BUFFALO POLITICIANS. 59 



political debate, were at first attracted with astonish- 

 ment towards the armed stranger, but soon following 

 up their dispute they forgot all listeners, and I think 

 it might very likely have come to more than words, if 

 the host, a little fat figure, had not rolled himself in 

 amongst them, and restored peace with the conciliatory 

 words : " You are all as foolish as so many stockfish." 

 In these words, the equality of persons was proclaimed, 

 and their feelings were pacified. It was, however, no 

 trifle that formed the subject of their dispute ; for an 

 honest shoemaker would by no means allow that the 

 English could send any troops over, on account of the 

 disturbances in Canada, because the Russian was sitting 

 across their necks. A cabinet-maker, seated opposite to 

 him, maintained that Russia was too far off from Eng- 

 land to be able to make war so quickly ; but the shoe- 

 maker proved to him so clearly that Russia was close to 

 England on the north, and that there was only a broad 

 strip of land between the two Principalities, that the 

 astonished cabinet-maker was silenced by the overwhelm- 

 ing amount of solid learning ; the shoemaker admitted 

 that the march from Russia to England was difficult, as 

 the soldiers had sometimes to wade up to their shoulders 

 in sand. Whence the good man had obtained his idea 

 of a march through sand, and his geographical knowl- 

 edge, is more than I can say, but the debate, was 

 amusing enough ; and when the shoemaker appealed to 

 me for my opinion, T agreed with him of course, but 

 told him that the. Russians intended to lay down bear- 

 >kins on the sand to make the. march easier, upon 

 which he exclaimed, in astonishment, " AVhat desperate, 

 fellows ! " 



