ing duodecimos which I have met with for many a long day. As I hinted before, he is somewhat lacking in refinement, and is a republican and a democrat to the back bone, but with all this he constrains you to accompany him in his perigrinations, and smile at his quips and cruditics whether you will or no. THE LAIRD.-May be you will let Maister Wilkes say a word for himsel!

THE MAJOR.-With all my heart. Here is the account which he gives of the comparative features of English and French feeding :

specially demand it, and the pepper of both countries is of a flavor that is almost offensive to an American palate. In France, you have but little chance to use it, for neither of that, nor of salt, do they allow more than an acorn full to five or six persons. Indeed, the seem to regard it as an insult to their art when you use either. The English and continental butter is, however, unbearable to an American, without salt, and we recognise each other continually, in travelling, by the ceremony of kneading salt through it with our knives as the first preliminary to our meals."

THE DOCTOR.-The writer does scant justice to the promptitude of our English hostels. Judging, at least, from my own experience, he must have lighted upon a preposterously slow house.

THE LAIRD.-So say I! In the Flesh Market Close at Edinburgh, your steak was smoking before you, ere the order had been weel given!

"At an English hotel table, which of course represents the best style of private living, you enter the general dining-room, take a seat at a side table by yourself, and if the joints are ready, which they are at four or five o'clock, according to the custom of the different houses, you call for your dinner. You begin by asking for an evening newspaper and a pint of wine, and fill up the order by calling for soup, to be followed by THE MAJOR.-Can you conceive anything salmon, roast beef, or mutton, as the case may more repulsive and ghastly than the following be. You get the newspaper at once; in about peep into a London cheap lodging house:fifteen minutes you get your pint of wine, and in about fifteen minutes more your soup is placed "Our policemen led the way across the street, upon the table. You must not hope for it sooner, and brushed the crowd away from a narrow pas but after that, everything follows with great ex-sage, the entrance to which seemed like the actness and in regular succession. Next to your entrance to a pig-stye, and was but wide enough salmon comes a huge mountain of beef or a whole for us to advance in single file. The board floorleg of lamb, from which you cut collops to your ing, sluiced and undermined by continual streams heart's content, and retain as long as you wish, of filth, plashed under our feet, and our noses unless you choose to release it at the polite rewere assailed with vapors that seemed almost tanquest of the waiter, who may want it for ano-gible to the touch. However, we groped on, susther gentleman, please." There are no fancy tained in hardihood by a common example, though dishes, and you cannot, except very rarely, get the loss of my handkerchief almost made me a either puddings or pies. The half of an immense deserter. Far up in this foul alley we came to a cheese, weighing perhaps from twenty to thirty side door, which let us into an apartment some pounds, is set before you instead, and you make sixteen feet square, and about ten feet high. All your dessert out of that with the assistance of the was dark when we entered, but our lantern lit up remainder of your wine. Such is an English ho- a sight such as I had never seen before, and such tel dinner, and it is needless to say, that if you a one as I pray God I may never see again. In have any appetite, you rise from it full and con- that contracted lair lay thirty human beings, men, women, and children; yes, thirty white Christians, "A French dinner requires the same time for of a Christian land, packed head and feet in layers, its performance, but it is eminently social, and di- like the black cargo of a slave-ship under chase, vides its charms for the palate between the de- and most of them, adults as well as infants, as lights of gossip and intrigue. In the way of eat-naked as they were born. Some were families, some were man and wife, some were single lodgers ing, however, it is a dinner of shreds and patches, Some wore a few scanty scarcely any part of which you know, and the at a penny a head. entire bulk of which, in actual food, would appear patches, others were partly covered by a sheet, truly insignificant, if you could only see it laid in but many were threadless and indifferent to expoIn the centre of the room stood a large tub the beginning, before the artist's knife went into sure. it for the delusion of eight or nine score of people. or reservoir, which the comity of the apartment The deficit, however, is ingeniously made up by permitted to be used by two or three at once; and rolls of bread some twelve or fourteen inches long, in the muck and gloom, and stench and vermin which are laid beside your plate, and which you of the place, these larvæ of a stifled and rotten insensibly fill yourself with, during the intervals civilization, crawled and grovelled and profaned of the courses, to aid you in sipping the bottle of the rites of nature; and what seems most strange claret which is furnished with the bread. You of all, bred souls for immortality. I deal with a rise with the wing of a chicken, the hind quarters repulsive subject, but surgery cannot be fastidious, of a frog, a wafer of beef, a shaving of mutton, and and I dwell upon the features of this den, because a fragment of salmon stowed away inside you in it exists almost within a stone's throw from the successive layers of biscuit and bread moistened palaces of nobles, and under the noses, it may be with wine, and as you walk away from the table, said, of the snuffling hypocrites of Exeter Hall, you can scarcely resist the impression that you whose mock philanthropy commissions emissaries would make a capital chowder or pot-pie, if you to excite our slaves to insurrection, and who pluncould only endure being boiled. Among the der well meaning poverty to provide blankets and whole of this melange you are never treated to bibles for the happier heathen." butter (either in England or France) unless you

tent.

THE DOCTOR. This is all very terrible, and

miles, and will naturally be the head-quarters to which the diggers will have to resort for supplies. The tone of many of the late leading English papers, render it evident that Great Britain places | little reliance on the oft repeated declarations of peace made by the French Emperor. Indeed these declarations appear to be totally at variance with the warlike preparations going on throughout France. The French government are constructing many war steamers, and are busy at other warlike preparations. French soldiers and sailors are being trained to embark and disembark until they have become expert at both-these preparations must mean something; and we think that they can mean nothing so probable, as a descent upon England. It would seem that the government of England are inclined to this opinion themselves, for they, too, are unusually busy at their preparations. The militia are regularly drilled, and are instructed to be in readiness at a moment's notice, for any emergency. Much activity also pervades the different dock yards with careful watchfulness along the coasts. The British Government have addressed enquiries to the Railway companies as to the number of troops, men and horses with munitions of war, that each line could transport in a given space of time, from one given point to another. A large military station is to be established near Birmingham, and no more soldiers of the line are to be sent from home at present. All these things look ominous, although every thing betokens peace. But the most singular incident in connection with the business is, that an order to Napier, the shipbuilder on the Clyde, from the French government, for sixteen frigates, has been cancelled by the British Admiralty, and a like number ordered for the English service, fifty-three are, however, still reported as being fitted out. (Twenty line of battle ships, eighteen frigates, and fifteen smaller ships of war.) This shows that dark clouds are looming in the future.

The Duchess of Sutherland appears to be in a fair way to gain a good deal of a certain kind of notoriety, and also to have the past acts and oppressive conduct of the Duke reproduced and narrowly criticised by the public. This is what people may always expect as a consequence of intermeddling in the affairs of others. Dunrobin Castle, a place "in the days of auld lang syne" the scene of a busy, happy patriotic and thrifty population; is now reduced to a comparative desert, thinly inhabited by a people who are far from being happy or even above want. It may perhaps be possible that the Duchess of Sutherland was ignorant of the cruelties practised towards her own tenants; but it is a pity that she did not inform herself of the fact and take the beam out of her own eye before she attempted to take the mote out of brother Jonathan's. When the women of England step beyond their proper sphere, they become as awkward as a fish out of water; and the rebukes which the Duchess of Sutherland and her friends are now receiving ought to induce others not to meddle in affairs they do not understand. The immediate marriage of Louis Napoleon to the Senorita Montijo, a very charming young Spanish lady, is the leading topic of French news conveyed to us by the last European mail; nor, considering the position and character of the man himself, ought the intelligence to excite

much surprise! Strong points and startling effects being rigidly the order of the day, a coup de theatre very naturally succeeds to a coup d'état. Foiled in repeated efforts to ally himself with the Royal families of Europe, and equally foiled in his attempts to establish a disreputable connection between himself and the lady of his love, he has snapped his fingers in the face of the Sovereigns who frowned on him, and humoured his own passion by making the woman his Empress, who had refused any more ambiguous title. A few particulars regarding the person thus prominently set before the eyes of the world will be found elsewhere, together with a remarkable address, delivered by the Emperor to his assembled Ministers, Senators, and Legislators, when officially declaring to them his intention. To this set speech we would invite candid attention, partly because it has been lauded by influential portions of the British press, whose commendation carries weight, and partly because it exhibits in strong colours that audacity, duplicity, meanness, insolence, and want of principle, which are no less component parts of Louis Napoleon's character, than are his iron will, his impenetrable secrecy, his infinite cunning.

Do us the favour to turn back to this vaunted document. It commences with an unmitigated falsehood, in asserting that the nation has often expressed its anxiety for his nuptials. Here and there some bumpkin of a country office holder, in the fulsomeness of his adulation, has indis creetly besought his master to leave lineal suc cessors behind him; but there has been no ad dress to this point from his obsequious senators, no plebiscite from his obedient subjects. That there might have been no one can doubt, if it had been thought advisable. The ballot boxes are there for the ready eight millions of voters; the prefects are there to register faithfully; the Moniteur is there to record officially. The pop ular voice would have been expressed with equal alacrity on behalf of a Russian Archduchess, or of the Vivandière of a regiment; but the voice might have been troublesome whilst Hymen was unpropitious. It was consequently not called for, it was not uttered. To the justice of His Majes ty's remarks on the proper mode of bringing back France within the pale of old monarchies, no one can object; only, how much it is to be regretted that this simple process does not appear to have hitherto occurred to him. The allusion to Josephine would have been a happy one, if the Great Napoleon had selected her for an Empress, which he did not; and between the cases there is therefore no parallel, even if one could forget that "the modest and good wife of General Bonaparte" was set aside for state purposes. As for the succeeding paragraph, in which the Austrian alliance and the Duke and Duchess of Orleans are comprised, nothing can exceed its absurdity, unless it be its injustice. What Fate condemns the present Emperor to burden himself with the memory of his predecessor, in season or out of season? Must his uncle's shade become his old man of the sea? Otherwise what could have induced that unhappy allusion to Maria Louisa? What sort of a guarantee for the future was it? Did it assure to France the friendship of Austria? Did it assure any personal

advantages to the bridegroom of that day? What genius of stupidity could have dictated the writing of those lines, intended for quick-witted Frenchmen, lines wherein royal alliance is first scouted on general principles, then held up to admiration when applied to Napoleon I., and then scouted again as applied to Louis' own immediate case? What is said regarding the late Duke and the living Duchess of Orleans is in equally bad

taste.

The whole of the Orleans property is now alienated, the year allowed for the sale having expired. Later accounts from the Cape of Good Hope, and another Indian mail, have arrived. We are not inclined to devote room to the meagre and unsatisfactory statements that they contain from the seat of war in both places. It would be doing no honour to our gallant army at Rangoon, were we to chronicle at length the trifling exploits to which they have been limited by the extraordinary caution and inactivity of their commanding officer, General Godwin. His pompous despatches are much too wordy and unimportant to be read with interest even by our military readers. For a different reason we refrain from making extracts from Cape papers. The enemy there cannot be found; and the details of marchings and countermarchings, and the capture of waggons and oxen, become dry reading for those who have already had much of it submitted to them.

And now for my gleanings: BOUNDARIES OF THE FRENCH EMPIRE.-The object of the new Imperialist brochure recently issued in Paris by M. Masson, entitled Les Limites de la France, is to show that it is the duty and interest of France to regain the frontier of 1795. It is assumed that the Rhine, the Alps, and the Pyrennees are her natural limits; and the writer urges that the French nationality, if confined within narrower boundaries, is constantly exposed to attack, and is at the mercy of any coalition of the other powers of Europe; whilst, on the other hand, with the acquisition of Belgium, Savoy, and

my predecessor, and your Lordship is probably aware from what has recently passed on this subject in the Imperial Parliament, that her Majesty's late advisers had taken the matter contained in it into their consideration, and were proposing to communicate with you respecting it, when the recent change in the Administration interfered with their intentions.

"3. In consequence of that event it became my duty to bring the subject under the attention of my colleagues at the earliest opportunity, and I have now to inform you that her Majesty's Government have determined upon advising her Majesty to accede to the prayer of that address. In arriving at this decision they have felt it their duty to keep out of view the question whether or not any alteration is at present desirable in the mode of appropriating the fund derived from these Reserves, established by the 3rd and 4th Victoria, cap. 78.

"4. They do not deny that they share in the regret expressed by Lord Grey in his despatch of January 27th 1851, that any desire should be entertained to disturb a settlement devised with a view to reconcile conflicting interests and feelings, which it was hoped might have accomplished that object, but they are fully satisfied that no such sentiments of regret would justify the Government or Parliament of this country in withholding from the Canadian people through their representatives, the right of dealing as they may

think

terest.

proper with matters of strictly domestic in

"5. That such was, to a great extent, the view originally entertained by the British Parliament, of this question, appears evident from the provisions of the original constitutional act of 31st George 3d, by which a wide discretion was left to the then Canadian Legislature, to alter or repeal its provisions. That liberty it was thought proper in framing the act of 1840, to withdraw, but reverting to those general principles of polibut in restoring it, Her Majesty's government are cy which were recognized in 1791, in this inand adhered to in the colonies: principles on which stance, and which had been habitually adopted. alone they conceived that the government of Canada can or ought to be conducted, and by the maintenance of which they believe that those sentiments of loyalty to the Crown and attach

the cis-Rhenan provinces, the empire might be secure from the kindred races of Spain and Italy. FRENCH COMPETITION FOR ARTILLERY HORSES. -A report has been circulated that the French Government has sent orders over to England to contract for the purchase of 1,000 horses fit for the Artillery, to be supplied within three weeks. If that be so, we take it to be a method for retard-ment to the existing connexion with this great ing as much as possible, the completion of the empire, which now animate the colony can be most effectually confirmed. augmentation of that same number of horses for our own Artillery.

And now I'm fairly out of breath. Doctor, you must e'en read my Colonial chat for me. DOCTOR-With pleasure. Ah! I see you begin with the Colonial Secretary's despatch. [Reads:

"6. They will, therefore, be prepared to follow the course already indicated by Lord Grey in the So, despatch above referred to-namely, to recomchit-mend to Parliament to pass an act giving to the Provincial Legislature authority to make, subject to the preservation of all existing interests, such alterations as they may think fit in the present arrangements respecting the Clergy Reserves. Her Majesty's Government are induced to make this reservation solely from those considerations of justice which they rejoice to find so fully recognized in the addresses which have been from time to time presented to the Crown.

"DOWNING STREET, 15th Jan., 1854. "MY LORD,-I have the honor to acknowledge your despatch of the 22nd of September last, addressed to my predecessor, and forwarding an address to the Queen from the Commons of Canada, in Provincial Parliament assembled, on the subject of the Clergy Reserves.

“2. This address was laid before her Majesty by

"7. The language of these addresses is such as to give every ground for confidence that the pow er to be thus given to the Provincial Parliament will be exercised with caution and forbearance

towards the feelings and interests of all classes Other speakers, however, did not approve of such in those two great districts which are now so an arrangement, and denounced the idea of giving happily united under the single legislation and up the Fisheries, on any terms, in most emphatic government of Canada; but I must repeat, that language. They also expressed themselves much it is not from a reliance on this confident antici- annoyed at the Imperial Government's attempting pation, however strongly they may entertain it, to settle the question without having first obtain that Her Majesty's Government have come to ed the concurrence of the Colonial Government their present decision, but because they are sat- and Parliament. M. Wilkins has moved several isfied, on more general principles, that the Par-resolutions to this effect; and he insists on the liament of Canada and not the Parliament of the strict observance of the treaty of 1818. He deUnited Kingdom is the body to which the func-nies the right of the British Government to annul tions of legislation on this subject must, for the public advantage, be committed.

"8. You will take an early opportunity for communicating the contents of this despatch to the legislature.

I have &c.

NEWCASTLE." LAIRD.-Touching these same Reserves I have nae reserve in saying that

MAJOR.-Pray shut up, amico mio! You might as well discuss a cigar, enthroned upon a keg of gun-powder, as enlarge upon such a theme in the Shanty!

LAIRD. I sit corrected, Crabtree. DOCTOR.-Our Province, I see, is to be favored with the presence of an architectural notoriety. Stephenson, the engineer of the far-famed Menai bridge, is said to be on his way to Canada, to construct a viaduct across the St. Lawrence at Montreal.

MAJOR. Such an undertaking would be a great fact, to use one of the cherished slangisms of the day, and I trust it will be carried into effect.

DOCTOR.-By the way, Major, did you observe that a despatch has been received from the British Government, declining to grant medals to Militia Officers who had served in the War of 1812?

that treaty, and complains of the injustice which the Colonists have suffered for years back by the unwarrantable and unchecked encroachments of the Yankees on the Provincial Fishing Grounds. Further, he advises the British Government not to allow the Americans the privilege of these Fisheries, which he says, will serve them as a nursery of sailors that they can employ against England at any time.

LAIRD. What hae our collectire wisdom

been doing since they re-assembled at Quebec!

MAJOR. Why, man, they have not had time to draw breath yet, after their cold pilgrimage to the city of Wolfe and Montcalm. You must allow them to recruit for a week or two, before tackling to the tough business of the session.

[Doctor continues]:

The treaty between England and the United States brought by the Africa, on her last passage to New York, being ratified by the British Government, was concluded about a fortnight ago at Washington between Messrs. Crompton and Everett. It embraces two subjects-the fishery quesStates and the North American Colonies. Among tion and reciprocity of trade between the United other things it provides that colonial vessels may obtain American registers. The Americans disapprove of this article, inasmuch, as they argue, that it would bring colonial ship-builders into di

MAJOR-I did, and must say that the resolution is at once ungenerous and unwise.rect competition with their own, and that as AmerThere can be no question that at the period referred to, our militia rendered the state shrewd service,-and in the event of any fracas with frater Jonathan, it would be mainly upon their stalwart arms that the safety of our altars and hearth-stones would depend. Most short-sighted, then, I repeat, (to say nothing of common justice,) is the determination of Government in the premises.

DOCTOR.-Have you heard anything of late regarding the state of matters in Nova Scotia since the opening of the Legislature?

MAJOR. You will find it as you go on. [Doctor continues:]—

ican builders are liable to pay duty on several articles used in ship building, such as iron, cordage, &c., upon which the colonists pay no duty, the advantage in favor of the latter would be manifest. For these and other reasons it is presumed that the treaty will be rejected by the senate, and that the matter will be suffered to stand over until General Pierce comes into power, and he is said to be favorable to Reciprocity and free trade in the

most liberal view of the case. So that the long talked of Reciprocity may become a thing of reality after all,

MAJOR-One moment, Doctor. I did not intend to have taken any notice yet of the Harbour Commission, as it is scarcely ripe for The latest Nova Scotia papers are occupied with public discussion, but a little extract relat debates on the answer to the address delivered by the Lieutenant Governor, at the opening of the ing to the Don struck me particularly. You Legislature of that Province. The chief questions will find it, Doctor, in the next paragraph; are "Reciprocity;" and the "Fishery Question." read it. Some of the speakers, among whom was Mr. Howe, appeared anxious to give up the exclusive rights to the fisheries, and to allow American Fishermen to fish on the same terms as the colonists, provided the American government would relax its commercial restrictions in favour of the Colony.

[Doctor reads]:

The Don should be prevented altogether from discharging itself into the bay-to effect which I would cut a canal from some point below the bridge into the lower bay (Ashbridge's), at the same time making an opening through the penin