BONNET, it covering for the head, of which there are many varieties. The French, from whom we have the word, apply it as we do to nia10 as well as female head-dress. A kind of night-cap is called by them a 13 ; as, for example. the bonnet rouge, or infamous "cap of liberty" of the revolutionary leaders. The English 13. of former times was made of cloth, silk, or velvet, less or more ornamented, according to the means or taste of the wearer. This species of head-gear was generally superseded by the hat. in the early port of the 16th c. 0 but itt Scotland, bonnets were universally worn for a century to two centuries later, and they still remain to a certain extent 0 national eliaracterisi ie. From the frequent notice of the blue 13. in historical records geld in song. it would seem that the Scotch Avere long identified with this kind of head covering. The genuine old 13. of the Lowland Scottish peasantry was of n broad, round, and Hat shape, overshadow in- the face and neck, and of a darh-blue color, excepting a red tat like a cherry on the top. The fabric was of thick milled woolen, without seam or lining. and. o exceedingly that. with rCaS011111/11.' earl, it single 13. worth about 2s. would have served a nine his whole life. No lwad-dress ever invented could stand so much rough usage.
be folded up and p01 in the pocket, or laid fiat and sat utsm, with equal impunity; a might be exposed to a 11 :Ivy drenching rain without the head being wetted, and when dt ied. it was as good as ever,. Besides Iteould be worn on the tut) of the head, or slouched in front, behind, or sidewise, as a protective against a cold blast; and from its softness and elasticity, it very fairly saved the head from the effects of a blow. In short, there was no end to the adaptability of the old "braid bannet," as the Scotch termed it; and one almost feels a degree of regret that, in the progress of fashion, it should have gone so much out of use. From having been worn, till comparatively late times, by small
rural -such as owners of a cottage and an acre or two of land—it gave to these local notabilities the distinctive appellation of bonnet lairds. A lesser and not so broad a variety of the B. was worn by boys. The Highlanders have longworn bonnets of the same fabric, but these rise to a point in front, and are without any rim. Such is the cap now known as the Glengarry bonnet. From time immemorial, these. various kinds of Scots bonnets have been manufactured at Stewarton, a small town in Ayrshire. For merly, the Stewarton -bonnet-makers formed a corporation, which, like other old guilds, was governed by regulations conceived in a narrow and often amusingly absurd spirit; one of the rules of the fraternity, however, can be spoken of only with commendation, for it enforced a certain weight of material•in each B., as well as durability in the color. An account of this ancient corporation will be found in Chambers's Journal, first series, vol. v., p. 142. The bonnets used in the Highland regiments are made at Stewarton and •KilmarnoCk; they are usually distinguished by a checkered fillet, being the fess cheque of the house of Stuart. Latterly, although hats and caps have, to a great extent, superseded bonnets of the old varieties, the bonnet manufactories of Stewarton have much increased, and are still increasing. Of the many and ever-shifting varieties of ladies' bonnets of straw, silk, and other materials, we not need attempt any account.