In the excerpt above, the word surmounted most nearly means "CROWNED".
The extract speaks of a man, and makes special emphasis on his clothing. It details his clothes from head to toe, and after mentioning the word "surmounted" it details the conical hat and the bells he had on his head. In his clothing, these functioned as a kind of crown, from there that "surmounted" most nearly means crowned in this excerpt.
Surmounted in this context means to stand or be placed on top of. I hope you found this answer helpful, and if so, please mark as brainliest, thank you! (:
