Brown frocks drove out the green coats
and aa silk was now obuinible from
the continent, black stocks and cravats
pushed aside the white neckcloth,
which was relegate! to the ball room
and dinner party. Gradually the black
tights were superceded, at evening par
lies, by white kerseymere knee-breeches
and silk stockings, very becoming if
a man bad a good leg, and terribly try
ing to a gentleman with "shrunk
shanks." Darkblue coats with gilt
buttons were the uniform atttlre of an
evening. The princes of the blood roy
al, from "George" downward, invaria
bly sported the blue coat, buttoned
across the breast, and what princes
wear, meaner men do not hesitate to
adopt. An article called after the Earl
who invented It, the Spencer, was worn
in wintertime. It was simply an over
coat or jacket, which terminated at the
waist, and was destitute of tails or tl ips
of any kind. Long gaiters reaching
from the instep to the knee, and often
called spatterdashes, were mu:h worn
before boots came Into vogue with pe
destrians. Tbe time which was re
quired to button them rendered them
objectionable to the infantry of the ar
my, as tbe enemy could be upon them
before the operation was completed,
and what the military ceased to coun
tenance, the civilians discarded. Male
garments, after this, underwent little or
nochange until William IV mounted the
throne In l&S). He had had so much
of the blue in his maratime, capacity,
tbat he inaugurated the black coat as
full dress, and the black frock as morn
ing attire, and that style of thing has
continued to the present hour. Prince
Albert countenanced tbe black coat and
trousers, and discarded the flowered
and velvet vejts, which between 1820
aid 18:t9, had enjoyed a long and unin
terrupted reign. Since then, English
men have steadily adhered to the som
bre hue, and Americans have adopted
It with the simple variation of the white
vest, which is rarely seen out of the
United States, excepting on tbe persons
of LonGon waiters, barbers and negro
minstrels.
