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124 Englishwoman and the Hottentot; there is the same assemblage of bones, the same combination of muscles, the same organic structure in the one as in the other. The only difference is, that our women are living under more favourable circum­stances, and hence the deformity, which is almost universal amongst the Africans, is rare with us. The tendency, however, may be discovered every­where, and should always be anticipated in providing for the elegance and comfort of middle life.

But here we imagine an intelligent friend inquiring how this is to be attained; for many call upon us in a state of utter incredulity, and tell us that they have merely looked in to satisfy the de­sire of some friend. When this happens, we are generally told that they have tried every party without success, adding, perhaps, that they have a stock of corsets collected from the first houses in France, Germany, Italy, and England, and that the whole were perfectly useless; and this is no doubt correct. The material of which they are composed maybe of the very best manu­facture, and the stitching be faultless; but, for want of proper knowledge of the structure and