10 



KIDD'S LONDON JOURNAL. 



some one of them will be able to supply what 

 I regret it is not in my power to send you. — J, I\ 

 [This discussion is noAV going on elsewhere, 

 and the inquiry promises to be very interesting. 

 Thanks, however, for your vigilance.] 



"HOW EASY HE WRITES!" 



" With what ease lie writes ! " said a 

 young lady, as she laid down one of Wash- 

 ington Irving's volumes. Straightway we 

 made up our mind that the young lady did 

 not know what she was talking about. Had 

 she said " How easy it is to read his 

 works," we could have sympathised with 

 her amazingly. Then, rinding we could not 

 make a satisfactory reply without compro- 

 mising our honesty, we fell to making a 

 comparison in silence. The steam-boat 

 glides majestically and gracefully through 

 the waters, but it is no easy power that 

 gives to the water-traveller her steady and 

 rapid motion. It is true she is tastefully 

 painted and gilded ; her cabins are plea- 

 sant, and her prow is decorated with speci- 

 mens of the sculptor's art. But descend 

 with the engineer to his fiery domain ; swel- 

 ter there in the burning pit; see the heated 

 grease, and listen to the bursting steam ; see 

 the tremendous power of fire and water com- 

 bined, until the strained and groaning 

 boiler threatens to burst asunder, and deluge 

 the decks with the heated fluid. You will 

 perceive that Ease, although a mild and 

 pleasing damsel, has a confounded rough 

 old father. Little dreamed the admirer of 

 Irving how much agonising toil was required 

 to beget that ease which she so much de- 

 lighted in ! Yet she was not alone in her 

 error. How many a publisher thus lightly 

 estimates the labour of his weary author ! 

 How many tradesmen smile at the trifling 

 employments of the man of Genius. We 

 have been mad enough to eat a tripe supper, 

 when we have heard the peasant draw an 

 invidious comparison between himself and 

 the poor wight whose intellect supplied him 

 with bread. " I get my living by the sweat 

 of my brow," said he, " while you are 

 trifling away your time with books and 

 papers." Yes, see that pale and hungry 

 being, startled from his task by the sound of 

 the midnight bell. See how Ins fingers 

 grasp the pen convulsively, as he fears his 

 task will not be accomplished in time — a 

 slave to men whose pockets are better lined 

 than their pericraniums, and who mete out 

 to him his starveling pittance with the un- 

 willing hand of an upper servant dealing out 

 cold pancakes and sausage-ends, to a beggar. 

 See him place both hands upon his snapping 

 brain, as the fires of fancy dart from Apollo's 

 mount upon his withering soul. Yes — " how 

 easy lie writes ! " 



When our friends, who know what the 

 solace of a leisure moment is, peruse our 

 "London Journal" to-day — perhaps they 

 will imagine u kow easily' 1 '' it has been pro- 

 duced ! 



HINTS ON SONG BIRDS, AND OTHER 

 ; PETS." 



A hint or two have just been seasonably 

 thrown out to us in connection with our 

 London Journal, of which we think it 

 highly desirable to avail ourselves. An un- 

 known, but zealous correspondent, writes : — 

 " Nearly every family, Mr. Editor, keeps a 

 bird of some kind, and feels greatly interested 

 in all that concerns its welfare. Of these there 

 are, of course, many sick, many ailing ; and 

 their owners, being for the most part ig- 

 norant of the mode of cure, or proper treat- 

 ment, often lose their ' pets ' in consequence. 

 A vast number, no doubt, perish every year 

 in this way. Now, if you were to encourage 

 all persons having invalid birds, to write 

 and consult you about them, from week to 

 week, you would not only enlighten the 

 public generally, and make them greatly 

 your debtors by the remedies you would 

 propose ; but you would ' interest ' many 

 thousands of persons, who would gladly take 

 in your paper if it were only to obtain this 

 particular class of information. There is no 

 doubt that ' self-interest ' sways us in all 

 we do. Why not, therefore, avail yourself of 

 this ' weak point,' and turn it to your own 

 particular advantage ? Rely on it, it would 

 cause the sale of your journal to increase 

 rapidly, and procure you a host of staunch 

 friends and supporters in all parts of the 

 country. Rich and poor, high and low, old 

 and young, gentle and simple — all have a 

 penchant for a bird of some sort ; and I very 

 much question, whether this class of readers 

 would not alone render your speculation a 

 successful one. Then again, the ' breeding- 

 season ' is coming on ; when there will be 

 questions innumerable put to you. You 

 will be consulted also upon a variety of 

 other matters, to which there is scarcely 

 any limit ; all, bear in mind, having reference 

 to the expressed object of your London 

 Journal. For instance, squirrels, ' pet ' 

 dogs, rabbits, pigeons, the choice breeds of 

 fancy fowl, and I know not how many other 

 such matters, are sure to be brought under 

 your cognisance for ' advice ; ' and how ex- 

 ceedingly interesting is the discussion of 

 these affairs, treated as you treat them, in a 

 pleasing, l popular ' form ! 



"Again, let me put the question in another 

 shape. There are a class of people— a nu- 

 merous class — who have the (pardonable) 

 vanity of loving to appear in print. These, 

 when they write to consult you, will look 



