33G 



TABLE-TALK AJO) VARIETIES. 



good man, and the tinder-bos." 

 The materials were produced ; but 

 in the act of striking a light, the 

 box was precipitated into the brook. 

 The ill-humour of the door-keeper 

 burst forth at once. " Now I must 

 go back and get some fresh tinder ; 

 we are close to the cave, and I have 

 two miles to walk." "No, no," 

 said the doctor ; "I have tinder 

 with me ;" and, producing some 

 German tinder, he restored good- 

 Tiumour by igniting it by means of 

 a brass cylinder and piston, which 

 acted by the sudden compression 

 of air. "When they were fairly 

 within the cave it was found that 

 the German tinder would not act, 

 "the doctor having cunningly wetted 

 the piece which he produced for the 

 purpose. " You really must go 

 back to your cottage and get some 

 tinder, but we will take care to re- 

 munerate you for your trouble." 

 Thus encouraged, the usher of the 

 crystal chamber departed to his 

 dwelling. As soon as his back was 

 turned dry tinder was found, the 

 piston acted well, the candles were 

 lighted, hammers were brought 

 out, and as many stalactites as 

 could be conveniently disposed of 

 found their way into the pockets of 

 the party. One waited outside as 

 a scout. As soon as the old man 

 was seen approaching, the wax 

 candles were again pocketed, the 

 liammers followed their example, 

 "with the piston, and all the gentle- 

 men united in objurgating the 

 guide on account of the time he had 

 taken to go so short a distance. 

 When his candles were lighted by 

 his tinder and matches, the ravages 

 became evident ; but, as he imagined 

 the whole party to have been in the 

 dark, whereas he was the only per- 

 son in that predicament, he accused 

 some unknown thieves of having ob- 

 tained entrance by means of a ialse 

 key, and repoi-ted to his lordship ac- 

 cordingly. Lord and servant are 

 now with their forefathers ; but I 



do not feel at liberty to give names. 

 (The Shores and Islands of the 

 Mediterranean.) 



A LEOISLATOR FROM THE PLOUGH. 



On this first range is the house 

 and farm of my former travelling 

 companion, Mr. Brown. I paid a 

 short visit to the family in passing ; 

 and in front of his house, though 

 on the opposite side of the road, I 

 saw one of the stoniest fields I have 

 ever met with. It was literally 

 paved with huge blocks, and was 

 kept untouched as a monument of 

 what the whole had been. It must, 

 I suppose, have been the industrious 

 perseverance of my friend, Mr. 

 Brown, in making a farm out of 

 such unpromising materials, which 

 caused his neighbours, twenty years 

 ago, to force him from the tail of 

 the plough, and, in spite of opposi- 

 tion, send him to the House of As- 

 sembly every year since. " We 

 don't want educated men for legis- 

 lators, or men specially instructed 

 for them, to fill our public offices," 

 say the democrats of North Ame- 

 rica ; and they point to such men 

 as Mr. Brown. " You see he was 

 taken from the plough-tail, and is 

 still a poor farmer, and yet he does 

 as well, and holds as high a place 

 as any of them." (Johnstoue's 

 Notes on North America.) 



A POLYGLOT HOUSEKEEPER IN 

 MEXICO. 



This hotel, where we met with 

 great civility and attention, is kept 

 by a Scotchman, very considerably 

 Mexicanized : poor man, he is in 

 very bad health, and the climate 

 seems to be slowly poisoning him. 

 The housekeeper is a German, and 

 she, on the contrary, appears to be 

 more intensified in her nationality 

 by the process of transplantation. 

 She seemed perpetually in a high 

 state of sauer kraut, and utterly 

 Teutonic. She was very kind and 

 ;ood-natured, indeed, to us, al- 



