NOTES OF THE MONTH. 339 



penal in any equestrian, to presume to commit the enormity of using 

 spurs to his horse, however requisite he may have hitherto found those 

 " little persuaders/' as our departed acquaintance, Dr. Kitchiner, face- 

 tiously called his far-famed digestive pills. 



Lastly, for the justice of Mr. Halls. A case of cruelty is clearly 

 proved, on the part of a man whose duty it undoubtedly was to have 

 prevented such an outrage. Mr. Halls himself, having by the most 

 arduous study discovered again we are in error " conceived" calves to 

 be included, and consequently protected, dismisses the case, and saddles 

 the plaintiff, most vexatiously, with costs ! And this is a specimen of 

 the blessings we derive from the new police, when presided over by 

 Mr. Magistrate Halls ! Verily, the Bench could scarcely be more 

 graced, were Dogberry himself seated on it in propria persona. 



DUTCH DYKESMEN. We are by this time thoroughly tired of the 

 Dutch and of all that belongs to them. Why we should trouble our- 

 selves with the concerns of this amphibious race we know not; as 

 though they could not partition their several shares of mud and water 

 without our assistance. 



With respect to the Russian Dutch Loan, we were told that England 

 was bound in honour to pay her share of it. Truly, it costs England 

 more to support her character than all the other countries in the world 

 to maintain themselves. How came we to be dragged into this treaty ? 

 Why should we pay for other peoples' hollands and water, when we 

 are in want of the necessaries of life ourselves ? But this is just like 

 John Bull. Dr. Arbuthnot had a prophetic eye upon the present times 

 when he wrote the deluded old fellow's history, and set forth the par- 

 ticulars of a balance of accounts between John Bull and Nic. Frog, the 

 Dutchman, and the manner in which, by slight of hand and mystifica- 

 tion of figures, the latter choused his victim. How like a speech of 

 to-day is the following, uttered by Frog. 



Nic. Frog " Why all this higgling with thy friend for such a paltry 

 sum ? Does this become the generosity of the noble and rich John 

 Bull ? I wonder thou art not ashamed. O, Hocus, Hocus ! where art 

 thou ? It used to go another guise manner in thy time/' 



It used, indeed. " O, Hocus, Hocus ! where art thou ?" Echo 

 answers " where/' The people of England have been hocussed enough 

 in all conscience and now that Hocus is no more, let us hope that we 

 shall be no longer called upon to pay even though it be a debt of 

 honour. 



The crew of the Talavera have returned, it seems, perfectly bewildered 

 with their distinguished reception at the court of the Emperor of all 

 the Calmucs. They have been made perfect converts to the blessings 

 of a paternal government. If any lingering doubts existed in their 

 minds as to the advantages of the knout and cat-o-nine-tails, the 

 orderly and respectful demeanour of those who can best vouch for 

 its reality have completely removed them. When they heard the 

 grateful children of Nicolas address him by the endearing appellation 

 of " Father," it was apparent that Solomon's maxim of " spare the knout 

 and spoil the child," was, indeed, a wise one, of which the indulgent 

 parent had made a liberal and most paternal use. We happen to 

 know, however, that not all on board have been gulled and cajoled 



