second rouleau is disposed in the curricle dress stile at some distance from the first. Turban of marabou gauze, the folds high and rather voluminous. One end of the gauze richly fringed in green and gold descends nearly to the neck. Fancy jewellery neck lace.

BALL DRESS.-Lemon coloured crape robe over satin to correspond. Low corsage of the corset form, cut low and trimmed round the top with a row of blond disposed à l'enfant by a rose coloured gauze ribbon run through it, which forms a beading. Short tight sleeves with blond manchettes à la Maintenon, trimmed at the bend of the arm with coques of rose ribbon. The skirt is disposed in two rows of folds down the right side, one row is confined by sprigs of red roses placed at regular distances; two sprigs partially confine the other row. The hair disposed in soft loops at the sides, and in a knot formed of a platted braid at the back of the head, is ornamented with a guirlande à l' Italienne of

roses.

REMARKS ON THE PREVAILING PARIS FASHIONS.

The Parisians have always a mania of some sort or other, this year it is happily a very innocent one, that of la danse. The court, the nobility, gentry, and common people even are at present dancing mad. Thus there is little attention paid to any department of the toilette except ball dresses for young ladies, and grand costume for their chaperons. We will begin with the first. We may cite among the most elegant robes, those of white tulle illusion over blue satin. The corsage low and plain, is trimmed with a lappel of the shawl kind which is edged with a ruche of tulle. Short full sleeves arranged in the melon form by ruches of tulle placed longitudinally; these robes are stiled á la sylphe, and certainly they will merit the title, for their light and graceful folds seem like those of the drapery of the fabled inhabitants of air.

Robes of coloured tulle over satin to correspond are also in very great favour, particularly those of delicate rose colour. The corsages of these dresses are cut very low,

and draped with a single bias fold of satin between each of the folds of tulle. Bouffant sleeves formed of five brais of satin, with one of tulle between each. Robes of crape, tulle, or gauze trimmed with flowers are also in great request. There is not perhaps much novelty, but there is a good deal of variety in their arrangement. Some are partially looped on one side by a bouquet of flowers: others have the border ornamented with a bouillon of the material of the dress intermixed with flowers. A third sort of trimming consists of a broad and very rich gauze ribbon disposed on each side of the skirt in the form of a broken cone, and lightly bouffanted at regular distances by a single flower: this last stile of trimming is in our opinion the prettiest, and the most novel.

Ball head dresses are always of hair, which we observe is most frequently dressed in curls in front, and a low knot or bows behind; but fashion admits of a good deal of variety, plain or platted bands, or a single cork-screw ringlet may be adopted; and also the hind hair disposed in high interlaced bows on the summit of the head. Flowers are generally employed to ornament these head dresses: we see also a good many decorated with pearls. The robes of chaperons are of velvet, brocade, satin memphis, and other rich materials, a good many are open over a white satin petticoat, the border of the latter trimmed with bloud. Where the dress is of this rich kind the head dress is always simple, as a white gauze turban for example, without ornament, or a cap of plain blond of an uncommonly pretty though simple form, the front being formed of a bouillon of the same material lightly intermixed with flowers, if, as is sometimes the case, the dress is a close velvet robe, or one of rich plain satin, then the head dress must be magnificent; a turban enriched with jewels, or a small velvet hat with a diamond sprig sparkling at the base of a superb bouquet of ostrich feathers. Long gloves are now worn much shorter than they have been for several years past, and are always trimmed round the top with a ruche formed of tulle coques of ribbon. Violet, ponceau, brown, grey and other dark hues are adopted for the promenade, but light colours, particularly rose, blue, and green predominate in evening dress.

..

This engraving represents all that is now left of this castle, in which the author of the Faery Queen" resided ten years, and where he composed the greater part of that celebrated poem.

The castle is about three miles from Doneraile, situated in the midst of a vast plain, on the side of a fine lake. The scene is terminated in various directions by the Kerry, Ballyboura, and Waterford mountains. The estate of Kilcolman was given by Queen Elizabeth to' Spenser, when he accompanied Lord Grey, as Secretary, to Ireland In 1589, he received the great Sir Walter Raleigh at this castle; which visit ended in Spenser's accompanying Raleigh to England. Here the poet was introduced to the queen, and having published a volume of poems dedicated to his royal mistress, he received a pension of fifty pounds per annum. In 1591, be returned to Kilcolman, and married a ru tic lass of "low degree," but to whom he penned a very rapturous and poetical epithalamium.

After about ten years residence, the poet's castle was enveloped in flames by the turbulent spirit of the times. In the conflagration he lost an infant child, with most of his valuable property, and in consequence he returned to England, where, dejected and broken-hearted, he died soon after at an inn in King-street, Westminster.

LINES

ON HEARING A YOUNG LADY INTIMATE, THAT HER APPEARANCE HAD CHANGED FOR THE WORSE.

BY MAURICE HARCOURT.

Oh! do not say that thou art changed,
For thou can'st ne'er be changed to me;
Tho' beauty's circles I have ranged,
My heart still fondly clings to thee;
For tho' thy face be passing fair,
Thy mind more lovely must I deem;
The germ of love lies hidden there,
Love cannot live without esteem.

And should disease or age assail,
And wreck the beauties of thy form,
Thou, bending, like a lily pale,
In resignation to the storm,
My tenderness would ne'er grow cold,
My feelings no reverse would prove,
Still-still in thee I should behold
The gentle being whom I love!

LADIES' PASTIMES-NEEDLE-WORK.

In the early ages, our fair countrywomen employed a large portion of their time in needle-work and einbroidery; and their acquirements in these elegant accomplishments most probably afforded them little leisure for the pursuits of trifling and useless amusements; but though we are not acquainted with the nature of their recreations, there is no reason to suppose that they were unbecoming in themselves, or indulged beyond the bounds of reason or decorum. I have already, on a former occasion, particularly noticed the skilfulness of the Saxon and Norman ladies in handling the needle, embroidering, and working in tapestry; and that their performances were not only held in high estimation at home, but were equally prized upon the continent, where none were produced that could be placed in competition with them.

FRASER CASTLE, OR THE OCTAGON CHAMBER.

A TALE OF FACTS.

BY M. L. B.

Fraser Castle was situated in a wild and rather dreary part of Yorkshire, amid rising grounds scarcely high enough to merit the appellation of hills, but very sterile and bleak, except where improved by the hand of man in the immediate vicinity of the edifice; but as the drooping larch, the sombre fir of Scotland, and the hardy pine of Norway, were, with few exceptions, the only trees that could be brought to flourish in the meagre soil; and as the Castle itself was an old feudal building, partly composed of blue flint-stone, and partly of red brick turned grey and black with age, a very cheerless aspect did the residence of the Hon. Macdonald Fraser present, and solely on this account a very evil report, from ignorant and superstitious people, did it gain. But if externally it seemed a candidate for the name of its Scottish cousin, the Castle of Gloom (now Castle Campbell), internally it was the mansion of happiness and mirth. family of its amiable owners, Mr. and Mrs. Macdonald Fraser, consisting of three sons and four daughters, were of all ages, from twenty-two to ten years, and as society was scarce around the castle-and social intercourse is equally essential to amuse and instruct the mind and to form the manners-Mr. and Mis. Fraser frequently invited to the house young gentlemen and ladies as companions for their sons and daughters; and amongst these was

The

But in introducing the youthful heroine of our tale to our young friends, we must allow her to speak for herself:

It was "out of school-hours," Marianne Marston, one of the pupils at a large celebrated ladies' academy near London, was reading a letter she had just received, when a girl ran up to her, rudely exclaiming :

"You seem wonderously pleased, Marianne; come, tell us what about?"

"The letter is mine, not your's, Barbara; and I think I've hardly a right to tell you."