As  the  events  of  the  last ,  ten  years  make  it  pro
bable  that  none  of  my  younger  readers  have  ever
seen  the  august  dignitary  of  whom  I  speak,  and  as
few  of  us  are  like  to  have  occasion  to  see  him  in
future,  a  particular  description  of  his  person  may
not  be  unacceptable.  Though  far  advanced  in  life,  he
was  tastily  and  even  daintily  dressed,  his  whole  cos
tume  being  exactly  adapted  to  a  diminutive  and
dapper  person,  a  fair  complexion,  a  light  and  bril
liant  blue  eye,  and  a  head  which  might  have  formed
a  study  for  the  phrenologist,  whether  we  consider
its  ample  developments  or  its  egg-like  baldness.
The  place  of  hair  was  supplied  by  powder,  which
his  illustrious  example  had  again  made  fashionable.-
The  revolution  in  public  sentiment  which,  com
mencing  sixty  years  ago,  had  abolished  all  the  privi-


1 34  The  Partisan  Leader.
leges  of  rank  and  age  ;  which  trained  up  the  young
to  mock  at  the  infirmities  of  their  fathers,  and
encouraged  the  unwashed  artificer  to  elbow  the
duke  from  his  place  of  precedence ;  this  revolution
had  now  completed  its  cycle.  While  the  sovereignty
of  numbers  was  acknowledged,  the  convenience  of
the  multitude  had  set  the  fashions.  But  the  reign
of  an  individual  had  been  restored,  arid  the  taste  of
that  individual  gave  law  to  the  general  taste.  Had
he  worn  a  wig,  wigs  would  have  been  the  rage.
