1826.] Letter on Affairs in General. 71 
_i/Fhere was another: ballad, too, but I can’t recollect the measure, that 
described the instability of Mr. Hunt, the Somersetshire candidate, in 
his pursuits. From beer to politics—from politics to blacking—and then 
from blacking to politics again. But the best that I have heard, was 
one that a Freneh gentleman sung extempore, in English, a few nights 
back, at a party where I was. I'll endeavour to give a notion of the 
manner of it ;— 
et AIR, RECITATIVE FROM “ The Battle of Hexham,” 
: “ Mopveration! Moprration !” 
“Oh! a4 present—now—it is de time of miracles, an de arts an sciences shall thrive, 
In de year, ce qu’on appelle, of our Lord, eighteen hundred an twenty-six—dat come 
_after de year of our Lord eighteen hundred an twenty-five ! 
Vén dey hang de poor gargon dat is singel, if more dan vonce he take it into his head 
to wive ; 
And you buy de iron coffin for -your friend yen he die, dat he shan’t be pull up by your 
friend dat stay alive! 
Alteracion, alteragion! Ah, 
We have every day some alteracion ! 
“ Dere’s de new almanach, dat shew you how de moon go on, since de German found 
out dat dere vas fortificacion in her ; 
An dere’s de New Magazin publish every month, to tell you what you ought to eat for 
_ oe» dinner! 
Dere’s de new lottery, where all de prize—is—blank, dat give misfortune to whoever 
wish to win her ; 
Andere’s de new science, dat, ven you pot your hand a top of a man’s head, you know 
~_ if he’s a saint or a sinner! 
Bo) Speculacion, speculacgion! Ah, 
Par Dieu! this is une ¢trange speculacion ! 
“ Dere’s in France, at last, de Fossil skeleton—de very thing dat Morsieur Cuvier so 
very long have sought for ! 
Which prove dat man—he was make upon de face of de earth—much sooner dan 
-some folks thought for! 
En Amérique, they build von ship so grand! as if timber nothing could be bought 
. for; ; 
An in Holland, de Dutchmen they learn to dance—though they can’t conceive what 
_| they are taught for! 
Operacion, operacion! Dat 
; Must be one extraordinairé operacion ! 
“¢ Oh, yes !—I say this is de time of miracle, when de new vonders spring up in every 
“.., quarter. ; : 
One gentleman, he sold his wife in Smithfield, in England, and another gentleman 
_s-bought her! ’ 
In London now dey wash their shirt by steam, and never put him at all into de_ 
_ | water ; beige: 
And, a Paris, the ladies wear their petticoat so long, dat de next fashion must be—to 
cut it shorter ! 
Alteracion, alteragion! I 
Don’t care how soon dey make dat alteracion ! 
—e 
- 
_The Times of this morning contains an advertisement :—“ Wanted, a 
Personal Representative.” . Now, what sort of a thing is that? 
pS Harborough, I see, has been tried at the sessions, for calling 
“Yo, ho!” in some street, in the night stated in the indictment ; and 
afterwards (with assistance) slaying and beating several watchmen, 1, 
wonn tie tthe idea of a ‘perpetual lodgment of bail” at. all the. 
principal. po ice-offices,. has never occurred to those of our nobility who;, 
are in the habit.of being taken to the watch-house (during the ‘ season)» 
twice a-week? It would only be the loss of interest upon a small sum, 
of money; and all the fuss of “ finding sureties,” and ‘ sending for 
ene’s tailor” —(perhaps not much caring to send for him) —* locked up 
