,,cwru ,preservation ,department        
,digital ,library          ,,umbrellas  
,,and ,,their ,,history  ,by ,william   
,sangster   ,munimen ad imbres4         
,,contents4   ,,chapter ,i4             
,,introductory   ,,chapter ,,ii4  ,,the 
,,ancient ,,history ,,of ,,the          
,,umbrella   ,,chapter ,,iii4  ,,the    
,,umbrella ,,in ,,england   ,,chapter   
,,iv4  ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,the         
,,parachute   ,,chapter ,v4  ,,umbrella 
,,stories   ,,chapter ,,vi4  ,,the      
,,regeneration ,,of ,,the ,,umbrella    
,,chapter ,i4  ,,introductory4   ,can it
 be possibly believed1 by the present   
eminently practical generation1 that a  
busy people like the ,english1 whose    
diversified occupations so continually  
expose them to the chances and changes  
of a proverbially fickle sky1 had ever  
been ignorant of the blessings bestowed 
on them by that dearest and truest      
friend in need and in deed1 the         
,,umbrella8 ,can you1 gentle reader1 for
 instance1 realise to yourself the idea 

of a man not possessing such a          
convenience for rainy weather8  ,why so 
much unmerited ridicule should be poured
 upon the head 7or handle7 of the       
devoted ,umbrella1 it is hard to say4   
,what is there comic in an ,umbrella8   
,plain1 useful1 and unpretending1 if any
 of man's inventions ever deserved      
sincere regard1 the ,umbrella is1 we    
maintain1 that invention4 ,only a few   
years back those who carried ,umbrellas 
were held to be legitimate butts4 ,they 
were old fogies1 careful of their       
health1 and so on2 but now-a-days we are
 wiser4 ,everybody has his ,umbrella4   
,it is both cheaper and better made than
 of old2 who1 then1 so poor he cannot   
afford one8 ,to see a man going out in  
the rain umbrella-less excites as much  
mirth as ever did the sight of those who
 first--wiser than their                
generation--availed themselves of this  
now universal shelter4 ,yet still a     
touch of the amusing clings to the      
,gamp1 as it is sarcastically called4   

',what says ,douglas ,jerrold on the    
subject8 ,there are three things that no
 man but a fool lends1 or1 having lent1 
is not in the most helpless state of    
mental crassitude if he ever hopes to   
get back again4 ,these three things1 my 
son1 are--,,books1 ,,umbrellas1 and     
,,money6 ,i believe a certain fiction of
 the law assumes a remedy to the        
borrower2 but ,i know of no case in     
which any man1 being sufficiently       
dastard to gibbet his reputation as     
plaintiff in such a suit1 ever fairly   
succeeded against the wholesome         
prejudices of society4 ,umbrellas may be
 'hedged about' by cobweb statutes2 ,i  
will not swear it is not so2 there may  
exist laws that make such things        
property2 but sure ,i am that the       
hissing contempt1 the loud-mouthed      
indignation of all civilised society1   
'would sibilate and roar at the         
bloodless poltroon who should engage law
 on his side to obtain for him the      
restitution of a--lent ,umbrella6       

,strange to say1 it is a fact1          
melancholy enough1 but for all that too 
true1 that our forefathers1 scarce      
seventy years agone1 meekly endured the 
pelting of the pitiless storm without   
that protection vouchsafed to their     
descendants by a kind fate and talented 
inventors4 ,the fact is1 the ,umbrella  
forms one of the numerous conveniences  
of life which seem indispensable to the 
present generation1 because just so long
 a time has passed since their          
introduction1 that the contrivances     
which1 in some certain degree1          
previously supplied their place1 have   
passed into oblivion4  ,we feel the     
convenience we possess1 without being   
always aware of the gradations which    
intervened between it and the complete  
inconvenience of being continually      
unsheltered from the rain1 without any  
kind friend from whom to seek the       
protection so ardently desired4         
,fortunately a very simple process will 
enable the reader to realise the fact in

 its full extent2 he need only walk     
about in a pelting shower for some hours
 without an ,umbrella1 or when the      
weight of a cloak would be              
insupportable1 and at the same time     
remember that seventy years ago a luxury
 he can now purchase in almost every    
street1 was within the reach of but very
 few1 while omnibuses and cabs were     
unknown4  ,but1 apart from              
considerations of comfort1 we may safely
 claim very much higher qualities as    
appertaining to the ,umbrella4 ,we may  
even reckon it among the causes that    
have contributed to lengthen the average
 of human life1 and hold it a most      
effective agent in the great increase   
which took place in the population of   
,england between the years #agej and    
#ahej as compared with the previous     
century4 ,the ,registrar-,general1 in   
his census-report1 forgot to mention    
this fact1 but there appears to us not  
the slightest doubt that the            
introduction of the ,umbrella at the    

latter part of the former1 and          
commencement of the present century1    
must have greatly conduced to the       
improvement of the public health1 by    
preserving the bearer from the various  
and numerous diseases superinduced by   
exposure to rain4  ,but perhaps we are a
 little harsh on our worthy ancestors2  
they may have possessed some species of 
protection from the rain on which they  
prided themselves as much as we do on   
our ,umbrellas1 and regarded the        
new-fangled invention 7as they no doubt 
termed it7 as something exceedingly     
absurd1 coxcombical1 and unnecessary2   
while we1 who are in possession of so   
many life-comforts of which those of the
 good old times were supremely          
ignorant--among these we give the       
,umbrella brevet rank--can afford to    
smile at such ebullitions as we have    
come across in those books of the day we
 have consulted1 and to which we shall  
presently have an opportunity of        
referring4  ,we can happily estimate the

 value of such a friend as the          
,umbrella1 the silent companion of our  
walks abroad1 a companion incomparably  
superior to those slimy waterproof      
abominations so urgently recommended to 
us1 for1 at the least1 the ,umbrella    
cannot be accused of injuring1 the      
health as they have been1 as it appears1
 with very good reason4 ,in fact1 so    
long as the climate of ,england remains 
as it is1 so long will ,umbrellas hold  
their ground in public esteem1 and we do
 not believe that the clerk of the      
weather will allow himself to be bribed 
into any alteration1 at least for trade 
considerations4  ,another remarkable    
proof of the utility of the ,umbrella   
may be found in the universality of its 
use4 ,it has asserted its sway from     
,indus to the ,pole1 and is to be met   
with in every possible variety1 from the
 ,napoleon blue silk of the ,london     
exquisite1 to the coarse red or green   
cotton of the ,turkish rayah4           
,throughout the ,continent it forms the 

peaceful armament of the peasant1 and no
 more curious sight can be imagined than
 the wide1 uncovered market-place of    
some quaint old ,german town during a   
heavy shower1 when every industrial     
covers himself or herself with the aegis
 of a portable tent1 and a bright array 
of brass ferrules and canopies of all   
conceivable hues which cotton can be    
made to assume1 without losing its one  
quality of fast colour1 flash on the    
spectator's vision4  ,the advantages of 
the ,umbrella being thus recognised1 it 
must be confessed that it has hitherto  
been treated in a most ungrateful and   
step-motherly fashion4 ,we fly to the   
,umbrella when the sky is overcast--it  
affords us shelter in the hour of       
need--and the service is forgotten as   
soon as the necessity is relieved4 ,we  
make abominable jokes upon the          
,umbrella2 we borrow it without         
compunction from any confiding friend1  
though with the full intention of never 
returning it--in fact1 it has often been

 a matter of surprise to us that any one
 ever does buy an ,umbrella1 for where  
can the old ,umbrellas go to8 ,although 
that question has often been asked      
concerning the fate of pins1 the fact as
 regards the former1 looking at their   
size1 is more curious--and yet1 for all 
that1 we treat it with shameful neglect1
 as if ashamed of a crime we have       
committed and anxious to conceal the    
evidences of our guilt4  ,let us then   
strive to afford such reparation as in  
our power lies1 by giving a slight      
description of ,,the ,,umbrella ,,and   
,,its ,,history1 making up for any      
deficiencies of our pen by the          
assistance of the artist's pencil4      
,,chapter ,,ii4  ,,the ,,ancient        
,,history ,,of ,,the ,,umbrella4   ,the 
,umbrella is derived from a stately     
family1 that of the ,parasol1 the       
legitimate use of the ,umbrella1 though 
sufficiently obvious1 being almost      
ignored in those countries whence it    
derives its being1 since it was as a    

protection against the scorching heat of
 the sun that it was first used4 ,the   
,parasol1 then1 or ,umbrella--since for 
all practical purposes the two are      
really identical--dates from the        
earliest ages1 some commentators on the 
,bible fancying they can discover it in 
places where a shade protecting from the
 sun is mentioned4 ,this is not         
unlikely1 but it is certain that the    
,parasol has been in use from a very    
early period4  ,chinese history goes a  
very long way back1 inasmuch as it      
places the invention of these elegant   
machines many thousand years anterior to
 the ,mosaic date of the world's        
creation4 ,their antiquity among the    
,hindoos is more satisfactorily proved  
by the following passage from the       
dramatic poem of ,s'akuntla1 the date of
 which is supposed to be the #fth       
century of the ,christian era3--  7,the 
cares of supporting the nation harass   
the sovereign1 while he is cheered with 
a view of the people's welfare1 as a    

huge ,umbrella1 of which a man bears the
 staff in his own hand1 fatigues while  
it shades him4 ,the sovereign1 like a   
branching tree1 bears on his head the   
scorching sunbeams1 while the broad     
shade allays the fever of those who seek
 shelter under him47  ,the origin of the
 ,parasol is wrapped in considerable    
obscurity4 ,some profound investigators 
have supposed that large leaves tied to 
the branching extremities of a bough    
suggested the first idea of the         
invention4 ,others assert that the idea 
was probably derived from the tent1     
which remains in form unaltered to the  
present day4 ,dr4 ,morrison1 however1   
tells us that the tradition existing in 
,china is1 that the ,san1 which         
signifies a shade for sun and rain1     
originated in standards and banners     
waving in the air4 ,as this is a case in
 which we may quote the line--,who shall
 decide when doctors disagree8--we may  
with safety assume that all are in the  
right1 and that the ,parasol owed its   

origin to all or any of the             
above-mentioned fortuitous              
circumstances4  ,in the ,ninevite       
sculptures the ,umbrella or ,parasol    
appears frequently4 ,layard gives a     
picture of a bas-relief representing a  
king in his chariot1 with an attendant  
holding an ,umbrella over his head4 ,it 
has a curtain hanging down behind1 but  
is otherwise exactly like those in use  
at the present time1 the stretchers and 
sliding runner being plainly            
represented4 ,to quote the words of that
 indefatigable traveller3--  ,the       
,umbrella or ,parasol1 the emblem of    
royalty so universally accepted by      
eastern nations1 was generally carried  
over the king in time of peace1 and     
sometimes even in time of war4 ,in shape
 it resembled1 very closely1 those in   
common use2 but it is always open in the
 sculptures4 ,it was edged with tassels1
 and was usually ornamented at the top  
by a flower or some other ornament4 ,on 
the later bas-reliefs1 a long piece of  

embroidered linen or silk falling from  
one side like a curtain1 appears to     
screen the king completely from the sun4
 ,the parasol was reserved exclusively  
for the monarch1 and is never           
represented as borne over any other     
person4  ,in ,egypt again1 the ,parasol 
is found in various shapes4 ,in some    
instances it is depicted as a flabellum1
 a fan of palm-leaves or coloured       
feathers fixed on a long handle1        
resembling those now carried behind the 
,pope in processions4 ,sir ,gardner     
,wilkinson1 in his work on ,egypt1 has1 
an engraving of an ,ethiopian princess  
travelling through ,upper ,egypt in a   
chariot2 a kind of ,umbrella fastened to
 a stout pole rises in the centre1      
bearing a close affinity to what are now
 termed chaise ,umbrellas4 ,to judge    
from ,wilkinson's account1 the ,umbrella
 was generally used throughout ,egypt1  
partly as a mark of distinction1 but    
more on account of its useful than its  
ornamental qualities4  ,the same author 

is rather doubtful whether1 in the      
picture given by him of a military chief
 in his chariot1 the frame which an     
attendant holds up behind the rider is a
 shield or a screen1 but the latter is  
the more probable supposition1 as it has
 all the appearance of an ,umbrella     
without the usual handle4 ,in some      
paintings on a temple wall1 an ,umbrella
 is held over the figure of a god       
carried in procession1 and altogether we
 may1 perhaps1 consider it decided1     
beyond dispute1 that the ,umbrella in   
its modern shape was used in ,egypt4    
,footnote3 ,to silence captious critics1
 who may find fault with the designs of 
our artist1 we may once for all remark  
that an idealised conception of the     
figures only is given4 ,the style of the
 ancient draughtsmen was by no means so 
perfect that we1 who live in a more     
civilised age1 should be entirely       
fettered by their conceptions1 and the  
records of ancient life are not nearly  
full enough to justify any one who may  

,assert that the pictures in our pages  
are not as accurate as those in the     
,british ,museum4 ,anyhow1 what they    
ought to have been1 rather than what the
 ancient were1 our artist has striven to
 delineate4  ,in ,persia the ,parasol is
 repeatedly found in the carved work of 
,persepolis1 and ,sir ,john ,malcolm has
 an article on the subject in his       
,history of ,persia4 ,in some           
sculptures--of a very ,egyptian         
character1 by the way--the figure of a  
king appears attended by a slave1 who   
carries over his head an ,umbrella1 with
 stretchers and runner complete4 ,in    
other sculptures on the rock at         
,takht-i-,bostan1 supposed to be not    
less than twelve centuries old1 a       
deer-hunt is represented1 at which a    
king looks on1 seated on a horse1 and   
having an ,umbrella borne over his head 
by an attendant4  ,this combination of  
business and comfort forcibly reminds us
 of a certain wet day in ,carlsruhe1    
where we witnessed from the window of   

the ,htel d',angleterre a stout1        
martial-looking national guardsman      
marching to the exercising-ground with  
an ,umbrella over his head1 and a       
maid-servant diligently tramping through
 the mud behind him1 bearing his musket4
  ,as in ,assyria1 so in most other     
,eastern countries1 this use of the     
,parasol carried with it a peculiar and 
honourable significance4 ,the tradition 
relating to its origin in ,china has    
been already alluded to1 and we can     
trace notices of its use a very long way
 back indeed4  ,according to ,dr4       
,morrison1 ,umbrellas and ,parasols are 
referred to in books printed about      
,a4,d4 #cjj1 but their use has been     
traced still further back than this4 ,a 
very ancient book of ,chinese           
ceremonies1 called ,tcheou-,li1 or ,the 
,rites of ,tcheou1 directs that upon the
 imperial cars the dais should be       
placed4 ,the figure of this dais        
contained in the ,chinese edition of    
,tcheou-,li1 and the particular         

description of it given in the          
explanatory commentary of ,lin-hi-ye1   
both identify it with an ,umbrella4 ,the
 latter describes the dais to be        
composed of #bh arcs1 which are         
equivalent to the whalebone ribs of the 
modern instrument1 and the staff        
supporting the covering to consist of   
two parts1 the upper being a rod        
#c_/ahths of a ,chinese foot in         
circumference1 and the lower a tube     
#f_/ajths in circumference1 into which  
the upper half is capable of sliding4   
,in the second ,tartar invasion of      
,china the emperor's son was taken      
prisoner by the ,tartar chief1 and made 
to carry his ,umbrella when he went out 
hunting4  ,starting from the royal      
significance attached to the ,umbrella1 
came a feeling of veneration for it1    
very different from the contempt with   
which we are now-a-days too apt to      
regard it4 ,it was represented by many  
ancient nations as shading their gods4  
,in the ,hindoo mythology ,vishnu is    

said to have paid a visit to the        
infernal regions with his ,umbrella over
 his head4 ,one would think that in few 
places could an ,umbrella have been less
 appropriate1 but doubtless ,vishnu knew
 what he was about1 and had his own     
reasons for carrying his ,parapluie     
under his arm4 ,perhaps like ,mrs4 ,gamp
 he could not be separated from it4 ,so 
much for the ancient history of our     
subject in the ,east4 ,we may now go on 
to countries about which we know a      
little more than of ancient ,china and  
,assyria4  ,in ,greece1 as ,becker tells
 us in his ,charicles1 the ,parasol was 
an indispensable adjunct to a lady of   
fashion4 ,it had also its religious     
signification4 ,in the ,scirophoria1 the
 feast of ,athene ,sciras1 a white      
,parasol was borne by the priestesses of
 the goddess from the ,acropolis to the 
,phalerus4 ,in the feasts of ,dionysius 
7in that at ,alea in ,arcadia1 where he 
was exposed under an ,umbrella1 and     
elsewhere7 the ,umbrella was used1 and  

in an old has-relief the same god is    
represented as descending ad inferos    
with a small ,umbrella in his hand1 like
 ,vishnu before mentioned4  ,there was  
also another festival in which they     
appeared1 though without any mystical   
signification4 ,in the ,panathena1 the  
daughters of the ,metceci1 or foreign   
residents1 carried ,parasols over the   
heads of ,athenian women as a mark of   
inferiority1    tas parthenons ton      
metoikon skiadaephorein en tais rompais 
aenankazon4   --,o,elian1 ,v4 ,h41 vi4  
#a4 ,footnote3 ,they compelled the      
maidens of the ,metceci to act as       
umbrella-bearers in the processions4    
,its use seems to have been confined to 
women4 ,in ,pausanias there is a        
description of a tomb near ,phar1 a     
,greek city4 ,on the tomb was the figure
 of a woman--    themapaina de autae    
prosestaeke skiadeion pherousa4         
--,pausanias1 lib4 vii41 cap4 #bb1      
,section #f4 ,footnote3 ,and by her     
stood a female slave1 bearing a parasol4

  ,aristophanes seems to mention it     
among the common articles of female     
use--    aemin men gar son eti kai nun  
tantion1 o kanon1 oi kalathiokoi1       
to skiadeion4 --,aristophanes1          
,thesmoph41 #hba4 ,footnote3 ,for now   
our loom is safe1 our weaving-beam1 our 
baskets and umbrella4  ,it occurs       
frequently on vases1 and is in shape    
like that now used4 ,it could be put up 
and down4    ta d' ota g'an son1 nae    
,,al'1 exepetannuto  osper skiadeion1   
kai       palin xunaegeto4 --,arist4    
,eq41 #acdg4 ,footnote3 ,but your ears1 
by ,jove1 are stretched out like a      
parasol1 and now again shut up4  ,which 
the ,scholiast explains1 ekteinetai de  
kai systelletai pros ton katepeigonta   
kairon4 ,footnote3 ,are opened and shut 
as need requires4 ,for a man to carry   
one was considered a mark of effeminacy1
 as appears from the following fragment 
of ,anacreon3--    skiadiskaen          
elephantinaen phorei gunaixin autos4    
,athenaeus1 lib4 xii41 cap4 #df1        

,section #ecd4 ,footnote3 ,he carries an
 ivory parasol1 as women do4  ,plutarch 
makes ,aristides speak of ,xerxes as    
sitting under a canopy or ,umbrella     
looking at the sea-fight--    kathaeenos
 hupd skiadi chrysae4   ,plut4 ,therm41 
c4 #af 7p4 #abj71 ,footnote3 ,sitting   
under a golden canopy4  and of          
,cleopatra in like manner--    upo      
skiadi chrysopasto4   ,plut4 ,anton41 c4
 #bf 7p4 #ibg74 ,footnote3 ,under a     
gold-wrought canopy4  ,from ,greece it  
is probable that the use of the ,parasol
 passed to ,rome1 where it seems to have
 been commonly used by women1 while it  
was the custom even for effeminate men  
to defend themselves from the heat by   
means of the ,umbraculum1 formed of skin
 or leather1 and capable of being       
lowered at will4 ,we find frequent      
reference to the ,umbrella in the ,roman
 ,classics1 and it appears that it was1 
not unlikely1 a post of honour among    
maid-servants to bear it over their     
mistresses4 ,allusions to it are        

tolerably frequent in the poets4        
,virgil's ,munimen ad imbres ,footnote3 
,a shelter for the shower4 probably has 
nothing to do with ,umbrellas1 but more 
definite mention of them is not wanting4
 ,ovid speaks of ,hercules carrying the 
,parasol of ,omphale3--    ,aurea       
pellebant rapidos umbracula soles1   ,qu
 tamen ,hercule sustinuere manus4 --,ov4
 ,fast41 lib4 ii41 #a4 #ca ,i4          
,footnote3 ,a golden umbrella warded off
 the keen sun1 which even the hands of  
,hercules have borne4  ,martial speaks  
of a servant carrying the ,parasol3--   
,umbellam lusca1 ,lygde feras ,domin4   
--,mart41 lib4 xi41 ch4 #gc4 ,footnote3 
,mayst thou1 ,lygde1 be parasol-carrier 
for a publind mistress4  ,juvenal       
mentions an ,umbrella as a present3--   
,en cui tu viridem umbellam cui succina 
mittas --,juv41 ix41 #ej4 ,footnote3    
,see to whom it is sent a green umbrella
 and amber ornaments  ,ovid advises a   
lover to make himself agreeable by      
holding his mistress's ,parasol3--      

,ipse tene distenta suis umbracula      
virgis ,ov4 ,ars4 ,am41 ii41 #bji4      
,footnote3 ,yourself hold up the        
umbrella spread out by its rods  ,this  
shows that the ,umbrella was of much the
 same construction as ours4  ,a very    
common use for it was in the theatre1   
whenever1 from wind or other cause1 the 
velarium or huge awning stretched over  
the building 7always open to the air7   
could not be put up3--    ,accipe qu    
nimios vincant umbracula soles1    ,sit 
licet1 et ventus1 te tua vela tegont4   
--,mart41 lib4 xiv41 ,ep4 #bh4          
,footnote3 ,take this1 which may shield 
you from the sun's excessive rays4 ,so  
may your own sail shield you1 even      
should the breeze blow4  ,by tua vela is
 to be understood your own ,umbrella4   
,and elsewhere the same writer gives the
 advice3--    ,ingrediare viam coelo    
licet usque sereno    ,ad subitas       
nunquam scortea desit aquas4 --,man'41  
lib4 xiv4 ,ep4 #acj4 ,footnote3 ,though 
with a bright sky you begin your        

journey1 let this cloak ever be at hand 
in case of unexpected showers4   ,it    
will be noticed from the above extracts 
that the ,umbrella does not appear to   
have been used among the ,romans as a   
defence from rain2 and this is curious  
enough1 for we know that the theatres   
were protected by the velarium or       
awning1 which was drawn across the arena
 whenever a sudden shower came on2      
strange that this self-evident          
application of the ,umbrella should not 
have occurred to a nation generally so  
ingenious in the invention of every     
possible luxury4 ,possibly the expense  
bestowed in the decoration of the       
umbraculum was a reason for its not     
being applied to what we cannot but     
regard as its legitimate use4  ,after   
the founding of ,constantinople1 the    
custom of great people carrying an      
,umbrella seems to have arisen1 but in  
,rome it appears only to have been used 
as a luxury1 never as a mark of         
distinction1 ,pliny speaks of ,umbrellas

 made of palm-leaves1 but from other    
sources we may gather that the          
,romans--at all events in the days of   
the empire--lavished as much splendour  
on their ,umbrella as on all the        
articles of their dress4 ,ovid 7as above
 quoted7 speaks of an ,umbrella         
inwrought with gold1 and ,claudian in   
the same way has3--    ,neu defensura   
calorem    ,aurea submoveant rapidos    
umbracula soles4 --,claud41 lib4 viii41 
,de4 iv4 cons4 ,honorii1 #a4 #cdj4      
,footnote3 ,nor to protect you from the 
heat1 let the golden umbrella ward off  
the keen sun's rays4  ,from this we may 
conclude that the carrying an ,umbrella 
was in some sort a mark of effeminacy4  
,in another place carrying the ,umbrella
 is alluded to as one of the duties of a
 slave3--    ,jam non umbracula tollunt 
,virginibus1 etc4 ,footnote3 ,now they  
do not carry girls' parasols4  ,gorius  
says that the ,umbrella came to ,rome   
from the ,etruscans1 and certainly it   
appears not infrequently on ,etruscan   

vases1 as also on later gems4 ,one gem1 
figured by ,pacudius1 shows an ,umbrella
 with a bent handle1 sloping backwards4 
,strabo describes a sort of screen or   
,umbrella worn by ,spanish women1 but   
this is not like a modern ,umbrella4    
,very many curious facts are connected  
with the use of the ,umbrella throughout
 the ,east1 where it was nearly         
everywhere one of the insignia of       
royalty1 or at least of high rank4  ,m4 
de la ,loubre1 who was ,envoy           
,extraordinary from the ,french ,king to
 the ,king of ,siam in #afhg and #afhh1 
wrote an account entitled a ,new        
,historical ,relation of the ,kingdom of
 ,siam1 which was translated in #afic   
into ,english4 ,according to his account
 the use of the ,umbrella was granted to
 some only of the subjects by the king4 
,an ,umbrella with several circles1 as  
if two or three umbrellas were fastened 
on the same stick1 was permitted to the 
king alone1 the nobles carried a single 
,umbrella with painted cloths hanging   

from it4 ,the ,talapoins 7who seem to   
have been a sort of ,siamese monks7 had 
,umbrellas made of a palm-leaf cut and  
folded1 so that the stem formed a       
handle4 ,the same writer describes the  
audience-chamber of the ,king of ,siam4 
,in his quaint old ,french1 he          
says3--,pour tout meuble il n'y a que   
trois para-sol1 un devant la fentre1 a  
neuf ronds1  deux  sept ronds aux deux  
ctz de la fentre4 ,le para-sol est en ce
 ,pais-la1 ce que le ,dais est en       
celui-ci4  ,tavernier1 in his ,voyage to
 the ,east1 says that on each side of   
the ,mogul's throne were two ,umbrellas1
 and also describes the hall of the     
,king of ,ava as decorated with an      
,umbrella4 ,the ,mahratta princes1 who  
reigned at ,poonah and ,sattara1 had the
 title of ,ch'hatra-pati1 ,lord of the  
,umbrella4 ,ch'hatra or chta has been   
suggested as the derivation of satrapaes
 7exatrapaes in ,theopompus71 and it    
seems a probable derivation enough4 ,the
 chta of the ,indian and ,burmese       

princes is large and heavy1 and requires
 a special attendant1 who has a regular 
position in the royal household4 ,in    
,ava it seems to have been part of the  
king's title1 that he was ,king of the  
white elephant1 and ,lord of the        
twenty-four ,umbrellas4 ,persons of rank
 in the ,mahratta court1 who were not   
permitted the right of carrying an      
,umbrella1 used a screen1 a flat        
vertical disc called ,,aa'-ab-gir1      
carried by an attendant4 ,even now the  
,umbrella has not lost its emblematic   
meaning4 ,in #ahee the ,king of ,burmah 
directed a letter to the ,marquis of    
,dalhousie in which he styles himself   
,his great1 glorious1 and most excellent
 ,majesty1 who reigns over the kingdoms 
of ,thunaparanta1 ,tampadipa1 and all   
the great ,umbrella-wearing chiefs of   
the ,eastern countries1 c4  ,thus we see
 that the same signification which was  
attached to the ,umbrella by the ancient
 people of ,nineveh1 still remains      
connected with it even in our own time4 

,in the ,great ,exhibition of #ahea was 
the splendid ,umbrella belonging to his 
,highness the ,maharajah of ,najpoor4   
,the ribs and stretchers1 sixteen in    
number1 divided the ,umbrella into as   
many segments1 covered with silk1       
exquisitely embroidered with gold and   
silver ornaments4 ,the upper part of the
 design was complete in each department1
 but at the lower1 it was formed into a 
graceful running border1 to which a     
fringe was attached4 ,the handle was    
hollow and formed of thick silver       
plates4  ,in ,bengal it appears that no 
distinction is attached to the          
,umbrella1 since the poorer classes     
there use a chta or small ,umbrella1    
made of leaves of the ,licerata peltata4
 ,these are of conical form and have    
numerous ribs and stretchers4 ,the      
higher class in ,assam use a similar    
,umbrella4  ,in ,china the use of the   
,umbrella does not appear to have been  
confined1 as in ,india and ,persia1 to  
royalty2 but it was always1 as it is    

now1 a mark of high rank1 though not    
exclusively so4 ,there seems to have    
been no particular rule about it1 but it
 carried with it some peculiar          
distinction2 for1 on one occasion at    
least1 we hear of twenty-four ,umbrellas
 being carried before the ,emperor when 
he went out hunting4 ,here it is1 what  
it appears to be in no other ,eastern   
country1 a defence against rain rather  
than sun1 and while the richer people do
 not go out much while it is wet1 the   
poorer classes wear a dress that        
protects them from the weather4 ,in the 
rainy season1 for instance1 a ,chinese  
boatman wears a coat of straw1 and a hat
 of straw and bamboo4 ,such a dress1 of 
course1 renders an ,umbrella            
superfluous1 and it matters little to   
the wearer how hard the rain may pelt4  
,nevertheless great numbers of          
,umbrellas are exported from ,china to  
,india1 the ,indian ,archipelago1 and   
even ,south ,america4 ,in the #ahea     
,exhibition two only were shown4 ,of    

them the report says1 ,they present     
nothing remarkable beyond the great     
number of ribs1 which amount to         
forty-two4 ,the ribs are formed of wood2
 and instead of being embraced by the   
fork of the stretcher1 as in the case of
 ,european ,umbrellas1 they have a      
groove cut out in the middle of their   
lengths1 into which the stretcher is    
secured by a stud of wood4 ,the head of 
each rib fits into a notch formed in the
 ring of wood1 which is fastened on to  
the top of the stick1 there being a     
separate1 notch for each rib4 ,the slide
 is of wood1 and has forty-two notches1 
namely1 one for each stretcher1 which   
like the ribs1 is formed of wood4 ,the  
covering of the ,umbrellas exhibited is 
of oiled paper coarsely painted4  ,but  
the use of the ,umbrella travelled      
westward1 and with it the custom of     
regarding it as a mark of dignity4      
,amongst the ,arabs the ,umbrella was a 
mark of distinction4 ,niebuhr1 who      
travelled in ,southern ,arabia1         

describes a procession of the ,iman of  
,sanah4 ,in it the ,iman and each of the
 princes of his numerous family1 caused 
a madalla1 or large ,umbrella1 to be    
carried by his side2 and it is a        
privilege which1 in this country1 is    
appropriated to princes of the blood1   
just as the ,sultan of ,constantinople  
permits none but his vizier to have his 
caique1 or gondola1 covered behind1 to  
keep him from the heat of the sun4 ,the 
same writer goes on to say that many    
independent chiefs of ,yemen carried    
madallas as a mark of their             
independence4  ,in ,morocco1 according  
to a passage quoted by a writer in the  
,penny ,magazine from the ,travels of   
,ali ,bey1 the emperor alone and his    
family are allowed to use it4 ,the      
retinue of the ,sultan was composed of a
 troop of from fifteen to twenty men on 
horseback4 ,about a hundred steps behind
 them came the ,sultan1 who was mounted 
on a mule with an officer bearing his   
,umbrella1 who rode by his side also on 

a mule4 ,the ,umbrella is a             
distinguishing sign of the sovereign of 
,morocco4 ,nobody but himself1 his sons1
 or his brothers dare to make use of it4
 ,in ,turkey the ,umbrella is common4 ,a
 vestige of the reverence once attached 
to it remains in the custom of          
compelling everybody who passes the     
palace where the ,sultan is residing to 
lower his ,umbrella as a mark of        
respect4 ,and--at all events some years 
back1 before the ,crimean war had       
introduced so many ,europeans to        
,constantinople--any one neglecting to  
pay the required reverence1 stood in    
considerable danger of a lively reminder
 from the sentry on duty4  ,before      
concluding this chapter1 it may not be  
out of place to make a few remarks as to
 the origin of the word ,umbrella1 as we
 have done regarding the thing itself4  
,the ,english name is borrowed from the 
,italian ,ombrella4 ,the ,latin term    
,umbella is applied by botanists to     
those blossoms which are clustered at   

the extremities of several spokes1      
radiating from the common stem like the 
metallic props of the ,umbrella4 ,the   
name1 as is seen1 does not give the     
slightest idea of the use of the article
 designated1 as is often the case with  
words we practical folk employ2 and we  
might well take a lesson from our       
cousins ,german or ,french1 who have    
invented distinct names for the weapon  
used to ward off the rays of the sun1   
and that employed against rain1         
namely1--,regenschirm1 parapluie2       
,sonnenschirm1 parasol4 ,these are      
better than our names1 even though both 
the ,french words labour under the      
disadvantage of being hybrids1 half     
,greek and half ,latin4  ,such1 then1 is
 the ancient history of the ,umbrella1  
as far as our research has enabled us to
 trace it1 and1 indeed1 we are now not a
 little surprised at the result of those
 labours which have enabled us to       
discover so much4     ,,chapter ,,iii4  
,,the ,,umbrella ,,in ,,england4   ,as a

 canopy of state1 ,umbrellas were       
generally used in the south of ,europe2 
they are found in the ceremonies of the 
,byzantine ,church2 they were borne over
 the ,host in procession1 and formed    
part of the ,pontifical regalia4  ,a    
medival gem represents a bishop1        
attended by a cross-bearer1 and a       
servant who carries behind him an       
,umbrella4  ,in the ,basilican churches 
of ,rome is suspended a large ,umbrella1
 and the cardinal who took his title    
from the church has the privilege of    
having an ,umbrella carried over his    
head on solemn processions4 ,it is not1 
altogether impossible that the          
cardinal's hat may be derived from this 
,umbrella4 ,the origin of this custom of
 hanging an ,umbrella in the ,basilican 
churches is plain enough4 ,the judge    
sitting in the basilica would have it as
 part of his insignia of office4 ,on the
 judgment hall being turned into a      
church1 the ,umbrella remained1 and in  
fact occupied the place of the canopy   

over thrones and the like in our own    
country4 ,beatiano1 an ,italian herald1 
says that a vermilion ,umbrella in a    
field argent symbolises dominion4       
,references crop up now and then        
throughout the middle age records1 to   
,umbrellas2 but the extreme paucity of  
such allusions goes to show that they   
were not in common use4 ,in an old      
romance1 ,the ,blonde of ,oxford1 a     
jester makes fun of a nobleman for being
 out in the rain without his cloak4     
,were ,i a rich man1 says he1 ,i would  
bear my house about with me4 ,by this   
very valiant joke he meant1 as he       
afterwards explained1 that the nobleman 
should wear a cloak1 not that he ought  
not to forget his ,umbrella ,so it is   
clear1 we find1 that our forefathers    
depended on their cloaks1 not on their  
,umbrellas1 for protection against      
storms4  ,careful research has enabled  
us to light on a solitary instance of an
 ancient ,english ,umbrella1 for        
,wright1 in his ,domestic ,manners of   

the ,english1 gives a drawing from the  
,harleian ,,ms41 ,no4 #fjc1 which       
represents an ,anglo-,saxon gentleman   
walking out attended by his servant1 the
 servant carrying an ,umbrella with a   
handle that slopes backwards1 so as to  
bring the ,umbrella over the head of the
 person in front4 ,it probably1         
therefore1 could not be shut up1 but    
otherwise it looks like an ordinary     
,umbrella1 and the ribs are represented 
distinctly4  ,whether this earliest     
,jonas ,hanway 7the reputed first       
importer of the ,umbrella1 of whom more 
hereafter7 was peculiarly sybaritic in  
his notions1 or whether1 like the       
mammoth of ,siberia1 he is the one      
remaining instance of a former          
umbrelliferous race1 must1 at least for 
the present1 remain undecided4 ,the     
general use of the ,parasol in ,france  
and ,england was adopted1 probably from 
,china1 about the middle of the         
seventeenth century4 ,at that period1   
pictorial representations of it are     

frequently found1 some of which exhibit 
the peculiar broad and deep canopy      
belonging to the large ,parasol of the  
,chinese ,government officials1 borne by
 native attendants4  ,john ,evelyn1 in  
his ,diary for the #bbnd ,june1 #affd1  
mentions a collection of rarities shown 
him by one ,thompson1 a ,catholic       
priest1 sent by the ,jesuits of ,japan  
and ,china to ,france4 ,among the       
curiosities were fans like those our    
ladies use1 but much larger1 and with   
long handles1 strangely carved and      
filled with ,chinese characters1 which  
is evidently a description of the       
,parasol4  ,in the title-page of        
,evelyn's ,kalendarium ,hortense1 also  
published in the same year1 we find a   
black page represented1 bearing a closed
 ,umbrella or ,sunshade4 ,it is again   
evident that the ,parasol was more an   
article of curiosity than use at this   
period1 from the fact that it is        
mentioned as such in the catalogue of   
the ,museum ,tradescantium1 or          

,collection of ,rarities1 preserved at  
,south ,lambeth1 by ,london1 by ,john   
,tradescant4  ,in ,coryat's ,crudities1 
a very rare and highly interesting work1
 published in #afaa1 about a century and
 a half prior to the general            
introduction of the ,umbrella into      
,england1 we find the following curious 
passage3--  ,after talking of fans he   
goes on to say1 ,and many of them doe   
carry other fine things of a far greater
 price1 that will cost at the least a   
duckat1 which they commonly call in the 
,italian tongue umbrellas1 that is1     
things which minister shadow veto them  
for shelter against the scorching heate 
of the sunne4 ,these are made of        
leather1 something answerable to the    
forme of a little cannopy1  hooped in   
the inside with divers little wooden    
hoopes that extend the umbrella in a    
pretty large cornpasse4 ,they are used  
especially by horsemen1 who carry them  
in their hands when they ride1 fastening
 the end of the handle upon one of their

 thighs1 and they impart so large a     
shadow unto them1 that it keepeth the   
heate of the sunne from the upper parts 
of their bodies4  ,reference to the same
 custom1 of riders in ,italy using      
umbrellas1 is made in ,florio's ,worlde 
of ,wordes 7#aeih71 where we find       
,ombrella1 a fan1 a canopie1 also a     
festoon or cloth of ,state for a prince1
 also a kind of round fan or shadowing  
that they use to ride with in sommer in 
,italy1 a little shade4  ,in ,cotgrave's
 ,dictionary of the ,french and ,english
 ,tongues1 the ,french ,ombrelle is     
translated1 ,an umbrello2 a 7fashion of7
 round and broad fanne1 wherewith the   
,indians 7and from them our great ones7 
preserve themselves from the heat of a  
scorching sunne2 and hence any little   
shadow1 fanne1 or thing1 wherewith women
 hide their faces fro the sunne4  ,in   
,fynes ,moryson's ,itinerary 7#afag7 we 
find a similar allusion to the habit of 
carrying ,umbrellas in hot countries to 
auoide the beames of the sunne4 ,their  

employment1 says the author1 is         
dangerous1 because they gather the heate
 into a pyramidall point1 and thence    
cast it down perpendicularly upon the   
head1 except they know how to carry them
 for auoyding that danger4 ,this is     
certainly a fact not generally known to 
those who use ,parasols too recklessly4 
,poesis ,rediviva1 by ,john ,collop1    
,m4,d4 7#afef71 mentions ,umbrellas4    
,michael ,drayton1 writing about #afbj1 
speaks of a pair of doves1 which are to 
watch over the person addressed in his  
verses3--    ,of doves ,i have a dainty 
pair1   ,which1 when you please to take 
the air1   ,about your head shall gently
 hover1   ,your clear brow from the sun 
to cover2   ,and with their nimble wings
 shall fan you1   ,that neither cold nor
 heat shall tan you2   ,and1 like       
umbrellas1 with their feathers   ,shall 
shield you in all sorts of weathers4    
,beaumont and ,fletcher have an allusion
 to the umbrella 7#afdj72--    ,now are 
you glad1 now is your mind at ease1     

,now you have got a shadow1 an umbrella1
   ,to keep the 'scorching world's      
opinion   ,from your fair credit4       
--,rule a ,wife and ,have a ,wife1 ,act 
iii1 sc4 ,i4  ,ben ,jonson1 too1 once   
mentions it 7date #afaf71 speaking of a 
mishap which befel a lady at the        
,spanish ,court3--    ,and there she    
lay1 flat spread as an umbrella4 --,the 
,devil is an ,ass1 ,act iv41 ,,sc4 ,i4  
,of the fact that ,umbrellas' were known
 and used in ,italy long prior to their 
introduction into ,france1 we find a    
confirmation in old ,montaigne1 who     
observes1 lib4 iii4 cap4 ix4 3--,les    
,ombrelles1 de quoy depuis les anciens  
,remains l',italie se sert1 chargent    
plus le bras1 qu'ils ne deschargent la  
teste4  ,kersey's ,dictionary 7#agjh7   
describes an ,umbrella as a screen      
commonly used by women to keep off rain4
  ,the absence of almost all allusion to
 the ,umbrella by the wits of the       
seventeenth century1 while the muff1    
fan1 c41 receive so large a share of    

attention1 is a further proof that it   
was far from being recognised as an     
article of convenient luxury at that    
day4 ,the clumsy shape1 probably1       
prevented its being generally used4 ,in 
one of ,dryden's plays we find the      
line3--    ,i can carry your umbrella   
and fan1 your ,ladyship4  ,gay1         
addressing a gentleman1 in his ,trivia1 
or the ,art of ,walking the ,streets of 
,london 7#agab71 says3--   ,be thou for 
every season justly dress'd1   ,nor     
brave the piercing frost with open      
breast3   ,and when the bursting clouds 
a deluge pour4   ,let thy surtout defend
 the gaping shower4  ,and again3--      
,that garment best the winter's rage    
defends   ,whose shapeless form in ample
 plaits depends2   ,by various names in 
various countries known1   ,yet held in 
all the true surtout alone4   ,be thine 
of kersey tine1 though small the cost1  
,then brave1 unwet1 the rain1 unchilled1
 the frost4  ,these passages lead us to 
the belief that the ,umbrella was not   

used by gentlemen for a long time after 
its merits had been recognised by the   
fair sex4  ,the following lines from the
 same author have often been quoted3--  
,good housewives all the winter's rage  
despise   ,defended by the riding-hood's
 disguise3   ,or underneath the         
umbrella's oily shed   ,safe through the
 wet on clinking pattens tread4   ,let  
,persian dames th' umbrellas rich       
display1   ,to guard their beauties from
 the sunny ray1   ,or sweating slaves   
support the shady load1   ,when ,eastern
 monarchs show their state abroad1      
,britain in winter only knows its aid   
,to guard from chilly showers the       
walking maid4 --,trivia1 ,b4 #a4   ,dean
 ,swift1 also1 in the ,tatler1 ,no4     
#bbh1 in describing a ,city shower1 thus
 alludes to the common use of the       
,umbrella by women3--    ,now in        
contiguous drops the floods come down1  
,threatening with deluge the devoted    
town3   ,to shops in crowds the draggled
 females fly1   ,pretend to cheapen     

goods1 but nothing buy3   ,the ,templar 
spruce1 while every spout's abroach1    
,stays till 'tis fair1 yet seems to call
 a coach3   ,the tucked-up sempstress   
walks with hasty strides1   ,while      
streams run down her oiled umbrella's   
sides4  ,about this time the custom     
obtained of keeping an ,umbrella in the 
halls of great houses1 to be used in    
passing from the door to the carriage4  
,at coffee-houses1 too1 the same was    
done4  ,that the use of the ,umbrella   
was considered far too effeminate for   
man1 is seen from the following         
advertisement from the ,female ,tatler  
for ,december #abth1 #agji3--,the young 
gentleman borrowing the ,umbrella       
belonging to ,wills' ,coffee-house1 in  
,cornhill1 of the mistress1 is hereby   
advertised1 that to be dry from head to 
foot on the like occasion1 he shall be  
welcome to the maid's pattens4  ,defoe's
 description of ,robinson ,crusoe's     
,umbrella is1 of course1 familiar to all
 our readers4 ,he makes his hero say    

that he had seen ,umbrellas used in     
,brazil1 where they were found very     
useful in the great heats that were     
there1 and that he constructed his own  
instrument in imitation of them1 ,i     
covered it with skins1 he adds1 the hair
 outwards1 so that it cast off the rain 
like a pent-house1 and kept off the sun 
so effectually1 that ,i could walk out  
in the hottest of the weather with      
greater advantage than ,i could before  
in the coolest4 ,we may also add1 that  
from this description the original heavy
 ,umbrellas obtained the name of        
,robinson1 which they retained for many 
years1 both here and in ,france4  ,in   
the ,memoir of ,ambrose ,barnes1        
published for the ,surtees ,society1    
under date #agah1 appears an entry1     
,umbrella for the ,church's use1 #bes4  
,a similar entry is also found in the   
churchwarden's accounts for the         
parochial chapelry of ,burnley1 ,surrey1
 for ,a4,d4 #agfj1 ,paid for ,umbrella  
#bl4 #ajs4 #f;d4 ,both these ,umbrellas 

were in all likelihood intended for the 
use of clergymen at funerals in the     
churchyard1 as was that alluded to in   
,hone's ,year-,book 7#ahbf7 which was   
kept for the same purpose in a country  
church4 ,this last had an awning of     
green oiled canvas1 such as common      
,umbrellas were made of1 forty years    
ago4  ,bailey's ,encyclopdia 7#agcf7 has
 ,umbrello1 a sort of wooden frame1     
covered with cloth1 put over a window to
 keep out the sun2 also a screen carried
 over the head to defend from sun or    
rain4 ,also ,parasol1 a little umbrella 
to keep off sun4  ,there is at ,woburn  
,abbey a picture1 painted about #agcj1  
of the ,duchess of ,bedford1 with a     
black servant behind her1 who holds an  
,umbrella over her1 and a sketch of the 
same period attached to a song called   
,the ,generous ,repulse1 shows a lady   
seated on a flowery bank holding a      
,parasol with a long handle over her    
head1 while she gently checks the ardour
 of her swain1 and consoles him by the  

following touching strain3--    ,thy    
vain pursuit1 fond youth1 give o'er1    
,what more1 alas6 can ,flavia do8   ,thy
 worth ,i own1 thy fate deplore1    ,all
 are not happy that are true4         99
       99       99       99       99    
,but if revenge can ease thy pain1      
,i'll soothe the ills ,i cannot cure1   
,tell thee ,i drag a hopeless chain1    
,and all that ,i inflict endure6        
,rather cold consolation1 but an        
unexceptionable and moral sentiment4    
,the idea1 therefore1 that the ,duchess 
of ,rutland devised ,parasols in #ahbf  
for the first time is obviously         
incorrect1 whatever her grace may have  
done towards rendering them fashionable4
 ,captain ,cook1 in one of his voyages1 
saw some of the natives of the ,south   
,pacific ,islands1 with ,umbrellas made 
of palm-leaves4  ,we have thus seen that
 the use both of the ,umbrella and      
,parasol was not unknown in ,england    
during the earlier half of the          
eighteenth century4 ,that it was not    

very common1 is evident from the fact   
that ,general 7then ,lieut4-,colonel7   
,wolfe1 writing from ,paris in #ageb1   
speaks of the people there using        
,umbrellas for the sun and rain1 and    
wonders that a similar practice does not
 obtain in ,england4  ,just about the   
same time they do seem to have come into
 general use1 and that pretty rapidly1  
as people found their value1 and got    
over the shyness natural to a first     
introduction4 ,jonas ,hanway1 the       
founder of the ,magdalen ,hospital1 has 
the credit of being the first man who   
had the courage to carry one habitually 
in ,london1 since it is recorded in the 
life of that venerable philanthropist1  
the friend of chimney-sweeps and sworn  
foe to tea1 that he was the first man   
who ventured to dare public reproach and
 ridicule by carrying an ,umbrella4 ,he 
probably felt the benefit of one during 
his travels in ,persia1 where they were 
in constant use as a protection against 
the sun1 and it is also said that he was

 in ill health when he first made use of
 it4 ,it was more than likely1 however1 
that ,jonas ,hanway's neatness in dress 
and delicate complexion led him1 on his 
return from abroad1 to appreciate a     
luxury hitherto only confined to the    
ladies4 ,mr4 ,pugh1 who wrote his life1 
gives the following description of his  
personal appearance1 which may be       
regarded as a gem in its way3--  ,in his
 dress1 as far as was consistent with   
his ideas of health and ease1 he        
accommodated himself to the prevailing  
fashion4 ,as it was frequently necessary
 for him to appear in polite circles on 
unexpected occasions1 he usually wore   
dress clothes with a large ,french bag4 
,his hat1 ornamented with a gold button1
 was of a size and fashion to be worn as
 well under the arm as on the head4     
,when it rained1 a small parapluie      
defended his face and wig4  ,as ,hanway 
died in #aghf1 and he is said to have   
carried an ,umbrella for thirty years1  
the date of its first use by him may be 

set down at about #agej4 ,for some time 
,umbrellas were objects of derision1    
especially from the hackney coachmen1   
who saw in their use an invasion on the 
vested rights of the fraternity2 just as
 hackney coaches had once been looked   
upon by the watermen1 who thought people
 should travel by river1 not by road4   
,john ,macdonald1 perhaps the only      
footman 7always excepting the great ,mr4
 ,james ,yellowplush7 who ever wrote a  
memoir of himself1 relates that in      
#aggj1 he used to be greeted with the   
shout1 ,frenchman1 ,frenchman6 why don't
 you call a coach8 whenever he went out 
with his fine silk umbrella1 newly      
brought from ,spain4 ,records of the    
,umbrella's first appearance in other   
,english works have also been preserved4
 ,in ,glasgow 7according to the         
narrative in ,cleland's ,statistical    
,account of ,glasgow 7 the late ,mr4    
,john ,jamieson1 surgeon1 returning from
 ,paris1 brought an ,umbrella with him1 
which was the first seen in this city4  

,the doctor1 who was a man of great     
humour1 took pleasure in relating to me 
how he was stared at with his ,umbrella4
 ,in ,edinburgh ,dr4 ,spens is said to  
have been the first to carry one4 ,in   
,bristol a red ,leghorn ,umbrella       
appeared about #aghj1 according to a    
writer in ,notes and ,queries1 and      
created there no small sensation4 ,the  
trade between ,bristol and ,leghorn may 
account for this4 ,some five-and-thirty 
years ago it is said that an old lady   
was living in ,taunton who recollected  
when there were only two ,umbrellas in  
the town1 one of which belonged to the  
clergyman4 ,when he went to church1 he  
used to hang the ,umbrella up in the    
porch1 to the edification and delight of
 his parishioners4  ,horace ,walpole    
tells how ,dr4 ,shebbeare 7who was      
prosecuted for seditious writings in    
#ageh7 stood in the pillory1 having a   
footman holding an umbrella to keep off 
the rain4 ,for permitting this          
indulgence to a malefactor1 ,beardman1  

the under-sheriff1 was punished4  ,it is
 difficult to conceive how the ,umbrella
 could come into general use1 owing to  
the state in which the streets of       
,london were up to a comparatively      
recent period4 ,the same amusing author 
to whom we owe the description of ,jonas
 ,hanway1 gives the following account of
 them at the time his work was          
published3--  ,it is not easy to convey 
to a person who has not seen the streets
 of ,london before they were uniformly  
paved1 a tolerable idea of their        
inconvenience and uncleanliness2 the    
signs extending on both sides of the way
 into the streets1 at unequal distances 
from the houses1 that they might not    
intercept each other1 greatly obstructed
 the view2 and1 what is of more         
consequence in a crowded city1 prevented
 the free circulation of the air4 ,the  
footpaths were universally              
incommoded--even when they were so      
narrow as only to admit one person      
passing at a time--by a row of posts set

 on edge next the carriage-way4 ,he     
whose urgent business would not permit  
of his keeping pace with the gentleman  
of leisure before him1 turned out       
between the two posts before the door of
 some large house into the carriage-way4
 ,when he perceived danger moving toward
 him1 he wished to return within the    
protection of the row of posts2 but     
there was commonly a rail continued from
 the top of one post to that of another1
 sometimes for several houses together1 
in which case he was obliged to run back
 to the first inlet1 or climb over1 or  
creep under the railing1 in attempting  
which1 he might be fortunate if he      
escaped with no other injury than what  
proceeded from dirt2 if1 intimidated by 
the danger he escaped1 he afterwards    
kept within the boundary of the posts   
and railing1 he was obliged to put aside
 the travellers before him1 whose haste 
was less urgent than his1 and1 these    
resisting1 made his journey truly a     
warfare4  ,the ,french are reproached1  

even to a proverb1 for the neglect of   
the convenience of foot-passengers in   
their metropolis1 by not providing a    
separate path for them2 but1 great as is
 the exposure to dirt in ,paris1 for    
want of a footpath1 which their many    
porte-cochres seem likely for ever to   
prevent1 in the more important article  
of danger1 the ,city of ,london was1 at 
this period1 at least on a par4 ,how    
comfortless must be the sensations of an
 unfortunate female1 stopped in the     
street on a windy day under a large old 
sign loaded with lead and iron in full  
swing over1 her head8 and perhaps a     
torrent of rain and dirty water falling 
near from a projecting spout1 ornamented
 with the mouth and teeth of a dragon4  
,these dangers and distresses are now at
 an end2 and we may think of them as a  
sailor does of a storm1 which has       
subsided1 but the advantages derived    
from the present uniformity and         
cleanliness can be known only in their  
full extent by comparing them with the  

former inconveniences4  ,when to this   
description is added the fact that the  
hoop petticoat and another article of   
dress monopolised the whalebone1 it will
 be seen how much had to be got over    
before an ,umbrella could be carried out
 by the citizens of ,london1 as a       
walking-staff1 with satisfactory        
assurance of protection in case of a    
shower4 ,the earliest ,english          
,umbrellas1 we must also remember1 were 
made of oiled silk1 very clumsy and     
difficult to open when wet2 the stick   
and furniture were heavy and            
inconvenient1 and the article very      
expensive4  ,at the end of the century  
allusions to the ,umbrella are not      
infrequent4 ,cowper1 in his ,task       
7#aghj71 twice mentions it1 but seems to
 mean a ,parasol3--    ,we bear our     
shades about us2 self-deprived   ,of    
other screen1 the thin umbrella spread1 
,and range an ,indian waste without a   
tree4 --,b4 i4  ,and again3--    ,expect
 her soon1 with footboy at her heels1   

,no longer blushing for her awkward     
load1   ,her train and her umbrella all 
her care4 --,b4 iv1  ,the ,rev4 ,g4 ,c4 
,renouard1 writing in #ahej to ,notes   
and ,queries1 says3--  ,in the hall of  
my father's house1 at ,stamford1 in     
,lincolnshire1 there was1 when ,i was a 
child1 the wreck of a large green silk  
umbrella1 apparently of ,chinese        
manufacture1 brought by my father from  
,scotland1 somewhere between #aggj and  
#aghj1 and1 as ,i have often heard1 the 
first umbrella seen at ,stamford4 ,i    
well remember1 also1 an amusing         
description given by the late ,mr4      
,warry1 so many years consul at ,smyrna1
 of the astonishment and envy of his    
mother's neighbours1 at ,sawbridgeworth1
 in ,hants1 where his father had a      
country house1 when he ran home and came
 back with an umbrella1 which he had    
just brought from ,leghorn1 to shelter  
them from a pelting shower which        
detained them in the church porch1 after
 the service1 on one summer ,sunday4    

,from ,mr4 ,warry's age at the time he  
mentioned this1 and other circumstances 
in his history1 ,i conjecture that it   
occurred not later than #agge or #aggf4 
,as ,sawbridgeworth is so near ,london1 
it is evident that even then umbrellas  
were at that time almost unknown4       
,since this date1 however1 the ,umbrella
 has come into general use1 and in      
consequence numerous improvements have  
been effected in it4 ,the transition to 
the present portable form is due1 partly
 to the substitution of silk and gingham
 for the heavy and troublesome oiled    
silk1 which admitted of the ribs and    
frames being made much lighter1 and also
 to the many ingenious mechanical       
improvements in the framework1 chiefly  
by ,french and ,english manufacturers1  
many of which were patented1 and to     
which we purpose presently to allude4   
,,chapter ,,iv4  ,,the ,,story ,,of     
,,the ,,parachute4   ,in giving an      
account of the ,umbrella1 it would not  
be right to omit mentioning another1 and

 far from legitimate use in which it has
 been employed by notoriety-hunting     
artistes--we allude to the ,parachute2  
and a short narration of its origin and 
progress may not be uninteresting to our
 readers4  ,the ,parachute commonly in  
use is nothing more or less than a huge 
,umbrella1 presenting a surface of      
sufficient dimension to experience from 
the air a resistance equal to the weight
 of descent1 in moving through the fluid
 at a velocity not exceeding that of the
 shock which a person can sustain       
without danger or injury4 ,it is made of
 silk or cotton4 ,to the outer edge     
cords are fastened1 of about the same   
length as the diameter of the machine   
7#bd to #bh feet74 ,a centre cord is    
attached to the apex and meets the cords
 from the margin1 acting1 in fact1 as   
the stick of the ,umbrella4 ,the machine
 is thus kept expanded during descent4  
,the car is fastened to the centre cord1
 and the whole attached to the balloon  
in such a manner that it may be readily 

and quickly detached1 either by cutting 
a string1 or pulling a trigger4         
,consequently1 in the ,east1 where the  
,umbrella has been from the earliest    
ages in familiar use1 it appears to have
 been occasionally employed by vaulters1
 to enable them to jump safely from     
great heights4 ,father ,loubre1 in his  
curious account of ,siam1 relates1 that 
a person famous in that country for his 
dexterity1 used to divert the ,king and 
,court by the extraordinary leaps he    
took1 having two ,umbrellas with long   
slender handles1 fastened to his girdle4
 ,in #aghc ,m4 le ,normand demonstrated 
the utility of the ,parachute2 by       
lifting himself down from the windows of
 a high house at ,lyons4 ,his idea was  
that it might be made a sort of         
fire-escape4  ,blanchard was the first  
person who constructed a ,parachute to  
act as a safety-guard to the aeronaut in
 case of any accident4 ,during an       
excursion he made from ,lille1 in #aghe1
 when he traversed1 without stopping1 a 

distance of #cjj miles1 he let down a   
,parachute with a basket fastened to it 
containing a dog4 ,this he suffered to  
fall from a great height1 and it reached
 the ground in safety4  ,the first      
,parachute descent from a balloon1      
however1 was made by ,jacques ,garnerin1
 on the #bbnd of ,october1 #agig1 in the
 ,park of ,monceau4 ,de la ,lande1 the  
celebrated astronomer1 has furnished a  
detailed and highly interesting account 
of this foolish experiment4  ,garnerin  
resided in ,london during the short     
peace of #ahjb1 and made two ascents    
with his balloon1 in the second of which
 he let himself fall1 at an amazing     
height1 with a ,parachute of #bc feet   
diameter4 ,he started from an enclosure 
near ,north ,audley ,street1 and        
descended after having been seven or    
eight minutes in the air4 ,after cutting
 himself away1 he floated over          
,marylebone and ,somers ,town1 and fell 
in a field near ,st4 ,pancras ,old      
,church4 ,the oscillation was so great1 

that he was thrown out of the           
,parachute1 and narrowly escaped death4 
,he seemed a good deal frightened1 and  
said that the peril was too great for   
endurance4 ,one of the stays of the     
machine having given way1 his danger was
 increased4 ,the next person who tried  
this dangerous experiment was his niece1
 ,eliza ,garnerin1 who descended several
 times in safety4 ,her ,parachute had a 
large orifice in the top1 in order to   
check the oscillation1 and this appears 
to have been tolerably successful4  ,the
 next experimentalist was a person of   
the name of ,cocking1 who ended his days
 in a manner unworthy his talents1      
through a series of lamentable mistakes4
 ,his ,parachute was constructed on the 
opposite principle1 of a wedge-like     
form1 and was intended to cleave through
 the air1 instead of offering a         
resistance to it4 ,it has not yet been  
proved that the principle was wrong1 but
 the defect lay in the weakness of the  
materials employed in the formation of  

the ,parachute4  ,on the #bith ,july1   
#ahcg1 ,mr4 ,cocking ascended in his new
 ,parachute1 attached to the ,great     
,nassau ,balloon4 ,mr4 ,cocking         
liberated himself from the balloon1 the 
,parachute collapsed and fell1 at a     
frightful rate1 into a field near ,lea1 
where poor ,cocking was found with an   
awful wound on his right temple4 ,he    
never spoke1 but died almost immediately
 afterwards4 ,it is much to be regretted
 that the descent was ever allowed to   
take place4 ,the aeronauts themselves   
were for some time in a state of        
imminent peril4 ,immediately the        
,parachute was cut away1 the balloon    
ascended with frightful velocity1 owing 
to the ascending power it necessarily   
gained by being freed from a weight of  
nearly #ejj pounds2 and had it not been 
that its occupants applied their mouths 
to the air-bags previously provided1    
they must have been suffocated by the   
escaping gas4 ,when the re-action took  
place1 the balloon had lost its         

buoyancy1 and fell1 rather than         
descended1 to the ground4  ,mr4 ,hampton
 was the next person who attempted the  
experiment1 and made three descents in a
 ,parachute in succession without       
injury4 ,undeterred by the awful fate of
 his predecessor1 this gentleman        
determined on making a ,parachute       
descent which should prove the          
correctness of the theory1 and the      
,montpellier ,gardens at ,cheltenham    
were selected as the scene of the       
exploit4 ,owing to the censure which was
 attached to the proprietors of the     
,vauxhall ,gardens1 for permitting      
docking's ascent1 the owners of the     
,gardens at ,cheltenham would not suffer
 the experiment to be made1 and ,mr4    
,hampton was obliged to have recourse to
 stratagem4 ,as he was permitted to     
display his ,parachute in the manner he 
intended to use it1 the idea suddenly   
flashed across his mind that1 he could  
carry out his long-nursed wishes4 ,he   
suddenly cut the rope which kept him    

down1 and went off1 to the astonishment 
of the spectators3 the last cheering    
sound that reached him being--,he will  
be killed to a dead certainty6  ,after  
attaining an altitude of nearly two     
miles1 ,mr4 ,hampton proceeded to cut   
the rope that held him attached to the  
balloon4 ,he paused for a second or two1
 as he remembered that it would soon be 
life or death with him1 but at length   
drew his knife across the rope4 ,the    
first feelings he experienced were both 
unpleasant and alarming2 his eyes and   
the top of his head appeared to be      
forced upwards1 but this passed off in a
 few seconds1 and his feelings          
subsequently became pleasant1 rather    
than disagreeable4  ,so steady and slow 
was the descent that the ,parachute     
appeared to be stationary4 ,mr4 ,hampton
 remembered that a bag of ballast was   
fastened beneath the car1 he stooped    
over and upset the sand1 he also noted  
by his watch the time he occupied in    
descending4 ,the earth seemed coming up 

to him rapidly2 the ,parachute indicated
 its approach to terra1 firma by a      
slight oscillation1 and he presently    
struck the ground in the centre of a    
field1 where he was first welcomed by a 
sheep1 which stared at this visitor from
 the clouds in utter amazement4 ,mr4    
,hampton repeated the experiment twice  
in ,london1 though on both occasions    
with considerable danger to himself1 the
 first time falling on a tree in        
,kensington ,gardens1 the second on a   
house1 which threw him out of the       
basket4  ,after this experiment there   
was a lull in the ,parachute folly until
 some twenty years ago1 when ,madame    
,poitevin startled the ,metropolis from 
its propriety by her perilous escapes   
both in life and limb4 ,although        
considerable ingenuity was displayed in 
the plan of expanding the ,parachute by 
the sudden discharge of gas from the    
balloon2 still the very fact of a woman 
being exposed to such danger by her     
husband1 will1 we trust1 hereafter      

prevent ,englishmen from countenancing  
such an exhibition by their presence4   
,,chapter ,v4  ,,umbrella ,,stories4    
,who could for a moment suppose that so 
important an article as the ,umbrella   
would be without its lighter as well as 
its more serious history8 ,umbrellas are
 still1 we regret to say1 regarded      
rather in a comic than a serious light2 
so1 if any of the following anecdotes   
seem to treat of ,umbrellas in too      
mocking or frivolous a vein1 it is the  
fault of the bad taste of the ,british  
public1 not ours1 who have merely       
compiled4 ,however1 we may commence with
 a very neat little ,french riddle4     
,quel est l'objet que l'on recherche le 
plus quand on s'en dgote8  ,a mysterious
 inquiry1 and all sorts of horrible but 
needful abominations occur to the mind  
in answer4 ,but the answer is not so bad
 after all4 ,change the spelling without
 altering the pronunciation1 and you get
 quand on sent des gouties1 and1 lo6 you
 have it at once--le ,parapluie--the    

faithful friend whose presence we most  
desire when we wish least for the       
necessity of it2 the burden of our fine 
days1 the shelter of our wet ones4  ,or 
again1 would you like a verse or two on 
the same subject8    ,pour trenne1 on   
veut  l'envie   ,du frais et du neuf et 
du beau1   ,je dis que c'est un         
parapluie1   ,que l'on doit donner en   
cas d'eau4  ,the author of these two    
jeux de mots unhappily we do not know1  
or we would thank him for them4 ,the    
,english poet of the ,umbrella has yet  
to be born4  ,the next story relates to 
the early history of the ,umbrella in   
,scotland1 and may probably be referred 
to the time when good ,dr4 ,jamieson was
 walking about ,glasgow with his        
new-fangled sheltering apparatus1 which 
he had brought with him on his return   
from ,paris4 ,as it was the first ever  
seen in that city1 it attracted         
universal attention1 and a vast amount  
of impudence from the horrid boys4 ,the 
following anecdote1 then1 which we      

borrow from a ,scotch paper1 most       
probably refers to the same period1 or  
thereabouts 3--  ,when ,umbrellas were  
first marched into ,blairgowrie1 they   
were sported only by the minister and   
the laird1 and were looked upon by the  
common class of people as a perfect     
phenomenon4 ,one day ,daniel ,m-- went  
to ,colonel ,mc,pherson1 at ,blairgowrie
 ,house2 when about to return1 a shower 
came on1 and the colonel politely       
offered him the loan of an ,umbrella1   
which he gladly accepted1 and ,daniel1  
with his head two or three inches higher
 than usual1 marched off4 ,not long     
after he had left1 however1 the colonel 
again saw ,daniel posting towards him   
with all possible haste1 still          
o'ertopped by his cotton canopy 7silk   
,umbrellas were out of the question in  
those days71 which he held out1 saluting
 him with--' ,hae1 hae1 ,kornil1 this'll
 never do6 there's nae a door in all my 
house that'll tak it in2 my very        
barn-door winna' tak it in4'  ,in the   

veracious ,history of ,sandford and     
,merton1 if our memory serves us aright1
 there is an instance quoted of         
remarkable presence of mind relating to 
an ,umbrella and its owner4 ,the members
 of a comfortable pic-nic party were    
cosily assembled in some part of ,india1
 when an unbidden and most unwelcome    
guest made his appearance1 in the shape 
of a huge ,bengal tiger4 ,most persons  
would1 naturally1 have sought safety in 
flight1 and not stayed to hob-and-nob   
with this denizen of the jungle2 not so1
 however1 thought a lady of the party1  
who1 inspired by her innate courage1 or 
the fear of losing her dinner --perhaps 
by both combined seized her ,umbrella1  
and opened it suddenly in the face of   
the tiger as he stood wistfully gazing  
upon brown curry and foaming ,allsop4   
,the astonished brute turned tail and   
fled1 and the lady saved her dinner4    
,not many years ago the ,umbrella was   
employed in an equally curious manner1  
though not so successfully as in the    

former instance4 ,in the campaign of    
#agic1 ,general ,bournonville1 who was  
sent with four commissioners by the     
,national ,convention to the camp of the
 ,prince of ,saxe-,coburg1 was detained 
as a prisoner with his companions1 and  
confined in the fortress of ,olmtz4 ,in 
this situation he made a desperate      
attempt to regain his liberty4 ,having  
procured an ,umbrella1 he leaped with it
 from a window forty feet above the     
ground1 but being a very heavy man1 it  
did not prove sufficient to let him down
 in safety4 ,he struck against an       
opposite wall1 fell into a ditch and    
broke his leg1 and1 worse than all1 was 
carried back to his prison4  ,one of the
 most remarkable instances on record1 in
 which the ,umbrella was the agency of a
 man's life being saved1 occurred1      
according to his own statement1 to our  
old friend ,colonel ,longbow4 ,of course
 our kind readers know him as well as we
 do1 for not to do so would be to argue 
yourselves unknown4 ,at any ,continental

 watering place1 ,longbow1 or one of his
 family--for it is a large one--can be  
met with4 ,he is1 indeed1 a wonderful   
man--on intimate terms with all the     
crowned heads of ,europe1 and proves his
 intimacy by always speaking of them by 
their ,christian names4  ,he is at once 
the guide1 philosopher1 and friend of   
every stranger who happens to form his  
acquaintance--a very easy task1 be it   
remarked--and1 though so great a man1 is
 not above dining at your expense1 and  
charming you by the terms of easy       
familiarity with which he imbibes your  
champagne or your porter1 for all is    
alike to him1 so long as he has not to  
pay for it3 he can take any given       
quantity4  ,well1 the other day we      
happened to meet the ,colonel1 and he   
speedily contrived to discover that we  
were on the point of going to dine1 and 
so invited him to share our humble meal1
 as a graceful way of making a virtue of
 necessity1 for had we not done so1 he  
would have had no hesitation in inviting

 himself4 ,during dinner1 conversation1 
of course1 turned upon one              
all-engrossing subject1 the war1 and the
 ,colonel proceeded to give us his      
experiences of former wars1 including   
his adventures in the ,crimea1 and the  
miraculous escape he owed to an         
,umbrella4  ,it appeared that he had    
gone out with his friend1 ,lord ,levant1
 on a yachting excursion in the         
,mediterranean1 and they eventually     
found their way into the ,black ,sea4   
,stress of weather compelled them to put
 into the little port of ,yalta1 on the 
north coast1 where they went on shore4  
,the ,colonel1 on the ,lucretian        
principle of ,suave mari magno1 c41     
proceeded the next morning to the verge 
of the precipice to observe the         
magnificent prospect of a sea running   
mountains high4 ,as it was raining at   
the time1 he put up a huge gingham      
,umbrella he happened to find in the    
hotel4 ,suddenly1 however1 a furious    
blast of wind drove across the cliff1   

and lifted the ,colonel bodily in the   
air4 ,away he flew far out to sea1 the  
,umbrella acting as a ,parachute to let 
him fall easy4  ,now to most men this   
would only have been a choice of evils1 
a progress from ,scylla to ,charybdis3  
not so to our ,colonel4 ,on coming up to
 the surface after his first dip1 he    
found that swimming would not save him2 
so he quietly emptied out the water     
contained in the ,umbrella1 seated      
himself upon it1 and sailed triumphantly
 into the harbour1 like ,arion on his   
dolphin4  ,our face1 on hearing this    
anecdote1 must have betrayed the        
scepticism we felt1 for the ,colonel    
proceeded to a corner of the room1 and  
produced the identical ,umbrella4 ,of   
course1 such a proof was irresistible1  
and we were compelled to do penance for 
our unbelief by lending the gallant     
,colonel a sovereign1 for the ,bank was 
closed4 ,we thought the anecdote cheap  
at the price4  ,there is a story told of
 one of our ,city bankers1 that he owed 

an excellent wife to the interposition  
of an ,umbrella4 ,it appears that on    
returning home one day in a heavy shower
 of rain1 he found a young lady standing
 in his doorway4 ,politeness induced him
 to invite her to take shelter under his
 roof1 and eventually to offer her the  
loan of an ,umbrella4 ,of course1 the   
gallant banker called for it the next   
day1 and the acquaintance thus          
accidentally made1 soon ripened into    
mutual affection4 ,this species of      
,umbrella courtship has been            
immortalised in more than one song1 none
 of which1 however1 are quite worth     
quoting4  ,a worthy little ,frenchman of
 our acquaintance was ordered by his    
medical man to take a course of         
shower-baths4 ,such things being unknown
 to him in his fatherland1 he of course 
found the first essay remarkably        
unpleasant1 but with native ingenuity he
 soon discovered a remedy4 ,on our      
asking him how he liked the hydropathic 
system1 he replied1 ,oh1 mais c'est     

charmant1 mon ami2 ,i always take my    
parapluie wid me into de bath4  ,douglas
 ,jerrold1 in his well-known ,punch's   
,letters to his ,son1 gives an anecdote 
of which we can only say1 si non  vero1 
ben trovato4 ,it at all events          
illustrates the frightful morality that 
exists with regard to borrowing         
,umbrellas4  ,hopkins once lent         
,simpson1 his next-door neighbour1 an   
,umbrella4 ,you will judge of the       
intellect of ,hopkins1 not so much from 
the act of lending an ,umbrella1 but    
from his insane endeavour to get it back
 again4  ,it poured in torrents1        
,hopkins had an urgent call4 ,hopkins   
knocked at ,simpson's door4 ',i want my 
,umbrella4' ,now ,simpson had also a    
call in a directly opposite way to      
,hopkins2 and with the borrowed         
,umbrella in his hand1 was advancing to 
the threshold4 ',i tell you1' roared    
,hopkins1 ',i want my ,umbrella4'       
',can't have it1' said ,simpson4 ',why1 
,i want to go to the ,east-end2 it rains

 in torrents2 what'--screamed           
,hopkins--'what am ,i to do for an      
,umbrella8'  ',do6' answered ,simpson1  
darting from the door1 'do as ,i        
did--,,borrow ,,one4'  ,the ,umbrella   
has been most successfully introduced on
 the stage4 ,what1 for instance1 would  
,paul ,pry have been without that       
valuable implement for which to inquire 
with his stereotyped ,hope ,i don't     
intrude8 ,or his ,french successor1 the 
nobleman in ,the ,grand ,duchess1 who   
inquires1 in plaintive accents1 for ,le 
parapluie de ma mere1 just after        
,schneider has been declaiming about her
 father's sabre8 ,merely to bring a big 
,umbrella on the stage is an            
acknowledged way of raising a laugh4    
,mrs4 ,gamp again1 with her receptacle  
for unconsidered trifles1 cannot be     
realised apart from her ,umbrella4 ,and 
then1 those hired waiters who come into 
our houses with an ,umbrella of graceful
 proportions1 and emerge towards the    
small hours with a most plethoric       

parapluie1 which looks as if it had been
 regaling on the good things as well as 
its master6 ,it used to appear to us a  
comical sight1 years back1 in the old   
city of ,paris1 to see the ,national    
,guard going to exercise with a musket  
in one hand and an ,umbrella in the     
other1 and we dare say it was a very    
sensible plan after all1 and might have 
been imitated with success before       
,sebastopol4 ,a stout steel ,umbrella   
would offer no contemptible shelter to a
 rifleman4 ,this circumstance1 too1 may 
throw a light on a hitherto obscure     
passage in ,macbeth1 where ,birnam ,wood
 moves to ,dunsinane--for it is just    
possible that the soldiers cut down the 
branches to serve them as a protection  
from the rain4 ,we throw out this as a  
hint to any enterprising manager4  ,in  
,germany1 on the other hand1 a soldier  
is--or used to be--strictly forbidden   
from carrying an open ,umbrella1 unless 
he is accompanied by a civilian or a    
lady4 ,a worthy corporal1 on one        

occasion1 was sent to fetch an ,umbrella
 his ,major's lady had left at a        
friend's house1 and at the same time    
took her lapdog for an airing4 ,on the  
road home a violent shower came on1 and1
 to avoid committing a breach of the    
regulations1 under his arm he tucked the
 dog1 which was contained1 according to 
his ideas1 in both the above categories1
 put up the ,umbrella1 and marched very 
comfortably to barracks4  ,with one more
 characteristic anecdote we will close  
our budget4 ,one evening1 while ,rowland
 ,hill was preaching1 a shower came on1 
and his chapel was speedily filled with 
devotees4 ,with that peculiar sarcastic 
intonation which none could assume so   
successfully as himself1 he quietly     
remarked1 ,my brethren1 ,i have often   
heard that religion can be made a cloak1
 but this is the first occasion on which
 ,i ever knew it could be converted into
 an ,umbrella4     ,,chapter ,,vi4      
,,the ,,regeneration ,,of ,,the         
,,umbrella4   ,our task is now nearly   

completed3 we have described the history
 of the ,parasol1 and its near relation 
the ,umbrella1 as far as our space      
permits us to treat of this interesting 
subject4  ,all that remains for us to do
 is to give an account of the principal 
improvements effected in the ,umbrella  
during later years4  ,it is certain that
 ,france was some way ahead of us with  
regard to the use of ,umbrellas1 for    
they were comparatively common there    
before they were at all known l'autre ct
 'de la ,manche4 ,this was but natural1 
considering that they were1 as we have  
seen1 used in ,italy1 and consequently  
the folk of southern ,france would not  
be likely to be far behind their        
neighbours in availing themselves of the
 protection from the sun1 whether or no 
they had sufficient genius to shelter   
themselves from the rain by the aid of  
an ,umbrella4  ,in ,france ,parasols and
 ,umbrellas used to be amongst the      
articles made by the corporate body of  
,boursiers4 ,m4 ,natalis ,rondot quotes 

from the ,journal du ,citoyen1 of #aged1
 the price of ,parasols4 ,it ranged from
 #gs4 #c;d4 to #ags4 #f;d41 according to
 the construction1 and to whether they  
were made to fold up or not4 ,in        
,diderot and ,d',alembert's             
,encyclopdic1 is figured an ,umbrella1  
which is described as follows1 in the   
excellent introduction to the           
,abridgements of ,specifications        
relating to ,umbrellas1 lately published
 by the ,commissioners of ,patents3--   
,the ribs bear about the same proportion
 7as in modern umbrellas7 as regards    
length1 to the stick1 but the stretchers
 are much shorter1 being less than a    
quarter of the length of the ribs4 ,they
 are double1 each rib having a pair     
joined1 one on each side of the rib1 at 
the same point4 ,the ribs are joined at 
the top by being strung on a ring1 as in
 old ,english umbrellas1 but the runner 
is made of precisely similar            
construction to the modern runner1 and  
seems almost identical with that        

described in ,caney's ,specification    
7patent ,no4 #egfa1 ,a4,d4 #ahbi74 ,ribs
 and sticks are jointed1 the latter in  
two places4 ,there is no catch to hold  
the umbrella closed1 but this upper     
catch is the ordinary bent wire one4    
,the upper joint of the stick is made   
with a screw1 the lower of a hinge with 
a slide1 as in a modern parasol4 ,the   
slide has a catch1 resembling the       
ordinary runner catch4 ,at the top is a 
ring for carrying or suspending the     
umbrella4  ,such was the old ,french    
,umbrella1 and that used in ,england was
 of much the same sort4 ,the old ,french
 folding ,parasol is thus described in  
the ,report of the ,jurors for the      
,exhibition of #ahea3--  ,the folding   
parasol was constructed with jointed    
ribs so as to fold back1 and was        
likewise self-opening4 ,the rod was a   
metallic tube1 and contained a spiral   
spring which acted upon and pressed     
upwards an inner rod4 ,to this inner rod
 were jointed the stretchers1 which in  

this construction were placed above the 
ribs instead of below1 as in the        
ordinary form1 beside which they were   
much shorter1 so as to admit of their   
being concealed by the covering4 ,by the
 elasticity of the spiral spring        
contained in the hollow stem1 the inner 
rod was pressed outwards and lifted the 
stretchers1 and by their means raised   
the ribs also1 so that in its ordinary  
or natural state the umbrella was always
 open1 and would continue so unless     
constrained to remain closed by a catch4
 ,on releasing the catch it consequently
 sprang open4 ,in order that it might be
 easily closed1 four cords were attached
 to four of the ribs and passed to the  
handle2 and a loop embracing these cords
 passed down by the side of the handle1 
and enabled the possessor to close his  
umbrella without difficulty4 ,from the  
authority already quoted1 we learn that 
whalebone was employed for the ribs1 and
 that their number varied with their    
length2 for example1 when #bd inches    

long the number employed was #h2 when   
#be inches1 #i2 and when #bf1 #bh and   
#cj inches1 #aj were used4 ,calico was  
employed to cover umbrellas1 and silk to
 cover parasols4 ,the use of parasols   
was common in ,lyons at that period     
7#aghf72 they were carried by men as    
well as women2 they were rose-coloured1 
white1 and of other colours1 and were so
 light as to be carried without         
inconvenience4  ,the ,encyclopedic      
,mthodique gives some interesting       
particulars as to the manufacture of    
,parasols and ,umbrellas at the end of  
the eighteenth century4 ,from it1 it    
appears that the ribs were occasionally 
made of metal4 ,on tend cette couverture
 portative par le moyen de quelques     
brins de baleine1 ou de fils de cuivre  
ou de fer qui la soutiennent4 ,this is  
interesting1 as showing that metal ribs 
are not a very modern invention4  ,the  
following statement of the comparative  
weights and sizes of ,umbrellas was     
prepared by ,m4 ,farge for the ,french  

,exposition of #ahdi3--    ,umbrellas   
,length of ribs4      ,weight1     of   
inches4         ,lb4  oz4     #afde     
#ca #a_/b          #c    #h #a_/b       
#agdj               #bi              #a 
#ac    #aghj               #bh #c_/d    
#a    #h #a_/b    #ahdj                 
#bg #a_/b          #j   #ac #a_/d       
#ahdi               #bg              #j 
#h #c_/d   ,from #ahjh to #ahdh1 eighty 
patents were taken out in ,france for   
inventions1 three of importation1 and   
forty-one for improvements in           
,umbrellas4  ,in ,england1 after their  
first introduction1 the manufacture of  
,umbrellas increased rapidly4 ,the first
 patent is dated #aghj1 and was taken up
 by ,mark ,bull for ,a machine for      
supporting an ,umbrella1 which may be   
fixt to any saddle or wheel'd carriage1 
being far more compleat than any        
hitherto invented4 ,the invention is    
described in the following words 3--    
,there is a ball and socket of steel or 
iron1 or any other metal or composition4

 ,the ball moves in any direction1 and  
is fixed by one1 two1 three1 or more    
points1 which are forced against it     
either by a screw or spring1 ,the ball  
is made with small cavities to receive  
the points which press against it4 ,in  
order to secure it the more effectually 
in the ball1 there is a hole which      
receives the one end of the staff of the
 umbrella1 which is secured in it either
 by a spring or screw1 or a sliding or a
 spring bolt4 ,the umbrella may be taken
 away from the staff2 and either put    
under the seat of the saddle1 or fix'd  
before the rider4 ,the staff may be made
 whole or in two pieces1 the one to     
slide within the other1 in order to     
raise or lower the umbrella1 and be     
fix'd either by a spring or screw4 ,they
 are fix'd in the head of the saddle and
 cover'd by a top1 without making the   
saddle appear in the least different to 
what they are now made4  ,the next is of
 the date of #aghf1 and was taken out by
 ,john ,beale for ,an umbrella with     

joints1 flat springs1 and stops1 worm   
springs and bolts1 slip bolts1 screws1  
slip rivet1 and cross stop and square   
slips1 and the manner in which the same 
are performed is particularly described 
in the several plans1 figures1 or       
drawings annexed4 ,the drawings referred
 to are not easily intelligible1 from   
the briefness of the explanation        
attached1 but show an ,umbrella with a  
jointed handle1 opening by a spring4    
,in the next year 7#aghg7 we find an    
advertisement put out by ,thomas        
,folgham1 of ,cheapside1 stating that he
 has a great assortment of his          
much-approved pocket and portable       
umbrellas1 which for lightness1         
elegance1 and strength1 far exceed      
anything of the kind ever imported or   
manufactured in this kingdom4 ,all kinds
 of common umbrellas prepared in a      
particular way1 that will never stick   
together4  ,a description of the        
,umbrellas which1 in all probability1   
,mr4 ,thomas ,folgham made1 we extract  

from the source mentioned above4  ,the  
early ,umbrellas were made of oiled     
silk1 or glazed cotton cloth1 and were  
very cumbrous and inconvenient4 ,to     
judge from a picture of ,hanway1 and    
from the other old pictures mentioned   
above1 they were small1 with a very long
 handle4 ,they were not used for        
walking1 and consequently instead of the
 ferrule had a ring at the top1 by which
 they were hung up4 ,the stretchers were
 of cane1 and the ribs of cane or       
whalebone4 ,instead of the present      
top-notch and runner1 both ribs and     
stretchers were simply strung on a ring 
of wire1 and the inequality of the      
friction and the weakness of such an    
arrangement cause the ,umbrella to be   
always getting out of order4 ,the ribs  
and stretchers were jointed together    
very roughly1 by a pin passing through  
the rib1 on which the forked end of the 
stretcher hinged4 ,the first improvement
 in this respect was by ,caney 7patent  
,no4 #egfa1 ,a4,d4 #ahbi71 who invented 

a top-notch and runner in which each rib
 or stretcher has a separate hinge4 ,the
 top-notch was made of a notched wheel  
or disc1 into each slot of which an axis
 fixed on the top of the stretchers     
worked4 ,the runner was made on a       
similar principle4 ,at the point of the 
rib where the stretcher joined it1      
,caney fixed a middle bit1 consisting of
 a small fork1 in which the end of the  
stretcher was hinged4 ,this construction
 was much stronger1 and the forked ends 
of the stretchers were thus prevented   
from wearing out the cover1 as before4  
,with modifications1 more or less       
important1 this construction is the same
 as that now in general use4  ,the      
principal object of all those who have  
devoted their attention to the task has 
been to reduce the weight of the        
,umbrella without1 at the same time1    
diminishing its strength4 ,in its       
primitive form the ribs were formed of  
whalebone1 which possessed very grave   
inconveniences2 in the first place1 it  

was cumbersome to a degree1 lost its    
elasticity after any continuous exposure
 to rain1 and if dried without very     
great care1 was extremely liable to     
crack4 ,in the next place1 the price was
 very high1 and1 consequently1 the      
masses remained unrepresented in the    
,umbrella market4 ,the most important   
improvement dates from the introduction 
of steel instead of whalebone1 which    
took place about thirty years ago1 for  
although a few ,umbrellas were          
occasionally made and used of this      
material prior to that time1 it had not 
come into general use4 ,amongst other   
improvements have been the following3-- 
,the tips are now made in one piece with
 the rib1 instead of being made of bone1
 japanned metal or other material1 and  
then fastened on4 ,the long six-inch    
runners have given way to the short one 
two inches long1 and the ferrules are   
also much shorter than formerly4 ,to    
keep the ,umbrella closed the           
old-fashioned plan was a ring fastened  

by a string4 ,a tape and cotton         
superseded this1 and in its turn gave   
way to the elastic now in use4 ,sliding 
caps to fit over the ends of the ribs   
and hold the ,umbrella closed1 have been
 invented1 but until quite recently do  
not seem to have come much into use4    
,simple as the construction of an       
,umbrella may appear1 there have been   
altogether upwards of three hundred     
patents taken out for various           
improvements in their manufacture1 in   
addition to numerous alterations which  
have been registered according to the   
,act1 ,vic4 #f  #g1 ,cap4 #fe4 ,with    
very few exceptions the inventors have  
not been repaid the cost of their       
patents4 ,this has arisen1 partly from  
the delicacy of their mechanical        
construction1 unfitted for the rough    
usage to which ,umbrellas are exposed2  
but chiefly in consequence of the       
increased cost of manufacture not being 
compensated by the improvements         
effected4  ,the introduction of steel   

vice whalebone1 was opposed by the trade
 and the public in general1 like many   
other great improvements2 and it        
required several years in order to      
convince purchasers that steel would not
 only last much longer than whalebone1  
but would not be so liable to break1    
provided it was properly made and       
tempered4 ,the misfortune was that1 at  
the outset1 a great number of inferior  
articles were introduced1 and           
consequently the public naturally lost  
confidence1 and it demanded great       
exertions on the part of the more       
respectable members of the trade1 ere   
the merits of the new invention were    
recognised4 ,at present1 it is generally
 allowed that a good steel-rib ,umbrella
 can be as easily procured as a         
carefully tempered razor or sword4  ,a  
,swiss watch-spring maker1 named        
,sanguinede1 had discovered a secret of 
tempering steel which gave it great     
strength1 and he had made some1 very    
light umbrellas1 but they were immensely

 dear4 ,on his death the secret died    
with him1 and ,mr4 ,fox set to work to  
discover a method which should combine  
strength and lightness4  ,mr4 ,fox's    
,paragon frame1 simple in its           
construction1 half the weight of        
whalebone1 but equally strong1 is       
admitted to be the greatest improvement 
yet introduced in the manufacture of an 
,umbrella4 ,the ribs are made in the    
form of a trough with flat sides1 by    
which shape the greatest amount of      
strength is obtained4 ,the same         
principle1 as is well known1 has been   
successfully applied in the construction
 of the ,great ,tubular ,bridge over the
 ,menai ,straits1 from which ,mr4 ,fox  
took the idea4  ,the weight of the      
,umbrella having been thus reduced1 the 
next question was1 whether some         
amendment could not be made in the      
covering material4 ,for a long time1    
,umbrellas were only covered with two   
materials--silk and cotton1 and the want
 of some substance1 which would resist  

the greater friction and consequent wear
 than an ,umbrella invariably undergoes1
 formed a subject of anxious attention  
to the writer of this little book4      
,several materials were tried without   
success1 until a fabric called ,alpaca1 
made of the wool of the ,chilian and    
,peruvian sheep1 presented itself1 and  
for this a patent was immediately taken 
out4 ,of its merits it becomes us not to
 speak1 but we may be permitted to quote
 the following remarks from the ,grand  
,jury ,report of the ,great ,exhibition 
of #ahea3--  ,,sangster1 ,,william ,,and
 ,,john4 ,prize ,medal for ,silk        
,parasols and ,umbrellas of excellent   
quality1 'and for their application of  
,alpaca cloth to the coverings of       
,parasols and ,umbrellas4  ,to the above
 flattering testimonial the following   
remarks were appended3--  ,alpaca cloth 
is made of undyed wool of the ,peruvian 
and ,chili sheep1 and it is therefore is
 not liable to fade1 nor is it acted    
upon by salt water2 hence ,alpaca       

,parasols and ,umbrellas are much used  
at watering-places4  ,the demand for the
 ,paragon ,umbrella is so great1 that   
the patentee is able to supply them at a
 price not much exceeding the ordinary  
sorts4 ,the frames are guaranteed for   
two years1 but in consequence of the    
superior quality of the article1 the    
number found to require repair is much  
less than the average of other kinds4   
,in the course of the two years         
succeeding their introduction1 upwards  
of #ej1jjj ,paragon ,umbrellas mere     
sold4  ,nor was the progress of the     
,alpaca ,umbrella less cheering4 ,though
 the material is in some respects       
inferior to silk1 it has been found to  
wear so much longer1 and to cost so much
 less1 that its use is now becoming     
general among that numerous class with  
whom economy and an ,umbrella are       
equally indispensable4 ,the sale of     
,alpaca ,umbrellas1 in the year #ahed1  
amounted to upwards of #de1jjj4  ,since 
this time ,w4  ,j4 ,s4 have sold1 under 

their patent1 ,umbrellas to the number  
of nearly four millions4  ,these facts  
we will leave to our readers to draw    
their own inference from2 but the very  
kind reception which the ,alpaca        
,umbrellas have hitherto received1      
justifies us in asserting1 that no      
material has yet been brought forward   
which has so thoroughly fulfilled the   
required conditions4 ,the weight of the 
,umbrella has also been diminished1 and1
 last not least1 the price has decreased
 in a corresponding ratio4 ,this latter 
fact is of the very greatest importance1
 when we remember the immense quantity  
of ,parasols and ,umbrellas manufactured
 during the year in ,london1 and        
estimated at the enormous value of      
#ejj1jjj ,pounds4 ,in addition1 a very  
great number are made in ,manchester and
 ,birmingham4  ,to those who wish to    
keep their ,umbrellas safe and sound1 we
 may commend the following extract from 
,cassell's ,household ,guide3--         
,umbrellas are articles which generally 

suffer more from careless treatment than
 from legitimate wear and tear2 an      
,umbrella1 when properly treated1 will  
last twice as long as one that is not so
 used4 ,when wet1 an ,umbrella should   
neither be distended to dry1 which will 
strain the ribs and covering1 and       
prevent its ever afterwards folding up  
neatly1 nor at once rolled and tied up1 
which would tend to rust the frame and  
rot the textile fabric2 neither should  
it1 if of silk1 be carelessly thrust    
into an ,umbrella-stand1 nor allowed to 
rest against a wall1 which would        
probably discolour1 and certainly crease
 the silk injuriously4 ,it should be    
shut1 but not tied up1 and hung from the
 handle1 with the point downwards1 till 
it is nearly1 but not quite dry4 ,it    
should then be neatly and carefully     
rolled up and tied4 ,in walking with an 
,umbrella1 the hands should be confined 
to the handle1 and not allowed to grasp 
the silk2 otherwise that portion which  
is held will become greased and         

discoloured1 and the material will be   
frayed out round the tips1 which are    
points where there is always much       
stress1 and where if will always have a 
tendency to give way4 ,when not in use1 
the ,umbrella should be protected from  
dust and injury of any kind by its silk 
or oilcloth case4 ,when dirty1 alpaca   
umbrellas are best cleaned with a       
clothes-brush2 but brushing is useless  
for those of silk4 ,ordinary dirt may be
 removed from a silk umbrella by means  
of a clean sponge and cold water1 or if 
the soil should be so tenacious that    
this will not remove it1 a piece of     
linen rag1 dipped in spirits of wine or 
unsweetened gin1 will generally effect  
the desired end4  ,having thus given our
 readers all the information on the     
subject in our power2 even down to the  
last quoted paragraph1 which may teach  
them how to preserve their ,umbrellas1  
we may wish them a hearty farewell1     
hoping they may--long live to use these 
promoters of comfort and of health1 and 

that they may always be as well shielded
 by fate from the metaphorical tempests 
of life1 as they are from its physical  
storms by a good modern ,umbrella4      
,,finis