Echoes Of The Last Century.

disputes by mortal combat , and so ridiculous were the exhibitions they made , that the " honourable profession " happily fell into a gradual decline . What could be more conducive to this effect than such encounters as the following , which we condense from a newspaper account of 1774 : Two weavers , on Wednesday , February 19 th , were about preparing a dish of sprats ; one preferring them fried and the other boiled . Soto decide the matterthree

, , shillings were raised to procure the use of pistols , and the disputants , accompanied by their seconds , jiroceeded to the fashionable duelling-ground at the rear of Montagu House . One of the weavers fired , shooting off part of the coat-sleeve of his opponent , but probably then having conscientious scruples , hastily decamped from the field without waiting for a return of fire . Another of the customs which died during the eighteenth century was the

system of Fleet marriages . Previous to the passing of the new Marriage Act of 1753 , clergymen who were imprisoned for debt were allowed to perform marriages within the limits of the Fleet . They carried on , therefore , a nefarious trade , importuning the passers-by with such enquiries as " Do you want to be married , sir ? " " A parson , sir ? " No name , or a false one , was sufficient . Women were married to strangers in order to get rid of debts

( which went to the husband ) , while others were forcibly married against their wishes . The only thing required for the ceremony was the fee ; and in cases where this did not equal the parson ' s expectations it was generally discovered that his instruction in the " common " tongue hacl been most complete . On the last day allowed for those marriages , 24 th March , 1753 , more than three hundred couples availed themselves of it .

A brief account of the distinguishing sports and pastimes of the people is here necessary . Bull-baiting , cock-fighting , and boxing were among the most fashionable and popular diversions . In one announcement of a bull-baiting , the bull was to be "dressed" with fireworks and have a cat tied to his tail . Bnt boxing was , par excellence , the sport of the time , and hacl the highest sanction . In 1723 a ring was marked ancl fenced in Hyde Park by the king ' s

order . Frequently women were the combatants , and the papers abound with with their challenges and replies . Broad-sword play and cudgelling , bowling ancl football were among the favourite pastimes and exhibitions , the last-named being played in the Strand so late as 1733 . Fox-hunting then began before the corn was cut ; archery was yet continued , though considerably on the decline ; bonfires were lit in Fleet-street to celebrate every trifling event ; smock

races were run in Pall Mall ; while the guardians of the peace were utterl y unable to confine the excitement of the populace upon the slightest occasion within proper limits , while the darkness of the streets tended to universal disorder .

We will return to the fashionable world , and view the dress of the dandies , exquisites , ancl ladies . The English beau of the time attired himself in a huge flapping coat , square cut , over a waistcoat that came to the knees , his skirts held out by wires to give a crinoline effect , plush breeches , silk stockings , highheeled shoes ( generally red ) , lace ruffles , and powdered be-tailed wig . These wigs were various in shape and name , including the varieties of the bob , the curtailthe scratchthe nightcapthe pigtailthe brown Georgeand the busb .

, , , , , y The dandy likewise carried the effeminate appendage of a muff , and scented himself ; while both sexes employed both powder and paint for the face . The dress of the ladies , Mr . Alexander Andrews describes as fickle , extravagant , ancl eccentric . The hair was sometimes piled up in a pyramid of immense height , upon which was added a head dress of equal proportions . The dresses were hooped and stiff with embroiderywhile the heels of the shoes were

, approaching six inches in length . Afterwards the rage for a tall appearance departed , ancl , as says the Spectator , ladies that were once seven feet hi gh , subsequently wanted some inches of five . Here are a few lines that speak concisely of the fashion of the latter part of the century—