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pier. In fact, if, as Mr. Hughes says, that almost 

 the only idea generally prevalent amongst the 

 masses is to bring- every body to their level, both 

 from above and below, legislation will, of course, be 

 simplified. What can be simpler than to legislate 

 so as to please people who have only one idea 

 amongst them ? But we have not arrived at that 

 state yet, as we all know to our cost, from recent 

 experience. Oh, how puzzled we have been. A 

 man came one day to ask me, as a magistrate, if he 

 might carry on his back a litter of pig's in a poke 

 from one part of his farm to another, because the 

 Inspector had told him he could not leg-ally do so. 

 Of course I immediately referred to the Act of 

 Parliament and Orders in Council, and looked out 

 for " little pigs in pokes," but it was in vain. The 

 possibility of such a case had evidently not been 

 contemplated, so I told the man he might carry as 

 many little pigs as ever he liked about his farm. 

 But whether I was right, or whether the Inspector 

 was right nobody knows, and nobody will know to 

 the end of time. 



Amongst the numerous funny things to be found 

 in the Acts of Parliament and Orders it is difficult 

 to decide which to select for mention. 



One clause ordains that after a diseased beast has 

 been in any box or shed, no other beast is to be put 

 into it for thirty days. Thus, supposing a farmer 

 has one hundred beasts and ten spare boxes ; the 

 first ten that catch the complaint are put into them. 



