covet such an honorable and exalted situation; for he kept running the length of his chain, and occasionally clambering slowly round the pillar to the top, giving at short intervals a discontented growl. The dog sat quietly blinking slowly round on the people, with an air of patient dissatisfaction and injured innocence, which plainly said, 'I disapprove entirely of all this, and wash my paws of the whole proceedings.'

6

When the people had arrived and settled themselves in their seats, the professor arose, bowing and smiling, and came forward just midway between the bear and the dog: 'Gentlemen and leddies,' he commenced, flourishing a white cambric handkerchief, 'no, leddies and gentlemen, I mean,' with another flourish of his mouchoir, 'you are aw-assembled, for which I thank you;' here he pressed his hand on his heart; and all I can say is, that I hope the instruction may be equal to my gratitude. With your leave, we will first commence by experiments on the bear.' Here he made a motion to one of the negroes, who came forward with a noose, and threw it dexterously round the bear's neck. After a few struggles, the animal fell heavily down; upon which the professor ordered him to be brought to the battery, and proceeded to open a nerve. But bruin had been playing possum ;' for the moment the knife pricked his skin, up he jumped, and gave chase after the professor and negroes, who ran at their utmost speed round and round the arena. MULLONEY jumped on the vacant pedestal, laughing, waving a red pocket-handkerchief, hurrahing, and shouting, 'Catch him, you naigers! shake hands with him by the fut! The men and boys hurrahed, the ladies shrieked; and to have heard the din, you would have thought Confusion had gone crazy. After several rounds, stumbles, and falls, the pursued rallied, closed upon the bear, and finally strangled the poor beast outright. On making an incision for the nerve, the unfortunate professor severed a vein, and the blood spouted over his face and vest, to the terror of some of the spectators, who fainted, and to the great amusement of others, who laughed heartily to see the nice professor so disagreeably bespattered. He wiped off the sanguineous stains, bound the vein, and prepared to operate upon what he called a nerve. Noo, leddies and gentlemen, in twa minutes ye will see him stand on his ain feet; and do n't be affrighted if he growl just as when alive.' But who can paint the poor professor's dismay, when he found that the trough, which was an unlined wooden box, had leaked, and that the acid and water could not act on the plates! This, in deep mortification, he was obliged to confess. But being somewhat reassured by the cheers of the good-natured audience, he offered for their amusement to kill the dog. Here Towser began to howl piteously; but as the cry No dog! no dog!' resounded through the house, he brightened up at once, and from that moment seemed himself to enjoy the scene. Then,' said he, we will try the frogs.' Being near-sighted, he opened the basket rather wide; when, flip flap! flop! went the lively conAnd sure tents; and one of the negroes cried out, Massa, dey all off but two!' enough, they were all off but two. It was now their turn to be the chasers, instead of the chased; and off they went after the frogs, with as much good-will as the bear had displayed in his pursuit after them, a short time before. In the excitement of the scene, the professor's foot slipped on the spot where he had opened the vein of the bear: he fell and rolled over in the mixture of blood and tan, and rose amid shouts and yells of laughter. KILMARNOCK! KILMARNOCK for ever! A speech! a speech rang through the house, interspersed with whistling, drumming, hissing and stamping. But the professor had sunk into his chair, so overpowered by shame and chagrin that he was unable to utter a word.

VOL. XXVII.

23

Here MULLONEY came to his aid, and once more jumping upon the pedestal, at length obtained a hearing. Ladies and gentlemen,' he began, I am sure my poor friend can feelingly say with the frogs, What is sport to you is death to me;' so no more pelting for a speech. I assure you, on my honor, that you have this evening witnessed an exhibition such as civilized Europe has never had the privilege of looking upon; and such an one, though it is probable you all expect to be octogenarians, as it is not likely you will ever again behold. Ladies and gentlemen of Cincinnati, on your account our friend is plunged into a brown study,' which I am sure you are too polite and well-bred to interrupt; and as the performance has closed, I hope you will consider the curtain to have fallen.' A round of applause followed; the people dispersed in high good humor; and a shrewd Yankee, who saw them file off at the door, said he guessed a'ter all the exhibition had n't turned out such a bad speculation.' But however well it might have mended the hole in the professor's pocket, it left a gaping and incurable wound in his self-esteem. He felt that it would ever after be ridiculous to talk on his favorite sciences in Cincinnati. The pet vanity of his life, (and who of us has not fostered some such flattering ideal?) had suddenly been torn from its hiding-place, and exposed to the merciless scoffs and jeers of a whole city. And though he was by no means aware of all this, for like most theorists he attributed his practical failure to all causes but the true one, still there was a diminution of self-consequence, sufficient to make him extremely uneasy. Like others and the mistake usually lasts for life with those who apply no severer tests than talk - he had mistaken admiration for capacity; and had taken words, which are but the shadows of knowledge, for its body and substance. The professor never afterward felt at home in Cincinnati, and in a short time removed to New-Orleans, in the atmosphere of which most cosmopolitan metropolis he regained all his former confidence. This, however, he did not long enjoy; for he got a crotchet into his head that chloride was so certain a disinfecting agent, that he resolved to prove its efficacy by staying in the city one summer, while the yellow fever was raging in all its borders. With a little pot of chloride in his hand, he confidently entered the infected districts; and many of the sufferers in the hospitals had reason to remember the kind Scotch doctor' who so fearlessly and assiduously endeavored to relieve their distress. But poor man! in his hour of need no kind hand performed for him the like services. He had been missed from his boarding-house only two days; indeed, his absence was scareely noticed, before they went to look for him; when, sad to relate, they found him in the last agonies of existence. He must have been taken so suddenly and severely ill, when alone in his office, as to be unable to call for assistance. And what must he not have suffered during those two dreadful days, without one to speak a kind word, or to give him a drop of water! Thus closely in the journey of life jostled together Comedy and Tragedy! We say 'journey of life,' because we are assured by our correspondent that the circumstances narrated in the preceding sketch were of actual occurrence, and that the details are true to the letter. A perusal of the narrative has awakened in our mind the remembrance of a similarly ludicrous scene, which occurred with a fellow-student in one of the interior towns of our glorious Empire State,' and at which we have sometimes even laughed in our sleep.' When time and opportunity shall serve, we may endeavor to jot down a description of it, for the gratification of our readers. If the mad wag H, who was so conspicuous an actor on the occasion referred to, will refresh our memory a little as to the inceptive incidents, he will oblige us.

GOSSIP WITH READERS AND CORRESPONDENTS. -IN passing through the avenues and other thoroughfares of the metropolis, you will notice an abundance of setter dogs. One of this breed is stationed at nearly every grocery, being excellent on the watch, and decidedly repugnant to rats. They have a peculiarly knowing look, with their eye-brows brushed up stiffly. It is no disparagement, yet one of them bears a remarkable resemblance to a certain judge in a neighboring State; but we name no parties.' Certainly their looks do not belie them, as we can testify by instances of their sagacity which have fallen under our own notice, or which have come to us on the direct testimony of their owners. An esteemed friend informs us that he once knew a grocer in an adjacent country town who was in the habit of going frequently to the city by rail-road for the purchase of goods, returning by the afternoon train at four o'clock. His dog PONTO, at that time or thereabout, would slip out of doors and sit upon the steps, with the air of an old deaf man who listens with the hollow of his hand placed behind his ear. At the first striking of the bell which announced the coming of the train, he started upon a dog-trot for the dépôt, about a quarter of a mile distant; and getting upon a high platform, where he could look into the cars as they rolled past, curiously inspected their contents, as a child would look out for his father; when, having recognized his master in the crowd, his eyes danced with joy, and he wagged his peculiarly short tail in the delight of recognition. But of this the charm consisted in the manner, which cannot easily be described. I once had myself a dog of this breed,' said our friend,' who from being much spoken to from his tender puppyhood, understood the meaning of any plain sentence of the English language. He sat upon the rug and listened to conversations with much interest if they related to common topics, but if they had to do with metaphysics he went to sleep. One day, in order to try him, I ordered him to take a basket into the yard and fill it with chips. He immediately seized one with his teeth, carried it out, picked up the broad hickory chips, filled it, and bringing it in, placed it upon the hearth.' Shortly after this, his owner came within an ace of losing him in a very melancholy way. In a scuffling warfare with a cat, he was so unfortunate as to fall into a deep well. Having procured a rope and grappling irons, with much difficulty they succeeded in drawing him to the top, when he slipped and fell again to the bottom. This occurred three times; at last he was got out and laid upon the stable-floor 'for dead.' He came however slowly to himself, but seemed to be in a precarious state, when suddenly he discovered a rat; and forgetting the pit out of which he had been digged,' with the small life which was yet in him he leaped up and took the life of the rat. This quickened his pulses; and the next day he was in the granary, active and well as usual. With permission, ladies and gentlemen, we will now change the subject to Goats. We have often been much amused with the manners of those animals after this kind' whose education is mainly metropolitan. Nature, it satisfactorily appears, will vindicate herself in spite of all obstacles. The goat is born with a wild disposition.' He loves to poise himself on the precipice, and to overleap the chasm. What can he do in the great city, where the cone of every hill is shaved down, and inaccessible walls of brick and mortar take the place of the hill-side and the valley? He does as well as he can under such circumstances. He takes the best substitute, even as the swan will sully his white feathers in a muddy pool, for lack of the brilliant waters of the flowing stream. Not long since, before the ruins of the late " 'great fire' were cleared away, we noticed, in the midst of rubbish and piles of brick, a high wall stand,

ing in a ticklish attitude, narrow at the base but widening at the top, and projecting over with its loose brick at a sharp and threatening angle. At this very place stood an old goat, with long white beard, looking over the artificial crags and wide-spread ruin with silent dignity and satisfaction. The samphire-gatherer's hold was not more dangerous. We have very much enjoyed latterly the belligerent tricks of a ram, who stands nearly the whole time under a wagon where Bleecker-street empties itself into AbingdonSquare. A month ago, when his forehead, as HORACE has it, was just 'turgid with coming horns,' some boys were plaguing him in a shameful manner. He took it pretty well, save that he occasionally reared up with great perpendicularity, and with his head threateningly lowered, reminded us, for a moment, of that verse in Don Juan,' which COLERIDGE pronounces the most classic in the poem:

'A BAND of children round a snow-white ram
There wreathe his venerable head with flowers,
While peaceful as if still au unweaned lamb,
The patriarch of the flock all gently cowers
His sober head, majestically tame,

And eats from out the hand, or playful lowers
His head in act to butt, or kindly then

Yielding to their small hands, draws back again.'

Wait

The boys were evidently taking advantage of the good-nature of the animal. till he gets a month older,' said a by-stander; 'you won't sarve him that way then, I guess.' Yesterday, just about a month from the time spoken of, we saw the boys at their old trick of tormenting the ram. The prophecy turned out to be correct. He 'would n't stand it' any longer. He not only drove his enemies from the ground; he pursued them through the halls of a half-finished building, up the avenue, and indeed pressed them so sore, that interference became necessary. He then retreated beneath his wagon, where he sat looking as sober and majestic as a judge. A few remarks upon Pigs, ladies and gentlemen, will conclude the present discourse. City pigs have a hard time of it, as indeed they ought, having no business there.' Scarce one of them has a whole ear; their tails have been torn off; and what with being bitten, scalded, kicked, run over by the omnibii, and anticipated in the revenues of the gutters by scavengers, they are far from being rid of the ills which flesh is heir to.'' Yet they are not altogether wanting even in a higher instinct. We noticed in coming up this morning an overgrown 'porker' poking his nose slyly around a corner. He evidently had an eye on a dog who was coming down the street, spreading consternation in his path. The old fellow retreated in good time, and quietly placed himself behind a large hogshead which stood by a grocery, holding his breath, and refraining from even so much as a gentle grunt, until he saw his enemy had passed by, when he came forth and breakfasted on some potato-peelings with immense satisfaction. . . . WHAT a beautiful illustration is that in Ion' of the assurance which human affection and love give us of a reunion with the departed in another and a better world! When thou art gone,' asks CLEMANTHE, shall we never see each other? To which Ion replies in words pregnant with spiritual meaning and undying affection:

'YES!

I've asked that dreadful question of the hills
That look eternal; of the flowing streams

That lucid flow for ever; of the stars,
Amid whose fields of azure my raised spirit

Hath trod in glory: all were dumb; but now;

While thus I gaze upon thy living face,

I feel the love that kindles through its beauty
Can never wholly perish; we shall meet
Again, CLEMANTHE!'

6

And who shall doubt it? HENRY INMAN, the gifted artist, the pleasant companion, the warm friend, the fond husband and father, has passed on!' His bodily presence has ceased to be with us. His observant eye, never closed to the charms of God's beautiful creation, has opened upon immortal scenes of perennial verdure. A companion of the innumerable shining ones' whose faces are like the light,' walking amid green pastures and by the side of still waters in a better country,' his soul drinks with ineffable delight effulgent hues which outvie all that his mind had conceived or his pencil portrayed while on the earth. The death of our friend was not unexpected to his family nor to himself: On giving,' says a contemporary, 'the last touch to his October Afternoon,' a painting finished during the month of October last, and which was almost his last production, he remarked that he had painted his last picture. A mutual friend, in paying a feeble tribute to his memory, well remarks, that Rarely does there pass away from earth a man whose life more endeared him to those who knew him than INMAN. He had all the qualities which go to the making up of a true man; and so genial was his character; so full of every thing which could qualify a companion, and form a friend; so abounding was his eloquent conversation with the riches of a cultivated and well-stored mind; with suggestive philosophy, sparkling wit, genuine humor and illustrative anecdote; so keenly did he enjoy life and life's blessings, and the many friends that enjoyed it too, and the more for his companionship; and all this too while Disease was weighing him down with her heavy crushing hand; that we could hardly realize the fact of his being destined to an early grave. He has gone in and out among the wide circle of his friends and acquaintances, for many years, laying up stores of future association with his memory, and rearing all the while a beautiful and enduring monument of his excelling genius. To few in our country in their own life-time has Fame sounded a clearer and more assuring pean than that which she has breathed over the easel of INMAN. He was one of the elect of Genius, to whom was vouchsafed the glorious vision of his own immortality.'・・・ A CLERGYMAN in one of the Southern states, noted for the easy polish of his manners, and especially for the beauty of his penmanship, had a favorite slave, who fell deeply in love with a sable beauty on a neighboring plantation. The ardor of the flame that consumed him was such that it at length overcame his bashfulness; and he begged his master in most moving terms to write a 'lub-letter' for him. The master at once consented; and after writing a long and flowery epistle, in the most approved love-letter style, and in faultless chirography, read it over to the expectant' darky.' He seemed much delighted with it, and allowed his master to fold and almost finish directing it, when a shade passed over his shining countenance; and looking exceedingly puzzled, he burst forth: 'Oh LORD! Massa, dat nebber do! Nebber do, in dis 'varsal world! Why, how now POMPEY? what is the matter? What is it that displeases you in the letter? Why, Massa! you l'arned gemman, and not know dat!—and even poor Poмr, he know? Oh! Lord-gorra! I thought white folk know som'thin'! (This last was an aside.) Don't you see, you nebber finish lub-letter? You not say, 'Please excudge de bad writing!'' AMONG the club-laws of London, in the elder time, at least among those of one of the clubs of London, were the following, which seem to us to partake somewhat of the character of sanitary regulations: If any member absents himself he shall forfeit a penny, unless in case of sickness or imprisonment; if he tells stories in the club that are not true, he shall forfeit for every third lie a half.

6