MISCELLANEOUS. 



901 



ly thinking that I should bilk those 

 impromptu visitors, who are then 

 only drawing on their boots, and 

 thinking which way they shall turn 

 their horses heads, and upon whom 

 they sliall inflict a visitation. But 

 let no simple soul depend on his 

 cunning. My three-o'clock scheme 

 made no alteration but this, that 

 what I called dinner became a liai- 

 cheon to my visitors, who having 

 eat, and drank some of my excellent 

 light tvines, departed just in time to 

 gallop five miles farther, and dine 

 with another friend, who does bu- 

 siness of that kind in the evening. 

 And scarcely are they gone, when 

 they are replaced by another set, 

 who having been compelled to dine 

 with old Stjuaretoes at his d — d hour 

 of half past two, pop in on me, to 

 tell me the news, and taste that c?<- 

 rious claret they had heard so much 

 about ! 



I have only to add, that the pre- 

 sent summer has contributed not a 

 little to my grievances — so many 

 wet evenings, "one could not turn 

 out a dog in such weather;" and 

 my beds are so excellent, many of 

 my friends never slept io sound any 

 where — and then a ride next morn- 

 ing is so pleasant — the dust laid — 

 even when the weather is as favour- 

 able as can be wished, yet the cool 

 of the morninghas so many charms, 

 .that my spare beds (I wish there 

 had never been such a piece of fur- 

 niture invented) are all occupied; 

 and were you to hear of all my 

 excelleyicies and conveniencies, you 

 would be puzzled to know whether 

 I was most renowned as the keeper 

 of an inn, a tavern, or a hotel. 



But an end must be put to those 

 things, and 1 hereby give notice, 



that if any London gentleman wishes 

 to go into this line of business, I 

 shall be happy to treat with him for 

 the lease of the house, and he shall 

 have the gnodwiil for nothing. I 

 cannot, however, conclude without 

 mentioning the opinion of a friend 

 to whom I lately communicated my 

 grievances. After a short pause, 

 and striking his forehead, he ex- 

 claimed—" Mr. Placid, I have hit 

 it !— I have hit it !— all your distres- 

 ses arise from this one mistake — 

 you took a country-house instead of 

 a house in the country, 



I am, Sir, your's, &c. 

 Hum. Placid. 



Parallel between Linnceus and Buf- 

 fon. \_Extracted from the Notes 

 of Cuvier on the Abhe de Lilies 

 Three Reigns of Nature.'^ 



It is an ingenious idea of the au- 

 thor of the Three Reigns, to bring 

 together (in the Botanical Garden 

 at Paris) the shades of two rivals, 

 who were far from being friends, 

 but who, nevertheless, notwith- 

 standing the oppositeness of their 

 views and characters, or rather from 

 that very oppositeness, co-operated 

 for an advancement of natural his- 

 tory, as rapid as it was extensive. 



Linnaeus and Buffon seemed, in 

 fact, to possess, respectively, qua- 

 lities that could not be found in 

 conjunction in the same person, 

 but whose union at the same time 

 was necessary to give to the study 

 of nature so powerful an impul- 

 sion. 



Both of these men, enthusiasts in 

 their respective studies, and burn- 

 ing with a love of fame, of indefati- 

 gable 



