ly folded in half, then flattened and laid upon each other as
closely as they can be packed, with the exception of the brim. They are
treated in every respect the same as herrings, requiring to be stowed in
a cask. By these means it is almost incredible what a quantity of these
usually fragile articles may be accommodated in a small space of about
four feet square.

Should a purchaser present himself, the various specimens are removed
from the high pressure to which they have been exposed, the vendor, with
a _degage_ air, gives the crown a dexterous blow with his fist, which
makes the centre rise to its accustomed situation, then presses the
front out upon his knee, concluding by holding up, with an air of
intense satisfaction at his own ingenuity, an object so wild, so
whimsical, and withal so irresistibly striking, as to remind one of
those traditional costumes ascribed for ages past to fishwomen,
apple-women, or any whose avocation involves the necessity of carrying a
basket on the head.

Farther on, at the sign of the Gout du Jour, beneath the arcades of the
Rotunda, elevated at the end of the large opening which intersects the
Temple and divides it into two parts, are suspended myriads of vestments
of all colours, forms, and fashions, even more various and extraordinary
in their respective styles than the bonnets just described. There may be
seen stylish coats of unbleached linen, adorned with three rows of brass
buttons _a la hussarde_, and sprucely ornamented with a small fur collar
of fox-skin; great-coats, originally bottle-green, but changed, by age
and service, to the hue of the pistachio nut, edged with black braid,
and set off with a bright flaming lining of blue and yellow plaid,
giving quite a fresh and youthful appearance, and producing the most
genteel and tasty effect; coats that, when new, bore the appellation, as
regards their cut, of being _a queue de Morue_, of a dark drab colour,
with velvet, shag, or plush collar, and further decorated with buttons,
once silver-gilt, but now changed to a dull coppery hue. In the same
emporium may be observed sundry pelisses or polonaises of
maroon-coloured cloth, with cat-skin collar, trimmed with braiding, and
rich in brandenburgs, tassels, and cords. Not far from these are
displayed a great choice of dressing-gowns most artistically constructed
out of old cloaks, whose triple collars and capes have been removed, the
inside lined with remnants of printed cotton