NOTES OF THE MONTH. 585 



upon the honorable philanthropist, by a paltry, servile crew of lick- 

 spittle ruffians who are for ever tracking the heels of the aristocracy 

 magnifying common acts of feeling into instances of exalted heroism, 

 and defending their gross and selfish conduct as venial and excusa- 

 ble errors. We repeat that this medal business is a malignant satire 

 upon the aristocracy, and if Miss Eden is a person of any sense, she 

 must be as much disgusted with the paltry and unjust award as with 

 the time-serving crew who are the authors of it. By the way, if this 

 Royal Society is so much at a loss for subjects to employ its funds, 

 why not erect an hospital for decayed Newfoundland dogs, that have 

 done mankind some service ; there are plenty to be found who have 

 saved more lives than all the Maids of Honour and Post Captains in 

 the state. We would recommend an annuity of cat's-meat for life to 

 all truly deserving objects: besides, it would act as a salutary stimulus 

 to all really noble puppies. 



CAT'S-MEAT RETRENCHMENT. Woolwich has been thrown into a 

 state of indescribable confusion by the receipt of a Treasury order, 

 which, if acted upon, will sap the foundation of our social institutions, 

 and will stamp the age by a stroke of the most cruel and barbarous 

 policy that ever emanated from a Whig or any other government. It 

 is pretty generally known that a number of public servants have 

 existed for years past, having charge ^of the warehouses and store- 

 houses in and about the dockyards and arsenals at Woolwich. Their 

 salaries have been small, and they can boast, what few other public 

 servants can, that they have deserved their pittance. Yet will it be 

 believed that these meritorious individuals have been rudely turned 

 adrift without any retired allowance, because their appointment has 

 never been sanctioned by Parliament. The fact is, that, in addition 

 to the heads of departments, a certain number of feline watchmen have 

 for many years been provided by government with a salary of three- 

 pence per week for cat's-meat, for which they were expected to extir- 

 pate all quadrupedal depredators. Now the Whig government, in 

 their zeal for retrenchment, have pounced upon this article of cat's- 

 meat ; they have declared it an item of wicked extravagance, worthy 

 of a Tory ministry, and at once abolished it, thereby effecting an 

 actual saving to the county of 49/. 6s. 4d. per annum ! The harmony 

 existing between housewife and cat is thus rudely broken. The 

 female portion of the garrison are au desespoir ; every Serjeant's wife 

 is bewailing her favourite black and white torn, or her tabby. Experi- 

 enced cat-skinners are already upon the march to Woolwich, and 

 another slaughter of the innocents is expected shortly to ensue. 

 Prime cat's-meat is on the decline ; nothing but coarse cheap goods 

 are marketable. Rats are arriving in great numbers ; several mem- 

 bers of the House of Commons are daily expected. 



MB. GUTHRIE ON THE DIFFUSION OF USEFUL KNOWLEDGE. 



Mr. Guthrie, in his clinical lecture at the Westminster Hospital, says, 

 "I do not know whether it is advisable to recommend, with Sir Lucius 



M. M. No. 89. 3 X 



