NOTES OF THE MONTH. 375 



tavern, to express sympathy for the sufferers by the recent fire at 

 New York, happened to say, " I am sure the views of Mr. Jones do 

 not accord with those of the citizens of New York, with whom he 

 can be but very little acquainted." One would have thought that 

 this phraseology was sufficiently measured. Not so, thinks Mr. 

 Jones. After saying that the object of the meeting was to express 

 "sympathy for the late conflagration at New York" (for the sufferers 

 by the laie conflagration, we presume, he means), he waxes wondrously 

 indignant and grandiloquent, and thus apostrophises his assailant : — 



" You really. Sir, take a great responsibility on yourself in making 

 this assertion, for it is founded in total ignorance, if not falsehood. 

 My knowledge of the American character arises not from an airy 

 vision, but from the reality of experience." " If," he adds, " I am 

 very little acquainted with the citizens of New Yoik, where is my 

 feeling of gratitude to that community for their liberal patronage 

 to ray histrionic endeavours, for four successive years, in the national 

 theatre of their city? Allow me to ask, which of?/sisbest qualified 

 to dilate on the American character ; the person (perhaps) who has 

 passed his days behind a shopboard, or that man who has been nightly 

 before a generous public?'' The adroitness with which Mr. Jones 

 here introduces the affairs of the shop is only equalled by that with 

 which he aims a thrust at his adversary, by insinuating that he is a 

 merchant or clerk, Mr. Jones continues the same indignant apostro- 

 phe. "I trust, if you are an American, that no shame compels you 

 to conceal your name beneath the mask of secresy and hypocrisy." 

 "There," as the boys in the streets say — " there, take that, you person 

 ((jerhaps) who have passed your days behind a shopboard." 



Sir William Draper was not a whit more severe or indignant when 

 he stigmatised Junius as an " anonymous slanderer,'' and dared him 

 to come forth and throw oft" his mask. 



The " person" who has thus very innocently and unconsciously, 

 we have no doubt, called forth Mr. Jones's ire, dates his letter from 

 '* Pearl-street," and the tragedian leaps at once to the conclusion 

 that, ergo, he " must be either a merchant, or, perhaps, a clerk.'' We 

 say nothing of the infinite superiority which the tragedian here 

 assumes for the histrionic profession over the business of a merchant 

 or clerk. What we are anxious to know is, in the first place, what is 

 the geography in our metropolitan world of this same " Pearl-street;", 

 for we were ignorant of the existence of such a street. And, secondly, 

 does nobody but merchants or clerks reside in it? ! In the latter case 

 only is Mr. Jones entitled to credit for his logical acquirements. Mr. 

 Jones's epistle seems to have frightened his adversary out of hi* pro- 

 priety, for we have heard nothing of him since. We regret this ; 

 for if only half a dozen letters had passed between the belligerents 

 they would have become so abusive as to afford the British public rare 

 sport. 



Anti-Maltiiusians.- -The northern Belgians, it appears, are no 

 disciples of the late Mr. Malthus. They bid fair to beat the Irish 

 themselves in the science of infant propagation. Vide the following 

 paragraph, which appears in the daily papers : — 



