3*20 NOTES AND EVENTS OF THE MONTH. 



visited the rope-walks of Mr. Snow, and inspected the works minutely. After 

 viewing the premises, the engines being all at work, these distinguished 

 foreigners expressed their astonishment." 



Truly, such condescending expressions must have melted poor 

 Mr. Snow. 



THE STAND OF THE CONSTITUTIONALISTS '.It seems that the 

 dignitaries of the Carlton club have resolved to make " a stand," as 

 they call it, to rally round the Constitution or, in other words, to 

 go to extreme lengths to secure the possession of abuses in Church 

 and State, in which they have thriven for this last century. The 

 " loaves" have been rapidly vanishing since the fatal measure of 

 Parliamentary Reform ; and, in this fresh demonstration of the 

 government to reform corporation abuses, the tories behold v/hat 

 remained to them of the " fishes" suddenly taking wing, and 

 becoming flying fish. This is too much they therefore resolve 

 upon a " stand" for the Constitution, such as they and their fathers 

 have made it, and have determined not to part with a scale. The 

 great hereditary have already calculated their resources. " The 

 time is come," exclaims that martial organ of fashionable coteries ; 

 " when it behoves all loyal hearts to rally round the altar and the 

 throne ;" and forthwith the journalist, imbued with military ardour, 

 suggests the notable expedient of " raising the royal standard /" 

 Against whom ? might we venture to enquire. The king has no 

 subjects more loyal than the'supporters of his present ministry. No ; 

 that is not our way of fighting. As Sir Robert Peel said, " the 

 battle must be fought in the House of Commons ;" and, however 

 great may be the pity that such martial aspirations should be 

 checked, the royal standard may yet rest for some time securely on 

 its flag-staff, or take an airing only when his Majesty may chance 

 to go again to Greenwich. 



A THREATENED ECLIPSE. If Halley's comet were suddenly'to 

 withdraw from the upturned gaze of the scientific world, it would 

 not create a greater sensation than that produced the other day by 

 the almost miraculous preservation of two great lignts of religion 

 from the perils of a post-chaise, and the dangers of Hounslow 

 Heath ! It appears from the police reports that some profane post- 

 master had entrusted the sacred persons of the archbishop of Can- 

 terbury and the bishop of London to the care of a drunken postilion. 

 It makes one shudder to think that two such props of Christendom 

 should have been so near a fall, supported only by so insecure a line 

 as the lash of an intoxicated post-boy. Does not this smack some- 

 thing of a Popish plot ? Is the delinquent Irish ? And can any thing 

 be traced to O'Connell in this dark business? These are questions 

 which are important should an investigation be resolved on. Sub- 

 stituting the post-boy for the gun-barrels may be an Irish refine- 

 ment upon the infernal machine; let this be well looked to. To 

 make the matter still more mysterious, the sacrilegious ruffian, who 



