RECEIPTS . - FASHIONS MISCELLANEOUS RECEIPTS. Table Lamps.-They all require to be taken to pieces and thoroughly cleaned every five or six weeks. This may be easily done at home. Soap and warm water will generally be sufficient ; but if not, use soda dissolved in the water, and take care it does not touch any of the lacquer on the outside. Rinse all the parts carefully with clean cold water, wipe them, and dry near the fire, before putting them together again. The glass chimney may be cleaned with a stick having a bit of sponge fastened at the end. Afterward polish with a bit of whiting and a soft cloth. To Prevent Muslins, Linen, and Cotton articles from Taking Fire suddenly.- Rinse them in alum water, made pretty strong with the alum. The article then, if applied to a lighted candle or a flame, will only smoulder like woolen substances-not break instantly into a flame, and so destroy the wearer. As much as possible, in winter, articles of dress liable to flame should be avoided, and woolen textures substituted. To Destroy Slugs.- Take a quantity of cabbage leaves, and either put them into a warm oven, or heat them before the fire till they get quite soft ; then rub them with unsalted butter, or any kind of fresh dripping, and lay them in places infested with slugs. In a few hours the leaves will be found covered with snails and slugs, which may then, of course, be destroyed in any way the gardener may think fit. To Remove Stains from the Hands.-Rub the hands well with pumice stone, or with the juice of a lemon. Or, take one ounce of prepared coral and four ounces of lemon -juice : dissolve the coral in the lemon-juice, and keep well corked . Apply it with a sponge two or three times a day. It is quite harmless, and may be relied on. A Good Eye-Wash.-Twenty-five drops of " Goulard's extract of lead" in eight ounces of water, and one teaspoonful of brandy. Bathe the eyes with soft linen, dipped in the collyrium . Or an ounce of brandy to five ounces of water. Bathe the eyes night and morning. To take Ink Spots out of Linen and Calico.- Cut a lemon in half, and press the stained part close over one half of the lemon, until it is wet with the juice. Then place on it a hot iron, and the spots will soon disappear.
FASHIONS FOR MAY . FIG. 1.-WALKING DRESS OF GRAYISH BLUE SILK.- The skirt is trimmed with seven bands of black velvet. The body is high and plain ; the sleeves are loose, but somewhat shaped to the arm, and trimmed with four bands of black velvet. Bonnet of white silk, trimmed inside and out with pansies. FIG. 1.-HOUSE DRESS OF NANKEEN-COLORED FOULARD.The skirt has a narrow bias band around the bottom edged with white. The pointed belt is braided and edged with white. Over the low body is worn a high white body of jaconet, plaited down the front. The collar and cuffs of this body are made of foulard, braided. Head-dress composed of blue velvet bows. FIG. II.-WALKING DRESS suitable for the country. This dress is composed of one of the black and white silk and wool materials which are now so popular and are found so useful. The body is made a la Parodi, that is, with a slight fullness at the waist, back and front, but plain on the shoulders. The deep cape, collar, sleeves, and front and bottom of the dress are trimmed with a plaiting of ribbon. FIG. IV. BONNET OF WHITE ENGLISH STRAW, from Mrs. Cripps, 312 Canal street, New York. The front is ornamented at the top with white lilies and leaves, interspersed with narrow white ribbon edged with black ; a trimming of
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white tulle descends down the left side, terminating at the cape, which is of white ribbon and blonde lace. The face trimmings are a full cap of blonde, with a large white rose and buds in the center, and quillings of purple ribbon on the right side. Broad white strings. FIG. V. SPRING BONNET, from Mrs. Cripps, 312 Canal street, New York. The material is royal purple silk of a delicate shade. The front is shirred, which meets a deep cap-shaped crown, finished with a rosette of black and white lace, from which two lappets of white lace mingle at the rosette, with delicate spray fall to the cape. The front is surmounted with a cluster of white flowers, interspersed with loops of purple and white ribbon. The face trimmings are composed of full loops of purple and white ribbon, gracefully intermingled with lace and white flowers. The bonnet is completed by broad white strings edged with black. GENERAL REMARKS.- Mostof the silks are in very small plaids or checks ; though some of the more expensive ones are of a solid ground, with leaves, small sprigs, etc., of the same color as the ground, but of a darker shade. But few India silks have been brought to the market for some years past ; but these, when they can be obtained, make the cheapest and most serviceablo silk dress which can be worn. These silks wash like a good chintz, and always look well. FOULARD is a material now employed for dresses at all seasons, and of late it has been made in new and beautiful patterns. Many foulards have a brown, black, or violet ground, figured with patterns like those on other kinds of silk. For instance, some are sprigged with flowers on a white ground, or they are figured with a lozenge pattern in green . We have seen one figured with black stripes on brown, and another with Pompadour bouquets. These foulards, we may also mention, are of a firm texture. For young ladles' demi-toilet nothing can be more suitable than a dress of foulard with a white ground; the corsage low, with a fichu and a ceinture of the same silk as the dress, fastened either in front or behind ; or the corsage may have a berthe crossed in front, and trimmed with bows of ribbon on the shoulders. ALPACAS of various colors are very much worn abroad; but few have been introduced here, except those in black, which are always so much worn for mourning. But there are various articles which have taken the place of alpacas, some heavy, some light, composed of silk and wool, or of all wool. The names and styles of these articles are legion, but any ofthem will make most serviceable dresses for the country, for traveling, for walking, etc.; in fact, no lady's wardrobe should be without one, particularly as they can be had very cheap, though some of the styles range as high as one dollar and thirty-seven cents a yard ; but of double width. These goods can be obtained in either checks, stripes (like that of our third figure), or plain. CHINTZES rival the silks this season in beauty of design. PIQUES, OR MARSEILLES, are, as usual, of a light ground, with small figures. These, as we have before informed our readers, are a much heavier material than chintz, very much like the old-fashioned vesting Marseilles, and require no lining in the bodies. They are particularly suitable for children. Some of the plain buff ones, braided with black, make the most stylish dress a small boy or girl can wear. Next month we will speak of bareges, tissues, lawns, etc., suitable for warm weather. There is but little that is new as yet in the make of dresses. Many bodies, particularly those in silk and more expensive materials, are made with a point, both at the back and in front. For quite young ladies, the round waist is much worn, with either a belt, sash, or one of those pointed ceintures known as the Medici ceinture. One of the most beautiful of these latter is made of black velvet,
