ON THESHAPE AND STYLEOFWEARING A HAT.

Thereis no part of a man's dress thatmakesormarshis appearance so much as his hat; not that it is its striking beauty when new, or a want of it when old, that is most materially concerned in producing either of the above effects; the grand point is theform, and the position which it is made to assume on the head; yet how few there are who give the least attention to either, except indeed military men, and they in general are uncommonly tasty, affording the best example of the precise style in which a hat should be worn. It is no less singular than true, that the same hat, by being placed on the head in different positions, will give, inappearance, as many distinctcharactersto thesame personas the number of those positions amount to. The most striking are as follows:-sullenness-indolence-gravity, andgood humoured impudence. To give the first, draw the brim of the hat so far over the eyes that they shall be quite concealed. The second is produced by the hat being thrown quite back. The third by a primhorizontalset, covering equally all parts of the head; and the fourth will not be easily mistaken wherever anextravagant cockon either side is brought full into view. These are undoubtedly allextremehabits, and seldom pushed to the extent here described; yet a slight inclination to either position may, under circumstances, have a very good effect.

There is another bad custom that ought to be noticed, which I shall do by first observing, that a hat was intended solely to keep the headdry-ONwhich it should be worn; but many seem to differ from this opinion, using it as a sort ofNIGHT-CAPwherein is thrust head, ears, and all. This is a most slovenly practice, as well as a dangerous one, inasmuch as it tends to keep the head in a continual andforcedstate of perspiration, rendering a liability to "take cold," every time the hat is removed. Yet even this habit is not so bad as sticking the hat on thebackof the head, which, of all others, is the most general, and carries with it the greatest impropriety, because such a position not only destroys the shape, but by lodging on the coat collar, the hind part, fromfriction, becomes greasy, and the binding is always in a state of raggedness; added to these disadvantages, a most ridiculous effect is produced by the practice, that is, the head inappearanceis converted into a sort ofpeg,AGAINSTwhich the hat seems tohang, instead of being placedupon. A man who indulges in so bad a custom, should at least preserve aconsistencyin his dress by walking "slip shoed," breeches knees open, and without braces, stockings down, waistcoat unbuttoned, cravat half tied, one arm only in his coat sleeve, and at least a six months' uncombed crop of hair about his pericranium; here he would be of a piece; and grotesque as such a figure must appear, by a general adoption of these "captivating negligencies," there is no greater inconsistency in the whole catalogue than that of wearing a hat on theback partof the head.

As to theformof a hat, and what is best forthis faceorthat person, there is more in it than what is generally supposed, and a great deal might be said on the subject; but to talk of astandard fashionis absurd in the extreme, in proof of which it need only be observed, that if very large hats were adopted, a thin man of five feet high, would, by the wearing, become as complete a caricature, as a twenty stone man of six feet would by wearing a very small one. The best fashion a man can follow in a hat is that which best becomes him, and various as heads, faces, and persons may be, all things are now accomplished (so far as a hat is concerned) that can eitherfitthe one or ornament the other,

By the Head's sincere friend,

and well-wisher,

R. L.

Furs used in a Hat of fine quality, according to the present improved system of making, their proportions, value, cost of manufacture, &c. &c.

FOR THE BODY.

FOR THE COVERING.

4.No hat can be good, or well covered, with less than one ounce of prime beaver; and, small as the quantity is, there was a time when journeymen makers (catching the custom of their betters, and by way of tythe) thought it no sin to appropriate a part of this material to theirown use; but, for the credit of thetradebe it said, the practice is long since abolished, and a man attempting it at the present day would be scouted from the factory where he worked, by every honest journeyman therein.

5.The average week's work of amakeris about ten hats; that of afinisher, from five to six dozen.

Such is the cost of materials and labour at the present period; it is true that the above scale is drawn from "credit prices;" but let every part of a manufacturing concern be carried on for money only, which is rarely the case, still the deduction from thewholecannot be more than 7½ per cent. All substitutes for the abovematerialsare decidedly condemned; nor can theirquantities, as here stated, be lessened, without injury to the remainder. Here then is sufficient evidence that a fine hat must, under the most favourable circumstances, stand the manufacturer in upwards of twenty-one shillings, yet manyassumea capability ofretailingsuch an article at less even than the charge of manufacture.

A General List ofLloyd'sFashionable Hats, invented, manufactured, and sold by him, at his Warehouse, 92, Newgate-Street, London.

CONCLUSION.

If the foregoing treatise to be judged by theletterand not thespirit-have mercy reader.

Rules for measuring a hat.-Take the circumference on theoutside, where the band is fixed, in inches. The breadth of brim and depth of crown as wanted.

Entered at Stationer's Hall.

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