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"But what will you say of crinoline?" Well, crinoline has many advantages in it. The principal of which is, that it helps to support the weight of the under clothing, gives freedom and ease in walk­ing, and in windy weather prevents the petticoats from being blown against their wearer, and entang­ling her feet at every step she takes.

But since coroners, jurymen, journalists, and indeed almost everybody except the wearers, are abusing our crinoline, our fair readers will be pleased to see how the same fashion was defended when it was assailed in a similar manner more than a century ago. We learn from the Whitehall Evening Post (1747) that a regular debate was held between two gentlemen, who, if we may judge from the reported specimen of their oratory before us, were persons of no mean talent. They had taken seven days to prepare their speeches, and "the appointed hour being come, the company (principally ladies) ranged themselves on either hand, according to their different inclinations, when the speaker in favour of 'Hoop petticoats' said—