payment of a fine; and for no better reason than
that Beau Nash had just excluded white
aprons from Bath, as only worthy, forsooth, of
an Abigail. "He had the strongest aversion
to a white apron," says Goldsmith, "and
absolutely excluded all who ventured to
appear at the assembly dressed in that manner;"
whereupon both aversion and exclusion seem
to have been copied by the Derby
lady-governors. The rule must, when it first
came out, have gone to the heart of some
young mamma, who had ventured into the
room clad in the forbidden garment. How
she would sulk at Anne Barnes and Dorothy
Every (old cats, we suspect, by their early
appearance on this death-warrant to long
white aprons), and turn her head contemptuously
away, as Elizabeth Eyre and her
brevet-rank friend, Mrs. Bridget Baily, passed
by with some militia captain and his
Scarborough acquaintances; and what her lips
must have muttered half-audibly, against
Mrs. Rachel Fitzherbert and her unpaid-for
dress, "what she must owe Mr. Franceys!"
and against that Miss Hester Mundy and her
little minx of a countenance, "to speak of
nothing else."

Rule four to our thinking is still harder
than rule three. What has Miss in her
Mantua done that she must pay two shillings
and sixpence extra to dance the new cotillion,
or the most recent importation from Ranelagh
or Vauxhall? That was your doing, Miss
Hester Mundy, we said to ourselves as we
read the rules in the Derby Museum. You
are just out of your Mantua yourself, and
Captain Strutt, of Eliot's Light Horse newly
quartered in Derby, must not have too many
Mantua-dressed girls to draw his attention
away from Miss Mundy. Yes, indeed, it was
Hester that fought for and carried that rule;
nor are we so certain that this Miss, long out
of her teens, had not a loud voice in the hard
law against Miss in a coat.

To this little framed and glazed picture of
Derby assembly-room life in seventeen
hundred and fifty, we append a pen-and-ink
sketch of Durham female fashionable life and
spelling, about the year seventeen hundred
and fifty-three. The letter we are about to
quote has never before been printed. It was
put into our hands by one of the most
intelligent young ladies in the whole Palatinate
of Durham. Our young fair friend laughed
with wicked delight, as she read the letter
aloud. None but ladies can read ladies'
letters well—that is, in the Lady Mary Wortley
Montague style; and our charming friend
read so well, that we advise each reader to
ask a young wife, or sister, or a young
unmarried aunt to read the epistle to him.

Miss Georgina Morton to Miss Lynn.

"Without a thought that can entertain or a
subject to amuse, I sitt down to address My Dr. Miss
Lynn, noble materials you'll allow to render an
Epistle in the least degree amuseing or interesting,
tho' the latter I Am so vain as think alway's bear's
some part of my Friend's Idea's when she receives'
a Letter from those she esteem's sincere, in the
first place give me leave to return you my best
and most gratefull thanks for yr. last kind favor,
I need not at this late period of our acquaintance
add, that it gave me true pleasure, as you are I
hope sensible, that every intelligence from you,
afford's me real satisfaction, and must repete that
the oftoner ye favor me with yr. Letters, the more
you please and oblige me —to give you an account
of my proceedings, Its as usual, visiting, and
receiving visitants almost every day, last Thursday
we Dined at Mr. Wilkinson's where we met the
family from Coxal, Mr. Bewicke and several more,
in the Evening we went to the Assembly, there
being a very large party of us, we made a very
formidable appearance, and by the addition of a
part of the Gentlemen and Ladies in the Town,
we danced fourteen couple's, which for a private
Assembly in Durham was very extraordinary,
there was a Miss Steward, and a Miss Tweddle,
who Dined with its at Mr. Wilkinson's, their dress
was very Capital, and in my unfashionable opinion,
very ridiculou's, (without exception) I never in all
my Life, saw any point so preposterously high as
their heads, their hair was immense, their Cap's
the same, with the addition of three large plumes
of white feather's, two of which, was at one side,
the third most frightfully fix'd in their hair behind,
with Bell Lappets which reach'd half way down
their back, their gown's was extremely elligant,
the Italian Dress, trimmed with fringe Gause,
Grapes, &c., Gause cuffs ornamented with
Flower's, and nothing but a very narrow tucker round
their Neck, in short they were compleately
fashionable and the very essence of politeness, in every
punctilio, and to Crown all (I hope I am not
uncharitable in saying) I realy beleive they were
painted,—Miss Scaiff who I have heard you
mention Drank Tea hear a few days ago, she is
staying with Mrs. Hall, an agreeable Lady who I
visit, the former was at the Assembly but I believe
was only a spectator, which situation to a young
woman who likes Dancing, I shou'd sopose very
mortifying and disagreeable. —I am happy to find
by yr." Letter, that you spend yr. time so agreable,
pray is it a fair question to ask, from what part of
the world your Beau's comes from,—when you
make yr. visit at Cassop I hope you will do us the
favour of yr. company to Dine and spend the Day,
I was much disappointed at not seeing yr.'sister
Dolly in her way home. Mr. Sewen has some
very smart Beaus Dines with him to Day, therefore
time not paper allows me to add no more,
then our Compts. to Mr. Mrs. Lynn and family
wishing them many returns of the approaching
season, accept the same to yourself, with my love
in an abundant share, and be assured I am most
affectionately

                                  "Yours, G. Ord Morton."

"Durham Monday Morn."

Fie, Miss Morton —you are really too hard
upon Miss Steward and Miss Tweddle. Can
no Durham antiquary find a letter from
either Miss S. or Miss T. descriptive of Miss
Georgina herself?