ALBERT R. MANN 
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 AT 
 
 ORNELL UNTVERSn V 
 
 
ALBERT R. MANN 
 LIBRARY 
 
 AT 
 
 CORNELL UNIVERSITY 
 
^''iTlllllMi'iiiiimiri''"''"'^'''^ ^""^ physiologic 
 
 3 1924 003 480 708 
 
Cornell University 
 Library 
 
 The original of tiiis book is in 
 tine Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924003480708 
 

 PRINT' By W SORN/SU 
 
 Plate, 1 
 
THE HUMAN HAIR, 
 
 POPUIARLY AHD PHTSIOlOGICAllY CONSIDEKED 
 
 WITH SPECIAL BEFEBENCE TO ITS 
 
 PRESERVATION, IMPROYEMENT AND ADORNMENT, 
 
 AND THE VARIOUS MODES OP ITS DECORATION 
 IN ALL COUNTRIES; 
 
 BY 
 
 ALEXANDER ROWLAND. 
 
 WITH SEVEN ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 " Love in these labyrinths his slaves detains, 
 And mighty hearts are held in slender chains. 
 With hairy springes we the birds betray, 
 Slight lines of hair surprise the finny prey, 
 Fair tresses man's imperial race insnare, 
 And Beanty draws us with a single hair." 
 
 Pope's JBope of the Lock, Canto II. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 PIPEE, BROTHEES, & Co., PATEENOSTEE EOW. 
 
 1853. 
 
LONDON : 
 PRINTED BY W. OSTELI., HAHT STREET, BLOOMSBIIFT. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 "0 monstrous!" (methinks I hear the reader exclaim) "but 
 one half-penny worth of bread to this intolerable deal of sack!" 
 Two hundred pages of close print on the Hair ! What can be 
 said on such a subject, to fill a volume ? Surely here is " much 
 ado about nothing." But, gentle reader, judge not hastily nor 
 harshly. Dr. Mantell elaborated an elegant and instructive 
 volume, with " Thoughts on a Pebble." Pope wrote a poem of 
 world-wide fame on " The Eape of the Lock." Another author 
 delighted the world with a series of volumes, descriptive of 
 "A Journey Bound my Eoom." The Quarterly Review has 
 thought it not beneath its dignity, in a recent number, to in- 
 vestigate and illustrate popularly the subject of the Human Hair. 
 Exclaim not hastily, therefore, " aU is barren." 
 
 Hitherto, of all the tissues of the human body, the Hair 
 has occupied the least attention among the scientific, and less 
 among popular writers ; and yet how much is the personal ap- 
 pearance dependant on its healthy vigor; and how great the 
 care bestowed on its culture and arrangement in all countries. 
 
 When first I commenced my enquiries, many years ago, there 
 was a remarkable paucity of materials to assist me in my illus- 
 trations and investigations; but graduallyj year by year, as my 
 researches extended, I discovered in the field of continental and 
 English literature, scattered through a variety of volumes of 
 standard reputation among the medical profession, various inci- 
 
IV PKEFACE. 
 
 dental references, elaborate scientific essays, curious facts re- 
 corded, and novel theories advanced, which aided me materially 
 in my elucidations. 
 
 Delving into this unexplored mine, I have been able to bring 
 to light much that is curious and instructive; and which had 
 long laid buried and hidden among the purely technical informa- 
 tion with which it was surrounded. I have aimed at no elegant 
 writing; but have contented myself with the simple narra- 
 tion of facts and opinions, interspersed with anecdotes bearing 
 on the subject; and if, in any case, my opinions run counter to 
 the pre-conceived notions of the public, I trust the attention I 
 have bestowed on the subject, and the experience I have gained, 
 during more than half a century may be allowed to have some 
 little weight in the scale. 
 
 Amongst the able professional works (for there is really no 
 popular book on the Hair), to which I am principally indebted for 
 citations and authorities, are Dr. Copland's valuable " Dictionary 
 of Practical Medicine," Dr. HassaU's " Microscopic Anatomy of 
 the Human Body, &c.," M. Cazenave's " Diseases of the Human 
 Hair," Mr. Erasmus "Wilson, P.E.S., " on Skin Diseases," and 
 some desultory papers in a few of the periodicals of the day. 
 Several of the quotations I have made, prove that a demand had 
 long existed for a descriptive illustrated work on the Hair ; and 
 as no one else has entered this special field of literature, I trust 
 I may be pardoned for addressing myself to the task, and giving 
 to the world the collected result of my researches and experience; 
 confidently believing that the book will meet with an approving 
 perusal from very many in all classes of society, and add some- 
 thing to the general stock of information. 
 
 20, Hatton Gabden, September, 1853. 
 
EXPLANATION OF THE ILLUSTEATIONS, 
 
 PLATE I. 
 
 ETHNOIOGICAL FEMALE 6B0UP, ILLUSTJIATING THE HAIR. 
 
 Figure 1. Enropean type. 
 „ 2. A Fatagouian female, from a treatise of Professor Retzins, on the Pata- 
 
 gonians ; also given in Dr. Latham's " Natural History of Man.'' 
 „ 3, Esquimaui female, from Egede's " Greenland." 
 „ 4. A Bisharee woman, from Dr. Pickering's " Baces of Man.'' 
 „ 6. A Feejee girl, from the same. 
 
 „ 6. Indian female of the Warrau tribe, South America, from Sir Robert H. 
 SchombuTgk's " Illustrations of Guiana." 
 
 PLATE II. 
 
 MICROSCOPIC EEPKESENTATION OF THE STEUCTUBE OF THE HUMAN HAIB, 
 DRAWN FBOM NATUEE SPECIALLY FOE THIS WOBK, BY LEONAED ALDOUS, 
 
 (Descriied under Chap. \.J 
 
 Figure 1. A curious and unusual specimen of alternate-colored hair : magnified 
 
 ISO diameters. 
 „ 3. A line representing the same hair with the alternations of color: slightly 
 
 magnified, 
 „ 3. A portion of the same hair, showing the scaly structure : magnified 600 
 
 diameters. 
 „ 4. Longitudinal and transverse sections of the hair of an Albino, showing^ 
 
 the structure and slight character of the coloring fluid : magnified 
 
 500 diameters. 
 „ S. Longitndinal and transverse sections of brown hair: magnified 500 
 
 diameters. 
 „ 6. Longitudinal and transverse sections of black hair, showing in one the 
 
 crisped or cnrly hair peculiar to the Negro race: magnified 500 
 
 diameters. 
 „ 7. Longitudinal section of a grey hair, proving the absence of the coloring 
 
 fluid : magnified 500 diameters. 
 „ 8. An infant's hair under one month old, showing the form of the natural 
 
 termination of the Iiair, and the tubular structure throughout : mag> 
 
 nified 600 diameters. 
 ,, 9. Root of the hair : magnified 250 diameters. 
 
Tl ILLUSTEAT10N8. 
 
 PLATE IIL 
 ETHNOLOGICAL MALE GROUP, IIXUSIBATINO THE HAIB. 
 
 Rgure 1. European type. 
 
 „ 2. Negro, from Dr. Pickering's " Kaces of Man." 
 
 „ 3. A Papuan (Feejee), from the same. 
 
 „ 4. A Bosjesman lad, Hottentot, (Africa), from the same. 
 
 „ 5. Kutchiu Kutchin warrior (Arctic America), from Dr. Sir John Richard- 
 son's "Journal of a Boat Voyage through Rupert's Land." 
 
 „ 6. Ahoriginal native of Van Diemen's Land ; drawn by Campbell de Mor- 
 gan, Esq., from a cast belonging to the Ethnological Society, and 
 published in Dr. Latham's " Natural History of the Varieties of Man." 
 
 PLATE IV. 
 
 STEUCTUBE OF THE HAIB. 
 
 (Mgures \ to 5, deaeriied under Chapter XIV., page 185.) 
 PLATE V. 
 
 6E0UP or MALE PORTRAITS ILLUSTBAirvE OJ THE FASHIONS OP WEARING THE 
 HAIB AND EEARS. 
 
 Figure 1. Thomas, Lord Seymour of Sudeley, ob. 1549 ; from the original, in the 
 
 collection of the most noble the Marquis of Bath. 
 „ 2. Godefroid Due de Bouillon, the Crusader, ob. a.b. 1100. 
 „ 3. Leonardo da Vinci, A.D. 1512. 
 „ 4. William Powlett, Marquis of Winchester, ob. 1572 ; from the original, 
 
 in the collection of his Grace the Duke of Northumberland. 
 5. John Powlett, Marquis of Winchester, ob. 1674 ; from the original of 
 
 Peter Oliver, in the collection of the most noble the Marquis of 
 
 Winchester. 
 „ 6. William, first Lord Paget, ob. 1563 ; from the original of Holbein, in 
 
 the collection of the most noble the Marquis of Anglesea. 
 „ 7. Marc de Wilson, chevalier sieur de la Colombier, a.d. 1650. 
 
 „ 8. Charles II., from a painting in Bridewell Hall, by Sir PeterLely, A.D. 1660 
 „ 9. General Lafayette, a.d. 1790. 
 
 PLATE VI. 
 
 GROUP OP FEMALE PORTRAITS ILLUSTRATIVE OP THE STYLES OP WEARING THE 
 HAIR IN DIPPERENT BEIGNS. 
 
 Figure 1. Miss 6 a reigning belle of London, in 1776. 
 
 „ 2. Madame Elizabeth, sister of Louis XVI., a.d. 1790. 
 „ 3. Mademoiselle de Pompadour, a.d. 1750. 
 
 „ 4. The Right Honorable Lady Charlott* Bertie; from a painting by W 
 Peters, R.A., a.d. 1777. 
 
ILLUSTRATIONS. vii 
 
 Figure 5. Diane de Poitiers, a.d. 1550. 
 
 „ 6. ' Julia de Eonbign^; from a painting by Jolin Hoppner, a.b, 1786. 
 „ 7. Marie Antoinette, a.d. 1790. 
 
 „ 8. Mademoiselle Damoreau Cinti, of the Acadamie de Musique, a.d. 1832. 
 „ 9. The Right Honorable Catharine Compton, Countess of Egmont, a.I'. 
 1765. 
 
 PLATE VII. 
 
 STRUCTUKE OP THE HA IE. 
 
 (Figures 1 to 10, described under Cliaipter XIV., fage 186.) 
 
 -<^SHt^::x^>- 
 
 ERRATA. 
 
 Pase 10 — Line 14 from top of the page, for " usually" read " often." 
 II 11 — Line 16 from top, for " certical" read " cortical." 
 « 15 —Line 1 from bottom, for " and has been detected" read " and it has been 
 
 detected." 
 II 15 — Line 13 from top, for " oxygen purified" read " oxygen alone." 
 II 17 — Second line from bottom, for " support" read " vitality." 
 » 20 — Line 15 from top, for " the Negro 53" read " the Negro 55." 
 II 21 — Line 6 from bottom, after " woolly" add " 8. Teliugan, hair straight 
 
 and fine, beard copious." 
 » 22 — Line 11 from bottom, for " Finny," read "Finnish." 
 » 24 — Line 4, for " is " read " was." 
 » 40 — Line 5 from top, for " rosin" read " wax." 
 /; 41 — Line 13 from bottom, for " midrib or leaflets" read " midrib of tht 
 
 leaf." 
 » 49^^Line 10 from bottom, for " tense," read " dense." 
 » 55 — Line 8 from top, for " people" read " nations." 
 » 89 — Line 6 from top, for " spiritous'' read " spirituous." 
 » 133 — Line 9 from bottom, for " but the idea has been exploded" read "this 
 
 idea has been confirmed." 
 n 184— Line 20 from bottom, for " are" read "is." 
 
DTKECTIONS TO THE BINDEE. 
 
 Plate 1 Frontispiece. 
 
 3 i to face page 18 
 
 3 " ', 31 
 
 4 „ 61 
 
 5 „ 91 
 
 6 „ 145 
 
 7 „ 186 
 
C N T E N T S. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 JNTEODUOTOBY ANJ) GENERAL. 
 
 Little attention which has been paid to the Hair by Scientific Men. 
 Formation and Growth of Hair, as exemplified by Anatomical 
 and Physiological Investigations. M. Chevalier's definition. Dr. 
 Prichard's distinction between Wool and Hair. Dr. Browne's 
 opinion that the Negro has Wool on his Head. Physiology and 
 Anatomy of the Hair, Economical purposes of the Hair. Elec- 
 trical Properties and Sensitiveness of the Hair. Its indestructi- 
 bility. Microscopic discoveries of Hair on Human skin nailed for 
 Ceiituries to church doors. Peculiar Properties of Hair. Mea- 
 surement and Thickness of growth of the Hair. Its Chemical 
 Properties. Sectional Structure. Coincidence between the Color 
 of the Skin and Hair. Coloring matters. Origin and progressive 
 Porjnation of Hair. Its Appearance and Configuration when seen 
 tlirough a Microscope. Dilference in Texture and Color among 
 various Nations 10 — 18 
 
 . CHAPTER II. 
 
 GLASSIFICATION OP THE HUMAN FAMILY, AND DISTINGUISHING 
 CHAEACTEE OP THE 'HAJE OF DIFFEEENT EACES. 
 
 Bhimenbach and Lawrence's Division of Man into Eive varieties. 
 Guvier's Three Divisions. Dr. Prichard's Seven varieties. Dis- 
 tribution and relative Numbers of the Eaces. Shades of Color 
 of the Hair. Prichard and Pickering's Classifications. Marked 
 Characters of the Hair in the Caucasian race. The Mongolian, 
 the Malayan, and the American varieties 19^23 
 
2 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 GEOGEAPHICAL DISTKIBUTION — ASIA AND THE EASTEEN ISLANDS. 
 
 Customs of Wearing the Hair by the ancient Assyrians, the 
 Persians and Parsees, Arabs and Bedouins. Toilettes of the 
 Egyptian Ladies. Dyeing the Eyelids. The Vale of Cashmere. 
 Natives of Cutch and Sindh. Affghans. Qualifications of a 
 Singhalese Belle. Tortoise-shell Combs worn by the Ceylonese 
 Chiefs. Magnificent Jewelled Hair-pins used by the Ladies. 
 Hindoo and Chinese Customs. Itinerant Barbers of the Celestial 
 Empire. Depilation in Practice among the Malays and Asiatics. 
 Dexterity and SkiU of the Japanese Hairdressers. Style of wearing 
 the Hair by Children. Dyaks of Borneo. Elaborate mode of 
 Dressing the Hair in the Melacoshima Islands. Erizzed Hair of 
 the Papuan race 24 — 30 
 
 CHAPTEE rV. 
 
 AERICA THE NEGRO OB, ETHIOPIAN EACE. ' 
 
 National Customs of Wearing the Hair in various Tribes. The Ashantees, 
 Eoulahs, Mandingoes, &c. Beard worn Striped Grey and Black. 
 Flaxen Locks Artificially Obtained. Spinsters alone to Wear the 
 Head Uncovered. Nimiber of Locks of Hair worn an Indication 
 of Successful Warfare among the GaUa Tribes. Abyssinian Eace. 
 Tasteful Braids of the Bisharee Women. Singular Hair of the 
 Hottentots and Kafirs. Strongly Frizzled Hair of the Nubians. 
 Fashionable Hairdressing in the Airican Desert. False Tails and ■ 
 False Locks usesd by the Negresses of Madagascar. An African 
 Monarch's Expedient 31 — 35 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 AUSTRALASIAN ISLANDS AND THE PACiriC. 
 
 Natives of Australia. Headgear of the Aboriginal Ladies. Custom 
 and Practices of the New Zealanders. Beard Plucked Out. 
 Feathers of various Birds Worn. Grey Hair and Baldness Un- 
 common. Peculiar character of the Hair of the Papuan Negro. 
 Wigs worn in New Guinea. Mop-headed Indians. Natives of 
 New Caledonia. Wooden Combs Worn. Singular kinds of Arti- 
 ficial Tresses. Taste of the Polynesians evidenced in their 
 
CONTENTS. 8 
 
 Care of the Hair. Oraamented with elegant Wreaths and Bunches 
 of Natural Flowers. Perfumed Oils Used. Natives of Easter 
 Isknd. Their Envious Admiration of Whiskers. Sandwich 
 Islanders used to Dye their Hair. Elaborate Headdress of the 
 Feejees. Wigs Worn and Hair-dyes in Use. Practices of the 
 Tahitians. Shells and Sharks' Teeth serve the purpose of Eazors 
 and Scissors. No Barbers by Profession, but neighbourly Kind- 
 ness Prevails. Barbarous mode of Proceedings Adopted. New 
 Hebrides — Men Wear the Hair Long, Females and Children have it 
 Cropped. Feejee Girls wear tight Corkscrew Curls. A Dozen 
 resident Barbers attached to the Ho.usehold of a Native Chief. 
 Elaborate Care and Dressing of the Head and Beard, which re- 
 semble an Artiiicial Turban. Coloring Matter of the Hair removed 
 by Artificial Means. Natives of the Duke of York's Island Powder 
 the Hair Yellow and Eed. Wigs Worn at Darnley Island. 
 Women Wear the Hair Short, frequently quite Shaved Off. In- 
 jurious Effects of Salt Water 36 — 17 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE AMEEIOAJf VABIETY. 
 
 Not a Beardless People. Queues Worn by the Indians of Guiana. 
 Hair worn by others Elaborately Frizzed or PuiFed Out; stand- 
 ing up erect, a Foot or more from the Forehead. Grey Hair and 
 Baldness very Uncommon among the aboriginal Brazilians. Great 
 Luxuriance of the Hair. Americans rarely Grey or Bald until a 
 very Advanced Age. Hair worn Plaited into two Long Tails, and 
 Adorned with Strings of small Brass or Gold Bells. The old 
 Custom of Tinging the Eyelids Black prevails among the natives of 
 the shores of Bhering's Strait. Moustaches and Imperials worn by 
 the Esquimaux. Detailed Notices of the Customs prevalent among 
 them respecting the Hair. Cutting Off the Hair by the female 
 considered Disgraceful, and a Doom to perpetual Celibacy. Anti- 
 pathy Manifested to the Beard 48 — 54 
 
 CHAPTEE YII. 
 
 SCEIPTUEAL NOTICES OE THE HAIR. 
 
 The Hebrews Forbidden to Cut their Hair in Honor of the Dead. 
 The Vows of the Nazarites and Case of Samson. Parallel In- 
 
* CONTENTS. 
 
 stances among Heathen Nations. Shaving the Head a token of 
 Affliction and Humiliation. Scripture Texts bearing on the Sub- 
 ject. Ancient Customs. Baldness formerly Considered a Curse. 
 Powdering the Hair with Gold. The Practice Revived in fashion- 
 able circles in France. The Hair Plaited and Embroidered in 
 Olden Times 55—60 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 DISEASES OP THE HAIE, AND DIKECTIONS FOR ITS MANAGEMENT. 
 
 Predisposing Causes of Baldness. Morbid Condition of the Hair. 
 Dr. Hassall's Opinion on the Ee-formation and Eegeneration of the 
 Hair. Mr. Wilson on the Wasting and Decadence of the Hair. 
 Hard Curl-papers Injurious. Directions for the Management of 
 Hair. Mal-disposition of the Hair. No Benefit accrues from 
 Cutting Children's Hair Close. Effects of Eright in Blanching the 
 Hair. Historical Instances. Citations from Shakspere, Scott, 
 Seneca, and Virgil. Premature Loss of Hair. Dr. Copland's 
 Opinions on the Remote Causes of Baldness. Baldness aUeiged 
 to be Endemic in some Places. Means of Restoring the Hair. 
 Incidental Causes of Loss of Hair. The modern Hat Injurious 
 to the Hair. Those whose Heads are most Exposed have the 
 Finest and most copious Hair. Reasons assigned for the Hair 
 tm-ning Grey. Not a Natural Indication of Old Age. Instances 
 of Parti-colored Hair. Influence of Climate. Shaving the Head 
 Injurious. Ringworm, Symptoms, Causes and Cure. The Disease 
 extremely Contagious. Plica Polonica. Partial and General Ex- 
 cess of Hair. Ladies with Beards and Superfluous Hair... 61 — 79 
 
 CHAPTEE IX. 
 
 PEACTICE OF APPLYING UNGUENTS AND OIL TO THE HAIE. 
 
 Various National Applications for the Hair. Vegetable Oils Prefer- 
 able. Curious Compounds in vogue at Different Times. Quantity 
 of Bears slaughtered for Grease. Description of the Lubricating 
 Eluid of the Hair. Custom of Anointing in the East. The 
 Jewish Sacred Ointment. The richest Oils and Perfumes used by 
 the Greeks and Romans after Bathing. The Practice of Anointing 
 the Body again recommended as Favorable to Health, and Preven- 
 
CONTENTS. 5 
 
 five of Scrofula and Consumption. Laughable Anecdote of an 
 African Fop. Egyptian Beauties Dripping with Castor Oil. Vari- 
 ous Oceanic Applications for the Hair. Typee Damsels and their 
 Attention to their Tresses. Washes and Dyes for the Hair. 80 — 90 
 
 CHAPTEE X. 
 
 A PLEA fOB THE BEARD AND MOUSTACHE. 
 
 The Beard the most Marked and Distinctive peculiarity between the 
 Two Sexes. A handsome Ornament to the Face. The London 
 Methodist Review advocates Beards. Dr. Dixon recommends 
 Beards being again Worn in his publication, The Scalpel. Arbi- 
 trary Laws and Enactments of continental Sovereigns against having 
 Ornaments to the Face. The Annals of the Beard interesting. The 
 Beard recommended for its Hygienic Purposes. The Beard again 
 Coming into Fashion. Its Comfort and ornament Advocated in 
 Douglas Jerrold's Newspaper. Southey's calculation af the Time 
 Lost in Shaving. Eeasons urged Against Shaving in Rees'i Cyclo- 
 pedia. The Eussians compelled to Shave, to distinguish them 
 from their enemies, the Turks. A Correspondent of the Glohe 
 points out the Advantages of the Beard to the Russian Peasants. 
 Sir Francis Head recommends its Adoption by Eailway Guards, 
 The Bdinhurgh News urges its use, with the Moustache, by Stone- 
 masons, Steel-grinders and other trades. A few words on Beards 
 from Taifs Magazine. The Naval and Military Gazette advocates 
 the Moustache. The United Service Gazette does the same. Colonel 
 Napier writes in Favour of the Beard. The Agra Messenger sup- 
 ports the same opinions. Some consider the Beard Unbusinesslike. 
 Useful purposes served by the Beard. Want of Courage to Wear 
 it. Beards nevertheless Eetuming to Fashion 91 — 109 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 THE HISTOUY OP THE BBAUD ITS FASHIONS AND MUTATIONS. 
 
 The Beard worn by the early Eastern Nations. Aaron's Beard. A mark 
 of Distinction to the Priest, the Doctor, &c. Romans commence 
 to Shave. Wliole Nations named from their Beards. Barbers have 
 wielded the Destinies of Empires. Certain heathen Gods distinguished 
 by their Beards. Chinese wear Artificial Beards. King Arthur's 
 
COKTENTS. 
 
 Beard Threatened. Anglo Saxons wear Beards. Various Styles of 
 Beard worn according to the Profession. Poetical descriptions thereof. 
 Individuals characterized by their Beard— Eufus, Longbeard, Bar- 
 barossa, &c. Custom of Dyeing the Beard prevails. Fashions of 
 Beards prevalent on the Continent. Eussian Beards Taxed. 
 Shakspere's frequent allusions to the Beard. Insults to the Beard 
 ten-ibly Avenged. Influential position of Barbers in the East. 
 Various Anecdotes respecting Beards. Varieties of Whiskers culti- 
 vated in England 110—135 
 
 CHAPTEE XII. 
 
 FATOEITE COIiOES OP THE HAIK POETs' DESCEIPTIONS COMMON 
 
 MODES OF "WEAEING THE HAIR, &C. 
 
 The Ornament to a Woman of a fine head of Hair — its essential ac- 
 companiment to beauty. The great Attention paid to it in all 
 ■ circles in England. Various Styles of Wearing it— bands, braids, 
 plaits, ringlets, &c. Long Hair proper in Woman — out of character 
 in man. , Scripture reasoning thereon. Milton's Description of 
 our Eirst Parents. The Clergy denounce Long Hair in Men. A 
 work published on the " Loathsomeness of Long Hair." Eemarks 
 and Observations on the Coloring principle of Hair. Analysis of 
 different Colored Hair. The Hair Considered by some an Indica- 
 tion of Temperament. Lavater's remarks thereon. The Eair- 
 haired Countries Enumerated. Predilection for certain Colors. 
 Black Hair admired in the East. Partiality evinced elsewhere for 
 Eed Hair. Poets' preference for Golden Hair — extracts in proof. 
 Singular Plan for Bleaching the Hair, by exposing the Head to the 
 Sun. German Wigs Worn by Eoman Ladies. Poetical extracts 
 from Sir Walter Scott. Common Mode of Wearing the Hair in 
 various countries. The Lombard Women wear Artificial Beards to 
 imitate their enemies. Whisker Curls of French Belles. Hints to 
 the Ladies on the Disposition of the Hair. Demand expressed for 
 an Illustrated Volume on the Styles of Wearing the Hair. Inatten- 
 tion to Artistic AiTangement of the Hair. Suggestions for Grace 
 and Beauty. Different Styles of Headdress described. Curl- 
 papers Attacked. Grecian and Eoman Coiffures. Coins worn in the 
 Hair. Care of the Eyelashes and Eyebrows. Japanese Tradition 
 respecting them. Powers of the Scalp to move the Hair. Eidicul- 
 ous story thereon told by Mr. Abernethy 12G 153 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CIIAPTEE XIII. 
 
 TEADE AJTD COMMERCE IN HUMAN HAIR. 
 
 Extensive Employment caused by the Care and Adorning of the 
 Hair. Barbers and Surgeons formerly combined, and forming an 
 influential Corporation. The Hair Harvest of France. Original 
 Cost of the Hair, and the extra Value given for it by Manufacturers. 
 Benefits it Confers on other Trades. Light Hair comes from Ger- 
 many. Black Hair from the South of Prance. Extreme Length to 
 which the Hair will Grow — ^instances thereof. Number of Persons 
 engaged in the trade of. Hairdressing, &c. Varieties of Pigtails 
 Worn. The Chinese Scalp-lock. PigtaUsAbolished in the Army. Hair 
 Powder almost Obsolete. Statistics of the French Coinmerce in Hair. 
 A Plait of 370 feet of Human Hair. Love Locks Worn by Cavaliers. 
 Foreign Wigs. Scalps Worn by North American Indians. A new 
 Patented Forensic Wig. Wigs Worn by the ancient Egyptians — 
 one preserved in the British Museum. Artificial Beards of regu- 
 lated dimensions, according to rank, Worn. Perukes brought into 
 use in France. Introduced into England. Pepy's account thereof. 
 Binetti, the Prince of Hairdressers. Fashions and Mutations of 
 the Wig. The Master Peruke-makers Complain by Petition to the 
 Crown, in 1763, of their Decline. Enormous Price paid for Full- 
 bottomed Wigs. Judgment and Taste required in suiting Artificial 
 Hair to the Countenance and contour of the Features. Absurdity 
 of the Horse-hair Official Wigs. Mr. Westraacott attacks them. 
 Anecdotes of Wigs and False Hair. Charles II. denounces Wigs, 
 Tobacco, and Written Sermons. " Seeing is not Believing." 
 Csesar conceals his Baldness. Indians' Terror of Wigs. Bald Skulls 
 Painted in Imitation of Wigs. Origin of Hair Powder. Immense 
 Consumption of Flour. Ornaments of Hair. Mantles garnished 
 with Beards. The same subject versified. Drayton and Spencer's 
 account thereof. Commercial Value of Hair. Chemical Constituents of 
 the Hair. Its Fertilizing Properties and Value as an Addition to 
 theSoil 154—183 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTEE XIV. 
 
 THE USES OF THE MICEOSCOM IN INVESTIGATING THE STRtJC- 
 TUEE OE HAIE, WOOL, AND OTHER MINUTE OBJECTS. 
 
 Its Value to Scientific Men, and Members of the Medical Profession 
 especially, as well as to the public at large. Dr. Hassall's elegant 
 work on Microscopic Anatomy. Leeuwenhoek's Investigations, 
 Joshua Brooks. Varied Collection of Microscopes shown at the 
 Great Exhibition. The great Improvements made in them. 
 Structure of the Hair as seen through the Microscope. Indestruc- 
 tibility of the Hair, Professor Quekett's Investigations. Hair and 
 Wool. The Microscopic Eesearches of Mr. Maudl. The Tartar 
 of the Teeth composed of Animalcules. Plica Polonica supposed 
 to be caused by a Fungus. Mr. Albert Way, the Archeologist. 
 Skin nailed on Church Doors identified as Human, by the Micro- 
 scope, in several instances. Instances of the Durability of Hair, 
 Human Hair increases after Death. Cases related. The Bones 
 decay whilst the Hair is preserved 184 — 194 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Mr. Charles Dickens's arguments against Shaving, and in favor of 
 Wearing the Beard, from " Household ff^orda" 195 
 
 Article on the Hair, by Miss Youatt, from " The Ladies Com- 
 pamoH," 204 
 
THE HAIR, 
 
 POPULARLY AND PHYSIOLOGICALLY 
 CONSIDEEED. 
 
 CHAPTEE I. 
 
 INTEODUCTOEY AND GENEEAL. 
 
 The hair of the head among all nations, civilized and savage, ancient 
 and modern, has ever been considered an ornament to the person, and 
 its healthy preservation and orderly arrangement have usually occupied 
 a considerable share of attention. Luxmiant and tastefully arranged 
 hair certainly adds a peculiar degree of style, elegance, and finish to 
 the features of the female face, and excites admiration in the most 
 casual observer, and a due regard to the trim and appearance of this 
 appendage to the human face, is not out of place even in the opposite 
 sex ; for all should cultivate and preserve the gifts with which 
 Heaven in its good providence has seen fit to adorn the person. 
 
 The hair has met with little consideration fi'om the scientific world, 
 and few works have been written on the subject, whilst the most 
 trivial things have furnished materials for elaborate treatises and 
 learned discussions ; it cannot, therefore, be deemed out of place, that 
 one of the most prominent characteristics of the human countenance 
 shduld be investigated and popularized, so as to render its properties 
 and purposes better understood by the many thousands to whom a 
 fine head of hair is justly an object of solicitude. Having for more 
 than half a century devoted myself specially to the consideration of the 
 various peculiarities of the hair, and the best means of improving it ; 
 I trust I shall be able to offer much useful information and advice to 
 the notice of the reader, and present, at the same time, a popular, 
 interesting, and readable book. 
 
 B 
 
10 rORMATION AND GROWTH OF HAIK. 
 
 The distribution, concentration, and location of hair is deserving of 
 attention, and will occupy the first place in our investigation. 
 
 Whilst in most quadrupeds the whole of the body is covered with 
 long hair, in the human race only a small portion has much that is 
 visible to the naked eye. In man, the hair on the limbs varies con- 
 siderably in length ; in some, being merely pubescent, while in others 
 it is nearly an inch long, giving to the Hmbs a hairy aspect. It is 
 always met with on the back of the hand and foot, but never on the 
 sole or palm, a circumstance of great importance to the delicacy of the 
 touch. 
 
 The growth of the hair is limited. In the female it grows longest, 
 waving over the neck and shoulders, screening and protecting, as 
 it were, from injuries which might be sustained by free exposure to 
 air, light, &c. In the softer sex the hair of the head usually reaches 
 to the waist, and frequently, when suffered to grow, much longer. 
 Sir Charles Bell mentions one woman who had hair six feet in length. 
 So Tennyson speaks of the Lady Godiva — 
 
 " Anon, she shook her head, 
 And showered the rippled ringlets to her knee." 
 
 No animal in creation experiences from his mahe such inconveni'^ 
 ence as man would do from the hair of his head, if obliged to walk on 
 all fours, an evident proof that he was intended by his Maker to main- 
 tain an erect position. The hair supplies a sort of pad to the head, by 
 which it is protected from mechanical injury, and guarded from the 
 inclemencies of the weather. 
 
 The haii-s (says M. Chevalier) are inserted, or perhaps I should 
 say rooted, on the exterior part of the corium, in such a manner, as, 
 together with the obliquity of their direction, to make them astonish- 
 ingly secure in their allotted situations. In a ^reat number of animal87 
 they appear to be like slender homs conical in their form, and as it 
 were hermetically closed at the point, and are periodically shed off. 
 In the sheep they continue to gTow, that they may be sheared for the 
 benefit of their purveyors and protectors, for wool is hair, adapted 
 to particular- circumstances, and we know that a variation in the 
 climate will, in some instances, cause a change from the one form of 
 growth to the other, so as to fit the animal for its new residence. In 
 man the hairs are tubular, and the tubes are intersected by partitions, 
 resembling, in some degree, the cellular tissue of plants; such for 
 instance as are beautifully seen in slitting up the leaves and stalks of the] 
 
POEMATION AND GHOWTH OF HAIR. 1], 
 
 Sparganium ramosum, and other aquatic plants. Being intended for 
 protection from violence as well as for covering, they are thus formed 
 on the same principle as the bones themselves ; their hollownesa pre- 
 venting incumbrance from weight, with rather an increase than a 
 diminution of their powers of resistance, on account of the rounded 
 form of their transverse sections. 
 
 The late Dr. Prichard in his " Natm-al History of Man," devotes 
 a section to a physiological examination of the nature of wool and 
 hair, in which the labours and opinions of Bidder, Gurlt, Grant, 
 and Carpenter are criticised and examined. But these do not 
 possess any interest for the general reader; the whole pith of 
 their doctrines and discoveries being contained in this paragraph from 
 Dr. Carpenter's " Principles of General and Comparative Physiology." 
 
 " iThat each of the cells contained in the hair-bud, or bulb, gives 
 origin to a bundle of fibres, in the same manner as does that of the 
 certical substances of the feather; and that the fibres are really, in 
 both instances, elongated secondary cells." This, I believe, is the 
 general opinion, so far as regards the nature of hair. According to 
 Youatt, hair, although sometimes covered with scales or rugosities, has 
 no serrations or tooth-like projections. Thus, then, the difference 
 between wool and hair may be simply said to be, that hair is imbri- 
 cated or scaly, wool toothed or serrated. 
 
 " I have seen," says Prichard, " and examined the filaments of 
 hair belonging to different races of men, and have compared them with 
 the filaments of wool from the Southdown sheep, with the assistance 
 of Mr. Estlin, who is skilful and long-practised in the use of the 
 microscope, with the aid of glasses magnifying about 400 times. 
 Hairs of a negro, of a mulatto, of Europeans, and of some Abyssinians, 
 sent to me by M. d'Abbadie, the celebrated traveller, were, together 
 with the wool of a Southdown sheep, viewed both as transparent and 
 opaque bodies. The filament of wool had a very rough and irregular 
 surface, though u6 serrations, distinctly so termed, were perceptible 
 The hair of ths negro, which was extremely unlike that of wool, and of 
 all the other varieties mentioned, had the appearance of a cylinder 
 with smooth surface ; they all appeared more or less filled with a dark 
 colouring matter, which, however, did not entirely destroy their trans- 
 parency. The colouring matter was apparently much more abundant 
 in the hair of the negro than in the others. The Abyssinian hair was 
 also very dark, but so far diaphanous that a riband-like band appeared 
 running down through the middle of a cylindriform tube; and the 
 
 B 2 
 
13 POllMATION AND GROWTH OF HAIR. 
 
 mulatto hair resembled tte Abyssinian in this respect. The filament 
 of European haii- seemed ahnost transparent ; it had the appearance of 
 an empty tube, coated internally with something of a dingy or dusky 
 colour, which only prevented it from being quite pellucid. European 
 hair of a light colour had the same appearance, but was still less 
 darkened. Erom these observations, I am convinced that the negro 
 has hair, properly so called, and not wool. One difference between 
 the hair of a negi-o and that of an European, consists in a more curled . 
 and frizzled condition of the former. This, however, is only a differ- 
 ence in the degree of crispation, some European hair being likewise 
 very crisp. Another difference is the greater quantity of colouring 
 matter or pigment in the hair of the negro. It is very probable that 
 this quality is connected with the former, as its cause, though we 
 cannot determine in what manner one depends upon another ; but as 
 these properties vary simultaneously, and are in proportion one to 
 another, we infer that they do not depend upon independent causes." — 
 Natural History of Man. 
 
 Mr. P. A. Browne, LL.D., in a paper read before the American 
 Ethnological Society, in November, 1849, refutes the declaration of 
 Pritchard, that " The covering of the negro's head is hair, properly so 
 termed, and not wool." The following are Mr. Browne's con- 
 clusions — 
 
 1st. Hair is in shape either cylindrical or oval, but wool is eccen- 
 trically elliptical or fiat ; and the covering of the negro's head is eccen- 
 trically elliptical or flat. 
 
 3nd. The direction of hair is either straight, flowing, or curled, 
 but wool is crisped or frizzled, and sometimes spu'ally twisted ; and the 
 covering of the negro's head is crisped or frizzled; and sometimes 
 spirally twisted. 
 
 3rd. Hair issues out of the epidermis at an acute angle, but wool 
 emerges at a right angle ; the covering of the negro's head issues out 
 of the epidermis at a right angle. 
 
 4th. The colouring matter of a perfect hair, for example that of 
 the head of the white man, is contained in a central canal, but that of 
 wool is disseminated in the cortex, or in the cortex and intermediate 
 fibres ; and the covering of the head of the negro has no central canal. 
 
 5th. The scales of the cortex of hair are less numerous than those 
 of wool, are smooth and less pointed, and they embrace the shaft more 
 intimately ; and the scales on the filaments of the covering of the 
 negro's head are numerous, rough, pointed, and do not embrace the 
 
ECONOMICAI, PURPOSES OF THE HAIR. 13 
 
 shaft intimately. Corollary. — Hair will not felt, but wool will ; and 
 the covering of the negro's head will felt — ^has been felted." — De 
 Bow's Industrial Resources of the South and West. 
 
 Although hair seems so smooth to the touch, yet the fact is eon- 
 firmed by Biehat and others, that it actually possesses an imbricated or 
 bristled texture, the projections all pointing in one direction from the 
 . root to the tip, analagous to the feathered part of the quill ; it was 
 long supposed that upon this structure the operation of " felting" 
 depended, in which hairs are mechanically entangled together, and 
 retained in this state by the inequalities on their surface ; but careful 
 investigation proves that this is not the case. 
 
 The bulb from which hairs grow, consists of three coverings or 
 membranes, superposed, or placed in the same manner as the different 
 coverings of the onion or any other bulbous plant, the third, or inner- 
 most, constituting the nucleus. At the bottom of the bulb, the . 
 nucleus of which is a sort of bag, there is an opening, connected with 
 very minute vessels, resembling roots. The^e convey nourishment from 
 the blood-vessels, which supply the necessary secretions to the hair. 
 At the top of the bulb, about a dozen stumps grow together in a 
 circular form, and by their union constitute a round hoUow tube, which 
 is the hair. The white knob at the lower extremity of the hair, and 
 which is erroneously termed its root, is only the part inserted in the 
 sac of the bulb. It is the first formation of the collective stumps 
 growing together, which constitute, when united, a single hair. 
 
 The hair of the beard and whiskers, which is the last to appear, 
 does not grow so long as that of the head, nor has it the same 
 tendency to fall off ; on the contrary, it remains till the latest period 
 of life. It is also of a more frizzled and curly nature, setting generally, 
 when not shaved off, in short, crisp curls. In some individuals, how- 
 ever, the beard will grow to a great length, but always displaying an 
 undulatory form, or waviness, which the hair of the head does not 
 possess, its curls being larger, except in the case of the African negro. 
 
 "We come now to the question, what purpose does hair perform in 
 the animal economy ? Let us first hear Mr. Erasmus Wilson on the 
 subject, for that gentleman has acquired a universal reputation by the 
 attention he has paid to all that relates to the skin — 
 
 " That it effects an important one, we have evidence in its almost 
 universal distribution among the mammiferous class of animals ; - and if 
 we admit the analogy between the feather and the hair among all warm- 
 blooded animals, additional evidence is obtained in the perfection of its 
 
14 POEMATION AND GROWTH OF HAIR. 
 
 Structure, and again, in its early appearance in the progress of develop- 
 ment of the young. As a bad conductor of heat, it tends to preserve 
 the warmth of the body, and in man it would have that effect upon the 
 head, and serve to equalise the temperature of the brain. It is also an 
 agent of defence against external irritants— as the heat of the sun's 
 rays, and the bites of insects ; and against injuries inflicted with vio- 
 lence, as we see illustrated in the use of the horses' tail on the helmets 
 of wai-riors. Of special pm-poses fuliilled by the hairs, we have 
 instances in the eyebrows and eyelids, which are beautifully adapted 
 for the dfefence of the organs of vision ; in the small hairs which grow 
 in the apertures of the nostrils, and serve as guardians to the delicate 
 nlerabrane of the nose ; and in similar hairs in the ear-tubes, which 
 defend their cavities from the intrusion of insects. Among the larger 
 mammiferous animals, the hair of the tail is used as a whisk to remove 
 flies that pierce the skin to suck its blood or deposit eggs ; and in those 
 parts of the body which the tail cannot reach, a flowing, or bushy mane 
 serves to supply its place. By a power of conduction of outward im- 
 pressions, common to the hairs with all rigid bodies, these organs are 
 calculated to perform the office of an apparatus of touch. We feel 
 distinctly the disturbance of the hairs of the head by the movements of 
 a fly, although the little animal is at some distance from the skin ; and, 
 on a similar principle, the long and rigid hairs of the upper lip of feline 
 animals are an agent of touch, transmitting whatever impression they 
 receive, to the sensitive pulp upon which they are implanted. Indeed, 
 animals of the cat tribe have the power of erecting their hairs and 
 rendering them fixed, so that the slightest impression of contact is 
 transferred to the nerves of the sensitive pulp." 
 
 The hair has strong electric properties — witness the fact of stroking 
 the hairs of a cat in the dark. Brushing and combing the hair have 
 a soothing effect, and frequently lull to sleep. 
 
 The following remarkable irfetance of the sensitiveness of the hail 
 is derived from a perfectly authentic som-ce — 
 
 " In the hospital of the Eoyal ■ Guards at Paris, was a private 
 soldier who had received a violent kick on the back of the head from a 
 horse. The excitement of the hair produced was extreme, and could 
 only be kept under by almost innumerable bleedings, both local and 
 general. Among a series of phenomena produced by this state of 
 preternatural excitation, the sensibility acquired by the hairs of the 
 head was not the least remarkable. The slightest touch was felt 
 instantly, and cutting them gave exquisite pain, so that the patient 
 
INDESTKUCTIBILITY OF THE HAIK. 15 
 
 would seldom allow any one to come near his head. Baron Larrey, on 
 one occasion, to put him to the test, gave a hint to an assistant who 
 was standing behind the patient, to clip one of his hairs without his 
 perceiving it. This was done with great dexterity, but the soldier 
 broke out into a volley. of oaths, succeeded by complaints, and it was 
 some time before he could be appeased." 
 
 The various uses and economical purposes of the hair are not 
 clearly understood. There is little doubt, however, that, like the pu- 
 bescence and leaves of plants, the hairs perform some useful operations 
 for the skin, in absorption and ventilation. The leaves of plants and 
 trees, we know, are mainly instrumental in absorbing the noxious car- 
 bonic acid gas of the atmosphere, and, after retaining the carbon, 
 giving out the oxygen purified. Plants which are divested of their 
 leaves are invariably weakened in theii- growth or destroyed. So, a 
 deprivation of the human hair is usually found to weaken and enervate 
 the frame ; and the history of Samson, proves that strength lies in the 
 luxuriance, vigorous growth, and proper functions of the hair. Occa- 
 sionally, however, it is found necessary to remove the hair from the 
 head, in cases of fever or disease, to stay the iniiammatory symptoms, 
 and to relieve the brain. The head should invariably be kept cool — 
 close nightTcaps are unhealthy, and smoking caps and coveiings for 
 the head within doors are likewise detrimental to the free growth of 
 the hair, weakening it, and causing it to fall off. 
 
 When screened from contact with the atmosphere, hair may be pre- 
 served uninjured for centuries, as it does not possess within itself the 
 principle of decay peculiar to all other animal substances, but would 
 seem to be in a great measure incorruptible. It does not even rot or 
 decay when exposed to air, or immersed in water. Next to the bones, 
 hair is evidently the most indestructible of the constituents of the 
 body ; there are accounts of its having been foujid in old tombs, after 
 all the soft parts have disappeared ; and has been detected on portions of 
 the human skin which have been nailed to church doors for centuries ; 
 an interesting account of which is given by Mr. Quekett, in the 
 " Transactions of the Microscopical Society of London." 
 
 When hair is boiled in water, a,portion is dissolved. This portion 
 solidifies on cooling, and possesses the character of gelatine. Hair 
 thus treated, becomes more brittle than before. Indeed, if the process 
 be continued long enough, the hair crumbles between the fingers. 
 Bones lose in the same way theii- toughness by boiling or exposure to 
 the atmosphere, but may be rendered firm again by a fresh supply of 
 
16 rOKMATION AND GllOWTH OF HAIE. 
 
 gelatine. The portion of hair insoluble in water, possesses the pro- 
 perties of coagulated albumen. Mr. Hatchett has concluded from his 
 experiments, that the hair which loses its curl in moist weather and is 
 the softest, is that which yields its gelatine most easily, whereas, strong 
 and elastic hair gives it out with the greatest difficulty, and in the smallest 
 proportion. This conclusion has been confirmed by a very consider- 
 able hair-merchant in London, who assured me that the finest kind of 
 hair was much more injured by boiling than the second. 
 
 A remai-kable property of hair, is the manner in which it is affected 
 by the dampness of the atmosphere, which, by relaxing its substance, 
 increases its length-*-hence, hairs are often used for the construction of 
 the bi^kt hygrometers. Hair can be stretched to one-third of its ordi- - 
 nary length, and will contract again to its ordinary dimensions. 
 
 The hair of different individuals differs considerably in thickness, 
 ranging between -j^th to y^th of an inch in diameter ; and it is no 
 less variable in its other physical properties ; some kinds being much 
 more dense and elastic than others, a circumstance which, as we have 
 just seen, depends greatly upon the proportion of gelatine which it con- 
 tains. Some measurements of the hair of the head have been made, by 
 which it is ascertained that black hair is thicker than brown, and brown 
 than blonde. The average diameter of the hair of the head seems, 
 however, to be ■g-fg'*''! °^ ^^ inch. From inquiries instituted into the 
 number of hairs grown upon a square inch of the skin of the head, it 
 appears that of black hairs there were 147, chesnut 162, and blonde 
 182. 
 
 The chemical properties of hair' are like those of horn, the nails, &c. 
 Sulphuret of iron and a fluid secretion give the prevailing color; 
 black hair containing the largest proportion of iron, while in red or 
 gi-ey hairs the sulphur is absent. 
 
 Dr. Bidder was the first to point out the fact of the prolongation; 
 of the cuticle over the hair, since which, Mr. Erasmus Wilson has aptly 
 compared the hair to a microscopic tree-stem, both consisting of thin 
 concentric layers of different densities, — in the tree known as pith, 
 wood, and bark — in the hair (as shown by the. microscope on either a 
 -vertical or horizontal section,) composed of nucleated cells, concentri- 
 cally arranged, and also -differing in density and compactness ; the 
 similitude to the tree-stem being indicated, however, by a soft central 
 layer, the pith; a middle fibrous layer, the wood ; an outer scaly layer, the 
 bark. (^See Plate 2.) " How unexceptionable," observes Mr. Coventry, 
 " the perfection of Creation's works, alike evinced in the simplest and 
 
PHISIOLOQICAL STRUCTURE OF HAIR. 17 
 
 most complex ! Contemplating the ineif able care and skill display ed in the 
 construction of a hair or a straw, we cease to wonder at the extension of 
 a superintending Providence to the meanest created object, and that 
 even the very hairs of our head are all numbered." 
 
 There is a sufficient diiference between the fine, colorless, and 
 downy hair with which the human body generally is beset, and the 
 long silky or woolly hair with which even the smoothest apes are covered, 
 to adopt this as a specific characteristic of mankind. 
 
 With the varieties in the color of the skin, there generally 
 coincide analogous differences in the hair and eyes. It is probable, 
 indeed, that the coloring matter is the same in aU ; being combined 
 in the cuticle with its peculiar cells and scales, in the hair with a homy 
 substance. 
 
 The hair from its structure, we have seen, has, not inappropriately, 
 been compared to the section of a plant. Every hair has a stem and 
 a root, the latter being imbedded in the skin, as a tree is in the earth. 
 But the comparison does not end here. The tree has bark, medulla, 
 and intervening substance, — the hair has the same. The bark (or 
 cortex) of the hair displays a series of imbricated scales, placed, one 
 overlapping anothel-, just as we see tiles or slates overlap on a house top. 
 Immediately below this scaly bark, we have a fibrous portion forming 
 two-thirds of the bulk of the hair. These fibres are seen to separate 
 when hak splits from being left too long uncut. The centre of the 
 hair has a little canal, full of an oily lubricating substance, containing 
 the greater part of the coloring matter, which is blackish-green in 
 black hair, brown in brown hair, red in red hair, and is almost absent 
 when the hair has become grey, containing then, phosphate of mag- 
 nesia, which is not met with at other times. 
 
 The hairs ordinarily appear round or cylindrical, but the microscope 
 abo discovers triangular and square ones, which diversity of figure 
 arises from that of the pores, to which the hairs always accommodate 
 themselves. Then- extremities split into two or three branches, 
 especially when kept di-y, or suffered to grow too long, so that what 
 appears only a single hair to the naked eye, will be found a brush in 
 the microscope. All short curly hair is mostly flattened, particularly the 
 hair of the whiskers, beard and moustaches. A transverse section of 
 the hair will therefore show an elliptical form in some cases, from one 
 side being grooved, appearing in shape like a bean. 
 
 The hair does not derive its support from the nutritious juices of 
 the body, hence it will live, though the body be starved. And we 
 
18 FORMATION AND GKOWTH OF HAIK. 
 
 thus find that the hair and beard grow for a considerable time after 
 
 death. . > . „ 
 
 The manner of the formation of the hair is identical with that of 
 the production of the scarf-skin on* the surface of the sensitive skin. 
 A fluid filtrated from the blood is deposited on the surface of the vas- 
 cular layer of the tube ; this is converted into granules, then into cells, 
 and the cells, by a subsequent modification of their aiTangement and 
 form, become the bulb of the hair. The cells then undergo a little 
 alteration from their original spherical form, which, by a process of 
 lengthening, are finally converted into fibres, so thifl a hair in its 
 section presents three different textures — a loose cellular textm-e in the 
 centre, a strong texture of parallel fibres, and a thin varnish-like 
 layer of flattened cells, constituting the polished surface. 
 
 The configuration and formation of the hair, as seen through one 
 of the most powerful microscopes, and from which I have had careM 
 drawings specially made for this work {Plate 2), wiU convey an intelli- 
 gible idea to the reader of the preceding remarks ; for the ey& is inva- 
 riably an apter pupil than the ear. . ■ 
 The hair differs almost as much in its texture as in its c6lor. Its 
 chief varieties are observed in the copious, long, soft, and more or less 
 curly hair, of various colors, in the European ; the strong, straight 
 and scanty hair of the South Sea Islanders ; and the black, fine, wiry, 
 crisp hair of the Negro. A very general charadteristio of the darker- 
 colored nations is, either an entire want of beard, or a very scanty 
 one, developed later in life than in the white races. Mr. Lawrence has 
 adduced proofs of this in the Mongols, the Chinese, Japanese, Malays, 
 South Sea Islanders, Negroes, and the Indians of North and South 
 America ; but the fact has become somewhat obscured by the practice, 
 which is so prevalent among many of these natibns, of extirpating the 
 hair. 
 
2- 
 
 'SiBCL* CT LITH, to .HIT 
 
 ipinr^Bt, » r.'-fiiisn,M.BARTUOLOtiicw close.'' 
 
 Plate, 2 
 
. CLASSIFICATION OF THE HAIK. 19 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 CLASSIFICATION OF THE HUMAN FAMILY, AND DISTINGUISHING 
 CHAEACTEKS OF THE HAIR OF DIFFEEENT EACES. 
 
 It is not my purpose to go into a full description of all the peculiar cha- 
 racters of the different races of men, which would require an ethno- 
 logical volume to do justice to it — I shall merely confine myself to the 
 single distinguishing feature of the hair, as exemplified in various 
 tribes and nations. 
 
 Blumenbach classes man into five varieties; — an arrangement which 
 is also recognised by Mr. Lawrence : 1st. The Caucasian (so named, 
 from its supposed origin in the Caucasian range), and which occupies 
 the central parts of the Old Continent, namely. Western Asia, Eastern 
 and Northern Africa, Hindostan and Europe. In this variety the hair 
 is usually long, black, brown, or of the various lighter colors, copious, 
 soft, and generally curled or waving. 
 
 3. The Mongolian, or eastern variety, which comprises the Asiatics 
 to the east of the Ganges and of Mount Beloor, except the Malays. 
 These have, for the most part, bright, stiff, straight, strong, and thin 
 hair, with little or no beard. The color of the hair is evidently 
 influenced by the dark olive hue of the skin. 
 
 3. The Negro, or Ethiopian race, with hair black and woolly, or 
 frizzly, which comprehends all the nations of Africa, with the ex- 
 ceptions ah-eady made, the north of Africa being peopled by the Euro- 
 pean race. The hair of this race is usually very uniform, being deep 
 black, crisp, woolly, and always curled. There are, however, veiy 
 great differences in some of the tribes included in this variety ; — the 
 $Iegro, with the- complexion of jet and wool — the Kafii-, with a copper 
 complexion, and long hair — the sooty Papuans, or New Guinea men, 
 &c. 
 
 4. The American variety, which includes all the native Americans, 
 except the Esquimaux. They have stiff, thin, black, straight, ^nd 
 strong, coarse hair, with small beard, and, in this respect, bear a 
 strong resemblance to the Mongolians. 
 
20 CLASSiriCATION OF THE HAIR. 
 
 B. The Malay variety, which includes the inhabitants of Malacca, 
 most of the Asiatic islands, and those of the South Sea, and is 
 chai-acterised by soft, black, bushy hair, more or less curled and 
 abundant. 
 
 Cuvier distinguishes only three principal divisions — the Caucasian, 
 Mongolian and the Ethiopian; remaining doubtful as to the Malay 
 and American varieties. Dr. Prichard, on the other hand, divides the 
 species into seven practical varieties, allotting a separate class to 
 Hottentots and Bushmen, and another to the Alfornou and Australian 
 races. 
 
 According to Dr. Pickering, the human family would seem to be ' 
 distributed among the races in something like the following pro- 
 portions, estimating them in millions — 
 
 The White 350, the Mongolian 300, the Malayan 120, the 
 Telingan, or Indian, 60, the Negro 53, the Ethiopian 5, the Abyssi- 
 nian, Papuan, and Negrillo, 3 each, the Australian and the Hottentot 
 half a million each ; in all about 900 millions. 
 
 AH shades of color of hair, from coal black to light flaxen, may 
 be reduced to two classes — the black and the yellow ; and in all 
 varieties of mankind, the color of the hair corresponds with that of 
 the skin — being black or dark colored, with a dark complexion ; and 
 red, or yellow, with a fair skin. When a white skin is seen in 
 conjunction with black hair, as among the women of Syria and Bar- 
 bary especially, the apparent exception arises from protection from 
 the sun's rays ; and opposite characters are often found among people . 
 of one prevailing feature. Thus, red-haired Jews are not uncommon, 
 though the nation in general have dark complexion and hair. 
 
 In Europe, we find several well-marked varieties of complexion 
 succeeding each other with gradations of latitude and climate, from 
 south to north, and the people of Europe may thus be grouped under 
 the iour latitudes of the Mediterranean, France, Germany, and Scan- 
 dinavia. In the first division we have the Italians, Spaniards, Greeks, 
 Moors, and Mediterranean islanders; among these, black hair and 
 dark eyes, with the complexion termed " brunette," are almost uni- 
 versal. In the latitudes of Erance, the prevalent color is a chestnut 
 brown, to which the complexion and color of the eyes bear a relation. 
 In the latitudes of Germany, in England, Denmark, and a great part of 
 Eusaia, yellow hair and fair skin are prevalent. Lastly, in the 
 northern latitudes of Scandinavia, we find the Norwegians and Swedes 
 generally tall, with sandy hair and light grey eyes. 
 
Tina. PEICHARD AND PICKEEINg's CLASSIFICATIONS. 21 
 
 In all climates, however, the inhabitants of mountainous districts 
 approximate in character to those of northern latitudes ; for instance, 
 the Swiss of the mountains above the plains of Lombardy, have sandy 
 or brown hair ; while the Milanese peasants have black hair and eyes, 
 with strongly marked Italian features. In the higher parts of Biscay, 
 the fair complexion, light blue eyes, and flaxen hair, contrast with the 
 black hair and dark complexion of the Castilians. 
 
 Dr. Prichard, however, refers all the differences of complexion in 
 man to three principal varieties — 
 
 1. The Melanocomous, or black-haired, (which is the complexion 
 generally prevalent, except in the northern parts of Europe and Asia,) 
 distinguished by black or very dark hair. 
 
 3. The Leucous or Albino variety, examples of which occur in 
 almost all countries, but perhaps most frequently in hot climates. 
 They are distinguished by the total absence of the colouring matter of 
 the cuticle, hair and eyes ; hence their skin, is of a milk-white or pinkish 
 hue, the hair silky, white, or a pale-yellow cream colour ; in texture, it is 
 soft, and gives to the touch the sensation of combed flax. See Plate 2. 
 
 3. The Xanthous, or yellow-haired variety, which includes all those 
 individuals who have light brown, auburn, yellow, or red hair. This 
 variety may spring up in any black-haii-ed tribe, as it has in the Jews, 
 akeady referred to, who, though generally black-haired, present many 
 examples of the light, fair complexion and reddish hair. 
 
 Dr. Charles Pickering, who accompanied the United States Explo- 
 ring Expedition, has, from personal observation, increased the number 
 of races of man to eleven, which he thus classifies in the order of com- 
 plexion — 
 
 IFhife. 1. Arabian, who have the beard abundant, and the hair 
 straight or flowing. 3. Abyssinian, the hair crisped. 
 
 Brown. 3. Mongolian, beardless, with the hair perfectly straight, 
 and very long. 4. Hottentot, with negi-o features, and close woolly 
 hair. 5. Malay, with the hair straight or flowing. 
 
 Blackish brown. 6. Papuan, the beard abundant, and the hair 
 crisped or frizzled. 7. Negrillo, apparently beardless, and the hair 
 woolly. 9. Ethiopian, the hair crisped. 
 
 Black. 10. Australian, having negro features, but combined with 
 straight or flowing hair. 11. Negro, with close woolly hair. 
 
 Five of the races. Dr. Pickering states, have the hair straight 
 or flowing, while in the others it is more or less crisped, and in two of 
 them it may with propriety be termed woolly. 
 
22 CLASSIFICATION OF THE HAIK. 
 
 "^ I. CAUCASIAN KACE. > 
 
 In the Caucasian race, the hair of the head is rarely of any other 
 color than brown or black, and, indeed, it may here be once for all 
 observed, that the great variety in the color of this tegument, with 
 which we are familiar, is confined to Europe, black being nearly uni- 
 versal in every other part of the world. The hair on other parts of the 
 body with the Caucasian family, is abundant. 
 
 In the Turkish or Scythian race, the hair is generally black, strong, 
 and long, but when the complexion is remarkable for its fairness, it is 
 brown, and also of a more delicate texture. 
 
 The Arabian or Semitic family, have long, lank, and almost always 
 black crinal hair, with a bushy large beard, generally black, but some- 
 times of a reddish tinge. 
 
 II. MONGOLIAN VARIETf. 
 
 In this race the eyelashes are almost imperceptible ; the eyebrows 
 scanty ; black, lank, thin, and straight hair. This variety embraces 
 aU the nations of northern and eastern Asia, with some of northern 
 Europe. I shall take a glance at a few of the chief tribes. » 
 
 1. The Finnish Tribes. — The Laplanders have short, straight, thin, 
 and black hair, though most northern nations are inclined to fairness. 
 Among the Permians, Votiaks, and other tribes of Northern Eussia, the 
 common color of the hair is chestnut brown, but a fiery red is more fre- 
 quently met with than among any other tribe in the world. The Vo- 
 gouls and Ostiaks are wandering savages, inhabiting the forests on both 
 sides of the Uralian chain. The women are tolerably handsome, with 
 long brown, or black hair ; light or red hair is rare among them. 
 
 The Tcheremiss, inhabiting the banks of the Middle Volga, have 
 light hair, and a scanty beard : the Morduins, the most south-western 
 of the Einny tribes, have alSo a thin beard, and brown and straight 
 hair — some of them are red-haired : the Tchuvatch have black and 
 somewhat cm-led hair. 
 
 Though Asiatics are in general deficient in hair, the natives of the 
 long chain of KurUe islands, the Arno tribe, as they are termed by 
 Latham, would seem to be the most hairy people in the world. La 
 Perouse speaks of their beards hanging upon their breasts, and their 
 arms, neck, and back being covered with hair. Dr. Latham, however 
 doubts this statement. 
 
 The Mongolian is pre-eminently a beardless race, the chin often 
 remaining perfectly smooth, even to extreme age. " In the instances 
 
VAEIETIES OP THE HUMAN RACE. 23 
 
 where a thin beard does make its appearance, I have never, says 
 Dr. Pickering, seen it attain a greater length than two or three inches, 
 and it was always perfectly straight. The hair also has appeared to 
 me more uniformly straight, and to have a tendency to grow longer 
 than in the other races ; when left to itself, I think it will, not un- 
 frequently, reach the gi-ound. 
 
 III. THE MALAYAN TASIETY. 
 
 This division embraces the natives of the islands of the Eastern and 
 Australasian Archipelagos,and the Southern Ocean. It comprises three 
 distinct races — the Papuas, Alfornous, and Polynesians. 
 
 In general character, the Papuas resemble negroes; they have 
 black hair, thick and rather wooUy, worn frizzled out, or in large 
 twisted masses ; eyebrows thick and long ; beards thin. 
 
 The Alfornous have straight, black, lank, dishevelled hair. The 
 Polynesians have also lank hair. 
 
 One class of the oceanic 'islanders have long, black, and straight 
 hair; another, wavy, crisp, curly, fi-izzy, or even woolly; and upon 
 some physical differences, especially that of the hair, subdivisional 
 groups have been formed. In most, the beard is scanty, the hair has 
 often a rusty tinge, and is frequently matted and curly. 
 
 IV. THE AMEEICAN VAEIETY 
 
 Is characterized by long, coarse, straight, shining, black hair, but not 
 very abundant ; a thin beard, which is generally eradicated ; and thin 
 eyebrows. Mr. Catlin teUs us, that out of forty-eight tribes of North 
 American Indians, he found eighteen or twenty were entirely without 
 the appearance of a beard. The hair on other parts of the body is also 
 vei-y deficient. 
 
 Having thus given the ethnological classification, I shall now adopt 
 the geographical distribution of races, as more convenient and agreeable 
 for description, in following the manners and customs of the various 
 nations and tribes, in respect of their care of the hair and the general 
 mode of wearing it. 
 
24 GEOGEAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION. 
 
 ASIA, AND THE EASTERN ISLANDS. 
 
 From the various Assyrian sculptures which have been placed in the 
 British Museum, it would appear that the hair of ancient nations 
 was for the most part elaborately curled ; and in personages of rank, 
 the beard is of considerable length, and of a prescribed form. The 
 hair falls in masses of curls upon the shoulders, arid the beard hangs 
 down upon the breast. The hair, beard, and eyebrows seem to be 
 invariably black. In the beardless figures (attendants and persons of 
 inferior rank), the hair of the head is formally curled in six rows. 
 
 The hair was always very carefully attended to, and gathered up on 
 the shoulders in an enormous chignon, formed of regular rows of curls. 
 Their eyelids, according to the ancient and universal custom of the 
 east, were stained with kohl, a black dye. The Assyrian monarch has 
 his hair arranged in the same manner, and his long beard is dressed 
 with minute care. His whiskers are arranged in little curls, and his 
 moustache, which is cut clean off above the lip, is similarly curled at 
 the corners of the mouth. Numerous and regular curls cover his 
 cheeks, and the part of his beard which hangs down is divided into 
 tightly twisted cords, broken by three horizontal rows of curls ; and 
 three similar rows are found again at the bottom. This arrangement, 
 more or less tastefully and systematically carried out, occurs in all the 
 male inures, which have not, like those of the eunuchs, lost the signs 
 of their manhood, and may be considered as an ancient proof of the 
 care that the orientals always took, and still take, of their beards. 
 
 The Persians of the present day have long, straight, and almost 
 always jet black hair ; and the beard is abundant, bushy, and generally 
 black, but now and then with a reddish tinge. In Bokhara the 
 Persians use the henna herb to dye their beards. The women braid 
 their hair, and dye their eyelids and eyebrows with plumbago. 
 
 The Parsees shave the head, and wear a round inner cap, like that 
 of the Arabs. They usually preserve the moustache, but always shave 
 
GEOGRAPHICAI, DISTRlByTION 25 
 
 the chin. Sometimes, a portion, of the hair is left on the sides of the 
 head, in continuation of the whiskers ; in accordance, in some measure, 
 with the practice of the Pharaonic princes. 
 
 A.t Mocha, among the Arabs, there is an unusual shortness and 
 scantiness of beard ; the only long beards seem among the native popu- 
 lation, being those of the Jews. 
 
 The Bedouins there have the hair curling in ringlets all over the 
 head. 
 
 At Muscat, the people, like those of the Hedjaz, have splendid beards. 
 The Bedouins visiting Muscat, have long hair, much undulated, and 
 usually wear a fillet round the head, such as is seen on the Pharaonic 
 monuments, in representations of captive monarchs. 
 
 The Kahtan Arabs, unlike the Abyssinians, have regular hair. 
 
 The Moplalis or Mopillahs, the Moslem inhabitants of Malabar, 
 are a mixed race, who have long bushy beards. They shave the hair, 
 and trim the moustaches, according to the Sunnat ; the practice of the 
 Prophet, whom every good Moslem is bound to imitate even in the 
 most trivial and every-day occurrences. 
 
 The genuine Arab, especially in Yemen and Tehamah, is, generally 
 speaking, a Kusaj, or scant-beai-ded man ; and his envy, when regard- 
 ing the flowing honours of a Persian chin, is only equalled by the 
 lasting regret with which he laments his own deficiency in that semi- 
 religious appurtenance to the human face. 
 
 The toilet of the Arab ladies in Egypt is the only thing they study, 
 and usually with great success ; their dress is rich, graceful and pictu- 
 resque ; long curls and plaits of their beautiful black hair, with orna- 
 ments of gold suspended to them, hang over their neck and shoulders. 
 
 They dye the eyelids with a black powder, called kohl, and the 
 inside of their hands and nails with a red stuff, called henna (the leaves 
 of the Egyptian privet). 
 
 " Who has not heard of the Vale of Cashmere ? " 
 
 A Mussulman gentleman, attached to the court of Jehangur, writing 
 to a friend at Delhi, of the lovely damsels of this beautiful valley, after 
 exhausting the powers of language in his description of theia- various 
 attractions, amongst other details says : " The musky and wavy ringlets 
 of those heart-ravishing plunderers, turn into a thousand wily snares, 
 like the links of a chain. When they let loose those flowing tresses 
 from their soul-enchanting heads, the point of each haii- can captivate 
 a thousand hearts. They can draw a thousand Josephs from the well 
 
 C 
 
26 GEOGRAPHICAL D13TEIBCTI0N 
 
 where his brethren have immersed him." The Moslem writer seems 
 to have paraphrased Pope's lines — 
 
 " Fair tresses, man's imperial race ensnare ; 
 And Beauty draws ua witli a single hair." 
 
 Unlike Mahomedans generally, the Sindhian Beluchi cultivate the 
 growth of the hair on the head as well as the beard. In Sindh the 
 former is confined under the cap by a knot and comb, being thrown 
 back from the forehead ; but in Cutch and the mountains it is allowed 
 to fall in wUd luxuriance over the shoulders, and is often twisted in 
 with the folds of the turban, imparting a peculiarly wUd and savage 
 appearance. The hair is dyed black when it becomes grey ; and holy 
 aharacters use the henna plant to impart a red tinge to the beard and 
 hail'. 
 
 The Affghans are marked by black hair, sometimes brown, and a 
 profusion of beard of the same colour ; but they shave the middle of 
 the head. The women divide the hair on the brow, and plait it into 
 two locks, which they fasten behind. The Belooches have black hair. 
 The Brahoos frequently have brown hair and beard. The Booteas have 
 scarcely any eyelashes, beard, or whiskers. At Allahabad, which is 
 at the junction of the Ganges and Jumna, many thousands of pilgrims 
 come yearly from all parts of India to bathe and purify themselves in 
 the sacred stream. When a pilgrim arrives, he sits down on the bank 
 of the river, and has his head and body shaved, so that each hair may 
 fall into the water ; the sacred writings promising him one million of 
 year's residence in heaven for eveiy hair so deposited. 
 
 Nature has given to the Singhalese a liberal supply of hair, which 
 they universally allow to grow on their face as well as head, to a con- 
 siderable length, conceiving that the beard does not deform, but im- 
 proves the face ; and in many instances it certainly has the eifect of 
 investing the countenance with a dignity that would be wanting under 
 other circumstances. Among the qualifications of a Singhalese belle 
 are, that " her hair should be voluminous, like the tail of the peacock; '■ 
 long, reaching to the knees, and terminating in graceful curls, and her 
 eyebrows should resemble the rainbow." 
 
 Both sexes of all ranks, except the very lowest, wear their hail 
 long, divided smooth from the middle of the forehead, and turned up 
 into a knot called a " cundy ; " that of the men on the back of the 
 head, is fastened in the maritime provinces with a large square comb 
 of tortoiseshell, while the women allow theirs to rest on the neck as fat 
 
CUSTOMS IN CEYLON AND CHINA. 87 
 
 down as the shoulders. They have often expressed their surprise at 
 seeing European ladies with their hair curled, as it was a fashion they 
 could not account for, inasmuch as they consider a tendency to curl in 
 the hair a blemish. 
 
 The chiefs or nobles (Moodliars) of Ceylon, wear their long, dark 
 hair combed back from the face, and twistgd into the peculiar knot at 
 the back of the head (before referred to), where it is confined by a high 
 tortoiseshell comb, whilst a smaller comb, of a semicircular form, is 
 placed in the front hair. 
 
 The ebon hair of the Kandian women is also drawn from oif the face 
 and twisted into a knot at the back of the head, where it is confined 
 either by gold, silver, or tortoiseshell pins, which are usually most 
 exquisitely chased. This style of arranging the hair is adopted in 
 Ceylon by every native women, and the coiffure of the hair at the back 
 of the head is classically elegant. The four hair ornaments of a prin- 
 cipal chief's wife, when studded with ambers and other gems, have 
 often been valued at £350. 
 
 In the Hindoos the hair is always long, coarse, and black, the beard 
 of the same color, and not deficient. 
 
 In the Hindu-Chinese the hair of the head is always black, lank, 
 coarse, and abundant. On every other part it is scanty, and the beard 
 is throughout thin and defective. 
 
 In Burmah the hair of both sexes is worn long, and tied in a knot 
 on the top of the head, as in Ceylon, and the men pluck out the beard. 
 
 In the Chinese the hair of the head is lank, black, coarse, and 
 shining ; the beard always black, thin, and deficient. There is but 
 little hair on any other part of the body. The tail of hair worn by the 
 males is well known. The females wear their heads uncovered, and 
 decorated with beautiful artificial flowers. Indeed this custom of 
 sticking flowers in the hair is so prevalent, that a recent traveller 
 tells us he has known a dirty old cook, running out to buy a little 
 garlic or a cabbage top, to adorn her grey locks. 
 
 The barbers in towns in China go about ringing bells to get 
 customers. They carry with them a stool, a basin, a towel, and a pot 
 containing fire. When any person calls to them they run to him, and 
 planting their stool in a convenient place in the street, shave the head, 
 pick the ears, dress the eye-brows, and brush the shoulders— all for 
 the value of a farthing. 
 
 The natives of the empire of Annam, Cambogia, &c. have copious 
 black coarse haii- on the scalp ; the beard is grisly and thin, and they 
 
 C 2 
 
28 GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBT3TI0N. 
 
 have no hair on the cheeks. The Annamites of Cochin China allow 
 their hair to grow long ; they roll it up, and fasten it with a comb at 
 the top of the head, like other Eastern nations. 
 
 In the Kariens of Asia, the beard increases, the hair becomes 
 crisper, and the complexion darkens. 
 
 Among the Malays and some of the other Asiatics, depUation is 
 effected either by means of quick-lime or tweezers. The parts. of the 
 body which are meant to be kept smooth, are rubbed with quick-lime; 
 and the isolated hairs that afterwards appear, are plucked out carefully 
 by tweezers in detail. * 
 
 Of the Orang Binua, or men of the soil (Aborigines), in the Malay 
 Peninsula, some have a darker complexion and crisper hair than the 
 intruding population (Mahomedan Malays) ; and when we reach a 
 particular section, called the Semang, we ifina. them described as having 
 curly, crisp, matted and even woolly hair, thick lips and a black skin. 
 
 The Japanese generally have hair black, thick, and shining, from 
 the profuse use they make of oils. Some of the inhabitants of the 
 coast have crisped hair. 
 
 It is usual among the Japanese to shave the top and sides of the 
 head, and bringing the remaining hair forwards, to fasten it in a short 
 tuft over the crown. 
 
 The natives of the Aleutian Islands have hair strong and wiry, 
 with a scanty beard. 
 
 In the Luchoo Islands the hair of the inhabitants, which is of 
 a glossy black, is shaved off the crown, but their beards and mous- 
 taches are allowed to grow. 
 
 The men shave the head and beard, but leave the hair long over 
 the temples and in the neck ; they bind it together with a thin white 
 lace on the back part of the head, then bend it forward in a tuft, and 
 bind it an inch and a half farther on, with the same lace, so that it lies 
 upon the skull. Simple as this fashion of wearing the hair is, the 
 Japanese beaux endeavour to improve it by using very fine pomatum, 
 and take care that the hair lies extremely even and regular, so that it forms 
 a solid mass ; the hair tuft must perfectly resemble a four-cornered 
 piece of japanned wood, which has at the top and two sides an opening. 
 The Japanese hairdressers are really clever enough to give the hair 
 such a form — but it does not cost a little time. The female head- 
 dress resembles the old-fashioned one of our ladies; only with the 
 exception that the Japanese women do not powder them, but put 
 in the hair many flowers and ribbons, and besides some gold or silVet 
 
NATIVE MANNER OF DRESSING THE HAIR. 29 
 
 bodkins which resemble our tuning keys. Of children who are not 
 five years old the hair is cut every year differently : in some of them a 
 circle of hair is left round the head and the rest is cut away ; others 
 keep a tuft of hair upon the crown of the head, which is braided with 
 ribbon ; in others the hair is shaven from the crown of the head and 
 left only on the temples and on the neck, and braided with ribbons or 
 artificial flowers, as among the elder females. 
 
 M. Sonnerat, in his " Voyage to India and China," (vol. III. 
 cap. 10,) speaking of the Manilians, says : "Their hair, which is black 
 and highly beautiful, sometimes reaches to the ground ; they bestow 
 the greatest care on it, anoint it with coco-nut oil, plait it in the 
 Chinese fashion, and towards the crown of the head form it into a 
 knot, fastened with a gold or silver pin." 
 
 Thqre are two varieties of blacks in the Philippine Isles : one with 
 long, fine, and glossy, the other with crisped hair. 
 
 Mr. G. W. Earl, describing the Dyaks of Borneo, says : " The 
 hair is straight and black, and is kept cut rather short by both sexes ; 
 but, if pennitted, would grow to a great length. Some of the Dyak 
 women who are married to Chinese, adopt the fashion of wearing tails. 
 I never saw a nearer approach to a beard among the men, than a few 
 straggling hairs scattered over the chin and the upper lip. There is 
 said to be a race in the interior with woolly hair like the Papuans." 
 
 The men of Timor-laut wear their hair very long, and appear to 
 take a great pride in it. They have a peculiar mode of dyeing it of a 
 flaxen color. 
 
 The natives of the Solomon group have frizzled or wooUy hair, 
 which they dye red or yellow, according to their fancy ; others paint it 
 white with a kind of lime. 
 
 The inhabitants of the Melacoshima Islands, off the east coast of 
 China, are thus described by Sir E. Belcher, who visited them in 
 H.M.S. Samarang — 
 
 " Their method of dressing the hair, which is generally performed 
 by a youthful valet, appears to engross much time, and requires some 
 dexterity to produce a fashionable finish. Their long black hair, after 
 a great deal of manipulation with an oleaginous matter, is worked up 
 evenly on all sides of the crown of the head, where the operator, 
 confining it by one hand, keeps passing turns of silk between the hand 
 and the head, straining every hair to its root ; it is then tied. He 
 tnen "combs out the remainder, and doubling it back over the two 
 fingers, expands it over the ligature of the crown, and inserting the 
 
30 GEOGEAPHICAL DISTKIBUTION. 
 
 same kind of ornament mentioned by M'Leod and Beeohey, the 
 kaamee-saashee and oosee-dashee, through the under part completes 
 the operation. It haa an air of neatness and cleanliness. The 
 moustache and hair on the chin is allowed to grow to the natural 
 length ; but all the hair and. whisker, to the tip of the chin, is closely 
 shaved, similar to the Chinese and people of Loo-choo." 
 
 The Papuan race, or east insular Negroes, have brUliant black hair, 
 which is crisped or woolly, in small tufts, each hair (according to Mr. 
 Crawford) with a spiral twist. It is often elaborately frizzed and 
 spread out. Sometimes, as in New Guinea, they have the hair simply 
 tied back behind, occasionally with the head partially shaved. 
 
°'^INT^ BY rv 00HNI3H 
 
 33 BABTHOLOI^e*\ ClOSC. 
 
 Plale,3 
 
AFKICA : NEGEO, OE ETHIOPIANf RACE. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 AFRICA : THE NEGEO OR ETHIOPIAN RACE. 
 
 If the African nations be examined, every possible gradation in the 
 hair will be perceived, from the short close curls of the Kafir to 
 the crisp but bushy locks of the Berberine, and again to the flowing 
 hair of the black Tuaryk or Tibbo. 
 
 I have already alluded to the controversial opinions respecting the 
 woolly character of the Negro hair. 
 
 The Ashantees and others have hair which is rather curled than 
 woolly, and is occasionally so long as to reach to the shoulders. 
 
 Mr. Duncan, speaking of the kingdom of Dahomey, says : " The 
 hair of the females, though woolly, is longer than is usually seen 
 among the African tribes." 
 
 The Foulahs or Fellatahs, natives of Soudan, have crepid and 
 crisp, sometimes woolly hair ; both men and women wear it in long 
 plaits, extending down the sides of their heads. 
 
 The Mandingoes in Senegambia have the genuine black frizzled or 
 woolly hair of the Negro. 
 
 Ainong some of the mixed race of Arabs residing at Singapore, 
 Dr. Pickering found two or three who had the beard striped longitu- 
 dinally grey and black, it is presumed by artificial means. 
 
 In the slave market of Egypt the same traveljer remarked among 
 the females, contrary to the practice of the Arabs, considerable variety 
 in the mode of dressing the hair; and much pains had been often 
 taken to form it into roUs, or in other instances into numerous slender 
 braids, according to their respective national fashions. 
 
 The flaxen locks of the Somali females (stained like those of the 
 Eeejeean girls) render them conspicuous. At Mocha, where theie 
 is a separate village of them, the unmarried women were designated by 
 an obvious sign ; not, indeed, by flaxen hair, (which was here worn 
 only by the men), but by the head being altogether destitute of 
 a covering. Great paine were always taken by the women in dressing 
 
33 GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION. 
 
 their hair, which was sometimes braided into fine cords, and in several 
 instances these cords were united at the ends. 
 
 The men commonly wore a wooden pin for the hair, or a three- 
 toothed wooden comb, and occasional instances of baldness were met. 
 The head was always uncovered in both old and young, and lads some- 
 times had it shaven. 
 
 The Galla tribes shave the head, preserving a lock of hair on it for 
 every man they have killed. They have strong beards, which are 
 habitually clipped, or else shaved with a sort of small iron chisel. The 
 king, however, wears a longer beard. 
 
 In a general way the Abyssinian race may be said to possess 
 European features, in combination with crisped or frizzled hair. 
 
 Dr. Pickering, speaking of some he had met, says : " The hair was 
 fine, neither coarse enough nor in sufiBcient quantity to form a resisting 
 mass. The beard of one individual was in pellets, absolutely like the 
 close wool of the Negro. Another individual had a straighter beard, 
 which was blafk and grey in regular stripes." Most frequently the 
 Abyssinians have long and lank hair, like fhat of an Arab or Hindoo. 
 The Ababdeh, Bishareen, and other desert tribes of Africa, dio not 
 dress their hair with any foreign substance except ghee, or butter, which 
 in that climate is entirely fluid, and- is an effectual safeguard against 
 vermin. I have given a representation of a Bisharee woman {Plate I., 
 Figvre 2) in which the style of wearing the hair is tasteful and pleasing. 
 The Touarick, from his habit of wearing the litham, does not like 
 a.beard, which is hence pulled out. 
 
 Sir John Barrow, describing the Hottentots, says : " The hair is of 
 a very singular nature : it does not cover the whole surface of the 
 scalp, but grows in smaU tufts at certain distances from each other ; 
 and when kept short, has the appearance and feel of a hard shoe- 
 brush, with this diiference, that it is combed or twisted into small 
 round bumps about the size of a marrowfat pea. When suffered to 
 gi'ow, it hangs on the neck in hard twisted tassels like fringe. The 
 hair of the Kafir is tufted like the Hottentots. It is short, curling, 
 and woolly, but it is not the woolliness of the Negro." {See Figure 4, 
 Flaie III.) 
 
 The Nubians have a scanty beard and long, strongly frizzled or 
 slightly crisp (but never woolly) hair. It is sometimes of a shining 
 jet black, but in other cases of a color intermediate between the ebon 
 black of the Sennaar Negroes and the "brown of the Egyptians. 
 
 Tbe late Mr. James Richardson, a great African traveller, while 
 
NUBIAN MODE OP DRESSING THE HAIR. 33 
 
 residing at Ghat, thus describes the mode of fashionable dressing of the 
 hair there .• — 
 
 " At the Governor's I observed the style of cutting and braiding 
 fashionable young ladies' hair in the example of his daughters. The 
 forehead is shaved high up, having, however, one long curl or withe of 
 hair depending. This curl is braided, and hangs down gracefully over 
 the forehead. On each side of the head, over the ears, depend three 
 other separate curls or locks of hair, each double braided. Behind the 
 head hangs also two other longer curls, and each double braided. 
 Between these curls, as they detach themselves from the head, the 
 cranium is clean shaven, and the hair or tuft on the crown of the head> 
 whence the several curls depend, covers a very small space. At the 
 end of the braided curls is tied a piece of coloured string or narrow 
 ribbon, the same as is done amongst our little dressy nymphs. The 
 hair is dressed with olive oil or daubed over vrith liquid butter. My 
 . old Negress landlady is a hairdresser of the first style, and the 
 fashionable Negresses come to have their woolly crispy locks dressed 
 by her, secundum artem, nearly every day. This hairdressing takes 
 place on my terrace, and affords me a splendid field for observation. I 
 ought to have brought with me into the Desert the book, ' How to 
 Observe,' in order to have given a complete and satisfactory descrip- 
 tion of the fashionable Libyo-Saharan hairdressing. The old lady sits 
 down, spreading out her knees, and the young sable belle throws 
 herself flat at fuU length, sprawling on the terrace floor, putting her 
 head into the lap of the arbitress of the Desert toilette: The operation 
 then commences. The woolly locks, not more than three inches in 
 length, are gradually drawn up tight to the crown of the head and 
 parted in tiers, in the shape of a high ridge, whilst they are being 
 rubbed over with liquid butter. The lower circle of the cranium is 
 left all bare, not a curl depending, and is shaven quite clean. The 
 hair, fully dressed in this style, assumes the shape of an oval crown or 
 the head part of the helmet. Some Negresses use false tails as well 
 as false locks, as our belles do, the long flowing curls being preferred by 
 the sooty Nigritian beauties, in spite of such an ornament being un- 
 natural to them." — Travels in the Great Desert of Sahara, vol. II., 
 p. 202. 
 
 In the island of Madagascar the long black hair of the men is 
 plaited into small tails, three or four inches in length, with a knot at 
 the end. These are trimmed so as not to hang below an imaginary 
 line above the eyebrow, and across the ear ; while from one in the 
 
34 GEOGEAPHICAL DISTEIBUTION. 
 
 centre of the forehead is suspended a circular piece of ivory neatly 
 turned, about an inch and a haK in diameter. 
 
 " The fashion of allowing the hair to grow to a great length, 
 braiding and knotting it, and then plastering on an immense quantity of 
 coco-nut oil and grease, Eadama, one of the former kings, found to be 
 highly productive of uncleanUness as well as inconvenience, especially 
 to his soldiers ; he therefore determined, if possible, to abrogate it ; 
 but, as the necessity for this measure was not so urgent as tKat for the 
 one last mentioned, he considered it useless to attempt carrying his 
 point by calling a Kaba, which he was well assiu-ed would oppose it. 
 
 " He accordingly had recourse to the following expedient. At a 
 grand review that took place he appeared in the field, to the astonish- 
 ment of all, with his hair cut close in the military fashion of England. 
 The young men, desirous of imitating their king in every action, stole 
 away as soon as they- could from the field and returned before Eadama 
 had left, with their hair as closely cropped as his own. The old men 
 were not so easily persuaded to part with their long-cherished locks 
 and grease, while the women set no bounds to their clamor ; for it 
 had been their pride to dress their husband's hair, and to vie with one 
 another in the taste and neatness they displayed. By means of this 
 little act of endearment many a morose temper had been softened,, 
 quarrels made up, and causes gained, when words had failed. 
 
 " It cannot be supposed that a custom, leading to such conciliatory 
 effects in domestic life, would be quietly given up by those who were 
 benefited by it ; the consequence was that the women repaired in a 
 crowd to Eadama, and in a most tumultuous manner insisted upon its 
 revival. In vain the prince represented to them his object in effecting 
 the change ; in vain he attempted to combat their objections by jokes j 
 their blood was up, their tongues were going, and Eadama was obliged 
 to resort to other means ; especially as he perceived that the noisy 
 rhetoric of the women, though lost on him, was not so on many of the 
 populace. 
 
 " A great fermentation was evidently excited, a rebellion was on 
 the eve of taking place, and to restrain it some strong measure was 
 absolutely necessary. Eadama called his guards, and pointing out to 
 them a few of the most riotous among the women, directed them to 
 take these to a neighbouring wood, and there ' to cut off their hair in 
 such a way that it should never grow again.' The soldiers obeyed, 
 and arrived at the wood prepared to execute their orders ; but in what 
 manner it was necessary to consider. 
 
AN AFKICAN MONAKCH's EXPEDIENT. 8S 
 
 " ' How can it be done ?' was tlie question from one to the other. 
 ' Cut it bow we will, or ever so close, it must and will grow again in 
 spite of us.' 
 
 " But after turning Badama's words over in their minds for some 
 time, they at length discovered their true meaning — they cut off their 
 heads ! " — Capt. Owen's Voyage to Africa. 
 
36 GEOGRAPHICAL DISTKIBUTION. 
 
 CHAPTEE V. 
 
 AUSTRALASIAN ISLANDS AND THE PACIFIC. 
 
 Except that the hair (which is often either straight, or only crisp or 
 wavy) has not attained its maximum of frizziness, and has seldom or 
 never been called woolly, the Australian, according to Dr. Latham, is a 
 Semang under a climate and soil similar to South Africa. 
 
 The hair of the Australian aborigine is naturally fine, smooth 
 and glossy, dark, and very long; but filth, neglect, and exposure 
 renders it coarse. Captain Cook long since described the race very 
 correctly : — " Their hair is naturally long and black, and cropped 
 short ; in general it is straight, but sometimes it has a slight curl : it 
 is usually matted and filthy, though without grease. Their beards are 
 of the same color with the hair, bushy and thick, but they are not 
 suffered to grow long." 
 
 The aboriginal "ladies" of Australia are conspicuous principally 
 for their head gear ; glowing in grease and red ochre, the ringlets of 
 these " dark angels" are decorated with opossum tails, the extremities 
 of other animals, and the incisor teeth of the kangaroo. 
 
 William Schouten, in his " Voyage to thePolynesian Isles," speaking 
 of the inhabitants of Horn Island, off the north-eastern coast of New 
 Holland, says : " They wore their hair, some combed, some frizzled, 
 some tied up in knots, some had it standing bolt upright, their heads 
 like hog's bristles, a quarter of an eU high. The king and some of his 
 courtiers had very long locks hanging down below their hips, bound up 
 with a knot or two ; but the, women were all cropped close." 
 
 Abel Tasman, in 1642, describing the New Zealanders, states they 
 wore " their hair long and almost as thick as that of the Japanese, 
 combed up, and fixed on the top of the head with a quill, or some 
 such thing, that was thickest in the middle, in the very same manner 
 the Japanese fastened their hair behind their heads." 
 
 The hair of the New Zealanders now is frequently allowfcd to grow 
 long and tied in a bunch at the top of the head. It is adorned with 
 
PRACTISES OP THE NEW ZEALANDEES. 37 
 
 lofty feathers, sustained by an elaborately carved wooden comb. The 
 hair is cut with a shell, and generally quite close at the top of the 
 head, but behind it is left long. For some days after cutting their 
 hair the persons are removed from the society of their families, and are 
 tabooed or consecrated. Very few of them wear beards, as they pluck 
 out the hairs with a pair of mussel shells, or pincers, as soon as they 
 appear. 
 
 Mr. George Kfe Angas, one of the latest writers on the manners 
 and customs of the New Zealanders, says : — • 
 
 " The hair of the men is usually cut at certain periods, though a 
 few still wear it fastened in a knot at the top of the head. The 
 married women permit their tresses to flow loosely over their shoulders, 
 and the young girls generally adopt the fashion of letting their hair fall 
 over the forehead, cutting it a little above the eyebrows. Boys and 
 girls have their hair cut short ; and occasionally it is fantastically 
 displayed by closely cropping a line crosswise, and leaving the remainder 
 of the hair in tufts or bunches. The hair is sacred ; and to put a lock 
 of hair into the fire is considered a great insult, not only to the party 
 to whom it belonged, but also to those who may happen to be present. 
 The beard is usually plucked out, either with a pair of shells, acting as 
 nippers, or with tweezers, which are eagerly sought after by the men. 
 It is a frequent sight to see a chief sitting in the verandah or court 
 before his dwelling, busily employed for hours at a time eradicating all 
 traces of his beard. Occasionally old men may be observed wearing a 
 beard, but such instances are not of general occurrence. A few 
 instances occur among the natives of red and sandy hair. 
 
 " Wooden combs, of small size, but vei-y neatly made, were formerly 
 used by the men for fastening up the hair into a knot at the crown of 
 the head ; but these are now becoming obsolete. Oil is employed in 
 beautifying the hair ; two sorts of this substance are in use amongst 
 them : one expressed from the seeds of a tree called titoki, the other 
 obtained -from the shark, which has a most disagreeable odor and 
 renders the approach of those using it very offensive. 
 
 " Bunches of the white feathers of the albatross or of the gannet 
 and the beautiful tail feathers of the Jiuia, which are black tipped with 
 white, are frequently worn in the ears of both sexes ; and occasionally 
 similar feathers are stuck aU over the head, forming a strong contrast 
 to the raven blackness of their hair." 
 
 Occasionally their hair inclines to a brown colour ; and Mr. Angas 
 states that he noticed one or two cliildren in the interior with hair of a 
 
3S GEOGKAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION. 
 
 flaxen or golden color, and a girl amongst the Nga-ti-watua tribe, 
 whose locks were of a beautiful auburn tint. The hair of the men is 
 generally curly, but no approach to a woolly nature is discernible. 
 Baldness is very uncommon ; Capt. Cruise (" Journal of a Eesidence, 
 &c,," 1830) says, We knew but of one instance of it; and many 
 very old men go to the grave without a single grey hair. Benny, a 
 chief in the Bay of Islands, who says he was a grown up man when 
 Capt. Cook was there, had not one in his head. 
 
 The most singular physical character of the Negro of New Guinea 
 consists in the texture of the hair of the head. It is neither that of 
 the Negro of Africa, nor seemingly that of the oriental Negro north of 
 the equator. 
 
 Mr. Earl, who has seen most of the Negro tribes of New Guinea, 
 and who best describes them, gives the following account of it in Ms 
 notice of the Papuan Indians {Journal of Indian Archipelago, vol 4, 
 p. 1) : — " The most striking peculiarity of the oriental Negro," he 
 observes, " consists in their frizzled or woolly hair. This, however, 
 does not spread over the surface of the head, as is usual with, the 
 Negroes of Western Africa, but grows in small tufts, the hatrs which 
 form each tuft keeping separate from the rest, and twisting round each 
 other until, if allowed to grow, they form a spiral ringlet. Many of 
 the tribes, especially those which occupy the interior parts of the 
 islands, whose coasts are occupied by more civilized races, from whom 
 cutting instruments can be obtained, keep the hair closely cropped. 
 The tufts then assume the form of little knobs, about the size of a 
 large pea, giving the head a very singular appearance, which has not 
 been inaptly compared to the head of an old worn-out shoe-brush.* 
 
 " Others, again, more especially the natives of the south coast of 
 New Guinea, and the islands of Torres Straits, troubled with such an 
 obstinate description of hair, yet admiring the ringlets as a head 
 dress, cut them off and twist them into matted skuU-caps, thus forming 
 very compact wigs. But it is among the natives of the north coast of 
 New Guinea and of some of the adjacent islands of the Pacific, that 
 the hair receives the greatest attention. These open out the ringlets 
 by means of a bamboo comb, shaped like an eel-spear, with numerous 
 prongs spreading out laterally, which operation produces an enormous 
 bushy head of hair, that has obtained for them the name of " Mop- 
 headed Indians." 
 
 • This description bears a close rescmblauce to that given of the Hottentot and 
 Bushman of -South Africa. See ante page 30. 
 
THE OCEANIC ISLANDS. 39 
 
 Dr. Thompson, R.N., speaking of the aboriginal tribes of New 
 South Wales, says, " Those about Moreton Bay have little whisker, 
 but some have a good quantity of hair on the chin, in fact, bushy 
 beards. The hair of the head is inclined to be long (usually about 
 eight inches), soft and silky ; it is generally quite glossy, but always 
 curly. Those about Torres Straits have theliair shorter, and the beard 
 small." 
 
 The hair of the New Caledonians is bushy and frizzled, of a jet 
 black ; the beard is strong. The method of pulling up the latter by 
 the roots is sometimes resorted to ; others leave this patriarchal symbol 
 to luxuriate from the upper lip downward. The hair on the head is 
 worn differently, it being equally fashionable to have it tied up in a 
 bunch on the crown, or parted in the centre with artificial tresses 
 pendant, made of the fibres of long grass covered with the hair of the 
 vampyre bat. 
 
 Combs, composed of sticks reduced to the size of knitting needles, 
 tastily made fast together, are placed on the side of the head as an 
 ornament ; they are generally about ten inches long. This method of 
 wearing similar combs was formerly a usage common among the South 
 Sea Islanders, but has since become repudiated in favour of European 
 ornaments. 
 
 THE OCEANIC ISLANDS. 
 
 The Polynesian stock have hair various colored, wavy, and curled 
 as well as straight, sometimes it is chesnut colored. 
 
 These islanders appear to have paid at all times great attention to 
 the adornment of their persons. The hair of the females, which was 
 neatly trimmed and sometimes appeared in short loose curls, was an 
 object of great attention ; the eyebrows were also reduced, or shaped 
 according to their ideas of beauty. The hair was ornamented with 
 elegant native flowers, "sometimes exhibited in great profusion and 
 vanity, at others with only one or two jessamine blossoms, or a small 
 wreath interwoven with their black and shining ringlets. They dis- 
 played great taste in the use of flowers and the adorning of their hair. 
 Frequently they were to be seen with beautiful wreaths and garlands of 
 yellow flowers round their brows, and small bunches of the brilliant scarlet 
 Hibiscus rosae Chinensis fastened in their hair. The men were equally 
 careful of preserving and dressing their hair. They generally wore it long, 
 and often fastened it in a graceful braid on the crown or on each side of 
 the head, and spent not a small portion of their time in washing and 
 
4*^ GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION. 
 
 perfuming it with mouoi, or scented oil, combing and adjusting it. 
 When it was short, they sometimes dressed it with a gummy substance 
 obtained from the trunk of the coco-nut tree, called pia, or with the 
 viscid gum of the bread-fruit tree, which gave it a shining appearance, 
 and fixed it as straight as if it had been stiffened with rosin. 
 
 The open air was the general dressing place of both sexes, and a 
 group of females might often be seen sitting under the shade of a 
 clump of wide-spreading trees, or in the cool mountain stream, em- 
 ploying themselves for hours together, in aiTanging their curls, weaving 
 their wreaths of flowers, and fiUing the air with their perfumes. Their 
 comb was a rude invention of their own, formed by fixing together 
 thin strips of the bamboo. Their mirror was one supplied by nature, 
 and consisted in the clear water of the stream contained in a coco-nut 
 shell. 
 
 Speaking of the natives of Easter Island, Captain Beechey says, 
 " The hair is jet black, and worn moderately short. One man, of 
 about fifty years of age (the only exception that we noticed), had his 
 hair over the forehead of a reddish ash grey. The beards of such as 
 had any were black, but many had none or only a few hairs on the 
 chin. None of the men had whiskers, which seemed to be rather a 
 subject of regret with them ; and they appeared envious of such of 
 our party as had them, who were obliged to submit to the ordeal of 
 having them stroked and twisted about, for the admiration and amuse- 
 ment of their new acquaintances." 
 
 Captain Cook, when he visited the Sandwich Islanders, describes 
 their hair as naturally black but dyed brown, and mostly worn cropped 
 short, though others wore it long and flowing, or tied in a bunch. 
 They generally had beards. 
 
 Dr. Pickering states : " The hair of the Papuan is in great quan- 
 tity, is naturally frizzled and bushy, and so coarse as to be rather wiry 
 than woolly. When dressed according to the Peejee fashion, it forms 
 a resisting mass, and ofl^ers no slight protection against the blow of a 
 club. I have had occasion to remark, that it actually incommoded 
 the wearer when lying down ; and to this circumstance, rather than 
 to any foppery, I am disposed to attribute the origin of the wooden 
 neck-piUow. The beard does not appear to grow so long or to cover 
 so large a portion of the face as in the white race ; but the Papuan 
 exceeds the remaining races in the quantity of beard. Points con- 
 nected with the personal appearance of the Peejeeans first arrested 
 attention : as the presence of wigs, and the variety of colours imparted 
 
PAPUANS AND MALAYS. 41 
 
 to the hair. Of these the flaxen or ashy tint alone appeared to be the 
 result of a process of dyeing ; wbile the coal black and the red were 
 merely derived from the mixture of foreign substances. Among a variety 
 of fashions, the men sometimes wore very numerous slender braids ; and 
 though I saw nothing to justify the report that ' the Feejeeans count 
 the separate hairs,' the attentions bestowed on the head-dress occupy 
 no inconsiderable portion of their lives." 
 
 " In the Malay the hair," the same author adds, " seems in greater 
 quantity than in the other races, the Papuan perhaps excepted, and it 
 is straight, or at most wavy, and usually raven black. When cropped 
 within about two inches, I have observed that it will generally stand 
 erect, owing, apparently, to a coarser texture than in the Telingan and 
 White races. The beard grows long, but is almost always thin, though 
 some variety prevails in different countries. The East Indian tribes 
 are nearly aU beardless ; while among the Polynesians a beard is not 
 unusual, though it does not seem to get strong till late in life. I have 
 occasionally seen Polynesians in whom the beard was nearly thick 
 enough to conceal the skin. The practice, however, of eradicating it 
 prevails very generally in the countries inhabited by the Malay race." 
 
 The hair of the Tahitians is not universally black, but in some 
 instances has a russet tinge ; and the same was observed at Samoa and 
 Tonga. The first Polynesian with frizzled hair was seen at Manua, 
 and other instances occurred both in the Samoan group and at Tonga- 
 tabu. Except in the hair, these individuals did not differ from the 
 surrounding natives ; and the peculiarity is perhaps attributable in part 
 to art, in imitation of the Eeejeeans. 
 
 At Tontagabu, one of the Eriendly Isles, very pretty combs are 
 made % the women, of the midrib or leaflets of the coco-nut tree, 
 the upper part being beautifully worked with the coir or fibre of the 
 husk of the nut. These combs are stained by the bark of the same 
 tree, of a dark reddish colour, intended as a rude imitation of tortoise- 
 sheU. 
 
 The Tahitians allow the lower part of the beard to grow, but shave 
 the whiskers and the upper lip. Some cut the hair short off, others 
 bind it together at the top of the head ; both hair and beard they 
 grease with the oil of the coco-nut. 
 
 An interesting description is given in " Beechey's Voyage to the 
 Pacific," of the personal adornments and practices of the Tahitians — 
 
 " No hair was allowed on their limbs ; formerly it was plucked 
 out by the roots, or shaved with a shell or a shark's tooth ; and those 
 
*2 GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION. 
 
 who do not wear the European dress are still very particular in removing 
 the hair from their legs and arms. This is usually done with a knife, 
 the razors they have amongst them being reserved for removing the 
 beard. 
 
 "The adults formerly wore their hair in a variety of forms; the 
 heads of their children they always shaved with a shark's tooth. This 
 operation was frequently repeated during their juvenile years. The 
 females generally cut the hair short, but the men wore theirs in every 
 diversity of style : sometimes half the head only was shaved, the hair 
 being cut short, and the other half covered with long hair ; sometimes ' 
 the crown was cut and the edges left the original length. Frequently it 
 was plaited in a broad kind of tail beliind, or wound up in a knot on 
 the crown of the head, or in two smaller ones about each ear. Since 
 the introduction of Christianity it has been worn remarkably neat. 
 The men's hair is usually short, the females the same, excepting in the 
 front, though some wear it lojiger, curled about the face and bound up 
 on the crown. Formerly the men plucked the beard out by the root, 
 shaved it off with a shark's tooth, or removed it with the edges of two 
 shells, acting like the blades of a pair of scissors, by cutting' against 
 each other ; while others allowed the beard to grow, sometimes twisting 
 and braiding it together. These fashions have, however, all disap- 
 peared, and the beard is generally shaved at least once a week, and by 
 the chiefs more frequently. They cut their whiskers rather singularly 
 sometimes, and leave a narrow stripe of their beard on the upper lip 
 resembling moustaches ; the greater part, however, remove the beard 
 altogether, which must often be no easy task. There are no barbers 
 by profession, yet every man is not his own barber, but contrives to 
 shave his neighbour and is in return shaved by hiin. Some of the 
 most) ludicrous scenes ever exhibited in the islands occm- while they are 
 thus employed. Only a few of the chiefs are so advanced in civiUzation 
 as to use soap ; the majority, not being able to understand how it can 
 help to remove the beard, dispense with it altogether. When the edge 
 of the knife or razor is adjusted, the person to undergo. the operation, 
 in order to be quite stationary, lies flat on his back on the ground, 
 sometimes in his house, at other times under the shade of a tree, and 
 his friend kneels down over him and commences his labour. When he has 
 finished he lays himself down, and the man who is shaved gets up and per- 
 forms the same office for his friend. Frequently the razor becomes rather 
 dull, and something more than a little additional strength is necessary. 
 A whetstone is then applied to the edge, but if this be not at hand. 
 
THE SOUTH SEA ISLANDEKS. 43 
 
 the man gets up half-shaved, and both go together to the nearest grind- 
 stone ; and the transition from the grindstone to the chin is sometimes 
 direct, without any intermediate application to the edge of the razor. 
 
 " The hone and the strop have, however, been introduced, and ere 
 long will probably supersede the use of the grindstone and also the 
 whetstone." 
 
 The natives of the New Hebrides suffer their hair to grow to a 
 tolerable length. It is black and often brown, and is sometimes worn 
 neatly arranged in a bunch at the top of the head, or in large curls at 
 the sides. 
 
 It is usually the fashion to twist or curl it round a small plant to 
 within an inch of the roots ; as the hair grows it is regularly wound 
 round the stick, which serves for a roller. Each lock of hair is about 
 the thickness of whipcord, and resembles numerous small strings, 
 hanging down from the crown of the head. The " ladies" and boys 
 wear their hair cropped. 
 
 The hair of the diiferent South Sea Islanders is, however, worn in 
 various fashions, according to the taste of the wearer. Some few, 
 doubtless of Malay origin, have hair similar in length and substance 
 to that people. Many of them shave the head, with the exception of a 
 small tuft on the crown of the skuU, similar to the North American 
 tribes. It is often combed into various divisions, similar to the 
 Madagascans, and a mucilaginous gum or " bandoline" is applied to 
 keep it in the form intended. 
 
 The natives of the Tonga Islands have straight and fine hair. 
 
 The Feejeans exhaust their adorning efforts on their heads and 
 faces. The hair, which is curly, hard, and crisp, is, when fuU dressed, 
 most cmiously frizzed and dyed of various colors ; the most usual 
 form is to have a parting across the head ft-om ear to ear, the anterior 
 part being whitened, the posterior black. A well made-up head lasts, 
 with care, some days. 
 
 Captain WUkes,, of the American navy, in the ofiBcialJnarrative of 
 his exploring expedition, gives the following detailed account of their 
 customs — 
 
 " The frizzled appearance of the hail', which is almost universal, 
 and which at first sight seems a distinct natural characteristic, I was 
 aftef a long acquaintance with this habit, inclined to ascribe to arti- 
 ficial causes. Besides the long, bushy beards and moustaches, which 
 are always worn by the chiefs, they have a great quantity of hair on 
 their 'bodies. 
 
 D 2 
 
^'^ GEOGRAPHICAL DISTbllBUTlON. 
 
 '■ The hail- of the boys is cropped close, while that of the young 
 girls is allowed to grow. In the latter it is to be seen naturally 
 arranged in tight, cork-screw locks, many inches in length, -ivhich fall 
 in all directions from the crown of the head. The natural colour of 
 the hair of the girls can hardly be ascertained, for they are in the habit 
 of acting upon it by lime and pigments, which make it white, red, 
 brown or black, according to the taste of the individual. 
 
 " When the boys grow up, their hair is no longer cropped, and 
 great pains is taken to spread it out in a mop-like form. The chiefs, 
 in particular, pay great attention to the dressing of their heads, and 
 for this purpose, all of them have barbers, whose sole occupation is the 
 care of their master's head. The duty of these functionaries is held to 
 be of so sacred a nature, that their hands are ' tabooed ' from aU other 
 employment, and they are not even permitted to feed themselves.' 
 They are attached to the household of the chiefs in numbers from two 
 to a dozen. To dress the head of a chief occupies several hours, and 
 the hair is made to spread out from the head on every side, to a 
 distance that is often eight inches. The beard, which is also carefuUy 
 nursed, often reaches the breast, and when a Feejean has these im- 
 portant parts of his person well dressed, he exhibits a degree of conceit 
 that is not a little atausing. 
 
 " In the process of dressing the hair, it is weU anointed with oil, 
 mixed with a carbonaceous black, until it is completely saturated. 
 The barber then takes the hair pin, which is a long and slender rod, 
 made of tortoiseshell or bone, and proceeds to twitch almost every 
 separate hair ; this causes it to frizzle, and stand erect. The bush 
 of hair is then trimmed smooth, by singing it, until it has the ap- 
 pearance of an immense wig. When tliis has been finished, a piece 
 of tapa, so fine as to resemble tissue paper, is wound inflight folds 
 around it, to protect the hair from dew or dust. 
 
 " This covering, which has the look of a turban, is called sala, and 
 none but chiefs are allowed to wear it ; any attempt to assume this 
 head-dress by a kavsi or common person, would be immediately 
 punished with death. The sala, when taken care of, will last three 
 weeks or a month, and the haii- is not dressed except when it is 
 removed; but the high chiefs and dandies seldom allow a day 
 to pass without changing the sala, and having theii- hair put in 
 order.'' 
 
 Another authority observes, respecting these singular people 
 
 "The hail- is neither straight nor woolly, but may be properly 
 
CURIOUS UEAB DKESSES Or THE FEEJEES. 45 
 
 designated as frizzled. When allowed to grow without intevference, it 
 appears in numerous spiral locks, eight or ten inches in length, spread- 
 ing out on all sides of the head. Sometimes, these curls are seen 
 much longer, falling down to the middle of the back. It is, however, 
 very seldom allowed to grow naturally. The young boys have it cut 
 very close, sometimes shaved to the skin like the Tahitians. In girls, 
 before marriage, it is allowed to grow long, and is coloured white, by 
 washing it Tjith a solution of lime, except a portion around the crown, 
 which is plastered with a black pigment. After marriage, it is either 
 cut to the length of one or two inches, or frizzled out like those of the 
 men ; in both cases it is frequently soaked in colouring liquids, either 
 red or black. The men, in general, have their hair dressed so as to 
 form an immense semi-globular ma§s, covering the top, back, and sides 
 of the head. The arrangement of this chevelure is performed for the 
 chiefs by professional barbers, and is a work of gi-eat labour. Six 
 hours are sometimes occupied in dressing a head; and the process is 
 repeated at intervals of two or three weeks. It is, probably, to guard 
 against disarranging this work, that the piece of bamboo which is 
 placed under the neck in sleeping is employed, instead of the ordinai-y 
 pillow. For the same purpose, the natives usually wear, during the 
 day, a sola, or kerchief, of very thin gauze-like paper cloth, which is 
 thrown over the hair, and tied closely around the head, so as to have 
 very much the appearance of a turban." 
 
 Captain Hunter, R.N., speaking of the natives of Duke of York's 
 Island, says — 
 
 " The hair is woolly, but it is so arranged by some sort of grease or 
 ointment, and a white or red powder with which they dress it, that it 
 hangs on some like so many candle-wicks, or like the thrums of a new 
 mop reversed, or turned upside down. They are generally as fully 
 powdered as a beau dressed for an assembly. Some have their hair of 
 a yellow, sun-burnt color, others quite red ; none are seen with the 
 hair of its natural color. This yellow or red appearance, I believe, 
 may be occasioned by this universal method of powdering, for the 
 powder seems to be made from burnt shells and coral, and is really a 
 kind of lime ; they generally carry a small gourd or box filled with it, 
 about them." 
 
 . Mr. Jukes, in the " Voyage of H.M. Ship 'Fly', " says— 
 
 " The natives of Masseed have frizzled hair, which is dressed into 
 long, narrow, pipe-like curls, smeared with red ochre and grease, and 
 they wear a band round the forehead. Those of Davnley Island have 
 
46 GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION. 
 
 the same, but sometimes the haii- is left of its natural black eolor. 
 Others have wigs not to be distinguished from the natural hair, till 
 closely examined. The hair of their bodies and limbs grows in small 
 tufts, giving the skin a slightly wooUy appearance.- The girls had 
 their hair rather long, but the women had almost all their hair cut 
 short, with a bushy ridge over the top. Many of the elder women had 
 their heads shaved quite smoothly, and we never saw a woman wealing 
 a wig, or with the long ringlets of the men." 
 
 Captain Sir E. Home, of H.M. Ship "North Star," speaking of 
 the natives of 'WaUis Island and the Navigator's Group, says that in 
 most things they resemble the people of Tongataboo, except that they 
 wear the hair long. " Indeed," he adds, " I never knew what a head 
 of hair was, until I came to this place ; loose, it is a most perfect pro- 
 tection to the head against the rays of the sun, and in rainy weather 
 tied round upon the crown of the head, no wet could penetrate it." 
 
 The natives of the Britannia Islands have their hair frizzled, and 
 they take gi-eat pains in dressing it with a comb made of two long 
 slender pins or prickers ; when di-essed, it has a large bushy appear- 
 ance, similar to a mop. Many of the boys and girls whiten their hair 
 with lime, which, when they grow np, gives it a brown appearance, 
 similar to the color of their skin. The wooden hair-pricker or pin is 
 worn as an indication of rank. The king wears it on the front of his 
 hair ; the chiefs a little on one side ; while the lower classes have it 
 tied round the neck, and hanging down the back. ' 
 
 The natives of the Loyalty Isles have hair black and frizzled, and 
 besides the long beards and whiskers worn by many, they have a great 
 quantity of hair on theii- bodies. In the Isle of Pines the hair is 
 frizzly, and generally combed out in a mop-like form. 
 
 In the Isle of Bornabi both men and women have beautiful long, 
 straight hair, very black, and which they take no little pains in dressing 
 with a variety of perfumes, mixed with coco-nut oil. The men wear 
 neither whiskers or beard, they extract the hairs as soon as they make 
 their appearance by means of tweezers, made either of a small piece of 
 tortoisesheU bent double, or a pair of small cockle shells. 
 
 Both sexes wear round their head at feasts, and on other occasions, 
 wreaths of beautiful sweet-scented white and yellow flowers. The 
 female has often a few pale blossoms wreathed around her hair, richly 
 contrasting its jetty curls. 
 
 Mr. Thompson, master of H.M, Ship " Talbot, " speaking of the 
 inhabitants of the Sandwich Islands, says — 
 
THB AMERICAN VAKIETY. 47 
 
 " Their hair is generally straight, but in some it has a natural and 
 beautiful curl ; when worn straight they turn it all back from the fore- 
 head and temple, and tie round the head a black piece of ribbon or 
 ^handkerchief. The hair is rather coarse, and owing to the frequent 
 washings in salt water, and the absence of comb and brush, looks rough, 
 and has not that gloss which results from the use of Eowlands' Macas- 
 sar oil, and the various little et ceteras of an English lady's toilet." 
 
*^ GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE AMERICAN VARIETY. 
 
 It was formerly supposed that the Americans were without beards, and 
 certainly there are many among them who have neither beard nor hair 
 on any part of their person, except the head. But the Indians- who 
 inhabit the torrid zone and South America, have generally a small 
 beard, which becomes longer by shaving ; and among the Patagonians 
 there are many who have beards. A late traveller (Temple) asserts 
 that the Chiriguano Indians of the province of Tarija are beardless, 
 without stating any opinion as to their being natural, or the effect of 
 plucking out the hair. 
 
 A remarkable tradition, mentioned by Humboldt as common both 
 to the Mexican and to the widely-separated Muyscas of Bogota, attri- 
 butes the origin of their civilization to a man having a long beard. 
 Now, a long beard is precisely a circumstance that would be apt to 
 make a lasting impression among a beardless people. 
 
 Almost all the Indians near Mexico, and some on the north-west 
 coast, wear moustaches. An inference has been drawn that the Indians 
 have a larger quantity of beard in proportion to their distance from 
 the equator. The deficiency of beard does not exclusively belong to 
 the Americans, nor is it by any means a certain sign of degeneracy, for 
 some beardless races, such as the Negroes of Congo, are very robust, 
 and of colossal size. 
 
 Sir Eobert Schomburgk, speaking of the Tarumees, a tribe of 
 Indians in Guiana, says — 
 
 " Their hair is uncommonly coarse and wiry, and does not fall 
 over the outlines of the head, but stands out, as if the individual were . 
 frightened or as the imagination of the artist paints Shakspere's 
 witches." 
 
 In the Pianoghottos, a fine race — 
 
 " That important piece of head-dress, the queues, was attended to 
 with such neatness, that it would have done honour to a Parisian 
 
NATIVES OF SOUTH AMEEICA: 49 
 
 coiifeur of the old regime. The hair of the hinder part of the head 
 was all gathered up into the queue ;, that on the forehead was cut 
 rather short, with the exception of two tufts sweeping from the ears 
 towards the face, much in the fashion of our gallants who are not 
 graced with the head of an Apollo." 
 
 The ■Cafusos, a mixture of Indians and Negroes, are a very singular 
 race. The travellers Spix and Martins tell us, that what gives them 
 a peculiarly striking appearance, is the excessively long hair of the 
 head, which, especially at the end, is half curled, and rises almost per- 
 pendicularly from the forehead to the height of a foot, or a foot and a 
 half, thus forming a prodigious, and very ugly kind of peruke. This 
 strange head of hair, which seems more artificial than natural, is merely 
 a consequence of their mixed descent. (Vol. I., page 324.) 
 
 The remarkable appearance of the hair is only a consequence of its 
 being combed or puffed out, and allowed to remain so. 
 
 Any one who has seen the Sambo, or black women of Jamaica, 
 combing their hair, will have noticed that their hair presents the same 
 appearance as that of the Cafusos women, before they curl or twist it 
 into innumerable tortuous bands, which bear an apt resemblance to 
 cork-screws. Nor is it at all unlikely that it might have been " the 
 fashion " to wear the hair in that form, when those intelligent German 
 travellers visited them. Every one must recollect Cook's account of 
 the change of fashion among the South Sea Islanders, relative to the 
 scarlet feathers, proving that even savages have some idea of the heau- 
 
 The Cafusos greatly resemble, we are told, the Papuans, who 
 inhabit the interior of New Guinea, New Britain, and New Ire- 
 land, and the prints of the head of the Papuans show that the hair 
 is elevated much in the manner as the Cafusos, with the exception, that 
 it is more wavy, or glories in what Solomon calls " dove's eyes." 
 
 In the aboriginal Brazilian, the hair is long, hard, tense, black, and 
 shining, and hangs down in thick disorder from his head. It is never 
 curly, though often cherished with care, and, indeed, in many tribes, 
 shaved in a particular way, or pulled out as a national distinction. 
 His hair is very late in getting grey, and very rarely becomes white; 
 baldness is hardly to be found in one among a thousand. The hair on 
 the chins of the men is very weak and scanty ; yet sometimes one sees 
 an Indian with a tolerably strong black beard, but never with a curly 
 one. 
 
 The Tapuyas, another aboriginal race, are characterised by black 
 
50 GEOGEAPillCAL DISTRIBUTION. 
 
 and sleek hair, wliich hangs over the shoulders ; and instances are 
 related by Koulon Boro, of its growing so luxuriantly as to form a sort 
 
 of garment. 
 
 D'Orbigny, in his classification of the Indians between the Isthmus 
 of Darien and Cape Horn, thus particularises their hair: "Thick, 
 coarse, black, smooth, and long. Beard thin, never wavy; late in 
 making its appearance. " 
 
 Among some of the Indians about Peru, the men cut the hair 
 short, leaving it to faU in front to the brows, and behind as low as the 
 point of the ear ; on the top is a wreath interwoven with long and 
 beautiful feathers. The women wear it in front the same, but are par- 
 ticularly careful of their back hair, which is suffered to flow loosely and 
 copiously over the shoulders. 
 
 The Arbas, WiUuches, and Chanases, other tribes of South America 
 generally allow the hair to hang down loosely behind, and on each side 
 of the face, but sometimes it is confined by a band worn round the fore- 
 head. 
 
 The Auracanians have thick and black hair, rather coarse ; they 
 permit it to grow to a great length, and wind it in tresses arotfud their 
 head ; of this they are as proud as they are averse to beards, nor could 
 a greater affront be offered than to cut it off. They pluck out care- 
 fully every hair from the face and body. They rarely begin to be grey 
 before they are sixty or seventy, and are not bald until eighty. The 
 women divide their hair into several tresses, which float in graceful 
 negligence over their shoulders. 
 
 Captain Gardiner says their hair is parted behind, and plaited into 
 two long tails, which are often ornamented with strings of little brass 
 or gold bells, which make a tinkling noise at every movement of the 
 head. Sometimes the two ends of the hair are connected behind by a 
 string of these bells. ' 
 
 Dr. Darwin, speaking of the Patagonian Indians, about the Rio 
 Negro, describes the hau- of the women as coarse, but bright and black ; 
 they wear it in two plaits, hanging down to the waist. 
 
 Henry Brewer, writing of the natives of Chiloe, on the Western 
 shores of South America, in 1643, says the haii- of the men is coal- 
 black, and usually cut short to the ears ; they pull out the hair of their 
 beards, and tie a broad ribbon about their heads. Some of the women 
 twist their Ijlack hair with ribbonds of divers colours ; others let it 
 hang carelessly down their backs. 
 
 Among the Chinooks the beard is not always wanting, but occa- 
 
CUSTOMS OF THE ESQUIMAUX. 51 
 
 sionally attains the length of an inch or more. One man, Dr. Picker- 
 ing tells us, had both beard and whiskers, quite thin, but full two 
 inches long. 
 
 The fashion, aboriginal with the Oregon females, of wearing the hair 
 in two lateral braids, is also widely diffused in Spanish America, and as 
 far as Chili. 
 
 Mr. Marsh regards the native Californians as more haiiy than the 
 Indian tribes of the United States. The men almost universally have 
 some show of a beard, an inch or so in length, but very soft and fine. 
 
 Colnet, in his visit to Nootka Sound, speaking of the Indians 
 about Vancouver's Island, states that " Very few young men wear their 
 beards ; and scarce an old man is without one. The hair of the head 
 is -dark, inclining to black, and thick, on naany of them a good length, 
 hanging down over the shoulders and forehead in^ a wUd manner ; but 
 when going on a visit, it is dressed in different styles, ornamented with 
 the white down of birds." 
 
 Captain Beechey, in his voyage to Behring's Strait, states that the 
 hair of the Indians and natives of that quarter was done up in large 
 plaits on each side of the head, and the edges of the eyelids wel-e 
 blackened with plumbago, rubbed up with a little saliva upon a piece 
 of slate. 
 
 This is a very ancient practice which is often alluded to in the 
 Sacred Writings (II. Kings, ix. 30; Jer., iv. 30; Ezek., xxiii. 40; 
 Prov., vi. 35) ; and the custom prevails extensively now among eastern 
 ladies. 
 
 " The hair and edges of the eyelids are tinged with a fine black 
 powder, moistened with oil or vinegar, which causes a small black line 
 to appear around the edge, and at a distance, and especially by candle 
 light, gives a heavy dark shade to the eyes. The manner of doing iit 
 is particularly described by eastern travellers. A smooth cylindrical 
 piece of silver or ivory, shaped like a quill, and about two inches long, 
 is dipped intg the composition and placed within the eyelashes, which 
 are closed over it. The ' eye salve ' was made of lead ore, with other 
 ingredients." — Hadie's Dictionary of the Bible. 
 
 Among the itinerant Esquimaux of Behring's Strait, Beechey found 
 many had their heads shaved round the crown, after the fashion of the 
 Otaheitans, and all had their hair cut short. The old men had a few 
 grey hau-s on their chin, but the young ones, though grown-up, were 
 beardless. 
 
 In the Esquimaux the beard is scanty, and few instances occur of 
 
53 GEOGRAPHICAli DISTRIBUTION. 
 
 the chin being entirely covered. The moustaches are more thick. 
 The hair is straight, coarse, and of a raven black ; but it has for a few 
 years during infancy, a shade of brown. On their bodies there is but 
 little hair, in fact, some are totally destitute of it ; and at St. Lawrence 
 Island there is a deficiency even of beard. The hair becomes blanched 
 in persons advanced in years, which is common at Regent Inlet ; while 
 at Ilerschel Island, to the westward of the Mackenzie Eiver, nn old 
 woman, whose hair was silvered with age, was a conspicuous object. 
 A solitary case of bald head is recorded in a native of Kegent Inlet, 
 aged fifty-six years. Dr. King, collecting the observations of northern 
 voyagers, observes — 
 
 " They have various modes of arranging their hair, according to 
 the locality. As regards the men, some wear it long, and allow it to 
 hang about their heads in a slovenly manner. Some cut it short 
 before, so as not to incommode their face, and others, both before and 
 behind ; while at Kotzebue's Sound and Schismaroff Inlet, the only part 
 that was cut was a circular patch upon the crown of the head, like the 
 tonsure of the Eoman Catholic clergy. This fashion was adopted by a 
 few natives of Melville Peninsula and of the Mackenzie River, while at 
 St. Lawrence Island, many had that part shaved. At Southampton 
 Island, the hair is worn in one large mass, as large as the head of a 
 child, rolled into the form of a ball, and projecting from the rise of the 
 forehead. One of these bundles Captain Lyon found to consist of six 
 long strings of his own locks, originally plaited, but then so matted 
 with dirt and deer's fur as to resemble a rough hair tether. These 
 extraordinary tresses were bound tightly together at their base, and 
 measured about four feet. Hair is pretty universally worn by the 
 Esquimaux on the upper lip and chin from one inch to one inch and a 
 half in length, and some cultivate a little tuft between the chin and 
 lower lip. 
 
 " The women of Prince William's Sound, tie a small lock of the hair 
 on the crown, and a few club it behind after our own manner, leaving 
 the rest of the hair to hang down. Those of the Mackenzie River, wear 
 it very tastefully turned up from behind to the top of the head, and 
 tied by strings of white and blue beads on cords of white deer skin. It 
 is divided in front, so as to form on each side a thick tail, to which are 
 appended strings of beads, that reach to the waist. At Kotzebue's 
 Sound, Boothia, and Melville Peninsula, they separate their hair into 
 two equal parts, one of which hangs on each side of their head, and in 
 front of their shoulders. 
 
CUSTOMS OF THE ESQUIMAUX. 53 
 
 "To stiffen and bind these, they use a narrow strip of deer-skin 
 attached at one end to a round piece of bone, fourteen inches long, 
 tethered to a point, and covered over with leather. This looks like a 
 little ship, the handle of which is placed up and down the hair, and 
 the -strap wound round it in a number of spiral turns, making the tail, 
 thus equipped, very much resemble one of those formerly worn by our 
 seamen. The strap of this article of dress, which altogether is called a 
 " togluga," is so made from the deer skin as to show, when bound 
 round the hair, alternate tui'ns of white and dark fur, which give it a 
 very neat and ornamental appearance. On ordinary occasions, it is 
 considered slovenly not to have the hair thus dressed, and the neatest 
 of the women never visited the ships of our Arctic voyagers without it. 
 Those who are less nice, dispose the hair into a loose plait on each side, 
 or have one togluga ^d one plait ; and others, again, wholly disre- 
 garding the business of the toilette, merely tuck the hair in under the 
 breast of their jackets. This slovenly disposal of the hair was found to 
 be the case with the natives of the River Clyde, and Hudson Strait. 
 
 " The Esquimaux of Labrador, Hudson Strait, and the Great Fish 
 Eiver, wear their hair parted in front into two festoons, secured by a 
 fillet of white deer skin, twined round the head, whilst the remainder 
 flows gracefully over the neck and shoulders, or is tied up into a knot 
 behind. 
 
 " At Southampton Island the same style is adopted, but instead of 
 using a band for the purpose, it is twisted into its position. 
 
 "The natives of Greenland braid it, and tie it up in a bunch on the 
 top of the head." — Transactions of the Ethnological Society of London, 
 vol. i. 
 
 The women consider it as disgraceful to cut off their hair — it is 
 done only in deep mourning, or on a resolution never to marry. They 
 wreath their locks into a double ringlet on the crown of the head, con- 
 sisting of a larger and a smaller tuft, which they bind with a grey 
 coloured ribbon, tricked out, perhaps, with the additional ornament of 
 glass beads. 
 
 As the Esquimaux grow old, they have more hair on the face than 
 the Eedin dians, who take some pains to eradicate it, but we meet with 
 none who have thick bushy beards, or whiskers, like those of an Euro- 
 pean who suffers them to grow. 
 
 The act of cutting off her hair, it will be seen, is of greater import- 
 ance to an Esquimaux woman, than that of assuming the veil to an 
 JEm-opean, for she is then doomed to perpetual celibacy, whatever her 
 , after inclination may be. 
 
54 GEOGEAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION. 
 
 Captain Chappell, describing the Esquimaux of Hudson's Bay, says 
 — " The men have a few straggling hairs on the chia and upper lip, 
 while the women carefully remove them from every part of the body, 
 excepting the head, where they have a lock on each temple neatly 
 bVaided, and bound with a thong of hide. On the back of the head, 
 the hair is turned up, much after the fashion of the English ladies." 
 
 The Koluch of North America have long and lank hair, and the 
 lip and chin is often bearded. 
 
 The Arawak females are rather neat in their mode of dressing the 
 hair, which is tied up on the crown of the head. 
 
 The Chaymas are almost without beard on the chin, like the Tun- 
 gooses, and other nations of the Mongul race. Thpy pluck out the few 
 hairs that appear; but it is not just to say,, in general, that they have 
 no beard, merely because they pluck out the h.^^^ Independently of 
 this custom, the greater part of the natives would be yearly beardless. 
 We say the greater part of the natives, for there exist tribes, which, 
 appearing distinct among the others, are so much more worthy of fixing 
 our attention. Such are in North America the Chippeways, and the 
 Yabipaaes, near the Toltec ruins at Moqui, with bushy beards; in 
 South America, the Patagonians and the Guaranies. ' Among these 
 last, individuals are found, some of whom have hairs on the breast. 
 When the Chaymas, instead of extracting the little hair they have on 
 the chin, attempt to shave themselves frequently, their beard grows. 
 Humboldt saw this experiment tried with success by young Indians, 
 who served at mass, and who anxiously wished to resemble the Capu- 
 chin father-s, their missionaries and masters. The greater part of the 
 people, however, have as great an antipathy to the beai'd, as the eastern 
 nations hold it in reverence. This antipathy is derived from the same 
 source as the predilection for flat foreheads, which is seen in so singular 
 a manner in the statues of the Aztec heroes and divinities. Nations 
 attach the idea of beauty to everything which particularly characterizes 
 their own physical conformation, their natural physiognomy. Thus, in 
 their finest statues, the Greeks' exaggerated the form of the forehead 
 by elevating, beyond proportion, the facial line. Thence it results, 
 that if nature have bestowed very little beard, a naiTOw forehead, or a 
 brownish red skin, every individual thinks himself beautiful, iu propor- 
 tion as his body is destitute of hairs, his head flattened, his skin more 
 covered with arnotto, chica, or some other coppery, red colour. 
 
SCRIPTUKAL NOTICES OP TIFE HAIR. 55 
 
 C1TA.PTEE VII. 
 
 SCEIPTURAL NOTICES OP THE HAIK. 
 
 The Mosaic \av{ enjoined notliing respecting the mode of wearing 
 the hair. The prints had theirs cut every fortnight, whilst in waiting 
 at the temple. - 
 
 They were forbidden to cut their hair in honour of the dead, 
 though on other occasions of mourning they might cut it without 
 scruple. " J 
 
 Lucian is an evidence that the Syrians offered their hair to their 
 gods ; and it is well known to have been common among other people. 
 They were forbidden to make themselves bald, in the manner of the 
 heathen (Deut., chap. xiv. v. 1) — "Ye shall not round the corners of your 
 heads ;" in imitation of the Arabians, Ammonites, Moabites, and the 
 Edomites, of -the people of Dedan, Tema, and Buz, who did this, it is 
 said, in imitation of Bacchus. 
 
 Nazarites were never to cut off their hair during the time of their 
 vow (Numbers, ch. vi., v. 5 to 9) ; but at the expiration of their vow they 
 shaved it oif {I&id, v. 18, 19). Samson having broken his vow, by 
 suffering his hair to be cut, God deprived him of his extraordinary 
 strength (Judges, ch. xvi.) 
 
 It was usual with the heathens to make vows that they would sufl'er 
 their hail', or their beards, to grow, till they had accomplished certain 
 things. Civilis, having taken arms against the Komans, vowed never 
 to cut-off his hair (which was of a red colour, and which, out of mere 
 artifice, he wore long, after the manner of the Germans) till he had 
 defeated the legions. — (Tacitus Hist. lib. iv.) 
 
 In Osburn's " Ancient Egypt" it is shewn that many of the ancient 
 nations of Canaan shaved some parts of the head, but in various 
 proportions. 
 
 The practice of shaving the head, in token of great affliction and 
 humiliation for sin, was common among the Hebrews even as early 
 as Job's day (Job, ch. i., v. 30). Sometimes the mode of expressing 
 
56 SCKIPXURAL NOTICES OF THE HAIU. 
 
 sorrow was by plucking the hair out by the roots, or cutting off the 
 beard. 
 
 Lucian says, that the Egyptians expressed their grief by cutting off 
 theii- hair, on the death of their God Apis ; and the Syrians in the 
 same manner at tfeg death of Adonis. 
 
 The idea seems to have been, that mourners should divest them- 
 selves of that which was usually deemed most ornamental ; an idea 
 which lies at the foundation of mourning iu all countries and all ages. — 
 See Jer., ch. vii.,"-v. 29, and Isaiah, ch. vii., v. 20. 
 
 Thus Isaiah (ch. xxii., v. 12) says, " In that day did the Lord God 
 of Hosts call to weeping, mourning, and to baldness, &c," Ezekiel, 
 (ch. xxvii., V. 31) — " And they shall make themselves utterly bald for 
 thee." 
 
 Again Micah (ch. i., v. 16) — "Make thee bald, and poU thee for 
 thy delicate children ; enlarge thy baldness as the eagle, for they are 
 gone into captivity." i, 
 
 Herodotus (ii., 36) speaks of it as a custom amon^ all nations, to 
 cut off the hair as a token of mourning. So also Homer says, thai on 
 the death of Patroclus they cut off the hair, as expressive of grief. — 
 " Iliad" xxiii., 46-47— 
 
 " Next these a melanclioly band appear ; , 
 Amidst, lay dead Patroclus on a bier ; 
 O'er sJl tbe course their scattered locks they threw." — Pope. 
 
 Sed also " Odyssey," iv., 197. This was likewise the custom with 
 the Eomans (Ovid, Amor. 3, B, 12), the Egyptians (Died, i., 84), the 
 Scythians (Herod. 4, 71), and the modem Cretans. 
 
 At Accra, Adampe, and other parts of the Gold Coast, upon the 
 death of any native, the wives and other near relatives, in token of 
 bereavement, shave the hair entirely from the head, and remove every 
 ornament and personal decoration ; immuring themselves in their 
 chambers for three weeks. 
 
 The partial or entire removal of the hair, as a native testimony of 
 affliction and sorrow, is one of those remarkable peculiarities that bear 
 a close affinity to the ordinances intro'duced by the Jewish legislator 
 (Deuteronomy, oh. xxi.), in which it is duly enjoined as follows— 
 " Thou shalt bring her home to thine house, and she shall shave her 
 head and pare her nails. And she shall put the raiment of captivity 
 from off her, and shall remain in thine house, and bewail her father 
 and mother a full month." That this was a usage of gi-eat antiquity 
 
CUSTOMS OF THE JEWS. 57 
 
 and common to many nations, from the earliest ages of the world, long 
 previous to its dissemination among the Jews, may be distinctly 
 affirmed. Mention has been made of its prevalence by Herodotus, 
 who relates that " It is elsewhere customarjr, in cases of death, for 
 those who are most nearly affected to cut off thei£,liair in testimony of 
 sorrow ; but the Egyptians, who at other times have their heads closely 
 shaven, suffer the hair on this occasion to grow." — Lib. ii., c. 36'; vide 
 also lib. vi., c. 21. 
 
 It was also equally practised by the Greeks, upon the intelligence 
 of any public or private misfortune, the women clipping their hair 
 short, and the men allowing it to grow long ; whereas in their seasons 
 of prosperity the reverse happens, the women wearing their hair 
 long, and the men close, as stated by Plutarch. 
 
 Ur. Millingen tells us that in ancient times locks of hair were sus- 
 pended over the door of the deceased, to show that the family were in 
 mourning. On these occasions the hair was torn, cut off or shaved. 
 It was then sometimes strewed over the dead body, or cast on the 
 funeral pile. On the demise of great men, whole cities and commu- 
 nities were shorn, while animals shared a similar fate. Admetus, on 
 the death of Alcetis, ordered this operation to be performed on his 
 chariot horses ; and when Masistius was slain by the Athenians, the 
 Persians shaved themselves, their horses and their mules. Alexander, 
 not satisfied with this testimony of grief, ordered the very battlements 
 of a city to be knocked down, that the town might look bald and 
 shorn of its beauty. 
 
 Among the Jews, when a man was suspected of having a leprosy, 
 inspection was carefully made, whether the color of the hair were 
 changed, or if it fell off; these being considered indications of the 
 disease. When he was healed, he washed liis body and clothes, cut off 
 the hair of his "head and of his whole body, and presented his thank- 
 offering to the Most High, at the door of the tabernacle (Levit., ch. xiii., 
 v. 4, 10, 31-33, &c.); but he did not enter into the camp till eight 
 days after, again cutting away all the hair off his body, in demonstra- 
 tion of his desire not to leave any place where the least pollution might 
 remain undiscovered and uncleansed (Lev., ch. xiv., v. 8-9). 
 
 Among the Hebrews baldness was considered not only a defect, but 
 as a curse. The Prophets often figuratively applied it as a denunciation 
 of judgments. Thus Isaiah (ch. iii., v. 17 and 24} observes, that 
 " Instead of well-set hair there shall be baldness." " And shame shall 
 
 E 
 
58 SCRIPTURAL NOTICES OF THE HAIK. 
 
 be upon all faces, and baldness upon all their heads." — Ezekiel, ch. yii., 
 V. 18. 
 
 Isaiah (ch. xv., v. 2) " On all their heads shall be baldness, and 
 every beard out off." And Jeremiah (ch. xlviii., v. 37) says the same 
 of Moab — " Poi*^^ head shall be bald, and eveiy beard clipped." 
 
 Elisha, the proJRt, (II. Kings, ch. ii., v. .23) was insulted on this 
 account by the youth of Bethel, who,- as he was. ascending Mount 
 Carmel, cried out — "Go up thou bald head!" which -was a term of 
 reproach and contempt among the-J-ews. 
 
 One of the strict prohibition^iii.the Mosaic law was — "They shall 
 not make baldness upon their, hesd; neither shall they shave off tlie 
 corner of their beard, 'feci' — Levit., ch. x%i., Vif5, " ilor make any 
 baldness between your eyes for the dead/"-^Deut., ch. xiv.,'..v^ 1. 
 
 In the time of David the ,hair was accoiintfed a great oj-nament, and 
 the longer it was the more it was. esteemed. They w'ere in the habit 
 of powdering it with dust of gold. , Josephup informs us, that such 
 ostentation was in use amongst the Jews; for, speaking of the guard 
 which attended Solomon, ^vith long flowing hair about their shoulders, 
 he says, that " They scattered in -their hair every day little particles of 
 gold, which made their hair shine and sparkle by the reflection of the 
 rays of the sun upon it." This circumstance, and the practice of 
 anointing it with various kinds of oil, may in sonle measure account for 
 the great weight of Absolom's hair; for we are told (II. SamueF, 
 ch. xiv., V. 26) — " And when he polled his head, (for it was every 
 year's end that he polled it ; because the hair was heavy on him, 
 therefore he polled it ;) he weighed the hair of his head at 200 shekels, 
 after the king's weight."* 
 
 The Emperor Commodus, for one, is said to have powdered his 
 hair with gold. 
 
 It is singular how old fashions are revived. Some distinguished 
 ladies in the Paris fashionable world, who wish to create a sensation, 
 have re-introduced the practice of wearing powder in the hair. Others, 
 carrying the matter still further, have made this fashion more costly by 
 adopting gold and silver hair powder : gold for brtinettes, silver for 
 Italian blondes. Several belles have appeared in the first boxes of the 
 Theatre, with their hair thus glitteringly powdered. 
 
 There were five or six merveilleuses in gold and silver powder. It 
 had a ravishing effect. They might have been called the Danae pow- 
 dered by Jupiter. The most remarkable of the brunettes in gold 
 
 * A shekel was equal to about 219 grains. 
 
FASHIONS OP THE EASTERN LADIES. 59 
 
 powder was Madlle. Fould, a lady of the high financial circle. The 
 silver powder was most adorably wedded to the looks of that young 
 and charming foreigner and Spanish blonde, Madlle. Montijo, since 
 become Empress of the French. 
 
 The fashion of simple perfumed flour powder, which was worn by 
 the grandmothers of these ladies was resumed some twenty years ago, 
 soon After the revolution -of July, and several aristocratic ladies have 
 preserved the fashion, and still wear it on great and solemn occasions. 
 Very often this old powder dusts the magnificent blonde hair of a great 
 and fair lady of the high diplomatic aristocracy. But notwithstanding 
 the success of the attempt, it may be presumed that gold and silver 
 powder will hold its plaw merely among the eccentricities of the day. 
 It is a pity it should be so, and it would be a magnificent present to 
 give one of these mervMUeusessi powder box, containing a thousand louis 
 scraped up and reduced to dust. 
 
 Political economists urge the adoption of this fashion on the ground 
 that we shall never Know what to do with all the gold from California 
 and Australia. 
 
 The successful gold diggers there, will be able to carry this fashion 
 into full practice, by showering the glittering spapgles of virgin gold on 
 the heads of their lady-loves. 
 
 Black hair, among the Jews, was thought to be the most beautiful; 
 thus in the Song of Solomon (ch. v., v. 11) — " His head is as the most 
 fine gold, his locks are bushy, and black as a raven." This was also 
 the prevalent taste of the Eomans, at least in the days of Horace. 
 
 Great pains were taken in decorating the hair, which was curiously 
 braided and adorned, and this still continues to be the common usage 
 in the countries of the east. 
 
 The editor of " The Kuins of Palmyra" (p. 23), found that it 
 anciently prevailed there; for he discovered, with great surprise, 
 mummies in the Palmyrene sepulchres, embalmed after the Egyptian 
 manner ; by which means the bodies were in such a state of preserva- 
 tion, that among other fragments which he carried off with him, was 
 the hair of a female, plaited exactly after the manner commonly used 
 by the Arabian women at this time. 
 
 Allusion is made in Isaiah (ch. iii., v. 24), I. Peter (ch. iii., v. 3), 
 and I. Timothy (ch. ii., v. 9), to this practice of plaiting or broidering 
 the hair, and to long hair as an ornament for women (1 Cor. ch. xi , 
 V. 14.) 
 
 Chardin says, " The women nourish their hair with great fondness, 
 
 E 2 
 
60 SCRIPTUEAL NOTICES OF THE HAIK. 
 
 and lengthen it by tresses and tiifts of silk, down to the heels." Lady 
 Mary Wortley Montague thus describes the modem mode of wearing the 
 hair, by the ladies in the east — " Their hail- hangs at fuU length behind, 
 divided into tresses, braided with pearl or ribbons, which is always in 
 great quantity. I never saw in my life so many fine heads of hair. 
 In one lady's I have counted one hundred and ten of these tresses, all 
 natural." 
 
 No females pay more attention to the dressing of the hair than the 
 dancing girls of India ; for as they neter wear caps, they take great 
 delight in this their natural ornament. " When a dancing girl is in 
 fuU dress," says Eoberts, speaking of the Hindoos, " half her long 
 hair is folded in a knot on the top of her'head, and the other half 
 hangs down her back in thick braids." Miss Pardoe, in " The City of 
 the Sultan," tells us, " That after taking a bath, the slave who attended 
 her spent an hour and a half in dressing and adorning her hair." 
 
^w■ ' rr i,rt i 
 
 Plate, 4 
 
DISEASES OF THE HAIR. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 DISEASES OP THE HAIR, AND DIRECTIONS FOR ITS MANAGEMENT. 
 
 I come now to speak of a few of the principal disorders of the hair, 
 and to point out the predisposing causes of baldness, ringworm, and 
 premature gi-ey hair, &c. Bodily infii-mity, disease and mental irrita- 
 bility, as well as sudden change of climate, have an injurious effect 
 on the healthy condition of the hair, and the supply and flow of the 
 coloring principle. 
 
 There are many morbid states and conditions of the hair, all of 
 which it would be impossible to allude to here, and many of them 
 from thqir virulence and connection with diseases of the skin, come 
 more especially under the province of the medical practitioner. I may 
 allude, however, to some few of the principal disorders of the hair, 
 as mentioned by Drs. Copland, Willan, Burgess, Todd, Wilson and 
 others. 
 
 The hair of the head may become weak and slender, and may 
 split at the extremities. This is a very common affection, and 
 depends upon a deficient action of the bulb of the hair; in consequence 
 of debility or impaired vital power, frequently connected with 
 disorders of the assimilating organs. 
 
 Those who study the health and preservation of their haii', should 
 avoid all excesses or extraordinary excitement ; they should equally shun 
 mental and bodily over-stimulation, and endeavour to preserve an 
 equable temperament of mind and body. Frequent profuse perspira- 
 tion is extremely injurious to the hair. 
 
 Hairs, says Dr. A. H. Hassall, are peculiarly susceptible of being 
 affected by Ihe condition of the health, even more so than the 
 epidermis. If this be vigorous, as a rule to which there are many 
 exceptions, it wiU be found that the hairs themselves are thickly and 
 firmly set in the skin : if, on the contrary, the powers of the system be 
 debilitated from any cause, the hair will either fall off spontaneously, 
 or a very slight degree of force wiU serve to dislodge them from their 
 
62 DISEASES OF THE HAIR. 
 
 connexions. If the basis of those haii-s which fall out of themselves 
 be examined, or which are removed by combing and brushing, it will 
 be seen that the bulb alone has come away, the entire sheath remaining 
 behind. In such cases the hair is doubtless regenera'ted, and after its 
 regeneration is usually stronger than it was previously. It has not 
 yet been ascertained by positive experiment whether the hair is 
 capable of reformation in those instances in which both bulb and 
 sheath have been removed ; it is most probable, however, that where 
 they have been entirely abstracted, no renewal of the hair could ensue. 
 It is possible that in some cases the apparent regeneration of the hair 
 arises not from the development of new hairs in the primitive sheaths 
 and upon the old germs, but from the formation of new hair follicles 
 and germs ; of this, however, no proof has yet been given. 
 
 That a regeneration of new shafts of the hair is continually in 
 progress, (whether from new germs or the olden ones is not known,) 
 is proved by the detection of small and pointed hairs just emerging 
 from the skin in the scalp of even old persons. 
 
 When a hair has obtained the full term of its development, according 
 to the researches of Eble, it becomes contracted just above the 1)ulh j 
 this change probably announces its death and approaching fall. — 
 {HassaU's Microscopic Anatomy.) 
 
 " When," says Mr. Wilson, "hairs are left to their natural growth, 
 they attain a certain length, and are then thrown off by a process 
 analogous to the change of the coat in animals, or the moult of birds, 
 their place being supplied by young hairs, which grow from the same 
 tubes ; and this temporary decadence of the hair occurs also when it 
 is kept cut of moderate length. When, on the other hand, hair is 
 closely shaved, it appears to become persistent, and at the same time 
 increases in strength and bulk." / 
 
 Curling the hair in strong and hard paper has a very injurious 
 effect ; and twisting, plaiting, and tying it tightly in knots at the back 
 of the head, prevents the circulation of the fluid, strains the scalp, 
 and necessarily injures the roots, besides contributing to induce head- 
 ache and cause irritation of the brain. The more loosely the hair can 
 be folded or twisted, and the less it is artificially crisped, the better is 
 it for its free and luxm-iant growth. 
 
 Ladies who curl the hair should use for the purpose, soft paper or 
 silk, which will prevent the hair cracking and other injui-ies that might 
 result from haii papillottes. Those who simply wear the hair in bands 
 or braids, ought to twist or fold it very loosely at night, wlien retiring 
 
GENEKAL MANAGEMENT OF THE HAIR. 63 
 
 to rest. It should then always be liberated from forced constraints 
 and plaits. It must be well combed and thoroughly brushed every 
 morning, and afterwards nicely smoothed with the palm of the hand, 
 which gives it a high gloss, after oil has been applied. In order to add 
 to its length and strength the ends should be tipped at least once a 
 month, to prevent the hair splitting. , 
 
 M. Cazenave, physician to the hospital of St. Louis, Paris, in his 
 treatise, translated by Dr. Burgess, gives the following general directions 
 for the management of the hair : — 
 
 " Pass a fine- tooth comb, at regular intervals every twenty-four hours, 
 through the hair, in order to keep it from matting or entangling ; sepa- 
 rate the hairs carefully and repeatedly, so as to allow the air to pass 
 through them for several minutes ; use a brush that will serve the 
 double piirpose of cleansing the scalp and gently stimulating the hair- 
 bulbs. Before going to bed it will be desirable to part the hair evenly, 
 so as to avoid false folds, or vyhat is commonly called turning against 
 the grain, which might even cause the hairs to break. S)ich are the 
 usual and ordinary requirements as to the management of the hair. 
 There is, on the other hand, a class of persons who cany to excess the 
 dressing and adornment of the hair, especially those who are gifted 
 with hair of the finest quality. Thus, for example, females who are in 
 the habit, during the ordinary operations of the toilette, of dragging 
 and twisting the hair, so as almost to draw the skin with it : the 
 effect of which is, in the first instance, to break the hairs and fatigue 
 the scalp, and finally to alter the bulb itself. 
 
 " The fine-tooth comb is also too freely used, especially when the 
 hair is divided — a part that the most particular attention seems to be 
 bestowed upon. These separations, and the back of the neck whence 
 the hair is drawn, in females, towards the crown of the head, are the 
 parts which first show sign of decay or falling off of the hair." 
 
 In a hygienic point of view, the dress of the hair best adapted for 
 females, and especially for young girls, is that which keeps the hair 
 slightly raised, drawn as little as possible, carefully smoothed, and 
 arranged in large bands so as to admit the air to permeate ; to unfold 
 it morning and evening, and brush it lightly, but carefully ; m a word, 
 to dress it in such a manner as will not require dragging or twisting, 
 ' but leave it free. If fashion requires it to be tied and drawn, and the 
 individual yields to the mode, it should be unfolded morning and 
 evening, and allowed to hang loose for several minutes. 
 
 It occasionally happens, from some cause or other, that the follicles 
 
64i 
 
 DISEASES OF THE HAIR. 
 
 are implanted in a manner the reverse of that which should obtain ; — 
 this is especially seen in those of the scalp of children, in whom fre- 
 quently certain tufts of hair grow up, and incline in a direction opposed 
 to that of the contiguous hairs. This mal-disposition of the hair is 
 the source of much trouble and annoyance to anxious nurses and 
 mothers, who spend much time in endeavouring to bring the refractory 
 lock into order. In this endeavour there can be no question but that 
 it is possible to succeed, as is proved by the very different arrangement 
 which the hair of the head is made to follow, in accordance with the 
 manner in which it is dressed. 
 
 Many mothers are in the habit of having the hair of their daughters 
 cut close when young, on the supposition that this wiU tend to prevent 
 baldness, and improve the hair, by causing it to grow longer, thicker, 
 and more abundant. This is a mistaken notion, and. is rather calcu- 
 lated to injui-e its beauty and retard its maximum growth. It is quite 
 sufficient to have the ends tipped, or shortened, occasionally, as the 
 original hair is always the finest and most beautiful. 
 
 It is asserted that mental emotions and violent passions have, in a 
 single night, made the hair grey. This is said to be owing to the increased 
 determination of blood stimulating "the absorbents into preternatural 
 activity, and causing them to take up the coloring matter of the hair. 
 Disappointment, bereavement, deep grief, intense care and anxiety, 
 produce devastating effects upon the hair. Dr. Wardrop, writing upon 
 "Diseases of the Heart," states, that the changes which are induced 
 by arterial disturbance upon the cutaneous capillaries^ are illus- 
 trated in a remarkable manner, in persons where the hair of the head 
 has suddenly become white, from increased action of the heart caused by 
 violent mental excitement. A lady who was deeply grieved on receiving 
 the intelligence of a great change in her worldly condition, and who 
 had a very remarkable quantity of dark hair, found on the following 
 morning the whole of her hair had become silver white. Some 
 striking instances of this kind are narrated by historians. I may 
 instance that of Mary, Q,ueen of Scots. Sir Walter Scott says — 
 
 " For deadly fear can time outgo. 
 And blanch at once the hair." — Marmion, Canto I. 
 
 M. Bichat relates that, in the course of one night, the hair of an 
 acquaintance of his turned almosf conspicuously white, on receiving 
 some dreadful intelligence. Sii- Thomas More, we are told, became 
 grey during the night preceding his execution. Lord Byron alludes to 
 this generally received opinion in " The Prisoner of Chillon" — 
 
EFFECTS OP FRIGHT UPON THE HAIR. 65 
 
 " My hair is grey, though not with years ; 
 Nor grew it white 
 In a single night. 
 As men's have grown from sudden fears." 
 
 Falstaff in Shakespeare's " King Henry IV.," says—" Thy father's 
 beard is turned white with the news." 
 
 Mr. Erasmus Wilson, P.R.S., doubts, however, the possibility of 
 the blanching of the hair in a single night, or even in a single week. 
 
 It is generally stated (observes Dr. Hassall) as an undoubted fact, 
 that the hair may turn white, or become colorless, under the influence of 
 strong and depressing mental emotions in the course of a single night. 
 This singular change, if it ever does occur in the short space of time 
 referi'ed to, can only be the result of the transmission of a fluid possess- 
 ing strong bleaching properties along the entire length of the hair, and 
 which is secreted in certain peculiar states of the mind. 
 
 " I was struck," says Madame Campan, " with the astonishing 
 change misfortune had wrought upon Marie Antoinette's features ; her 
 whole head of hair had turned almost white during her transit from 
 Varennes to Paris." When the Duchess of Luxembourg was caught 
 making her escape during the terrors of the French Kevolution, and 
 put into prison, it was observed the next morning that her hair had 
 become white. A Spanish officer, distinguished for his bravery, was in 
 the Duke of Alva's camp, and an experiment was made by one of the 
 authorities to test his courage. At midnight the provost-marshal, 
 accompanied by his guard and a confessor, awoke him from his sleep, 
 informing him that, by order of the viceroy, he was to be executed, 
 and had only a quarter of an hour left to make his peace with Heaven. 
 After he had confessed, he said that he was prepared for death, but 
 declared his innocence. The provost-marshal at this moment burst 
 into a fit of laughter, and told him that they merely wanted to try his 
 courage. Placing his hand upon his heart, and with a ghastly paleness 
 he ordered the provost out of his tent, observing that he had " done 
 him an evil ofiice ;" and the next moniing, to the wonder of the whole 
 army, the hail- of his head from having been of a deep black color, 
 had become perfectly white. 
 
 BoreUus relates the circumstance of a young nobleman who " was 
 cast in prison, and on the porrow after, ordered to lose his head ; he 
 passed the night in such fearful apprehensions of death, that the next 
 day, Csesar sitting on the tribunal, he appeared so unlike himself, that 
 
66 DISEASES OF THE HAIR. 
 
 he was known to none that were present, no, not to Csesar himself, the 
 comeliness and beauty of his face being vanished, his countenance like 
 a dead man's, his hair and beard turned grey, and in all respects so 
 changed, that the emperor at first suspected some counterfeit was 
 substituted in his room. He caused him, therefore, to be examined if 
 he were the same, and trial to be made if his hair and beard were 
 not thus changed by art ; but finding nothing counterfeit, astonished 
 , at the countenance and strange visage of the man, he was moved to 
 pity, and mercifully gave him pardon for the crime he had committed." 
 
 When hair becomes suddenly white -under the shock of a severe 
 moral impression, Vauquelin is of opinion," that this phenomenon is to 
 be attributed to the sudden extrication of some acid,, as the oxy muri- 
 atic acid is found to whiten black hairs. Parr thinks that this accident 
 may be owing to the absorption of the oil of the hair, by its sulphiu-, 
 as in the operation of whitening woollen cloths. 
 
 Man, to a certain extent, and many animals in a considerable 
 degree, possess the power of erecting the hairs. This power, in man, 
 is limited to the hair of the head ; in many animals it is much more 
 general. Most persons on sudden exposure to cold, and on experi- 
 encing any emotion of fear or horror, feel a creeping sensation pass 
 over the head ; this sensation is accompanied by a certain degree of 
 erection of the hair ; but not, indeed, to such an extent, as to cause it 
 to " stand on end." Now this emotiop, according to Dr. Hassall, 
 from whom I quote, is the result of the distribution of fibres of elastic 
 and contractile tissue, throughout the substance of the corium, and 
 which interlacing amongst the hair follicles, occasion the erection of 
 the hairs themselves. 
 
 Macbeth says — 
 
 " Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair." 
 
 And again — 
 
 " Thejime has been — * * • 
 * * * and my fell of hair 
 Would at a dismal treatise rduse and stir 
 As life were in't." 
 
 The effects of sudden fright, passion, and excitement, it is well 
 known have frequently an astonishing effect upon the hail-. Sir Walter 
 Scott alludes to this — 
 
 " Baclc from her shoulders streamed her hair ; 
 The locks, that wont her hrow to shade, 
 Stared up erectly on her head." — Marmion, Canto II. 
 
CAUSES OF BALDNESS. 67 
 
 111 the book of Job, at the appearance of a supernatural presence, 
 Eliphaz states that the hair of his " flesh stood up." 
 
 Seneca uses language remarkably similar to this, in describing the 
 effect of fear, in " Hercule ffltaeo" — 
 
 " Vagus per artus errat excussos tremor. 
 Erectus horret crinis, impulsis ad hoc 
 Stat terror animis, et cor attonitum salit, 
 Pavidumque trepidis palpitat venis Jecur." 
 
 So Virgil— 
 
 " Steteruntque comae, et vox faucibus haesit."— y&z. II., 774. 
 
 And again "^n." III., 48, and IV., 289. 
 So also " Mn." XII., 868— 
 
 " Arrectaeque horrore comae.'' 
 
 A similar description of the result of terror is given by Shakspeare 
 in the Ghost's speech to Hamlet — 
 
 " I could a tale unfold, whose lightest word 
 Would make * * * 
 
 The knotted and comljined locks to part. 
 And each particular hair to stand on end, 
 Like quills upon the fretful porcupine." 
 
 The facti that alarm or fright causes the hair to stand on end, is 
 too well established and too common to admit a doubt. The cause 
 may be, that sudden fear drives the blood to the heart as the seat of 
 vitality, and the extremities being left cold, the skin thus contracts, and 
 the effect is to raise the hair. 
 
 The decay, or fall of the hair, in a gradual and diffused manner, 
 commonly commences first on the crown, or on the forehead and 
 temples. It may take place prematurely, and as a consequence of 
 disorder of the digestive organs, or of the constitution, or of a local 
 affection of the scalp, extending to the pilous follicles. It is often an 
 indication of premature exhaustion of organic nervous energy. Pre- 
 mature loss of hair is not confined to the scalp ; but often extends to 
 the eyebrows, beard, and other parts of the body. 
 
 The remote causes of baldness, according to Dr. Copland, CJ)iu- 
 tionary of Practical Medicine) are. Whatever debilitates and exhausts 
 the system ; such as dangerous hemorrhagesj low fevers, care and dis- 
 appointments, the depressing passions and anxiety of mind, excessive 
 
68 DISEASES OF THE HAIR. 
 
 application to study, the contact of rancid, septic, or putrid animal 
 matters with the scalp, and the frequent, or prolonged use of mer- 
 cury. 
 
 It may also be caused by exposure to the sun's rays, by the fumes 
 of quicksilver, by the friction of a military cap or helmet, by chi-onic 
 eruptions of the scalp, and by the use of tobacco. 
 
 It is said to be endemic in some places. Leo Africanus has stated 
 that baldness is common in Barbary ; Tournefort, that it is almost 
 universal in Mycone, one of the Cyclades ; and Sir E. Sibbald, that it 
 was frequent in Shetland, in his time, owing to the fish diet of the 
 inhabitants. That living chiefly on fish, and on poor unwholesome 
 food, may aid in its production, is not improbable. The salts of sea 
 water, left in the hair, wiU sometimes cause it indirectly ; hence it is 
 desirable in sea bathing, for ladies to wear an oil skin cap, as it will, 
 else, be found difficult to dry the hair thoroughly. 
 
 Extreme distress of mind has produced a gradual loss of hair 
 within twenty-four hours ; but such instances are extremely rare. 
 
 The loss of the hair is frequently the result of some organic dis- 
 turbance, arising from derangement of the stomach, indigestions' ex- 
 cessof food, want of exercise, and nervous excitement. 
 
 The best treatment for this defect is frequent cutting ; and due 
 attention to the digestive organs and proper state of health of the body. 
 
 Baldness may arise either from contraction or relaxation of the skin 
 of the head. Strong local irritation, producing a tendency of blood to the 
 part, has frequently been found efficacious in restoring the hair in bald 
 places on the head. Blistering; the application of caustic potash; 
 and an ointment composed of cantharides and lard, have been severally 
 tried, with more or less advantage ; but they are dangerous appli- 
 cations. If the bald parts become red after smart friction with the 
 hand, there is evei-y chance that the skin may be rendered soft and per- 
 meable for the renewed growth of the hair. 
 
 To restore the hair in cases of baldness, requires unremitting atten- 
 tion ; the action of the blood through the thick and deadened tissue of 
 the skin must be promoted; the hair tubes relieved of external embar- 
 rassment ; and a free secretion of the fluid by which hair is nomished, 
 excited. Where hair has once grown, there this organization exists ; 
 it may be torpid, but while the constitutional power is unimpaired by 
 advance of years, or actual disease, it possesses vitality ; and may be 
 restored to activity. 
 
 Several German writers (among others, Dzonde, Dieifenbach, and 
 
CAUSES OP BALDNESS. 69 
 
 Wiesemann) assert as the result of experiments, that hairs plucked from 
 the follicles, and inserted in the punctures of the skin, will take root 
 and grow. This statement, according to Dr. MuUer, requires confir- 
 mation. Dr. Hassall (Microscopic Anatomy of the Human Body) also 
 alludes to the assertion. "Hairs," he observes, "may be transplanted, 
 and it is said, wUl grow after such transplantation, in consequence of 
 the adhesions and organic connection established between them and 
 the adjacent tissues; a fact, of which practical advantage might be 
 taken, if correct." 
 
 Among the Hebrews, as we have seen, baldness was accounted not 
 merely a defect, but a curse ; and among all nations, a premature loss 
 of hair has been usually considered degrading or humiliating. 
 
 The loosening of the hair, which frequently takes place, if neglected, 
 would terminate in baldness. 
 
 Blanching of the hair is comparatively rare in persons of light hair 
 and complexion, being most prevalent in those of swarthy complexion 
 and black hair. 
 
 "No Indian virtue (says a writer in Blackwood for December, 
 1853) is powerful enough to resist the temptation of your hair. Pre- 
 mature baldness, which is not much coveted in this country, is the first 
 of all blessings in those American States that border on the territories 
 of the savage. Few are the certificates that reach Messrs. Eowland and 
 Sons from the frontiers of the far West ! In order to travel with anything 
 like safety, your head must be like a billiard ball. No greater mistake 
 can be committed than to take off your hat, if you have anything like 
 a chevelwre, to a Chippeway, a Sioux, or a Crow ; it is like exhibiting 
 your purse to a footpad, who knows that he can await you half an hour 
 afterwards in a dark lane, and who will meet you undoubtedly, and 
 ease you of your burden, if you are not able to offer resistance." 
 
 The hair of men more commonly falls off than that of women ; and 
 they become bald from the greater excitement of the brain which their 
 pursuits occasion. Bald women are scarcely ever seen; nevertheless, 
 some ladies who follow the pursuits of literature are obliged to cover 
 their baldness with head dresses of hair prepared by the coiffeur. It 
 has been observed that agriculturists, and labouring men in good 
 health, who exercise manual labor out of doors, retain their hair to 
 a late period in life, whilst the man of science and literature, the mer- 
 chant confined to his counting-house, the shopkeeper, and the factory 
 operative, often become bald. This affliction, for it certainly is one, 
 falls also upon ministers of state, lawyers, and legislators, upon all 
 
70 DISEASES OF THE HAIR. 
 
 those, in short, who over exert the intellectual powers, and neglect, or 
 are ignorant of, the precautions necessary to preserve the hair. The 
 sedentary, the studious, the debilitated, and the sickly, are, with few 
 exceptions, those who are earliest visited with grey hairs. The farm 
 laborer, the seaman, all whose employment consists in exercise in the 
 open hair, and whose diet is no better than is necessary to preserve 
 health, are those whose hair latest affords signs that the last progress 
 has commenced, that the fluids have begun to be absorbed, the textures 
 to dry up and become withered. 
 
 The heavy covering for the head, to which men have been doomed, 
 is an unfailing cause of injury to the hair. Many ineffectual attempts 
 have been made to alter the fashion of the unsightly hats in vogue. 
 " Even at the present day," observes Dr. Casenave, " the hat, by its 
 weight, impermeability, and the pressure which it occasions round the 
 head, materially assists in the premature destruction of. the hair.'' 
 M. Eostan entertains a similar opinion. He considers that the calorie 
 accumulated between the hat and the sm-face of the head, and also the 
 rarification of the air, which is like that of a stove, exercises an 
 injurious influence upon the hair itself. M. Precy, in an interesting 
 thesis upon the subject, insists upon the truth of this. He says 
 " that this pressure, in proportion to its force, will have the effect of 
 interrupting the free action of the arteries, diminishing the circulation 
 of the parts, and, consequently, the nutrition of the hair, which then 
 becomes easily detached and falls." In support of this view, he 
 remarks, " that valets, footmen, &c., who remain a great part of the 
 day, wdth the head uncovered, preserve for a long time a copious 
 supply of thick hair ; and that soldiers, who are obliged to wear heavy 
 caps and helmets, become very soon bald." 
 
 I may add, in confirmation of the foregoing remarks, that sailors, 
 butchers' boys, and boys of the ]?lue-coat School, the lower classes 
 of Irish, the Esquimaux-, and others, who continually go with the 
 head uncovered, have usually a copious and fine head of hair. 
 
 Eour causes have been assigned by different parties, for the hair 
 turning grey. 1st. — Lack of the coloring, occasioned by debilitated 
 state of the body, from whatever cause arising. 3nd. — Contraction of 
 the skin, which, nipping the hair too tightly, prevents the colored oil 
 from ascending. 3rd. — It has been supposed that an excess of phos- 
 phate of lime (which is always formed more largely in old persons than 
 young) causes the haii- to change color, by forcing itself into the 
 channels which should be occupied by the oil. And 4th. — It has been 
 
GENERAL DISLIKE TO GEEY HAIRS. 71 
 
 pretended that the depressing emotions of the mind generate a white 
 fluid, and that hence arises the greyness of the hair. 
 
 The two last reasons are, I think, untenable. 
 
 White and grey hairs are natural to old age. When the body 
 becomes infirm from the decay of nature, the coloring matter of the 
 hair refuses to flow. Of course, the hair, either in falling off, or losing 
 its color, must yield to that general law of nature, by which all orga- 
 nized beings are born, and grow, and reach maturity, and then decline, 
 decay, and die. 
 
 An American writer has well observed, that from the earliest 
 periods, there seems to have existed in the minds of even the most 
 intellectual, a general and great dislike to the approacli of grey hairs. 
 This prejudice does not exist in the female mind alone, but is equally 
 shared by the sterner sex. Philosophers tell us that grey hairs are 
 honorable, but they are also very venerable in appearance. 
 
 Show me the most honorable man or woman that would not much 
 rather enjoy" their honors with youth and beauty, than to have the 
 fact constantly before the mind's eye, that their honors will soon "be 
 forgotten. 
 
 Many a vivevr who has taken no note of time is suddenly startled 
 by the discovery, as he shaves, of a few grey hairs — "pursuivants of 
 death"'-' — and he eradicates the tell-tales with any but an agreeable 
 sensation. Our Parisian friends, who seem to be profoundly afflicted 
 at the appearance of the first snows of age, have organised a diligent 
 army-of young girls to war against decay, and to wrest from Time the 
 fatal ensigns he plants upon our brow. The Salons Epilatoit-es, where 
 youth pays this little attention to age for an inconceivably small sum, 
 usually hang out " Plus de Cheveux Gris /" and, indeed, of late, 
 many advertisements in the London papers begin with " No more 
 -Grey Hairs !" 
 
 It is a great mistake to suppose that grey hairs are the natural indi- 
 cation of old age ; such is not the fact. I have seen grey hairs in 
 children not exceeding six years '• old ; and it is very common to see 
 youth, of both sexes, with quite a mixture of grey hairs ; and from 
 twenty to twenty-five, with heads that looked as though seventy winters 
 had passed over them. I am personally acquainted with a gentleman, 
 over seventy years of age, who has not a gTey hair in his head ; 
 proving conclusively, that age has nothing to do with the absence of 
 coloring matter in the hair, neither does it affect in any perceptible 
 manner, the vitality of the hair. The instances I have cited respecting 
 
73 DISEASES OF THE HAIK. 
 
 aged New Zealanders and the aboriginal Brazilians, with black hair, 
 corroborate this. 
 
 I find it stated in " Chamber's Encyclopedia,'' that the people of 
 ancient Troy were so disgusted with grey hair, that they would hold 
 their heads for hours over the steam of boiling herbs, used at that time, 
 in ineifectual attempts to change the color of the hair. 
 
 An anecdote as to the cause of grey hairs, which is floating about 
 just now, may appropriately be given here. At a private party in 
 London, a lady — who, though in the autumn of life, had not lost all 
 dreams of its spring — said to Douglas Jerrold, " I cannot imagine what 
 makes my hair turn grey ; I sometimes fancy it must be the ' essence 
 of rosemary,' with which my maid is in the habit of brnshing 
 it. What do you think ? " "I should rather be afraid, madam," 
 replied the distinguished dramatist drily, "that it is the essence of 
 
 Loss of color of the hair may be accidental, premature, or senile, 
 and it may be partial or general. The hair begins to be grey first, at 
 it» free extremities; but it often changes in that portion which is 
 neai'est the skin. Men usually begin to get gi-ey about forty, many 
 between thirty and forty, and some not until a more advanced age. 
 Blanching of the hair, appears to arise from a diminished secretion of 
 the coloring matter, by the bulbs or follicles. Miscolored' hair, or a 
 preternatural change from a very light to a very dark color, is not 
 unfrequent. 
 
 In some, though very rare, instances, persons have been bom with 
 patches of white hair; and disease will occasionally bring about this 
 singularity. There is in the Museum of Natural History at Paris a 
 veritable portrait of a piebald negro, in which the hair of the head 
 presents very much the parti-colored appearance of the wigs exposed in 
 the hairdressers' windows, half black and white, as specimens of the 
 power of the various hair-dyes. 
 
 The pure whiteness of the hair in Albinos arises from the non- 
 development of the pigment, and this absence extends also to the 
 choroid coat of the eye, as well as to the iris. 
 
 Climate has a great influence on the hair. If dogs taken to the 
 frigid zone, grow shaggy, and if sheep transplanted to the torrid zone, 
 exchange their wool for hair, why may not the human species gradu- 
 ally partake of the influence of climate? as experience shows that it 
 does. The testimony of M. De Pages, who himself experienced this 
 change, is particularly worthy of notice. 
 
SHAVING THE HAIR INJUHIOUS. 73 
 
 In his travels round the world, during the years 1767-71, speaking 
 of the passage over the Great Desert, he says, " The tribes which 
 frequent the middle of the desert, have looks somewhat crisped, ex- 
 tremely fine, and approaching the woolly hair of the Negro. My own, 
 during the short period of my travels in those regions, became more 
 dry and delicate than usual ; and, receiving little nourishment, from a 
 checked perspiration, showed a disposition to assume the same frizzled 
 and woolly appearance. An entire failure of moisture, and the excessive 
 heat of the climate, by which it was occasioned, seem to be the princi- 
 pal causes of those symptoms ; my blood was become extremely dry, 
 and my complexion, at length, differed little from that of a Hindoo or 
 an Arab." 
 
 Fineness and silkiuess of the hair are esteemed as beautiful ; but 
 fineness must not be confounded with weakness. The hair, however 
 fine, of a healthy person, is as strong as if it were coarse ; but the 
 "thinness of Substance of the hair from ill health of body or overgrowth, 
 shows a want of strength and a tendency to break; — the one cannot be 
 mistaken for the other. 
 
 Shaving the head is injurious to the hair, and should never be 
 resorted to unless absolutely necessary, as in cases of sickness. The 
 injurious effects are plainly visible in the tonsure of the Eoman Catholic 
 priesthood, who will be observed, for the most part, bald, before they are 
 forty. 
 
 ' Breschet and Becquerel found, that on shaving off the hair of 
 rabbits and greasing the cuticle, the temperature quickly sunk. 
 
 Herodotus, indeed, tells us that "those who shave the hair most 
 frequently, become bald the latest ; " but this assertion is not borne out 
 by practical experience ; on the contrary, it increases the irritation, on 
 which loss of hair depends ; and while it causes the hair to grow 
 thicker, it, at the same time, induces it to fall earlier, and more 
 easily. 
 
 There are several varieties of the disease, known in the medical 
 profession as Porrigo. Porrigo furfurans is usually confined to the 
 scalp ; but sometimes extends to the ears. The hair which partially 
 falls off, becomes thin, less strong in its texture, and frequently lighter 
 in color. It occurs principally in adults, especially in females. P. 
 lupinosa is sometimes hereditary: and is not exclusively confined to the 
 head. P. decalvans, bald, or ringworm scall, is a singular variety of 
 the disease, which presents limited patches of simple baldness, of more 
 or less circular form, on which not a single hair remains ; while that 
 
74 DISEASES OF THE HAIR. 
 
 whicli surrounds the patches, is as thick as usual. The surface of the 
 scalp within these arese, is smooth, shining, and remarkably white. 
 If the scalp is cleared by constant shaving, and, at the same time, 
 some stimulant liniment be steadily applied to it, this obstinate 
 affliction may be at length overcome, and the hair will regain its usual 
 strength and color. Children, under four years of age, are liable to 
 another form of the eruption, named P. favosa. All crude vegetables 
 and fruits, saccharine preparations, and stimulating substances should 
 be avoided in this form of the disease. 
 
 I That troublesome disorder, ringworm, or scalled head, as the disease 
 called Porrigo scutulata is commonly denominated, usually appears 
 spontaneously on children of feeble habit, who are ill-fe'd, and hot suffi- 
 ciently exercised ; and originates, in a great measure, from uncleanliness. 
 The eruption usually- appears in distinct ci^ahir-yatches upon the 
 scalp. As these extend, the hair loses iji?' color, bseaks off short, and 
 the roots are gradually destroyed. Jliie aocuniul^on ef scm-f on 
 the head is one of the primary rair-c9-,pf riligwonn. The symp- 
 toms are so various, and the uxelliotis of cure so dependent upon the 
 general state of health, 'and other matters, that a medical man should 
 always be consulted ; particularly as the disease is as virulent as con- 
 tagious. / 
 
 The ringworm, of the head is readily disseminated among assem- 
 blages of children, not only on account of the actu^ contact of their 
 heads, but also from the thoughtless interchange of hats, bonnets, 
 caps, &c., and the use of the same combs and hair-brushes, which 
 should be carefully guarded against. Whilst the blotches and the adjoin- 
 ing scalp in this complaint are red or inflamed and very tender, the whole 
 surface should be sponged twice a day with warm water, or some mild 
 fomentation, and afterwards covered by light, clean linen caps. All 
 irritating applications at first tend to aggravate ; the weekly shaving, 
 though absolutely necessary for the preservation of the hair, cannot be 
 performed without pain and difficulty. A blister applied to the scalp 
 sometimes removes the complaint entirely, but in spite of all treat- 
 ment it often retm-ns. Those who eradicate the hair by violent 
 means, expecting that the disease may be thus removed, and the hair 
 grow as thick as before, will find themselves disappointed. Some 
 depilatories do more injury to the scalp in one day, than the disease, 
 left to itself, would effect in three years, if the head were kept clean. 
 
 A change in the color of the hair was, as we have seen in the last 
 chapter, one of the earliest indications of the leprosy in the east, and 
 
PLICA POLONICA. 75 
 
 hence the removal of the hair was particularly enjoined by the Levitical 
 law. 
 
 The long hair of persons who have neglected it, frequently becomes 
 matted, or inextricably interlaced. This kind of false Plica is some- 
 what favored by a morbid secretion from the scalp, and is frequently 
 met with in connection with Porrigo favosa, and other chronic affections 
 of this part. 
 
 In trichomatose , hair, or Plica Polonica, the hair is thickened, 
 softened, matted, or entangled ; and agglutinated by a morbid secretion 
 from their bulbs, and from the scalp : a peculiar offensive smell attends 
 this exudation, from the hair and scalp. The length of the matted hair 
 in Plica, is frequently \onsiderable. Bachstrom relates the case of a 
 Prussian woiigm, whose iiair extended beyond the sides of her bed, and 
 she was in tli^jvabit ^f tiiniing it over to make a quilt of it. Caligerus 
 saw a man ua <^nhageiSywhose clotted locks were six feet three 
 inches in length ; 'and -Ezaczyin^i gives an account of a woman whose 
 hair measured six ells. In- the museum of Dr. Michel, at Halle, is to 
 be seen a specimen of the dise&^ej feight feet long. The beard and the 
 haihof other parts of the body are equally liable to these attacks. — 
 {Dr. Millingen's Cnriosities of Medical Experience.) 
 
 As with ,the 'body so with the hair, a want of cleanliness has its 
 share in the production of disease. Thus the extraordinary disease. 
 Plica Polonica, is scarcely known, excepting among the unkempt serfs 
 of the unfortunate country whose name it bears. 
 
 Dr. Good, in his " Nosology," describes Plica Polonica to consist 
 in the hairs being increased in thickness and vascularity, inextricably 
 curled and matted by the secretion of a glutinous fluid from their 
 roots. Most authors ascribe it to uncleanliness, which is no doubt the 
 ordinary exciting cause, though there seem to be others of equal 
 activity. Dr. Kerckhoffs regards it as a mere result of the custom 
 common among the lowest classes of the Poles, of letting the hair grow 
 to an immense length, of never combing, or in any other way cleaning 
 it, and of constantly covering the head with a thick woollen bonnet or 
 leather cap. 
 
 And hence, he adds, while the rich are in general exempt from the 
 disease, it is commonly to be met with among the poor alone, who 
 wallow in filth and misery, and particularly among the Jews, wlio are 
 proverbially negligent of their persons. It is somewhat singular that 
 this disease should be unknown in other countries, where the hair is in 
 like manner suffered to grow without cutting, and as little attention is 
 
 F 2 
 
76 DISEASES OF THE HAIR. 
 
 paid to cleanliness. Many writers contend for a predisposition in the 
 habit, and affirm that any local accident and a variety of affections in 
 remote organs, may become exciting causes. 
 
 Some curious specimens of the matted and entangled mass of hair 
 resulting from this disease on the human subject, as well as on domestic 
 animals, are to be seen in the Museum of the Eoyal College of Sur- 
 geons, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London. Dogs and cats which are forcibly 
 confined, and thus prevented from cleansing and separating their haii 
 and fur, soon become possessed of a diseased coat, in which the hair is 
 matted and entangled in large and unsightly masses of an unnatiural 
 growth. A remarkable instance of this is afforded in the singular 
 appearance of the hair of a cat, which is preserved in the above museum 
 under a glass case. 
 
 A cm-ions case is related on this subject, by Dr. Schlegel. " A 
 drunken coachman was carried away by a pair of spirited young horses, 
 who precipitated themselves, with the fragments of the broken carriage, 
 into the Moskwa. One of the animals was drowned; but the- other 
 contrived to extricate ftself, and swam ashore. It continued sick for 
 a considerable time, and on its convalescence, the Plica broke out in 
 its entire coat." 
 
 A man bearing the name of Scapiglione, described as a modern 
 Samson, was shown in Paris and London in 1841, who had a most 
 wonderful head of hair, more like a mop, and much resembling the 
 Fejee head-dress. It stood out in a kind of helmet, four feet and a 
 half in circumference, and required cutting every week. 
 
 Partial excess of hair, or the growth of hair in unusual parts, is 
 very common. The most frequent examples of it, are in sterile women, 
 who often have more or less of a beard, after they pass the age of 
 thirty. The growth of hair on the upper lip, is sometimes seen in 
 young, as well as in aged women ; and either on the chin chiefly, or on 
 both the chin and upper lip, is often met with in females about, or 
 after the change in life, and occasionally even in those who have had 
 several children. 
 
 General excess of hair is not often seen; but Dr. Copland states, 
 that he knew two persons whose bodies were so thickly covered with 
 hair, excepting the parts of the face, hands, and feet, that are usually 
 devoid of it, as nearly to prevent the skin from appearing through it. 
 Both were remarkable for strength and endurance ; and in both the 
 hair was dark brown. 
 
 Hanno, we are told, brought two females from the Gorgodes (Cape 
 
STJPEKILUOUS HAIR ON FEMALES. 77 
 
 de Verde Islands), wliose bodies were profusely covered with hair, and 
 their skins were subsequently stuffed and suspended in the temple of 
 Juno, at Carthage. Crawfurd, in his " Mission to Ava," mentions a man 
 who was covered from head to foot with hair. The hair on the face of 
 this singular being, the ears included, was shaggy and about eight 
 inches long. On the breast and shoulders it was from four to five, 
 He was a native of the Shan country, on the banks of the Martaban 
 river. He married a Burmese woman, by whom he had two daughters, 
 and the youngest was covered with hair like her father, only that it 
 was white or fair, wliereas his had become brown or black, although it 
 was fair when he was a child. 
 
 Occasionally ladies are troubled with beards. A bearded woman 
 was taken by the Prussians, at the battle of Pultowa, and presented to 
 the Czar, Peter I., in 1724; her beard measured a yard and a half in 
 length. Another woman was also seen at Paris with a bushy beard. 
 
 Hippocrates has preserved in his sixth book the names of two 
 bearded fair ones, in whom this masculine appendage was no obstacle 
 to matrimony. Phoetusa, the wife of Pythias of Abdera, and Hanysia, 
 the wife of Gorgippus, of Thases. Schenkius, in his " Observationa 
 Medica," states that at Paris in his day there was a woman with a black 
 moustache of great size, whose chin was also exceeding hairy. Bulwer, 
 in his " Anthropometamorphis," affirms that there is a mountain in 
 Ethiopia, near the Ked Sea, where women live who have prolix beards. 
 Southey, in his " Omniana" (vol. 2, p. 54,), alludes to a female saint 
 whom the Jesuit Sautel, in his " Annius Saoer Poeticus," has celebrated 
 for her beard, a mark of divine favour bestowed on her for her prayers ! 
 In the Cabinet of Curiosities of Stutgard, in Germany, there is the 
 portrait of a woman called Bartel Graetge, whose chin is covered with 
 a very large, beard. It was drawn in 1587, when she was but 25 years 
 of age. There is, however, a second portrait of her in the Cabinet, taken 
 at a more advanced period of life, with the beard still strongly marked. 
 The Duke of Saxony is said to have had the portrait of a poor Swiss 
 woman taken, who was remarkable for a long bushy beard. At the 
 Carnival t\t Venice, in 1726, a female astonished the spectators not 
 more by her talents in dancing than by her chin being covered with 
 a black bushy beard. 
 
 The great Margaret, governess of the Netherlands, had a very long 
 stiff beard. 
 
 Madame Fortunne, a native of Geneva, lately exhibited in London, 
 had a beard of enormous length. Her neck and arms also produced 
 
78 DISEASES OF THE HAIK. 
 
 tair in large quantities. She had not long been married, and had a 
 female infant. She was stated to be twenty-one years of age,, and her 
 face was surrounded by a thick bushy beard as black as jet, about 
 four inches in length. She is the sam'e person who was described in 
 the Lancet, in 1852, as J. B. 
 
 In the year 1655 there was publicly shown for money a woman 
 named Augustina Barbara, the daughter of Balthazar Ursler, then in 
 her twenty-second year. Her whole body, and even her face, was 
 covered with curled hair, of a yellow color, and very soft, like wool; 
 she had besides a thick beard that reached to her girdle, and from her 
 cars hung long tufts of yellowish hair. She had then been married 
 about a year. — {Cauljield's Portraits, Memoirs, ^e., of Remarkable 
 Persons. Vol. 2.) 
 
 Evelyn, in his " Diary," vol. I., p. 297, mentions thjs female under 
 the name of Barbai-a Van Beck or Urseline ; — 
 
 "Sept. 15, 1657. — I saw the hairy woman twenty years old, 
 whom I had before seen when a child. She was bom at Augsburg, in 
 Germany. Her very eyebrows were curled upwards, and all her fore- 
 head as thick and even as grows on any woman's head, neatly dressed; 
 a very long lock of hair out of each eare ; she had also a most prolix 
 beard and moustaches, with long locks growing on ye middle of ye 
 nose, like an Iceland dog exactly, the colour of a bright browne, fine 
 as well-dressed flax. She was now married, and told me she had one 
 child, and it was not hairy, nor were any of her relations. She was 
 very well shaped, and plaied w*Il on ye harpsichord, &c." 
 
 Pepys also speaks of a bearded female, shown about eleven years 
 subsequently: — 
 
 "Dec. 21, 1668. — Went into Holbome, and there saw the woman 
 that is to be seen with a beard. She is a little plain woman, a Dane ; 
 her name Ursula Dyan, about forty years old, her voice like a little 
 girl's, with a beard as much as any man I ever saw, black almost and 
 grisly ; it began to grow at seven years old, and was shaved not above 
 seven months ago, and is now so big as any man's almost that I ever 
 saw. 1 say bushy and thick. It was a strange sight to mc, I confess, 
 and what pleased me mightily." — (Diary, vol. IV., p. 222.) 
 
 Dr. Chowne, physician of the Charing Cross Hospital, in a lecture 
 on unusual liirsute growths in females, delivered in 1852, cites several 
 other very remarkable instances. He mentions the fact that he had 
 been informed by Mr. Druit, of Clarges-street, that he had seen at St. 
 Cloud a female with profuse beard and moustache, who occupied a booth, 
 
SUPEllFLUOUS HAIR ON FEMALES. 79 
 
 as a curiosity to be seen by the public. Mr. Dmit says he found a 
 modest looking girl of seventeen years of age, born in Switzerland. 
 She had a long, curly beard and moustache which might have excited 
 the envy of a cuirassier, and had almost every visible part of the body 
 covered with black hair. Wherever on the body of an ordinary human 
 being there is a short down, there this girl had quite a thick coat of 
 hair, especially on the back of the neck, down the back, and on the 
 arms. With the exception of the inordinate growth of hair, she was a 
 feminine looking person, of modest mannei'. 
 
 A female with singular patches of hair and moles on the neck, 
 arms and body, was shown in London in 1720. Another young lady 
 of thirty years of age, a native of Barcelonette, in the Lower Alps, 
 was also exhibited here in 1841, who had a beard of six inches in 
 length, whiskers and moustache. 
 
 la May, 1829, a female, aged 26, a native of Piedmont, was 
 shown at 26, St. James's Street, London, with a beard eight inches 
 long, large whiskers and moustaches. 
 
80 PHACTICE OF APPLVING UNGUENTS TO ITJE HAIB. 
 
 /' 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 PRACTICE OF APPLYING UNGUENTS ANP '-eiLS TO THE HAIK. 
 
 "The hair," observes Dr. Burgess, "is one of 1th^ most-important 
 elements of that ensemble which constitutes'iii\jri»l3eajity. It is owing 
 to the universal admission of this fact, that ingeniiitv has been set to 
 work in every age, with the view of discovei'ing rdmedifes oapable of 
 increasing, or of even creating the constituent chai'acters'of a fine head 
 of hair : for instance, to increase the length, to increase its thickness, 
 its pliancy and lustre, to repair the defects of nature, or of age, to 
 remedy false direction of the hair, to alter its color, in short, to do all 
 this by means of postiches." 
 
 Every nation, however barbarous, has its peculiai- greasy application 
 for the hail", locally obtained. The Esquimaux uses train and seal oil; 
 the Greenhinder and others, various fish oils ; the natives of the rivers 
 and coasts of parts of Brazil and South America, near the Amazon, 
 Orinoco and other large rivers, turtle oil, and fat obtained from the 
 crocodile and alligator ; some of the New Zealanders and natives of 
 the Pacific, shark oil. These rancid applications, and, indeed, most 
 animal fats, from their harsh properties, are peculiarly injurious, and 
 are the promoting causes of many of the scrofulous diseases of the 
 scalp. 
 
 Vegetable oils are infinitely preferable, and are in general use in most 
 warm countries. Olive oil is that used by the natives of the shores of 
 the Mediterranean. Coco-nut and castor oil by the natives of the 
 West Indies and Pacific Islands. Palm oil, shea oil from the 
 butter tree ; nut oil, from the earth nut ; and Ghee, or fluid butter, 
 are patronized by the various African tribes. 
 
 Since Cleopatra fii'st employed bear's gi'ease, an endless variety of 
 oleaginous applications have been extolled for stimulating the growth 
 of the hair. Among others recommended from time to time, have 
 been the oils of laurel, nuts, wormwood, juniper, and the fat of ducks, ' 
 
OIL NECESSARY FOR THE HAIR. 81 
 
 moles, and serpents, particularly the viper. Beef marrow and hog's lard 
 are common applications in the present day. We find, in the works of 
 Liebaut and Guyon, a number of strange compounds recommended ; 
 the latter, among other secret remedies, strongly praises lizard's oil ; 
 and the traditionary fame of some of these unguents stUl exists on 
 the continent. Crow's liver, swallow's dung, and other offensive sub- 
 stances were also formerly in use for the hair, as alleged improvers 
 and beautifiers. 
 
 Some forty or fifty bears, of the common European brown species, 
 according- to a writer in the Quarterly Review , are annually slaughtered 
 in liondon for their grease, but this would go but a small way towards 
 supplying the necessary unguent for some two millions of heads ; and 
 we are not told wh'p^Her any native gTsase is imported from Kussia 
 other than the ti ^vv, for which we so largely depend on that empire. 
 The American black bear is also encased in an enormous layer of 
 fat, but we do n4t hear that the colonists in Canada ever use its 
 grease for the hair. 
 
 Custom and experience have preceded science in teaching us to keep 
 the hair clean by occasional washing and frequent brushing, and to avoid 
 daubing it profusely with coarse and common unguents and ointments, 
 pomades and flour, by which our ancestors converted the hair into a 
 dirty pudding. Many females for cheapness use lard, others clog the 
 roots of the hair with thick compounds, sold under various popular 
 names. These applications' are injurious, as they prevent the scalp 
 from being properly cleansed, and act as a foreign]substance, in addition 
 to the ordinary products of the secretion of the parts : and so, 
 according to the nature of their composition, excite more or less 
 irritation in the skin, and even inflammation itself. These residts, 
 according to Dr. Burgess, almost invariably occur when rancid grease 
 or bad oil, are often used, and especially when cosmetics contain- 
 ing active ingredients, as eanilla, quinquina, &c., are habitually 
 employed. 
 
 When the dry scales and cells of the oil and hair-tubes collect at 
 the source of the latter, from a deficiency of oleaginous products 
 they impede the growth of the hair, and occasion a good deal of 
 itching and uneasy feeling, which can only be. removed by tearing up 
 the filmy covering with a hard brush, and applying fluid oil. 
 
 The hair i^ sometimes rigid, crisp, and hard. This condition seems 
 to depend upon a deficient secretion of oily matter, by which the hair is 
 covered and protected. Fluid oil should therefore be applied. The ■ 
 
83 PRACTICE OF APPLYING UNGUENTS TO THE HATE. 
 
 nutrient vessels and sentient nerves of each hair, are, according' to 
 Dr. Hassall, distributed around and outside the sheath, and not in a 
 raised papilla, as generally described ; although this may really be the 
 case in the large hairs of the whiskers of some animals ; as for example, 
 the tactile hairs of the seal, &c. The fact of the hair usually pene- 
 trating below the level of the true skin and into the sub-cutaneous 
 fatty tissue, seems to disprove the notion of a distinct and vascular 
 papilla. 
 
 Hairs are eminently hygroscopic, and imbibe moisture from the air 
 and from the skin, in consequence of which they lose their set, or curl, 
 and become flaccid and straight. 
 
 Chemical analysis proves to us that the natural and free secretion 
 of the lubricating fluid which is found in the tubes of the hair, is 
 essential to its proper growth and healthy action. When the quantity 
 secreted is small, the hair is usually harsh, coarse, and unmanageable ; 
 whilst in those who have it in the greatest abundance, the hair, on the 
 contrary, is fine and silky, and comparatively free from scurf. As 
 science and experience have taught us to improve the growth of plants 
 by artificial fertilizers, so should the practice of tie various uncivilised 
 nations induce us to supply the hair with that nourishment of which, 
 from constitutional weakness or extraneous and exciting causes, it may 
 be deficient. Pure fluid vegetable oils are among the best topical 
 applications, of which we have no better examples than the inhabitants 
 of the coasts of the Mediterranean, the various islanders of the Pacific 
 and the Negroes of the West Indies and Africa, where olive, coco- 
 nut, castor, palm, earth nut, and other translucid stimulating oils are 
 in general use. Animal oils and fatty substances, as I have ah-eady 
 observed, are objectionable as being too caustic, and from their want 
 of fluidity not easily absorbed by the hair. 
 
 Oil, if not applied too copiously, wiU keep the hair in cui'l during 
 moist or damp weather, as well as in ball-rooms, theatres, and other 
 places of public amusement. Hair loses its curl when it imbibes 
 moisture, and oil prevents this. 
 
 In applying oil, care should be taken to anoint the hairs not only 
 iu their entire length, but also at the roots, wheft the hair should be 
 separated or divided, so as to admit of its more direct application. 
 The hair should never be made too greasy ; but the superfluous quan- 
 tity should be removed or difinsed with the brush, or with the palm of 
 the hand. 
 
CUSTOM OF ANOINTING IN THE EAST. 83 
 
 Oil tends to relax the skin when it is harsh, dry, and contracted, 
 and the bulbs of the hair show symptoms of decay from a want of nou- 
 rishment. , 
 
 The practice of pouring oil on the hair, head, and beard is alluded 
 to in CXXXIII. Psalm, v. 2. Anointing in general was emblematical 
 of a particular sanctification, a dedication to the service of God, to a 
 holy and sacred use. They anointed kings and high priests at their 
 inauguration. God prescribed to Moses the manner of making the 
 oil, or perfumed ointment, with which the priests and the vessels of 
 the tabernacle were to be anointed. It was to be composed of the most 
 exquisite perfumes and balsams, and was prohibited for all other 
 uses. The Jewish sacred ointment was compounded of olive oil, 
 cinnamon, calamus or sweet flag, (an aromatic reed,) cassia, and pure 
 myrrh. It contained twice as much of the two latter spices as of the 
 former ingredients. The prophet Ezekiel (ch. xxiii., v. 41) upbraids 
 his people with having madca like perfume for their own use. The 
 Saviour speaks of anointing the hair in his sermon on the Mount 
 (Matthew, ch. vi., v. 17). 
 
 Where it could be effected, the head or other parts of the body were 
 daily anointed with sweet or olive oil (Kuth,. ch. iii. v. 3 ; II. Samuel, 
 ch. xiv. v. 2) In a warm climate exposed to the great heat of the 
 sun, this practice -conduced much to health, preserved the skin smooth 
 and tender, and afforded a most grateful sensation and odor. 
 
 This custom of anointing the hair and body is common at the 
 present day throughout the east, where it is used not only as a part of 
 personal elegance 'and dress, but also medically, as being beneficial 
 in certain disorders, and even, as some say, pieventing the plague. 
 
 We read of ointments for the head in Eccles. ch. ix. v. 8 ; our own 
 pomatums, some of which are pretty strongly essenced, may indicate 
 the natm'e of these, as being their representatives in this country. 
 
 Ointments and oils were used in warm countries after bathing ; 
 and as oil was the first recipient of fragrance, probably from herbs 
 ■ &c. steeped in it, many kinds of unguents not made of olive oil, 
 retained that appellation. As the plants imparted somewhat of their 
 color as well as their fragrance, hence the expression " green oil," &c., 
 in the Hebrew. The oil of gladness spoken of in Psalm, xlv. v. 7, 
 and Isaiah, Ixi, v. 3, is the perfumed oil with which the Hebrews anointed 
 themselves on days of rejoicing and festivity. The unguents andperfumed 
 oils were kept in alabaster boxes and other costly vessels. Koberts 
 
84 PHACTICE OP APPLYING DNGUENTS TO THE HAIR. 
 
 states, that no one ever enters into company in tlie east without being 
 well perfumed, and in addition to various scents and oils, they are 
 adorned with numerous garlands made of the most odoriferous flowers. 
 The persons and hair of the Assyrian ladies were scented with the 
 richest oils and perfumes. 
 
 The Jews, says Dr. Cox, in his " Biblical Anti<iuities," addicted 
 themselves to anointing, which consisted either of simple oU or such 
 as had aromatic spices infused. They applied ointments chiefly to 
 those parts of the body which were most exposed to the atmosphere, 
 and by this means they were considerably secured against its changes and 
 inclemencies. 
 
 The practice was followed by the Greeks and Eomans, and accord- 
 ing to Dr. Adam, there was attached to the Eoman public baths an 
 unctuarium, where the visitors were anointed all over with a coarse 
 cheap oil before they began their ablutions. Here the finer odoriferous 
 ointments which were used in coming out of the bath were also kept ; 
 and the room was so situated as to receive a considerable degree of 
 heat. This chamber of perfu^mes was quite full of pots, like an 
 apothecary's shop ; and those who wished to anoint and perfume the 
 body, received perfumes and unguents. 
 
 It is singular how frequently we fall back upon old customs, and this is 
 well exemplified in the case of fashions in dress, which are regularly 
 reproduced, with some few alterations, after the lapse of years, leading 
 to the conviction that there is really nothing new under the sun. 
 Chambers' Edinburgh Journal, in March, 1853, had an article recom- 
 mending on the score of health, the revival of the ancient practice, which 
 is still followed extensively in eastern countries, of anointing the body 
 with oU. Medical men have recently discovered that workers in the 
 wool mills of our manufacturing districts, owing to the large absorp- 
 tion of oil by the skin, are exempt from the attacks of consumption 
 and scrofula, and hence it is thought that anointing the body with oil 
 might be of important service, as far as some of our most serious 
 maladies are concerned. Cod liver oU frequently excites nausea when 
 swallowed, aiid if the same nutriment to the body could be obtained 
 by supplying fatty matter for the blood from the exterior, it would be 
 a valuable change to the delicate patient. " 
 
 The Asiatics, Polynesians, Africans, and other intertropical natives 
 difi'use oil over their persons, to soften the skin and protect it from in- 
 sects ; and at Tahiti, Tongataboo, and others of the Polynesian islands 
 it is used scented with various native perfumes, giving a delightful 
 
KOWLAKDS MACASSAK OIL. 85 
 
 fragrance to the flowing tresses and elegant persons of the dark, 
 fascinating beauties of those delightful islands. 
 
 My own preparation for the hair has been so long before the public, 
 (more than half a century,) and is so thoroughly appreciated, that it is 
 quite unnecessary for me to do more than allude to it in this place. 
 In the progress, however, of my widely extended business transactions 
 with all parts of the world, I have acquired much valuable botanical 
 and scientific information, and have at the same time constantly availed 
 myself of every ingredient and improved addilion that appeared calcu- 
 lated to be useful for promoting and stimulating the growth of the hair. 
 The discoveries of chemical science, careful analysis, and the rapid 
 extension of trade with distant parts of the world, have enabled me to 
 add largely from time to time to the virtues of my Macassar oil, so 
 that it has maintained and preserved its high reputation in the face of 
 all rivalry ; and is well known and esteemed in every town throughout 
 the world. Its periodical use gives to the hair not only a beautifully 
 smooth and glossy appearance, but serves to strengthen and invigorate 
 its growth. 
 
 Byron long since, in his description of Donna Inez, has immor- 
 talised it — 
 
 " In virtue nothing earthly could surpass her, 
 Save thine 'incomparable oil' — Macassar!" 
 
 The general use of such precious oil and fragrant perfumes among 
 the ancient Eomans, particularly by the ladies of rank and fashion 
 may be inferred from these words of Virgil — 
 
 " Ambrosiseque comae divinum vertici odorem 
 Spiravere." — JEn. I., 403. 
 
 From her head ambrosial looks breathed divine fragrance. 
 
 In most countries at the present day oleaginous applications are 
 applied to stimulate the growth, and to darken and give a glossy 
 appearance to the hair. Each nation, as we have seen, has its local 
 oil. • 
 
 Dr. Chas. Johnston relates a laughable anecdote of a mistake com- 
 mitted by a native of Africa. The doctor had set a bowl of milk and 
 ground rice aside to cool, and one of the tribe amidst which he was 
 located, seeing as he supposed such a capital opportunity of greasing 
 his hair with what he took to be prepared sheep's-tail fat, squatted 
 down by the side of the bowl, and before the hungi-y traveller could 
 
86 PRACTICE OP APPLYINQ UNGUENTS TO THE HAIU. 
 
 prevent him, had filled his hair with the greater part of its contents, 
 having taken two large handfuls from the bowl, and well rubbed it 
 into his long dirty matted locks. No one could help laughing at the 
 mistake, as the disappointed Bedouin anxiously tried to wipe away 
 with his tobe, all traces of a composition, which he was led to believe 
 by his joking companions would have the effect of reddening the 
 color of the hair, like the quicklime dressing, which changes to that 
 hue the hail' of the Somalee exquisite. — {Traveh in Southern Abyssinia, 
 ^vol. I., p. 415.) , 
 
 Mr. St. John in his " Isis, or an Egyptian Pilgrimage,'' thus 
 alludes to a young Nubian beauty : — " I should observe-, moreover, 
 that her skin was well moistened, and I am sorry to add, with castor 
 oil, which rendered her anything but- odoriferous. With its assistance, 
 she kept her hair in the finest order imaginable, her curls and tresses 
 being very numerous, and descending in black masses on her shoulders; 
 but they were so saturated that she seemed to have taken her head out 
 of an oil-jar. The dripping from her hair descended on her bosom and 
 shoulders, and trickled gradually to her feet. This was tlie general 
 custom, but the little girls about twelve or thirteen must have made use 
 of some more delicate substance, for, though their forms looked smooth 
 and polished, they emitted none of those effluvia which in my friend of 
 the bracelets were so unpleasant. When they sat iu the sun, crouched 
 in front of a wall — their favorite situation — I could smell them, with 
 a favorable wind, at a distance of two hundred yards. Eeturning one 
 day from the desert, I observed to one of my companions, as we 
 approached a village — ' You will find there is a bevy of women behind 
 yonder wall ;' and sure enough, when we came up, there they were, to 
 the number of twenty or thirty, dripping with oil and mutton fat, and 
 looki:ig as sleek and shining as if they had just emerged from a bath of 
 melted tallow." 
 
 Among the Negroes in the West Indies and Brazil coco-nut oil 
 is the principal unguent; but castor oil is sometimes used for the 
 hair. 
 
 In Trinidad and some' of the other West India islands, the Negroes 
 use oarap oil, obtained from the seeds of a common indigenous tree 
 called Oarapa guianensis, and this oil is highly esteemed as an imguent 
 for the hair. Many of the South Sea Islanders lubricate it with 
 shark oil and other fish oils, without distinction as to its sweetness or 
 rancidity. 
 , Coco-nut oil is often scented with aromatic herbs at Tahiti, to be 
 
VARIOUS APPLICATIONS FOE THE HAIK. 87 
 
 employed by the natives in anointing the hair and body. At the 
 island of Tongatabu, small calabashes (fruit o^ Melodinus scandens) are 
 filled with coco-nut oil perfumed by the sandal wood, or various sweet- 
 scented flowers, indigenous to the island. 
 
 Herman Melville, in his interesting work describing a " Eesidence 
 in the Marquesas," says — 
 
 " The long, luxuriant, and glossy tresses of the Typee damsels 
 often attracted my admiration. A fine head of hair is the pride and 
 joy of every woman's heart ! Whether, against the express will of 
 Providence, it is twisted up on the crown of the head and there coiled 
 away ; whether it be built up in a great tower with combs and pins, 
 or is plastered over the head in sleek, shining folds ; or whether it be 
 permitted to flow over the shoulders in natural ringlets, — it is always the 
 pride of the owner and the glory of the toilette. 
 
 " The Typee girls devote much of their time to the dressing of theii' 
 fair and redundant locks. After bathing, as they sometimes do, five 
 or six times every day, the hair is carefully dried, -and if they have 
 been in the sea, invariably washed in fresh water, and anointed with 
 a highly-scented oil extracted from the meat of the coco-nut. This 
 oil is obtained in great abundance by the following process. A large 
 vessel of wood, with holes perforated in the bottom is fiUed with 
 the pounded nut, and exposed to the rays of the sun. As the 
 oleaginous matter exudes, it faRs in drops through the apertures into 
 a wide-mouthed calabash placed underneath. After a sufficient 
 quantity has thus been collected, the oil undergoes a puiifyiug 
 process, and is then poured into the small spherical nuts of the moo- 
 tree, which are hoUowed out to receive it. These nuts are then 
 hermetically sealed with a resinous gum, and the vegetable fragrance 
 of their green rind soon imparts to the oil a delightful odor. After 
 the lapse of a few weeks, the exterior shells of the nuts become quite 
 dry and hard and assume a beautiful carnation tint ; and when 
 opened they are found to be about two-thirds fuU of an ointment of a 
 light yellow color, and diffusing the sweetest perfume. This elegant 
 little odorous globe would not be out of place even upon the toilette 
 of a queen. Its merits as a preparation for the hair are undeniable, 
 it imparts to it a superb gloss and a silky fineness." 
 
 " The glowing sky of the Indian Isles 
 Lovingly over the coco-nut smiles. 
 
88 PKACTICE OF APPLYING UNGUENTS TO THE HAIR. 
 
 And the Indian maiden lies below. 
 
 Where its leaves their graceful shadows throw ; 
 
 She waves a wreath of the rosy shells. 
 
 That gem the beach where the coco dwells. 
 
 She binds them into her long black hair. 
 
 And they blnsh in the braids like rosebuds there. 
 
 Her soft brown arm and her graceful neck. 
 
 With those ocean-blooms she joys to deck. 
 Oh, wherever you see 
 The coco-nut tree. 
 There will a picture of beauty be." 
 
 Mrs. Osgood. 
 
 The Singhalese anoint their bodies with coco-nut oil after bathing, 
 and invariably use it for the sake of giving a glossy and smooth appear- 
 ance to the hair, and it is in great requisition by both sexes. 
 
 Uncivilized nations, however, although appreciating fully the value 
 of vegetable oils for the hair, are obliged to use them in their crude 
 state, and lack the advantages possessed by Europeans of being able to 
 test by scientific enquiry the peculiar properties and virtues of each, and 
 thus having a combination of those most beneficial for the preservation 
 and improvement of the hair. 
 
 Dr. Sir John Eichardsoii tells us that the Indian tribes of Arctic 
 America use the Geum sirictum for the purpose of increasing the growth 
 of the hair. They dry the flowers in the sun, powder them, and mix 
 them with bear's grease. 
 
 The pods of the Mimosa saponaria are collected in some parts of 
 India for washing the hair. 
 
 M. Arago, in his voyage round the world, remarks that the South 
 Sea Islanders, who have fine long hair, with a silky gloss, promote its 
 beauty by frequently washing it, and then oiling it. 
 
 The oil used by the Feejeeans for the hair is procured by squeezing 
 a nut called maiketu ; and the carbonaceous black mixed with it, to 
 color it, is prepared from the laudi nut. The oU of the ground, or 
 earth-nut, very common in "Western Africa, is sometimes used for the 
 hair ; and that of the kanari nut in Java. 
 
 Washing the hair occasionally with lukewarm water is found bene- 
 ficial. Some advocate washing the head with cold water daily, while 
 others strongly condemn the practice. " Frequent cutting of the hair, 
 observes Dr. Willich), is of advantage to the eyes, the ears, and, indeed, 
 to the whole body ; in like manner, the daily washing of the head with 
 cold water, is an excellent remedy against periodical headaches. It is 
 
WASHES AND DYES FOR THE HAIE. 89 
 
 altogether a mistaken idea, that there is a danger of catching cold 
 from the practice of washing the head, or leaving it exposed to the 
 free air after having been washed. The more frequently the surface 
 is cleansed of scorbutic and scaly impurities, the more easy and com- 
 fortable we feel." 
 
 Various spiritous washes for the hair have been from time to 
 time recommended, of which it would be impossible to giv? even an 
 enumeration. 
 
 Some writers inform us that in China and other eastern countries, 
 the hair is darkened with the juice of several plants indigenous to the 
 soil ; but what these are we are not told. The hair may be tinged, it 
 is said, with the juice of the Ketmia rose, but then, where is a sufficient 
 quantity of petals to be obtained to furnish anything like a proper 
 supply of the juice. 
 
 The hair, as weU as the surface or scarf-skin, can be dyed of 
 various colors, but the color is not durable, and the process requires 
 to be often renewed. Every hairdresser and perfumer has his parti- 
 cular hair dye ; the virtues of which, as a matter of course, are alleged 
 to be superior to all others. It would be out of place to go into their 
 several properties or merits here, and I should exceedingly regret 
 having to enter on any invidious discussions in a popular treatise of 
 this kind intended for extensive circulation. 
 
 The practice of dyeing the hair (observes Dr. Casenave) is of very 
 ancient origin, for we find in all ages, men, who were the votaries of 
 fashion, changing the color of their hair ; and others endeavoring to 
 conceal the ravages of time, of mental anguish, or of disease, using cos- 
 metics, seldom innocuous, for the same purpose. In many pages of 
 this volume, I have cited instances to show the prevalence of this 
 custom among nations, savage and civilized, ancient and modern. 
 Fashion holds its sway in this respect alike among the ignorant and 
 savage residents of the Oceanic isles, and the more civilized and edu- 
 cated Europeans. 
 
 At a large dinner party, given the other day by one of our fashion- 
 ables who has already passed a " certain age," yet who piques herself 
 on her beauty and her abundance of raven tresses, her little daughter, 
 a fair- haired, blue eyed fairy of some six or seven summers, appeared 
 at the dessert with her golden tresses dyed as black as a raven's wing. 
 " What is the meaning of this metamorphosis ? " exclaimed both 
 parents and guests, in astonishments The child laughed joyfully, and 
 
 G 
 
911 PRACTICE OP APPLYING UNGUENTS TO THE HAIR. 
 
 naively answered, " Ah ! I have blackened my hair with the water 
 mamma blackens hers with!" 
 
 Acids and alkalies dissolve the hair, and this accounts for the use 
 of alkaline and soapy solutions to soften the hair, by aU nations that 
 cut the beard. 
 
P/tifiTORy nf fOfi/V/SM, 
 
 Plate, 5 
 
 £3 BAiirnOtOitfiii ClOS£. 
 
PLEA FOR THE BEARD AND MOUSTACHE. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 A PLEA FOR THE BEARD AND MOUSTACHES. 
 
 It may be safely argued, as a general physiological principle, that 
 whatever evinces -a free and natural development of any part of the 
 body is by necessity beautiful. Deprive the lion of his mane, the cock 
 of its comb, the peacock of the emerald plumage of its tail, the ram 
 and deer of their horns, and they not only become displeasing to the 
 eye, but lose much of their power and vigor. And it is easy to apply 
 this reasoning to the hairy ornaments of a man's face. The caprice of 
 fashion alone forces the Englishman to shave off those appendages 
 which give to the male countenance that true masculine character indi- 
 cative of energy, bold daring, and decision. 
 
 The presence or absence of the beard as an addition to the face, is 
 the most marked and distinctive peculiarity between the countenance of 
 the two sexes. Who can hesitate to admire the noble countenance of 
 the Osmanli Turk of Constantinople, with his un-Mongolian length of 
 beard ? Ask any of the fair sex whether they will not approve and 
 admire the noble countenance of Mehemet Ali, Major Herbert 
 Edwardes, the hero of the Punjab, Sir Charles Napier, and others, as 
 set off by the beard ? — We may ask with Beatrice — 
 
 " What manner of man is he ? 
 Is his head worth a hat, or his chin worth a beard ? " 
 
 I have noticed the whiskers and beards of many of our most eminent 
 physicians and merchants encroaching upon their former narrow boun- 
 daries, while it is well known that not a few of our divines have been 
 long convinced of the folly of disobeying one of nature's fixed laws ; 
 but hitherto, their unwillingness to shock the prejudice of their congre- 
 gations, have prevented them from giving effect to their convictions. 
 The London Methodist Quarterly Review recently took up the subject, 
 and the following is an extract from it : — 
 
 " It may surprise not a few when we say that the bronchitic affec- 
 
 G 2 
 
ai PLEA FOR THE BEARD AND MOUSTACHE. 
 
 tions under which ministers of the gospel so frequently labour, are often 
 due to the violation of a hygienic law. The fact that the Creator 
 planted a beard upon the face of the human male, thus making it a law of 
 his physical being, indicates, in a mode not to be misunderstood, that the 
 distinctive appendage was bestowed for the purpose of being worn. 
 Moreover, physiologically considered, these views are corroborated by 
 experience ; for diseases of the throat have, in many instances, been 
 traced directly to the shaving of the beard, the liability disappeaiirig 
 with its growth, and vice versa. Let then all our ministers of religion 
 wear beards, for the Bible and nature are in favour of it ; nor is the 
 great head of the Church, Christ himself, ever seen in a painting witli- 
 out a beard ; and it was said by the early Christian father Teitullian, 
 that to shave the beard is ' blasphemy against the face. *'" 
 
 Dr. Dixon, a leading physician of New Tcq-k, in his influential 
 publication, T/ie Scalpel, strongly advocates the wearing of the beard, 
 and some able letters have recently appeared oir the subject in the 
 Montreal Herald, a commercial daily journal of Canada. 
 
 A recent decree of the Emperor of Austria forbids his civil fsnc- 
 tionaries, of whatever gi'ade, to wear beards. " Genteel" whiskers and 
 properly trimmed moustaches may still be worn. The new regu- 
 lation is anything but popular with those whose chins have not been 
 familiar with cold steel since the year of grace 1811. 
 
 The mode in which young men wear their beards is the one 
 solemn question of the Neapolitan government at tlie present time 
 (April 1853). A little more or less hair on the chin of a pale dandy, 
 makes the State tremble. However absurd this may appear to English- 
 men, it is no joke for the Neapolitans, who are dragged daily into the 
 bai'ber's shops by the police, and their beards trimmed according to 
 the political creed of the authorities, who just now believe, tliat nature 
 grows rebellious on the lip. The police wanted a decree to appear, 
 prohibiting men from wearing hair on their chins, but His Majesty is 
 said to have declined his signature to the document, so that the inspectors 
 are obliged to act without official authority. 
 
 Lorenzo Benoni gives some passages in the life of an Italian, 
 which portray this system of merciless persecution. " I am now 
 twenty-one, and a thick circlet of hairs has grown under my chin. I 
 should also have a pair of beautiful moustaches — the object of my 
 ambition as a child — if moustaches were not unmercifully proscribed. 
 I have made several attempts towards wearing them, but all have been 
 frustrated. One day, a long, long time ago, M. Merlini, meeting 
 
THE ANNALS OP THE BEAHD. 93 
 
 me in the peristyle of the University with a show of down upon my 
 lip, protested, with sundry indescribable nods, jerks, and grimaces, 
 that he had taken me for a pioneer. I understood the hint, and my 
 budding moustaches fell under the razor. Twelve months later, the 
 moustaches having reappeared thicker than ever, the Director of Police 
 had the kindness to send me word through my father, that if I did not 
 shave them off of my own accord he would have them cut off for 
 me ; a veiy simple ceremony, not at all unprecedented. Two carabineers 
 would take you by each arm, force you into a barber's shop, and stand 
 present during the operation." 
 
 ^In a general order issued fi-om the Adjutant General's office, at 
 VVasbiij^ton, to the American army, it is laid down that the beard is 
 to be Tj;om at the pleasure of the individual, provided it be kept short, 
 and neatly trimmed. The reason given for the permission being that 
 '.Hhe human beard is 'equally valuable as a protection against the cold 
 blasts of the north, and the scorching suns of the south." In our navy, 
 on the contrary, the Admiralty has made it incumbent on all com- 
 manders of stations, to issue orders that no officer or man is to be 
 allowed to wear " unseemly tufts of hair under the chin ; " and the 
 moustache is, in like manner, strictly prohibited. 
 
 M. Jourdan states, that when the long hair worn by the soldiers in 
 the revolutionary war was cut off in all the regiments, many complained 
 of headaches of several week's continuance. Persons in the habit of 
 wearing long beards, have often been afflicted with rheumatic pains in 
 the face, or with sore throat, upon shaving them off. In several cases 
 of frequently recurring, or of chronic, sore throat. Dr. Copland (Diet, 
 of Frcict. Medicine), tells us wearing the beard under the chin and upon 
 the throat, has prevented a return of this complaint. 
 
 The annals of the beard are rather interesting. Within the range 
 of modern history, it has gone out and come into fashion about a dozen 
 times. At the present moment, it is gradually creeping into favor, and 
 in the course of a few years it may, probably, approach the zenith of 
 its glory, again to be cried down as " vulgar," and shorn of all its 
 pristine charms. 
 
 Many of my readers have no doubt seen the portraits of such 
 men as Drake, Ealeigh, Francis Bacon, Vandyke, and all the remark- 
 able men of the times of Elizabeth and the two Charles's. Compare 
 those faces, set off by magnificent beards, with the portraits of our 
 closely shaved moderns, in their high, stiff-starched shirt collars ; the 
 eye at once acknowledges the superiority of the former in the picture ; 
 
94 PLEA FOE THE BEAKD AND MOUSTACHE. 
 
 why does it not extend its judgment to tlie living pictures? — The 
 reason is — Fashion deters. 
 
 " By Jupiter, 
 
 Were I the wearer of Antouius' beard, 
 I would not shave to-day." 
 
 Beards never flourished in England so universally as previous to the 
 Norman conquest, and as the Normans only wore whiskers, tliey were 
 thought by the English spies to be au army of priests. 
 
 Beards were worn in the reigns of Mary, Elizabeth, James I., 
 and Charles I., but not generally. 
 
 A coiTespondent in Douglas JeiTold's Weekly News, some time 
 since urged the subject with much force and justice : ,. 
 
 " Why " said he, " should men cut off what nature has given 
 them for use, comfort, and ornament, and as a distinguishing charac- 
 teristic of their sex ! Is shaving a pleasing operation ? If the choice 
 lay between two evils, something might be urged in favor of the 
 custom of shaving ; but I do most strenuously contend that the beard 
 is a positive good. It is useful, for it affords naturally, what we are 
 forced to supply artificially — warmth and protection to the throat. If " 
 the fashion of wearing beai'ds was to come in, we should have no 
 more sore throats. It is ornamental — if you doubt it, look at Cardinal 
 Benbo's picture — at the portraits of Titian, Shakspeare, Fletcher, 
 Spencer, Chaucer, Alfred, Plato, — I could name a great man who wore 
 a beard, for every hair which I painfull^' shaved off this morning. It 
 sets off the face as in a frame ; it gives dignity, and conveys the idea 
 of strength, decision, manliness, depth of intellect, solidity, — in short, 
 everything may be said in its favor — nothing against it. ' What !' I 
 hear a fair Iriend exclaim, ' would the wretch have om- husbands, our 
 brothers, our sons and our nephews, wear nasty beards and look like 
 Frenchmen ?' Certainly not. Madam ; and one reason why we should 
 not look like Frenchmen is that our beards would not be nasty. If we 
 ceased to shave, we should not cease to use soap and water, and I will 
 venture to say that the English beard would be the cleanest, glossiest, 
 handsomest thing in the world. Besides the beard which I advocate, 
 is the beard given us by nature, in the form in which she caused it to 
 grow. I would not have it touched by the razor ; let the scissors 
 curtail and shape it when too exuberant, but my cry is ' a bas the 
 razor !' You very seldom see a foreigner with the beard, the whole 
 beard, and nothing but the beard. He shaves off his whiskers or 
 
TIME LOST IN SHAVING. 95 
 
 moustache, or in some way or other manages to disfigure himself. Now 
 what I want is, the whole or none. Once admit that the use of the 
 razor may be advantageous to some extent, and I am as far off my end 
 as ever. Dear Madam, you know not the pains of shaving, and the 
 beauties of the beard." 
 
 The poet Campbell is said to have calculated that a man who shaves 
 himself every day, and lives to the age of three score and ten, expends 
 during his life as much time in the act of shaving as would have 
 sufficed for learning seven languages. Southey in his work called 
 " The Doctor" (vol. 5), states that he tested this assertion by timing 
 himself, and he found that he occupied ordinarily nine minutes; but if 
 he had fo strop his razor, another minute or two would have been lost. 
 " Now '(he goes on to state) as to my beard, it is not such a beard as 
 that of Domenico d'Ancona, which was deUe harbe la corona, that is 
 to say the crown of beards, or rather in English idiom, the king. 
 
 " Una barba la piii singulai'e 
 Che mai fosse discritta in verso o'u prosa." 
 
 A beard the most unparallel'd 
 
 That ever was yet described in prose or rhyme. 
 
 ' " And of which Berni says, that the barber ought to have felt less 
 reluctance in cutting the said Domenico's throat, than in cutting off so 
 incomparable a beard. Neither do I think that mine, even by possibility, 
 could vie with that of Putteh Ali Shah, King of Persia at this day ; nay, 
 I doubt whether Macassar oU, bear's grease, elephant's marrow, or the 
 approved receipt of som- milk with which the Persians cultivate their 
 beards, could ever bring mine to the far inferior growth of his son's. 
 Prince Abbas Mirza. Indeed no Mussulman would ever look upon it, as 
 they did upon Mungo Park's, with envious eyes, and think that it was 
 too good a beard for a Christian. But for a Christian, and moreover an 
 Englishman, it is a sufficient beard ; and for the individual a desirable 
 one : nihil me pcenitel hujus barbae; desirable I say, inasmuch as it is 
 in thickness and rate of growth rather below the average standard of 
 beards. Nine minutes therefore vrill be about the average time re. 
 quired for shaving, by a Zebedeean — one who shaves himself. A 
 professional operator makes quicker work; but he cannot be always 
 exactly to the time, and at the year's end, as much may have been lost 
 in waiting for the barber, as is gained by his celerity of hand. 
 
 " Assuming then the moderate average of nine minutes, nine minutes 
 
96 
 
 PLEA FOE THE BEAUD AND MOUSTACHE. 
 
 per day amount to an hour and thi-ee minutes per week ; an hour and 
 three minutes per week are fifty four-hours thii-ty-six minutes per year. 
 We will suppose that our shaver begins to operate every day when he 
 has. completed his twentieth year ; majiy, if not most men, begin 
 earlier ; they will do so if they are ambitious of obtaining whiskers ; 
 they must do so if their beards are black, or carrotty, or of strong 
 growth. There are then fifty years of daily shaving to be completed, 
 and in that time he will have completed two thousand seven hundred 
 and thirty hours in the act of shaving himself. Dividing this number 
 by seven, we have three hundred and ninety hours for learning each 
 language; three hundred and ninety lessons of dp hour iQng.-^wherein 
 it is evident that any person of common capacity might with comjion 
 diligence learn to read, speak and write, sufficiently well for all fijdjhary 
 purposes, any European language." ' ' ' v^ 
 
 On the other side it is urged, if beards are to be Worn, some care 
 and, consequently, some time must be bestowed upon them. The 
 beai-d must be trimmed occasionally, if you would not have it as ragged 
 as an old Jew clothes-man's : it must also be kept clean, if you would 
 not have it inhabited like the Emperor Julian's ;, and if you desired to 
 have it like Aaron's, yon would oil it. Therefore it is probable that a 
 Zebedeean who is cleanly in his habits, would not save any time by 
 letting his beard grow. 
 
 " I myself (observes Southey), if I wore a beard, should cherish it, as 
 the Cid Campeador did, for my pleasure. I should regale it on a 
 summer's day with rose water; and without making it an idol, I should 
 sometimes ofi'er incense to it, with a pastiDe, or with lavender and 
 sugar. My children, when they were young enough for such blandish- 
 ments, would have delighted to stroke and comb and curl it, and my 
 grandchildren in their turn would have succeeded to the same course 
 of mutual endearment." 
 
 The following physical argument is gravely advanced in Eee's 
 Cyclopaedia : — 
 
 " The practice of cutting the hair of the head and the beard is attended 
 with a prodigious increase of the secretion of the matter of the hair. 
 It is ascertained that a man of fifty years of age wiU have cut from his 
 head above thirteen feet, or twice his own length of hairs ; aud of his 
 beard, in the last twenty-five years of the same period — above eight 
 feet. The hair likewise, besides this enormous length, will be thicker 
 than if it had been left uncut, and must lose most of its juices by eva- 
 poration, from haying its tube and the ends of its fibres always exposed. 
 
RUSSIANS COMPELLED TO SHAVE. 97 
 
 " The custom of shaving the beard and cutting the hair of the head 
 has, we believe, been justly deprecated by some physiologists. The latter 
 has been supposed, and with much apparent reason, to weaken the un- 
 derstanding, by diverting the blood from the brain to the surface of the 
 head. The connection which exists between the beard and the muscular 
 strength of the individual, would seem to render it improper to inter- 
 fere with its natural mode of gi-owth. Bichat attributes the superior 
 strength of the ancients to the custom of wearing their beards; and 
 those men who do not shave at present are distinguished for vigor and 
 hardihood." 
 
 I cannot agree with all these assertions and speculations, especially 
 the assumption that clipping the hair is calculated to weaken the under- 
 standing, 'i' 
 
 When the Eussian soldiers were first compelled to part with their 
 beards, that they mfght look like other European troops, they com- 
 plained that the cold struck into their jaws and gave them the tooth-ache. 
 The sudden depriviition of a warm covering might have occasioned 
 this and other local affections. But they are not said to have com- 
 plained that they had lost their wits. On the contrary, in the days of 
 Peter the Great they are reported to have made a ready use of them in 
 relation to this very subject. Other arguments had been used in vain 
 for persuading them to part with that comfortable covering which nature 
 had provided for their cheeks and chins, when one of their priests re- 
 presented to them that their good Czar had given orders for them to 
 be ghaved only from the most religious motives, and a special considera- 
 tion of what concerned them most nearly. They were about to march 
 against the Turks. The Turks, as they well knew, wore beards, and 
 it was of the utmost importance that they should distinguish themselves 
 from the misbelievers by this visible mark, for otherwise their protector, 
 St. Nicholas, in whom they trusted, would not know his own people. 
 This was so cogent a reason that the whole army assented to it, and a 
 general shaving took place. But when the campaign against the Turks 
 was over, and the same troops were ordered to march against the Swedes, 
 the soldiers called for the priest, and told him they must now let their 
 beards grow again — for the Swedes shaved, and they must take care St. 
 Nicholas might know his friends from his foes. 
 
 Beatrice (in " Much Ado about Nothing") says — " I could not 
 endure a husband with a beard on his face ;" and yet she subsequently 
 admits that " he that hath no beai'd is less than a man." 
 
 A correspondent in the Globe, (Aug. 28, 1852,) states that he 
 
98 
 
 PLEA FOR THE BEAKD AND MOUSTACHE. 
 
 spent nine years of his life in Russia, where the frost was so excessive, 
 that the thermometer feU sometimes (by our scale) to 35 degs. below 
 zero, and yet he never saw a common Russian with any covering round 
 his neck except that provided by nature, which effectually protects his 
 chin and the glands of his throat; They travel in their sledges at 
 almost raih-oad speed, and are therefore exposed to the utmost severity 
 of the ftost, from which, thus protected, they never suffer any 
 inconvenience. 
 
 Sir Francis Head, in his recent work, " A Faggot of French 
 Sticks," after speaking of a French railway guard with an unusually 
 long and thick black beard, says—" It occurred to me at the moment 
 that our railway dii-ectors in England might for the same service 
 recommend the adoption of this fashion. In regidns of intense 
 cold it is invariably found necessary to cover a shaved chin, and there 
 is no cheaper or warmer protection than that which nature has granted 
 to the lower half of a man's face , it would be especially economical and • 
 convenient to railway guards, who, when travelling at thirty or forty 
 miles an hour, through cold air, itself flying in an opposite direction, 
 say from forty to sixty miles an hour, are exposed— to say nothing of 
 rain, sleet, snow, hail and sunshine — to very trying vicissitudes of 
 temperature and climate." 
 
 In an article in the Edinburgh News, the masons in that city 
 were recommended, on the score of health, to wear the moustache and 
 beard as a preventative to breathing the fine dust which so much 
 injures the working mason, and shortens his life. The recommendation 
 was given by a grave professor at Edinburgh — Dr. Alison, who would 
 be the last, it is said, to countenance anything like puppyism — or 
 continentalism shall we call it — on the part of our operatives. The 
 consequence is, that nearly all the masons in Scotland, in -the north of 
 England, and even, we understand, in certain districts of Ireland 
 have begun to cultivate moustaches ! Other trades, such as millers, 
 cabinet makers, steel grinders, and the like, are rapidly following this 
 example. The practice of wearing the moustache, and even the 
 imperial, is an old British one, as every one knows ; but it is really 
 from knowing its beneficial influence in lengthening the lives and 
 protecting the health of German, French, and other continental stone- 
 cutters and masons, that its revival in this country is advised; and the 
 recommendation is now being carried out by the Glasgow masons. 
 
 It is a notorious fact that cavalry regiments suffer less than regiments 
 of the line from consumption. Their beards and moustaches act like 
 
VARIETIES IN BEARDS. 99 
 
 a respirator ; and tlie same line of reasoning appEes with greater force 
 to stone-masons and other trades where impalpable fine dust is 
 breathed into the lungs. In the south of Germany — ^in Bavaria and 
 Wurtemberg, for example — where freestone is extensively worked, and 
 where the masons are fine-looking, muscular fellows with large beards, 
 such a disease as phthisis is never heard of. 
 
 Tait's Magazine for November, 1.852, had a pleasant article under 
 the heading of " A few words upon Beards," from which I shall take 
 an extract or two. 
 
 " Have not men, aye, whole nations, been named from the color and 
 fashion of their maxillary hair ? Was not the fate of Eome decided 
 by an insult offered to the venerable appendage ? Have not laws been 
 framed for the regulation of beards and for keeping theii- proportions 
 curtailed within conscientious limits ? 
 
 " We declare ourselves at once as champions of the long beard ; we 
 regard it with profound respect, and deeply lament that so comely an 
 ornament should be banished. We cannot forget the picturesque 
 effect which the shape of the beard had in the reigns of the Tudors, 
 and we mourn that so refined an adornment should have gone out of 
 fashion. But then, as now, France exercised taste for all Europe — 
 Louis XIII. and Louis XIV. both ascended the throne in their 
 minority and in a spirit of fulsome flattery it was proposed among the 
 courtiers, and carried by acclamation, that to present a loyal com- 
 pliment to their bald-chinned sovereign, they should surrender their 
 cherished beard and moustaches, and exhibit their features feminine 
 and free." 
 
 Hence the fashion spread, untU, in later times, no one dared, 
 Esau-like, to gratify nature at the expense of art. 
 
 Hudibras's beard must have been perilously attractive, for 
 
 " The upper part thereof was whey, 
 The nether orange, mixed with grey." 
 
 Bottom^ the weaver, had a very accommodating taste in reference 
 to his beard ; for in allusion to the part of Pyramus, which he 
 was to play, he says — " I will discharge it in either your straw- 
 colored beard, your orange-tawny beard, your pm-ple-in- grain beard, or 
 your French crown-eolored beard — your perfect yeUow.'' No less 
 cheering is it to notice the refined cultivation which was given to 
 beards in days still nearer to our own. The peaked beards in 
 Vandyke's portraits we regard as being very comely ; and they almost 
 
100 PLEA FOE THE BEARD AND MOUSTACHE. 
 
 make us think that a more handsome fashion of wearing the beard 
 could not be devised. Sir Thomas More's attention to this classical 
 ornament claims our highest tidmiration. When kneeling before the 
 block, with the axe already suspended over his neck, he bade the 
 executioner wait till he had put aside his beard, for that had com- 
 mitted no treason. 
 
 We have a few words more to say, and those are words of hope 
 — we are enabled to prophecy that beards are coming back again. 
 Civilized chins shall again repose in the shadow of perennial pilosity ; 
 and the barber, no longer condemned to reap the barren crop of a 
 stubble field, shall be restored to his pristine dignity as the artistic 
 cultivator of man's distinguishing appendage. Ah-eady the martial 
 moustache, the haughty imperial and the daUy, expanding whiskers like 
 accredited heralds, proclaim the approaching advent of the monarch, 
 Beard ; the centuries of his banishment are drawing to their destined 
 close, and the hour and the man are at hand to, re-establish his 
 ancient reign. 
 
 " Be not so mad (says Quarles) as to alter that countenance which 
 thy Creator made thee ; remember it was the work of his haiids ; if 
 it.be bad, how darest thou mend it ? If it be good, why dost thou 
 mar it ? Art thou ashamed of his work and proud of thy own ? He 
 made thy face to be known by, why desirest thou to be known by 
 another ? It is a shame to adulterate modesty, but more to adulterate 
 nature. Blush not to appear what he blushes not to make thee. It 
 is better to be his picture than thy own." 
 
 The Naval and Military Gazette of the 12th March, 1853, in a 
 leading article advocating the wearing of the moustache generally by 
 the military, says — " If the cavalry — and the first to wear the 
 moustache were the hussars and the household troops — did not wear 
 this military mark, we then might have believed there was an impres- 
 sion that ' the moustache was not British,' and that we were better 
 looking fellows without it. However, the moustache is now called 
 for on better grounds than merely the wish of the service and its 
 military propriety. It is now called for on medical grounds. If the 
 appearance of the soldiers alone were in question, we could have much 
 to say in favor of the moustache. 
 
 " Why are the cavaky only to be allowed to wear this distinctive 
 military mark ? Why does Prince Albert himself wear it ? He is not 
 a cavalry officer ? Why do two-thirds of the army on half-pay wear 
 the moustache ? Because it is a very becoming and soldier- like and 
 
VARIOUS ADVOCATES FOK THE BEAKD. lOJ 
 
 healthy adornment of the human face. Civilians too largely 
 indulge in it. Are they less English on that- account ? It is well 
 known that nothing better protects" from both the sun and frost than 
 whiskers and moustache. Ask those who have long served in India 
 and Canada, the Cape colony and the Arctic regions." 
 
 A correspondent of the same paper speaks personally of the 
 advantages he derived from wearing the hair about the face. " On 
 my regiment landing (he says) from England at Algoa Bay, South 
 Africa, in 1846, we proceeded at once to join Colonel Somerset's 
 division, encamped on the Chalumna river, about fifteen days' march, 
 during which both officers and men suffered much from sore lips, 
 caused by the heat of the sun and dry wind. I recollect one sergeant- 
 major in particular was a pitiable object, his lips being in a worse state 
 almost than any others. I was one of the sufferers (for few of us 
 escaped), and therefore can speak feelingly ; and I know that as soon 
 as our ' Chief gave the order to allow the moustache to grow, those 
 who were fortunate enough in possessing a beard never suffered 
 afterwards." 
 
 In a recent number of the United Service Gazette, the editor thus 
 takes up the subject : — 
 
 " A feeling appears to prevail that the Englishman has as good a 
 right to wear hair upon his upper lip as a Frenchman or a German ; 
 and that if the hirsute adornment is suitable to the cavalry, it is 
 equally appropriate to the infantry. Let us examine the question" in a 
 common-sense spirit. Nati.:re says to man, wear moustaches on the 
 upper lip ; and it is the opinion of the pro-moustache party that 
 nature's laws should be obeyed. CivUisatipn says, society could not 
 hold together if this doctrine were admissible. Natural impulses are 
 the apologies of the savage, who sets decency at defiance. There- 
 fore, for the sake of order and harmony, and to remove man from the 
 same low state as the beasts of the field, social rules are introduced, 
 which place nature's laws in abeyance. Good : but may not this 
 restraint upon nature be carried to a mischievous and absurd length ; 
 may not the advocates of these restrictions run into extremes which 
 have not the commonest justification of reason? Why is not the 
 moustache popular in modern England ? Simply, because it is popular 
 elsewhere, and John Bull has a dread of being thought anybody but 
 John Bull. The excellent friend of Church and State stands much 
 upon his reputation. No one, in his opinion, enjoys so high a 
 character for honesty and bravery, and, as people arejudged of by their 
 
102 PLEA FOK THE BEAED AND MOUSTACHE. 
 
 appearance, he does not fancy that a:ny one who wears a moustache 
 can be taken for an Engliahman. John Las a notion that in proportion 
 as the inner man is deficient in sterling qualities, he is assiduous to 
 decorate his personal. If a man with an adorned upper lip goes into 
 his counting-house, John takes it for granted he is either a " distin- 
 guished foreigner," or a member of the swell mob, or of some other 
 class of society equally to be doubted ; and he buttons his p ickets 
 with a mixture of alarm and resolution instantaneously. Nothing, 
 therefore, but the suggestion of personal vanity stronger than the love 
 of reputation, a 'most false imposition' (as logo says) induces an 
 Englishman to challenge the antipathy and distrust of his sober fellow- 
 citizens. You will not often hear men admit that they wear moustaches 
 because they look all the better for them. No ; any excuse serves 
 them but the true one. This man is subject to the toothache ; that 
 one is always travelling, and must ' at Kome do as Eome does.' 
 Sometimes the practice of ours is the justification, or the pain of the 
 razor, and not unfrequently the fear of inhaling malaria, which other- 
 wise settles on the moustache and is wiped away. "VVliy cannot, men 
 be honest at once, and say t^at it is because Anna Maria or Sarah 
 Jane love those dear moustaches, that they allow the hair to grow ? Or 
 more likely still, that because after an extensive study of the miiTor 
 it is obvious that they are handsomer with than without the hair ? But 
 all this has nothing to do with the military part of the business. ' To 
 be, or not to be,' on the infantry soldier, ' that is the question ?' 
 Well, then, we say, let the soldier have the moustache, and let razors, 
 shaving-pots and brushes no longer remain in his knapsack, to add to 
 the weight so badly adjusted on his unhappy back. Shaving takes up 
 time, is often a torture, and costs money. Let whiskers and 
 moustaches have fair play, and that they may not become as dirty as 
 those of Napoleon's grognards, let the drummer's scissors once a 
 week be employed in a wholesale trimming. The soldier will look all 
 the more manly for his hairy appendages, but not the more fierce. 
 That is a fallacy. If men look the more ferocious for a few hairs 
 more or less, women wouldn't like moustaches as they unquestionably 
 do, It is the contrast — not the ferocity — that carries the day. 
 ' Affection mateth not with its like, but its opposite.' " 
 
 Colonel E. Napier, in the United Service' Magazine, for Sept. and 
 Oct., 1851 (in "The Soldier as he Is and as he Ought to be," an 
 article of extreme interest), advocates the adoption of the beard, having 
 observed and experienced the extraordinary luxury of it during his 
 
CURHENT OPINIONS ON BBAKDS. 103 
 
 campaigning at the Cape ; and it is to be hoped such an authority may 
 have its due weight in deciding go important a matter ; conducing, as 
 it would do, to simpiification of the toilet, picturesqueness and pro- 
 priety ; to say nothing of the deliverance from that sum of suffering 
 from daily shaving, which Byron declared quite made up for what the 
 other sex endured in parturition. 
 
 The Agra Messenger, an influential Indian journal, in a satirical 
 but truthful article a few months ago, instituting an inquiry into the 
 difference between the valor of the British soldier and the native 
 Sepoy, has the following pertinent remarks — 
 
 " The British soldier h undoubtedly superior to the native, but to 
 what particular cause is the superiority first attributable ? 
 
 " After mature reflection and careful study of the idiosyncracies of 
 milil ary usage we flatter ourselves that we have hit the right solution 
 at last. It is ai very simple one, simple as the rule by which Samson 
 preserved his strength ; only that in the present case systematic trans- 
 gression has produced the results which systematic obedience ensured in 
 his, and vice versa. The true secret of British superiority lies in a nut- 
 shell, or, more correctly, in a barber's basin; the difference between the 
 things compared literally turning in true Homeric phrase, ' epi-xyru 
 acme' on the edge of a razor. The heart of the difficulty is to be 
 found on the mere face of it. No diving below the surface wiE bring 
 up the secret, which lies on the surface itself. In the cropped head 
 and shaven visage of the British soldier, we must look for the source of 
 those peculiar excellences which place him so far above his hirsute and 
 long-haired comrade in a purely military view. By the cut of his 
 figure-head shall ye measure a man's capacity for warlike achieve- 
 ments. Long hair and whiskers of natural growth predicate physical 
 weakness and courage of a very inferior order. A single touch of 
 nature may make us all friends, but it takes many a touch of art — the 
 art tonsorial — to make us passable soldiers. The external difference is 
 only in a hair or two, but how wide is the difference of 'intrins;c worth 
 which a hair more or less will betoken in the realms of Mars ! 
 According to the rule of close shaving enforced in the British army, 
 Curius ' of the unkempt locks' was a downright impostor, unworthy 
 of the niche he enjoys in the Horatian apotheosis ; while the ' long- 
 haired Achseans' proved their inferior breeding by taking ten years-to 
 conquer Troy. Mars himself must have kept a barber, or the wonders 
 related of him have belied his natural inaptitude for achieving won- 
 derful things. 
 
104 PLEA. POE THE BEARD AND MOUSTACHE. 
 
 "This is the only rational way that has yet occurred to us of 
 accounting for the jealous negligence with which the Sepoy's personal 
 appearance has been kept distinct from that of the European. For 
 while the latter is obliged to curtail his locks to a uniform pattern of 
 regulated ugliness, and check the luxuriance of his chin and cheeks by 
 frequent use of lather, the former is allowed the luxury of growing his 
 hair to a reasonable length, and producing whiskers of a size sufficient 
 to make the fortune of a May-fair dandy. Of course there is reason 
 alleged for the indulgence as well as the prohibition. Eespect for 
 national prejudices forbids in the one case the curtailment which 
 cleanliness demands in the other. Fear of political consequences 
 professedly spares the whisker which fear of personal consequences 
 would have clean effaced, root and branch. But such pleas are clearly 
 inadequate to express the fuU purport of a distinction so obstinately 
 maintained at no little abatement of the comfort and personal come- 
 liness of our gallant countrymen. We cannot accept them as aught 
 but groundless pretences for maintaining a distinction in which the 
 secret of our military progress is so emphatically asserted. For has 
 not the wondrous virtue of deficient hair been yet more emphatically 
 asserted in a recent order issued by Sir W. Gomm, widening the old 
 license enjoyed by the native army of wearing unlimited hair, into a 
 direct commandment for every Briton connected with the native army, 
 to encourage the unlimited growth of hair on one portion at least of 
 the human countenance ? Does not the new commandment clearly 
 develop the principle concealed in the previous concession ? Is not the 
 moustache now set in evident antagonism to the razor ? For cleanliness 
 being assumed as the sole end and aim of close shaving in the British 
 army, why is the British officer serving in the native army henceforth 
 compelled to wear the outlandish symbol of a cause with which he and 
 cleanliness have apparently naught in common ? The commandment 
 to desist from shaving the upper lip cannot imply the extension to 
 British officers of the principle on which the investiture of the upper 
 lip was outwardly conceded to the prejudices of the native army. 
 What other solution remains then but the one already proposed ? Can 
 this mode of assimilating the officers with their men in respect of 
 facial equipment, mean aught but the wish to carry out the ancient 
 ■ principle of preventing all possible assimilation between the British and 
 native soldiery in respect of military efficiency ? 
 
 " Pleasantry apart, we are fain to say what end of public utility has 
 been or is to be gained, of sufficient urgency to justify the contempt 
 
THE BEARD CONSIDERED UNBUSINESS-LIKE. IO.t 
 
 for private tastes and prejudices evinced in measures regulating the 
 precise amount of hair to be worn or shorn by the members of public 
 society ? If the soldier's deficiency depends in no intelligible way 
 upon the smoothness of his cheek or the trim of his moustache, why in 
 the name of common sense and humanity is he forced to shave or not 
 to shave in keeping with some trivial and childish scheme of an 
 unifoi-mity which practically does not exist at all P Are cleanliness 
 and martial appearance compatible only with a shaven face ? Or does 
 the soldier who wears moustaches of necessity fight or look worse than 
 the soldier who is forbidden to wear them ? Are the habits of the 
 European cleanlier than the habits of the Sepoy ? Is the excrescence 
 which nature has planted on faces of every color less unsightly on a 
 black than a white ground? Why is the principle of uniformity 
 between officers and men, carried to an outrageous excess in the matter 
 of a whisker, and entirely set aside in the more prominent items of 
 belts and white taping? If we really encourage cleanliness by 
 shaving clean and cropping the upper hair in true convict fashion, 
 would not the end be yet more simply attained by sticking at nothing 
 short of total baldness ? The assimilation of Ups and cheeks should 
 clearly be extended to an assimilation of mouths and noses. The 
 officer in a British regiment is allowed the option of a partial whisker. 
 Why split the difference of a hair and refuse him the option of a 
 whisker in perfect bloom, or the additional comfort of a moderate 
 moustache ? We blush for the credit of a regime which requires at 
 this time ofday to press the justice and propriety of leaving its 
 subjects to wear what nature gave them in any fashion they pleased, 
 consistent with general usage and due regard for personal decencies." 
 
 Many of your " smooth-faced" men say, wearing the beard looks 
 unbusiness-like, and forfeits confidence. Others assert that it is a 
 piece of egregious vanity to wear the beard ; in fact, they seem to con- 
 sider that they have a perfect right to say everything that is disagreeable 
 respecting beards. 
 
 In standing up in defence of beards, I must say that this assertion 
 about vanity is utterly illogical. A beard grows naturally on a man's 
 face ; undoubtedly, if we did but know it, for some good and wise pur- 
 pose. Hair grows on the head and eyebrows, as well as on the cheeks 
 and chin. Now if a man were to shave the hair off his head and brows, 
 as smoothly as he does from his chin, the chances are that he would be 
 thoroughly laughed at, and yet one proceeding would not be a whit 
 more senseless than the other. 
 
 H 
 
106 PLEA FOR THE BEARD AND MOUSTACHE. 
 
 There is one certain fact I would mention with regard to beards. 
 It is this. As a general rule, every man with a beard is a man of 
 strongly-marked individuality — frequently genius — has formed his own 
 opinions — is straightforward — to a certain degree, frequently reckless — 
 but will not fawn or cringe to any man. The very fact of his wearing 
 a beard, in the face, as it were, of society, is a proof that his heart and 
 conscience is above the paltry aid of a daily penny shave. 
 
 , If men would not shave from boyhood up, they would find their 
 beards would be flowing, their moustaches light and airy, both adding 
 a dignity to manhood and a venerableness to age, to which shorn 
 humanity must be strangers. 
 
 But the beard is not merely for ornament, it is for use. Nature 
 never does anything in vain, she is economical and wastes nothing. 
 She would never erect a bulwark were her domain unworthy of pro- 
 tection, or were there no enemy to invade it. I shall proceed to show 
 that the beard is intended as a bulwark, and designed for the protec- 
 tion of the health. The beard has a tendency to prevent diseases of 
 the lungs by guarding their portals'. The moustache particularly, 
 as we have already seen, prevents the admission of particles of dust 
 into the lungs, which are the fruitful cause of disease. It also forms 
 a respirator more efficient than the cunning hand of man can fabricate. 
 Man fashions his respirator of wire, curiously wrought ; nature makes 
 hers of hair placed where it belongs, and not requiring to be put on 
 like a muzzle. Diseases of the head and throat are also prevented by 
 wearing the beard. 
 
 If any inconvenience is felt from the beard in summer, I think it 
 will be found to be chargeable to the manner of dressing the neck. 
 Lay aside flashy cravats and stiff collars, leaving the neck free and 
 open, and the beard will never be felt to be a burden. Hear what a 
 well known physiological writer says on this point : " The Byronic 
 fashion of dressing the neck is preferable to all others. The true plan 
 ought to be to allow the beard to grow, and thus protect the neck and 
 chest. This appendage was not created for naught, and cannot be cut 
 off with impunity." — Weakness and disease in the eyes may be obviated 
 in a great measure by wearing the beard. There is an intimate con- 
 nection between the upper lip and the eye. Every one must have 
 noticed, when he has had a small pimple upon his lip and has squeezed 
 it, how the tears will start involuntarily to his eyes. Shaving the 
 upper lip with a dull razor which pulls the hair, will produce the same 
 effect. Many can speak to the beneficial effects of wearing the beard 
 
USEFUL PUKPOSES SERVED BY THE BEAKB. 107 
 
 upon weak eyes. The tooth-ache, too, has been prevented by the 
 wearing of the beard. 
 
 Frequently cutting and shaving the hair has a tendency to make it 
 thicker, hence the beard of man becomes the thickest of all human 
 hair. The marrow-like substance of the hair and its two outer 
 coatings are well seen in a section of hair from a well shaved chin. 
 The razor cuts it across ; it cannot grow longer, so it grows thicker 
 and stronger ; and each slice taken away by the shave, looks under 
 the microscope, like the section of a bone, just as a bone is cut across 
 when a ham is cut up into slices for broiling, whilst the stump 
 remaining on the chin has just the same look as the bone on the 
 section of the grilled ham ready for the breakfast table. The primly 
 shaved mouth is thickly dotted round by myriads of hideous hair 
 stumps, with inner layer and marrow all exposed. Fashion, ever since 
 the days of Louis Guatorze, has demanded the sacrifice, and men 
 continue to pay it. Happily they do not see the stumps of their 
 ■beards through a microscope, or razor makers would starve. M. 
 Withof, a Curious investigator quoted by the celebrated Haller, has 
 calculated that the hair of the beard grows at the rate of one line and a 
 half in the week ; this will give a length of six inches and a half in 
 the course of a year, and for a man of eighty years of age, thirty feet 
 will have fallen before the edge of the razor. 
 
 It is occasionally urged that beards are dirty appendages, such as 
 dust gatherers. So far from being an encourager of filth, the beard, 
 on the contrary, is an efficient protection against it. It gathers dust 
 and dirt only to prevent their being inhaled into the lungs, or stopping 
 up the pores of the skin. This important office it performs much in 
 the same way that the eye-lashes and the short hairs in the ears and 
 nostrils protect the organs about which they are placed. And it would 
 be quite as sensible an operation for a man to clip his eye-lashes every 
 morning as to remove his beard and moustache. The dirt which the 
 beard collects, can be more easily removed than if, by the absence of the 
 beard, it were allowed to lodge itself in the pores of the skin. Because 
 a man with a beard of one or two days growth looks dirty, people are 
 apt to conclude that it is the beard which caused that appearance, 
 while it is only its shortness that does so ; as soon as it has attained 
 some length it no longer looks dirty. 
 
 There are many who in their own minds are convinced of the folly 
 of flying in the face of nature by cutting the beard, but who lack the 
 moral courage to follow their convictions. The beard, indeed, is a 
 
 H2 
 
108 PLEA FOR THE BEARD AND MOUSTACHE. 
 
 tender point for foolish ridicule to aim its shafts at. Every man who 
 has passed the age of twenty knows what stereotyped, but yet cutting 
 jests, his youthful whiskers have had to encounter. Many a man who 
 might have faced the cannon's mouth, has felt the laughter of fools too 
 much for him . The only way to conquer this ridicule is to learn to 
 despise it. If a man were to be turned aside by evei-y laugh he would 
 be a living weathercock. 
 
 Many persons are now becoming somewhat ashamed of their 
 antiquated prejudices against a most becoming and useful ornament to 
 the human face divine. I might quote numerous nae.dical authorities 
 to prove the utility of the growth of hair on the .up|>|r , lip><r 'especially 
 of men who, in their professional avocations, are-iisble to exp'dsure to 
 all the ever varying changes of season and cliniate,' now subject to 
 chilling damps, freezing cold, or unwholesome night yapors, and anon 
 to hot parching winds, or the scorching rays of a powerful vertical sun. 
 But we should rest satisfied with the prima facie evidence afforded by 
 the fact that an all-wise Creator, for some useful and benevolent pur- 
 pose, has ordained that the masculine face shall be protected and 
 adorned by the growth of hair. Irrespective, therefore, of considera- 
 tions of health and comfort, w« fly in the face of God's providence, 
 when we inconsiderately divest our features of every particle of their 
 natural protection. Who soibrward as an Englishman to ridicule and 
 condemn the eccentricities of other nations. The contracted feet of 
 Chinese women, the long tails, the shaven heads, the scalp locks of 
 Oriental races, excite our contempt at their senseless folly : while 
 follies on our part, equally as senseless, escape animadversion, and are 
 complacently attributed to the rational dictates, or to the natural 
 consequences, of a higher civilization. It was not the progress of 
 civilization, it was a servile^ imitation of the first George that intro- 
 duced among Englishmen the ridiculous practice of divesting their 
 faces of every particle of hair. Prior to the reign of George I. such 
 a practice was unknown, and would have been scoffed at as pre- 
 posterous. Feelings of rancorous hatred and enmity towards a 
 neighbouring nation, with whom we have perpetually come into 
 collision, and over whom we have frequently triumphed, have tended 
 to foster the practice into a prejudice, and to perpetuate it as a national 
 peculiarity, distinguishing us in features, as widely as we were severed 
 in feelings, from our miscalled natural enemies. Intellectual progress 
 and general enlightenment are fast dispelling such absurd prejudices, 
 ' and overcoming such ungenerous feelings. Few care to acknowledge 
 
BEARDS RETURNING TO FASHION. 109 
 
 that they entertain and cherish the bigoted opinions of bygone days. 
 It is encouraging to know that those who share in these antiquated 
 sentiments are fast disappearing from the arena of public life. Common 
 sense has triumphed over bob wigs, pigtails, grease and hair powder, 
 and will yet extend more generally that protection to the features 
 which a luxuriant growth of hair affords, and men will sedulously 
 cultivate beard, whiskers and moustache. 
 
 To apply Douglas's defiant speech in a perverted sense : — 
 
 " No man so potent breathes upon the ground 
 But I would beard him." 
 
 " Henry IV." Act 4, scene 4. 
 
 With regard to the growing fashion of again wearing the hair 
 profusely on the face, much more might be advanced, but I shall 
 speak of this in the next chapter. The prevalence of the moustache 
 among Englishmen may be attributed, like many other of our social 
 customs, to the favor with which it is now viewed among our continental 
 neighbours. Indeed, such is the rage in France for long beards and 
 outrageous whiskers, that where nature has denied that ornament, the 
 Parisian dandies, like the Chinese, have recourse to art to supply the 
 deficiency ; and false beards, among certain classes there, are no more 
 uncommon than wigs amongst us. In the event, too, of the color of 
 the beard being red or very light, it is quite usual to dye it, as we do 
 the " white stockings" of the horses in our cavalry regiments. 
 
110 THE HISTORY OF THE BEAKD. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 THE HISTOEY OF THE BEAKD ITS FASHION ANP MUTATIONS. 
 
 A CHRONOLoaiCAL history of beards (observes a recent periodical 
 writer), would be a history of the world, and we should have to 
 trace it from Adam downwards ; for it is almost certain that the 
 hair's decoration came into fashion with the first man himself; 
 though it is a disputed point, whether coming into the world a fuU 
 grown biped, he possessed a luxuriant black beard from the moment of 
 his creation, if being strongly maintained by, Martinus Scriblerus and 
 others, that our first father had no such distinguishing mark of man- 
 hood till after the fall, and that the pain of shaving was thereupon 
 inflicted on him and his posterity for ever ; and the author of " J)on 
 Juan" seems to have been of the same opinion, for he says, — 
 
 " That ever since the fall, man for Lis sin 
 Has had a heard entailed upon his chin." ' 
 
 Like all the oriental nations, the Assyrians appear to have taken 
 extreme care of. the beard, which, to judge from the bas-reliefs from 
 Nineveh, they allowed to grow long, and arranged in so regular a 
 manner, that the representations of it might almost be regarded as 
 merely conventional. 
 
 Without pausing to inquire whether the custom of shaving, " pol- 
 larding the chin top, top and top," was practised by the patriarchs, it 
 will be sufficient to observe that it must • have been known to Homer ; 
 for that blind old bard of the " Iliad" borrows some of the finest of his 
 metaphors from the art ; describing the fate of Troy as being on the 
 edge of a razor. 
 
 In the '' Psalms" we read of Aaron's beard; and the golden beard 
 of Esculapius, the father of physic, is universally celebrated ; so. that 
 it is not at all improbable, that in those days it was a professional 
 distinction with the priest and the doctor to keep their chins unshorn, 
 and hence might have arisen the proverb of the \visdom of the wig, 
 and superior sanctity in a quantity of hair depending from the chin. 
 The gods of the ancients are, with the exceptibn of the " imperbis 
 
NATIONS NAMED PROM THEIR BEARDS. Ill 
 
 Apollo," always represented with beards reaching to their breasts; 
 and Thetis, we are told, in the fa-st book of the " Iliad," wishing to con- 
 ciliate the great Jupiter, sat at his feet with one hand embracing his 
 knees, and the other smoothing his flowing beard. 
 
 The custom of shaving appears to have varied considerably in 
 different ages and countries, according to the caprice of fashion, the 
 arbitrary wiU of sovereign princes, or the necessities of the climate ; 
 but the practice of abrasion, nevertheless seems to have become more 
 common as mankind have advanced in civilization. We are told by 
 Cicero, that for some hundred years there were no barbers in Rome. 
 Pliny and Varro inform us that the Romans did not begin to shave till 
 the year of the city, 452, when Publius Ticinius Mena brought over 
 barbers from Sicily. Scipio Africanus, Pliny adds, was the first Eoman 
 who shaved every day. 
 
 Speaking of the early Eoman Kings, Juvenal tells us that they 
 were proud of their long beards. And this reminds me of an anecdote 
 I have heard, or read, somewhere, of the good old King George the 
 Third. It is said that the monarch, whose chin had remained unshoni 
 for many years, was present at the chapel in Windsor, when the 
 preacher, by an unfortunate impediment in his speech, misread a sen- 
 tence so as to make it appear " Lord tliave the King !" a lapsus 
 Unguis which, of course; set the congregation into hysterics of weU-bred 
 laughter. 
 
 Few fashions have undergone greater mutations than those to 
 which the hair and beard have been subject. With women long 
 tresses — those natural jewels of the sex — have always been admired ; 
 but with men, the changes of dress, manners and language have been 
 of less importance than the way of cutting their beards and trimming 
 their locks. There was a time when 
 
 " 'Twos merry in hall, where beards wagged all." 
 
 ' " King Henry IV." 
 
 Whole nations have been named from their beards. The Tartars 
 waged long and bloody wars with the Persians, because they would not 
 consent to cut their beards in the Turkish fashion. The insult offered 
 to the beards of the senators, decided the fate of ancient and imperial 
 Eome, which fell before the swords of the barbarous unshaven and 
 audacious Gauls. Beards were worn by the Greeks till the time of 
 Alexander the Great, B.C. 330 ; by the Eomans till the year B.C. 297 ; 
 by the Jews, from the earliest period, till in A.D. 106&, when they 
 
113 THE HISTOEY OF THE BEAIiD. 
 
 were discontinued in this country. Peter the Great of Eussia had 
 such a horror of hair on the face, that he appointed officers to go about 
 and cut off the beards of all those of his subjects who wore them 
 above a foot and a half in length. 
 
 The fashion of the beard, we all know, is an interesting topic with 
 the male sex, from the stripling of sixteen to the patriarch of sixty. 
 Barbers have wielded the destinies of empires, taking their rulers by 
 the chin ; and have sometimes been the greatest of tyrants. A ludicrous 
 tale is told of our government in 1831, who, by the mouths of Lord 
 Goderich and Howick, ordered an allowance of two razors per annum, 
 for renovating the ebony chins of the West Indian negroes, a people 
 without beards ; and Mr. Hume, in the House of Commons, publicly 
 declared about that time, in opposition to the razor grant, that the best 
 instrument of the kind he ever possessed, had been bought of a Jew 
 boy some twelve years previously for a shilling. Alas ! for Sheffield, 
 if all men found shilling razors last so long and shave their epidermis 
 so cleanly as did that belonging to the honorable member. 
 
 The ancient Indian philosophers, called gymnosophists, were so- 
 licitous to have long beards, which were considered symbolical of 
 wisdom. The Assyrians and Persians also prided themselves on their 
 long beards; and St. Chiysostom informs us that the kings of Persia 
 had their beards interwoven or netted with gold thread. The figures 
 on the Babylonian cylinders are usually represented with beards, and 
 those on the reliefs from Persepolis, in the British Museum. The 
 first Etruscans wore a large long beard, pointed and turned up in 
 front. Mercury was represented with this sort of beard. In the 
 earlier times the Etruscans marked the Jiair of their statues like scales 
 of fish, or in corkscrew curls. The hair and locks (says Winckelman, 
 the first great sculptor who treated the hail- with care,) disposed par etage 
 (in stories) are found without exception in all Etruscan figures. Aaron 
 Hill, in his "Account of the Ottoman Empire," published in 1709, 
 draws this distinction between the Persians and the Turks: "The 
 Persians never shave the hair upon the upper lip; but cut and trim the 
 beard upon their chin, according to the vaaious forms their several 
 fancies lead them to make choice of ; whereas the Turks preserve with 
 care a very long and spreading beard, esteeming the deficiency of that 
 respected ornament a shameful mark of servile slavery." 
 
 The Chinese are said to affect long beards ; but nature having 
 denied their natural growth, they are sometimes supplied to the chin 
 artificially. 
 
KING -ARTHUR S BEARD THREATENED. Il3 
 
 Plutarch, in his life of Theseus, mentions, incidentally, that Alex- 
 andei cut off the beards of the Macedonian soldiers, that they might 
 not be used as handles by their enemies in battle ; for nothing is so 
 painful to the feelings as a tng at the beard. 
 
 The Greeks contiiiued to shave the beard till the time of Justinian, 
 under whom long beards came again into fashion, and so continued till the 
 taking of Constantinople by the Turks, in 1453. The Greek philosophers 
 usually made the beard a distinguishing feature in their appearance. 
 Persius terms Socrates the bearded master {magister barhatus), and Pru- 
 dentius bestows the same title of " barbalus" upon Plato. Adrian was 
 the first of the Eoman emperors who wore a beard. Plutarch says he 
 woj-e it to hide a large wart and other scars in his face. The em- 
 perors who followed him continued to wear the beard. 
 
 An antiquarian writer has discovered that the custom of shaving 
 off the beard, on the continent, was introduced by Peter Lombard, 
 1160. Innocent III. confirmed it with the monks at the Council of 
 Lateran, in the year 1200; and the reason which induced the Council 
 to make the injunction for shaving beards was, lest in the ceremony of 
 receiving the Sacrament the beard might touch the bread and wine, or 
 crumbs and drops fall and stick upon it. 
 
 The clergy, however, were averse to this change, and it appears 
 that in Prance, from" 1515 to 1547, Prancis I. made the priests pay a 
 large sum for wearing theii- beards. 
 
 The Christian priests seem to have adopted the custom of wearing 
 beards from opposition to the heathen and Egyptian priests who 
 shaved themselves. 
 
 Southey, in " The Doctor," teUs us of an insolent message sent 
 by one of the early kings of North Wales to King Arthur. And this 
 was his message — 
 
 " Gretyne wel Kynge Arthur in this.manere wyse, sayenge, 'that 
 Kynge Ryons had discomfyte and overcome eleaven kynges, and 
 everyche of hem did hym homage, and that was this'; they gaf hym 
 their berdys clene flayne off, as moche as ther was ; wherfor the 
 messager came for Kynge Arthur's herd. For Kynge Eyons had 
 purfyled a mantel with kynges berdes, and there lacked one place 
 of the mantel, wherfor he sent for his herd, or els he wold entre in to 
 his landes, and brenne and slee, and never leve tyl he have thi hede 
 and thi herd." 
 
 According to Hudibras, we should always 
 
114 THE HISTORY OF THE BEAKD. 
 
 " Speak with respect and honour 
 Both of the beard- and the beard's owner." 
 
 The Anglo-Saxons at their arrival in Britain, and for a considerable 
 time after, wore beards. The Normans not only shaved their beards 
 themselves, but when they beeame possessed of authority they obliged 
 others to imitate their example. It is mentioned by some of om' 
 historians as one of the most wanton acts of tyranny in William the 
 Conqueror, that he compelled the English (who had been accustomed 
 to let the hair of their upper lips grow) to shave their whole beards ; 
 and this was so disagreeable to many of them, that they chose 
 rather to abandon their country than to lose their whiskers. Ordericus 
 Vitalis relates a cmious anecdote of Henry I., submitting to lose 
 his beard at the remonstrance and by the hands of Serlo, Archbishop 
 of Sees. 
 
 In the higher cl£^sses of society the beard, in a greater or a less 
 degree, was encouraged by the English for a series of centuries, as is 
 evident from the sepulchral monuments of our kings and chief nobility, 
 and from portraits where they remain. Edward III. is represented 
 upon his tomb at Westminster, with a beard which would have graced a 
 philosopher. Stowe, in his Annals, under 1535, says, "The 8th of 
 May the king (Henry VIII.) commanded all about his court to poll 
 their heads, and to give them example, he caused his own head to be 
 polled, and from thenceforth his beard to be knotted and no more 
 shaven." 
 
 The practice of wearing the beard continued to a late period, and the 
 reader will readily call to recollection the portraits of Paulet, Marquis 
 of Winchester, Cardinal Pole, and Bishop Gardiner, all ornamented 
 with flowing beards, in the reign of Mary I. The commentators on 
 Shakspere show, that in the reign of Elizabeth beards of diflferent cut 
 were appropriated to different characters and professions. The soldier 
 had one fashion, the judge another, the bishop diflFerent from both. 
 While the churchman wore a long beard and moustaches that flowed 
 on the breast, and was known as the cathedral heard, the soldier wore 
 the spade heard and the stiletto heard, equally indicative of their calling. 
 These beards were so called from their fancied resemblance to these 
 weapons. 
 
 Malone has quoted an old ballad, inserted in a miscellany, en- 
 titled " Le Prince d' Amour," in 1660, in which some of these forms 
 are described and appropriated : — 
 
VABIOUS STYLES OF BEARD. 115 
 
 " Now of beards there be 
 Such a companie, 
 
 Of fashions such a throng, 
 That it is very hard 
 To treat of the beard, 
 
 Though it be ne'er so long. 
 
 " The soldier's beard 
 Doth match in this herd 
 In figure like a spade ; 
 With which he will make 
 His enemies quake 
 To think their grave is made. 
 
 " The stiletto beard, 
 O, it makes me afeard. 
 
 It is so shai^p beneath : 
 For he that doth place 
 A dagger in his face, 
 What wears he in his sheath?" 
 
 John Taylor, the Water-poet, in his " Whip of Pride," also par- 
 ticularizes the fashions of the beard, &c., as they still continued to 
 subsist in his day : — 
 
 " Now a few lines to paper I will put. 
 Of men's beards' strange and variable cut ; 
 In which there's some do take as vain a pride, 
 As almost in all other things beside. 
 Some are reap'd most substantial, like a brush, 
 Which makes a nat'ral wit known by the bush. 
 (And in my time of some men I have heard. 
 Whose wisdom have been only wealth and beard.) 
 Many of these the proverb well doth fit. 
 Which says, ' Bush natural, more hair than wit.' 
 Some seem as they were starched stifi' and fine, 
 like to the bristles of some angry swine ; 
 And some (to set their Love's desire on edge) 
 Are out and pruned like to a quickset hedge. 
 Some like a spade, some like a fork, some square. 
 Some round, some mow'd like stubble, some stark bare. 
 Some sharp, stiletto-fashion, dagger-like. 
 That may with whisp'ring, a man's eyes outpike ; 
 Some with the hammer-cut, or Koman T. 
 Their beards extravagant reform'd must be ; 
 Some with the quadrate, some triangle fashion, 
 Some circular, some oval in translation; 
 
116 THE HISTORY OF THE BEARD. 
 
 Some perpendicular in longitude, 
 
 Some like a thicket for their crassitude. 
 
 That heights, depths, breadths, triform, square, oval, round. 
 
 And rules geometrical in beards are found. 
 
 Besides the upper lips strange vaiiation, 
 
 Corrected from mutation to mutation ; 
 
 As 'twere from tithing unto tithing sent, 
 
 Pride gives to pride continual punishment. 
 
 Some (spite their teeth) like thatch'd eaves downward grows. 
 
 And some grow upwards in despite their nose; 
 
 Some their moustaches of such length do keep. 
 
 That very well they may a manger sweep. 
 
 Which in beer, ale, or wine they drinking plunge. 
 
 And suck the liquor up as 'twere a sponge. 
 
 But 'tis a sloven's beastly pride, I think. 
 
 To wash his beard, where other men must drink. 
 
 And some (because they will not rob the cup) 
 
 Their upper chaps like pothooks are turned up 
 
 The barbers thus (like tailors) stiU must be 
 
 Acquainted with each cut's variety." 
 
 "William Eufus, the second Normau King of England, was so called 
 for his red beard — it being common to give surnames in manhood 
 from various peculiarities of person, and not as novr by inheritance. 
 The great hero of the East — the Nelson of the Turks, and the rival of 
 Andrew Doria — Haireddin Pasha, better known by his noble title 
 Barbarossa or Eedbeard, acquired that name in manhood, as did 
 Frederick the First of Germany, also surnamed Barbarossa ; and who 
 does not remember that tale of fearful interest wherein Bluebeard 
 sacrificed so many fair maidens to his lust. 
 
 William Fitzosbert, or Longbeard, the great demagogue, re-intro- 
 duced among the people, who claimed to be of Saxon origin, the fashion 
 of long hair, in contra-distinction to the citizens and Normans, and, 
 from wearing his own beard hanging down to the waist, obtained that 
 name by which he is best known to posterity. 
 
 Jean Staminger, a citizen and counsellor of the magistracy of 
 Brannan, upon the river Jura, in Upper Austria, who died Sept. 28, 
 1567, had a remarkably long beard, which reached to his feet, and 
 rendered him an object of great attraction, especially to strangers. 
 
 Martin Van ButcheU, father of the present Dr. Van ButcheU, had 
 a very long and fine beard, which reached beyond his waist. 
 
 The fashion of wearing a long beard, although banished by the 
 Normans, gi'adually revived, and in the time of the Tudors we find 
 
THE BEARD WCllN DYED. 117 
 
 the portraits of their great men all grim and warlike, with bristling 
 hair and fierce moustache. A melancholy interest clings still to the 
 venerable beard of old Sir Thomas More, who, when the executioner had 
 already lifted high his axe to perform his deadly office, raised his weak 
 hand from the block, exclaiming, " Wait my friend, till I have put 
 aside my beard; that has committed no treason." And again there 
 is a story told of the gallant, but unfortunate. Sir Walter Ealeigh, who, 
 when the barber visited him in the Tower to trim his beard, said 
 gently to him, " Desist, dear sir ; there is a lawsuit pending between 
 the king and me about this head, and I don't wish to lay out any 
 capital upon it till the cause is tried." 
 
 It was the custom of old to color the beard and whiskers artificially, 
 either for disguise or foppery; softness in love, or ferocity in war. 
 Arrian alludes to it, and states " that the people of India daub their 
 beards white, red, purple and green." 
 
 In former times as much pains were bestowed on dressing the 
 beard, as in later ones upon dressing the hair. Sometimes, as we 
 have seen, it was braided with threads of gold. It was dyed to all 
 colors, according to the mode, and cut to all shapes. 
 
 In Lodowick Barry's comedy of " Earn Alley," 1611, one of the 
 characters asks "What colored beard comes next my window?" re- 
 ceiving for answer, " A black man's, I think." To which comes the 
 response, " I think a red, for that is most in fashion." In Ben 
 Jonson's " Silent Woman," the barber exclaims, " I have fitted my 
 divine and canonist, dyed their beards and all." 
 
 The church never showed itself so great an enemy to the beard as 
 to long hair on the head. It generally allowed fashion to take its own 
 course, both with regard to the chin and the upper lip. This fashion 
 varied continually ; for we find that in little more than a century after 
 the time of Eichard I., when beards were short, that they had again 
 become so long as to be mentioned in the famous epigram made by the 
 Scots, wlio visited London in 1327, which ran as follows; — 
 
 " Long beards, heartlesse ; 
 Painted hoods, witlesse ; 
 Grey coats, gvacelesse ; 
 Makes England tliriftlesse." 
 
 When the Emperor Charles V. ascended the throne of Spain, 
 being only 16, he had no beard. It was not to be expected that the 
 obsequious parasites who always surround a monarch could presume to 
 
118 THE HISTORY OF THE BEARD. 
 
 look more virile than their master. Immediately aU. the courtiers ap- 
 peared beardless, with the exception of such few grave old men as 
 had outgrown the influence of fashion, and who had determined to die 
 bearded as they had lived. Sober people, in general, saw this revo- 
 lution with sorrow and alarm, and thought that every manly virtue 
 would be banished with the beard. It became at the time a common 
 saying, " We have no longer souls since we have lost our beards." In 
 the latter part of his reign the beard was again revived, and he ap- 
 pears on his medal with a flowing beard. 
 
 In France the beard fell into disrepute after the death of Henry IV., 
 from the mere reason that his successor, Louis XIII., was too young 
 to have one. Some of the more immediate friends of the great Bear- 
 nais, and his minister Sully among the rest, refused to part with their 
 beards, notwithstanding the jeers of the new generation. 
 
 The beard now gradually declined, and the court of Charles I. was 
 the last in which even a small one was cherished. After the restoration 
 of King Charles II. moustaches or whiskers continued, but the rest of 
 the face was shaven ; and in a short time the process of shaving the 
 entire face became universal. 
 
 In Kussia it continued somewhat longer. Butler, in his " Hudibras" 
 alludes to the beard "cut square by the Russian standard;" which 
 Grey illustrates by the following extract from " The Northern Worthies, 
 or the Lives of Peter the Great and his illustrious consort "Catherine." 
 —(London, 1738). 
 
 " Dr. Giles Eletcher, in his ' Treatise of Eussia,' observes, that the 
 Eussian nobility and gentry, accounting it a grace to be somewhat 
 gross and bushy, they therefore nourished and spread their beards to 
 have them long and broad. This fashion continued among them till 
 the time of the Czar, Peter the Great, who compelled them to part with 
 these ornaments, sometimes by laying a swinging tax upon them, and 
 at others by ordering those he found with beards to have them pulled 
 up by the roots, or shaved with a blunt razor, which drew the skin after 
 it, and by these means scarce a beard was left in the kingdom at his 
 death; but such a veneration had this people for these ensigns of 
 gravity, that many of them carefully preserved their beards in their 
 cabinets, to be buried with them, imagining, perhaps, that they should 
 make but an odd figure in the grave with their naked chins. The 
 Emperor Peter set about this reform in 1705. A certain time was 
 given that the people might get over the first throes of their repugnance, 
 after which every man who chose to retain his beard was to pay a tax of 
 
FASHIONS AND MUTATIONS OF THE BEARD. 119 
 
 one hundred roubles. The priests and the serfs were put upon a lower 
 footing, and allowed to retain theirs upon payment of a copeck every 
 time they passed the gate of a city. For many years a very consider- 
 able revenue was collected Jiom this source. The collectors gave in 
 receipt for its payment a small copper coin, struck expressly for this 
 purpose, and called ' the bearded.' On one side it bore the figure of a 
 nose, mouth and moustaches, with a long bushy beard, surmounted by 
 the words 'money received;' the whole encircled by a wreath, and 
 stamped with the black eagle of Eussia. On the reverse it bore the 
 date of the year. Every man who chose to wear a beard was obliged 
 to produce this receipt on his entry into a town. Those who were re- 
 fractory and refused to pay the tax were thrown into prison." — 
 Mackay'i Popular Deltisions. 
 
 As the hair began to be worn shortened, the beard was fdlowed to 
 flow. Indeed this compensatory process has always obtained ; in no 
 age were the hair and beard allowed to grow long at the same time. 
 
 Shakspere was constantly alluding to the beard. In his day this terra 
 included the three more modern subdivisions of beard, moustache, 
 and whisker — they were all then worn in one. "Did he not wear a 
 great round beard, like a glover's paring-knife?" asks one of his 
 characters, clearly alluding to the ex,tent of cheek it covered, and 
 which was a common fashion with military men during the reign of 
 Henry VIII. It looked sufficiently formidable, and took least trouble 
 in trimming and dressing. In " Henry the Kfth," act 3, sc. 6, Shaks- 
 pere makes Gower exclaim, " What a beard of the general's cut, and a 
 horrid suit of the camp, will do among foaming bottles and ale-washed 
 wits, is wonderful to be thought on ! " In a word, the period, par 
 excellence, of magnificent barbes comprised the end of the sixteenth 
 and the beginning of the seventeenth century. 
 
 With the renewed triumph of long hair, the beard gradually shrank 
 up ; first assuming a forked appearance, then dwindling to a peak, and 
 ultimately vanishing altogether. 
 
 Although we are told that the fashion of smooth faces " came in 
 with the Conqueror," like so many noble families, yet it must be un- 
 derstood that it was principally popular with courtiers and rich men ; 
 for by reference to Fan-holt's " English Costumes," we find that the 
 aged, the unfashionable, and the lovers of old customs still delighted 
 for many years in beajds and whiskers of formidable dimensions — the 
 square, the Franklin, the forked, the curly and the corkscrew. In the 
 " Canterbury Tales" we are told : — 
 
 " A merctiiiit there was with a forked beard." 
 
130 THE HISTOETT OP THE BEAHD. 
 
 In the course of time, we read of knights with " golden curls" about 
 their faces, a sure sign of Saxon blood and lineage ; and of some bucks 
 who wore their moustaches curled in a manner so unique as almost to 
 rival the splendid beards of the Ninevites, who appear, by the relics 
 recently imported by Mr. Layard, to have paid particular attention to 
 their facial ornaments. 
 
 In the play of "Time's Metamorphoses," byT. Middleton (1596), 
 we have a further evidence of the mutability of fashion in this respect ; 
 for we find one of the characters asking of another, " Why dost thou 
 wear this beard; 'tis clean gone out of fashion?" And by a note to 
 Grey's " Hudibras," we learn that so curious were the -gallants of the 
 day in the management of their beards, that they put them in paste- 
 board boxes when they went to bed, for fear they should turn in the 
 night, and so disarrange them ! Comb and beard-brushes were as 
 common then as now ; and Hobnshed tells us that the dandies of his 
 day spent hours in the arrangement of their beards and whiskers. In 
 Lely's " Midas," we have a barber instructing his apprentice in the 
 manner of trimming the beards of his customers, from those who wore 
 them "like a spade or a bodkin," to those who had them " hang down 
 like the goat's flakes !" 
 
 Some of the learned in curious trifles have spared no pains to record 
 the changes that took place in the fashion of the beard. Hotoman wrote 
 a treatise expressly on the beard, entitled " Pogdnias," first printed at 
 Leydon, in 1586, and, which, on account of its rarity, was reprinted at 
 length by Pitiscus in his " Lexicon." In Bulwer's " Anthropometa- 
 morphosis, or Artificial Changeling," is a whole chapter " On the 
 opinion and practice of diverse nations concerning the natural ensigne 
 of manhood appearing about the mouth," quoted from innumerable 
 authors, ancient and modern. 
 
 Various nations still cultivate and preserve the beard with scrupulous 
 attention. To cut off the beard was esteemed infamous, and particu- 
 larly disgraceful among the Jews. 
 
 It is so at this day among many Eastern nations. The Mahome- 
 tans, by whom it is suffered to grow long, and is regarded as a mark 
 of honor, consider it as a distinguished ornament, and their beards not 
 unfrequently reach to their waist. They would resent as an indignity 
 any insult offered to the beard. 
 
 The Tm-ks are highly affronted if one even threatens to shave their 
 beard. Aurengzebe, the Emperor of the Moguls, in the last century, 
 terribly revenged the shaving of his ambassador's beard, on the Sophi 
 of Persia. With the Lacedsemonians, the punishment of fugitives from 
 
EASTERN ESTIMATION OF BEAEDS. 12] 
 
 the field of battle was to have their beards half shaved. We may 
 therefore conceive the height of the contemptuous indignity offered to 
 tlie ambassadors of David by Hanun (2 Samuel, x. v. 4.) Many people 
 would prefer death to this kind of treatment. 
 
 The Arab makes the preservation of the beard a capital point of 
 religion, because Mahomet never cut off his ; and with them, as with 
 the Turks, the beard is a token of authority and liberty. They consider 
 the beard the perfection of the human face, which, in their opinion, 
 would be more disfigured by its loss than by that of the nose. To kiss 
 the beard is the prevalent and respectful mode of salutation by wives, 
 children and friends. 
 
 Mr. J. A. St. John, in his " Isis, an Egyptian Pilgrimage," states 
 as follows : — 
 
 " When I arrived at Thebes I had One of the handsomest beards 
 in the world ; black as jet, and descending in curls and waves over my 
 breast. This was a great recommendation to me among the Arabs, 
 and I fear I must attribute to it much of the influence I possessed over 
 them. Often and often, while passing along the streets of Gournou, 
 Karnak, and Luxor, the women and the old men, as they sat on the 
 stone mastabak beside their doors, would exclaim to each other, 
 ' Wallah, by God. has not he a beard !' " 
 
 The late Sir John Malcolm, in his very interesting " Sketches of 
 Persia," gives a curious gossiping account of the estimation in which 
 barbers are held in that country, and the wealth which they frequently 
 obtain. Their skill in shaving the heads and trimming the beards of 
 kings and nobles, though highly prized, is subordinate to that which 
 they display as attendants at the warm bath. It is on their superior 
 address in mbbing, pinching, joint-cracking, and cleansing the human 
 frame at the Hummums, that their fame is established. The luxury 
 of the bath in Persia is enjoyed by all, from the highest to the lowest. 
 Among the various attendants, the man of most consequence is the 
 delldk, or barber. For he who has the honor to bathe and shave a 
 king, must not only be perfect in his art, but also a man altogether 
 trustworthy; and confidence amongst eastern rulers is usually followed 
 by favor, and with favor comes fortune. This accounts for barbers 
 building public bridges in Persia I 
 
 " I was one day (says Sir John) speaking to my fi-iend Meerza Aga 
 of the munificence of the barber of the great Abbas, in a manner which 
 implied doubt of the fact. He observed, he knew not whether the 
 barbers of the Seflavean monarchs built bridges, but ' I do know,' he 
 
 I 
 
122 THE HISTORY OF THE BEAKD. 
 
 said, ' that the Khasterash (literally, personal shaver) of our present 
 sovereign, in the abundance of his vsrealth, built a palace for himself 
 close to the royal bath at Teheran. Then,' said the good Meerza, ' he is 
 entitled to riches, for he is a man of pre-eminent excellence in his art, 
 and has had for a long period under his special care the magnificent 
 beard of his majesty, which is at this moment, and has been for years, 
 the pride of Persia.' 
 
 " Well," I replied, " if your personal shaver has built such a 
 mansion, I wiU no longer doubt the wealth of the barber of Shah 
 Abbas, for that monarch, though he wore no beard, had, we are told 
 by travellers and observe from paintings, a noble pair of moustaches, 
 of which he is said to have been very proud; and the trimmer of which, 
 no doubt, was, as he deserved to be, a great favorite. 
 
 " This conversation led to a long dissertation on moustaches and 
 beards, upon which subject my travels to countries that my Persian 
 friends had never seen, enabled me to give them much useful informa- 
 tion. I told them many stories about the Sikhs, a nation dwelling 
 between the territories of Cabul and India, who devoting their beards 
 and whiskers to the Goddess of Destruction, are always prompt to 
 destroy any one who meddles with them ; and who, from a combined 
 feeling of religion and honor, look upon the preservation of life itself 
 as slight, in comparison with the preservation of a hair of their 
 beards. 
 
 " I next informed them how beards, whiskers, and moustaches were 
 once honored in Em-ope. I told them an anecdote of the great John 
 de Castro, a former Governor of Goa, the capital of the Portuguese 
 possessions in India. He being in want of a considerable loan from 
 the citizens of Goa, for a military expedition, was at a loss for an 
 adequate security.* His first intention was to pledge the bones of his 
 gallant son Don Fernando, who had recently fallen in battle; but 
 finding, on opening the grave, that the carcass was putrid, he offered, 
 as next dear to his personal honor, a lock of his cherished moustaches. 
 This security was accepted ; but immediately returned with more than 
 the amount required, young and old vying with each other who should 
 show most respect to so valuable a pledge. 
 
 " The Persians of my audience twisted their moustaches with a 
 combined feeling of pleasure and pride on hearing this testimony to 
 the value of that ornament of the visage ; and Khan Sahib, who was 
 
 * Tliese facts arc mentioned in the introduction to Mickle's translation of the 
 " Lusiad." 
 
ANECDOTES OP BEARDS. 
 
 123 
 
 one of the parly, said to me with a smile, ' You gentlemen with the 
 mission wear moustaches in compliance with the prejudices of the 
 Persians ; but is it true that many officers of your cavalry now wear 
 them, and that they are again likely to become popular in England ? ' 
 I said, perhaps they might ; adding, I had no doubt that would be the 
 case, if there appeared the slightest chance of their ever turning to ac- 
 count in the money-market like those of John de Castro." 
 
 A Grand Vizier of Constantinople is also reported to have once bor • 
 rowed a large sura of money on the security of his beard and whiskers ; 
 and such was the faith of his creditors in the honor of a beard, that it is 
 said they were content to visit their debtor occasionally, to see that 
 their security was safely growing curly on his face. 
 
 " It is," says D'Arvieux, who has devoted a chapter to the exposi- 
 tion of the sentiments of the Arabs in regard to the heard, " a greater 
 mark of infamy in Arabia to cut a man's beard off, than it is with us 
 to whip a fellow at the cart's tail, or to burn him in the hand. Many 
 people in that countiy would rather die than incur that punishment. 
 I saw an Arab who had received a musket shot in the jaw, and who 
 was determined rather to perish than to allow the surgeon to cut his 
 beard off to dress Ms wound. His resolution was at length overcome; 
 but not until the wound was beginning to gangrene. He never allowed 
 himself to be seen while his beard was off; and when at last he got 
 abroad, he went always with his face covered with a black veil, that he 
 might not be seen without a beard ; and this he did till his beard had 
 grown again to a considerable length." 
 
 13urckhardt also remarks, that the Arabs who have from any cause 
 had the misfortune to lose their beard, invariably conceal themselves 
 from view until their beard has grown again. 
 
 To cut off the tail of a Chinese is in use as a national punishment. 
 The Parsees are always shaven all over the head, and should he chance 
 to remove his skull-cap (or in-door covering), the Parsee always places 
 his hand on his crown, as if in shame of his bare head, and keeps it 
 there till his cap is replaced. 
 
 In an article in the Quarterly Review, some two or three years ago, 
 mention was made of the Hon. Mrs. Dawson Damer having requested 
 a lock of Mehemet Ali's hair, to place in a collection which already 
 boasted the hair of Nelson, Napoleon, and Wellington, when she was 
 gallantly informed by the Pacha, that in his will he would request 
 his son Ibrahim Pacha to present her with his beard. 
 
 Swearing by the beard of the Prophet is the Mussulman form of 
 
 I S 
 
1^24 THE HISTORY OF THE BEARD, ETC. 
 
 oath. Nearly all of the inhabitants of Scinde, whether Mussulmen or 
 Hindoos, wear beards, which they often dye of a red color. 
 
 Before the revolution of 1830, neither the Prench nor Belgian 
 citizens were remarkable for their moustaches ; but after that event 
 there was hardly a shopkeeper either in Paris or Brussels whose upper 
 lip did not suddenly become hairy with real or mock moustaches. 
 During a temporary triumph gained by the Dutch soldiers over the 
 citizens of Louvaiu, in October, 1830, it became a standing joke against 
 the patriots, that they shaved their faces clean immediately ; and the 
 wits of the Dutch army asserted that they had gathered moustaches 
 enough from the denuded lips of the Belgians to stuff mattresses for 
 the sick and wounded in their hospital. 
 
 An amusing anecdote has lately been current in Germany. The 
 authorities of Vienna have not, until very recently, attacked the beards 
 of men, but a lady of high rank some time since made an unsuccessful 
 attempt to induce about fifty servants of her guests to sacrifice' the 
 hirsute honors of their upper Ups. The lady in question, the wife of 
 the reigning Prince Adolphus Schwarzenburg,' gave a grand ball, at 
 which the creme of the Austrian nobility was present. As is customary 
 on such occasions, the friends and acquaintances of the lady of the 
 house permitted their valets to wait on the guests during the enter- 
 tainment. The illustrious lady, who, in the matter of festivities, leads 
 the fashion there, ordered that the servants should have their hair 
 powdered. Now, as immense black, brown, or red moustaches do 
 not exactly harmonize with white pericraniums, five florins (10s.) were 
 offered to each of the gentlemen's gentlemen who would sacrifice his 
 cherished schnurrbart. Need I say that the lady kept her money, and 
 the men their moustaches. 
 
 A facetious writer in the Quarterly Reviev), asserts that a mutton 
 chop seems to have suggested the form of a substantial British 
 whisker. Out of this simple design countless varieties of forms have 
 arisen. British whiskers, in truth, have grown up like all the great 
 institutions of the country, noiselessly and persistently — an outward 
 expression, as the Germans would say, of the inner life of the people ; 
 the general idea, allowing of infinite variety according to the indivi- 
 duality of the, wearer. Let us take the next half-dozen men passing 
 by the window as we write. The first has his whiskers tucked into 
 the corners of his mouth, as though he were holding them up with 
 with his teeth. The second whisker that we descry has wandered 
 into (the middle of the cheek, and there stopped, as though it did not 
 
VAUIETIES OF WHISKER. 125 
 
 know where to go to, like a youth who has ventured out into the 
 middle of a ball-room with all eyes upon him. Yonder bunch of 
 bristles (No. 8) twists the contrary way, under the owner's ears ; he 
 could not for, the life of him, tell why it retrograded so. The fourth 
 citizen, with the vast Pacific of a face, has little whiskers, which 
 seemed to hvae stopped short after two inches of voyage, as though 
 aghast at the prospect of having to double such a Cape Horn of a 
 chin. We perceive coming a tremendous pair, running over the shirt- 
 collar in luxuriant profusion. Yet we see, as the colonel or general 
 takes off his hat to that lady, that he is quite bald — those whiskers 
 are, in fact, nothing but a tremendous land-slip from the veteran's 
 head. 
 
126 FAVORITE COLORS OF THE HAIR. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 rAVOBITE COLOHS OF THE HAIR, POETs' DESCRIPTIONS, COMMON 
 MODES OF WEARING THE HAIR, CURL PAPERS, ANECDOTES, ETC. 
 
 The beautiful features and personal attractions of the fair sex, are 
 especially set oif to advantage, by that ornament to the person — a fine 
 head of hair ; whether the auburn tresses fall in many a graceful fold ; 
 the rich and glossy curls are bound with roses, or 
 
 " The long dark hair, 
 Floats upon the forehead in loose waves 
 Unljraided." 
 
 The pillar of the Ionic order, in the composition of which, both 
 elegance and ingenuity are displayed, is said to have been constructed 
 upon the model of a beautiful woman with flowing soft hair : 
 
 "Her ringlets nnconfined, 
 About her neck and breast luxuriant play." 
 
 This architectural pillar presents a marked contrast to the Doric, 
 which is formed after the model of a strong robust man. 
 
 There is not a voluptuous or luxurious scene in poetry or romance, 
 into which a description of the heroine's hair is not introduced. 
 
 " Kicher treasures than her hair 
 Never yet did forehead bear ; 
 On her ivory shoulders lying 
 Every curl — for lustre vying. 
 With the yellow light that breaketh 
 TVhen the fresh-eyed morning waketh." 
 
 Without this elegant ornament crowning the stature with grace, even 
 the goddess of Beauty, though possessed of the brightest eyes, and the 
 most fascinating charms, would appear hideous and deformed. When 
 Homer mentions the celebrated fair who set all Asia in arms, he in- 
 variably call her the " beautiful-haired Helen." Apuleius maintains, that 
 
STYLE IN WEABING THE HAIK. 127 
 
 if Venus were bald, though circled by the graces and the loves, she 
 would not please even swarthy Vulcan. Petronius, in his picture of 
 Circe, describes her tresses, falling negligently over her shoulders, which 
 they entirely covered. Apuleius praises her trailing locks, <hick and 
 long, and insensibly curling, disposed over her divine neck, softly 
 undulating with carelessness — 
 
 " Whose golden hair 
 
 Around her sunny face in clusters hung" — 
 
 Ovid notices those beauties who plaited their braided hair like 
 spiral shells. 
 
 Amasia is described with hair distilling the perfumes of myrrh and 
 roses ; and that of Venus, as diffusing around the divine odors of 
 ambrosia — 
 
 Coleridge speaks of 
 
 " Mii-th of the loosely flowing hair." 
 
 Though the bards of Hellas may boast of a " liypsipyle," that 
 gorgeous beauty whose hair fell flowingly to her feet ; — yet would she 
 bear but poor comparison with the beauties of our own favored land, 
 who are universally eulogised for theluxuriant and silky glossiness of their 
 hair ; and the praiseworthy attention they pay to the duties of the toilet. 
 
 In no country in the world is more attention paid to the hair than 
 in Great Britain ; and unlike other nations there is no set fashion or 
 uniformity of practice in wearing it, every female exercising her own 
 good taste, and taxing her ingenuity in displaying her beautiful hair to 
 the best advantage according to the contour of the face. This variety 
 is pleasing, and one is delighted in a mixed fashionable assemblage to 
 glance from head dress to head dress, witnessing here the hair flowing 
 freely in ringlets, waving unconfined over neck and shoulders ; — there 
 crisp set curls, framing the temples and blooming cheeks; — anon 
 braids and plain Madonna bands set off with a simple flower or wreath. 
 Another has elaborately woven and twined masses adorning the back of 
 the head interlaced with ribbon or pearls : — each eye forming its own 
 beauty. 
 
 The natural hair, observes a modern Eeviewer, after its long term of 
 imprisonment, seemed for a moment to have run wild. The portraits of 
 the beginning of the century, and even down to the time of Lawrence's 
 supremacy, show the hair, falling thick upon the brow, and flowing, es- 
 pecially in the young, over the shoulders. Who can ever forget, that 
 
138 FAVOlllTE COLORS OF THE HAIR. 
 
 has once seen it, the portrait of young Lindley in the Dnhvich gallery 
 by Sir Thomas ; that noble and sad looking brow, so softly shaded 
 with luxuriant curls ? At the present moment almost every lady 
 one meets has her hair arranged in " biinds ;" nothing but bands — the 
 most severe and ti-ying of all coiffures, and one only adapted to the most 
 classic style of beauty. For the face, with a downright good natured 
 pug nose, or with one that is only pleasantly retrousse, to adopt it is 
 quite as absurd as for an architect to surmount an ii'regular Elizabethan 
 building with a Doric frieze. Every physiognomy requires its peculiar 
 arrangement of hair, and we only wonder that this gi-eat truth has ever 
 been lost sight of. There is a kind of hair full of graceful waves, 
 which, in Ireland, is called good-natured hair. There is something quite 
 cliarming in its rippling line across the forehead. Art has attempted to 
 imitate it, but the eye immediately detects the impostm-e — it no more 
 resembles the real thing, than the set smile of the opera-dancer does the 
 genuine play of the featm-es from some pleasurable emotion of the 
 mind. This buckled hair is, in short, the same as that denounced by the 
 early chm-chmen under the name of the malice of the B — I, a term which 
 it well deser\res. There is another kind of hair which is inclined to 
 hang in slender thread-like locks, just on the sides of the face, allowing 
 the light anfl shade to fall upon the white skin beneath with delightful 
 eifect. Painters particularly aflfect this picturesque falling of the hair, 
 and it is wonderful how it softens the face, and gives archness to the 
 eyes, which peep out, as it were, between their own trellis ^ work or 
 jalousies} We own to a love of the soft glossy ringlets which dally and 
 toy with the light on their airy curves, and dance with every motion of 
 the body. There is something exceedingly feminine and gentle in them, 
 we think, which makes them more fitted for general adoption than any 
 other style. But most of all to be admired for a noble generous 
 countenance, is that compromise between the severe looking " band" 
 and the flowing ringlet, in whiolj the hair, in twisting coils of flossy silk, 
 is allowed to fall from the forehead in a delicate sweep round that part 
 of the cheek where it melts into the neck, and is then gathered up into 
 a singleshell-like convolution behind; the Greeks were particularly fond of 
 this arrangement in their sculpture, because it repeated the facial outline 
 and displayed the head to perfection. Some naturally pretty women, 
 following the lead of the strong-minded high-templed sisterhood, are in 
 the habit of sweeping their hair at a very ugly angle off the brow so 
 as to show a tower of forehead and, as they suppose, produce an 
 overavving impression. This is a sad mistake, Corinna, supreme in taste 
 
LONG IIAIU PROPBB IN WOMAN. 129 
 
 as in genius and beauty, knows better. The ancients were never guilty 
 of thinking a vast display of forehead beautiful in woman, or that it 
 was in fact, at all imposing in appearance. They invariably set the hair 
 on low, and would have stared with horror at the atrocious .practice of 
 shaving it at the parting, adopted by some people to give height to the 
 brow. Wedo not mean to lay down any absolute rule; however, evenin this 
 particular, the individuality which exists in every person's hair, as much 
 as in their faces, should be allowed to assert itself, and the dead level of 
 bands should never be permitted to extinguish the natural difference 
 between the tresses of brown Dolores — " blue-black, lustrous, thick as 
 horsehair," and the Greek Islanders' hair like sea-moss that AJciphron 
 speaks of. Least of all is such an abomination as " fixature" allowable 
 for one moment. He must have been a bold bad man indeed, who 
 first circulated the means of solidifying the soft and yielding hair of 
 woman. — Quarterly Review. 
 
 Hair, most unquestionably, constitutes the proudest ornament of 
 female beauty ; and clustering locks, compared, both by the ancients and 
 oriental poets, to the growth of grapes, has even been considered a 
 desideratum at the female toilet; artificial means to curl the hair having 
 been resorted to from time immemorial, even by man. 
 
 We find Virgil speaking contemptuously of jSlneas for the care he 
 took of his locks : 
 
 Vibratos calido ferro, myrrhaque madeutes. 
 
 The Romans called a man who thus frizzled himself homo calimia- 
 tratus. 
 
 Crisp and curled ringlets were ever admired and Petrarch thus 
 describes them — 
 
 Aui'a che quelle cliioiue bionde e crespe 
 Circondi, e movi, e se mossa de loro 
 Soave meute, e spargi quel dolce oro 
 E poi'l raccogli, e'n bei nodi I'increspe. 
 
 The royal family of France had it as a particular mark and privilege 
 of the kings and princes of the blood to wear long hair, artfully dressed 
 and curled. Long hair for men went out of fashion during the Protecto- 
 rate of Cromwell, and hence the term " Koundheads." It again became 
 unfashionable in 1795, and very short hair was the mode in 1801. 
 
 St. Paul (1 Corinthians; chap., xiv v. 14-15.) writes, " Doth not even 
 nature itself teach you, that if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto 
 
130 FAVORITE COLORS OP THE HAIR. 
 
 him ? But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her ; for her 
 hair is given her for a covering." 
 
 " No reason" observes the Rev. Albert Barnes, when commenting on 
 this passage, " can be given, in the nature of things, why the woman 
 should wear long hair and the man not ; but the custom prevails exten- 
 sively everywhere, and nature in all nations, has prompted to the same 
 course. ' Use is second nature ;' but the usage in this case, is not 
 arbitrary, but is founded on an anterior universal sense of what is proper 
 and right ; a few and only a few, regarded it as comely for a man to wear 
 his hair long. Aristotle tells us, indeed, that among the Lacedemonians, 
 freemen wore their hair long. In the time of Homer also, the Greeks 
 were called by him, long-haired Greeks; and some of the Asiatic nations 
 adopted the same custom. But the general habit among men has been 
 different. Among the Hebrews, it was regai-ded as disgracefiil to a 
 man to wear his hair long, except he had a vow as a Nazarite (Numbers 
 chap, vi., V. 1 to 5 ; Judges chap, xiii., v. 5 ; chap xvi.,v. 17 ; 1 Samuel 
 chap, i., 1 1 v.) 
 
 Occaionally, for affection or singularity, the hair was suffered to grow 
 as was the case with Absolom, (3 Samuel chap, xiv., 26 v.;) but the 
 traditional law of the Jews on the subject was strict. The same rule 
 existed among the Greeks ; and it was regarded as disgraceful to wear 
 long hail- in the time of M\\w\. {Hist. lib. ix., chap. 14. Eustath on Horn., 
 II. V.) It is doing that which almost universal custom has said, appro- 
 priately, belongs to the female sex. Messrs Irby and Mangles (Travels 
 in Syria) state, "that about the country of the Dead Sea, some of the 
 men wear long hair of a tawny color plaited in small plaits, very much 
 in the Nubian manner, but without grease. The women had a singular 
 way of plaiting their braided hair across the forehead, which had the air 
 of a formal wig." To women, long hair is, however, an ornament and 
 adorning. The same instinctive promptings of nature which make it 
 proper for a man to wear short hair, make it proper that the woman 
 should suffer her's to grow long. It is given to her as a sort of natural 
 covering, and to indicate the propriety of her wearing a veU. It answered 
 the purposes of a veil when it was suffered to grow long, and to spread 
 over the shoulders and over parts of the face, before the arts of dress were 
 invented or needed. There may also be an allusion here to the fact that 
 the hair of woman actually grows longer than that of man. The value 
 which eastern females put on their long hair may be learned from the 
 fact, that when Ptolemy Euergetes, King of Egypt, was about to march 
 against Seleucus Callinicus, his queen Berenice vowed, as the most 
 
LONG HAIil IN MEN DISCOUNTENANCED. 181 
 
 precious sacrifice which she could make, to cut ofif and consecrate her 
 hair if he returned in safety. 
 
 Milton, in his " Paradise Lost" — book iv., in his description of our 
 first parents, makes this marked distinction : 
 
 "Hyacinthine locks. 
 Round from Ms parted forelock manly hung 
 Clustering, but not beneath his shoulders broad ; 
 She, as a veil, down to the slender waist. 
 Her unadorned golden tresses wore 
 Dishevell'd, but in wanton ringlets wav'd. 
 As the vine curls her tendrils, which implied 
 Subjection ; but requir'd with gentle sway — ." 
 
 Outside of Eome, long hair was generally prevalent among freemen. 
 The slaves were invariably cropped, and Csesar relates that he always 
 ordered the populations of the provinces he had conquered, to shave oE 
 their hair as a sign of their subjection. In the decline of the Empire, 
 when any of these provinces revolted, the insurgent captains directed 
 the masses to wear their hair long again as a signal of recovered freedom. 
 Thus the hair-crops of whole countries were alternately mown and 
 allowed to grow like so many fields at the command of the husbandman — 
 the most important of facts, political, being indicated (we despise 
 the vile imputation of a pun) by the state of the poll. Long hair during 
 the dark ages, was very much respected ; and at the beginning of the 
 French monarchy the people chose their kings by the length of their 
 locks. In our own island it was equally esteemed ; and so far from its 
 being considered a mark of effeminancy to carefully tend it, we are told 
 that the Danish officers who were quartered upon the English in the 
 reign of Ethelred, the Unready, won the hearts of the ladies by the 
 length and beauty of their hair, which they combed at least once a day ! 
 
 The clergy seem to have been the only class of men, who wore the 
 hair short ; and this they did as a kind of mortification. Not content 
 with exercising this virtue themselves, however, they attempted to 
 impose it upon the laity. Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury fulmi- 
 nated decrees of excommunication and outlawry, against all persons 
 wearing long hair, both in England and ^France. In England the 
 clergy did not confine themselves merely to denouncing the flowing 
 tresses of the nobility, impregnated with the practical turn of mind 
 of the country, they acted as well as talked. Thus, Serlo, a Norman 
 prelate, preaching before Henry I. and his court, from the well-known 
 text of St. Paul, brought the whole party to such a state of repentance 
 
133 PAVOKITE COLORS OF THE HAIR. 
 
 respecting the profligate length of their locks, that they consented to 
 give them up ; whereupon the cvafty churchman puUed a pair of shears 
 out of his sleeve, and secured his victory by clearing the royal head in 
 a twinkling. 
 
 Such occasional results of pious impulse were, however, of little 
 avail ; on the whole, the abomination remained throughout the early 
 reigns of both France and England quite triumphant. 
 
 William of Malmesbury, relates that the famous St. Wulstan, Bishop 
 of Worcester, was peculiarly indignant whenever he saw a man with 
 long hair — ^he declaimed against the practice as one highly immoral, 
 criminal and beastly. He continually earned a small knife in his pocket, 
 and whenever anybody offending him in this respect, knelt before him 
 to receive his blessing, he would whip it out slUy, and cut off a handful, 
 and then throwing it in his face, tell him to cut off all the rest, or he 
 would assuredly go to purgatory. 
 
 In Richard II's time, the men, as well as the women, confined the hair 
 over the brow with a fillet. What the clergy with all their threats of 
 excommunication and promises of paradise could not affect in a series 
 of ages, was at last brought about by an accident. Francis I. having 
 been wounded in the head at a tournament was obliged to have his hair 
 cropped, whereupon the whole of fashionable France gave up their locks 
 out of compliment to the sovereign. 
 
 In the History of England, iOustrated with wood cuts of the 
 kings' heads, which we have all of us thumbed over so at school, the 
 sudden and complete change in the method of wearing the hair between 
 the installation of the Tudor dynasty, and the meridian of bluff king 
 Hal must be well remembered. The portraits of the latter period, by 
 Holbein, are, however, the best of illustrations. The women, as well as 
 the men, appear almost totally deprived of hair, and we cannot help 
 thinking that much of the hard expression of features, which especially 
 marks the female heads of Henry VIII's great painter, was owing to the 
 withdrawal of the softening influence of the hair. 
 
 The cavaliers began to restore long locks early in the reign of 
 Chai-les I. ; the Puritans so far from adopting the fashion, polled even 
 closer than before, and at last came to rejoice in the cognomen of 
 Koundheads. 
 
 Dr. Hall, who published a little work in 1643, on the " Loathsom- 
 nesse of Long Hair," exclaims, " How st]-angely do men cut their hairs 
 —some all before, some all behind, some long round about, their crowns 
 being cut short likes cootes or popish priests and friars ; some have long 
 
COLORING TINT OP THE HAIR. 133 
 
 locks at their eares, as if they had four eares, or were prickeared; some 
 have a little long lock onely before, hanging downe to their noses, like the 
 taile of a weasell; every man being made a foole at the barber's pleasure, 
 or making a foole of the barber for having to make him such a foole." 
 
 Stowe, in writing of this period, asserts on the authority of some 
 more ancient chronicler, " that men forgetting their birth, transfonned 
 themselves by the length of their haires, into the semblance of woman- 
 kind ;" and that when their hair decayed from age or other causes, "they 
 knit about their heads certain rolls and braidings of false hair." 
 
 In Voss's pretty German Poem of " Louisa," there is the following 
 description, in the lovely scene where the young bethrothed in her maiden 
 delight, is coaxed by her friend, Amelia, into trying on her bridal finery : 
 
 " Quickly the frolicsome, youthful Amelia took out tlie pins which 
 fastened Louisa's nut-brown hair, which, flowing in ringlets. 
 Over her shoulders fell, by the powder in vogue undisfigured ; 
 And stood bridesmaid-lite, first smoothing her hair with attention, 
 TJsoing a tortoise-sheU comb, and delighting to play with her ringlets. 
 Braided it then, and arranged in the mode of the Grecian maidens. 
 Just as Praxiteles once and Phideas, goddesses sculptured ; 
 Or as our German Angelica paints at the present the Muses, 
 Some loose tresses she left, which, priding themselves in their freedom. 
 Back from her forehead rolled in an easy and natural manner. 
 Kound, on her lily-white neck, played gently a delicate ringlet, 
 As it escaped ; and therefore upon troth her shoulders entwining. 
 Wound two beautiful locks, low down on her bosom depending • 
 
 After, she brought some sprigs of the myrtle which stood at the window. 
 Whose luxuriant growth concealed one half of the table ; 
 Made of the myrtle a wreath, young virgins becoming, and crowned thee. 
 Worthy wert thou of the wreath, and the wreath of the gentle Iiouisa 1 
 Kound it her ringlets were twined, and behind by a ribbon were fastened." 
 
 The color has always been a point of considerable interest in the 
 physiology of the hair. It was for a long time believed that the 
 coloring fluid circulated in the centre of the hair ; but the idea has been 
 exploded by the researches of modern microscopists and the sections 
 given in the accompanying Plates, wUl elucidate clearly this subject. 
 
 Bienvenu states, that the various colors of the hair may be reduced 
 to three principal ones, — black, red and white, of which all the others 
 are merely so many different shades; but, remarks M. Cazenave (a French 
 physician, who has published an interesting little treatise " On Diseases 
 of the Human Hair,") "it appears to me that white is either the result 
 of absence of the coloring matter, as in the Albino, or of discoloration 
 
134 FAVORITE COLOES OP THE HAIK. 
 
 of the hair, as we see in the diseases vitiligo and canitia ; therefore 1 
 think it better to reduce the types to two principal ones, as Grellier has 
 done ; namely, red and black, to which belong the intermediate or de- 
 creasing shades, brown, chesnut, fair. Independently of these distinc- 
 tions, the color of the human hair is subjected to certain influences, 
 the study of which is not devoid of interest. Thus, he adds, the color 
 varies in a remarkable degree, according to the climate in which men 
 live. The nearer we approach the north, the fairer we observe the hair 
 of the inhabitants. This subject I have already adverted to (see ante 
 page 30). 
 
 According to the investigations of Liebig, the composition of the 
 prevalent tints of hair are shown in the following per centages : — 
 
 Fair Hair. Brown Hair, Black Hair. 
 
 Carbon 49.34 50.62 49.93 
 
 Hydrogen 6.58 6.61 6.63 
 
 Nitrogen 17-94 17.94 17.94 
 
 Oxygen and Sulphur ... 26.14 24.83 25.30 
 
 100. 
 
 These analyses would lead to the inference that the brightness of 
 the beautiful golden hair is attributable to the excess of sulphur and 
 oxygen, with a deficiency of carbon. The coloring tint or pigment 
 forms, however, but one portion of the difference existing between the 
 soft luxitriant tresses of the Saxon girl, and the coarse blue-black locks 
 of the North American squaw. The size and quality of each hair, and 
 the manner in which it is planted, tell powerfully in determining the 
 line between the two races. 
 
 The depth of the color of the hair, very generally bears (it is 
 observed by Dr. Hassall) a relation to the development of pigmatory 
 matter in other parts of the system, as in the eye and beneath the 
 skin. To this rule, however, some remarkable exceptions are occa- 
 sionally encountered. 
 
 The color of the lighter hairs, as the red and flaxen, would appear 
 to depend less upon the number and depth of coloring of the pigment 
 cells and granules, than upon the presence of minute globules of a 
 colored oil. In the hair of Albinoes but little coloring matter is pre- 
 sent, and in grey hair also the color has deserted the pigment cells 
 and granules. 
 
 Not only as a means of ornament has the hair been seized upon by 
 All classes and generations of our kind, but it has been converted into 
 
THE HAIR AN INDICATION OF TEMPER. 135 
 
 an index, as it were, of their religious, political, and social opinions. 
 The difference between the freeman and the slave was, (as we have seen) 
 of old indicated by the length of the hair. In later times we all know 
 Low the Puritan rejoiced in a " polled" head, whilst the Cavalier flaunted 
 about in exuberant curls. The fact of its being the only part of the 
 body a man can shape and carve according to his fancy, is sufficient to 
 account for the constancy with which he has adopted it as his ensign 
 of party and doctrine, and also for the multitudinous modes in which 
 he has worn it. 
 
 Some writers have supposed that there exists a certain relationship 
 between the color of the hair and the moral temperament, so to speak. 
 Thus, for example, rapidity of the circulation, love of change, vivacity 
 of the imagination ; in a word, all these attributes of the sanguineous 
 temperament are associated with chesnut-colored hair. Black hair, on 
 the contrary, is supposed to indicate athletic strength and vigor, energy, 
 ambition, and the passions ; whilst fair hair represents a soft and lax 
 fibre, and is the emblem of mildness, tenderness, and affection, blended 
 with judgment — in short, all the qualities which are usually associated 
 with a calm and mUd temperament. 
 
 " If the hair," says Lavater, " cannot be classed among the members 
 of the human body, it is at least an essential adherent part of it. It 
 affords a variety of indications of the temperament of an individual, 
 of his powers, of his habits of thought, and consequently of his intel- 
 lectual faculties. It corresponds with our physical constitution, as 
 plants and fruits do to the soil which produced them. The diversity 
 in the color and texture of the covering of the lower animals, suffi- 
 ciently indicates the expressive meaning conveyed by the different 
 qualities and color of the human hair ; compare the wool of the sheep 
 with the fur of the wolf, the hair of the rabbit with that of the hyena." 
 —Vol. II., pp. 256-57. 
 
 At the present moment the fairest haired inhabitants of the earth 
 are to be found north of the parallel 48° ; this line cuts off England, 
 Belgium, the whole of North Germany, and a great portion of Eussia. 
 Between the parallels 48° and 45° there seems to be a debateable land 
 of dark-brown hair, which includes northern France, Switzerland, and 
 part of Piedmont, passes through Bohemia and Austria Proper, and 
 touches the Georgian and Circassian provinces of the Czar's empire. 
 Below this line again, Spain, Naples and Turkey, forming the southern 
 extremity of the map, exhibit the genuine dark-haired races. So 
 that, in fact, taking Europe broadly, from north to sputh, its people 
 
136 FAVORITE COLORS OF THE HAIR. 
 
 present in the color of their hair a perfect gradation — the light 
 flaxen of the golden latitudes deepening by imperceptible degrees into 
 the blue-black of the Mediterranean shores. To this regular grada- 
 tion, however, there are some obvious exceptions. 
 
 We have ab'eady noticed the dark tribes lingering within our own 
 island — the same is true as to the Celtic majority of the Irish ; and 
 even the Normans, as we now see them, are decidedly ranked among 
 the black-haired. On the other hand, Venice, which is almost southern 
 in latitude, has always been famous for the golden beauty of its hair, 
 beloved so of Titian and his school. 
 
 If we open a wider map, we only perceive ampler proof that race 
 alone determines the color of hair. Thus, taking the parallel of 5 1° 
 north, and following it as it runs like a necklace round the world, we 
 find a dozen nations threaded upon it like so many parti-colored 
 beards. The European portion of the necklace is light-haired ; whereas 
 the Tartars, northern Mongnls, and aboriginal American Indians 
 have black straight hair ; and Canada breaks the chain once more with 
 the blond tresses of the Saxon. 
 
 The predilection for certain colors of the hair differs in various 
 countries. 
 
 In the East, black hair has ever been held in the highest estima- 
 tion. In the song of Solomon, a distinguishing feature is stated to be 
 the hair — " His locks are bushy, or curled, and black as a raven." 
 Black hair also characterised the prophetic virgins of the Druids. The 
 women of Caraecas. (Venezuela) are seldom blondes; but with hair of 
 the blackness of jet, they have the skin white as alabaster. 
 
 Jet black eyes «nd raven tresses have their admirers in all 
 countries. 
 
 Ainsworth, in his " Thirty Eequisites of Perfection," enumerates 
 three black : " Dark eyes, darksome tresses, and darkly fringed lids." 
 
 " What," says Madame Voiart, " can be more seducing than jet 
 black hair, falling in undulating ringlets upon the bosom of a youthful 
 beauty?" 
 
 Others, and there should be a variety of tastes, prefer brown. 
 
 " She has ringlets richly brown. 
 Lovelier than a jewelled crown. 
 You are lost if once you press 
 To your lips one silken tress; 
 They are nets of love, that hold. 
 By some magic, young and old. 
 
 Ah ! take care ! " 
 
PARTIALITY EVINCED FOR RED HAIR. 137 
 
 Margaret says to Hero, in " Much Ado about Nothing," " 1 like the 
 new tu-e (headdress) within excellently, if the hairwere a thoughtbrowner." 
 
 Among the qualifications of Launce's lady love, (in Shakspere's 
 " Two Gentlemen of Verona,") were,, that " she had more hair than 
 wit, and more faults than hairs, and more wealth than faults." Most 
 of our English beauties have, however, luxuriant hair, ready wit, and 
 few faults ; and if all have not abundant wealth, certainly (as the song 
 has it) their face is their fortune. 
 
 In ancient times the nations who were the most polished, the most 
 civilized and the most skilful in the fine arts, were passionately fond 
 of red hair. The Gauls, the ancestors of the modern French, had 
 the same preference, though that color is now in disrepute by their 
 descendants, who like black hair. In some districts of Africa they 
 prefer light hair. A taste for red hair, however, stiU exists in exten- 
 sive regions. The Turks, for example, are fond of women who have 
 red hair, while the modern Persians have a strong aversion to it. The 
 inhabitants of Tripoli, who probably learned it from the Turks, give 
 their hair a red tinge by the aid of vermilion. The women of Soinde 
 and the Deccan are also fond of dyeing their hair yellow and red, as the 
 Eomans did, in imitation of German hair. 
 
 There is among Europeans generally a strong dislike to red hair ; 
 but in Spain red hair is admired ' almost to adoration, and there is a 
 story told of one of our naval commanders, who luxuriated in fiery 
 locks, being idolized and caressed in consequence, by the Spanish 
 women, and looked upon as a perfect Adonis. 
 
 Red hail- is often considered a deformity ; but why it should be, it 
 is hard to say, since in all cases the hair and complexion suit each 
 other admii-ably; the "golden locks" and "sunny tresses" of the 
 poets, invariably accompanied the blonde, frank, and manly faces in- 
 hei-ited from Saxon ancestors. We have heard of "villainous red 
 hair," and " horrid red whiskers;" but hair is only "villainous" and 
 whiskers " horrible" when the first is dii-fy, and the last worn without 
 regard to the kind of cheeks they surround. 
 
 As a consolation for red-haired people, I may state that the Chinese 
 rather mean to compliment us when they apply the term, " Hung 
 Maow Kwie," literally " red-haired devil." Mr. P. P. Thorns, a very 
 good Chinese linguist, thus explains the epithet: — " Red" he observes, 
 "is beautiful to the Chinese; they extol the peach flower, because of its 
 form and delicate red color ; all the fronts of their houses are red ; 
 they use the vermilion pencil." 
 
 K 
 
138 FATORITE COLORS OP THE HAIR. 
 
 " If red be thus beautiful, how can their designating Europeans 
 red-haired people imply insult ! With regard to the word Kwei," he 
 continues, " there is no occasion for us to take it in its most offensive 
 signification, that of evil, it being a general term for spirits, whether 
 good or evU, and equivalent to our word spirits." Thus "red-haired 
 devU" becomes " beautiful spirit." 
 
 The Germans hold light hair in estimation, and the Eoman ladies 
 of old had a great partiality for flame-colored locks. 
 
 Eed hair has been almost universally given to warriors, and golden 
 tresses to ladies. 
 
 Sir Walter Scott, in his description of King James in " Marmion," 
 says : — 
 
 " Aubiii'n of the darkest dye. 
 His short curled beard and hair.'' 
 
 In heathen mythology, the golden locks of Apollo, the red hair and 
 beard of Mars, the yellow tresses of Venus, and the flaxen braids that 
 were twisted under the helmet of Minerva, demonstrated how much 
 the color of this hair was appreciated by the ancients, It is a favorite 
 subject of description with our amatory writers ; — 
 
 " Her soft, unbraided hair, 
 
 Gleaming like sunlight upon snow above her forehead fair.'' 
 Another invites us to contemplate a picture — 
 
 'Where 
 
 Streamed its long tresses of golden hair. 
 Like straggling sun-beams of softest glow. 
 Tinging the splendour of stainless snow." 
 
 In the days of the elder Palma and Giorgione, yellow hair was the 
 fashion, and the paler the tint the more admired. "The women had a 
 method of discharging the natural color by first washing their tresses 
 with some chemical preparation, and then exposing them to the sun. 
 " I have seen (says Mrs. Jameson, in her " Memoirs and Essays,") a 
 ciu'ious old Venetian print, perhaps satirical, which represents this pro- 
 cess. A lady is seated on the roof or balcony of her house, wearing 
 a sort of broad-brimmed hat, without a crown ; the long hair is drawn 
 over these wide brims, and spread out in the sunshine, while the face 
 is completely shaded. How they contrived to escape a brain fever or j 
 coup de soleil is a wonder ; and truly of all the multifarious freaks of 
 
POETS POND OF GOLDEN HAIR. 139 
 
 fashion and vanity, I know nothing more strange than this — unless it 
 be the contrivance of the women of Antigua to obtain a new natural 
 complexion." 
 
 It was usual for the Eoman ladies to disguise the real color of 
 their hair by wearing wigs composed of the hair of the Germans. 
 The peruke-makers of Rome, according to Ovid, bought up all the 
 spoils of German heads to gratify those of his countrywomen, wh6 were 
 determined to conceal their fine black hair mider a light wig. Hair 
 from Germany was -sold at Eome for its weight in gold. The Germans 
 themselves were in the practice of using a kind of soap of goat's tallow 
 and beechwood ashes, to stain their hair of the popular color. This 
 Hessian soap, as it was termed, was also used to stain the German 
 wigs, in order to give them a flame color. By a law of the Germans, 
 passed in the year 630, it was considered a penal ofience, punishable 
 by fine, to deprive a freeman of his hair without his consent. 
 
 Modern poets seem to have been as partial to golden hair as the 
 ancients. Thus Milton speaks of it, in a variety of places ; " Usa 
 golden hair'd," " And Heceerge with the golden hail-." 
 
 In his drama of " Adam" he thus apostrophises : — 
 
 " From that soft mass of gold, that curls around it ! 
 
 Locks-like the solar rays ! 
 Chains to my heart, and lightning to my eyes I 
 
 let thy lovely tresses 
 Now light, and unconfin'd. 
 
 Sport in the air, and all thy face disclose ! " ■ 
 
 In another place : — 
 
 " Her breast 
 Met his, under the flowing gold 
 Of her loose tresses hid." 
 
 Petrarch again : — 
 
 " Loose to the wind her golden tresses streamed." 
 
 The royal poet, James the First of Scotland, writes of his lady's 
 " golden haire." 
 
 Prom Sir Walter Scott I might cite numberless instances. 
 Thus, describing Clara in " Marmion :" — 
 
 " Now her bright locks with sunny glow 
 Again adorned her brows of snow." 
 
 " And down her shoulders graceful rolled 
 Her locks profuse, of paly gold." 
 
 K 2 
 
140 rAVOEITJJ COLORS OF THE HAIB. 
 
 In the " Lay of the Last Minstrel :" — 
 
 " All loose her golden hair." 
 
 And speaking of Margaret, he says : — 
 
 '• Her blue eyes shaded by her locks of gold." 
 " His skin was fair, his ringlets gold." 
 
 Bassanio, in the " Merchant of Venice," beholding Portia's por- 
 trait, enraptured, exclaims : — 
 
 " Here in her hairs 
 The painter plays the spider, and hath woven 
 A golden mesh to entrap the hearts of men. 
 Faster than gnats' in cobwebs." 
 
 It is to the fineness and multiplicity of hairs that blond tresses 
 owe the rich and silk-like character of their flow — a circumstance which 
 artists have loved to dwell upon. 
 
 Shakspere especially seems to have deUghted in golden hair. 
 
 " Her sunny locks hung on her temples like the golden fleece." 
 
 Again, in the " Two Gentlemen of Verona," Julia says of Sylvia 
 and herself: — 
 
 " Her hair is auburn— mine is perfect yellow." 
 
 Twenty other passages will suggest themselves to every reader. 
 
 Black hair he only mentions twice throughout his entire plays ; 
 clearly showing that he imagined light hair to be the peculiar attribute 
 'of soft and delicate women. 
 
 A similar partiality for this color, touched with the sun, runs, how- 
 ever, through the great majority of the poets — old Homer himself for 
 one : and the best painters have seized with the same instinct upon 
 golden tresses. 
 
 A walk through any gallery of old masters will instantly settle this 
 point. There is not a single female head in the National Gallery — 
 beginning with the glorious " Studies of Heads," the highest idefd of 
 female beauty, by such an idealist as "Corregio, and ending with the 
 full-blown blondes of the prodigal Rubens ; — there is not a single black- 
 haired female head among them. 
 
NATIONS DISTINGUISHES BY THEIK HAIR. 141 
 
 An old song has it : — 
 
 " Still for glyttering lockes and gaye, 
 Thou wilt euer cite the Sonne ; 
 Here's a simple tresse — I praye, 
 Hath he such a goldenne one 9 " 
 
 Here are a few other extracts : — 
 
 " And parted hair of a pale pale gold, 
 That is priceless every curL" 
 
 ' 'Tis sweet to part the sunny hair. 
 And look upon the hrow of those we love." 
 
 " The breath of heaven came from the summer bowers, 
 And stirred upon her cheek the golden curl, 
 That floated there as if it loved to kiss 
 Its alabaster beauty." 
 
 Light hair and a ruddy complexion, Mr. Eobertson tells us, are 
 held in Brazil to be indisputable and enviable marks of nobility, in 
 contradistinction to the mixed race. A Portuguese poetess is reported 
 to have sung thus : — 
 
 " Black eyes and brown you may every day see. 
 But blue, like my lover's, the gods made for me." 
 
 Certain modes of wearing the hair distinguished particular nations ; 
 for example, hair twisted in the form of a mitre, Armenians and other 
 Asiatics ; long, floating and curled, Parthians and Persians ; thick and 
 bristly, Scythians and Goths; cut upon the crown of the head, 
 Arabians, Abantes, Mysians, Curetes and .ffitolians ; long hair often 
 washed in lime water, Gauls; long, the Athenian cavalry, and all 
 Lacedemonian soldiers ; floating only, Bacchantes ; fastened upon the 
 top of the head, girls j tied and fastened upon the nape of the neck, 
 matrons. To remain, or be in the hair, was a phrase (especially 
 among the Lombards) to signify unmarried girls, who wore their hair 
 long, not twisted into knots like that of married women. 
 
 Paulus Diaconus states that the Langobardi or Longobardi de- 
 rived their name from their long beards; but though this asser- 
 tion has been questioned by some modern critics, it is certain, as I 
 have akeady mentioned in a previous chapter, that many indivi- 
 duals have obtained their cognomen from some peculiarity in their 
 
142 FAVORITE COLORS OF THE HAIR. 
 
 liair or beard. I may instance our own William Rufus; Frederic 
 Barbarossa, Emperor of Germany ; the cruel Bluebeard, of wife- 
 killing notoriety; and Torfoeus {Hht. Nor. torn. ii. lU). i.) says that 
 Harold received his name of Harfagre or Fairlocks from the length 
 and beauty of his hair, which flowed in thick ringlets to his girdle, 
 and was like golden or silken threads. 
 
 Conspirators, thieves, &e., were shaven for punishment. 
 
 Du Cange also mentions frizzing the hair. Oriniti, as a term for 
 nobles, the people Iseing shorn ; Gravia, a fashion of arranging it on 
 the forehead ; Crocus, dressing it in curls or hooks, a custom of the 
 thirteenth century ; Flexa, a mode of dressing it in tangles, like plaits, 
 a woman's fashion ; Investiture by hair, a countess holding a pair of 
 scissors, and the count her sod, taking them, and cutting the hair of 
 a certain squire, for the purpose of confirming the donation. 
 
 It is stated that the Lombard women, when they were at war, made 
 themselves beards with the hair of their heads, which they ingeniously 
 arranged on their cheeks, in order that the enemy, deceived by the 
 likeness, might take them for men. It is also asserted after Sindas, 
 that, in a similar case the Athenian women did as much. These heroines 
 had more masculine customs than our effeminate countrymen. 
 
 About a century ago the French ladies adopted a mode of dressing 
 their hair in such a manner, that curls hung down their cheeks as far 
 as their bosoms. These curls went by the name of " whiskers." 
 This custom it cannot be supposed was invented after the example of 
 the Lombard women, to frighten the men. Neither is it with in- 
 tention to carry on a very bloody war that, in our time, the beaux 
 aifect to bring forward the hair of the cheeks from each ear towards 
 the mouth, yet these are also called whiskers. 
 
 " In former days (observes a recent writer), what was known of a 
 woman's hair in the cap of Henry the Eighth's time ; or of her fore- 
 head under her hair in George the Third's time ; or of the fall of her 
 shoulders in the belt or wing in Queen Elizabeth's time ; or of the 
 fullness of her throat in a gorget of Edward the Eii-st's time ; or of 
 the shape of her arm in a great bishop's sleeve, even in our own time? 
 Now-a-days, all these points receive fuU satisfaction for past neglect, 
 and a woman breaks upon us in such a plenitude of charms, that we 
 hardly know where to begin the catalogue. Hair light as silk in 
 floating curls, or massive as marble in shining coils. Forehead bright 
 and smooth as mother-of-pearl, and arched in matchless symmetry by 
 its own beautiful drapery. Ear, which for centuries had lain concealed, 
 
HINTS TO THE LADIES. 143 
 
 set on the side of the head like a delicate shell. Throat a lovely stalk, 
 leading the eye upward to a lovelier flower, and downward along a fair 
 sloping ridge, undulating in the true line of beauty, to the polished 
 precipice of the shoulder, whence, from the pendent calyx of the 
 shortest possible sleeve,. iangs a lovely branch, smooth and glittering 
 like pale pink coral, slightly curved towards the figure, and terminat- 
 ing in five taper petals, pinker still, folding and unfolding ' at your 
 own sweet wUl.' " 
 
 We give up the ear. Pretty or not, it cannot afford to be shown. 
 Any face in the world looks bold with the hair put away so as to show 
 the ears. They must be covered. The curve-l\ne of the jaw needs 
 the intersecting shade of the falling curl, or of the plat or braid drawn 
 across it. So evident is it to us that nature intended the female ear 
 to be covered — (by giving long hair to women, and by making the ear's 
 concealment almost inevitable as well as necessary to her beauty) — 
 that we only wonder the wearing it covered, by hair or cap, has never 
 been put down, among the rudiments of modesty. 
 
 In or out of fashion, we contend that curls are pre-eminently 
 beautiful and becoming. As weapons aimed at men's hearts, no other 
 revolvers are half so deadly. They look youthful. They look modest. 
 They look caressing. The cheek is brighter for the foil they are to its 
 lustre. Grace is in their fall over the temple. Poetry has idealized 
 and embellished the general impression with regard to curls. Their 
 motion coquets with the eye, and the perplexed light and shadow that 
 play in and out of the nests of curve entrap the fancy. Pew faces are 
 beautiful enough to do without them — few faces that have a profusion 
 of them gracefully worn, are unattractive. 
 
 Yet of late years, fashion seems to have rejected curls. 
 
 The rarest beauty in the world is hair becomingly joined on the 
 neck behind. Usually, of course, the bandeau or braid should be so 
 brought round from the temples as to conceal the roots of the hair, 
 without so increasing the bulk as to give that part of the head an 
 animal expression. This is the point we often see iU managed in hair 
 dressing. 
 
 But, of all the arts of decorating the head, the one which requires 
 the most skill and taste (not to say good sense) is the locating the 
 bulk of the hair when put up. Phrenology should be caUed in, for the 
 proper point to receive addition differs with eveiy difl'erent formation 
 of skull. Woman has very much the advantage over man in this re- 
 spect. She can make her head show, phrenologically, for pretty much 
 
144 FAVORITE COLOHS OP THE HAIH, ETC. 
 
 what she pleases. The prominent propensities may be made uncon- 
 spicuous by counterbalancing even where the bumps themselves cannot 
 be concealed. But, upon most of the betraying prominences, complete 
 disguise may be put, and those which are creditable and beautiful may 
 be greatly thrown into relief, heightened and made to tell upon the 
 expression. An inch forward or backward in the placing of the knot 
 of the hair, gives the head (the most common observer sees, without 
 knowing why) a very different character. How often do we wonder 
 what it is that makes this or that lady's head so invariably dignified or 
 stylish, when, in fact, it is nothing but her tact at rightly locating the 
 bulk of her hair. 
 
 It is surprising (observes Mr. N. P. WilHs) that no artist has 
 ever put forth an illustrated volume on this subject. What a sale it 
 would have! There might be a hundred studies of the different mo- 
 difications of the various styles, with an analysis of the meaning 
 and expression of each one — the merry and the melancholy, the digni- 
 fied and playful, the firm and the yielding, the proud and the timid, 
 the sainted and the coquetish, the practical and the poetical, each 
 finding a picture'of her particular style, and guarded against stumbling 
 ignorantly and unconsciously upon one which is entirely out of harmony 
 with her character. It is a neglected chapter of the Arts. We admire 
 find revere woman too much to think that the propriety mud Jitneas of 
 beauty in the dressing of her head is a triiling matter. Science and art 
 might well combine to give it some comprehensible system, and redeem 
 it from its present barbarous haphazard. 
 
 One of the beauties with which nature has been most generous to 
 woman is the hair ; yet how frequently do we see it disfigm'e, rather 
 than adorn the person. This, one of the perfections of Nature, with 
 which she appears to delight in embellishing the sex, is too often left 
 to the management of a friseur, who, without any reference to the 
 forai or to the physiognomical development, proceeds to dress the 
 hair, having his imagination charged with one of his best wigs upon 
 one of the best blocks. He consequently produces a facsimile of 
 the aforesaid coiffure, which may look very well upon the round, 
 waxen, high-colored figure in his window ; but which gives a most 
 ghastly expression to a long thin visage. Let a person's hair be so 
 arranged as to give width to the face. 
 
 " How often (remarks a writer in Blackwood's Magazine) do we see 
 a really good face made quite ugly by a total inattention to lines. 
 Sometimes the hair is pushed into the cheeks, and squared at the 
 

 IIRIHT'' er w COfn/SM 
 
 Plate, G 
 
 S3_ BdHT/tGIO/i^EV^ ClOSe. 
 
SUGGESTIONS FOE GRACE AND BEAUTY. 14-5 
 
 forehead, so as to give a most extraordinary pinched shape to the face. 
 Let the oval, where it exists, be always preserved ; where it does not, 
 let the hair be so humored that the deficiency shall not be perceived. 
 Nothing is more common than to see a face, which is somewhat too 
 large below, made look grossly large and coarse, by contracting the 
 hair on the forehead and cheeks, and there bringing it to an abrupt 
 check ; whereas such a face should enlarge the forehead and the cheek, 
 and let the hair fall partially over, so as to shade and soften off the 
 lower exuberance. A good treatise, with examples in outline of the 
 defects, would be of some value upon a lady's toilet, who would wish 
 to preserve her great privilege — the supremacy of beauty. Some press 
 the hair down close to the face, which is to lose the very characteristic 
 of hair — ease and freedom. Let her locks, says Anacreon, lie as they 
 like ; the Greek gives them life, and a will. Some ladies wear the 
 hair like blinkers ; you always expect they will shy if you approach 
 them. A lady's head-dress, whether in a portrait or for her daily 
 wear, .should, as in old portraits by Eembrandt and Titian, go off into 
 shade, not be seen too clearly, and hard all round; should not, in 
 fact, be isolated, as if out of sympathy with all surrounding nature. 
 The wigs of men of Charles the Second's time had at least that one 
 merit of floating into the back-ground, and in their faU softening the 
 sharpness of the lines of the dress about them." 
 
 Another writer thus describes a fashionable mode of wearing the 
 hair, in the early part of the eighteenth century : — " She wore her hair 
 not in the extent of the fashion, but in a manner far more becoming to 
 her regular and beautiful features. It was raised from her forehead to 
 her temples, and brought over a crape cushion, and a small portion 
 was confined and curled at the top of the head, whence a plume of 
 ostrich feathers fell gracefully over the left side, while a single curl 
 waved on her neck beneath, which was exquisitely fair. The remaining 
 quantity was divided into ringlets, and brought back over the right 
 shoulder, leaving the back of the neck unshaded." 
 
 The mode of wearing the hair prevalent for a long period in Prance, 
 was having it slightly curled on the temples, and collected behind into 
 distinct tresses by means of bands or clasps of various kinds. 
 
 The distinguishing fashion of the ninth and tenth centuries was to 
 twist and plat the lower half of the hair, so as to form two separate 
 tresses, which were tm-ned up on each side of the cheek. In the next 
 century, the hair on the forehead of women disappeared entirely under 
 the bottom of a headdress peculiar to the time. Subsequently, a 
 
116 FAVORITE COLORS OP THE HAIR, ETC. 
 
 tasteful mode of dressing the hair, with but few interruptions, seems to 
 have prevailed till the close of the fourteenth century. In the reign of 
 Charles V., the luxurious Isabella of Bavaria introduced a remarkable 
 style of high headdress, which was thrown aside about 1483 for 
 more tastefully arranged headdresses. These, however, were obscured 
 ,by black veils a few years afterwards. 
 
 Early in the sixteenth centui-y the ladies began to turn up their 
 hair, Queen Margaret of Navarre frizzed her hair at both temples, and 
 turned it back in front. 
 
 Various fantastical and ridiculous modes of wearing the hair pre- 
 vailed from time to time. At the commencement of the last century 
 the ladies puffed out their hair, and used hair-powder to an excessive 
 degree. The French women wore their hair cut short and curled 
 round their faces ; but so loaded with powder that it looked like white 
 wool. 
 
 I have given in a plate various striking illustrations of the most 
 peculiar and stylish modes of wearing the hair, prevalent at different 
 periods ; as handed down to us in veritable portraits. 
 
 Mrs. Merrifield, in an interesting paper on " Dress — as' a Pine 
 Art," in the Art Journal, for March, 1853, has the following obser- 
 vations : — 
 
 " The improving taste of the present generation is, perhaps, no 
 where more conspicuous than in permitting us to preserve the natural 
 color of the^air, and to wear our own whether it be black, brown or 
 grey. There is also a marked improvement in the more natural way in 
 which the hair has been arranged during the last thirty years. We 
 allude particularly to its being suffered to retain the direction intended 
 by nature, instead of being combed upwards, and tm-ned over a cushion 
 a foot or twp in length. 
 
 " These headdresses, emphatically called, from their French origin, 
 ' tetes,' were buUt or plastered up only once a month ; it is easy to 
 imagine what a state they must have been in during the latter part of 
 that time. Madame d'Oberkirch gives, in her ' Memoirs,' an amusing 
 description of a novel headdress of this kind. We transcribe it for 
 the amusement of our readers. 
 
 " ' This blessed 6th of June, she awakened me at the earliest dawn. 
 I was to get my hair dressed, and to make a grand toilette, in order to 
 go to Versailles, whither the Queen had invited the Countess du Nord, 
 for whose amusement a comedy was to be performed. 
 
 " ' These court toilettes are never-ending, and this road fi'om Paris 
 
DIFFEKENT STYLES OF HEAD-DRESS. 147 
 
 to Versailles very fatiguing, especially when one is in continual fear of 
 rumpling her petticoats and flounces. I tried that day, for the first 
 time, a new fashion — one too, which was not a little ghtante. I wore 
 in my hair, little flat bottles shaped to the curvature of the head, 
 into these a little water was poured, for the purpose of preserving 
 the freshness of the natural flowers worn in the hair, and of which the 
 stems were immersed in the liquid. This did not always succeed ; 
 but when it did, the effort was charming. Nothing could be more 
 lovely than the floral wreath crowning the snowy pyramid of powdered 
 hair.' 
 
 " Few of our readers, we reckon, are inclined to participate in the 
 admiration of the baroness so fancifully expressed for this singular 
 head-dress. 
 
 " We do not presume to enter into the question whether short curls 
 are more becoming than long ones, or whether bands are preferable to 
 curls of any kind, because, as the hair of some persons curls naturally, 
 while that of others is quite straight, we consider that this is one of 
 the points which must be decided accordingly as one style or the other 
 is found to be most suitable to the individual. 
 
 " The principle in the arrangement of the hair round the forehead 
 should be to preserve or assist the oval form of the face. As this 
 differs in different individuals, the treatment should be adapted ac- 
 cordingly. The arrangement of the long hair at the back of the head 
 is a matter of taste ; as it interferes but Httle with the countenance, it 
 may be referred to the dictates of fashion, although in this, as in every 
 thing else, simplicity in the arrangement, and grace in the direction of 
 the lines, are the chief points to be considered. One of the most 
 elegant headdresses we remember to have seen, is that worn by the 
 peasants of the Milanese and Ticinese. They have almost uniformly 
 glossy black hair, which is carried round the back of the head in a 
 wide braid, in which ai-e planted at regular intervals long silver pins, 
 with large heads, which produce the effect of a coronet, and contrast 
 well with the dark color of the hair." 
 
 In some satirical songs and poems on costume, written in 1755, 
 we find the following description of the hair, as then worn : — 
 
 " Be her shining locks confined 
 In a tliree-fold braid behind ; 
 Like an artificial flower. 
 Set the frissure off before ; 
 Here and there weave ribbon pat in, 
 Kibbon of the finest sallin." 
 
148 FAVORITE COLORS OP THE HAIR, ETC. 
 
 The follies of the headdresses then worn by the ladies, are thus 
 indicated in the London Magazine for 1777 : — 
 
 " Give Chloe a bushel oLhorse-liair and wool, 
 Of paste and pomatum a pound ; 
 Ten yai'ds of gay ribbon to deck her sweet skull, 
 And gauze to encompass it round," 
 
 The custom of having children's locks braided in long plats, and 
 tied up with bows, which was prevalent a few years ago, was not a new 
 f^hion, for there is a portrait extant of the son of ViUiers, first Duke 
 of Buckingham (1637), with his hair thus ornamented. 
 
 The fashion for young people to cover the hair with a silken net, 
 which was prevalent both in this country and in France some 
 centuries ago, has been again revived. . Some of the more recent of 
 these nets are very elegant in their form. 
 
 Our much loved Queen, in wearing her own fair hair in the simple 
 style she does, has set a fashion which is very generally followed ; and 
 the massy ringlets and bunches of curls formerly so generally worn, 
 have now given place, in a great degree, to the chaste Madonna-like 
 bands and braids. 
 
 " Jet locks upon the open brow, 
 Madonna-wise divided there, 
 And graceful are, I know not how. 
 Descending to the shoulders fair." 
 
 Walton, in his " Spanish Colonies," informs us that the greatest 
 punishment that can be inflicted on an Indian, is the depriving him 
 of his hair, which also forms the great pride of the African race. In 
 Hispauola, or the Spanish part of St. Domingo, to this day, the women 
 descended from the mixture of the two classes plait their woolly locks 
 with hair-ribbon, to make it appear in long tresses, and I once (ob- 
 serves the same author) had the curiosity to measure what a sooty 
 damsel was going to plait on her head, and found the united pieces 
 made thirty-two yards. To the end they add a small piece of lead, to 
 make the locks appear straight and long. There is a decree extant in 
 the archives of the Council of the Indies, under the date of 5th March, 
 1581, that bears the stamp of singularity. In conformity with the 
 remarks of St. Paul in his Epistle to the Corinthians, that long hair 
 was a shame to a man, the Catholic missionaries required that those 
 persons who were admitted to baptism, should cut off their hair ; but 
 the King of Spain, being informed that this requirement operated as 
 an obstacle against the conversion of the Indians, who would not 
 
CCRL PAPERS ATTACKED. 149 
 
 purchase Christianity by this sacrifice, annulled it by a law enacted 
 under the above date. 
 
 The toilets of the Creole ladies are laborious in the extreme, and 
 they might exclaim with Lady Mary W. Montague's " Havia :"— 
 
 " I oft have sate. 
 While hours unheeded past, in deep debate 
 How curls should fall, or where a braid to place j 
 If blue or scarlet best became my face." 
 
 The arrangement of their hair is a work of no triiling nature, and 
 takes up a considerable portion of their time ; aud the dealers in oils 
 and pomades derive no small profit from such articles, which are in- 
 dispensable in making their masses of black locks repose in their 
 proper position. 
 
 The Zinder ladies of Central Africa, Eichardson. tells us, have 
 the ends of the tufts of their hair (for they cannot be called curls) 
 formed into clayey sticks of macerated indigo ; for they color their 
 flesh with this dye, the dark blue of which replaces the yellow ochre of 
 the ladies of fashion in Aheer. 
 
 Leigh Hunt very justly reprobates the vile and injurious practice 
 of curl papers : — 
 
 " Ladies, always delightful, and not the least so in their undress, 
 are apt to deprive themselves of some of their best morning beams, by 
 appearing with their hair in papers. All people of taste prefer a cap, 
 if there must be anything ; but hair a million times over. To see 
 grapes in paper bags is bad enough ; but the rich locks of a lady in 
 papers, the roots of the hair twisted up like a drummer's, and the 
 forehead staring bald instead of being gracefully tendrilled and 
 shadowed! — it is a capital offence — a defiance to the love and admira- 
 tion of the other sex — a provocation to a paper war ; and we here 
 accordingly declare the said war on paper, not having any ladies at 
 hand to carry it at^once into their head-quarters. We must allow, at 
 the same time, that they are very shy of being seen in this condition, 
 knowing well enough how much of their strength, like Samson's, lies 
 in that gifted ornament. We have known a whole parlor of them 
 fluttered off like a dove-cote, at the sight of a friend coming up the 
 garden." 
 
 Of all the nations of antiquity, with whose character we are at all 
 acquainted, the Greeks cultivated beauty with the greatest care, and 
 by them beautiful and tastefully adorned hair was held to be quite 
 
150 FAVORITE COLORS OF THE HAIR, ETC. 
 
 necessary to setting off theii- persons. Until a very late period, when 
 they had attained to the highest pitch of refinement, they continued to 
 dress their hair in a very simple manner. Dividing it evenly on the 
 middle of the crown, from the forehead backwards, they allowed it to 
 flow loosely on either side in waving ringlets on the shoulders, at the 
 same time turning it carefully, so as to form a semicircle along the 
 forehead towards the temples, as Byron describes it : — 
 
 " Those tresses unconfined, 
 Woo'd by each Egean wind." 
 
 Or, instead of allowing their brilliant tresses to flow thus loosely, 
 turned them up, and fastened them with a single golden pin. 
 
 The Eomans, who were so remarkably tenacious of established 
 customs, were very iickle in this respect of fashion, and one of their 
 authors, addressing the women respecting their hair, says, " You are at 
 a loss what to be at with your hair. Sometimes yon put it into a 
 press ; at others, you tie it negligently together, or set it entirely at 
 liberty. You raise or lower it according to your fancy. Some keep it 
 closely twisted up into curls, while others choose to let it float loosely 
 on the wind." 
 
 Byron's description of Haidee may be appropriately cited here : — 
 
 " Her brow was overhung with coins of gold. 
 That sparkled o'er the aubvu-n of her hair. 
 Her clustering hair, whose longer locks were roU'd 
 
 In braids behind ; and though her stature were 
 Even of the highest, for a female mould. 
 They nearly reach'd her heel." 
 
 Messrs. Ii-by and Mangles, in theij- " Travels in Syria," mention 
 that during their stay at Kerek, in Petra, they saw the dowry of a young 
 woman who was going to be mai-ried, paid at the Sheik's house, which 
 amounted to about one hundred piastres, in white Constantinople 
 money, consisting of silvered tin coins, about the size of a sixpence. 
 These were only what she was to wear as her head ornament, as the 
 ladies there decorate their foreheads with dollars and diflferent kinds of 
 money ; sometimes the coins hang down to both ears, and must be a 
 great weight. This is occasionally practised also in many parts of 
 Greece. 
 
 Among the Jewish women a high forehead was considered an in- 
 dispensable mark of beauty, and to prevent the hair from growing 
 
CAEE OP THE EYELASHES AND EYEBROWS. 151 
 
 low, they were in the practice of wearing a bandage round the fore- 
 head of scarlet cloth. Pelronius, to give an idea of a perfect beauty, 
 says that her forehead was small, and showed the roots of her hair 
 raised upwards. This fashion, adopted by the Chinese, was not long 
 ago a modish coiffure in France. 
 
 Sterling, in his work on " Spanish Artists," says : — " Luxuriant 
 tresses were twisted, plaited, and plastered in such a shape that the 
 fair head that bore them resembled the top of a mushroom ; or curled 
 and bushed out into an amplitude of frizzle that rivalled the cauli- 
 flower wig of an Abbe. An ungainly mode also prevailed of parting the 
 hair at the side, instead of the top of the head, thus marring the 
 symmetry and balance of its outline ; of which some wretched portraits 
 ill the Spanish gallery of the Louvre, impudently ascribed to Velasquez, 
 might be cited as examples sufficiently offensive and deterring." 
 
 The eyebrows are usually of a darker shade than the hair, which 
 serves to give a tone of character to the forehead. 
 
 " Black brows, they say, 
 Become some women best, so that there be not 
 Too much hair there, but in a semicircle. 
 Or half moon, made with a pen." 
 
 Winter's Tale. 
 
 The ancient Romans considered it indispensable for a beauty to 
 have her eyebrows meet, and, in Scotland, persons whose eyebrows 
 are so formed are considered lucky. 
 
 In the East a powder composed of antimony and bismuth is used 
 to darken the eyelashes. 
 
 Li Cil-cassia, Georgia, Persia, and India, one of the mother's 
 earliest cares is to promote the growth of her childi-en's eyelashes, by 
 tipping and removing the fine gossamer-like points, with a pair of 
 scissors, when they are asleep. By repeating this every month or six 
 weeks, they become, in time, long, close, finely curved and of a silky 
 gloss. The practice never fails to produce the desired effect, and it is 
 particularly useful when, owing to inflammation of the eyes, the lashes 
 have been thinned or stunted. 
 
 Byron, in his " Bride of Abydos," alludes to the beauty of long 
 eyelashes, in the following exquisite lines : — 
 
 " As a stream late conceal'd 
 By the fringe of its willows. 
 Now rushes reveal'd 
 
 In the light of its billows : 
 
153 FAVORITE COLORS OF THE HAIR, ETC. 
 
 As the bolt bursts on Ugh 
 
 ]?rom the black eloud that bound it, 
 Mash'd the soul of that eye, 
 
 From the long lashes round it." 
 
 Another poet says : — 
 
 "Half drooping lids! deep-£ring'd, they shade 
 
 The large blue orbs that shine below: 
 
 Bright eyes! by their own lashes weigh'd; 
 
 StUl, still they languish to and fro." 
 
 The Japanese have a tradition that tea sprang from the eyelashes 
 of their Pagan saints, which is thus related : — 
 
 " Darma, an eminent saint, who flourished about the year of our 
 Lord 519, and a successor of Siaka, the founder of their Paganism, 
 was a very austere man, who, to attain to perfect holiness, denied 
 himself all rest, sleep and relaxation of body, consecrating his mind, 
 day and night, without any intermission,, to the deity. After he 
 had watched many years, one day being weary and worn out with over- 
 fasting, he unluckily dropped asleep. Awakening the next morning 
 full of sorrow for breaking his solemn vow, he cut off both his eye- 
 brows (qr. eyelashes), those instruments of his crime, and with indig- 
 nation threw them to the ground. Eeturuing the next day to the 
 place, behold two beautiful tea slu-ubs had sprung up from the scattered 
 hairs. Darma, eating some of the leaves, was presently filled with 
 new joy and strength to pursue his divine meditations, and communi- 
 cating to his disciples the great benefit he' had found from tea, they 
 published it to the world." — {TDr. Short's Dissertation, upon, Tea, 
 1753.) 
 
 This fable, like that of the alleged discovery of coffee by goats 
 browsing on the leaves and becoming frisky, and monks thence testing 
 their properties, took its rise, probably, from its effects in promoting 
 wakefulness. 
 
 The late Mr. Abernethy, in a lecture to his students upon the 
 muscles of the scalp, used to tell the following ridiculous story, with a 
 view to impress this part of the subject forcibly on their minds : — 
 
 " In happened in the early part of my time, to be quite the fashion 
 to put half a pound of grease, and another half pound of flour, on a 
 man's head — what they called hair-dressing ; it was the fashion too, 
 to bind this round with a piece of tape or riband, and make a tail to 
 it, and it was the mode to wear those tails very thick, and rather 
 
ANTICS WITH TAILS. . 163 
 
 short. Now a gentleman who possessed great power in the motion of 
 las frons occipitalis, used to go to the boxes of the theatre when Mrs. 
 Siddons first appeared ; and I don't believe there ever will be such an 
 actress again as she was, nor do I believe there ever was her equal 
 before her. However, when people were affected beyond description, 
 and when they were all drowned in tears at her performance, this chap 
 wagged his tail enormously, and all the people burst out into a roar of 
 laughter. In vain did they cry ' Turn him out,' in vain did they cry 
 'Throw him over!' When he had produced this effect upon the 
 audience, then he kept his tail 'quiet; but again, no sooner was their 
 attention engaged, than wag went his tail, and again were the bursts 
 of laughter re-echoed." 
 
154 TKADE AND COMMEKCE IN HUMAN HAIK. 
 
 CHAPTEE XIII. 
 
 TKADE AND COMMEKCE IN HUMAN HAIB. 
 
 Some curious infonnation and singular details may be furnished 
 respecting the trade in human hair for artificial adornment ; and few, 
 probably, are aware of the extent to which this is carried, and the 
 number of persons who are specially engaged, more or less, in the 
 business of hair-coHecting, hair-cutting, hair-working, and dressing the 
 hair, I will not say throughout the world, but confine my remarks 
 chiefly to this kingdom. When we consider that the population of 
 Great Britain and Ireland is about twenty-eight millions, of which above 
 one-half are females — that two-thirds of all these require that the hair 
 shoidd be cropped at least once a month, and many want shaving and 
 curling daily, and that but a small proportion perform the operation 
 of cropping or trimming the hair themselves, we shall be able to form 
 some idea of the vast number of persons following the business of hair 
 dressers and perruquiers. 
 
 Barbers all over the east have been for many ages noted as im- 
 portant subjects of the state. Their position in Persia I have already 
 alluded to at page 131. A popular periodical of the day, in an 
 interesting article on the barber in the east, thus speaks of them : — 
 
 " In India, they are the great newsmongers of the town. Almost 
 evefy English officer indeed, and every civilian, has his own particular 
 barber ; but it often happens that the same individual, with perhaps an 
 assistant or two, serves the whole community. They are regular 
 attendants at regular hours of the morning, and the habitue va. India 
 looks forward to their arrival with as much impatience .as a Lombard- 
 street banker waits foi' his morning Times. There is not a thing 
 stirring in cantonment, not a man married nor a woman ill, not a 
 dog lamed, not a favourite horse shod nor a dog who has increased her 
 family, but the barber is acquainted with the fact, and the information 
 is retailed by him piecemeal for the benefit of every customer he 
 visits. 
 
 "In China, a barber's experience is extensive ; he has to do not only 
 with the heads, but the tails of the people ; and his skill is generally 
 
BAEBEKS IN THE EAST. 155 
 
 acknowledged by all, from the emperor downwards. In Siam, barbers 
 are next in importance to prime ministers, and they rank with phy- 
 sicians, being usually conversant with blood-letting and a few other 
 minor duties belonging to the apothecaries' art. But it is in Turkey, 
 in the land of the Caliphs, that we meet with the barber in his proper 
 soil, enjoying all the dignity of his sharp profession, looked up to and 
 honoured by the multitude, and admitted to the confidence of the 
 pasha. He is the advertiser of all the baths in the neighbourhood, 
 the terror of young gentlemen with a weak growth of beard or a tender 
 head, and the aversion of labourers, who are compelled to submit an 
 eight days' beard to his rough management ; yet all flock to him and 
 pay him lip-homage. Besides other things, the barber in Turkey is 
 generally the vendor of cunning drugs and charms, anti-fleabite mix- 
 tures, deadly doses for rats, with occasionally some favourite remedy 
 for dangerous diseases. Exercising as he does such diversified func- 
 tions, the Turkish barber has little spare time on his hands. He is 
 always an early riser, and commences his day's operations by experi- 
 ments upon himself. His moustache is a perfect pattern for curl, 
 gloss, and enormous length ; his head is as smooth and hairless as a 
 monk's at eighty ; his costume is in the height of Turkish fashion ; 
 and in the season he is sure to have a bouquet of sweet-smelling 
 flowers in his bosom. Thus equipped, and having partaken of his 
 early coffee and pipe, the barber sets forth for his shop, which is 
 usually in the heart of the most thronged bazaar ! and there, long 
 before the busy world is astir, he and his assistant have set all things 
 in apple-pie order ; -they have swept up the floor, dusted the shelves,, 
 spread out fresh napkins, rinsed the pewter basins, set on the fire 
 huge caldrons of water to boil, garnished the soap-dishes with sweet- 
 smelUng herbs and flowers, set forth chairs and stools in goodly array, 
 in preparation for the business of the day, which, by the time these 
 arrangements are completed, commences in right earnest." 
 
 In former times, both in this and other countries, the art of 
 surgery and the art of shaving went hand-in-hand. The larbiers-cM- 
 rurgiens in France were separated from the barbiers-perruquiers in the 
 time of Louis XIV., and made a distinct corporation. 
 
 The barber-surgeons of our metropolis were also once an important 
 company in the City of London ; and at that time they were the only 
 persons who exercised surgery ; but afterwards others assuming that art, 
 formed themselves into a voluntary associfition, which they called the 
 Company of Surgeons of London. This act, however, at once united 
 
 L 2 
 
156 TEADE AND COMMEKCE IN HAIK. 
 
 and separated the two crafts. The barbers were not to practice " 
 surgery further than drawing of teeth, and the surgeons were strictly 
 prohibited from exercising " the feat or craft of barbery or shaving." 
 Four governors or masters, two of them surgeons, the other two 
 barbers, were to be elected from the body, who were to see that the 
 respective members of the two crafts exercised their callings in the 
 city, -agreeably to the spirit of the act. This company was incorpo- 
 rated by means of Thomas Morestede, Esq., one of the sheriffs of 
 London, 1436, chirurgeon to the kings of England, Henrys' IV., V., 
 and VI. ; he deceased, 1450. 
 
 In 1417, in his second expedition against France, a warrant was 
 issued to Thomas Morestede and WiUiam Bredewardyn to press as 
 many surgeons and instrument makers into their service as they could 
 find either in the city or elsewhere. 
 
 Then Jaques Fries, physician to Edward IV., and William Hobbs, 
 physician for the same king's body, continuing the suit the full 
 time of twenty years, Edward IV., in the 2nd of his reign, and 
 Eichard, Duke of Gloucester, became founders of the same cor- 
 poration in the name of St. Cosme and St. Damiare. The first 
 assembly of that craft was Eoger Strippe, W. Hobbs, T. Goddard, 
 and Richard Kent ; since which time they built their hall in Monkwell- 
 street; and entries relating to the company from 1309 to 1377 are to 
 be seen in the books of the Guildhall chamber ; and there also are the 
 bye-laws of the company in 1387, and an Act of Parliament relating 
 thereto, of the date of 1420. 
 
 It was in the first year of the reign of Edward IV. (1461) that 
 the company of barber-surgeons came as a body together. The 
 charter bears date Feb. 24. To this charter the royal seal in 
 green wax is appended. Holbein commemorated the granting of the 
 charter to them by Henry VIII. in a picture, which is still preserved 
 in the Company's Hall, in MonkweE-street. The picture is one of 
 the best of Holbein's works in this countiy. The character of his Ma- 
 jesty's bluff haughtiness is well represented, and all the heads are 
 finely executed. The picture itself has been re-touched. The physician 
 in the middle, on the king's left-hand, is Dr. Butts, immortalized by 
 Shakspeare as the King's Friend in "H enry VIII." 
 
 Pepys, in 1668, speaks of going to see this picture. "I did 
 think," he says, " to give £200 for it, it being said to be worth £1000 ; 
 but it is so spoiled, that I have no mind to it, and it is not a pleasant. 
 
THE HAIE HARVEST IN PRANCE. 157 
 
 though a good picture." The privileges of this Company were con- 
 firmed in various subsequent charters, the last bearing date the 15th 
 April; 5th Charles I. By the year 1745 it vi^as discovered that the 
 two arts which the Company professed were foreign to and independent 
 of each other ; they were accordingly separated by an act of parlia- 
 ment, 18th Geo. III., entitled " An Act for making the Surgeons and 
 Barbers of London two distinct and separate Corporations." 
 
 One is struck in passing along the streets, by the curiosities one 
 sees in those " armouries of Venus," the hair-dressers' windows. 
 Whence come those magnificent head-dresses which the waxen dummies 
 slowly display as they revolve ? From what source issue those pendant 
 tresses gleaming in the back-ground, with which the blooming belle, 
 aptly entangling their snaky coil with her own, tempts our eligible 
 Adams ? Who are they that denude themselves of coal-black locks, 
 that she who can afford a price may shore up her tottering beauty P 
 Alas! for trading England, even for her artificial hair she has to 
 depend upon the foreigner. 
 
 Among the many curious occupations of the metropolis is that of 
 the human hair merchant. Of these there are several, and they import 
 between them more than fifty tons of hair annually. 
 
 Both this country and the United States draw a large portion of 
 their supply of human hair and of articles made of hair from Prance 
 and Prussia. A singular feature cJn the Continent, is this " hair 
 harvest," as it has been termed. 
 
 Young women in England, who have beautiful tresses, are occa- 
 sionally, we know, urged by poverty to part with them for money to 
 the hair-workers ; but in France and Germany it is a regular system. 
 There are, we are told, hair merchants in Paris, who send agents in the 
 spring of each year into the country districts to purchase the tresses of 
 young women ; who seek to obtain an annual crop with the same care 
 as a farmer would a field-crop. The agents frequent festivals, fairs, 
 and markets ; and have with them a stock of handkerchiefs, muslins, 
 ribbons, &c., which they give in exchange for the fai* more graceful 
 and natural adornment — the hair. So sensitive a barometer is com- 
 merce of slight changes in the value of exchangeable goods, that the 
 agents know the hair of a particular district to be worth a few sous 
 more per pound, than that of a district thirty or forty miles away — a 
 fact which naturalists would have been long in finding out. The price 
 paid is about five francs (4s. 2d.) per pound. The agents send the 
 
158 TRADE AND COMMEKCE IN HUMAN HAIR. 
 
 hair to their employers, by whom it is dressed and sorted, and sold to 
 the hair workers in the chief towns of the empire at about ten francs 
 per pound. That which is to be made into perukes, is pui-chased by a 
 particular class of persons by whom it is cleaned, curled, prepared to 
 a certain stage, and sold to the peruke maker at from twenty to eighty 
 francs per pound. The peruke maker gives it the desired form, when, 
 as is well known, it commands a very high price ; a peruke is often sold 
 for double its weight in silver. 
 
 Formerly, the manufacturers of artificial haii- into wigs, ladies' 
 cm-Is, &c., obtained a considerable portion of their supply at home from 
 hospitals, prisons, and workhouses ; but now the hair is not cropped 
 compulsorily, as was formerly the case, and the poor and distressed, or 
 criminal, are not deprived of their fair and valued tresses. It must be 
 understood that female hair alone is of any use to the hair-worker, 
 from its Jpngth and curling properties. That most prized, is the grey 
 hair of aged persons, which can be prepared to any shade. 
 
 Light hair all comes from Germany, where it is collected by a com- 
 pany of Dutch farmers, who come over for orders once a year. It 
 would appear that either the fashion or the necessity of England has, 
 within a recent period, completely altered the relative demands from 
 the two countries. Forty years ago, according to one of the first dealers 
 in the trade, the light German hair alone was called for, and he almost 
 raved about a peculiar golden tint which was supremely prized, and 
 which his father used to keep very close, only producing it to favourite 
 customers, in the same manner that our august sherry-lord or hock- 
 hen- spares to particular friends- — or now and then, it is said, to 
 influential literary characters — a few magnums of some rare and 
 renowned vintage. This treasured article he sold at 8s. an ounce — 
 nearly doable the price of silver. Now all this has passed away — and 
 the dai-k shades of brown from France m-e chiefly called for. 
 
 So constant and regular is this trafiic that the hair-cutters in 
 France know exactly where to go for their year's crop. 
 
 Keeping an account of the villages from which they gathered their 
 supply for a certain year, they know that they wiU not be able to cut 
 in the same places tOl the arrival of another given year. And not 
 only can they calculate as to quantity, but the value of each local 
 harvest is also well known, and almost fixed ; for within a space of from 
 ten to fifteen leagues, the quality varies, as we are told, so much as to 
 make a difference of from ten to twenty sous per pound weight. 
 
 The original price of the hair, as purchased from the village 
 
THE IIAIll TRADE IN PttANCE. 159 
 
 maidens, is, as we have seen, about five shillings per pound. The 
 tradesmen engaged in the preparations of sorting, curling, and dress- 
 ing it, purchase it at a price of ten shillings per pound; and after it has 
 gone 'through their hands, it acquires a value of from twenty to eighty 
 shillings per pound weight ; and this is at the rate it is purchased by 
 the hair-di-esser. 
 
 By the skill of the hair-dresser, the price is again raised to an 
 almost indefinite extent, and must be calculated by the degree of labor 
 and dexterity employed on it. 
 
 Thus a peruke, containing only three ounces of hair, originally 
 costing less than a shilling, is frequently sold at the price of twenty- 
 five to thirty shillings. 
 
 The quantity of hair produced by the annual harvest is calculated 
 at two hundred thousand pounds weight. The sales of one house 
 alone, in Paris, which supplies four hair-cutting establishments in the 
 Western country, amount to four hundred thousand francs annually. 
 
 Nor is the trade to be considered in itself alone, it indirectly 
 benefits several others, especially the silk manufactiu'e. The lining of 
 perukes formerly consisted of a coarse net-work, but was afterwards 
 superseded by a fine silk net-work, which for a long time was purchased 
 of the English at fifty francs, and is now so extensively made in 
 rrance, that the English are glad to avail themselves of the manu- 
 facture of Lyons, where the same article is sold at ten francs : sUk 
 linings and ribbons are made in that city for a million perukes a-year ; 
 metallic clasps and fastenings are also made and sold, to the amount of 
 one hundred thousand francs yearly. 
 
 Black hair comes mainly from Brittany and the South of France, 
 where it is collected principally by an adventurous virtuoso, who 
 travels from fair to fair, and buys up and shears the crops of the neigh- 
 bouring damsels. Mr. Francis TroUoppe, in his " Summer in Brit- 
 tany," gives a lively description of the manner in which the young girls 
 of the country bring this singular commodity to market. 
 
 Staring his full at a fair in Collenee, he says — " What surprised me 
 more than all, by the singularity and novelty of the thing, were the 
 operations of the dealers in hair. In various parts of the motley crowd, 
 there were three or four difi'erent purchasers of this commodity, who 
 travel the country for the purpose of attending the fairs, and buying 
 the tresses of the peasant girls. They have particularly fine hair, and 
 frequently in the greatest abundance. I should have thought that 
 female vapity would have effectually prevented such a traffic as this 
 
160 TEADE AND COMMERCE IN HUMAN HAIR. 
 
 being carried to any extent ; but there seemed to be no difficulty in 
 finding beautiful heads of l;air perfectly willing to sell. We saw seve- 
 ral girls sheared, one after the other, like sheep, and as many more 
 standing ready for the shears, with their caps in their hands, and' their 
 long hair combed out, and hanging down to their waists. Some of the 
 operators were men, and some women. By the side of the dealer 
 was placed a large basket, into which, every successive crop of hair, 
 tied up into a wisp by itself, was thrown. No doubt, the reason of 
 the indifference to their tresses, on the part of the fair Bretonnes, is to 
 be found in the invariable mode which covers every head from child- 
 hood upwards, with close caps, which entirely prevents any part of 
 the hair from being seen, and, of course, as totally conceals the want of 
 it. The money given for the hair is about twenty sous, or else a gaudy 
 cotton handkerchief ; they net immense profits by their trips through 
 the country." This hair is the finest and most silken black hair that 
 can be procured. 
 
 The destination of the imported article is, of course, principally the 
 boudoirs of our fashionable world, and the glossy ringlets of the poor 
 peasant girl of Tours, parted with for a few pence, as a nest-egg towards 
 her dowry, have doubtless aided in procuring " a suitable helpmate " 
 for some blue spinster or fast dowager of May Fair. 
 
 Wigs of course absorb some portion of the spoil ; and a cruel sus- 
 pieion arises in our mind, that the clever artistes in hair in this our 
 Babylon, do not confine themselves to the treasured relics entrusted 
 to their care, but that many a sorrowing relative, kisses, without sus- 
 picion, mementoes eked out from hair that grew not upon the head of 
 the beloved one. 
 
 I have already alluded in former pages to the length to which the 
 hair will grow. I may adduce a few other instances. Sir Charles 
 Wilkins states that while he was resident at Benares, he saw a fakir, 
 the hair of whose head reached the enormous length of twelve feet. — 
 (Saturday Magazine, No. 168). The tails of hair of the Chinese fre- 
 quently reach the ground ; and their moustaches have been cultivated 
 to the length of eight or nine inches. White mentions an Italian 
 lady, whose hair reached to her feet, when she stood upright : the same 
 observation may be made of the Greek women, A Prussian soldier 
 had his hair long enough, when loosened, to touch the ground ; and in 
 several instances, English ladies have had it from five to six feet long. 
 One instance occuVs to my memory, in the person of Mrs. Astley, the 
 wife of Mr. Astley, of the Ampitheatre, in Westminster Bridge Eoad, 
 
FALSE CURLS AND BKAIDS. 16 i 
 
 Sometimes a head of hair of the extreme length of nearly four feet, 
 with a strong and continuous curl throughout, is met .with, which is 
 exceedingly valuable to the hair-dresser. But such instances, are 
 extremely rare. A good deal of hair was formerly obtained from the 
 females in the lower ranks of life in Scotland and Ireland ; but of late 
 years they have learned to prize this adornment of the person so highly, 
 that no temptation wiU induce them to part with their flowing tresses. 
 
 The importance of the trade in hair in this ijountry, and the atten- 
 tion paid to its culture and due order, may be estimated from a glance 
 at the statistics of those engaged in it in the metropolis alone. Pigot's 
 Directory for 1840, contained the names of 950 hair dressers in 
 London, and about the same number in the provinces. According to 
 the London Directory of the present year (1853), there are the following 
 persons exclusively devoted to the speciality of the human hair : — Three 
 hair-merchants (large wholesale importers probably ) ; seventeen hair- 
 manufacturers ; twenty-four artistes, or workers in hair — hair jewellers, 
 or device workers, as they may be termed^— who elaborate the hair of 
 our deceased friends and relatives into such memento mori as rings, 
 brooches, earrings, chains, and other fanciful ornaments; 650 hair- 
 dressers, barbers, &c., and twenty-seven wig-makers ; besides hair-m i- 
 nufacturers ; but I am doubtful whether the latter are merely preparers 
 of the hair for the wig and artificial ringlet makers, or belonging to the 
 former division of workers in hair. The law wig-makers, who use 
 horse-hair, are a separate class of the trade. The number of appren- 
 tices and assistants employed by these various persons in town and 
 country, it is impossible to estimate with any degree of accuracy. 
 
 The reader must have noticed in every principal hair-dresser's 
 window, beautiful bunches of hair, variegated with a variety of tints, 
 to show the ingenuity of the artiste, and his ability to match the natu- 
 ral locks of any lady who may have the misfortune to require the 
 services of art in replacing nature's deprivation. 
 
 " So are those crisped, snalcy, golden locks, 
 Whioli make sach wanton gambols with the wind, 
 Upon supposed fairness, often known 
 To he the dowry of a second head. 
 The skull that bred them in the sepulchre." 
 
 Bassanio in the " Merchant of Venice." 
 
 In Portugal, the quantity of false curls and braids of hair worn by 
 every woman, is really sui-prising. 
 
163 TEADE AND COMMEECE IN HUMAN HAIR. 
 
 Mrs. Baillie iu her " Letters from Lisbon," states that the hair is 
 suffered to grow from the eai-liest period of childhood, and she had 
 often seen female infants of two years' old with their little tresses tied 
 up behind in a knot with colored ribbons. She mentions that the 
 hair of one young girl, Nina, the daughter of the CondeQa d'Anadia, 
 was the most luxuriant she had ever seen. When performing a cha- 
 racter in a private theatrical performance at her mother's, " she uncoiled 
 its superb length, and, I assure you, it electrified the audience ; being 
 done suddenly, and in the most graceful manner — reminding one of 
 Altidora in " Don Quixote," whose ringlets were said to " Brush the 
 ground ! " 
 
 There seems (observes a recent writer) to be an innate principle in 
 man, to make himself of as much consequence as he can ; and one of 
 the means to effect this was, at various periods, an attempt to give 
 himself a tail ; but, with great inconsistency, instead of following the 
 indications of nature, he had recourse to an opposite part of the 
 frame, and placed his tail or cue upon his head. There was the thick 
 braid of hair, hanging down between the shoulders ; the smaller tail, 
 tightly bound up with black ribbon ; the loosely-tied tail ; the tail of 
 the courtier, with a bag attached to it ; the short medical tail ; the 
 gentleman's tail, and military tails of aU kinds — the most whimsical of 
 which was that invented in the time of the Duke of York, which, 
 looking like a small riding-whip, and hanging between the shoulders, 
 was supposed to ward off the cut of a sabre ; but which caused so 
 much pain and inconvenience when fastened to the hair, that officers 
 frequently attached theirs to their caps or helmets ; and a row of tails 
 might be seen hanging up in the hall, while their owners were at 
 dinner, rejoicing in their freedom. But aU these tails have nearly 
 vanished from society ; and there is now no nation which perseveres in 
 courting the caudal graces except the Chinese. But as the reception 
 into China of barbarians, or Englishmen, who delight in pulling John 
 Chinaman by the tail, is every year increasing, there is little doubt that 
 even these tails wiU eventually disappear, with other peculiarities. 
 
 I may mention, as a curious fact, that the Drottes or Gothic 
 priests of Scandinavia in olden times, shaved the head, retaining only 
 a long scalp-lock, or tail, hanging down the back, similar to the 
 Chinese custom of the present day. They also wore the beard 
 long. 
 
 False hair, such as toupees and fronts only, or entire wigs (Galeri- 
 culi and Galeri), made of goat's skins ; perukes, so well made as to be 
 
PIGTAILS AND POWDER. 163 
 
 undistinguishable from real hair, and of different color from the 
 natural ; (white, for women from Germany ;) or of enormous size, 
 were severally worn among the Eomans. 
 
 The Eomans began to cut their hair about A.U.C. 454 (300 years 
 before Christ), when Tioinius Maenas introduced barbers from Sicily. 
 Then they began to cut, curl, and perfume it. At night, they covered 
 the hair with a bladder, as is done now with a net or cap. Eminent 
 hair-dressers were as much resorted to by ladies, as in the present day. 
 
 A writer in the Quarterly Review, gives us the history of the pig- 
 tail. The natural hair, powdered and gathered in a queue, at first 
 long, then short, and tied with ribbon, became the mode — to rout 
 which, it required a revolution; in 1793 it fell — together with the 
 monarchy of France. In the world of fashion here, the system stood 
 out tiU somewhat later ; but our GaUo-maniac Whigs were early 
 deserters ; and Pitt's tax on hair-powder, in 1795, gave a grand advan- 
 tage to the innovating party. Pigtails continued, however, to be 
 worn by the army, and those of a considerable length, until 1804, 
 when they were, by order, reduced to seven inches ; and at last, in 
 1&08, another order commanded them to be cut off altogether. There 
 had, however, been a keen qualm in the " parting spirit " of protection. 
 The very next day brought a counter-order ; but to the great joy of the 
 rank and file, at least, it was too late — already the pigtails were aU gone. 
 The trouble given to the military by the old mode of powdering the 
 hau", and dressing the tail was immense, and it often led to the most 
 ludicrous scenes. The author of the " Costume of the British 
 Soldier," relates that on one occasion, in a glorious dependency of 
 ours, a field-day being ordered, and there not being sufficient barbers 
 in the garrison to attend aU the officers in the morning, the juniors 
 must needs have their heads dressed over-night, and to preserve their 
 artistic arrangement, pomatumed, powdered, curled and clubbed, these 
 poor wretches were forced to sleep as well as they could on their faces! 
 Who shall presume to laugh, after this, at the Feejee dandy, who sleeps 
 with a wooden pUlow under his neck, to preserve the perfect symmetry 
 of his elaborately frizzed head. 
 
 Such was the rigidity with which certain modes were enforced in 
 the army about this period, that there was kept in the adjutant's office 
 of each regiment, a pattern of the correct curls, to which the barber 
 could refer. Even at the present day, certain naval and military 
 orders are extant, regulating the trim of the hair, whiskers, &c , and 
 defining what regiments may and may not wear the moustache. A 
 
164 TEADE AND COMMERCE IN HUMAN HAIB. 
 
 naval commander-in-cliief in the Mediterranean gave v?ritten orders for 
 unseemly lufts of hair worn by his officers to be discontinued. 
 
 Per many years every trace of powder and pigtail have disappeared 
 from the parade as well as the salo,on ; and footmen are now the only 
 persons who use a mode which once set off the aristocratic aspects of 
 our Seymours and Hamiltons. 
 
 During the Emperor Paul's reformation of the Eussian costume, 
 Suwarow received a package of sticks as models of the tails and curls 
 which, with the addition of powder, were to adorn the troops under 
 his command, The conqueror of the Turks and Poles replied to 
 this extraordinary despatch with three lines, which may be freely 
 rendered : — 
 
 " The tails have not the bayonet's powers ; 
 The curls are not long twenty-fours ; 
 The barber's powder is not ours." 
 
 Bad as these are (and the originals are little better), it was a severe 
 canon of criticism that punished them with banishment. 
 
 By the report of the Great National Exhibition of Arts and 
 Sciences, at Paris, in 1834, we have the quantity of the hair, wrought 
 and unwrought, exported in several years. Erom this I will take the 
 figures for 1833, remarking that a great portion goes to England and 
 the United States. The quantity of unwrought hair amounted to 
 16,551 kilogrammes, at the value of 132,408 francs ; whUe that of 
 wrought hair in the same year, was 13,741 kilogrammes, at the value 
 of 187,410 francs. 
 
 A considerable trade is carried on in hair for the manufacture of 
 ladies' ornaments, such as bracelets, eanings, rings and brooches, as 
 well as artificial ringlets, false plaits, beards, moustaches and perukes. 
 The forensic and theatrical wigs, &c., are made of horse-hair ; but are 
 fast getting into disuse. 
 
 We import from Erance alone, nearly fifty tons weight of human 
 hair annually ; as wiU be seen by the following returns : — 
 
 lbs. Official value. 
 
 1848 8,766 £2,923 
 
 1849 6,216 3,073 
 
 1850 10,737 3,576 
 
 1851 10,862 3,621 
 
 Small supplies reach us occasionally from other quarters, as from 
 Germany, Italy, the Pacific, &c. 
 
LOVE LOCKS, SCALPS AKD WIGS. 165 
 
 It is necessary to remark, respectiug the value given above of the 
 hair imported, that an agreement is made, that only two-thii-ds of its 
 real value should be given in at the Custom-house, which is quite pos- 
 sible with such an article, and causes a great saving. 
 
 The South Sea Islanders are very expert in plaiting and twisting 
 the hair, far excelling many of our modern artistes in the smoothness, 
 beauty, and fineness of the plait. I have seen in the private museum 
 of Mr. Cuming, of Kennington, a very remarkable specimen of ingenuity, 
 in a plaited' artificial head-dress of human hair, 370 feet in length, made 
 in Tahiti, which is worn wrapped round the head of a female, in the 
 manner of a turban, ornamented with flowers, shark's teeth, &c., and 
 in this state it is called Tamou. Human hair is also used by the 
 New Zealanders, and the natives of the KingsmUl group, the Sand- 
 wich islanders, the natives of Nootka Sound, and others, for the purposes 
 of twine and cordage, to fasten on their spear-heads, fish-hooks, &c. 
 
 The gentleman whose museum I have alluded to, has in his singu- 
 lar and extensive collection of curiosities, specimens of the various 
 combs of native manufacture of different countries, samples of the 
 head-dresses, and other illustrations of dress and obsolete customs, 
 which are not, perhaps, to be met with elsewhere. 
 
 A lock of his lady's hair, her glove, her scarf, or some other 
 emblem, was formerly worn by brave and gallant cavaliers in battle ; 
 and this is especially alluded to as practised at the battle of Agincourt. 
 In peace, these love-locks were often worn on the hat. 
 
 At TJpolu, and other islands in the Pacific, the Americans carry on 
 a trade with the Feejees for curiosities ; among other things, Feejee 
 wigs, made from the hair of those killed in battle, fetch a doUar each. 
 The North American Indians, it is well known, are fond of exhibiting 
 their prowess in war, by suspending the scalps of those they have 
 killed in battle to their girdles ; and the wigwam of a bold and 
 daring chief is an " old curiosity shop" for the skilful connoisseur in 
 matted hair and savagely earned scalps. 
 
 A patent was taken out not very long ago, which is thus described 
 in the specification. — " For a Forensic Wig, the curls whereof are con- 
 structed on a principle to supersede the necessity of frizzing, curling, 
 or using hard pomatum : and for forming curls in a way not to be 
 maided; and also for the tails of the wig not to require tying in 
 dressing ; and further, the impossibility of any person untying 
 them." 
 
 We have sufl^cient evidence that the Egypt of Pharoah' was not 
 
166 TRADE AND COMMEECB IN HUMAN HAIR. 
 
 ignorant of the wig— the very corpus delicti is familiar to our eyes; 
 and many busts and statues in the Vatican have actually marble wigs 
 at this hour upon them ; clearly indicating the same fact in the days 
 of imperial Eome. An Egyptian wig is to be seen at the British 
 Museum. 
 
 As the Egyptians wore artificial hair for theii- shaven heads, so for 
 their shaven chins they had ai-tificial beards, the shape and size of 
 which were determined by the rank of the wearer. The beards of 
 private individuals were about two inches long ; a king's beard was 
 longer, and square at the bottom ; and in the figures of the gods, 
 the beard is turned up at the point, a form which it was unlawful for 
 any one to imitate. On ordinary occasions, the king wore a wig of 
 the common kind, but sometimes he wore his crown or royal cap. 
 
 To France, of course, we owe the re-invention and complete adop- 
 tion of a head-dress, which sacrificed the beauty of nature to the deli- 
 cacies of art. The epidemic broke out in the reign of Louis XIII. 
 This prince never, from his childhood, cropped his hair, and the peruke 
 was invented to enable those to whom nature had not been so bounti- 
 ful in the item of flowing locks, to keep themselves in the mode 
 brought in by their royal master. 
 
 In England, the introduction of these portentous head-dresses is 
 well marked in Pepy's Diary. Under date, Novembfer 3, 1633, he 
 says — 
 
 "Home, and by-and bye comes Chapman, the periwigg-maker, 
 and upon my liking it (the wig), without more ado I went up, and 
 then he cut off my haire, which went a little to my heart at present to 
 part with it ; but it being over, and my periwigg on, I paid him £3; 
 and away went he with my own haire to make up another of; and I, 
 by-and-bye, went abroad, after I had caused all my maids to look upon 
 it, and they concluded it do become me, though Jane was mightily 
 troubled for my parting with my own haire, and so was Besse. 
 
 "November 8, 1653, Lord's Day. — To church, where I found 
 that my coming in a periwigg did not prove so strange as I was 
 afraid it would, for I thought that all the church would presently have 
 cast their eyes upon me, but I find no such things." 
 
 From this extract it would appear, that in the beginning the 
 peruke, made as it was from the natural hair, was not very difl'erent 
 from the Cavalier mode. The imagination of France speedily im- 
 proved, however, upon poor old Dame Nature. Under Louis XIV., 
 the size to which perukes had grown was such, that the face appeared 
 
HISTORY OF THE PERUKE. 167 
 
 only as a small pimple in the midst of a vast sea of hair. The great 
 architect of this triumphant age of perukes, was one Binetti, an artist 
 of such note and consequence, that without him the king and all his 
 courtiers were nothing. His equipage and running footmen were seen 
 at every door, and he might have adopted, without much assumption, 
 the celebrated mot of his royal master — " L'etat c'est moi." 
 
 The clergy, physicians and lawyers speedily adopted the peruke, as 
 they imagined it gave an imposing aii- to the countenance. This mode 
 grew so universal that children were made to submit to it, and all 
 nature seetoed be-wigged. 
 
 For a long time after this invention, the head-dress retained the 
 natural color of the hair, but in 1714, it became the fashion to have 
 wigs bleached ; the process, however, was ineffectual, and they speedily 
 turned an ashen grey ; to remedy which defect, hair-powder was inven- 
 ted — another wondrous device, which speedily spread from the source 
 and centre of civilization over the rest of Europe. 
 
 The changes of fashion often causes great distress among the 
 workmen. In 1765 the peace of the metropolis was disturbed by the 
 peruke-makers, who went in procession to petition the king against the 
 innovation of people wearing their own hair. At the recovery of 
 George III., after his first illness, an immense number of buckles were 
 manufactured ; they were spread over the whole kingdom. AH the 
 wealth of Walsall was invested in this speculation. The king went to 
 St. Paul's without buckles. Shoe-strings supplied the place of straps, 
 and Walsall was nearly ruined. The disuse of wigs, leather breeches, 
 buckles, and buttons, is supposed to have affected the industry of 
 1,000,000 persons. 
 
 About the close of the 1 7th century, the peruke was made to 
 represent the natural curl of the haii- ; but in such profusion, that ten 
 heads would not have furnished an equal quantity, as it flowed down 
 the back, and hung over the shoulders half-way down the arms. By 
 1721, it had become fashionable to tie one-half of it on the left side 
 into a club. Between 1730 and 1740, the bag-wig came into fashion, 
 and the peruke was docked considerably, and sometimes plaited behind 
 into a queue, though even until 1752, the long flowing locks maintained 
 their influence. After 1770 those were rarely seen, and since that 
 time persons wearing perukes have generally had substantial reasons 
 for so doing, from baldness, and complaints in the head. At one 
 time, indeed, when the stern virtues of Brutus were much in vogue. 
 
168 TRADE AND COMMEKCE IN HUMAN HAIU. 
 
 the young men of Europe wore perukes of black or dark hair, dressed 
 from his statues. Many particulars on this subject have been preserved 
 by Mr. Malcolm in his " Auecdotes of the Manners and Customs of 
 London," from whiofi we learn that a young countrywoman obtained 
 £60 for her head of hail- in the year 1700, when human hair sold at £3 
 per ounce ; and in 1720 the grey locks of an aged female sold for £50, 
 after her decease. T\'igs of peculiar excellence cost as much as £140 
 each. A petition from the master peruke-makers of London and 
 Westminster, presented to the king in 1763, points out the great 
 decline of their use to have taken place at that time. In this memo- 
 rial they complain of the public wearing their own hair ; and say, 
 " That this mode, pernicious enough in itself to their tra^e, is ren- 
 dered excessively more so, by swarms of French hair-dressers already 
 established in those cities, and daily increasing." 
 
 In Brand's History of Newcastle, we find it ordered (Dec. 11, 
 1711), that periwig-makers be considered part and branch of the com- 
 pany of barber-chirurgeons. 
 
 About 1711 an attempt was made to incorporate the perukemakers 
 with the Barbers' Company, and I have met with the following curious 
 memorial on the subject: — 
 
 " THE CASE OF THE MY8TEKY AND COMMONALTY OP BAftBEUS 
 AND StTKGEONS OF LONDON ; AND OF THE PERUKE-MAKERS, 
 INHABITING WITHIN LONDON, AND SEVEN MILES COMPASS OF 
 THE SAME. 
 
 " Humbly Offer'd to the Honourable B^use of Commons. 
 
 " That the Barbers and Surgeons of London were incorporated by 
 the Statute of 33 Hen. VIII. Chap. 42. whereby it was enacted. That no 
 Barber should keep a Shop within London, unless free of the Company. 
 And the Search and Correction of all Inconveniences in Barbery or 
 Surgery, happening within London, or one Mile Compass thereof, was 
 by that Act lodg'd in the four Masters or Governors of the Company, 
 which Powers are enlarg'd to a Circuit of seven MUes from the City, 
 by the Charter of King Charles I. granted to the Company in the 
 fifth Year of his Eeign. 
 
 " That the Art of Femke-maUng is a late Invention, and tho' it 
 has been always exercis'd by the Barbers, yet 'tis justly doubted 
 whether any of those Laws that relate to the one Trade, do comprehend 
 the other. 
 
THE CASE OF THE PERtJKE-MAKEKS. 169 
 
 " The Intent thereof of the Petition humbly offer'd to this Honour- 
 able House, is to obtain an Act to set them both in the same Condition, 
 and that the law of 5. Eliz. whereby it is already provided, that Barbers, 
 shall serve seven Tears Apprenticeship, shall extend also to the Peruke- 
 makers, which said Act the Petitioners humbly hope shall pass for 
 these Eeasons. 
 
 " I. Por that the Clause propos'd is upon the same Eeason of 
 publick Benefit, that first in the time of Queen JElizabeth introduo'd a 
 seven-Years Apprenticeship, as a necessary Qualification for Barbers, 
 and all other Trades that were then in Exercise, which has been 
 thought a very reasonable Eegulation for all Trades depending upon 
 Skill, because it hinders the vending of Goods ill wrought up at home, 
 or the exporting them abroad, to the Discredit of the publick Manu- 
 facturers of the Kingdom. Wherefore the Petitioners hope that this 
 Honourable House will think this Clause more seasonable and necessary, 
 for that the Petitioners can prove the Exportation of Perukes, by the 
 forein Demand for such Commodities, has, of late, very much in- 
 creas'd to the Profit of the Nation, and the Enlargement of the publick 
 Eevenue. 
 
 " It has indeed been thought by some that the Clause of seven 
 Years Apprenticeship is an unnecessary Eestraint upon Trade, as it 
 tends to contract the Number of the Traders. But admitting that 
 such Eestraints were inconvenient in Trades that relate only to the 
 Buying and Selling, Exportation and Importation, of Commodities ; 
 yet in all Trades that are merely artificial, such a Eegulation seems to 
 be absolutely necessary, because it tends to the Perfection of the 
 Works, and preventing the ignorant from interfering with the SkOful. 
 
 " II. The good Education and putting out of Children, depends 
 very much in the setting proper Bounds to particular Trades ; and a 
 seven-Years Appreticeship was therefore thought necessary, that the 
 Master might be encourag'd, by a sufficient Eecompence from the 
 Continuance of the Service, to instruct his Servants : And that Chil- 
 dren might not enterprise in Trade before they had acquir'd a com- 
 petent Knowledge : As also that they might not gain a Credit, to the 
 Euin of others, before they were arrived at the Age when the Law 
 makes them capable of contracting. And for this purpose it seems to 
 be that the Law of the 5 th of Queen Elizabeth has provided that no 
 Man shall be bound till fourteen, that the Time of his Apprenticeship 
 might expire at, or after, his Age of one and twenty. And indeed no 
 parent would be prevail'd on to bind his Child an Apprentice, and to 
 
 M 
 
170 TBADE AND COMMERCE IN HUMAN HAIR. 
 
 give a Sum of Money witli him, if he had it not in prospect that he 
 should exercise his Trade at fuU Age, uninterrupted by such as might 
 attempt it without this Qualification. 
 
 " Nor is there in the Trade of Peruke-maKng (which is out of the 
 present Statutes) any regular Way of binding Infants Apprentices} 
 nor are they subject to the Authority of Correction or the Justice of 
 Peace, which has been found in other Trades so useful a Eegulation in 
 the Education and Discipline of aU Children, and therefore is attempted 
 by this Bill. 
 
 " III. Because otherwise the Condition of Barbers, that have 
 qualified themselves according to the Act, is much worse than that of 
 any other Trade comprised in the Statute, since aU people that wUl, 
 under the Notion of a new Invention, are admitted to the Exercise of 
 the most material Branch of the Barbers Trade ; and the Bill, as it is 
 now propos'd, only looks forward to guard against this Inconvenience 
 for the futui-e, and does not injure any person who is in the present 
 exercise of it as Master, or prevent the Exercise of it by such as are 
 now Servants. 
 
 " TV. For that such Apprenticeship has been esteem'd as a good 
 Probation of the Fidelity of Servants, and generally fixes them in a 
 certain Place, so as to make them more visible and better answerable 
 to public Taxes and Contributions. 
 
 " V. For that the Establishment of a Propriety of the Artist in his 
 Trade has never been thought an Inconvenience, but rather an Advan- 
 tage to Trade, as far as it does not tend to Monopoly; and the present 
 Possessors of this Art being so numerous, and being no ways re- 
 straiu'd to take any Number of Apprentices at Pleasure, it is impos- 
 sible that the Trade should ever fall into so few Hands as to create 
 any Prejudice : Nor do we find it, in Experience, that an Ai-t overloaded 
 vrith an useless Number of unskilful Persons, can tend to any publick 
 Benefit ; or that a Begulation, by appointing a proper time of Appren- 
 ticeship, has contracted the Number of the Artists, but rather enlarg'd 
 it ; since it is easie to make it appear, that the Number of Traders 
 hath received a greater Increase from the Time of Queen Elizabeth, than 
 it had during the whole Period between the Conquest and her Eeign. 
 
 " Besides, It is a Maxim in Trade, That the number of all Traders 
 increases or diminishes in proportion to the Use of that Manufacture 
 whereupon they are employed : so that as on the one Hand, it's 
 impossible to extend any Trade by crowding it with Numbers, where 
 there is no Demandof the Commodity, so, on the other Hand, it is as 
 
ENORMOUS PEICE OF WIGS. 171 
 
 impossible that the Number of Ajrtists should diminish where that 
 Demand increases. Wherefore the Numbers in this Trade cannot 
 lesson by the Bill propos'd, but, on the contrary, the Trade will 
 receive the additional Benefits akeady mentioh'd, viz. To be manag'd 
 only by the Skilful ; To take in, and provide for. Children, by regular 
 Apprenticeships ; and to afford 'em a competent livelihood when they 
 are Masters. 
 
 " The Peruke-makers are only to be admitted forein Brothers of the 
 Company, and are not Freemen of the City of London, and therefore 
 will not, by the Bill propos'd, be subject to bear any office in the Com- 
 pany, which is only a Consequence from their being free of the City. 
 
 " That the Act of 5. Miz. does not, nor will the BiU propos'd, ex- 
 clude any Person from the Exercise of this Art, that have serv'd the 
 customary Apprenticeships of their own Country. 
 
 " The Petitioners were obliged to apply to this Honourable House, 
 in this extraordinary Manner, because their Establishment being by 
 Act of Parliament, no Enlargement of their Incorporation could be 
 properly obtain'd from the Kegal Authority. 
 
 " Wherefore it is humbly pray'd. That this Honourable House 
 will be pleased to give Leave for the bringing in of a BILL 
 for Incorporating the Peruke-makers, (within such Distance 
 of London as your Honours shall tliinh fit) with the 
 Masters or Governors of the Mystery and Commonalty of 
 Barbers and Surgeons of London, under such Rules and 
 Orders as to the Wisdom of this Honourable House shall 
 
 When full-bottomed wigs were worn, in the reign of Queen Anne, 
 which cost thirty guineas, or more, each, they were frequently left as 
 legacies, in common with expensive gold-headed canes, to dear and 
 respected friends. 
 
 Art can seldom match the color of the hair to the complexion 
 and the temperament of the individual. Did any one ever see a 
 man with a head of hair of his own that did not suit him ? On the 
 other hand, was there ever seen a wig that seemed a part of the man ? 
 The infinite variety of nature in managing the coiffure is unapproach- 
 able. One man's hair she tosses up in a sea of curls ; another she 
 smooths dovni to the meekness of a maid's ; a third she flames up, 
 like a conflagration ; a fourth she seems to have crystallized, each 
 hair thwarting and crossing its neighbor, like a mass of needles ; to 
 
 M 2 
 
172 TKADE AND COMMERCE IN HUMAN HAIR. 
 
 fifth she imparts that sweet and graceful flow which F. Grant, and aU 
 other feeling painters do their best to copy. In color and textui-e 
 again, she is equally excellent ; each flesh-tint has its agreeing shade 
 and character of hair, from which, if a man departs, he disguises him- 
 self. What a standing protest is the sandy whisker to the glossy black 
 peruke ! Again, how contradictory and withered a worn old face 
 looks, whose shaggy white eyebrows are crowned by chestnut curling 
 locks ! It reminds one of a style of drawing in vogue with ladies some 
 years since, in which a bright- colored hay-maker is seen at work, in a 
 cold black-lead pencU landscape. 
 
 The horse-hair court wigs of the judges seem to be recollections 
 of the white perukes of the early Georgian era; but they are far 
 more massive and precise than the old flowing head-dresses — their 
 exact little curls and sternly-cut brow-lines making them fit emblems 
 of the unbending, uncompromising spirit of the paodern bench. At 
 this day hardly one wig even is visible in the House of Lords. 
 
 In one of a course of Lectures on Sculptm-e, delivered in 1852, by 
 Mr. Westmacott, at the Eoyal Institution, he was irreverent enough to 
 have a fling at the wig — a piece of marvellous and senseless folly which is 
 hugged especially by a class of highly educated men, from whom, of all 
 others, we should have expected its earliest condemnation. " When," 
 he observed, "King Charles was the pensioner of Louis XIV., the 
 French court rejoiced in the peruke ; our king and his court servilely 
 adopted this strange piece of costume, with the other foUies, and worse 
 than follies of that court ; and the fashion was transplanted into Eng- 
 land. All — princes, peers, and commoners, adopted it ; the church, 
 medicine, law, gentry, all imbedded their hea(!s in this most absm-d 
 dressing. By slow degrees, good sense, and it may be hoped better 
 taste, have led to the discontinuance of this unsightly piece of French 
 costume, amongst many who, so late as our own times, indulged in it. 
 Among the most eminent of those who have discarded it are om- 
 bishops, who now exhibit without disguise the natural developments of 
 their heads. Even parish beadles and coachmen (except siaie coaph- 
 men !) have repudiated the wig — be it buzz, full-bottomed, bag or 
 scratch. And who now wears it as a di-ess appendage ? dandies 
 or dancing-masters ? Alas, no ! The judges of the land, and counsel 
 learned in the law,' — and, stUl more strangely, the ' fii-st commo- 
 ner ' (as his official badge) — are now the only supporters of this most 
 ridiculous disguise. What a reflection it is on the iaste of a nation, 
 which alone, I believe, tolerates such a monstrous absurdity ! " 
 
ANECDOTES OF WIGS. 173 
 
 The ridiculous and anomalous effect in monumental design was 
 sliown by a drawing of the weU-known statue of Sir Cloudesley 
 Shovel, from his monument in Westminster Abbey, — where tliis admi- 
 ral is represented in flowing full-bottomed wig, a Eoman cuirass, a 
 large mantle, naked legs, and feet with sandals. " If, (adds the Athe- 
 msum) the wisdom which is proverbially said to reside in the wig, can 
 by any possibility be separated from the horse-hair to be preserved 
 for society, we hope to see the day when ' The Last Wig ' may furnish 
 a theme and a title for some one of our elegiac poets." 
 
 The wigs of the Eoman ladies were fastened with a cord of goat- 
 skin. Periwigs commenced with their emperors, they were awkwardly 
 made of hair, painted and glued together. The year 1529^ is deemed 
 the epoch of the introduction of the periwigs into France ; yet it is 
 certain that tetes were in use here a century before. Posbroke says 
 — " that strange deformity, the judge's wig, iirst appeared as a general 
 genteel fashion in the 1 7th century." Archbishop Tillotson was the 
 first prelate who wore a wig, which then was not unlike the natural 
 hair, and worn without powder (Li/son's Environs). Among the Curi- 
 osa Cantahrigiensa it may be remarked, that our most religious and 
 gracious king, as he was called in the liturgy, Charles II., who, as his 
 worthy friend, the Earl of Kochester remarked — 
 
 " Never said a foolish thing, 
 Nor ever did a wise one ;" 
 
 sent a letter to the University of Cambridge, forbidding the mem- 
 bers to wear periwigs, smoke tobacco, and read their sermons ! It is 
 needless to remark, that tobacco has not yet made its exit in fumo and 
 that periwigs stiU continue to adorn the heads of houses. 
 
 I remember a country surgeon who was bald, being on a visit at 
 the house of a friend whose servant wore a wig. After bantering for 
 some considerable time, the jocular doctor remarked, " Tou see how 
 bald I am, and don't wear a wig." " True, sir," replied the servant, 
 " but an empty barn requires no thatch." 
 
 " The women say, Anacreon's old, 
 And tell him what his glass hath told — 
 That time hath hlanched his flowing hair. 
 And left his temples thin and hare. 
 But he or clothed, or bare my crown, 
 Or he my tresses hoar or brown, 
 I care not." — Eleventh Ode of Anacreon. 
 
m TRADE AND COMMEECE IN HUMAN HAIB. 
 
 There are few, however, who can face ridicule, and contemptuous 
 remarks on personal deprivation. Even the negro likes to have 
 
 " Wool on the top of liis head. 
 In the place where the hair ought to grow." 
 
 AU, therefore, are glad to replace artificially what time and cir- 
 cumstance may have removed or altered. 
 
 Some years ago a minister of the name of Salter, who had red 
 hair, managed to purchase an hair dye, which, like magic, turned his 
 hair to a glossy black. One of the deacons of his church, seeing his 
 pastor so metamorphosed on Sabbath morning, objected to it, stating 
 that he was departing from the rules of the church. 
 
 " How so ?" asked the astonished divine. 
 
 "Why, sir," said the deacon, half smiling, " is it not ordered that 
 he Psalter shall be red in church ? " 
 
 Many, Kke Benedict in " Much Ado about Nothing," prefer, how- 
 ever, that their " hair shall be of what color it pleases God." 
 
 Some strange contre-temps have occurred from wearing false hair. 
 Thomas Haynes Bayley alludes to such a mishap ; — 
 
 " I saw the tresses on her hrow, 
 
 So heautifnlly braided ; 
 I never saw in all my life. 
 
 Locks look so well as they did. 
 She walked with me one windy day — 
 
 Ye Zephyrs! why so thieving ? 
 The lady lost her flaxen wig !i— 
 
 Oh, seeing's not believing." 
 
 Another poet alludes to a similar accident in the following 
 verses ; — 
 
 " ' Give me a tress of curling hair. 
 
 Above thy forehead, love reclining, 
 And next my faithful heart I'll wear 
 
 The golden treasure brightly shining.' 
 Thus spoke I to my Laura dear, 
 
 And brightly on her cheek the blushes 
 Of modesty and love sincere, 
 
 Glow'd in their rosy transient flashes. 
 
 ' Kepulsing me, she gently strove 
 
 To free her tresses from my fingers, 
 And as I sought the gift of love. 
 
 The glance she gave in memory lingers- 
 
ANECDOTES OP WIGS. 175 
 
 'Twas partly anger — partly fear — 
 
 I wondered at her strange emotion, 
 When in my hand her mg fell down. 
 
 A cooler to my love's devotion." 
 
 Th« classical reader cannot fail to recollect the anecdote of Csesar, 
 who, desirous of concealing his baldness, (the effects, it is said, of 
 a dissipated life,) petitioned the Senatus populusgue Bomanus to be per- 
 permitted to wear a laurel crown. He, however, did not inform them 
 that it was for the purpose of concealing his baldness ; but intimated 
 that he desired it as a distinguishing mark of the opinion they enter- 
 tained of the good services he had rendered his countiy. The ' prayer 
 of the petition was granted, and we are told that Caesar was more 
 gratified with this boon — because it ministered to his vanity — than he 
 had been with all the orations and honors and dignities that a grateful 
 nation had conferred on him. 
 
 A friend has related to me an amusing incident, in which he took 
 a prominent part, some time since, in California. He had stopped to 
 rest himscH, and while there he took a walk to an Indian camp a short 
 distance from the house. Seating himself by the fire, he picked up a 
 knife which was lying near by, and deliberately taking off his hat, took 
 hold of his forelock and passed the knife gently under his hair. This 
 attracted the attention of all the Indians; when he gave the knife 
 a quick motion, and off came his bloodless — wig. In an instant 
 the camp was a perfect scene of confusion, the squaws ran off scream- 
 ing, and the children close at their heels keeping up a chorus. 
 The males started to their feet perfectly horror stricken — glancing, 
 first, at the bald and shining cranium of our innocent looking 
 friend and the shining scalp which hung dangling in his hand ; and 
 then at the bloodless knife in the other. Horror was depicted in 
 every feature, and there they stood as if rooted to the earth. Our 
 friend, the doctor, at last rose from his seat and showed the males that 
 it was only a hoax. The woman and children were soon brought back, 
 and they all joined in a hearty laugh, to think how egregiously they 
 had been deceived. 
 
 Washington Irving, in his " Adventures of Captain Bonneville," 
 speaks of the astonishment of the North American Indians when he 
 uncovered his head. The worthy captain was completely bald, a phe- 
 nomenon very surprising in their eyes. They were at a loss to know 
 whether he had been scalped in battle or enjoyed a natural immunity 
 from that belligerent infliction. In a little while he became known 
 
176 TRADE AND COMMERCE IN HUMAN HAIK. 
 
 among them by an Indian name, signifying the " Bald Chief.' " A 
 soubriquet," observes the captain, " for which I can find no parallel in 
 history since the days of ' Charles the Bald." " Those who have seen 
 Wright the comedian in the Adelphi play of " Green Bushes," will 
 remember the fun that is made of this circumstance, and the happy 
 release from scalping which a wig aifords. 
 
 Mr. Drummond Hay, in his " Western Barbaiy," tells an equally 
 good anecdote of the advantage of a wig. Davidson, an African 
 traveller, being bald, wore a toupet. A body of Arabs, having on one 
 occasion surrounded him, had commenced plundering his effects, and 
 threatened even his life ; when suddenly Davidson, calling upon them 
 to beware how they provoked the Christian's power, dashed his false 
 Lair to the ground, saying, "Behold my locks; your beards shall go 
 next ! " The Arabs fled, abandoning their plunder. 
 
 The scalp of a bald man is singularly smooth and ivory-like in 
 aspect, a fact which Chaucer noticed in the " Friar :" " His crown it 
 shon like any glass." Our humorous friend Punch recently depicted 
 an intelligent child making the discovery that one of his mamma's 
 visitors had a second shining forehead at the occiput. 
 
 Dromio (" Comedy of Errors") says, " There's no time for a man 
 to recover his hair that'^ grown bald by nature, unless he pays a fine 
 for a peruke, and wears the lost hair ,of another man ; but then, what 
 time has scanted them in hair, is made up to them in wit." 
 
 " Time himself is bald, and to the end of the world wiU have bald 
 followers." 
 
 Among the Romans, those who were bald and would not wear a 
 wig, had recourse to a method which to us appears truly extraordinary. 
 They caused hair to be painted on their bare skulls with perfumes and 
 essences, composed expressly for that purpose. The existence of so 
 strange a custom might, perhaps, be doubted, had we not proofs of it 
 in the works of contemporary writers. 
 
 The following quotation from " Martial," in an epigram addressed 
 to " Phoebus," alludes to the practice : — 
 
 " Your counterfeit hair is a falsehood of the perfume which imitates 
 it ; and your sense, disgracefully bald, is covered with painted locks ; 
 you have no occasion for a barber for yom* head, Phcebus ; you may 
 shave much better with a sponge." 
 
 The powdering of the hair took its rise about the year 1 6 14, when 
 some of the ballad singers of St. Germain are said to have whitened 
 their heads with flour, to make themselves ridiculous. Hair powder 
 
H.VIR POWDER AND HAIR WORKING. J77 
 
 came into general use about the close of that century, and in 1795 
 a tax was levied on its use in England, which netted to the revenue 
 £20,000 per annum. So anxious were all to be in the fashion, that 
 the tax was paid without scruple as a proof of gentility. Its use is 
 now coniined principally to coachmen and footmen, and a few. elderly 
 gentlemen of the old school ; the ladies now resort to the profuse use 
 of violet powder for the skin instead. 
 
 At the coronation of George II., an old magazine informs us, 
 there were only two hairdressers in London. In the year 1795, it 
 was calculated that there were in the kingdom of Great Britain 50,000 
 hairdressers. 
 
 Calculating that each of those used one pound of flour in a day, 
 this, on an average would amount to 18,250,000 pounds in one year, 
 which would make 5,314,280 quartern loaves, valued at 9d. each the 
 aggregate would be £1,246,431. This statement did not take in the 
 quantity of flour used by the soldiers, or that consumed by those who 
 dressed their own hair. Were a foreigner to have written then on the 
 English, he might justly have described them as a people who wore 
 three-penny loaves on their heads by way of ornament. 
 
 Among the lighter ornamental work's at the Great Exhibition in 
 London of 1851, few were finer or more curious than those executed 
 in human hair ; of which there were many exquisite specimens shown 
 by Prench and English exhibitors. 
 
 In the Erench department, M. Lemonniere particularly excelled ; a 
 portrait of her Majesty Queen Victoria, worked in hair, being so chaste 
 and delicate, and at the same time so truthful, that it was difficult to 
 believe it was not a sepia drawing. There was also shown in an 
 ornamental frame in the south gallery an interesting collection of like- 
 nesses, correct and pleasing, worked in hair, of her Majesty, Prince 
 Albert, and all the royal children. Beneath these were emblems of 
 church and state, the army and navy, arts and sciences, commerce and 
 industry, &c., beautifully executed in hair and gold, aud exceedingly 
 minute and perfect. There were various other interesting specimens 
 of this description of art, in earrings, bracelets, brooches, rings, purses, 
 hair worked in every possible way — jn all kinds of coils and curves, in 
 imitation of feathers or flowers, in scrolls or bouquets. For instance, 
 there was the tomb of the Maid of Orleans, handsomely carved and 
 covered with weeping willows, worked in the same delicate film-like 
 material ; a large family memorial — a sort of scroll of feathers — each 
 supposed to be worked in the hair of some member of the family ; and 
 
178 TRADE AND COMMERCE IN HUMAN HAIR. 
 
 a basket, about eighteen inclies square, filled with ilowers and fruit. 
 It is difficult to express how admirably these flowers were executed, or 
 with what artistic skill the variety of shades, from almost white to all 
 but black, were arranged. 
 
 Doubtless these were overlooked by many visitors who were more 
 attracted by the multiplicity of larger and dazzling objects arresting 
 the eye in every direction; but they were nevertheless admirable 
 specimens of patient ingenuity and skiU, in grouping tastefully a difii- 
 cultly worked material and an unpicturesque object. 
 
 A late number of the Lady's Newspaper states that hair oraaments 
 of jewellery were never more in favor than at the -present time. 
 Many novel and elegant designs for brooches, bracelets, &c., have been 
 introduced. Among the most remarkable productions of the beautiful 
 art of hair working, may be instanced a parure, recently completed in 
 Paris for a foreign Princess. It consists of a necklace, bracelets and 
 eamngs. The hair, which is a portion of the beautiful dark tresses of a 
 Spanish lady of rank, is wrought with small globes, resembling beads 
 of various sizes. These globes are transparent, and are wrought in a 
 style of sueh exquisite delicacy that they seem to be made of the 
 finest lace. They are clustered together Kke drooping bunches of 
 grapes, and between each bunch there is a small tulip formed of 
 diamonds. The ear-rings consist of pendent drops formed of hair 
 beads, with tops, consisting of diamond tulips. Hair ornaments, in 
 designs similar to those here described, are made with pearls, or with 
 the admixture of gold or silver, in lieu of diamonds. 
 
 E\j3sia, with thait arbitrary decree which characterizes despotic 
 nations, has just published (June, 1853) a new ukase in the kingdom 
 of Poland, prohibiting the wearing of false hair by the women of the 
 Jewish nation, as if government had anything to do in legislating on 
 such a matter. Several infringements of this unjust law have been 
 punished. 
 
 I have already alluded to the mantle of King Ryence, (so celebrated 
 in romance) of rich scarlet, bordered round with the beards of kings 
 sewed thereon craftily by accomplished female hands ; and which must 
 have tried the skUl and patience of the fair votaries of the needle to the 
 uttermost. 
 
 " We aU have seen," observes the Countess of Wilton in 
 her "Art of Needlework," "perhaps we have, some of us, been foolish 
 enough to manufacture, initials with hair, as tokens or souvenirs, or 
 some other such fooleries. In our mother's and grandmother's days 
 
MANTLES BOKDBRED WITH BEARDS. 179 
 
 when ' fine marking ' was the sine qua non of a good education, whole 
 sets of linen were thus elaborately marked; and often have we- 
 niaryelled when these tokens of grandmotherly skill and industry were 
 displayed to our wondering and aching eyes." 
 
 But what were these, compared to the curiously elaborated mantle 
 of kings' beards. In what precise way the beards were sewed on the 
 mantle, we are not exactly informed. Whether this royal exuberance 
 was left to shine in its own unborrowed lustre, its own naked magnifi- 
 cence, as too valuable to be intermixed with the grosser things of 
 earth — whether it was thinly scattered over the surface of the " rich 
 scarlet ; " or whether it was gathered into locks, perhaps gemmed round 
 with orient pearl, or clustered together with brilliant emeralds, sparkUng 
 diamonds, or rich rubies — " sweets to the sweet ; " whether it was 
 exposed to the vulgar gaze on the mantle, or whether it was 
 BO arranged that only at the pleasure of the mighty warrior, its 
 radiant beauties were visible : — on all these deeply interesting particu- 
 lars we should rejoice in having any information ; but, alas ! excepting 
 what we have recorded, not one circumstance respecting them has 
 " floated down the tide of years." But we may perhaps form a correct 
 idea of them from viewing a shield of human hair in the museum of the 
 United Service Institution, which may be supposed to have been com- 
 piled (so to speak) with the same benevolent feelings as that of the hero's 
 to whom we have been alluding. It is from Borneo Island, and is 
 formed of locks of hair, placed, at regular intervals, on a ground of 
 thin tough wood : a refined and elegant mode of displaying the skulls 
 of slaughtered foes. » 
 
 Geoffrey ap Arthur, or, as he is more commonly called, Geoffrey of 
 Monmouth, has interwoven a tale in his " Chronicle," that seems to 
 have an allusion to the introduction of hair manufacture. 
 
 " Eheta Gawr made for himself a robe of the beards of princes that 
 he had reduced to the condition of shaved ones (or slaves), on account 
 of their oppression." In the romance of " Morte Arthur," this giant 
 is called Eyenee, king of North Wales, his message I have already 
 given, at page 113. 
 
 " This giant had made himself furs of the beards of kings he had 
 killed, and had sent word to Arthur, carefully to cut off' his beard, and 
 send it to him ; and then, out of respect to his pre-eminence over other 
 kings, his beard should have the honour of the principal place. But if 
 he refused to do it, he" challenged him to a duel, with this offer, that 
 the conqueror should have the furs, and also the beard of the van- 
 
180 TRADE AND COMMEECE IN HUMAN HAIK. 
 
 quisled, for a trophy of his victory. In his conflict, thereforej Arthur 
 proved victorious, and took the beard and spoils of the giant." 
 
 These coincidences are curious, and may serve, at any rate, to show 
 that King Ryence's mantle was not the invention, of this penman ; but, 
 in all probability, actually existed. 
 
 In Q,ueen Elizabeth's day, when they were beginning to skim the 
 cream of the ponderous tomes of former times into those elaborate 
 ditties from which the more modern ballad takes its rise, this incident 
 was put into rhyme, and was sung before her Majesty, at the grand en- 
 tertainment at Kenil worth Castle, 1575, thus : — 
 
 " As it fell out on a Pentecost day. 
 
 King Arthur at Camelot kept Ms Court royall ; 
 
 With his faire queene, dame Guenever, the gay, 
 
 ' And many bold barons sitting in hall ; 
 ■With ladies attired in purple and paJl ; 
 
 And heraults in hewkes,* hooting on high 
 
 Cryed, Largesse, largesse. Chevaliers tres hardie. 
 
 " A doughty dwarfe to the uppermost deas 
 
 Bright pertlye gan pricke, kneeling on knee. 
 
 With stevenf full stoute amids all the preas, 
 
 Sayd, ' Nowe, Sir King Arthur, God save thee, and see 1 
 Sir Ryence of Northgales greeteth well thee, 
 
 And bids thee thy beard anon to him send. 
 
 Or else from thy jaws he will it off rend. 
 
 " For his robe of state is a rich scarlet mantle 
 
 With eleven kings' beards bordered about ; 
 And there is room lefte yet in a kantle.J 
 
 For thine to stande, to make the twelfth out ; 
 
 This must be done, be thou never so stout ; 
 This must be done, I teU thee no fable, 
 Maugre the teethe of aU thy rounde table.' 
 
 "^When this mortal message from his mouth past. 
 Great was the noyse bothe in hall and in bower f 
 
 The king fum'd ; the queen schreecht ; ladies were aghast j 
 Princes pulFd : barons blustered ; lords began lower ; 
 Knights stormed ; squires startled, like steeds in a stower; 
 
 Pages and yeomen yeU'd out iu the hall ; 
 
 Then in came Sir Kay, the king's seneschal 
 
 * //«rfi?— herald's coat. f Steven— \oica, sound. 
 
 I Kantle-& miner . 
 
POETICAL VEKSIONS OF THE LEGEND. 181 
 
 " ' Silence, my soveraignes,' quoth this conrteoua tnight, 
 
 And in that stound the stowre began still : 
 Then the dwarfe's dinner Ml deerely was dight ; 
 
 Of wine and wassel he had his wille ; 
 
 And when he had eaten and drunken his fill, 
 An hundred pieces of fine cojned gold 
 Were given this dwarf for his message bold. 
 
 " ' But say to Sir Ryeuce, thou dwarfe,' quoth the king, 
 ' That for his bold message I do him defye ; 
 And shortly with basins and pans wiU him ring 
 Out of North Gales ; when he and I 
 With swords, and not razors, quickly shall trye 
 Whether he or King Arthur will prove the best harbor ; ' 
 And therewith he shook his good sword Excalabor." 
 
 Drayton thus alludes to the same circumstance : — 
 
 " Then told they, how himselfe great Arthur did advance 
 To meet (with his allies) that puissant force in France, 
 By Lucius thither led ; those Armies that while ere 
 Affrighted all the world, by him sti'ooke dead with feare : 
 Th' report of his great acts that over Europe ran, 
 In that most famous field he with the Emperor wan ; 
 As how great Kython's selfe hee slew in his repaire. 
 Who ravisht Howell's neece, young Helena the faire ; 
 And for a trophy, brought the Giant's coat away. 
 Made of the beards of kings."* 
 
 And Spenser is too uncourteous in his adoption of the incident ; 
 for he not only levels toll on the gentleman's beards, but even on the 
 flowing and golden locks of the gentle sex : — 
 
 " ' Not farre from hence, upon yond rocky hill. 
 
 Hard by a streight, there stands a castle strong. 
 Which doth observe a custom lewd and ill. 
 
 And it hath long mayntain'd, with mighty vfrong : 
 
 For may no knight nor lady passe along 
 That way, (and yet they needs must passe that way 
 
 By reason of the streight, and rocks among,) 
 But they that Ladies' locks doe shave away. 
 And that knight's herd for toll, which they for passage pay.' 
 
 " ' A shamefull use, as ever I did heare,' 
 Said Calidore, ' and to he overthrowne. 
 ' But by what means did they at first it reare, 
 
 • Drayton's Polyolbion, Song 4. 
 
182 TEADE AND COMMERCE IN HUMAN HAIR. 
 
 " And for what cause, tell, if thou have it knowne,' 
 Sayd then that squire : ' The LaSy which doth owne 
 
 TJiis castle, is by name Briana hight ; 
 Then which a prowder Lady liveth none ; 
 
 She long time hath deare lov'd a doughty knight, ^ 
 
 And sought to win his love by all the meanes she might. 
 
 " ' His name is Cruder, who, through high disdaine. 
 
 And proud despight of self-pleasing mynd. 
 Refused hath to yield her love againe. 
 
 Until a mantle she for him doe fynd. 
 
 With beards of knights, and locks of Ladies' lynd ; 
 Which to provide, she hath this Castle dight. 
 
 And therein hath a seneschall assynd, 
 Cald Maleffort, a man of mickle might, 
 Who executes her wicked will, with worse despight."* 
 
 The commercial value of hair depends in some degree in its being 
 neither too coarse nor too slender. Flaxen hair is held ia high 
 esteem. White hair being exceedingly scarce, artificial means are 
 resorted to to obtain it. Hair of other colors is exposed to the sun to 
 bleach like linen, and then washed in lixivial water, and when the hair 
 borders too much upon the yellow, dyeing it with bismuth renders it of 
 a bright silver color. Hair which does not curl naturally is made to 
 do so by boiling, and afterwards baking it. Frauds are frequently 
 practised on the dealers by mixing the fine hair of animals with human 
 hair. 
 
 According to Scherer's analysis, the following are the proportions 
 of the elementary constituents of the hair in 100 parts : — 
 
 Carbon , 50.652 
 
 Hydrogen 6.769 
 
 Nitrogen 17.936 
 
 Oxygen, sulphur, &c 24.643 
 
 100. 
 Hair, wool, feathers, hoofs, and other homy substances, from the 
 large per-centage of carbon, nitrogen and various salts they contain, 
 and the durability of their action on the soil, have long been held to 
 be excellent manures. According to the " Farmer's Manual of Agri- 
 cultural Chemistry," haii-s spread upon meadows are said to augment 
 the crop threefold ; and the Chinese, we are told, are so well aware of 
 their gi-eat value as manure, that they carefully collect the hail* every 
 
 t F£erie Queene, Book vi. 
 
HAia AS A PEETILISER. 183 
 
 time they have their heads shaved (and the operation is performed 
 fortnightly) and sell it to the farmers. Now the crop of hair which 
 every iadividual leaves at the hair-cutter's yearly, amounts to about 
 half a pound ; reckoning, therefore, at thirteen millions the number of 
 individuals who, in Great Britain and Ireland, are undergoing the 
 process of shaving and hair cutting, we have a production of about 
 3,000 tons of hair — that is, of manure of the most valuable kind — 
 which might be collected almost without trouble ; but which, on the 
 contrary, such is our carelessness or indolence in those matters, is, I 
 believe, invariably swept away in our streets or sewers, and utterly 
 wasted. 
 
184 USES OP THE MTCKOSCOPE IN INVESTIGATING HAIK. 
 
 CHAPTEK XIV. 
 
 THE USES OF THE MICROSCOPE IN INVESTIGATING THE STRUCTDRB 
 OF HAIK, WOOL, AND OTHER MINUTE OBJECTS. 
 
 It has been well observed, that the microscope has been rendered 
 second in importance only to the telescope, by its application to physi- 
 cal researches. To members of the medical profession its services are 
 indispensable in anatomy, physiology, and pathology, as is well shown 
 by Mr. T. Bell, F.E.S., in a paper in the Transactions of the Medical 
 Society of Loudon ; and in various ways it may become of essential 
 use to every class of society. The beautifully illustrated work of Dr. 
 HassaU — " The Mici'oscopic Anatomy of the Human Body,'in Health 
 and Disease," from which I have been kindly permitted to copy two of 
 the plates on the structure of the human hair, are a proof of the value 
 of this instrument to the medical profession ; and the scientific enquiries 
 and investigations recently carried on in The Lancet, on the adultera- 
 tion of food, &c., prove how useful its searching expositions may become 
 to the consuming public. Leeuwenhoek made all his scientific dis- 
 coveries by the single microscope, a poor instrument, compared to the 
 improved ones now in use. When I first commenced my scientific 
 investigations into the structure and properties of the human hair, some 
 forty years ago, under the late Joshua Brooks, the solar microscope, a 
 sort of camera obscura, was the only means available for enlarged 
 examinations of minute objects; and it was necessarily imperfect in 
 many parts of its representations. This has now been quite superseded 
 by the oxy-hydrogen and compound microscopes ; and those who took 
 the opportunity of examining the immensely rich and varied collection 
 of microscopes collected at the Great Exhibition, in 1851, could not 
 fail to be struck with the numerous improvements which have been 
 carried out, aud the perfection, simplicity, and power of examination 
 which have been attained. So far from remaining stationary in their 
 construction, as was predicted by Dr. Goring, thirty years ago, perhaps 
 greater improvements have been made in microscopes, than in any 
 
STRUCTURE OP THE HAIR. 185 
 
 other instrument ; particularly in achromatic object glasses, the 
 powers of illumination, and in the facility with which the most delicate 
 mici-ometical measurements may be made with ease and precision. 
 To Professor John Quekett, of the Koyal College of Surgeons, and 
 Secretary of the Microscopic Society of London, I am indebted for 
 much valuable assistance and explanations in the microscopic investiga- 
 tions of the human hair, and for the specimens which I have had 
 engraved. 
 
 I have given in this volume three plates, showing the structure, 
 formation, and general appearance of the hair, as seen under a powerful 
 microscope, which are numbered respectively Plates 2, 4 and 7. The 
 figures in Plate 2 are explained in the description of the plates at the 
 commencement of the volume. Plates 4 and 7 are from Dr. Hassall's 
 elaborate and standard work already referred to. 
 
 Plate 4. — Structure of Haie. 
 
 Mg. 1. — Shows the structm-e and depth of implantation of the 
 entire root of a hair of the scalp, magnified 130 diameters : it displays 
 the two sheaths, which includes the stem, and its dilated extremity, 
 the bulb, which is seen to rest upon a distinct cellular vesicle; the 
 outer sheath completely sun-ounds the base of the hair, and cuts it oif 
 from all direct vascular supply ; the vessels, however, which nourish 
 the hair, are seen to ramify on the external surface of this sheath : 
 which is also observed to be surrounded by fat vesicles, the root having 
 passed through the thickness of the skin, and imbedded itself in the 
 subcutaneous and fatty cellular tissue. 
 
 Fiff. 3. — The root of a grey hair forcibly removed from the scalp ; . 
 in this, the outer sheath is seen to be broken oif, just above the place at 
 which the stem begins to dilate into the bulb ; a similar rupture almost 
 invariably occm-s in the outer sheath of all hairs, whether colored or un- 
 colored, which are forcibly uprooted. The contrast between the colored 
 and the uncolored hair^s striking. 
 
 Mg. 3. — The cells of which the outer sheath is composed : magni- 
 fied 670 diameters. 
 
 Fit;. 4. — A portion of the inner sheath seen on its inner surface, 
 and magnified 350 diameters; this is lined with a layea: of elongated 
 and nucleated cells : the outer portion of this sheath is distinctly fibrous, 
 the fibres being formed out of the cells, the nuclei of which become ab- 
 sorbed :. the inner sm-face also exhibits transverse markings, the im- 
 pressions of the scales of the stem of the hair. 
 
 N 
 
186 USE OP THE MICROSCOPE IN INVESTIGATING HAIE. 
 
 Fig^. 5. — Some of the pigment cells, of a multitude of which the 
 bulb of the hair is composed : magnified 670 diameters. 
 
 Plate 7. — Steucttire of Hair. 
 
 Mg. 1. — A portion of the stem of a grey hair of the scalp, magni- 
 fied 350 diameters; showing the medullary canal, the fibres of the 
 stem, and the outer imbricated scales. 
 
 Figs. 2 & 3. — Transverse sections of hairs of the beard : magnified 
 130 diameters. 
 
 Fig. 4. — The fibres of the stem of a hair : magnified 670 diame- 
 ters. It is most probable that these fibres originate in the same way 
 as those of the inner sheath, viz., in nucleated cells. 
 
 Figs. 5, 6, 7. — Apices of hairs ; the first two representing the 
 points of two hairs of the scalp, one terminating in fibres, the other 
 with a needle-like extremity : magnified 350 diameters. 
 
 Figs. 8 & 9. — Kepresent the roots of two hairs of the scalp re- 
 moved with the comb ; the sheaths, veside, and lower portion of the 
 bulb having remained behind. AH hairs removed with th§ comb and 
 brush present the same appearances; that of^. 8 being by far the 
 most common form : magnified 130 diameters. 
 
 Fig. 10. — A hair from the whisker, magnified 130 diameters, and 
 containing two medullary canals. 
 
 Hairs are more or less cylindrical developments of the epidermis. 
 They depart, however, in most cases from the character of a (rue 
 cylinder, in two respects; first, they are not perfectly spherical; 
 but are seen to be, when viewed transversely, either oval, flattened, 
 or reniform (see Plates 2 and 7) ; and secondly, they are not of 
 equal diameter throughout, being thickest at about the junction of 
 the lower and middle thirds of the stem, of smaller diameter from 
 this part downwards towards the root, and stiU more reduced in 
 size as theii- fine extremity is approached, and which in a hair which 
 has not been recently cut terminates in a point, the diameter of 
 which'is frequently several times less than of the more central parts 
 of the shaft. 
 
 Henle makes the interesting statement that^ the curling of hair 
 depends upon its form, and that the flatter the hair the more it curls, 
 the flat sides being directed exactly towards the curve described. 
 From this, it follows that the hair of negroes would exhibit in a very 
 marked manner this flattened form. (See Plate 2, fig. 6.) 
 
 Each hair admits of division into two parts, the root and stem, and 
 
^. 
 
 .1 
 
 ft# J 
 
 4 
 
 I 
 
 
 
 ^-! 
 
 
 i! ■ ' I .ft •■ 7 ' ( i ■' 
 
 |;, ,,, 
 
 ■ 'I 
 
 10. 
 
8CIENTIPIC DESOKIPTION OP HAIR. 187 
 
 each of these again allows of still farther subdivision. Thus the root 
 consists of the prolongation of the hair proper or stem, terminating in 
 an expanded portion, which has been termed the bulb, and of a double 
 sheath ; the stem (as we have already seen at the outset of this work), is 
 divisible into cortex, medulla and intervening fibrous portions, which 
 constitutes the chief bulk of the hair. 
 
 The bulb is the expanded and basal portion of the stem of each 
 hair ; it is usually two or three times the diameter of the hair itself, 
 and is sometimes excavated below. It is constituted of granular cells, 
 which are either circular, angular, or elongated in form, the spherical 
 cells form the extrenuty of the bulb, the polygonal ones its surface, 
 and the elongated cells are placed above the spherical ones, of which 
 they are modifications, and beneath the angular cells of the surface of 
 the bulb. In liealthy hairs this bulbous portion of the stem is always 
 colored, which is not the case with grey hairs. 
 
 The bulb and lower portion of the stem of the hair is included in a 
 sheath consisting of two distinct layers, an outer and an inner. 
 (See Plate 4, fig. 1 .) 
 
 The outer layer is an inversion of the epidermis ; it first merely en- 
 circles the portion of the stem of the hair beneath the level of the 
 epidermis ; it next surrounds the inner layer of the sheath, to which 
 it soon becomes intimately adherent ; finally it forms a cul-de-sac 
 around the bulb of the hair. 
 
 The fact of this inverted sheath of the epidermis forming a pouch 
 around the' bulb of the hair mfey be inferred from the circumstance, 
 that when the epidermis peels off, as the result of decomposition, 
 the hairs usually come away entire with it ; its continuation moreover 
 around the bulb may be shown in transverse sections of the skin of 
 the whiskers, in which the hairs penetrate into the sub-cutaneous 
 fatty substance. (See Plate 4, fig. 1,) This outer layer is colorless, is 
 possessed of considerable thickness, and is evidently made up of 
 granular cells, similar to young epidermic cells. 
 
 In most hairs, whether colored or uncolored, which have been 
 forcibly removed from the skin, this outer layer is usually torn across, 
 the rupture occurring almosl; invariably at a little distance from this 
 bulb of the hair ; the root of the hair then below this breach of con- 
 tinuity, consists only of the inner layers of the sheath and of the stem 
 of the hair ; and at this situation the root, to the naked eye, appears 
 contracted. This is, however, but an appearance, the result of the 
 
 N 2 
 
188 USE OF THE MICROSCOPE IN INVESTIGATING HAIR. 
 
 absence of the outer layers, and of the expansion of the stem into the 
 bulb. (See Plate 4, fig. 3.) 
 
 The inner layer of the sheath is an eversion or revolution of the 
 epidermis, and is an offset or continuation of the outer layer, com- 
 mencifig at the lower part of the bulb. It is colorless and possessed 
 of considerable thickness, its diameter being about one-third of that 
 of the stem of the hair in its thickest part. (See Plate 4, fig. 1.) 
 
 The cortical part of the stem or scalp of the hair consists of a 
 layer of scales, imbricated upon each other after the maimer of the 
 tiles upon the roof of a house. (See Plates 2 and 7.) These scales 
 are best seen by the aid of the microscope in the larger hairs of the 
 whiskers, and on the small downy hairs ; they are smaller than the 
 ordinary cells of epidei-mis, and are rarely seen to be nucleated. Ma- 
 ceration of the hair in sulphuric acid causes them to fall off, and in 
 this way their size, form and structure may be satisfactorily studied. 
 
 The scales are absent from the points of the finer hairs. In con- 
 sequence of their imbrication upon each other, their little thickness, 
 and of the double contour presented by their fine edg^, they fre- 
 quently convey the appearance rather of anastomosing fibres running 
 round the hail', than of distinct scales. A hair rolled between the 
 fingers always advances in a given direction, viz. towards the apex ; 
 this results, in part from the tapering form of the hair, and partly from 
 the more or less spiral disposition of the scales. 
 
 The whole of the fibres of the stem of the hair do not extend its 
 entire length, the majority terminating long before the extremity is at- 
 tained ; and it is to this fact, that the attenuated form of the hair is 
 attiibutable. In some hairs the fibres are seen to terminate at regular 
 distances, their points describing transverse lines on the stem of the 
 hair. The splitting, of such common occurrence in hairs which are 
 allowed to attain an excessive length, is due to a separation of the 
 fibres from each other. The fibrous portion in young and healthy 
 hair is colored. 
 
 In most hairs which are not of too deep a color, a medullary canal 
 may be detected running up the centre. Tliis commences in the upper 
 portion of this bulb, runs along the shaft, but ceases as it approaches 
 the apex : its diameter varies with that of the hair itself, but usually 
 bears the proportion of a third of its thickness. (See Plates 2, 4, 
 and 7.) 
 
 The medulla or contents of this canal exhibit a granular appear- 
 
DISTINCTIONS OP GREY HAIR. 189 
 
 ance, and are made up of pigment granules, a few perfect pigmentary 
 cells, and particles of colored oil ; it is therefore in this medulla that 
 the greatest amount of coloring matter of the hair is situated. The 
 medullary canal and medulla are best seen in the larger hairs, which are 
 not of too deep a color, and in grey hairs. In some rare instances 
 two medullary canals have been observed in the same hair. An in- 
 stance of this is given in Plate 7, fig. 10. The length of the hair 
 follicle, and the consequent depth of implantation of the hair, varies ; 
 but is often equal to the twelfth or sixteenth of an inch. The hairs of 
 the head and of the whiskers penetrate into the subcutaneous cellular 
 tissue ; those of the eyelids and ears to the subjacent cartileges : the 
 roots of hairs in general, however, do not penetrate beyond one half 
 the depth of the corium, in the substance of which they are buried. ' 
 
 If a gi-ey hair be' contrasted with an unaltered one, from the head 
 of the same person, the following differences wiU be noticed between 
 the two : — The grey or white hair will be observed to be almost color- 
 less, the bulb and fibrous portion will be destitute of color ; the 
 medulla alone retaining a slight degree of coloration ; this, however, is 
 collapsed, and in place of being' continuous throughout its length, will 
 be seen to be interrupted at intervals. (See Plate 2, fig. 7, and Plate 
 4, fig. 2.) 
 
 The unaltered hair, on the contrary, is distinguished by characters 
 the reverse of those exhibited by the grey hair ; thus the bulb, stem 
 and medulla are all deeply colored, and the latter fills the entire cavity 
 of the medullary canal, and is continuous throughout. (See Plate 2, 
 fig. 9, and Plate 4, fig. 1.) 
 
 Por the foregoing microscopical description, I acknowledge myself 
 indebted to the scientific researches of Dr. Hassall. 
 
 I have alluded, at page 15, to the comparative indestructibility of 
 hair ; and instanced the weU-known facts of hair being preserved in 
 tombs for centuries, and the human skin having been found nailed on 
 church-doors; but my attention has since been specially directed to 
 the learned and interesting paper by Professor Quekett, in the " Trans- 
 actions of the Microscopical Society," Vol. II. p. 161, " On the value 
 of the microscope in tlte determination of minute structures of a doubt- 
 ful nature, as exemplified in the identification of Human Skin, attached, 
 many centuries ago, to the doors of churches ; " from which, as bearing 
 on the subject under discussion, I shall make a few extracts : — 
 
 The vast number of highly interesting and valuable facts in natural 
 history and in philosophical anatomy which fire daily being revealed to 
 
190 USB OF THE MICHOBCOPE IN INVE8TIGAT1NQ HAIE. 
 
 US by the aid of the microscope, have quite established a new era in 
 these sciences. 
 
 The links in the great chain of animated nature which heretofore 
 may have appeared wide and discordant, have, by an intimate know- 
 ledge of structural anatomy, been brought more closely together. 
 
 Zoological classification, whicB, in early times, was based princi- 
 pally upon certain distinctions and peculiarities in external form, now 
 begins to take a higher stand. 
 
 In one order of animals, the nervous system^ — in another, the 
 digestive system ; and in others, the minute structure of the external 
 or internal skeleton, form, at the present time, the best grounds for 
 classification. Nature works with but few tools ; but the material 
 used, though often of one and the same substance chemically, is never- 
 theless moulded into an infinity of forms ; and each form so perfectly 
 characteristic of the genus, or sometimes even of the species, of ani- 
 mals, that a microscopic examination only, is required to identify them. 
 The force of this argument may be well exemplified by the struc- 
 tures termed hair, or wool. In any two animals, of totally different 
 genera, the hair, when examined chemically, may be in composition 
 identical ; but when submitted to the microscopical test, may be found 
 so manifestly different, that the unpractised eye can readily discrimi- 
 nate between them. 
 
 The microscopic researches of Mr. Maudl show that the mucous 
 deposits of the teeth and tongue are full of living animalcules,' moving 
 about in a very lively manner. The tartar of the teeth is composed of 
 the skeletons of the same creatures, proving that so small a living 
 being is furnished with a calcareous skeleton or shell ; and the union 
 of many millions compose the crust on the teeth. It will no longer.be 
 a compliment to talk of coral lips or pearly teeth, but a sad truism. As 
 might naturally be expected, it appears that the disease of the hair 
 known by the name oi Plica polonica, and happily not met with in this 
 country, is shown, by microscopic research, to be caused by the pre- 
 sence of a minnle fungus, so diffused that the head becomes a mass of 
 corrupt vegetation. The microscope, however, while it unfolds these 
 unpleasant and Gulliverian kind of discoveries, it must be remembered, 
 presents us at the same time with the best data to go upon for their 
 relief and cure ; and the facts which it unfolds that are painful to 
 humanity, are more than counteipoised by the beauties which it dis- 
 plays in minute structure, and the wealth it contributes to progressive 
 discovery. 
 
HUMAN SKIN ON CHURCH DOOHS. 191 
 
 In May, 1847, Mr. Albert Way, of Wonham Manor, Eeigate, 
 whose name is so distinguished in the antiquarian world, as one of our 
 first archaeologists, was desirous of knowing whether certain specimens of 
 skin, stated to have been taken from persons who had committed sacri- 
 lege, and which had been attached for centuries to the doors of 
 churches, were unequivocally human. Mr. Way's letter states — " A 
 tradition exists in Worcester, that a man having been caught in the act 
 of committing robbery in the cathedral, was flayed, and his skin nailed 
 upon the doors, as a terror to the sacriligious. The doors have been 
 recently replaced by new ones, but they are still to be seen ; and hav- 
 ing written to a correspondent at Worcester to ascertain whether this 
 strange tale was still remembered, he has sent me a portion of the skin 
 which is now only to be found under the iron hinges and clamps of the 
 door. ***** The inquiry may perhaps appear trivial, but as a 
 similar tradition is to be found in two other places in England, and no 
 reasonable cause can be suggested why the door of a church should be 
 covered with skin, except for such motive as has been assigned, the. 
 question may not be wholly devoid of interest, were it only as regards 
 the dupbUity of human skin, exposed to the atmosphere in such 
 manner." 
 
 On this specimen, which was about an inch long and half an inch 
 wide, Mr. Quekett succeeded in finding two hairs, and thus communi- 
 cated to Mr. Way the result of this examination : — 
 
 " I have carefully investigated the portion of skin which you for- 
 warded to me for my inspection, and beg to inform you that I am per- 
 fectly satisfied that it is human skin, taken from some part of the body 
 of a light-haired person, where little hair grows. A section of the spe- 
 cimen, when examined with a power of a hundred diameters, shows 
 readily that it is skin, and two hairs which grow on it I find to be 
 human hairs, and to present the characters that hairs of Hght-haired 
 people do. The hairs of the human subject differ greatly from those of 
 any other mammalian animal, and the examination of a hair alone, 
 without the skin, would have enabled me to form a conclusion. I 
 may state that this is the second occasion in which from the hairs 
 alone, I have been enabled to pronounce an animal substance to be 
 human." 
 
 Another specimen of skin, taken from the door of the church of 
 Hadstock, Essex, reported to be that of a Danish pirate who had pil- 
 laged the church, probably some 900 years previous, was also iden- 
 
192 USE OF THE MICROSCOPE IN INVESTIGATING HAIE. 
 
 tified by Mr. Quekett to be human skin from the hairs on it ; and a 
 similar result attended the examination of a specimen taken from the 
 church-door of Copford Church, Essex. 
 
 It would probably, be needless to dwell longer, on the characteristics 
 of human hair, as since the invention of the microscope, no object has 
 been more frequently examined, consequently. its peculiarities of struc- 
 ture are imiversally understood. There is, however, one other point of 
 great interest connected with human skin, that here deserves mention, 
 and this is the comparatively small number of hairs with which certain 
 parts of its surface are supplied ; on reflection, we shall find that no 
 mammalian animals, save those nearly allied to man himself, have any 
 part of the body unprovided with hair, and had other than human skin 
 been exposed to the same circumstances, some evidence of the abund- 
 ance of the hairy covering would have been observed on microscopic 
 investigation ; but the present specimens, in the paucity of hairs found 
 on them, fuUy bear out all the opinions that might, d priori, have been 
 predicted of them. The specitoen from Worcester, on its under sur- 
 face, shows the markings of the grains of the wood, and the paint with 
 which the door was covered ; this would go far to prove that the skin 
 was laid on when in a moist state, or soon after its removal from the 
 body : but neither of the other specimens exhibits the same appear- 
 ances. 
 
 Besides showing the great scientific value of the microscope, in 
 bringing to light otherwise hidden truths, these specimens fully 
 establish the wonderful power of skin and hair to withstand for cen- 
 turies, atmospheric influences ; and serve to point out, that next to the 
 bones, they are the most durable parts of the human frame. 
 
 In the Gentleman's Magazine for 1840, p. 140, are some curious 
 accounts, proving the indestructibility of hair. In the Abbey Church 
 of Eomsey, a discovery was made of a coffin, in which, while all other 
 parts of the body had decayed, the whole of the hair was preserved 
 in perfect existence and shape, matted together, like a peruke or wig 
 newly sent out from" a wig-makers. Even the very roots of the hairs 
 are apparent ; whilst the only discernible remains of the skull, are in 
 the form of a slight white powder. The general color is a bright 
 brown. It has been supposed by Mr. Gough to be 'the nature of hair 
 to acquire a yellowish hue in the grave. 
 
 In one of the barrows of Greenwich Pai-k, opened in 1784, by 
 the Rev. James Douglas, he foundj only nine inches from the sur- 
 
HAIE FOt'ND IK X0MB3, ETC. 193 
 
 face, a braid of human hair; the braid was tenacious, and very 
 distinct ; and the hair itself, which was of an auburn color, contained 
 its natural phlogiston. The same author also states that there is now 
 deposited in the "Vatican, a skull with hair ; which by the braid and 
 the ornaments upon it, appeared to have been that of a female, and to 
 have been inteiTed 1,400 years. Mr. Douglas adds, that human hair 
 after death, is known, upon some bodies, to increase greatly. Mr. 
 John Pitt assured him that, on visiting a vault of his ancestors in Farley 
 Chapel, Somersetshire, to give orders for some necessary repairs, he 
 saw the hair of a young Lady Chandos, which had in a most exuberant 
 manner groieed out of the coffin, and hanged down from it; and by the 
 inscription, she was buried upwards of an hundred years since. 
 
 The body of Lady Audrey Leigh, who died in 1640, which had 
 been embalmed, was discovered a short time ago in the ruins of au 
 old chapel at Nuaeham Eegis, in "Warwickshire. Even her eyelashes 
 and eyebrows were perfect. The hair of Lady Chichester, her mother, 
 who died in 1652, was also found as fresh as if she lived; it was 
 long, thick, and as soft and glossy as that of a child, and of a perfect 
 auburn color. 
 
 It is a well-known fact, as I have stated in preceding pages, that 
 the beard and nails grow for some time after death ; and it might be 
 imagined that a love of the marvellous had improvedjhis circumstance 
 into tW miraculous story related by Mr. John Pitt. It does not, how- 
 ever, surpass two which we find in the old " Cyclopcedia" of Chambers, 
 as related by Wulferus in the Philosophical Collections, " of a woman 
 I, buried at Nuremburg, whose coflRn, forty-three years after her death, 
 was found plentifully sprouting with hair ; and on being opened, the 
 whole corpse, in its perfect shape, was found covered over with a thick- 
 set hair, long and curled, but when the head was handled, there was 
 neither skull, nor any other bone left, yet the hair was solid and strong 
 enough." The other anecdote is quoted from the same source, of " a 
 man hanged for theft, who, in a little time, while he yet hung upon the 
 gibbet, had his body strangely covered with hair." Mr. Gough also 
 mentions the discovery in Woodbridge church, in 1792, of a lock of 
 hair, braided, two feet and a half long, in perfect preservation, though 
 surrounded by nothing but bones crumbled to powder. As soon as 
 it was exposed to the air, it changed its color from a beautiful brown to 
 a dark red. And in the choir of Norwich cathedral, in 1780, was 
 found some hair, supposed of a bishop, or person of eminence, without - 
 
194 USB OF THE MICROSCOPE IN INVESTIGATING HAIb". 
 
 any pieces of coffin or bones. — (Sepulchral Monuments, Vol. II, 
 p. 103.) 
 
 Mr. Walker mentions, in his work on Physiognomy, that he was 
 informed by Mr. Chamberlain, clerk of the church at Hythe, that when 
 examining the piles of Saxon bones in the crypt, he had found red hair 
 still adhering to some of the skulls of those who had fallen in the con- 
 tests on that coast with the early Britons. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 While the last sheet of this work was going through the press, 
 Mr. Charles Dickens, in his popular weekly publication, " Household 
 Words," (No. 177, August 13th, 1853,) in an article entitled "Why 
 Shave ? " has taken up in a similar strain the views I have enunciated 
 in Chapter X. of this work, in favor of wearing the beard and 
 moustache. The authority and opinions of such a talented writer, will 
 necessarily have great weight with the public, and although the article 
 goes over, in some degree, the same ground, and adduces similar 
 arguments to those I have advanced, I am induced to republish it 
 here entire, (although necessarily out of its appropriate place) in order 
 to include it in my volume, and to give it wider diffusion. 
 
 WHY SHAVE? 
 
 "There are misguidedmen — and I am one of them — who defile daily 
 their own beai'ds, rasp them away as fast as they peep out from beneath 
 the skin, mix them ignominously with soap-shds, and cause them to be 
 cast away with the oifscourings of the house. We are at great pains 
 and trouble to do this, and we do it unwillingly, knowing that we 
 deprive our faces of an ornament, and more or less suspecting that we 
 take away from ourselves something given to us by nature for our use 
 and our advantage; as indeed we do. Nevertheless we treat our 
 beards as so much dirt that has to be removed daily from our persons, 
 for no other reason than because it is the custom of the country ; or, 
 because we wish to make ourselves prettier by assimilating our appear- 
 ance to that of women. 
 
196 APPENDIX. 
 
 "I am no friend to gentlemen who willfully affect external oddity, 
 whUe they are within all dull and commonplace. I am not disposed by 
 carrying a beard myself to beard public- opinion. But opinions may 
 change ; we were not always a nation of shavers. The day may again 
 come when "'Twill be merry in haU, when beards wag all," and 
 Britons shall no more be slaves to razors. 
 
 " I have never read of savages who shaved themselves with flints ; 
 nor have I been able to discover who first introduced, among civilized 
 men, the tonsure of the chin. The shaven polls and faces of ecclesias- 
 tics date from the time of Pope Anacletus, who introduced the custom 
 upon the same literal authority of scripture that still causes women to 
 wear bonnets in our churches, that they may not pray uncovered. 
 Saint Paul in the same chapter, further asks the Corinthians, "Doth 
 not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair it is ,a 
 shame unto him ?" Pope Anacletus determined, therefore, to remove aU 
 shame from churchmen, by ordering them to go shaven altogether. 
 The shaving of the beard by laymen was, however, a practice much 
 more ancient. The Greeks taught shaving to the Eomans, and Pliny 
 records that the first Greek barbers were taken from Sicily to Ebme by 
 Publius Ticinius, in the four hundred and fifty-fourth year after the 
 building of the city. The Greeks, however — certainly it "was so with 
 them in the time of Alexander — seem to have been more disposed to 
 use their barbers for the pruning and trimming, than for the a'BsoIute 
 removal of the beard, and of that ornament upon the upper lip which 
 they termed the mystax, and which we call — using the same name that 
 they gave to it, slightly corrupted — ^moustache. In the best days of 
 Greece few but the philosophers wore unpruned beards. A large 
 flowing beard and a large flowing mantle .were in those times as 
 naturally and essentially a part of the business of a philosopher, as a 
 signboard is part in these days of the business of a publican. So there 
 is a small joke recorded of an emperor, who having been long teazed 
 by an importunate talker, asked him who or what he was. The man 
 replied in pique, " Do you not see by my beard and mantle that I am 
 a philosopher ?" — " I see the beard and mantle," said the emperor, 
 " but the philosopher, where is he P" 
 
 "The idea that there existed a connection between a man's vigour of 
 mind and body, and the vigour of growth in his beard, was confirmed 
 by the fact that Socrates, the wisest of the Greek philosophers, earned 
 pre-eminently the title of the bearded. Among races of men capable 
 of growing rich crops on the chin, the beard has always been regarded 
 
WftY SHAVE? 197 
 
 more or less as a type of power. Some races, as the Mongolians, do 
 not get more than twenty or thirty thick coarse hairsj and are as likely 
 then to pluck them out after the fashion of some northern tribes, as to 
 esteem them in an exaggerated way, as has been sometimes the case in 
 China." In the world's history the bearded races have at all times been 
 the most important actors, and there is no part of the body which, on 
 the whole, they had shown more readiness to honour. Among many 
 nations, and through many centuries, development of beard has been 
 thought indicative of the development of strength, both bodily and 
 mental. In strict accordance with that feeling the strength of Samson 
 was made to rest in his hair. The beard became naturally honoured, 
 inasmuch as it is a characteristic feature of the chief of the two sexes 
 (I speak as an ancient), of man, and of man only, in the best years of 
 his life, when he is capable of putting forth his independent energies. 
 As years multiply and judgment ripens the beard grows, and with it 
 grows, or ought to grow, every man's title to respect. Grey beards 
 became thus so closely connected with the idea of mature dis- 
 cretion, that they were taken often as its sign or cause ; and thus it 
 was fabled of the wise king Numa, that he was grey-haired even in his 
 youth. 
 
 "To revert to the subject of shaving, Tacitus says, that in his time 
 the Germans cut their beards. In our times among that people the 
 growth of a beard, or at least of a good mystax or moilstachio, had 
 come, by the year eighteen hundred and forty-eight, to be regarded so 
 much as a mark of aristocracy, that after the revolutions of that year, 
 the Germans took to the obliteration of the vain mark of distinction by 
 growing hair on their own chins and upper lips. Hairs have been thus 
 made significant in a new way. There are now such things to be seen 
 on the Continent as revolutionary beards, and not long ago, in a small 
 German State, a barrister was denied a hearing because he stood up 
 in his place in the law court, wearing a beard of the revolutionary cut. 
 Not only custom, but even to this day law regulates the cultivation of 
 the hair on many of our faces. There is scarcely an army in Europe 
 which is not subject to some regulations that affect the beard and 
 whiskers. In England the chin and, except in some regiments, the 
 upper lip has to be shaved ; elsewhere the beard is to be cultivated and 
 the whiskers shaven. Such matters may have their significance. The 
 most significant of whiskers are, however, those worn by the Jews in 
 the East, and especially in Africa, who in accordance with a traditional 
 superstition, keep them at an uniform level of about half an inch in 
 
198 APPENDIX. 
 
 length, and cut them into cabalistic characters curiously scattered about 
 
 over the face. 
 
 " As there are some communities especially bestowing care and 
 honour on the beard, and others more devoted to the whiskers, so there 
 are nations, as the Hungarian, in which the honour of the moustache 
 is particularly cherished. The moustaches of General Haynau were 
 about half-a-yard long. A Hungarian dragooa who aspired to eminence 
 in that way, and had nursed a pair of moustachios for two years until 
 they were only second to Haynau's, fell asleep one day after dinner with 
 a cigar in his mouth. He awoke with one of his fine nose tails so ter- 
 ribly burnt at the roots, tbat he was 'obliged afterwards to resort to an 
 art used by many of his companions, and to fortify the weak moustache 
 by twining into its substance artificial hair. 
 
 " Such freaks and absurdities are, of course, inconsistent with the 
 mature dignity of bearded men. Let us have wliisker, beard, and mous- 
 tache, reverently worn, and trimmed discreetly and with decency. I 
 am not for the cabalistic whisker, the Hungarian moustache, or a beard 
 like that worn by the Venetian magnate, of whom Sismondi relates, that 
 if he did not lift it up, he would trip over it in walking. Still worse 
 was tiie beard of the carpenter depicted in the Prince's Court at Eidam; 
 who, because it was nine feet long, was obliged when at work, to sling 
 it about him in a bag. A beard like either of those is, however, very _ 
 much of a phenomenon in nature. The hair of a man's head is finer, 
 generally than that on the head of women, and if left uncut, would not 
 grow to nearly the same length. A woman's back-hair is an appurte- 
 nance entirely and naturally feminine. lu the same way, the develop- 
 ment of the hair upon the face of men, if left unchecked — although it 
 would difi^er much in different climates, and in different individuals — 
 would very rarely go on to an extravagant extent. Shaving compels 
 the hair to grow at an undue rate. It has been calculated that a man 
 mows off in the course of a year about six inches-and-a-half of beard, 
 so that a man of eighty would have chopped up in the course of his life 
 a twenty-seven foot beard ; twenty feet more, perhaps, than would have 
 sprouted, had he left nature alone and contented himself with so much 
 occasional trimming as would be required by the just laws of cleanliness 
 and decency. 
 
 "It has been erroneously asserted that a growth of beard would cover 
 up the face, hide the expression of the features, and give a deceitful 
 mark of uniform sedateuess to the entire population. As for that last 
 assertion, it is the direct reverse of what is true. Sir Charles Bell, in 
 
WHY SHAVE? 199 
 
 his essay on expression, properly observes that no ono who has been 
 present at an assembly of bearded men can have failed to remark the 
 greater Variety and force of the expressions they are able to convey, 
 what can be more portentous, for example, than to see the brow cloud 
 and the eyes flash and the nostrils dilate over a beard curling visibly 
 with anger ? How ill does a smooth chin support at any time the cha- 
 racter assumed by the remainder of the face, except it be a character 
 of sanctimonious oiliness that does not belong honestly to man, or such a 
 pretty chin as makes the charm that shoiUd belong only to a woman 
 or a child ! 
 
 "Therefore I ask, why do we shave our beards ? Why are we a 
 bare-chinned people ? That the hair upon the face of man was given 
 to him for sufficient reasons it will take but little time to show. It has 
 various uses, physiological and mechanical. To take a physiological 
 use first, we may point out the fact that the formation of hair is one 
 method of extruding carbon from the system, and that the external 
 hau'S aid after their own way in the work that has to be done by the 
 internal lungs. Their use in this respect is not lessened by shaving ; 
 on the contrary, the elimination of carbon through the hairs of the face 
 is made to go on with unnatural activity, because the natural effort to 
 cover the chin with hair is increased in the vain struggle to remove the 
 state of artificial baldness, as a hen goes on laying if her eggs be 
 taken from her, and the production of hair on the chin is at least quad- 
 rupled by the use of the razor. The natural balance is in this way 
 destroyed. Whether the harm so done is great I cannot tell ; I do not 
 know that it is, but the strict balance which nature keeps between the 
 production of hair, and the action of the lungs, is too constant and 
 rigid to be altogether insignificant. We have all had loo much oppor- 
 tunity for noticing how in people whose lungs are constitutionally weak, 
 as in people with consumptive tendencies, the growth of hair is excessive, 
 even to the eyelashes. A skin covered with downy hair is one of the 
 marks of a scrofulous child ; and who has not been saddened by the 
 charm of the long eyelashes over the lustrous eye of the consumptive girl! 
 
 " The very anomalies of growth show that the hair must fulfil more 
 than a trifling purpose in the system. There has been an account 
 published in the present centmy by Euggieri, of a woman, twenty-seven 
 years of age, who was covered from the shoulders to the knees with 
 black woolly hair like that of a poodle dog. Very recently, a French 
 physician has related the case of a young lady over whose skin, after a 
 fever, hair grew so rapidly that, at the end of a month, she was covered 
 
200 appendix: 
 
 with a hairy coat, an inch long, over every part of her body, except 
 the face, the palms of her hands, and the soles of the feet. 
 
 "There are other less curious accounts of women who are obliged to 
 shave regularly once or twice a week ; and it may be asked why are 
 not all women compelled to shave ? If beards and whiskers serve a pur- 
 pose, why are they denied to women ? That is a question certainly not 
 difficult to answer. For the same reason that thfrrose is painted and 
 the violet perfumed, there are assigned by nature to the woman attri- 
 butes of grace heightened by physical weakness, and to the man attri- 
 butes of dignity and strength. A thousand delicate emotions were to 
 play about the woman's mouth, expressions that would not look beau- 
 tiful in man. We all know that there is nothing more ridiculous to 
 look at than a ladies' man who assumes femininity to please his huge 
 body of sisters, and wins their confidence by making himself quite one 
 of their own set. The character of woman's beauty would be man-ed by 
 hair upon the face ; moreover, what rest would there be ever for an in- 
 fant on the mother's bosom, tickled perpetually with a mother's beard ? 
 Not being framed for active bodily toil, the woman has not the. maii's 
 capacious lungs, and may need also less growth of hair. But the 
 growth of hair in woman really is not much less than in the other sex. 
 The hair upon a woman's head is, as a general rule, coarser, longer, and 
 the whole mass is naturally heavier than the hair upon the head of a man. 
 Here, by the way, I should like to hint a question, whether sipce what 
 is gained in one place seems to be lost in another, the increased growth 
 at the chin produced by constant shaving may not help to account for 
 some part of the weaknss of hair upon the crown, and of the tendency 
 to premature baldness which is so common in English civilized society? 
 
 "The hair upon the scalp, so far as concerns its mechanical use, is no 
 doubt the most important of the hair-crops grown upon the human body. 
 It preserves the brain from all extremes of temperature, retains the 
 warmth of the body, and transmits very slowly any impression from 
 vrithout. The character of the hair depends very much upon the 
 degree of protection needed by its possessor. The same hair — whether 
 of head or beard — that is in Europe straight, smooth, and soft, becomes 
 after a little travel in hot climates crisp and curly, and will become 
 smooth again after a return to cooler latitudes. By a natural action of 
 the sun's light and heat upon the hair, that curliness is produced, and it 
 is produced in proportion as it is required, until, as in the case of negroes 
 under the tropical suns of Africa, each hair becomes so intimately curled 
 up with its neighbours as to produce what we call a woolly head. All 
 
WHY SHAVE? 201 
 
 hair is wool, or rather all wool is hair, and the hair of the negro differs 
 so much in appearance from that of the European, only because it is so 
 much more curled, and the distinct hairs are so much more intimately 
 intertwined. The more hair curls, the more thoroughly does it form a 
 web in which a stratum of air lies entangled to maintain an even tem- 
 perature on the surface of the brain. For that reason it is made a law of 
 nature, that the hair should be caused to curl most in the hottest climates. 
 "A protection of considerable importance is provided in the same way 
 by the hair of the face to a large and important-knot of nerves that lies 
 under the skin near the angle of the lower jaw, somewhere about the 
 point of junction between the whiskers and the beard. Man is born to 
 work out of doors and in all weathers, for his bread ; woman was 
 created for duties of another kind, which do not involve constant expo- 
 sure to sun, wind, and rain. Therefore man only goes abroad whis- 
 kered and bearded, with his face muffled by nature in a way that shields 
 every sensitive part alike from wind, rain, hfeat, or frost, with a perfection 
 that could be equalled by no muffler of his own devising. The whis- 
 kerless seldom can bear long exposure to a sharp wind that strikes on 
 the bare cheek. The numbness then occasioned by a temporary palsy 
 of the nerves has in many cases become permanent ; I wiU say nothing 
 of aches pnd pains that otherwise affect the face or teeth., For man who ' 
 goes out to his labour in the morning, no better summer shield or winter 
 covering against the sun or storm can be provided, than the hair which 
 grows over those pai'ts of the face which need protection, and descends 
 as beard in front of the neck and chest; a defence infinitely more useful 
 . as well as more becoming than a cravat about the neck, or a prepared 
 hareskin over tKe pit of the stomach. One of the finest living prose- 
 writers in our language suffered for many years from sore throat, which 
 was incurable, until following the advice of an Italian surgeon, he 
 allowed his beard to grow ; and Mr. Chadwick has pointed out the fact 
 that the sappers and miners of the French army, who are all men with 
 fine beards, are almost entirely free from affections of the lungs and 
 air passages. 
 
 "Mr. Chadwick regards the subject entirely from a sanitary point of, 
 view. He brought it und^r the discussion of the medical section en- 
 gaged on sanitary inquiries at the York meeting of the British Associa- 
 tion, and obtained among other support the concurrence of Dr. W. P. 
 Alison, of Edinburgh. We name that physician because he has since 
 persuaded the journeymen masons of his own city to wear their beards as 
 a preventive against, consumption that prevailed among tnem. 
 
 
 
303 APPENDIX. 
 
 • 
 
 "For that is another use of the moustache and beard. They protect 
 the opening of the mouth, and filter the air for a man working in smoke 
 or dust of siny kind ; they also act as a respirator, and prevent the in- 
 halation into the lungs of air that is too frosty. Mr. Chadwick, years 
 ago, was led to the discussion of this subject by observing how in the 
 case of some blacksmiths who wore beards and moustaches, the hair 
 about the mouth was discoloured by the iron dust that had been caught 
 on its way into the mouth and lungs. The same observer has also 
 pointed out and applied to his argument the fact that travellers wait, if 
 necessary, until their moustachios have grown before they brave the 
 sandy air of deserts. He conceives, therefore, that the absence of 
 moustache and beard must involve a serious loss to labourers in dusty 
 trades, such as millers and masons ; to men employed in grinding steel 
 and iron and to travellers on dusty roads. Men who retain the hair 
 about the mouth, are also, he says, much less liable to decay, or achings 
 of the teeth. To this- list we would add, also, that apart from the in- 
 cessant dust flying in town streets, and inseparable from town life, there 
 is the smoke to be considered. Both dust and smoke do get into the 
 lungs, and only in a small degree it is possible for them to be decom- 
 posed and removed by processes of life. The air passages of a Man- 
 chester man, or ,of a resident in the city of London, if opened after 
 death, are found to be more or less colored by the dirt that has been 
 breathed. Perhaps it does not matter much ; but surely we had 
 better not make dustholes or chimney funnels of our lungs. Beyond 
 a certain point this introduction of mechanical impurity into the deli- 
 cate air passages does cause a morbid irritation, marked disease, and . 
 prematm-e death. We had better keep our lungs clean altogether, 
 and for that reason men working in cities would find it always worth 
 while to retain the air filter supplied to them by nature for the purpose 
 — the moustache and beard aroimd the mouth. 
 
 " Sm-ely enough has been here said to make it evident that the 
 Englishman who, at the%nd of his days, has spent about an entii-e year of 
 his life in scraping off his beard has worried himself to no purpose, has 
 ^ submitted to a painful, vexatious, and not merely useless, but actually 
 unwholesome custqm. He has disfigured himself systematically 
 throughout life, accepted his share of unnecessary tic doloreux and 
 toothache, coughs and colds, has swallowed dust and inhaled smoke 
 and fog out of complaisance to the social prejudice which happens just 
 now to prevail. We all aboniinate the razor while we use it, and 
 would gladljr lay it down. Now, if we see cleai-ly— and I think the 
 
WHY SHAVE ? 203 
 
 fact is very clear — that the use of it is a great blunder, and if we are 
 no longer such a slovenly people as to be afraid that, if we kept our 
 beards, we Should not wash, or comb, or trim them in a fpcent way, 
 why can we not put aside our morning plague and irritate our skin no 
 more as we now do ? 
 
 " I recommend nobody to grow a beard in such a way as to isolate 
 himself in appearance from his neighbours. Moreover, I do not at all 
 desire to bring about such a revolution as would make shaven chins as 
 "singular as bearded chins are now. What^I should much prefer would 
 be the old TJoman custom, which preserved the first beard on a young 
 man's face until it became comely, and then left it eiltu'ely a matter of 
 choice with him whether he would remain bearded or not. Though it 
 would be' wise in an adult man to leave off shaving, he must not expect 
 after ten or twenty years of scraping at the chin, when he has stimu- 
 lated each hair into undue coarseness and an undue rapidity of growth, 
 that he can ever realise upon his own person the beauty of a virgin 
 beard. If we could introduce now a reform, we, that have been 
 inured to shaving, may develope very good black beards, most ser- 
 viceable for all working purposes, and a great improvement on bald 
 chins ; but the true beauty of the beard remains to be developed in 
 the next generaticwi, on the faces of those who may be induced frojn 
 the beginning to abjure the use of razors." 
 
 The following article from the Ladies' Companion, for July, 1851, 
 with the initials " M, A. T.," we conclude is from the pen of Miss 
 M.A. Youat:— 
 
 "THE HAIR. 
 
 " How ignorant, how indifferent, are we oftOT to the nature, the 
 properties, and the history of the most common things which surround 
 us! That beautiful gift of bountiful nature, the human hnir, we 
 see and admire, and weave # into all the fantastical forms dictated by 
 the capricious goddess Fashion ; but we seldom pause to reflect upon 
 it, to marvel at its growth and beauty, to mark how it obej^s the laws 
 
 o s 
 
204 APPENDIX. 
 
 of vegetation, ho* it flourishes for a time, reaches to a Certain length, 
 falls, and is replaced by a succession of new shoots, and eventually 
 decays frq* age. •■ 
 
 "According to Erasmus Wilson, the hair of women is coarser 
 than that of men ; this is rather contradictory to the commonly re- 
 ceived opinion, that keeping the hair cut short tends to render it 
 coarser and stronger. He states the average thickness of a woman's 
 hair to be from -^^ to -^io part of an inch, and its ordinary length 
 twenty inches, or now and then from that to a yM-d. Flaxen and 
 chesnut hair he states to be the finest, and white and black hair the 
 coarsest. Withof's observations bear out these, and this latter author 
 adds that 598 black, 684 chestnut, and 728 flaxen hairs are about the 
 average number produced on a square inch of the skin of the head. 
 
 " The shades and colors of the human hair are many and various, 
 and are mostly, and in a great measui-e, connected with climat6 
 and race. Bluemenbach deduces uniformity in the color and texture 
 of the hair as one of the chief characteristics of his five varieties of the 
 human species. Thus the Caucasian variety, or inhabitants of mid- 
 Europe, have hair of a ' nut-brown running on one hand into yellow; 
 and on the other into black ; soft, long and undulating ;' the Mongo- 
 lian variety have hair ' black, stiff, straight and sparing :' this, accom- 
 panied by an olive complexion, we find among the natives of Eastern 
 India, of China, of Lapland and Labrador ; the Ethiopian variety 
 have the ' black, crisp' hair and the black skin of the Negro ; and so 
 on. Certain it is, that in races, in people of certain countries, and in 
 individuals in old families, we notice the same hair, the same in color, 
 in texture, and in disposition, (civil not at the word, reader, for hair 
 has its ' disposition' as well as the being on whose head it grows ; in 
 one it will ourl, brush it, damp it, coiifine it how you may, the graceful 
 wave remains ; release it from thaldrom, and it floats in curls more 
 picturesque than the most skilful artiste ever trained; while in another, 
 no art, no persuasion can produce a ringlet ; the nearest approach to 
 curl is a limp lack-a-daisical aifair, which gTadually untwists under ' 
 the influence of the least moisture, until it hangs in what children term, 
 not inaptly either, ' ms-tails.') 
 
 ******** 
 
 " The strength of the hair lies in its fibrous portion. In Kobin-. 
 
 son's ' Essays on Natural Economy' we ♦id that a single hair, from 
 
 the head of a boy only eight years of age, supported the weight of 
 
 7,813 gi-ains, and that one taken from the head of a young man aged 
 
THE HAIE. 205 
 
 twenty-two supported 14,285 grains. Weber attributes some portion 
 of this extraordinary strength to the elastic nature of hair, and 
 states that he has seen a hair ten inches long stretch to the length of 
 thirteen inches. The fibrous portion is also supposed to be that which 
 contains the pigment or colouring matter ; and if we hold a hair up 
 between us and the light, we shaU immediately perceive that it is not 
 uniformly colored, or colored all through, but in some places has a 
 lighter and more transparent appearance than it has in others. 
 
 " When submitted to a microscope, the structure of the hair proves 
 to be most curious ; each individual hair is composed of numberless 
 small sugar-loaf-shaped cones, which fit into and overlap each other, 
 giving a rough and almost serrated surface to the exterior of the hair. 
 TVe have only to take a hah- by its point and pass our fingers upwards 
 towards the root; to convince ourselves at once of the existence of 
 these minute teeth or scales. It is this formation which causes dirt, 
 dust, and scurf to adhere, as they do, to hair, and which makes neg- 
 lected hair so readily mat itself together hito absolute felt. 
 
 " Hair is highly susceptible of electricity ; most persons have seen 
 the sparkles, and listened to, and felt, the tiny shocks elicited from the 
 hair of a cat by friction, and many have doubtless while brushing their 
 hair observ,ed the peculiar manner in which, under certain states of the 
 atmosphere, and especially in frosty weather, each individual hair will 
 fly apart and avoid the contact of its neighbour. This will also occa- 
 sionally occm* in certain states of the body, and in persons of nervous 
 and sensitive temperament. 
 
 '' Another peculiarity of hair is its hygrometric demonstrations, 
 the curious way in which it will uncurl and lengthen itself under the 
 influence of damp or moisture, contracting again gradually as the atmos- 
 phere becomes dryer. This has been ascribed to the animal portions 
 of it, which, having in their composition saline particles, attract the 
 moisture in the atmosphere, and, by absorbing it, distend the body of 
 the hair. 
 
 " The constituents of different colored hair are by no means the 
 same. All hair contains a certain portion of oily animal matter, some 
 common salt, some phosphate of lime, a considerable portion of sul- 
 phur, various gases, and some manganese and iron. Pair hair contains 
 , least carbon and hydrogen, brown hair 'the most carbon and the 
 sanallest quantity of oxygen ; red hair has the largest proportion of 
 sulphur ; grey hair the most phosphate of lime. All contain a nearly 
 equal amount of nitrogen. The imperishable nature of hair arises 
 
206 APPENDIX. 
 
 from the combination of salt and metals iu its composition ; in old 
 tombs, and on mummies, hair has been found in a perfect state, wMcli 
 must have grown some two thousand years ago. 
 
 " In all cases of disease, the hair sympathises, more or less, losing 
 its glossy hue, becoming lank and damp, or dry and faded, or even 
 falling off in considerable quantities. It may also be said, occasionally, 
 to sympathise with the emotions as well as the diseases of the human 
 frame, if we are to give any credence to the various accounts of those 
 who, suffering from some sudden shock or grief, have had the hair 
 turn white in a single night, as is recorded of Sir Thomas More, or 
 within a very short period, as was the case with Mary Queen of Scots, 
 Marie Antoinette, and others. In the ' Encyclopedia Metropolitana,' 
 a case is recorded of a banker whose hair became perfectly grey in the 
 course of three days, in consequence of his anxiety of mind during the 
 panic of 1825. 
 
 " No author has yet attempted to account for this, or indeed satis- 
 factorily, for the gi-adual substitutiori of white hair for colored, as age 
 creeps on ; various theories have been put forth, but while we continue 
 to remain ignorant even of the use and influence of the hair on ike 
 animal economy, and its connection with it, we cannot hope to ariive 
 at any certainty. Meckel, a celebrated German writer, considers that 
 the hair begins to turn grey about thirty, but Elbe gives forty as the 
 period of life at which this change first makes its appearance ; much, 
 however, depends on the habits and constitutions of individuals. It 
 has been said that dark hair becomes grey much earlier than light hair ; 
 but has not this supposition arisen from the silver lines being always 
 more marked and perceptible on dark than on light hair ? The writer 
 has two relatives, one turned fifty and the other turned sixty, whose 
 black hair is only threaded here and there by a silver line ; while, on 
 the other hand, three of her acquaintances, with different shades of 
 light brown hair, are at scarce six-and-thirty becoming quite grey. 
 
 " Doubtless the coloring matter of hair arises from a pigment 
 secreted by tiny glands in the scalp or skin of the head ; and when 
 from disease or any other violent cause, or from the decay of nature, 
 this pigment becomes altered in character, or ceases to be secreted, the 
 hair changes its hue. Various lotions and pomatums have been re- 
 commended for the pui-pose of restoring the tone of these glands or 
 ducts secreting this coloring matter, but we have small faith in any of 
 them. 
 
 '* The hair is one of the crowning beauties bestowed by nature on 
 
THE HAIR. 207 
 
 human beings. What poet has neglected to sing its praise P All hues 
 have been celebrated, from the 
 
 " ' Lassie wi' the sunny locks,' 
 
 of Allan Cunningham, to the aged man Crabbe describes with 
 
 " ' Those white locks thinly spread 
 Round the bald polish of that honored head.' 
 
 " To women, particularly, is hair an adornment ; take that from 
 her, and she loses one of her greatest ornaments. Surely Venus her- 
 self would cease to be the Queen of Beauty if she had her head shaved. 
 And' how busy Fashion has been^ throughout all ages of which we have 
 any record, with female tresses ; how she has twisted and tortured, 
 disfigured and confined them ; dyed, variegated and blanched them ; 
 greased, stitfened and frizzed them ! In short, how she has done her 
 best in some portion of every age to nullify their graceful effects, and 
 convert that which should have been a beauty into a deformity. The 
 ancient Greeks, at various periods, wore quantities of false haii*, plaited 
 their tresses into elaborate braids, curled them in pyramids of curls, 
 frizzled and pomatumed them;. and it was only now and then that the 
 classic head-dress we term' Grecian predominated. 
 
 " The ancient Eoman ladies made hair-dressing an absolute science, 
 taught their slaves how to rear the hair into marvellous edifices of curls 
 or frize, with flowers, jewels and coronals ; or to plait it in multitudin- 
 ous plaits, which were enclosed in a silken caul, or a net wo en of 
 gold or silver thread and gems, or fastened with large pins, arrows, or 
 even dagger-shaped jewels of gold, silver, or metal. 
 
 " The Egyptians perfumed and pomaded their tresses, and suffered 
 them to float in braids or plaits about their necks and down their 
 backs, enwreathed with flowers, or gems, or bands, and confined by a 
 fillet round the head. They, too, wore false hair, both with their own 
 and in wigs. 
 
 " There is in the British Museum a wig said to be found among 
 the ruins of the Temple qf Isis, at ancient Thebes ; and, although , so 
 many centuries have elapsed since it was fabricated, the hair retains its 
 extraordinary hue, the curls their form, and the whole thing its vrai- 
 semblance, affording a proof that the pemquiers of those days pos- 
 sessed a secret ours have not — namely, that of preserving the curl of 
 hair. If we may judge, however, from the few authentic descriptions 
 
208 APPENDIX. 
 
 and specimens of their art which have come down to us. we should say 
 that they were by no means, like ours, ambitious of emulating and 
 imitating Nature, for they seem to have painted, frosted, gilded, sil- 
 vered, and stiffened the hair until its actual identity was destroyed. 
 
 " In our own country we have few early authentic records of the 
 style in which women wore their hair ; but, as far as we can gather, it 
 was dressed very simply, being parted in the middle, put back off the 
 face, and then wound up under the hood, or coif, or cap, or suffered to 
 float at length in curls down the back. We find Berengaria, Eleanor 
 of Provence, Isabella of Valois, and Philippa of Hainault, thus repre- 
 sented. According to Leland, Elizabeth, Queen of Henry VII., wore 
 her hair thus on the day of her marriage, with ' a calle of pipes over 
 it.' One portrait of Anne Boleyn likewise represents her thus. Lady 
 Jane Grey is also pictured with her hair parted in the middle and 
 braided over the forehead, while the back hair is concealed beneath a 
 veil or cap ; indeed, it is not until the reign of Elizabeth that we begin 
 to perceive those elaborate headgears which a century later became so 
 ridiculous in their size and height. We find this ' goode Queen' de- 
 lighting in marvellous structures of curls, frize, gems and gold; in 
 some portraits her hair appears to be folded over a cushion — we say 
 • her hair,' but history strangely belies her if the false portion did not 
 far exceed that supplied by nature ; and, indeed, if she had not several 
 entire wigs. In Ellis's letters we find the following entry among the 
 items composing her wardrobe :^- 
 
 " ' Item. One cawle of haire set with pearles in number xUij. 
 " One ditto, SQt with pearles of sundry size and bigness. 
 " One cawle set with nine true-loves of pearle and seven 
 buttons, in each a ruble.' 
 
 " Perukes came into fashion in England about the latter end of 
 this reign, and the making of them then furnished employment for 
 decayed gentlewomen. So much hair was worn about that period that 
 the price of false hair became very high ; indeed, it was scarcely pos- 
 sible to obtain the requisite quantity by any fair means, and it is said 
 that poor women were bribed with large gifts to part with their tresses, 
 children were enticed into lonely places and robbed of theirs, and even 
 the dead in their graves were despoiled. 
 
 " The custom of dyeing the hair was also very prevalent tlum. 
 Stubbs says, ' If any have haii-e of her owne naturall growing, which 
 is not fine ynough, then will they die it in divers colors.' In short, it 
 
THE HAIE. 209 
 
 seems that Art here began to assume the. rule over Nature, and the first 
 impetus was given to those vagaries of fashion which we shall come to 
 speak of -shortly ; and, as at the present day, France was the originator 
 of the changes, for all old writers admit that perukes were an importa- 
 tion from that country, and Stowe says that they were introduced into 
 England about the time of the massacre of Paris. 
 
 " About 1630, the hair began to be chiefly worn in a sort of crop, 
 curled in' short fine curls over the forehead and,falling in ringlets on the 
 neck. Henrietta Maria, Queen of Charles I., is said to have introduced 
 this fashion, which, with some modifications, prevailed more or less 
 for many years. 
 
 " In the reign of Charles II., pemkes were very much worn, and it 
 became the fashion for ladies to match or contrast their complexions 
 and dresses with wigs of divers hues. In Pepy's Diary, we find the 
 following remark : — 
 
 " ' 1664. May 13th. — This day my wife began to wear light- 
 cdored locks, quite white almost, which, though it made her look 
 very pretty, yet, not being natural, vexes me, that I will not have her 
 wear them.' 
 
 "Eandal Holmes, speaking of costumes and coiifures in 1690, 
 mentions this pecularity : ' The ladies wore false locks set on wires, 
 to make them stand out at a distance from the head.' 
 
 " In the beginning of the next century the hair was suffered to 
 grow very long, and either curled and allowed to float over the neck 
 in a multitude of wavy ringlets, interspersed with ribbons aud jewellery, 
 or buHt up into an edifice of cmls and frize, and surmounted with 
 feathers, or gauze and flowers, or ribbons. 
 
 " Some fifty years later, the absurd fashion of putting a cushion on 
 the head and combing the hair smoothly over it, came in ; some of 
 these cushions were of a ridiculous height ; the extreme ugliness and 
 stiifness of this coiffure was occasionally softened by a few thick curls 
 being suffered to wander over the neck and shoulders. Powder and 
 pomatum were profusely used in the leign of George II., and ladies 
 wore as much false hair as they conveniently could. Various stiff and 
 unnatm-al-looking curls also came in vogue, as the French, or sau- 
 sage-shaped curl, and the German or roll-shaped curl, which had to be 
 well frizzed underneath, to give it amplitude and roundness. Of course 
 these elaborate head-dresses took much time to adjust, and always re- 
 quired the skill of a hair dresser to rear them properly ; hence it was 
 impossible that they could be done up every day, or even every week. 
 
210 APPENDIX. 
 
 SO ladies slept in them — how, they best know. It is said that hair- 
 dressers, in order to gain custom, used about this period to advertise 
 their capabilities of building up head-tires so that they should last in- 
 tact for three months ! Let us congratulate ourselves that Fashion no 
 longer demands such martyrdom of us. About the same period, wigs 
 closely resembling those of the opposite sex were worn by ladies, the 
 only difference between the head of a man and that of a woman 'con- 
 sisting in the former terminating behind in a queue loupe, and the lat- 
 ter in a club or fold of hair, termed a chignon. 
 
 " From 1790 to 1800 the use of powder began rapidly to be discon- 
 tinued. Whether this resulted from the powder-tax, or from some 
 dawnings ef common sense, is a doubtful point. Wigs and false hair 
 also declined in fashion, and women began once more to be content 
 with and proud of their own unsullied locks. The hair was curled in 
 a profusion of thick ringlets, and these were allowed to fall like a veil 
 over the forehead and face, aswell as on the neck and shoulders, sel- 
 dom confined save by a fillet or bandeau, which supported a flower or 
 a knot of ribbons. 
 
 " Crops, in which the hair was parted down the middle, and' curled 
 all round in rows of short curls reaching nearly to the crown of the 
 head, or in which the parting was over the temple, and the curls were 
 raised on one side the head almost in a '^rate,' succeeded. Then, 
 again, the back-hair began to be worn long, and was tied nearly at the 
 crown of the head, and raised in curls, or rolls, or folds at the top of 
 the head, and these backed up by a high coml) resembling that of a 
 Spanish woman, while the front hair was disposed in French curls, like 
 so many sausages. These gave place to elaborate plaits looped down 
 each side of the face, and surmounted by bows of -plaited hair at the 
 back, and then gradually stole in the simple bands, the graceful curls, 
 the classic braids of the last twelve or fifteen years, which combine 
 elegance, neatness, and artistic grace. 
 
 " We have dwelt so long on the history of hair-dressing in our own 
 country, that our notice of its progress in others must be very cursory. 
 
 " In France, we find the women hid away their hair beneath their 
 head-dresses during the earlier periods, or wore it as we have described 
 the earlier queens of England to do. Then came more elaborate styles 
 and perukes. One portrait of Marguerite of Navarre represents her 
 with powdered hair, curled over the head, and sprinkled with diamonds ; 
 but it was not until the beginning of the eighteenth century that those 
 tuii-ets and mountains of hair, &c., were piled on the heads. Cushions, 
 
THE HAIE. 211 
 
 whalebone, and sundry other things were used to train the hair over, 
 and to support it. A head-dress in the reign «f Louis XIV., was one 
 of the most becoming of its kind. It consists of rows of full curls 
 raised one above the other to the crown of the head. Between each 
 row is a string of pearls, and in the centre of the head-dress a Sevignk is 
 so placed that its pendants shall just touch the top of the forehead. 
 The long back hair is curled, and floats over the neck and shoulders, 
 and 'often has gems or flowers carelessly entwined with it. 
 
 " In the reign of Louis XV. the hair was combed up from the 
 forehead, and all round,^ and arranged in perpendicular rows of frizzed 
 French curls ; the whole surmounted by a species of ruff which passes 
 under the chin, and there fastens. 
 
 " During all this period, however, women were found who dared to 
 ' be out of fashion,' — who had the good taste to wear their hair natu- 
 rally in curls, in bands, or plaited, or wound round their heads ; and 
 occasionally, a royal caprice for awhile sanctioned and gave vogue to 
 this daring innovation on the aristocratic discomfort of powder, poma- 
 tum, and periwigs. During the period of the Eevolutions, various 
 modes of wearing the hau' succeeded each other rapidly. Powder and 
 all those pet penchants of the disgraced noblesse were banished, but 
 wigs retained and increased their sway ; and something of the fashion 
 Pepys records, evidently prevailed, for Madame Junot writes : ' Au 
 nombre des folies du temps les perruques jouaient un role important. 
 Eien ne peut-etre compare a I'absurdite de cette mode. Une femme 
 brune deyait avoir une perruque blonde ; une femme blonde une brune. 
 Enfin une perruque devenait partie necessaire d'un trousseau.' 
 
 " Dulaue describes another species of coiffure. Speaking of 
 women, he says : ' Leur chevelure eparse sur leurs epaules et taiUe sur 
 le devant couvrait la moitie de lem* front.' Not very becoming, we 
 should imagine ! 
 
 " The beautiful Madame Tallien, towards the end of the Eeign of 
 Terror, and immediately after her rescue from prison, introduced the 
 fashion of cutting the hair quite short all round like that of a man, 
 'a la sacrifice;' and subsequently (we imagine as her hair began to 
 grow again), the. clustering crop of short curls a la Titus. 
 
 " The beginning of the nineteenth century ushered in more grotesque 
 and extraordinary head-dresses than imagination can conceive, or than 
 we have space to describe. There was ' the Giraffe,' a pyramid of 
 rolls or bows of hair supported by a tall comb, and heightened by 
 flowers ; this gave the neck certainly a considerable resemblance to 
 
212 APPENDIX. 
 
 that of the animal whose name is given to this mode, for at the back it 
 •was one straight line from the shoulders to the top of the comb. Then 
 there was ' the Casque,' wherein all the hair was combed together 
 and tied up at the very top of the head, like that of a Chinese woman, 
 and there raised in bows or plaits over wire or whalebone foundations 
 into a kind of reversed pyramid. 
 
 " The provinces of France offer many simple styles of wearing the 
 hair, but we shall only speak of Brittany. It is hence that hair mer- 
 chants have obtained the chief of their supplies of false hair, for the 
 peasant girls of this province appear to take no pride in this gift of 
 Nature ; when poor or when tempted by any want of money, they dis- 
 pose of their tresses for a mere trifle, or if they retain them the hair is 
 rarely seen at all ; even children have it hidden by a cap. 
 
 " The Spanish, the modern Greeks, and the Swiss modes of wearing 
 the hail" are familiar to most of our readers. The Portuguese and 
 some of the Italians plait or braid their hair and then enclose it 
 loosely in a silken net, or, according to Lady Morgan, comb it back 
 behind the ears, and dividing it into tresses, confine each of these at 
 intervals with beads or ribbons, and let them float over the neck and 
 shoulders in a very graceful and picturesque fashion. Turkish women, 
 too, divide their hair into innumerable tresses, and plait them or gem 
 them with coins or jewels. The Armenians have a similar fashion, but 
 they add masses of false hair to their own, and when seated appear 
 half bmied in a heap of partially dishevelled locks. 
 
 " A hairdresser is one of the few artists whose business is uncon- 
 nected with any manufactory. AU his perukes, fronts, plaits, tails, 
 &c., are generally home-made ; for if he has any connection, it is neces- 
 sary for him to keep one or more assistants, in order that persons 
 coming to have their hair cut or dressed may not be kept waiting, and 
 these assistants, when not employed in the shop, are set to ' bench- 
 work,' or the manufacture of portions of head-gear. The hair mer- 
 chants are the only commercial men connected with this business ; they 
 profess to obtain their supplies of hair from abroad, but ladies who 
 indulge in false tresses will do well not to enquire too closely into the 
 sources whence these adornments are obtained. Most of the legal 
 wigs are composed of fine goat's hair. 
 
 " There are few real novelties in hair-dressing ; the plaits of five, 
 seven, ten, and even more strands, woven more or less openly, and 
 arranged differently on the head, the ' Grecian ' plait, and the ' bas- 
 ket' or 'chain plait, and the 'cable plait,' are repeated again and 
 
THE HAIR. 213 
 
 again in various forms and convolutions. Einglets, curls, bands, 
 braids, and folds, alternate with each other in the front. 
 
 " Grecian Plait is woven as follows : Take a tolerably thick lock of 
 hair, divide it into two equal parts, take from the outside of the left 
 hand portion a very small piece of hair— about a sixth part— pass it 
 over into the centre, and unite it with the right hand portion ; do the 
 same from the right hand portion, and pass it over into the centre, and 
 unite it with the left hand portion-; proceed thus, taking the small and 
 even-sized lock alternately from the left and the right portions until all 
 is plaited ; be careful to keep this plait very smooth.' 
 
 " The Basket or Chain Plait. Take four rather small strands of 
 hair, plait with only three of these, weaving them over and under the 
 fourth, which serves to draw the chain up, as in the way in which a 
 plait of three is usually worked, taking first the left hand outside 
 strand and working it under one and over the next until it takes the 
 place of the right outside strand, which in its turn is then worked to 
 the left side, and so on alternately, always retaining one unmoved in 
 the middle. 
 
 "The Cable Plait. Take three pretty thick strands of hail- of 
 equal size, place one in the centre, take the left hand strand and lift it 
 under the centre one, and over it, and back to its own place ; take the 
 right hand strand and lift that under the centre one, and over it, and 
 back to its place ; work oirthus alternately to the end. The best way 
 of weaving this is to divide the back hair into two equal portions, and 
 then make two ' cables,' and having twisted them round each other, 
 to wind this double cable round the head. 
 
 " Much has been said relative to the treatment of the hair ; and 
 oils, balms, pomatums, creams, and greases without number have been 
 recommended for its nourishment. Cleanliness, however, and friction 
 are its best stimulants and improvers. We do not advocate the use of 
 sharp-pointed scratching combs, neither do we approve of those veiy 
 hard brushes with which some persons delight to torture themselves ; 
 but a moderately stiff brush, with bristles from about three quarters of 
 inch in length will cleanse the hair well and also produce a warm glow 
 on the skin, and this should be well used morning and evening every 
 day, and then the hair polished with a softer brush. Cold water is the 
 best wash for the hair ; soaps, generally speaking, contain too much 
 alkali and pungent matter to act beneficially on the skin of the head; 
 but boiling water poured on bran, left to stand until cool, and then 
 well strained off, washes long hair vei-y nicely. If the hair has a ten- 
 
214 THE HAIE. 
 
 dency to fall off, the skin of the head may be brushed with a small 
 hardish brush dipped in honey-water, or rosemary-water, or distilled 
 vinegar, morning and night for a few days, and then brushed with the 
 hair-brush until it glows." 
 
 FINIS. 
 
 W. OSIEIL, PEINTEE, HAM SIKEET, BLOOMSBUfiY. 
 
ELEGANT PEESONAL EEQUISITES. 
 
 «-n.'£^^^ ^™ &.^IS PATBONAGE 
 
 °^„,SSI"''^ ^^^ ?^^^^ THE AEISTOCBACY 
 THBOUGHOTJT ^^^^^^ ETJEOPE. 
 
 AND UNIVEESALLT PKEJEEEED AND ESTEEMED. 
 
 The successful results of the last half century have proved, beyond question, 
 that this fragrant and pellucid discovery possesses singularly nourishing powers 
 in the growth, improvement, and restoration of the Human Hair, and when every 
 other specific has failed. It prevents Hair from falling oif or turning grey 
 — strengthens weak hair, cleanses it from scurf and dandriif; produces a thick and 
 luxuriant growth — and makes it beautifully soft, curly, and glossy. For pro- 
 moting the growth of Whiskers, Eyebrows, Beard, and Moustaches it is unfailing 
 in its stimulative operation. For young persons it is especially recommended 
 as forming the basis of a beautiful head of hair. From its exquisite purity and de- 
 licacy, it is admirably adapted for the hair of children, even of the most tender 
 age, and is in constant use in the nursery of Royalty, and by the families of the 
 Nobility and Aristocracy., It is alike suited for either"sex ; and, whether em- 
 ployed to embellisfh the tresses of female beauty, or to add to the attractions of 
 manly grace, will be found an indispensable auxiliary to the toilet. Price 3s. 6d. 
 and 7s. i or family bottles (equal to four small) at 10s. 6d.; aud doable that 
 size, 21s. 
 
 CAUTION — On the wrapper of each bottle are the words, " Rowlands' 
 Macassar Oil," in two lines, and " A. ROWLAND & SONS, 20, Ration 
 Garden, London," in red ink at foot. 
 
 An admirable Hair wash, prepared from the choicest Oriental Herbs, of pecu- 
 liarly mild and detersive properties. It effectually cleanses the Hair and Skin of 
 the Head from Scurf and every species of oily secretion and impurity, and is par- 
 ticularly recommended to be used after bathing, as it neutralises the injurious effect 
 of the saline properties, presents the probability of catching cold in the head, and 
 will render the hair dry in a few minutes. It entirely supersedes the necessity for 
 using the fine comb so injurious to the tender skin of the head ; and, from its 
 beneficial effects on the health, together with the grateful and refreshing sensation 
 it imparts, and, being perfectly innocent in its nature, will prove an invaluable ap- 
 pendage to the Toilet, and the purposes of the Nursery. — Price 2s. 6d. per bottle. 
 
 A balmy, odoriferous, creamy liquid, composed of balsamic exotics derived 
 chiefly from the East. It exerts the most soothing, gentle, cooling, and purifying 
 action on the skin ; andby its agency on the pores and minute secretory vessels, 
 dispels all impurities from the surface, allays every tendency to inflammatipn, 
 and thus most effectually dissipates all redness, tan, pimples, blotches, spots, 
 freckles, sun-burn, discolorations, and other cutaneous visitations so hostile to 
 female loveliness. Its constant use will transform the bilious and clouded com- 
 plexion to one of clear and spotless white, while it invests the neck, hands, and 
 arms, with delicacy and fairness, and perpetuates the charms which it bestows to 
 the most advanced period of life. 
 
During the heat and dust of summer, or frost and bleak winds of winter j and 
 as aremedy for the stings of insects, chilblains; chapped skin, or incidental inflam- 
 mation, its virtues have been long and extensively acknowledged. It is prized by 
 Gentlemen, who are exposed to bleak and cutting winds, or who suffer from tender- 
 ness of the ,Skin after shaving, as affording the most grateful alleviation of the 
 part affeotei Price 4s. 6d. and 8s. 6d. per bottle. 
 
 CAUTION The words "Rowlands' Kalydor," are on the wrapper, and 
 
 " A. ROWLAND & SONS, 20, Hatton Garden, London," in red ink at 
 foot. 
 
 !9 
 
 The most successful liquid preparation ever known in this or any other 
 Country, for dyeing the Hair of the Head, Whiskers, Moustaches, and Eye-brows 
 a natural and permanent brown or black — so exactly resembling the natural 
 color of the Hair as to defy detection. It is perfectly innocent in its nature, is 
 free from unpleasant smell, and can be used by any lady or gentleman with the 
 greatest ease and secrecy. Its effect is so permanent, that neither water nor perspi- 
 ration will influence it ; and it is entirely free from those properties (usual in com- 
 mon Hair Dyes) which give an unnatural red or purple tint to the Hair. — Price 5s. 
 
 SOUiri) AND WHITE TEETH. 
 
 Are not only indispensably requisite to a pleasing exterior in both sexes, but 
 they are peculiarly appreciated through life as a blessing highly conducive to 
 health and longevity. Among the various preparations offered for the purpose, 
 
 OR PEARL DENTIFRICE 
 
 A white powder, prepared with unusual care, from costly oriental herbs, stands 
 unrivalled for its capability of embellishing, purifying, and preserving the Teeth 
 to the latest period of life. It will be found to eradicate all tartar and concretions, 
 and give a pearl-like whiteness to the enamelled surface, to remove spots of inci- 
 pient decay, render thegums firm and red, fix the Teeth firmly in their sockets ; 
 and, from its aromatic influence, imparts sweetness and purity to the breath. — 
 Price 2s. 9d. per box. 
 
 CAUTION. — The words "Rowlands' Odonto," are on the Label, and 
 "A. ROWLAND & SONS, 20, Hatton Garden," engraved on the Govern- 
 ment Stamp affixed on each box. 
 
 A fragrant and refreshing perfume, combining the spirituous essences and es- 
 sential properties of the most esteemed and valuable exotic flowers and plants, 
 without any one being in the ascendant. It retains its fresh and delightful 
 odorousness for days; The rich aroma of this elaborately-distilled perfume is 
 gently stimulating to the nerves, relieves the head, invigorates the svstem, and in 
 cases of Jassitude or fatigue, is found most cordial and restorative in its effects. 
 Gentlemen, after smoking, by rinsing the mouth with a small quantity, will find 
 it remove all taint or unpleasantness from the breath. — Price 3 s. 6d. per bottle. 
 
 A. Rowland & Sons deem it important to reiterate the necessity of caution 
 and care in the purchase of their proprietary articles, as a variety of use- 
 less and in many instances positively injurious articles are irom time to time 
 palmed off' upon the unwary, under the guise of cheapness. No respectable 
 perfumer or chemist resorts to this unprincipled imposition, which is principally 
 had recourse to by petty venders and bazaar keepers in country places. The pur- 
 chase of such useless rubbish is calculated to excite unjust prejudice against 
 articles which have stood the test of time and established unsullied refutation 
 for efficacy and utility in all nations, and among every circle of society. 
 
 Sold by the Proprietors and by respectable Chemists and 
 Perfumers.