink gauze dress, worn over white satin, was looped up about as high as the knee, with a bouquet of blush roses; the sleeves were ornamented with the same; the coiffure was a pink gauze turban, without any ornament whatever.

Dresses à l'antique, of velvet and satin broché, were numerous; the corsages à pointe, and sleeves à double sabot, with ruffles à la Louis XIV.; but these were worn for the most part, par les Mamans, et les dames d'un certain age. Of the other dresses the corsages were invariably plain, and fitting tight to the bust, with or without draperies à la Sévigné; the sleeves short and full, and not à double sabot; the waists are worn long, and the dresses so long that only the point of the shoe is visible. White kid gloves are more worn than silk mittens; they are ornamented at the tops by a puffing of satin ribbon, with two ends left long, and of the colour of the dress. As to the hair, there is no decided fashion for it, bandeaux with a braid en couronne on the top of the head; the coiffure à la Clotilde, which you know, consists of braids coming down at each side of the face: this, I must say, is one of the most unbecoming. The coiffure à la Mancini and à la Sévigné, that of Ninon de l'Enclos, the chapeau à la Dubarry, à la Agnès Sorel, the turban à la Berthe, are all in vogue; in fact, the style of coiffure is as much as possible adapted to the style of the

dress. The supper was in the Salle de Spectacle, and presented a coup d'œil, magnificent beyond description.

In walking dress, MANTEAUX are still adopted by our belles: the capes are large, as I described to you before; and the sleeves, à la Venetienne, open from top to bottom.

Black satin REDINGOTES are much worn in carriage costume: the grande mode is, not to have them fastened down the front, but to let them fly open; they are worn over a richly embroidered white muslin underdress; these redingotes are wadded, and are worn with a large shawl; the sleeves are

enormous.

Velvet and satin HATS are the most fashionable. The crowns are tolerably high, the fronts worn very close to the face; they are trimmed with rich satin ribbons, and some add feathers: these are not, however, very general; but flowers are out. As much ribbon as possible is put into the little cap, worn underneath the hat, either in small bows or leaves.

There are some new MANTELETS for the theatre, or for going into or coming out of a ball-room. They are in shape like the mantelets I described to you last summer, only the ends in front are not quite so long, nor so wide; they are of pink, blue, green, &c.; satin, well wadded, and trimmed all round with swansdown. You cannot imagine how delightfully warm they are, and at the same time how light. I would recommend you to have some of them made.

The COLOURS prevalent for ball-dresses, are white, pink, and blue: for velvet dresses à l'antique, black, crimson, green, and purple: for hats, chocolate, marron, amaranth, and two or three shades of green. Black satin or velvet hats are a good deal worn, lined and trimmed with pink.

And now, ma belle, I am come to the end of my paper, and must, though with regret, say adieu! Aime moi un peu, car je t-aime beaucoup. Toute à toi,

L. de F.

DESCRIPTION OF PLATES.

(No. 3.)-GRAND SOIREE OR DINNER DRESS.-Dress of white gaze de Chamberry, worn over white satin. The corsage is made to fit tight to the bust: a mantille or pélérine decolletée of pink satin (sce plate), trimmed with two rows (one excessively deep, the other narrow,) of rich blonde, is worn over the corsage; the mantille is open on the shoulders, and brought together with two small bows of satin ribbon; it is cut rather deep on the shoulders, and sloped off gradually towards the centre of the front and back, where it is as narrow as possible.-(See plate.) Three full folds of satin, in the style of a drapery à la Sévigné, depend from each side of the front of the mantille, and are fixed low down on the centre of the front of the

corsage by a full bow of satin ribbon; another smaller bow is placed at the top of the centre of the corsage: the mantille is edged all round with a narrow piping or liseré, and to which are attached the two falls of blonde: round the bosom is an excessively narrow blonde, standing up. The sleeves are short, and excessively full. The skirt of the dress is made en tablier.-(See plate.) Two rouleaux of satin, to which a very narrow blonde is affixed, go down each side of the front of the dress, in the style of robings; these rouleaux, which are very small at the waist, where they are close together, gradually increase in size and distance as they go down. A spiral wreath of full-blown roses goes from top to bottom, at each side, between the two rouleaux; a large bow of satin ribbon, from which springs a high bouquet of roses in the centre of the front of the lower part of the dress. The ceinture is to match. The cap, which is styled à la Chatelaine, is of blonde. The crown is plain; the borders of which there are two, a deep and a narrower, are put on with a great deal of fulness, and made to stand up completely off the face. (See plate.) A high bouquet of roses, half shehered by the blonde, is placed in the front of the cap, and rather on the summit of the head (for the cap is worn far back): two full-blown roses are placed on the right temple, one on the left; the barbes dependant from each side are of blonde: a ribbon goes round the head of the cap, it is tied in a long loose bow at the back of the borders; a smaller bow is placed over the bavolet of bionde at the back. Necklace, ear-rings, and buckle of gold. White kid gloves; black satin shoes; silk stockings; a large bouquet, and a fan of mothero'pearl and gold. The sitting figure gives the back of the dress; the robe is of blue crape over white.

(No. 4.)-WALKING OR CARRIAGE COSTUME.-Satin redingote, the corsage plain and fitting tight to the bust. The redingote trimmed with silk braid, the colour of the satin two rows placed close together go down the front from top to bottom; and two rows, but placed at a distance from each other, are round the bottom. A kind of mantille of black lace, very deep on the shoulders, rather narrower at back, and diminishing gradually to a point in front, until it reaches the waist, is worn in the style of a pélérine with this redingote-(see plate); a double row of the same silk braid is placed a little above it. The collar, which is of black lace, is edged with a narrow piping of black satin, and trimmed with a deep black lace. The sleeves, which are enormously wide, are finished at the wrist with a deeper cuff than those lately worn. Green satin hat, the crown made slanting, higher at front than at back-(see plate): the front, which is worn as close as possible to the face, is very long at the sides, where it is rounded off';