shocked at the clumsy tournure of a Wallachian belle. In Lady Craven's "Journal" we have an account of her reception at the Wallachian court. She says: "In the corner sat the prince, dressed and attended à la Turque; over his head were ranged the horses' tails, the great helmet and feather, the magnificent sabre, and other arms with which I had seen him parade the streets at Constantinople. I was then summoned to an audience with the princess : she was sitting à la Turque, with three of her daughters by her. There were twenty ladies in the room, one of whom, instead of a turban, had a high cap of sable put behind her hair, that was combed up straight over a kind of roll: this head-dress was far from being ugly or unbecoming. The princess told me that it was a lady of Wallachia, and that the cap was the head-dress of the country." The men wear a long robe that reaches to the feet, and a shawl round the waist; over this is an upper garment with long tight sleeves, lined throughout with fur. The head is covered with a fur cap; no beard is worn, only moustaches; the shoes have very high heels. In Macfarlane's "Armenia" we find the following description of the dress of an Armenian bride: "Her figure was enveloped in a robe, that, but for the costly material of which it was composed, might have been called a sack. Under the hand and the needle of an Armenian priest's wife, this wrapper concealed every member of the body, not permitting even the loose purple mestler and papooshes-no, not so much as the toe of the latter to be visible. The same matron had bound round her head a linen veil, called a perkem, so thick that it entirely concealed what it covered, and had placed over this an additional veil, composed of tinsel and thin lamina of gold sewed together, that fell from her crown down to her neck, like some extraordinary head of hair. The perkem, or linen veil, reached below the breast in front, and below the shoulders behind; beyond it projected and floated the ample folds, not of her tinsel locks, but of her own luxuriant coal-black hair, which, had she stood, might have fallen lower than her knees, and, as if the natural were not long enough, des grosses tresses-a thick mass of false hair-was attached to it, that looked, as it lay huddled in a heap on the sofa, like the unpowdered wig of a judge." In another part we read: "The khenna, or wellknown drug used by ladies throughout the East for painting the nails red, was produced with great solemnity, and it was part of the functions of the chief Armenian priest's wife to dye the bridal fingers. When both right and left hand were of the proper hue, the other presents that always accompany the khenna were brought forth from their costly envelopes of silk and gold tissue. These were, a broad piece of cloth entirely to wrap up the person of the bride, a feridji, or outer cloak, an ample yasmack, a pair of papooshes or morocco slippers, and a large wax torch.” "The family of the maiden sent to the bridegroom, on the part of themselves and daughter, a gauze shirt, a pair of drawers, two sashes or stripes of fine linen cloth, embroidered in gold, to close and support the drawers; a towel, richly embroidered at the four corners in worsted and tinsel; a pocket-handkerchief, C C silk worked all over with different coloured silks into the forms of doves, flames, and hearts; stuff of mixed silk and cotton, for an enterré or long close robe worn under the beneesh." The bridegroom's dress, consisting of an enterré, a shawl, a calpack, and a beneesh, was put on after his having been shaved; and we are told that his mother-in-law hung a tress or lock of tinsel to his calpack, an example which was followed by the other relatives, till, "by adding fresh strings of tinsel and gold thread, his capacious balloon-shaped hat shewed like a globe with a reversed glory, or rather like a cooling comet with its tail still radiant." "The Armenian women," says a modern traveller; "cover themselves when they go from home with a large white veil from head to foot. In the house they still wear the nose-band, which is never laid aside even in bed. Their dress consists of a silk shift, a pair of silk trousers which reach to the ankles, a close garment that fastens at the throat with silver clasps, and an outer garment generally made of padded chintz, and open in front. They wear a silver girdle, which rests upon the hips, and is generally curiously wrought; their feet are naked, and some of them have silver rings round their ankles; no hair is seen except a long plaited tail, that hangs over the back to the ground. On their heads they place a species of cushion, which expands at the top." The same writer also says, that the Armenian women do not wear so entire a veil as the Mahomedan; it leaves the eyes at full liberty, and just encloses the nose, by which some general idea may be formed of the features and expression. The column of Trajan gives a very correct notion of the dress of the ancient inhabitants of Turkey and the neighbouring states. We there see that they wore tunics reaching to the knees, and also the garment met with amongst most nations, which formed breeches and stockings all in one piece. Their shoes were much like those of the moderns; their chlamyde, or cloak, was sometimes ornamented with a fringe all round the bottom, and was fastened upon one shoulder. Those who had the head covered wore a Phrygian cap, with the front bending over. Among the "reforms" carried into effect by the late sultan Mahmoud, and sanctioned and maintained by his son and successor the present sultan, is one which has changed the whole character and appearance of Turkish costume. We allude to the substitution of the fez for the turban. The fez is a small cap of felted wool, dyed of a crimson colour, without edge of any kind, fitting close to the head, and having a long tassel of blue silk threads hanging from the centre of the top. It is now universally worn in place of the turban. |