BELLES LETTRES EXTRAORDINARY. 679 



YiJ 



Valparaiso, Decemb e . 1. 1825. 



My Lord, Honorable Senor ; although I have not the honor of know- 

 ing your lordship personally, I take the liberty of writing to you, and have 

 to beg your lordship's indulgence and consideration. The fame of the breed 

 of cocks which your lordship keeps for your pleasure, has reached even this 

 remote quarter of the globe. Being one of the most passionately attached to 

 this innocent amusement, I take the liberty of requesting your lordship to have 

 the kindness to send out to me four cocks and four hens, not more than a 

 year old, as it appears to me that this number will be a sufficient stock to pro- 

 pagate the breed in this country, and show my countrymen how far superior 

 your lordship's cocks are to those of this and all other parts of the world. If 

 your lordship will honour me so far, I undertake with pleasure to pay all the 

 expenses of the freight and passage, &c. to this port. At the same time, I 

 beg your lordship to forward with them a hen-coop or chest properly divided, 

 that each cock may be kept separate with his own hen, which I think will 

 be the best means of sending them without risk. For with your lordship's 

 judgment, and the interest you take in these matters, you are doubtless aware 

 that these birds are so fierce, that were they kept all together, they would 

 inevitably disable each other. I trust your lordship will indulge me with this 

 favour, and in return will accept the assurance of my high consideration and 

 respect, as I am the most devoted admirer of the great English nation, and of 

 your lordship, whose sublime character I have learnt to revere. I have the 

 honour to offer to your lordship with great humility my own poor services, 

 and with sentiments of the most distinguished consideration, I am your obe- 

 dient and humble Servant and Chaplain. 



I kiss your Lordship's hands, 

 Fray Ramon Alvarez, 



Capellan Maior del Conv. 



Al Honorable Senor, de la Merced del Almendral 



rnojConde de Derby, del Puerto de Valp. 



&c. &c. &c. 



orto bri9< Londres - . i -iol & . 



I am no connoisseur in matters pertaining to cock-fighting, nor am 



I aware that the Earl of Derby was ever the proprietor of an esta- 

 blishment of cocks. I imagine that the mitred amateur must have 

 mistaken the place where the nearly exploded custom is principally 

 kept up, for the peer himself; or perhaps, as midshipmen on foreign 

 stations have little dread of Catholic dignitaries, and would hoax a 

 bishop as readily as a curate, the imposition originated in the 



Cock-pit of H. M. ship B , and the reverend cock-fancier 



fell into the snare. This intercepted letter however never reached 

 his lordship ; but should he now become aware of its tenor as the se- 

 cretaryship of the Colonies is at present filled by his grandson the 

 difficulties of transmitting these pugnacious birds will be considerably 

 diminished, and the Bishop of St. Jago may yet add to the sublimity 

 of his own character, by fighting a main in full pontificals. 



NOTE. 



Our contributor's article has reminded us of a little protocol that has long 

 been enshrined in our archives : we must introduce it with a preamble. 



A young man, once the articled pupil of an artist, employed by government, 

 after to adopt a vulgarism, " he had buried his first wife," and obtained ex- 

 tensive employment, in that branch of THE FINE ARTS which he professed, under 

 government himself, on receiving wedding favours from a daughter of his former 



