CHAPTER XLVII. 



MT SHANGHAB DINNER. 



I SAW by the papers, one day, late in the year 1854, 

 an account of the return from England of my fat friend 

 Giles, who brought with him the poultry purchased 

 abroad for Mr. Barnum, and which proved to be a lot of 

 pure stock, of a remarkable character, as I supposed it 

 would be. 



But, while John was absent in Great Britain, the know- 

 ing ones there shook him down, beautifully ! His theory, 

 when he left America, four months previously, was that 

 " hall 'at was wanted 'ere was to get hover from Hingland 

 pure-bred fowls, and such would sell." John brought over 

 " such," and they did sell ; but Barnum was sold by far 

 the worst ! 



An auction was immediately got up at the American 

 Museum, in New York ; and after a vast deal of drumming, 

 puflSng and advertising this magnificent, just-imported, 

 pure-bred poultry, the sale came off, to a sorry company, 

 indeed ! And the gross amount of the sales of the fowls 



