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History of Hats.— At a recent meet
ing of the Society of Antiquaries, J, A.
Rvpton, Esq communicated a very cu
rious and inieie&ting paper on the his
lory oi hats, accompanied by 8 sheets
of drawing of hats and caps, in an infin
ity of shapes and fashions, from the
time of Richard 11. up to 1784. He
observed, the name hat was derived
from a Saxon woid, meaning a covet
ing for the head, in which general sense
it has been used by early authors, and
applied to the helmets of steel. Hats
and caps were anciently made of felt,
woollen, silk, straw, and various other
materials, and were as diversified, in
ffipir colouts. In the time of Eliza
bath the rommon pj>lo gt ncially
wore woollen caps ; and some acts were
passed in her reign to encourage the
manufacture of them. The bioad brims
were introduced by the catdinais to
their scat let hats and followed by the
clergy. The inconvenience of the
bioatl brim all round caused the turn
ing of one side up ; then wo sides w ere
turned up, and, at last, turned up three
Sides introduced rucked hat. The high
crown hat was first worn in the lime c>:
E z irieth, and det lined in the reign of
Cnarles 11. Mi Repton then noticed
the ornaments of hats, such as feathers
broar hes, and bands. Henry VIII. is
desi ribed, on his entry into Calais,
wearing feathers from India 4 feet long;
and men wore feathers in their hats as
late as the reign of Queen Anne. Yew
is mentioned as placed in the hat to de
no'e mourning for a deceased relative
or friend. The paper contained nu
merous < ut'ous and amusing quotations
on the subject from a great variety of
authors.— London fiafier.
GOLD CURRENCY.
Tben .wlaw, egulaiing Gold, goes
into existence on the 31st. inst. The
old and new coinage now will pass as
follows:
Old New.
An Eagle, $10,66,} $lO
j do 533 1-3 5
i do *2.63 2-3 2,50
Foreign Gold— Guinea g 5, 1! ;
Patriot $16,3 , lo Guilder $4,2 ; Moi
dore $6,56 ; 20 Ftancs $3,86; F; eder
ick d’or $3 97 ; —all these values sup
pose full weight—Spanish and Patriot
Doubloons are by taw the same value
for ,'icy are the same weight and fine
ness, but the Spanish will generally be
above rhe legal rate sot the purpose of
exportation to Cuba, where it is woith
sl7.
The amount of Gold now in ihi
count’ v, is equal to about one million
and a half of dollars.
There was coined in England, Go and
to the value <>l 28 millions of Pounds
sterling in 6 years after she refo'med
her currency. France coined 195 mil
lions of gold since Bonaparte reformed
her currency in 1808—between the
year 1822 and 1828 England coined 40
million of silver—and France 499 mil
lion of dollars in silver since Bonaparte
bani .hed paper monev
* The Globe erroneously states the
value of a i Eagle at $2,31 1-3 ; it
should be as above.
Aiguielettes’ — A French periodi
cal t ms accounts for the origin of the
military costume of aiguielettes. The
Duke of Alva, to revenge hirhselffor
the defection of a considerable corps of
Belgians, gave orders that each individ
ual of the body, whatever rank he held,
thou id, if taken, be hung immediately
The answer of the brave denounced
vras.that in order to facilitate the Duke’s
intention, they would thenceforward
wear a rope with a not attacked to their
necks. They distinguished themselves
gteatly duting the ensuing campaign,
and the cord became a mark of honor,
and was soon replaced by the present
aiguielettes.— Ga. Constitutionalist.
Lord Bacon was asked by King
J tries the First what he thought ot Mr.
Caderes, a very tall man wfjo was sent
on an embassy to the King of France
He said :
“ Very tall men art like lofty hous
es, > e e the uppermost rooms a-e
coraujonly the most meanly furnished.”
An elderly ladv, at a village in Nor
folk, has adopted the singular idea that
she is sn old hen. Her restlessness
and vexation were excessive so long as
her ft Lends contradicted the notion ; but
after a time, they ceased to do so, and,
at the recommendation of her medical
adviser, suffered her to think and act
as she pleased. In consequence ot
this indulgence the good damo is more
positive than ever of her feathered state,
and has even gone so far as to make
hetself a nest in the clothes basket,
where she sits a great part of the day
with most praiseworthy patience on
three Dutch cheeses, asserting that
thty will be ha'ched in 7 week’s time.
—Suffolk Chron.
TliJlts to llou \Vlcn ivory
handle kn‘.*es turn yellow, rub them
with nice said paper, or emery, it will
take off the spots, and restore their
whiteness.
When a cu pet is faded, I have been
old that it may bo restored, in a great
measure, (ptevided there be no grease
in it,) by beinj dipt into strong salt and
water. I never tried this; but I know
that silk pocket handket chiefs, and
deep blue factory cotton will not fade,
ts dipped into salt and water while new.
Tortoise shell and horn combs last
much longer for having oil rubbed in
to them once in a while.
Spots in furni ere may usually be
cleansed by rubbing them quick and
hard, with a flannel wet with the same
thing which took out the color; if rum
wet the cloth with rum, &c.— The ve
ry best restorative for defaced varnish
ed furniture, is rotton stone pulverived
and rubbened on with linseed oil.
Sal volatile, or hartshorn, will res
ore colors taken out bv acid. It may
be dropped upon any garment without
doing hatm.
RESPECTABILITY.
We apprehend that there is no one
thing that occasions more misory in this
world thatitho wrong meaning that has
been given to this on* word respecta
bility. What is respectability ? Is it
in being a lawer, a doctor, a merchant,
or a minister ? Does it consist in wear
ing the “ best broadcloth,” or in being
able to dance gracefully or jabber
French fluently ? Assuredly not All
thrse may, and do exist, and yet their
possessors are far from being respecta
ble as they are from being useful mem
bers of society—which, by the way, is
as far as you can possibly get by way
of comparison. True respectability
consists in adorning the situation in life
in which Providence has placed us—in
striving with s.ll assiduity to make our
selves wiser—and better, in doing ail
that is in our power to enhance our
own happiness—and the happiness of
our fellotv beings. The man who by
his honest industry, gains himself and
family a comfortable subsistence by
tilling the soil, is far more respectable,
than rhe lawyer who has amassed his
thousands by grinding the lace of the
poor, and wrenching from the hand of
the unfortunate his only support in the
shape of fees, or the (doctor who pre
scribes his nostrums, which oftener kill
than cute, or the merchant whose
woithless limbs are covered with cost
ly apparel. Men from false estimates
from outward show, costly apparel nor
difference of calling that make men
respectable. There is a certain class
in society—mere buttei flies it is true,
lay claim to respectability, and who af
fect to treat the common people—those
who do not choose to deck their per
sons in gaudy attire and to spend their
time in idle frivolity and senseless mirth
—with great indifference. But when
we become acquainted with these crea
tures, we shall look upon them with
very cJiffeienr feeling than those of en
vy. VVe shall view them with pity and
contempt —pity because they thus ef
fectually by folly blot out of existence
the mind, the sole principle in them
which can afford them lasting happi
ness and make them useful in the world
in which they ate determined to stay —
ts live, such beings do not—and con
i'mpt, that those who have the power
thus to make themselves really happy
and useful, should thus render them
selves complete drones—yes, complete
nuisances in society.
Let the honest farmer or mechanic
CQiilcni himself, and act consistently
with this reflection, that they are doing
more for the good of their country —for
mankind and their own happiness while
engaged in their useful employments,
than a host of indolent lawyers, ignor
ant doctors or insolvent merchants, and
let i hem teach these things diligently
to their children, artd we shall sec less
guilded poverty —fewer brainless dan
dies, fewer effeminate and useless fe
males, and more true- respectability
than we now meet with.
THE WINTER’S COAST.
When seated by a good hard wood
or anlhraiite coal fire, apeison can en
joy a tolerable share of comfort, not
with; slanting the severity of the weath
er, and oie will not suffer & gieal deal
in attending lo a little out-of-door bust
ness, when well guarned against the
cold by a Petersham great coat, a fur
cap and India rubber overshoes, even
though the theimometer should beat
zero. A landsman may Inten to the
wind with indifference, when it howis
mournfully out-of-doors, or even brave
the bitter blast with impunity, but un
der no circumstances, unless from ex
perience, can he form any correct idea
of me sufferings of the Seamen on the
coast of New England in the winter’s
s :ason.
It is well kriowui that westerly winds
prevail in this climate throughjthe win
ter months, and frequently blow with
great fury. Mercnant vessels teturn
ing f>om’Europe ui the West Indies,
pc haps deeply laden, and not sufficient •
ly mount'd, alter a long and tedious
passage, arrive on the coast, and en
counter these furious and almost into
minabie north-westers. It is often the
case that after arriving within sight oi
tbcit long wished sot haven, they have
again been driven to sea, and compeil
ed to submit to the intense severity ol
the wenlher for many days. Several
instances have been known within the
last few year* of vessels which have
been for thirty or forty days beating
about in Massachusetts Bay, exposed
exposed to all the horrors of the wintet,
after having fallen in with the land.—
But few of these vessels possess the
mean* of having a fire in the cabin, and
probably none have any fire in the fore
castle, which is the ordinary residence
of the crew the whole of that time.
The deeply laden vessel when ap
proaching the coast in this inclement
season, is inundated with spray, which
freezes as it falls, and covers the deck
and bulwarks with ice—the garments
of the crew are drenched and frozen,
and they have not the means of drying
them ; the straining of the vessel in the
heavy gales not unfrequentiy causes
the forecastle to leak—and thus ‘he
matrasses and bed clothes become sa
turated with salt water: the sails are
frozen stiff, particularly the courses,
which are usually covered with spray,
and are thus rendered unmanageable;
and the rigging is covered with thick
coats of ice. But the duties of the sea
men must be attended to —the preser
vation of the property and lives on
board require it. The pumps must be
thawed out, and worked ; various evo
lutions must be performed ; —the sails
must be properly trimmed and taken
care of—and not unfrequentiy the men
are compelled to remain aloft for hours
hauling or reefing sails, thinly clad in
their wet and frozen garments, when
the weather is intensely cold.
Their provisions are by this time
nearly exhausted; and they must be
satisfied with a pittance of salt beef,
bread and water, served out with a
sdaring hand ; and it not unfrequentiy
happens, that to add if possible to their
distress, the cooking galley is washed
overboard, or otherwise rendered un
tenable, and they are deprived of the
means of dressing their scanty share of
provision. Exhausted with fatigue,
and debilitated with cold and hunger,
they are no longer able to execute the
orders oftheir commander with prompt
ness and effect. The sails are soon
blown from the yards end the freight
ed bark is driven about at the mercy
of the winds and the waves. It is then
surprising that after a tinye, these ma
rines become discouraged, and reckless
of their fate ? Their frost-bitten limbs
grow painful in th,e extreme: their
evil accumulate until they seem too
numerous and tormenting to be borne
—and Deeth is welcomed as relief.
\
This is not a fancied picture. Such j
scenes occur in the course of almost!
every winter. Probably at this timej
many vessels after protracted passages !
have arrived on our coast with exhaus- j
led and frost-bitten crews—and have j
been sadly crippled in severe contests;
with the boisterous elements., At this |
moment, hundreds, perhaps thousands,
brave and generous human beings ate
suffering from the ills, which we have
attempted to describe.
At such a time as the present, some- j
thing should be done for the relief of
the unfortunate beings, who are in this
situation. The Revenue cutters, in
particular should be on the alart, and
providded with the means of furnishing
assistance. And we believe it has been*
usual alter a continuation of extremely j
cold weather, for the Insurance offices j
in out populous cities to fit out small
vessels to cruise along the coast, and j
tender asiistance to such Merchantmen j
as may require it.
Congress*
From he Correspondent of the Courier.
“ Washington. Feu. 25.
11 Tbeie is nothing which causes
more exntement at this moment than,
the pendng inquiry on which the Spe
cial Coirmittee of the Senate is at this
moment engaged. The Committee
met again this evening at 5 o’clock, and
are now sitting. 1 understand that Mr.
Dutee J. Pearce admits that he made
a mistake, when he intimidated so dis
tinctly that there were three depositions
shewn to him. He can now only remem
ber two. and he is now just as positive
that thete were but two. The rent
uiitiee has received testimony dis; u
ting the statement that lias gone abroad!
that Mr Ewing, of Ohio, and Dcff
Green had called op Foy or Stewart,
to prevent him from giving his testi
rnony. It is said that a report cannot
be made before Friday or Saturday
“ The Senate met at 5 o’clock this
evening. The resolution offeted by
Mr. Smith, which have been for some
time on the table, declaratory of the
opinion of ihe Senate of the condition
of the General Post Office, and the
character of its Administration, were
the first special order, but as Mi Smith
was engaged in the Special Committee
the resolutions, were, for the present
Lid on the table. Mr. Hill’s resolu
tion on the same subject, but exculpa
ting the Administration of the General
Post Office, were next in order. He
inadvertently said, that he was ready to
goon with the discussion, but one of
his friends, (Mr. Talmadge) wished to
lay them on the table. This motion
was withdrawn, and Mr. Hill moved
the following additional resolution:—
“ ‘ Resolved , That no eviden- eap
pears in the report of any committee of
the Senate, which goes to impeach the
private or official integrity of Wm. T
Barry, Post Master General ; that the
extra allowances under his direction
made to Mail Contractors, and the me
thod of receiving contractors bids on
advertised proposals for cartying Mails
are a continuation of the former prac
tice of the Post Office Department,and
that the defects and irregularities of
the Department have been a natural
consequence of the want of a due or
ganizat.on of the Department by Con
gress.”
“ After this proposition was of
fered, the resolutions were laid on the
table. The bills relating to the Public
lands, which stood next on the special
orders, were laid on the table in conse
quence of the absence of Mr. Clay
who had introduced them. The Sen
ate then went on to Mr. Calhoun’s Bill
reported from his Select Committee,
to regulate the Public Deposites. Mr.
Calhoun filled up the blank for the rate
of interest to be paid by Banks holding
the Public Deposites, by inserting two
per centum. Mr. Preston then moved
a proviso that where the deposites in a
Bank were less than SIOO,OOO quarter
ly, the Secretary of the Treasury should
have a discretion vested in him to re
duce the per centum It was *ben mo
ved to strike out 100,000, and insert
50,000. While this motion was pend
mg, Mr. Webf.ter made some remarks
on the inconvenience which would re
sult to the Government from the want
of power to transfer its drafts from
place to place, without cost. The U.
S. Bank had acted in that capacity,and
had given these transfer drafts, but no
such duty could be imposed on the
State Banks. Mr. Buchanan stated,
that at this day, money was transferred
for the U. States from one part of the
Union to another, without any cost to
‘he Go>enment, as was done by the
United States Bank. He said that he
was nut prepared to go into a discus
sion of this question to-night,|and he de
sired to obtain information as to the
precise regulation of the ‘Treasury. —
Mr. Webster said, in reply, that he
had only stated that the Bank of the U.
States was bound to transfer thegioney
without cost, and the Senator from Pen
sylvania bad stated that he (Mr. W.)
I was mistaken, because it was still su
transferred. Mr. Webster said he was
discussing a law, and he saw no provi
sion to compel the Banks to do it, and
be did not know that there could be
such provision. If the Banks now did
by regulation with the Treasury, what
the U. S. Bank was bound to do, there
was no compulsion upon them to do it
by law, and this was ihe difference be
tween the past, and present state of
things. The Senate adjourned before
any derision was made.”
“ Washington, Feb 26.
“ As soon as me Senate met this
morning, Mr. Donehon appeared with
a Message Loin the President. L was
so earlv that the Senate was only half
full, and Mr Naudain, who was sitting
close to the Secretary, had moved the
printing, and the motion was agreed to,
before it appeared to strike any one,
that tlic Message was of rather too in
teresting a character to be disposed of
in this sui silentio manner. Mr. Pres
"■n then uok up tlie report, and look
ing hastily over the leaves, asked fox
the reading; of it. The Secretary had
made somt progress in the r eading,
before Mr. Clay, who is the Chairman
of the Committee on Foreign relations,
and Mr. Webster came into the Cham
ber. The fi st letter of Mr. Living
ston is dated January 9, (I think,) and
states that the message had been recei
ved by him in the morning, in conse
quence of his having gone to the ex
pense of keep a courier in readiness to
bring it on from Havre, while the
French Government did not receive
copies of the Message until the even
ing. He refers to the great excite
ment which had been produced in Par
is on its arrival, and expresses his fears
Inal ihe Chambers would not act in
passing the appropriation, while this
menace was hanging over them His
next letters are of the 14th and 16th, in
which he speaks of ihe continuance of
the excitement; of the character and
result of his conferences; of the note
of Do Rigny informing him that the
King had recalled M. Serrurier, and
that his own passports were ready for
him, if he should think that his sense of
duty would require him to send for
them. In reply to the last intimation,
he declines availing himself of them
under existing circumstances. Mr,
Forsyth writes Mr. Livingston that, if
he had taken his passports at that nti
fication, the President would have at
tached no centure to him for the act.
In the letter of Mr. Forsyth of the 13th
inst. it is stated for the instruction of
Mr. Livingston, that if the French
Chamber should refuse to pass the Ap
propriation Bill at this session, he is
forthwith to withdraw himself and the
entire legation from Paris, and proceed
to Havre, where he will find a U-S.
Frigate wiling to bring them away. In
the first letter of Mr. Livingston, he at
tributes a good deal of the excitement
prevailing in Paris, to the tone of the
National Intelligencer , and a N. York
paper, and intimates that if war should
ensue, those papers may assure them
selves that they have had some partici
pation in bringing it on. In the house
there was a still greater sensation than
in the Senate, when these papers were
read, and resolutions were offered, and
a report of the majority on Foreign Re
lations made but n was afterwards with
drawn to he presented to morrow, to
gether with the report of the minority,
“ There was a report made by the
Special Committee, on Mr. Poindex
ter’s case, this morning, in the Senate.
It was merely an expression, in which
every member joined, of the opinion of
the opinion of the Committee that n^t